max*d Issue 09

ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA

ISSUE 9

Desert rats:

D-MAX trumps the Finke Desert Race

Truffle fever: Hunting for buried treasure

Kabul’s souvenir:

THE

All-New

Rugs, nuts and antique swords in Afghanistan

D-MAX! PLUS: Don’t miss AustrAliA’s top five fishing spots

The All-New D-MAX has landed

A close encounter with the All-New Isuzu D-MAX brings to light a new generation of reliability and down-to-earth fuel economy teamed with off-the-planet levels of performance, safety and comfort across the entire range. Intelligently engineered with Isuzu’s tough Spirit of Truck heritage – you can truly depend on it.

Make contact and test drive the All-New Isuzu D-MAX at your nearest Isuzu UTE Dealer today.

Scan QR code to watch & explore Don’t have an app go to our website.

See the landing Watch the video and explore the features at

isuzuute.com.au

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welcome

issue 9 04 newS

What’s happening in the world of Isuzu UTE Australia

07 wiShliST

That is a watch? Five of the most expensive timepieces on earth

08 me ’n’ mY max

Six very different drivers explain why they chose a D-MAX and how it has held up both on- and off-road

Features

14 Tech head

Why D-MAX’s new alloy tray is stronger and more practical than before

36 communiTY max

A look at some of Isuzu UTE Australia’s newest community partners

40 hook, line ’n’ Sinker

TV hosts Nick Duigan’s and Andrew Hart’s top five fishing spots

16 The finiShing line

Top Gear, Bruce Garland and Isuzu UTE Australia join forces at the 2012 Finke Desert Race

24 ouT of The box

They may smell funny but at $2,000 a kilogram, black truffles are no joke

28 paSSporT

In Afghanistan’s bullet-ridden capital, new hope and a rich, ancient culture offer a holiday experience like no other

44 geT STuffed

The ABC of home-made crackling with Gastro Park’s Grant King

32 unSung heroeS

The untold story of an old digger who never stopped serving his country

47 STaYin' alive

Lost in the outback? Survival expert Steve Crombie on how to find water

48 dealer liST

Where to find D-MAX dealers across Australia

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Taken on the outskirts of Otway National Park. Picture by Francesco Solfrini

welcome

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Max Tanks “This vehicle is totally changed from the ground up.”

—Isuzu UTE Australia technical expert Marcus Dowling

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B

y now most of you would have noticed our All-New Isuzu D-MAX has landed!

Building on our reputation of reliability and economy, the All-New Isuzu D-MAX brings with it new levels of performance, safety and comfort. We have worked extremely hard over the past few years to bring you a vehicle we are truly proud of.

The All-New Isuzu D-MAX continues to harness ‘The Spirit of Truck’ in its design and remains the only ute produced by a commercial vehicle manufacturer. More than four million kilometres of testing (equal to 100 times around the earth) was done during the development of our new D-MAX to ensure we would deliver you an amazing vehicle.

Our latest offering is the sixth generation of D-MAX, with a lineage stretching back 40 years to 1972, when we launched the Isuzu Faster. Since then, we’ve continued to embody ‘The Spirit of Truck’ and developed one of the world’s most reliable diesel engines—the cornerstone of our D-MAX product. Our engines are so well loved around the world that we’ve sold more than 23 million of them!

No doubt the first thing you would have noticed about our All-New Isuzu D-MAX is its bold and aggressive styling. But it’s not just a good-looking car. Its new and improved 3.0-litre turbo-diesel now generates even more power and torque while remaining extremely fuel efficient, and a new 5-speed automatic transmission is simply a joy. In the cabin, we’ve increased comfort and safety levels to further enhance your driving experience. I hope you get to drive one soon.

In this edition of max*d, our editor Ian will lead you through a closer look at our All-New Isuzu D-MAX. Also,Top Gear’s Dylan Campbell will strap you into the passenger seat next to Bruce Garland during his triumphant class win at this year’s Finke Desert Race in his All-New Isuzu D-MAX. We hope you enjoy!

The All-New Isuzu D-MAX is exactly that. Read all about it in this issue’s instalment of Max Tanks

Yasu Takeuchi Managing Director Isuzu UTE Australia

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news

Mark the date September

All the latest and greatest from Isuzu UTE Australia

07–15 Royal Adelaide Show Adelaide, SA A fascinating exhibition of farmers’ livestock.

18–20 Henty Field Days Henty, NSW Australia’s premier field days for mixed farming.

D-MAX first at Finke Isuzu Motorsport’s Bruce Garland put his All-New Isuzu D-MAX rally car to the test on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend at the Finke Desert Race—one of the world’s toughest off-road events—with great success, coming first in its class.

The first step in his preparation for the 2013 Dakar rally in South America, Bruce and his co-driver Harry Suzuki now pack their bags for the Australasian Safari—an even tougher event— which kicks off in Western Australia on 21 September.

You can read more about Bruce’s adventures in the Finke on page 16.

22–02 October Royal Melbourne Show Melbourne, VIC Come celebrate rural industry in the city.

29–06 October Perth Royal Show Perth, WA Showcasing the best in WA agriculture and entertainment.

19–28 Australian Int’l Motor Show Sydney, NSW One of the world’s premier motor shows.

OctOber

24–27 Hobart Royal Show Hobart, TAS Tasmania’s largest agricultural show.

02–04 Elmore Field Days Elmore, VIC Over 600 business will be represented.

16–18 Australian National Field Days Borenore, NSW Australia’s oldest annual agricultural exhibition.

NOvember

23–25 Australian Motorcycle Expo Melbourne, VIC The latest in motorbikes and related products.

Big-wave surfing with D-MAX Gold Coast extreme surfer Ryan Hipwood has joined the Isuzu UTE family.

Runner-up in this year’s Billabong and Oakley big-wave competitions, Ryan makes his living from surfing mountain-like slabs of water and is renowned as

PUBLISHER Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd ISUzU UTE aUSTRaLIa ManagIng EDITORS Victor Petelo Dave Harding

EDITOR Ian Neubauer ian.neubauer@edgecustom.com.au

ManagIng aRT DIRECTOR Karen Jacobi

CHIEF SUB-EDITOR John Piggott

aCCOUnT DIRECTOR Scott Crisp

EDITORIaL DIRECTOR Georgina Armour

CREaTIVE DIRECTOR Shane O’Brien

aDVERTISIng SaLES Dennis Lee dennis.lee@edgecustom.com.au

CLIEnT SERVICES DIRECTOR Sarah Willmott

ManagIng EDITOR Michael Butler

PRODUCTIOn aSSISTanT/ jUnIOR DESIgnER Rhys Prosser

COMMERCIaL DIRECTOR Fergus Stoddart

CEO Eddie Thomas

PRODUCTIOn EDITOR Paul Rodger

aCCOUnT ManagER Amy Story

Disclaimer: The information included in this magazine is intended for interest only. The opinions and views expressed in this magazine are provided in the writers’ personal capacities and are their sole responsibility. Their publication does not imply that they represent the views or opinions of Isuzu UTE Australia or Edge and must neither be regarded as constituting advice on any matter nor be interpreted as such. The reproduction of advertisements in this publication does not in any way imply endorsement by Isuzu UTE Australia or Edge Custom Media of products or services referred to therein. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. A selection of the images featured in this publication have been sourced from Getty Images and Thinkstock Images. Business Essentials trading as Edge ABN 22 062 493 869.

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one of the world’s leading big-wave specialists. Ryan has just taken delivery of his All-New Isuzu D-MAX and, with his jet ski in tow, will embark on a wave-finding mission across the country Look out for the story in the next issue of max*d.

max*d magazine is proudly printed in Australia using renewable resources. Pacesetter Coated is an FSC Mixed Sources Certified paper, which ensures that all virgin pulp is derived from well-managed forests and controlled sources. It contains elemental chlorine-free bleached pulp and is manufactured by an ISO 14001 certified mill.

max*d is published on behalf of Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd by

51 Whistler St, Manly NSW 2095 T +61 (0) 2 8962 2600

SGS-COC-003898

news

Isuzu UTE teams up with the Motorcycle Expo The Australian Motorcycle Expo kicks off on 23–25 November at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and the All-New Isuzu D-MAX is proud to be the official vehicle of choice.

More than 130 exhibitors will display the very latest in motorcycles, accessories and motorcycle-related products and services. Visitors will also enjoy special performances by

the ShowTime FMX team.

This is an event not to be missed and we’re offering max*d readers an exclusive discount on tickets. Simply go online to buy your tickets at www.motorcycleshow.com.au.

Use the code word ‘Isuzu’ to receive a discount and enter the draw to win a family pass to the 2013 World Superbike Championship on Phillip Island.

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ShowTime FMX launch new tour

Having just completed a whirlwind tour of far north Queensland in their All-New Isuzu D-MAX, ShowTime FMX have now set the cruise control and will head across the Nullarbor to Western Australia, where

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they will wow more crowds with their aerial antics. Indeed, the team have been turning plenty of heads in their All-New Isuzu D-MAX—customised with new wheels and a stylish graphics package.

d-max pullS crowdS aT ekka In Brisbane, August is the time when the country comes to the city for the state’s most loved annual event—the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka).

Hosted by Isuzu UTE Australia for the third consecutive year, the Isuzu D-MAX wood-chopping arena provided plenty of action and was once again a popular attraction for families. More than 400,000 people passed through the gates, cementing the Ekka’s position as the state’s premier event.

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Mongrel ZipSiders Original thinking ... Copied by everyone Mongrel Boots launched the first ZipSider style work boot in 2007. A great success – it is now perhaps the most copied style on the market. But while our competitors have been copying we have been improving. Today ZipSiders come in 8 styles including our latest hi-leg 561050 in wheat. Features include rubber sole, new scuff cap, protected zip and Kevlar stitching. The technology in Mongrel ZipSiders is without equal – providing both superior safety and comfort along with the benefits of Australian Made quality control.

Visit our website – mongrelboots.com.au and checkout our full range of ZipSiders.

Aussie Born and Bred

Victor Footwear 15 George Young Street Auburn NSW 2144 p: 02 8667 2555 f: 02 8667 2500 e: sales@mongrelboots.com.au w: www.mongrelboots.com.au

Urwek

wishlist

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Timekeeping began in ancient Ur, where moving shadows cast by obelisks revealed the world turning.

Named after the city, the UR-202 has telescopic, extendable hands that operate through the centre of three revolving hour satellites.

RRP $97,500: www.urwerk.com

Time Warp Cabestan Designed in tandem with Ferrari and made from the same titanium alloy used in its F1 cars, this watch will set hearts racing. It has a rotary drum and a visible motor with a vertical gear train and automatic transmission that compensates for torque. RRP $300,000: www.cabestan.ch

With diamonds, telescopic hands and automatic transmission, these mechanical masterpieces are no ordinary Watches

Blancpain With 740 hand-finished parts that take a year to assemble, it’s little wonder the word ‘complication’ is part of this watch’s name. And with production limited to 30 units, you can bet the price tag is but a ballpark estimate. RRP $745,000: www.blancpain.com

HM3 Most watchmakers make machines to tell the time. Not Maximilian Büsser, an eccentric Swiss who builds micro-mechanical sculptures he calls ‘horological machines’. With a face based on a rare Costa Rican frog, zirconium skin and a purple 22K gold rotor, the HM3 is emblematic of Büsser’s radical vision. RRP $98,500: www.mbandf.com

}

Hublot When it comes to making a great watch, forget about steel; ceramic is the way to go. It weighs less, is 100 per cent scratchproof, anti-allergenic and can’t rust.

Made entirely of ceramic and encrusted with 544 black baguette-cut diamonds, the Hublot Black Caviar Bang offers a lot of bang for your buck. RRP $1 million: www.hublot.com

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XXXXXXXX

Me ’n’ six differehnyttdhreyivers

explain W ax, Where chose a d-m in it and they’ve been formed hoW it’s per d off-road both on- an

Trish Harrison Lives: Mandurah, WA Drives: 2011 4x4 SX

After retirement, my husband spent months researching the market for the ute that would best meet our requirements. A keen off-roader, he needed a 4x4 with enough power and torque to take on the most difficult terrain, plus the right wheelbase to carry our camper

1 without compromising weight distribution. The D-MAX came up trumps. Last year we covered 26,000km in four months, tackling routes like the Old Telegraph Track.

This year we’re looking forward to setting off again and exploring more of our wonderful outback.

2 3

Paul Hughes

Lives: Lesmurdie, WA Drives: 2009 4x4 LS-U Late last year my wife and I decided we’d do the big trip around Oz and, after a pretty exhaustive search for the best vehicle, we settled on a D-MAX. The decision was based on towing ability, as we’d be living in our caravan, and off-road grunt, because we wanted to get off the beaten track. Fuel economy was important too.

Over the past few months we’ve test-driven our D-MAX at some really out-of-the-way places and it’s passed with flying colours. So northwards we go!

Me ’n’ my Max is a segment reserved for you—the reader. If you’d like to see your ute appear in the mag, send a high-resolution image along with your name, town, state, and the make and model of your D-MAX, plus a 100-word blurb, to maxd@iua.net.au.

Or you can mail the details to max*d magazine, PO Box 1128, Eagle Farm, QLD 4009.

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me 'n' mY max

Warren Sm ith

Lives: Shep parton, VIC Drives: 2011 4x4 LS-U As a heavyvehicle drive rtrainer, I’ve come to ad m ire Isuzu trucks for their so lid engineering and longevi ty.

So when I d ecided to upgrade my 4x4 there w as no contest— it had to be a D-MAX. I estimate it uses three litres less p er 100km than my previou s car and it ri des better.

Would I buy another in the future?

You bet.

Barbara Saville Lives: Yallambe, VIC Drives: 2010 4x4 LS-U

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Rodney Pallentine

Lives: Mandurah, WA Drives: 2011 4x4 SX

I bought my D-MAX for its fuel economy, power, torque and reliability, and to transport my microlight aircraft—the tray’s length, width and height were spot-on. I bought it in October last year and drove from Perth to Victoria, then up to NSW, where I picked up my microlight, then back to Victoria for a test flight. After that it was back to Perth and up the coast to Karratha to get airborne again. I drove 21,000km without a single problem. I can confidently say my D-MAX flies!

Last August we tested our D-MAX with a trip from Melbourne to Birdsville via Cameron Corner. I’m pleased to say it pulled us and our small caravan all the way and never missed a beat as we negotiated corrugations and a few sharp bulldust-coated hills. The state of the road meant we advanced as little as 50km/h at a time, but it was all part of the fun and added to the feeling of accomplishment when we finally pulled into our campsite in Innamincka some 1,500km later. It was such an amazing trip.

WIN

a Caltex FuelCarD!

If your letter is published here you'll receive a $50 fuelcard.

Congratulations to this issue's six winners!

Roger Kolodziej Lives: Figtree, NSW Drives: 2010 4x2 SX

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Last year I decided to downsize from my big old 4x4 to a ute. I needed something reliable to help me carry the gear I use to renovate my house, and the D-MAX was my first and only choice. It gives me great fuel economy and all the power I need for long-distance road trips.

This photo was taken at Araluen in NSW during a recent weekend away.

I learned the D-MAX has a bit of a cult following and I often end up exchanging notes with other D-MAX owners we meet on the road.

Why Caltex Vortex Diesel fuel? diesel used to be a dirty word ... not any more. thanks to the advanced technology of caltex vortex premium diesel, you can now clean your engine while you drive. We know because it's been tested. engines running on vortex premium diesel have shown less deposits, cleaner injectors and better performance— not to mention improved fuel efficiency. it means a smoother, cleaner ride. visit www.caltexkeepitclean.com.au for more information.

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max TankS

More than an update, the All-New Isuzu D-MAX represents a quantum leap in ute engineering

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New Order auer WorDs Ian Neub

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“This vehicle is totally changed from the ground up ... the only thing that carries over from the old model is its Spirit of Truck DNA.”

when i

was asked to review the 2012 All-New Isuzu D-MAX at Eastern Creek Raceway on Sydney’s outskirts on a blisteringly cold day in June, I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of changes. Perhaps they would put in better or larger speakers, more comfortable seats and a few cupholders: standard car industry stuff.

And while the new model has all these things (ceiling-mounted speakers for surround sound, rear seats that now comfortably fit adult passengers, plus 10 cup holders and 15 storage compartments), the All-New Isuzu D-MAX is a significantly more sophisticated version of its predecessor.

“This vehicle is totally changed from the ground up,” says Isuzu UTE Australia’s technical expert Marcus Dowling. “In fact, the only thing that carries over from the old model is its Spirit of Truck DNA.”

like nighT and daY

To really appreciate how different the All-New Isuzu D-MAX is, I’m shown one alongside an earlier model.

The chassis, body panels, wheels and mirrors are all different. In fact, the new model is longer and wider, and has a bigger, bolder, more muscular look.

But the new specs represent more than window dressing. The longer wheelbase means better ride and handling. The larger chassis increases stability. New door seals and angled window wipers make the vehicle quieter on the highway. On top of this, the new, aerodynamic body—tested in the wind tunnels of the

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Japan Railway Technical Research Institute and Pininfarina—has 5 per cent better airflow, giving the new model the lowest coefficient of drag in its class.

And while the new fascia looks aggressive, it’s all about safety. In the event of a collision with a pedestrian, it’s designed to lift the pedestrian up rather than pull them underneath. Hidden inside the front corners of the bumper bar are ‘crumple boxes’— devices that prevent the ute’s chassis from twisting in the event of a collision with another car. And because they bolt on, they can be replaced at low cost.

The wheel arches are larger so less mud gets caught there when driving off-road. The door handles have been shaped to let you open and close them while wearing gloves. The list goes on and on, change after change that will make existing D-MAX owners take a second look at what’s destined to become the best-selling Isuzu ever.

bee in Your bonneT

The All-New Isuzu D-MAX’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine is leaner and meaner. Power is up from 120kW to 130kW, while torque is up from 333Nm for the automatic and 360Nm for the manual to 380Nm apiece. Fuel consumption is a miserly 8.1L/100km and 8.3L/100km respectively.

Yet it’s the changes you can’t see that make the new model’s engine worth talking about. The dipstick now has a satin finish instead of a smooth one so the oil doesn’t slip. A new path for the oil circulation channel

in the piston reduces heat stress and improves longevity. The new swirl design in the combustion chamber boosts output. They’re just some of the features that make the utility’s engine faster, more responsive, stronger, cheaper to maintain and more environmentally friendly than before.

on The inSide

Inside, the new All-New Isuzu D-MAX is even more different. The cabin is longer and wider. The seating position for the driver and passenger is more comfortable, with more space under the front dash that angles away from the driver. There’s a handle on the A-pillar that makes it easier to get in and out and the driver’s seat has at least six direction controls. There are also six airbags and six speakers.

The new electronic MID (multi-information display) shows a wealth of information, including odometer, trip calculator, fuel consumption, programmable service reminders, warning lights, date, time and more.

The stereo control, cruise control panel and Bluetooth controls are all now mounted on the steering wheel in intuitive positions that improve safety. The previous model’s push-button 4WD controls have been replaced with a simple-to-use dial control mounted near the gearbox, while the temperature control panel is more ergonomic, with larger dials and buttons for easier operation.

The vehicle comes in 11 different configurations,

starting with the EX single-cab chassis at entry level and advancing to the LS-Terrain crew-cab. With roof racks, leather seats, DVD and screen, sat-nav with live traffic updates and 10,000 off-road destinations, Hema map database and a camera for reversing, the LS-Terrain offers car-like luxury with the practicality of a ute. And it’s at the top of a long line of utes dating back to 1922 and benefits from the knowledge Isuzu gained making 23 million diesel engines before it.

But at its very core, the All-New Isuzu D-MAX is a tool, not a toy, designed to work not only today and tomorrow but for a very long time thereafter without missing a beat. After all, it’s an Isuzu, isn’t it?

Above: The All-New Isuzu D-MAX offers superb driver and passenger protection

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Tech head

What’s in your tray?

WorDs Marcus Dowling

isuzu’s technical guru explains Why d-max’s neW alloy tray is stronger and more practical than steel trays of old

when iT comes to durability, plastic used

to be a dirty word in the automotive industry. But now with advances in polymer technology and the introduction of glass-fibre reinforced nylon, parts that were once only built of steel are now being replaced with this super-strong and durable material—with brilliant results.

One area where this technology has been introduced is in the manufacture of our new range of alloy trays.

It was once thought only a steel tray was tough enough to take a daily beating at work or around the farm, but now a just-as-tough alloy tray is turning this belief around. And with alloy trays being considerably lighter than their steel counterpart, the ability to carry a heavier load is an added benefit.

The glass-fibre reinforced nylon tray hinges and locks provide a host of benefits over the equipment of old. For a start, the nylon hinges are stronger than steel—yes, that’s right. Rated to stress loads of about 800 kilograms, the new hinges won’t bend the same way steel hinges do under an excessive load. Add to this they’re UV-stable, self-lubricating and won’t rust like steel, meaning no annoying rattle on bumpy roads. During Isuzu UTE’s reliability testing we opened, dropped and closed our new hinges 50,000

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It was once thought only a steel tray was tough enough to take a daily beating at work or around the farm.

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times without dramas, so you can rest assured they will stand up to the toughest treatment.

eaSier Than ever

Arguably the greatest advancement of the redesigned tray is the ability for the user to open and close the tray sides, or remove them altogether, in a simple one-person operation.

With older trays, multiple brackets had to be lined up. The user had to relocate the pins and refit the retaining clips from the pins before the side could be removed. It required a steady hand and lots of patience. But now it’s an easy one-man, quick-as-a-flash operation. That has to be good news for your business—and your back!

To check out our full selection of trays and tray accessories, visit: www.isuzuute.com.au

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Why glass-fibre reinforced nylon?

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Glass-fibre reinforced nylon combines high strength with the basic properties of nylon.

The ute’s overall technical properties and dimensional stabilities are enhanced by using this tough material.

Specific advantages include increased tensile strength, better creep resistance and a higher modulus of elasticity.

Parts designed using this type of nylon will exhibit high fatigue endurance, low deformation under load and good impact strength.

1. A cut-away view of the new alloy tray brace reveals a steel core encased by glass-fibre reinforced nylon 2/3. To lock and unlock the hinge, simply rotate the latch to 90 degrees and unhook. Easy peasy!

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Finishing line Line The finiShing

e k n i fF AgAIN

e sert Rac Finke De s tt a T d ing an and Rac pbell lan Cam dall Kilner, Garl y D s D Wor y Ran Courtes IMAges

rland a g e c u an br m pbell y l l m a a r c X n A D-M Dyla ’s ke r n a i e F G e p h t o T life at takes s i h f o ide on the r ce a Desert r

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The finiShing line

Where’s bruce?

It’s hard to believe that last year Bruce Garland was recovering from major heart surgery—just two months after fracturing a vertebra in a disastrous crash at the 2011 South American Dakar. But like an old dog that refuses to lie down, Bruce is back in the driver’s seat and singing like a lorikeet after posting first in class at the Finke Desert Race.

Finke was his first opportunity to dial in his Dakar-spec, All-New Isuzu D-MAX with its new suspension, frame and tyres. The fifth D-MAX hand-built by him at his Sydney workshop, it puts out a huge 180kW of power and 590Nm of torque.

Next on the bucket list for Bruce is the 2012 Australasian Safari in Western Australia in September. There he hopes to rewrite the history books by taking first in the diesel class before returning to South America in January for Dakar 2013.

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It’s as if I’d been pulled from a crowd of spectators by some kind of eenie-meenieminie-mo and dumped into a rally car.

Above: Bruce Garland with top gear’s Dylan Campbell

B

ruce Garland is sitting next to me, his face a crumpled portrait of agony. He’s sawing away at the steering wheel of his All-New Isuzu D-MAX like a hyperactive lumberjack. And he’s desperate to make it to the finish.

I’m covering the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert Race except I’m not standing at the finish line with notepad and pen with the other reporters as competitors come charging down the straight. No, I’m sitting right beside one of them. Somehow, I’ve been made Bruce’s navigator even though I’ve had no preparation. It’s as if I’d been pulled from a crowd of spectators by some kind of eenie-meenie-minie-mo and dumped into a rally car. That’s pretty much how I feel.

“I’ve driven some pretty horrendous roads in Australia and that would have to be the worst in the country,” Bruce says as we hammer from Finke back to Alice Springs, a 230km stretch of blistering, bumpy torture. It doesn’t help that we have practically no rear suspension— it fell out towards the end of the race. So let me take you back to the beginning of this jack-in-the-box of an adventure, to when we touched down in Alice Springs.

daY 1: no Town like alice

The first thing that surprises me about Alice is that it isn’t the flat, coppery ocean of land I expected it to be.

Everywhere I look are ancient ridges peeping over the horizon: once-great mountains sanded down by millions of years of erosion.

Silvery clouds line the sky, gently bruised with rain—moisture the desert desperately wants but isn’t going to get. The earth is stained that dry-blood red. It’s broken up by the golds and yellows of desert foliage. It’s cruel but beautiful.

Bruce and I sign on at the scrutineering. I’m officially his navigator.

Like eating a four-dollar curry, I know what I’m doing is a little bit dangerous. But I do it anyway. You only live once, right?

daY 2: 8.3 inSane kilomeTreS

Having crashed at one of Bruce’s mate’s cattle stations for the night, we creakily arise to an extremely fresh morning. It’s colder than a … no, I better not repeat that joke.

We rumble down to the prologue track 50km from Alice to sign on as drivers. And with that out of the way, we’re suddenly strapped into Bruce’s All-New Isuzu D-MAX. My eyes settle on the brochures and booklets race officials gave us: “Uh, Bruce, am I supposed to read notes?”

“Nah, mate, just sit there and enjoy the ride,” he says.

“Righto.”

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The finiShing line

And with that Bruce plucks first gear in the vehicle’s sequential box and we tremble against the ute’s rev limiter.

There’s no question we’re sitting in a very powerful and, in the wrong hands, dangerous beast. Who knows how fast this thing can go? I’m about to find out.

Bruce stares at a red light like it’s a blinking competition.

It turns green. The clutch is dropped. The ute bursts forward under a rubber band of diesel torque.

We skate through the 8.3km-long dusty prologue circuit, sometimes sideways but always true. We record a time of 00:06:03—good enough for second in class. It’s over quickly but it was serious fun, and all I know is that I want more.

And more is exactly what I’ll be getting the next day. Much, much more, as things turn out.

daY 3: welcome To whoopSland

I give Bruce’s leg a shake: “It’s 5.50am, mate. We’re running late for the 6.15am drivers’ briefing.

Bruce springs from his bed and, in pyjamas, we sprint to the car and power to the briefing. We make it just in time and provide good entertainment for other competitors.

Soon after, we’re in the car again and belted up, this time in our race gear. I feel hideously unprepared for the upcoming 230km ride.

Bruce sees it and tries to put my mind at ease: “Don’t worry, mate, all you have to do is sit there and try not to spew. And if I get a puncture, I’ll need your help to change tyres. Apart from that, enjoy the ride.”

Feeling relieved and mildly suffocated by how tightly my belts are done up, we reach the start line. Bruce builds up the revs, releases the clutch on green and gobbles up the first kilometre in a heartbeat. Only 229 to go.

And those 229km are surreal. I may work for Top Gear

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and I love, live and breathe cars, but like most of you I’m used to watching motor sports from my armchair. So to actually be part of it is mind blowing. Am I really here?

I ask myself that question over and over as Bruce plucks gears and strangles the steering wheel, mouth agape with concentration. It’s like watching an in-car camera, except the lenses are my own eyes.

That is, until they nearly pop out on to the road: it’s that bumpy. You’ll never appreciate how hilariously corrugated this old road is until you try to drive it at 200km/h. Those of you who know your off-road racing will be familiar with ‘whoops’. Those who aren’t, imagine a one-metre, tumbling ocean swell. Now imagine that the surface of the ocean is a dirt road and you’re driving over it. That’s a whoop and that’s what corrugations in a dirt road grow into if not tempered with the blade of a road grader. And the Finke has millions of them.

A buggy or a trophy truck with suspension more absorbent than an adult nappy can skip across a whoop merrily. But a vehicle like ours must potter over them patiently (if you regard an insanity-inducing 60km/h as a patient speed) or risk shaking its passengers to bits.

Fortunately, not every inch of this 230km circuit is made of whoops. Towards the end, the road finally exhales, delivering a stunning high-speed section where Bruce spins the All-New Isuzu D-MAX’s gears to high-speed heaven. It’s the perfect way to end the day’s driving. We cross the line in 03:06:11— first in class.

That night, we sleep in swags in front of the embers of a fire beneath the twinkling ceiling of the Milky Way. You see so many more stars in the outback than you do in the city. It’s breathtaking. I plunge into a coma. I’ll need the sleep for tomorrow.

Left: Don’t ask to borrow a spanner from this lot. This pic shows just some of the tools the Garland team carry to every event, plus a truck to get the All-New Isuzu D-MAX there and back again

finking about finke

There’s no question we’re sitting in a very powerful and, in the wrong hands, dangerous beast.

For the first half of the 20th century, the Old Ghan Railway was Alice Springs’ lifeblood—connecting it to the coast and the rest of the world at Port Augusta in South Australia. But then came the car and the highway, and the Ghan was consigned to the scrapheap.

Fast forward to 1976, when a group of dirt bikers from Alice Springs started a there-and-back race to the remote community of Aputula along a service track that ran parallel to the Old Ghan and crosses the Finke River—said to be the oldest river in the world.

Little did they know it then, but their weekend friendly would in time grow into the country’s biggest off-road motor sports event.

In the 1980s, the Old Ghan’s sleepers were removed and a new track was built in a different location, but the original course of the Finke Desert Race remains unchanged. Cutting along a winding, heavily corrugated track, this gruelling two-day, multi-terrain event takes in red dirt, sand, spinifex, mulga and desert oak.

This year’s race saw more than 12,000 spectators and 610 competitors—85 in cars, buggies, quad bikes and trophy trucks, and 525 on dirt bikes—meet at the starter’s line near Alice on the June Queen’s Birthday long weekend.

Among them were Lord Wolf (Fa Guo Xiao) and Fat Wolf (Jin Lin Xien), members of the Wolfpack Off Road Club from Guangdong in China, who entered a Chevy into the Performance Two-Wheel Drive class.

“The first 60–80km were the hardest and I was worried if we could go on,” Lord Wolf told www.alicenow.com.au after finishing 29th.

Fat Wolf added: “It’s very good. Every time we finish a race it’s just the best.”

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tHe FinisHing Line

Top: The All-New Isuzu D-MAX gets a once-over Above: Oldhand Bruce Garland and novice navigator Dylan Campbell finished first in class—and look justifiably proud of it, too

Day 4: Hit tHe siren!

The stretching of cold race engines is enough to force us from our deliciously warm swag cocoons. It’s time to race again. As quickly as I’m tipping a campfire-flavoured egg sandwich into my belly, we’re back in the All-New Isuzu D-MAX, nibbling away at the 230km return leg.

The track is even worse than yesterday. It begins with a fast and flowing section but deteriorates into kilometre after kilometre of whoops-infested wasteland. It’s exhausting work just hanging on.

Our aching spirits are soothed by the time we reach a marker indicating 40km to the finish. As we approach, slowly sailing through a series of giant whoops, we notice an artillery of bum cheeks pointing our way. We are being mooned by half of Alice Spring’s population.

“Quick! Hit the siren!” Bruce yells. Ambulance-style siren wailing, he takes aim right at them, so that most attempt to scurry off in total fear, pants around ankles. We swerve at the last moment and litter their nude derrières with a pair of gravelly rooster tails.

We share a laugh. It’s a bit of welcome relief in what has otherwise been a very tense weekend. But it doesn’t last long.

A few minutes later Bruce is frowning. He doesn’t look happy.

Not happy at all.

The track has become incredibly bumpy. And I don’t mean bumpy like there are a few extra speed bumps in the stage. I mean it’s so bumpy my limbs feel like they’re going to rattle right off.

Having been pounded by hundreds of competitors on dirt bikes since yesterday, the track is in far worse shape. But the real culprits, we later learn, are the ute’s rear springs: one fell out and the other was ajar in its holster, unable to do its job.

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As we approach, slowly sailing through a series of giant whoops, we notice an artillery of bum cheeks ...

The stiffer suspension puts an edge on every bump. After a few especially large ones, Bruce is hurting, particularly his back, which he broke last year at the South American Dakar. And his shoulder is getting chafed raw from the seatbelt.

Yes, Bruce is in pain, but you can sense his attitude of gritted determination. With just 20km to go, he’s desperate to make it to the finish. And he does—just. Our time of 03:22:11 gives us a cumulative two-day time of 06:28:23. It also puts us ahead of our nearest class rival by just 00:06:30. Over 460 competitive kilometres, we were just 0.8 of a second quicker per kilometre.

It’s tighter than a fish’s bum.

As we cross the finish line, my eyes settle on Bruce for the last time. His face is crumpled in agony but awash with relief to have made it. After a sinew-liquefying four days, it’s all over.

And although it was an absolute thrill being a real-life on-board camera, I think I’ll stick to the notepad and pen from now on.

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ouT of The box

WorDs Ian Neubauer PhoTos Threesides Marketing; The Wine & Truffle Co.

gold

It’s tough to make a quid in the Australian truffle industry.

But if you’re one of the lucky ones, the rewards can be sweet indeed

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It’s

hard to say who’s more excited: the hounds leading the hunt through the frosty, wind-blown orchard near Orange in NSW, the experts handling them or the tourists from as far as Sydney and Perth tagging along in search of one of the most elusive and expensive foodstuffs on earth: black Périgord truffles, aka black gold.

Ten minutes after leaving base, a dog starts digging furiously at the base of a hazelnut tree.

“Down boy!” shouts the handler, squatting at the spot and shifting the topsoil around with her hands. She digs a little deeper with the aid of a silver spoon, but the treasure remains hidden in the soil. “Here boy!” she says and the dog begins once again to burrow furiously at the otherwise unremarkable dirt hole. Pulling the dog back quickly lest it damage the truffle, she moves the soil around again, then looks up and smiles.

In her hand, a dark, egg-shaped object emits a pungent aroma not unlike old socks stuffed with unwashed beetroot or potato, but with floral notes verging on aphrodisiacal. The observers gather round, gasping and gawping at the subterranean fungus sought by European palettes for more than 3,000 years for its mysterious, some say magical ability to transform even the simplest dish into a kingly meal.

It’s a scene that’s being repeated mid-winter at more than 160 truffieres in every Australian state except the Northern Territory. And even though only 10 per cent of those who try to grow them will ever harvest a successful crop, there’s something about this cottage industry that has a lure unlike any other.

“When I find a truffle it’s an amazing experience.

It’s a very rare product and Australia is very fortunate to have them,” admits Sake van Weeghal, chief executive of The Wine & Truffle Co. in the truffle-growing village of Manjimup, 300km south of Perth.

lime every three to five years—a radical measure that even makes farmers hoping to profit from it question what they may be doing to their soil.

Growing truffles is particularly attractive to retirees because apart from regular weeding, there’s little to do after planting, fencing and irrigating the orchards. In Manjimup, which produces about 70 per cent of Australia’s annual three-tonne-a-year truffle harvest, the average waiting time is seven years.

But in the ACT, Central Ranges and Southern Highlands of NSW, where truffles are being grown on about 60 farms, they are sprouting as early as year three. After 10 years, a successful hectare can produce as much as 30–40 kilograms of truffles a year, which, when measured against

Left: Hunting for truffle treasure in Manjimup Above: Wayne Haslam unearths a beauty at Blue Frog Truffle Farm, north of Canberra Below: Adding slices of truffle to a potato and rosemary pizza at Lambert Vineyards’ restaurant

“Truffles have an indescribable richness that seems to turbo-charge the flavour of other foods.”

The Seven-Year iTch

Truffles occur naturally in parts of Europe and the US, where Tuber melanosporum forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots of oak, willow and hazelnut trees. But overharvesting and urbanisation have vastly reduced their numbers. Most truffles today are sourced from commercial truffieres, not in their native France, but in Italy and Spain.

Truffle growing requires the rearing of hazelnut and oak orchards inoculated with truffle spores and a complex combination of climatic and soil conditions. In Australia, where most soils are acidic, truffle farmers have to dose the soil with

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â– paSSporT

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out of the box

For more information call 02 9820 6800 or visit our website

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www.lovellsauto.com.au

ouT of The box

start-up costs of about $30,000 a hectare, translates into a tidy little earner. And with overall production increasing at about 30 per cent a year in Australia, it’s easy to be wooed by the glitter of black gold.

But it’s no get-rich-quick scheme, says Wayne Haslam, founder of the Australian Truffle Growers’ Association. The retired civil engineer looked at growing grapes and olives before establishing Blue Frog Truffle Farm, a five-hectare orchard at Sutton, north of Canberra. Wayne produces about 50–60 kilograms of truffles a year.

“There have been a lot of failures where growers have harvested nothing, even after 10 years,” he says. “In New Zealand they haven’t had much success and no one knows why. The same thing has happened on my property—only half of my field is producing and the other isn’t; I’ve done all the tests and come up with nothing.

“And in Tasmania they had the collapse of a managed investment scheme run by one of the guys who first started growing truffles in Australia back in the late ’80s.

“The reality is there are only about 10–15 successful truffieres in the country. It’s not a fantasy, but if there’s one thing we know about growing truffles in Australia is that we don’t know much at all.”

all in The eaTing

Back on the hunt, the harsh realities of truffle farming are of no consequence to the tourists, whose mouths water in anticipation of the truffle-and-wine-tasting session back at base.

Some will stay on for lunch at the Truffle Café, where they’ll order a porterhouse steak with black truffle sauce, truffled potato salad and truffled crepes with banana for dessert.

Lust for truffles in Western Australia reaches fever pitch in the last weekend of July, when more than 20,000 people flock to the Mundaring Truffle Festival in the hills east of Perth. They’ll spend the afternoon indulging in truffle tastings, cooking classes, truffle by-products and trufflethemed long-table luncheons prepared by the likes of Neil Perry and Dan Masters of Rockpool Bar and Grill, Guillaume Brahimi of Bennelong, as well as visiting chefs from Italy and the Philippines.

“In Australia we haven’t grown up with truffles so most of us have no idea what they taste like or how to cook them, which is why festivals are so important,” says program director Verity James.

On Australia’s east coast, truffle growers, groupies and chefs come together for truffle hunts, feasts and even truffle cooking classes during the month-long Canberra and Capital Region Truffle

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Top: Unlike pigs, which were first used to find wild truffles in Europe, dogs will sniff out but not eat the precious fungi Below: Steak, truffles ‘n’ gravy

Festival. And in Sydney, diners tuck into hand-cut chips drizzled in truffle oil at Manta Restaurant, or venison and truffle wellington at private dinners provided by Gastronomy catering. “Truffles have an indescribable richness that seems to turbocharge the flavour of other foods,” says director Miccal Cummins.

On a small property near Phillip Island in Victoria, hobby farmer Nigel Wood shaves lashings of fresh truffle onto an otherwise ordinary omelette. Despite losing $60,000 after the collapse of the Tasmanian-managed truffle investment scheme, he’s confident Australian truffles could be golden eggs.

“Twenty-five years ago, Australian winemakers were regarded as the guys who sell $5 plonk in the backstreets of London,” Nigel says. “But now they’re respected among the best in the world. It’s the kind of story that can be replicated with truffles.”

“It’s not a fantasy, but if there’s one thing we know about growing truffles in Australia is that we don’t know much at all.” max*d

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KABUL

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passpOrt

Kabul has

In AfghAnIstAn’s cApItAl, wIndIng AlleywAys, AncIent bAzAArs And A new sense of hope breAthe lIfe Into the hub of the one-tIme hIppIe trAIl Words Matt Khoury Photos Getty Images & Matt Khoury

Uzbekistan Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

China

Iran Kabul India AFGHANISTAN Pakistan

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always infatuated travellers. Alexander the Great invaded the city in 327BC en route to India, Genghis Khan sacked it in 1221 and in the 1970s it was a hot spot on the hippie trail between Europe and India. “The hippies’ vans would be parked all along the streets,” says local man Najib. “There were bazaars set up and discotheques would play music all night. It was full of young students and a great place to be.”

The 1970s are often viewed as a golden age for Afghans. The half-decade between the overthrow of the monarchy and the Russian invasion remains theirs; a time when the world arrived at this majestic plateau in peace.

But after decades of war, military convoys and gangs of gun-wielding police are now more common sights in Kabul than backpackers. Today, travellers can’t even safely take the tribally controlled Khyber Pass between Pakistan and Afghanistan to get here. Yet for all the bad press and paranoia, Kabul is a reasonably safe destination ripe for exploration.

From the untouched Old Kabul to the relatively ritzy enclave of Wazir Akbar Khan, the city offers a cultural and political journey into a forbidden land time forgot. But it’s also a boom town where the population has grown from 500,000 a decade ago to four million today. And it’s a war zone, with restaurants and bars full of journalists and diplomats engaged in guarded conversations, and security compounds that appear and disappear like the seasons.

Old Kabul

Old Kabul is the district where most foreigners don’t dare tread. It’s where bombed buildings lie in ruins and slums hug the banks of the Kabul River, which streams into the valley from the snow-capped Hindu Kush mountains.

Mud-brick huts cling to mountain foothills and the Islamic azan, or call to prayer, beckons from ancient mosques.

It’s also where Afghans from all tribes meet: Pashtuns from the south and east, the Persian-speaking Tajiks, northern Uzbeks and central Afghan Hazaras of Mongolian heritage.

“Now Kabul is good. Before I had problems because of my religion, but now it’s more like the Kabul my grandfather knew,” says Palsing, an Indian Sikh who has returned to the city to sell traditional suits. “Now we have hope again.”

Walking through Old Kabul is a multicultural journey into the labyrinth of alleyways that forms the historical heart of the city. Bazaars of colonialstyle architecture are lined with sandals, spices and jewels.

“I have something from Australia,” says Mr Azizi, who sells one of Afghanistan’s only legal exports: dried fruits and nuts. He cracks an almond shell and offers it to me: “From your home,” he says, grinning widely.

New Kabul

There are a few famous shopping laneways in New Kabul. One is Florist Street where, as the name implies, colourful arrangements of flowers are bought and sold. The other is Chicken Street, although the only cooked bird one can find here are 20-cent bowls of chicken-and-egg soup. The name harks back to the days of the hippie trail, when barbecued chooks were sold along the strip. These days it’s lined with plazas and side streets home to Afghan rug merchants and some of the world’s rarest antiques.

In the Kabul House Gallery, travellers can pick up an old Afghan guitar or a century-old Pashtun sword that its vendor asserts was used to defend Afghanistan against British invaders during the First Anglo-Afghan War of

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For all the bad press and paranoia, Kabul is a reasonably safe destination ripe for exploration.

1839. Then there is Wali Mamaat, Previous page: Afghan women gaze out at the who has been selling turquoise Kabul cityscape pendants and old Afghan knives Top: Mr Azizi (left) at since the ’70s. “Very rare, very his nut shop cheap,” he says. “And ruby zircon Right: Pul-e Khishti, the earrings for your wife.” largest mosque in Kabul On Fridays, the Islamic holy day, as kites fly high from hilltops across the city, New Kabul’s Shar-e-Naw Park fills with old Afghan men. They sip green tea and munch on salted cucumbers as Kabul’s weekly cockfights begin. “It’s just like normal wrestling,” says an enthusiast named Mirwais.

“The cock that holds the other one down wins.” For the hundreds of locals who gather around in a circle wagering on the outcome of each bout, it’s just about the highlight of the week. At its best, it’s everything Afghanis want their country to be.

The secreT ciTy

If Old Kabul and New Kabul epitomise everything Afghanistan is, the neighbourhood of Wazir Akbar Khan is everything it’s not—because whoever lives in Wazir Akbar Khan rules the land. Over the past few decades its mansions have been home to the Afghan elite, Russian communists, al-Qaeda terrorists and now foreign diplomats, the military and aid workers.

Behind the high walls, curled barbed wire and military checkpoints, this is where foreigners come to mix and drink booze that is otherwise illegal but not unobtainable in Afghanistan.

When I visited Kabul in June, the watering hole most in vogue was Gundamak Lodge, a British-style pub that flows with whisky and war stories and where music plays until dawn. Further afield at L’Atmosphère, foreigners sip on drinks around a swimming pool in summer, while the mahogany furniture and high ceilings of Boccaccio could have those dining on gourmet pizza, pasta and red wine almost thinking they are in Milan. Such is the nightlife in Kabul, a city where the Great Game continues to be played out as it has for hundreds of years.

For those after a travel experience away from clichéd pamphlets and tourist traps, Kabul is it. And the best time to visit is right now.

passport passporT

FACT FILE GettinG there Emirates (1300 303 777, www.emirates.com/au) flies from Sydney to Kabul via Dubai for $2650 return.

Afghan Logistics & Tours (www.afghanlogisticstours. com) offers airport pickups for about $25.

Where to stay ASSA Guest Houses (www.assaguesthouses. com) in New Kabul has rooms from $70 a night.

Afghans4Tomorrow Guesthouse (Reservations@ Afghans4Tomorrow.org) in Guzar Gah offers rooms for $50 a night.

Do’s anD Don’ts * Many out-of-date travel guides recommend road journeys to the provinces.

But road travel outside Kabul is dangerous and travellers should seek local advice before planning trips.

Consider flying instead. * Although Kabul is a relatively liberal Islamic city, female travellers wishing to blend in should wear a veil over their hair; men can wear a traditional shalwar kameez.

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unsung heroes

The Painter Words Kellee Cruse ArTWorK Aubrey Gibson

Far left: Aub and Mary on their wedding day in 1933 Left: With Selwyn and Laurie; amazingly, all three brothers survived the war Top right: Marking 40 years of service as a volunteer firefighter

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The story of an old digger who kept fighting the good fight long after the war was over

Many people think their grandfather

is a hero, but in my case it happens to be true. And that’s not just because he fought for your freedom and mine during World War II. Aubrey Gibson served as a gunner with the 2/8th Australian Field Regiment in the South Pacific and Middle East between 1940 and 1945, enduring unspeakable horrors along the way.

But unlike so many young diggers who came back a shadow of their former selves, my grandfather returned from the war with his humanity intact. Not just intact, but amplified.

My mother attributes it to his ability to channel his twin personality, a trait common to Geminis. And while her observation isn’t exactly grounded in science, anyone who ever met my grandfather would agree he exhibited an almost superhuman streak of selflessness.

After returning home from war, he spent many a day risking his life to save the homes and farms of people he didn’t know from fire, and worked as a volunteer art teacher at primary schools. And when he wasn’t teaching kids how to paint he was playing the piano at hospitals and nursing homes, or giving away food parcels to families in need.

For all these reasons and more, my grandfather is an unsung hero whose story begs to be told.

wedding he bet his meagre savings on a horse in the Caulfield Cup. The gamble paid off and he gave my grandmother a dream ceremony in the midst of the Depression, even taking her on honeymoon—a rarity in those days.

My grandparents spent six happy years together and had their first child—my uncle Edward—until war changed everything. While desperate to ensure the welfare of his young family, he felt duty-bound to serve his country and in 1941 enlisted along with his brothers Laurie and Selwyn. Laurie was sent to New Guinea, Selwyn joined the air force and my grandfather was shipped to Palestine.

And it was there that his limitless compassion first surfaced, on cruelly hot desert battlefronts likened to hell on earth.

Instead of using his wages to buy cigarettes and booze to numb the horror of war, as most diggers did, he used them to buy art supplies to paint greeting cards for the other troops.

“They had no other way of obtaining greeting cards, so he made cards for them: Mother’s Day cards, birthday cards and cards for children and sweethearts,” my grandmother recalls. “It was a creative escape that kept the spirits of other soldiers alive and connected to their families at home.”

The arT of War

The deeds go on

Aubrey Gibson was born in Melbourne in 1914. He grew up in the slums of Collingwood and Carlton, although recurring bronchitis meant he spent much of his early childhood with relatives in the bush.

By the age of 15 he had left school and started working at his dad’s butcher’s shop in Victoria Markets and sold newspapers on the trams on weekends.

“We found him prompt, honest and punctual,” reads a reference from A.V. Greenwood, an apparel specialist in Flinders Lane my grandfather also worked for. “The lad has brains and will get on given his chance.”

In 1933, Aubrey met my grandmother Mary at a wedding; it was love at first sight.

Although cautious by nature, a few days before their

After the war my grandfather returned to his hardware store in Melbourne that my grandmother had run in his absence. But he always loved the country and, a few years later, he moved to Research near the Dandenong Ranges where he opened a butcher’s shop.

One year later, my mother was born. “As a child I can honestly say I never heard him curse or raise his voice in anger,” she once told me. “A look of disappointment was all he needed to express.”

Interestingly, my grandfather never talked about the war. “I asked him over and over again but he kept those secrets close, not having any desire to relive them,” my mother adds. “He was just so happy to return to his family and leave that all behind.”

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My grandfather returned from the war with his humanity intact. Not just intact, but amplified.

His war service did, however, instill in my grandfather a need to forever be at the disposal of his community. His chief vessel was the Country Fire Authority, with which he served as a volunteer firefighter for 40 years.

One of my favourite stories about my grandfather dates back to a particularly hot summer in the early 1960s, when he had been out fighting bushfires for days on end.

With no way of getting in touch, his family had no way of knowing if he was alive or dead.

“We prayed for his safe return and after four days our prayers were answered when he came home exhausted but in good health,” my grandmother says.

“The very next day he started to plan a charity ball to raise money for people who’d lost their homes in the fires. He even played on stage with his dance band The Merry Knights. It was such an uplifting event.”

Despite his many artistic talents, painting remained my grandfather’s favourite pastime. He sold countless oil paintings over the years and topped up his income by framing pictures for other artists.

For decades, visitors to Kyneton were greeted by a huge mural of Trentham Falls he painted on a building, while his depictions of the countryside and seascapes adorn walls, council chambers, hospitals, post offices and homes throughout central Victoria.

There’s even an art prize named in his honour— the Aub Gibson Trophy, awarded to up-and-coming artists at the annual Kyneton Agricultural Show.

GOODBYE, DIGGER

Aubrey spent the first day of June 1992 much like he did any other day of his life—living it to its fullest.

He rose early for breakfast and spent the day

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attending to chores on his property and framing pictures for his clients. For lunch, he had eggs and baked beans on toast—the same thing he had every day—and spent the afternoon, brush in hand, at his beloved art group.

About 5pm, he walked into the kitchen and kissed my grandmother on the cheek. Moments later, a heart attack took Aubrey’s life. He was a month short of his 78th birthday and in otherwise perfect health.

“The week after he died there was a strong sense of my father’s presence,” my mother recalls. “I could hear him going about his daily routine but of course there was no one to be seen.

“He knew how hard his death would be on his girls so he stayed close. But when mum and I felt strong enough to share these unusual happenings with another, they ceased to occur.

“His work was complete.”

Above and below: Aub painted hundreds of personalised postcards for fellow diggers while stationed in Palestine and the Pacific

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Community max

Givin’ Back

When it comes to giving back to the community, Isuzu UTE isn’t one to hold back. Here are two of our newest community partners

the morCombe Foundation

Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) is proud to announce a new partnership with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

A non-profit group focusing on harm prevention initiatives for families across Australia, the foundation is committed to teaching personal safety to the young and vulnerable by providing important skills and resources—free of charge.

Under the partnership, IUA will donate an All-New Isuzu D-MAX 4x4 LS-U Crew Cab ute to enable the foundation’s founders, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, to continue to talk to and meet with members of communities throughout Queensland and Australia.

“We are rapt that Isuzu UTE have come to help us,” Bruce said.

“The old vehicle has been a real trooper but it is way past its use-by date and really struggles with the demands of covering the huge mileage that we do.

“Plus towing a trailer that is now jam-packed with a heap of merchandise and educational resources has really taken its toll.”

Denise added: “This is a big investment by Isuzu UTE and a real endorsement in the work that we do

… we are very thankful that they have seen this and are prepared to back us.”

Isuzu UTE senior public relations manager Dave Harding said: “Our Maroochydore Isuzu UTE dealer principal Craig McPherson brought it to our attention that Bruce and Denise were in need of a new ute, as their old one was falling apart.

“Bruce, Denise and the foundation work tirelessly and do an incredible job for our community. So to be able to help make their life a bit easier is the least we could do.”

To learn more about the foundation, visit www.danielmorcombe.com.au.

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Last year more than one million Australians and 2,000 schools and businesses joined the Daniel Morcombe Foundation

The foundation is committed to teaching personal safety to the young and vulnerable by providing important skills and resources.

Luxury ride.

Tough reputation.

www.isuzuute.com.au

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Community max

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Inspectors travel up to 60,000km a year, making a reliable and fuel-efficient vehicle an absolute essential.

RSPCa

Every year, RSPCA inspectors in Queensland drive on rough bush tracks, often braving floods and cyclones, to go to the aid of animals across their vast state.

Now, thanks to support from Isuzu UTE Australia, they will be able to cover the roughest of terrain with confidence.

RSPCA Qld spokesman Daniel Young said inspectors travelled up to 60,000km a year, making a reliable and fuel-efficient vehicle an absolute essential.

“It’s not uncommon for our inspectors in regional areas to do a four-hour return trip in a day. And there are some pretty rough and muddy farm tracks that are barely passable at the best of times,” Daniel said.

As part of a three-year partnership, Isuzu UTE Australia is providing RSPCA Queensland with six loan vehicles. In addition, RSPCA Qld will lease 19 D-MAX Crew Cabs to replace its inspectorate vehicles.

Daniel said the D-MAX Crew Cab ute is the ideal inspector’s vehicle thanks to its wide track and stiffer chassis, which make driving safer in all conditions. The utes have also been fitted with towbars and canopies customised to RSPCA specifications for transporting animals.

The support from Isuzu UTE Australia will save RSPCA Qld about $250,000 in vehicle and maintenance costs over the next three years.

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From raffle tickets, to membership, to buying wine, there are many ways to help animals in need.

For more information, visit www.rspcaqld.org.au

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hook, line ‘n’ Sinker

nick ‘n’ andrew’S

Top

5

fiShing SpoTS

The boys know exactly where to bag a beauty—like this queenfish caught off Broome

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Isuzu UTE Australia and Australia’s favourite fishing show—Hook, Line and Sinker—join forces in 2012

aS ThiS

issue of max*d goes to print, Hook, Line and Sinker hosts Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart are powering across the country on a road trip in their All-New Isuzu D-MAX. They’re towing a boat fitted with Yamaha’s ever-reliable and efficient f150 engine from Melbourne to Exmouth. It’s a lazy doddle of about 4,500km, so with plenty of time on their hands, we asked the fellas to share their top five fishing spots.

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anYwhere in TaSSie

Our home state! Tasmania can be cold and windy but don’t let that put you off. The Apple Isle has Australia’s best trout fishing, the best bream fishing and arguably the best tuna fishing. The highland lakes in summer provide world-class fly fishing for wild brown trout, while the state’s east coast estuaries and rivers are home to massive black bream.

Offshore, which is where your yamaha four stroke comes into its own, you can catch tuna weighing up to 100kg from March to July off the waters around the Tasman Peninsula.

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hook, line ‘n’ sinker

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Darwin

If you’re into fishing and have never been to the Top End, then you have to put it on your Bucket List! First thing you’ll discover is you don’t have to travel far from Darwin to find yourself in the wilderness surrounded by all the wildlife the Territory is famous for (crocs included). You’ll be able to catch the most iconic Australian fish of them all—the mighty barramundi— in pretty much any creek or river. The best time of year for really big barra is in April, when the run-off from the monsoon seeps into the sea, but you can experience good fishing all through the dry season, too, when the temperature is a pleasant 32ºC.

syDney harbour

It may be the playground for Sydney’s rich and famous, but if you get up early before the ferries start, you can experience some unbelievable fishing on Sydney Harbour! Yellowtail kingfish, bonito, mulloway and tailor are all available in abundance here during the warmer months, while Australian salmon can keep you entertained in the winter. On top of these hard-pulling sport fish, Sydney Harbour is a great place to fish for bream, trevally and squid.

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broome

Broome is the stepping-off point not only for great reef fishing (think mackerel, red emperor, sailfish and wahoo), but also river fishing in the Kimberley—an ancient land full of rock art tens of thousands of years old. The fishing is probably as good today as it was back then, with thousands of creeks, bays and rivers chocka-block with barra. Ask anyone: the Kimberley is where you come for the fishing trip of a lifetime.

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hamilton islanD

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A great holiday destination but also a very good place to catch fish. Did you know there are tasty coral trout swimming around right at the end of the runway on Hamilton? You can also catch big mackerel, giant trevally, tuna and a huge variety of tasty reef fish. There are plenty of charter boats in the area, or do your own thing and take a self-drive yacht or boat around the islands of the Whitsundays. Just make sure you take some serious rods and reels!

The Show MuST Go on Now in its 12th season, Hook, Line and Sinker is a show about two professional fisherman, Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart, and their endless quest for the ultimate fisherman’s paradise. The new series includes an adventure to the Kimberley, a trip on a bream boat and more on radio-controlled boat fishing. Hook, Line and Sinker screens on 7mate and Aurora pay TV at various times of the week. For weekly previews and to find out where Nick and Andrew are filming next, visit wwwhooklinesinker.tv.

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get STuffed geT stuffed

d.i.Y.

Molecular cooking madman grant King’s not-so-secret recipe for home-made crackling

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trim it

Remove any excess meat, fat and sinew from the underside of the skin. We’ll be cooking our crackling at very high temperatures, so any flesh left will turn to charcoal in the oven.

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3

PeeL it Crackling is made of pig skin.

You can buy it in sheets—just ask your butcher for the skin of a pig’s belly. Otherwise you can remove it from a leg or shoulder of pork before roasting using a boning knife.

SpArE pArTS

• 1 shoulder or leg of pork • 1 tbsp salt • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

TOOLS OF ThE TrADE • • • • •

Boning knife Stanley knife Chopping board Large baking tray Brush

Score it Using a Stanley knife, cut grooves into one side of the skin. Scoring it in this way releases moisture, making the skin crack and bubble when exposed to heat.

try the real thing

Salt it

Find Gastro Park at 5 Rosyln Street, Kings Cross, NSW. Open Tues to Sun 6–10pm; www.gastropark.com.au

Rubbing in salt helps remove any remaining moisture. Don’t waste hours doing this like some people do. The amount of time spent salting meat makes absolutely no difference to the result.

BruSh it Drizzle on a bit of vegetable oil using a brush for even distribution. The oil helps the skin get really hot in the oven and ensures it cooks evenly throughout.

Blaze it The secret to cooking crackling is using a really hot oven.

Cook the skin at 230°C for 20 minutes, then turn it down to 210°C and cook for 40 minutes more.

The MADMAn When Warner Bros released the Game of Thrones DVD collection in australia earlier this year, it asked Grant King, a mad scientist of a chef regarded by many as australia’s heston Blumenthal, to create a medieval feast to mark the occasion.

Dished up to a bunch of studio bigwigs at Grant’s sydney restaurant Gastro Park, the feast included mozzarella eyeballs, cured venison and a giant chunk of suckling pig with crackling.

The pig and crackling proved so popular that Grant put it on the menu for all his customers to try.

“I was never really that into crackling before but now I can’t get enough of it,” he says, stuffing an oversized crackling chip into his mouth. “It’s just so puffy and natural.”

When max*d spent a day at Grant’s laboratory documenting his crackling method, the one thing that stuck with us was how simple the recipe was.

“There are all these gadget ways of cooking it—I don’t know, putting it in a bag and smoking it for 48 hours—but the basic way is the best. here, let me show you … ”

Plate it

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As you can see, cooking crackling is really basic; there’s nothing much to it and no special way of serving it. Chop it up, chuck it on a plate and share it around.

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staying alive

Water

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ProfEssionaL advEnturEr and survivaL ExPErt Steve Crombie ExPLains how to find watEr in thE outback

imagine all

has gone astray and you’re stuck in the desert. You have no water, no food, no shelter—and it’s 47°C in the shade. Your challenge is to survive. But how long can you last with nothing but your car and the clothes on your back?

Do you leave your vehicle and go walkabout? The answer is a resounding no. Your car is a source of shelter, signals, watercarrying vessels and warmth, which are top priorities in a survival situation. You can even collect the dew that’s gathered on its surface overnight.

You might be wondering where food comes into it? It doesn’t. The body can survive up to two months without food but no more than a week or two without water—and

out in the desert, it can be as little as 72 hours before you cark it. So conserve as much energy and sweat as you can by staying calm, cool and confident as you plan your survival strategy.

But at this moment, water becomes your number one priority.

Say 72 hours have passed and no one has come to rescue you.

Finding water has now become a matter of life and death so you have to leave your car.

If you have a map, always use natural indicators to find water.

Waterholes or windmills are gold, but failing that look for hills, large trees, bird flight patterns or even game trails.

Animal tracks converge like arrowheads and will point you in the right direction, except

Above: Read Steve’s book on motorbiking solo through the Americas—Lost on Earth—published by Pan Macmillan

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when they are circumnavigating an obstruction—after which they will rejoin and continue towards a water source. Golden rule: fresh turd = fresh water.

Use your common sense at all times to find waterholes, which are often downhill or downstream (thank you, gravity).

If you have exhausted all options and are still not having any luck, look out for any birds.

Closely observe their flight paths.

When heading towards water, birds generally fly in direct lines and tight formations. On the way back they fly slowly and haphazardly, stopping to smell the roses on their return to roost.

Once you have found that precious water, manage your consumption, drinking no more than 250 millilitres at once.

And don’t sip it—gulp it down like an iron man. Otherwise your water may never reach the most important organ of all, your brain—which you need to have working to make intelligent decisions to aid your survival.

To learn more about how I deal with survival situations, check out my website www.loston.com.

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dealer liST

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iSuZu uTe DEALErS

QLD

Ayr Burdekin Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4783 7077 Brisbane Isuzu UTe Eagle Farm Phone: 07 3866 2200 Bundaberg Bundaberg Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4131 8211 Cairns Trinity Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4081 5000 Cleveland Aso Keema Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3479 9880 Currimundi Aso Pacific Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5438 4818 Dalby Aso Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4669 8988 gladstone Reef City Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4971 4000

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vIc

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NSW

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Lansvale Lansvale Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 9726 1111 Lismore Trevan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6627 7999 Maitland Hunter Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4999 6740 Moree Hill Fitzsimmons Phone: 02 6752 1777 Narellan Narellan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4622 2552 Newcastle Newcastle Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4980 0660 North Wollongong Aso Shellharbour Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4222 7999 orange Orange Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6362 8100

SA

Angaston Jarvis Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8403 3811 Burton North East Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8280 9899 fullarton Fullarton Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8338 2303 hampstead gardens Aso North East Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8261 6006 Mount gambier O.G.R. Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8724 1111

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st Leonards Northshore Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 8198 1818 Tamworth Peel Valley Motors Phone: 02 6768 3111

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shepparton Ken Muston Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5821 6688

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rockhampton Rockhampton Prestige Phone: 07 4922 1000

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Queanbeyan John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6166 1111

Port Augusta Emanuele Bros Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8643 6233

ringwood Genesis Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9879 7776

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gosford Central Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4320 0900

AcT

Taree Mid Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6592 6300 Tweed heads Tweed Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5524 3555

WA

Albany Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9842 5522 Broome Broome Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9192 7357 esperance Aso Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9071 1060

Merredin Aso Northam Isuzu UTE Merredin Phone: 08 9041 4444 Midland Midland Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9464 1000 Northam Northam Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9622 0888 o’Connor Major Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9331 9331 osborne Park Regents Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9273 1000 Picton South West Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9725 4911 Port hedland Aso South West Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9140 1811 Wangara Wanneroo Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9403 9403 Wagin Aso South West Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9861 1144

NT

Alice springs Isuzu UTE Territory Phone: 08 8952 5155 Darwin Isuzu UTE Darwin Phone: 08 8946 4460

TAS

Derwent Park Jackson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6277 6600 Launceston Jackson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6323 7000

geraldton Waltons Isuzu UTE Geraldton Phone: 08 9921 5044 Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9021 1699 Maddington DVG Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9492 0000

ASO = Approved Satellite Outlet

We’re in tune with your D-MAX.

With factory trained technicians equipped with all the right tools, Isuzu UTE Service Centres are the right choice for D-MAX owners.

Visit www.isuzuute.com.au to find your local authorised Isuzu UTE Service Centre.

FE EL C L EA N ON TH E IN SID E

CAL0289/C/IDM

Your car may look clean on the outside but what about the inside? That’s where Vortex Premium Diesel comes in. We’ve specifically designed it to clean your engine while you drive. So with regular use, the advanced additives protect both new and old diesel engines by removing deposits left on critical parts of the engine. Caltex Vortex Premium Diesel. Designed to clean.