max*d Issue 12

ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA

ISSUE 12

‘Doctors worry too much’ Rally legend Bruce Garland flat out in the Australasian Safari

Blood for pearls The incredible hard men of Broome’s oldest industry

The

New kid Meet the mighty MU-X

PLUS: INSPIRATIONAL BUSHFIRE SURVIVOR TURIA PITT BOUNCES BACK

The 2014 Isuzu D-MAX is the spirit of a truck wrapped in the skin of a ute. With 3 litres of Isuzu turbo diesel grunt under the bonnet you can tow 3.5 tonnes* like it’s not even there. Combine that raw power with a frugal 8.1L/100 km# and you can see why it’s picking up all the awards.

Discover everything that makes the 2014 D-MAX even more dependable at your Isuzu UTE dealer today.

ISUZUUTE.COM.AU *4x4 models only. #4x4 automatic model ADR81/02 laboratory tests (combined cycle). ^Whichever occurs first, excludes Government & National Rental customers; excludes accessories and trays.

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Features 18 COVER STORY We head to Thailand for the international launch of the latest addition to the Isuzu family: the brand new MU-X SUV

24 OUT OF THE BOX Broome is a tropical paradise of fishing, open-beach driving and outdoor life— with a decidedly deadly pearling past

28 PASSPORT Once one of South America's most dangerous countries, Colombia has a new life—as an adventurer's playground

32 UNSUNG HEROES The inspiring story of Turia Pitt, bushfire survivor, indefatigable optimist and now charity superstar

ISSUE 12

24 Regulars

34

04 NEWS

34 THE LIST

The Morcombes’ mission, the Roosters, 3.5t towing, Isuzu on safari and a D-MAX winner …

Australia’s best rugged off-road surf spots—can't get more off-road than these

08 ME ’N’ MY MAX

38 HOOK, LINE ’N’ SINKER

Happy D-MAX owners share their stories about getting out and amongst it

A Top End fishing challenge with a difference: one rod, all conditions …

10 WISHLIST

40 REFUEL

Clever camping gadgets that make roughing it smoother

A one-pot, set-and-forget roast chook that will crown you king of the campfire

12 TECH HEAD

43 FLASHBACK

Technical information about the incredible engineering of the D-MAX suspension system

Climb into max*d’s magical tinfoil time machine for a trip back to 1997

14 INSIDE LINE

44 DEALER LIST

Rally lord Bruce Garland on the D-MAX’s superb 2013 Australasian Safari performance

Where to find Isuzu UTE dealers across Australia

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WELCOME

H Cover: Meet the MU-X

ello again and welcome to Issue 12 of max*d magazine.

Well, exciting times are afoot at Isuzu UTE Australia, with—as many of you would already know—the recent introduction of our all-new seven-seat SUV, the Isuzu MU-X. Some of you may not know this but Isuzu has a long tradition of producing quality SUVs around the world—dating back to 1981. Australians would be familiar with the Jackaroo, which was an Isuzu product sold here in the ’80s and ’90s under a different manufacturer badge and which quickly became a favourite in the Aussie market. Our rally legend Bruce Garland began his association with Isuzu in the Jackaroo SUV and won the Australasian Safari five times in this vehicle. Now some 10 years later Isuzu is returning to the SUV market with another brilliant offering—the MU-X. Isuzu UTE Australia is extremely proud to be offering this vehicle to you and we are sure you will be impressed with both its on- and off-road ability. In this issue you can read more about what makes the MU-X stand out from the crowd.

In other good news, September this

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year saw the sale of Isuzu's 30,000th D-MAX, which illustrates the continued growth of our young brand in Australia. To our pioneer customers we are extremely grateful for your continued support and feedback. Without such customer advice it is hard to make improvements so please know we are always here to listen and help you. For example, many of you have asked for 3.5-tonne towing capability and we have listened—with all 4x4 14MY D-MAXs now rated for this ability. So too with climate control, new reversing camera and new leather in the MY14 LS-Terrain all coming from customer feedback—so, thank you.

Finally, with the festive season upon us, I would like to wish you and your family a very happy and safe holiday period. If you're taking to the roads for the holidays, please make sure you plan your trip well and take it easy out there during this very busy season.

Season’s greetings,

Yasu Takeuchi Managing Director Isuzu UTE Australia

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news WORDS: Reg Barrett and Ben Smithurst

All the latest and greatest from IUA ...

D-MAX unbreakable on Safari It’s the toughest 3200km in Australian racing—an axle-snapping, chassis-rattling marathon across the harsh Outback. But when the dust settled on the 2013 Australasian Safari, Isuzu emerged as the rally’s most dominant manufacturer.

In a stunning team performance, all four Isuzu D-MAX entries not only crossed the finish line—a remarkable feat given, on average, half of all entrants suffer terminal mechanical problems and fail to finish—but each also claimed a coveted spot in the overall top 10.

PUBLISHER Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA MANAGING EDITORS Victor Petelo, Dave Harding, Cody Harland

EDITOR Ben Smithurst ben.smithurst@edgecustom.com.au CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Paul Rodger DESIGNER Rhys Prosser EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Georgina Armour

A fifth Isuzu, a VehiCROSS, brought the top 10 total to five.

It might be Australia’s ultimate test of both man and machine, but five-time Safari champion Bruce Garland and his four-strong team of D-MAX utes proved up to the challenge.

Better still, Garland competed in the T2 class, which allows only minimal modifications from the showroom version. “Four D-MAXs started the rally, and four D-MAXs finished the rally in the top 10,” says Garland.

ACCOUNT MANAGER Amy Story

CLIENT SERVICES DIRECTOR Sarah Willmott

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Scott Crisp

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Matt Sterne

ADVERTISING SALES Dennis Lee dennis.lee@edgecustom. com.au

CEO Eddie Thomas

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 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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“No other manufacturer can lay claim to that, and it’s not to be sneezed at considering how tough this year’s safari was.”

The safari, seen as a worthy training run before the brutal Dakar Rally, begins in Perth, then heads inland before finishing back on the coast in Geraldton seven days later, leaving a collection of broken cars, bikes, bones and egos in its wake. max*d rides shotgun with Bruce Garland and his Outback-conquering D-MAX on page 14 of this issue.

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

max*d magazine is proudly printed in Australia using renewable resources. Sovereign Gloss 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.

SGS-COC-003898

NEWS

Rampaging Roosters 2013 NRL premiers

In 2012, when Isuzu signed on as Roosters’ sleeve sponsor for the next three years, IUA Managing Director Yasu Takeuchi noted that “there’s a great synergy between Isuzu UTE and the Roosters—we’re both tough, reliable and play hard”.

On grand final day in 2013, the club gave Takeuchi’s statement the ultimate endorsement by winning the NRL

Premiership. It was their first since 2002 and first for rookie coach Trent Robinson.

“Historically, the Roosters haven’t gone for coaches like myself,” Robinson told max*d prior to the grand final. “They’ve either been very experienced players or great coaches … I was neither.”

By round five, 2013, Robinson had coached more first grade NRL games

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than he’d played. But he became just the fifth coach ever to take the trophy in his debut year, when—inspired by a secondhalf turnaround by Sonny Bill Williams and a try to centre Michael Jennings— the Roosters beat Manly 26–18.

“It’s just so sweet looking down on this,” said Williams afterwards.

“It’s a dream come true.’’

Mid-north coast league lover scores Footy Show D-MAX More than 56,000 footy fans entered the Isuzu D-MAX Performance Competition, a viewer contest run exclusively on the NRL Sunday Footy Show, but only one would drive home in an all-new D-MAX. Come season’s end, ecstatic Port Macquarie rugby league loyalist David Austin was that man.

“I’ve seen the D-MAX on the show all season, now I can’t believe it’s actually mine!” he said, a single tear of joy tumbling down his cheek. “I’m stoked!”

Isuzu UTE has now been a major partner of the Sunday Footy Show,with Sterlo, Joey, Freddie and the crew, for three consecutive years.

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STANDARD HEIGHT UPRATED

• RAISED MEDIUM DUTY

HEAVY DUTY AND MINING SPEC

• • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • •

Dual Cab and Extra Cab 4x4 Variants Kit Part Number ISUZKIT003-A Includes Parts: New Front Coil - IFS-002 New Rear Leaf Springs - IS-003SH Leaf pin kit LGPK387-1 x 2 Leaf Shackle kit LGSK386/3 x 2 U-Bolts UBL-05 x 4 Rear Shock Absorber 64612576 x 2 Leaf Bush kit- leaf front eyes N73254 x 1 Leaf bush kit- leaf rear eyes and shackles N73255 x 1

Dual Cab and Extra Cab 4x4 Variants Kit Part Number ISUZKIT003-B Includes Parts: New Front Coil - IFR-002 New Rear Leaf Springs - IS-003 Leaf pin kit LGPK387-1 x 2 Leaf Shackle kit LGSK386/3 x 2 U-Bolts UBL-05 x 4 Rear Shock Absorber 64612576 x 2 Leaf Bush kit- leaf front eyes N73254 x 1 Leaf bush kit- leaf rear eyes and shackles N73255 x 1

Dual Cab and Extra Cab 4x4 Variants Kit Part Number ISUZKIT003-C Includes Parts: New Front Coil - IFR-002HD New Rear Leaf Springs - IS-003HD Leaf pin kit LGPK387-1 x 2 Leaf Shackle kit LGSK386/3 x 2 U-Bolts UBL-05 x 4 Rear Shock Absorber 64612576 x 2 Leaf Bush kit- leaf front eyes N73254 x 1 Leaf bush kit- leaf rear eyes and shackles N73255 x 1

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:16 PM

NEWS

Healthy 2014 upgrade for LS-Terrain

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The D-MAX flagship, the LS-Terrain, is set to receive a host of upgraded features from late December 2013.

Highlights include a new integrated touch-screen audio and sat-nav system with reversing camera, climate-control air conditioning and new charcoal leather-appointed interior. The upgrades will be available on all 2014 LS-Terrain models in time for Christmas.

Isuzu UTE brings beefy 3.5t towing All 2014 4x4 Isuzu D-MAXs will now be able to tackle even the most demanding towing jobs with the introduction of a new 3.5-tonne tow rating (braked). The D-MAX’s Isuzu 3.0L turbo diesel will continue to provide plenty of low-down torque and frugal fuel economy even when towing at its hefty new capacity. The 4x2 D-MAX’s braked towing capacity remains a healthy 2.5 tonnes.

Keeping kids safe If there’s courage in turning pain into a positive, Bruce and Denise Morcombe are some of the bravest people on earth.

The parents of teenager Daniel Morcombe, who was abducted and murdered while walking along the road in Woombye, Queensland, in 2003, have funnelled a decade of heartache into a child safety campaign in the hope that no other parent has to endure their loss. They set up The Daniel Morcombe Foundation, each receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for their tireless work.

They’ve just returned from a 66-day, 17,000km tour of Australia, encouraging action on child safety. The epic trip saw

the couple’s Isuzu D-MAX reach every state and territory in the country.

The tour wound up with the eighth annual Day for Daniel on 25 October, an event which now engages 1000 schools and over a million Australians. This year, schools were offered the chance to win $24,000 in prizes by running child safety classes. Bruce and Denise were joined by thousands of parents and children—all wearing commemorative red—in the Sunshine Coast’s Walk for Daniel, which for the first time passed Daniel’s grave.

“To Denise and Bruce, your strength is inspiring and we thank you,” said Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

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FEATURE ME 'N' MY MAX

Jassen Armand

Lives: Clayton, VIC Drives: 2013 D-MAX 4x4 LS-U OUR RIG is being set up as a long-term tourer—we’ve already planned trips including a Simpson Desert crossing, the Canning Stock Route, outback NSW, the Victorian high country, Tassie and a Nullarbor trip to Perth. This is the best, most comfortable 4WD we have owned by far— great fuel economy, very capable off-road, an excellent daily driver and very spacious, especially with the canopy fitted. The only issue we have is who gets to drive it. My wife, Ally, tells me it is her truck, but I make excuses as to why I should take it for the day. We need a roster … or another D-MAX. The kids love it too. They have plenty of room in the back seats and Angie, our kelpie, can’t believe all the space she has in the tray area.

John Halden

Lives: Geraldton, WA Drives: 2012 D-MAX 4x4 SX

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I TOOK delivery of my 2012 space cab chassis and built the tray and canopy to my requirements. The first trip was from Geraldton to Darwin and back, keeping off the bitumen as much as possible. We've just completed an eight-week trip from Geraldton across the centre of Australia to the Eyre Peninsula and home. Twelve months on, my D-MAX performs fantastically: great comfort and excellent fuel economy.

Me ’n’ SAFETY, ECONOMY AND DURABILITY. JUST A SMALL SAMPLE OF THE REASONS THESE FIVE D-MAX OWNERS LOVE THEIR UTES

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Jarod Stevenson

3 Ariel Albano

Lives: Mooroobool, QLD Drives: 2010 D-MAX 4x4 LS-M

FEATURE

Lives: Archerfield, QLD Drives: 2013 D-MAX 4x4 LS-M

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I WANTED a new dual-cab ute and I did a lot of research when one of my mates told me how much he loved his D-MAX. Then I saw it had won 4WD Action Ute of the Year so I took a test drive … and I loved it.

I ordered my LS-M with an EFS 2-inch suspension kit, snorkel, Ironman Bullbar, brush rails and side steps, MCC rear step bar with tow ball, ladder racks and a set of 265/75 R16 Hercules MTs. In the first week I did 1000km. I drove everywhere—and then on to beautiful Moreton Island. My map said the beach was closed, so we took the only track I could see and had a ball testing the new car. In the morning my wife and I watched the sun rise from the lighthouse and even saw some whales. It’s the best weekend I have ever had!

I’VE ALWAYS been an admirer of Isuzu, way back since I was still in the Philippines, because of its strong engine. It'll never let you down. Two weeks after I got my D-MAX, we went to Rookwood Station, Chillagoe, for a three-day camping trip and I was so happy with how my D-MAX handled sand, gravel, water, dirt and bush. The push-button 4WD transmission is excellent. We've been travelling with it for three years now and it’s still standing very strong, no problems at all. It’s a must-have ute.

Tarn Bargon

Lives: Seven Hills, NSW Drives: 2013 D-MAX 4X4 LS-M

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WE PICKED it up on a Friday afternoon—and then on Saturday at 8am we drove straight out to the Jenolan Caves. We’ve gone all through the back of Lithgow, we’ve done Mount Walker, the back beaches of Port Macquarie right up into Crescent Head. You name it!

We’d keep going, but my wife’s heavily pregnant, which was part of us choosing the D-MAX. When it came down to it, just the safety aspect with the curtain airbags, and the fuel consumption … mate, it was a no-brainer!

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 500, Cannon Hill, Qld 4170.

A CALTEX FUEL CARD If your letter is published here you'll receive a $50 fuel card!

Congratulations to this issue’s five winners.

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WISHLIST

Clean

Camping gadgets BECAUSE THERE’S MORE TO CAMPING LIKE A BOSS THAN A KICK-ASS TENT AND A BATTERED BILLY

Of course, you can make do without a sink, or you can repurpose a tub you’d otherwise be using for something else. But it’s like choosing between a Chinese burn and a wedgie: while neither will kill you, both are irritating. Now there’s a third option. This lightweight, foldaway sink comes in sizes from five to 20 litres, with a stainless-steel ‘stiffening ring’ that stops it from collapsing when it’s full.

RRP $33.95 [10L]; seatosummit.com.au

Charge The BioLite CampStove is a biofuelburning cooker, meaning it runs on stuff you collect­­—twigs, leaf litter, dung, lesser magazines, etc. It has a fan to assist combustion, which is powered by a thermoelectric generator, which, in turn, is powered by the fire. But its best trick is yet to come: surplus electricity is sent to a USB port, which can charge anything from your mobile phone to a GPS to an iPad. Nice.

RRP $129.95; biolitestove.com

Light This magnet-footed Joby Gorilla Torch is genius, whether you’re working in confined spaces (no more sucking a torch while trying to illuminate what you’re tinkering with) or just trying to light an ad hoc meal.

A superbright LED on a tripod that mounts anywhere, it's also weatherproof, with up to 60 hours life from three AA batteries.

RRP $34.95; joby.com.au

Soothe The industrial designer responsible for the Therapik needs a slap. It looks so cheap and 1960s Lost In Space-tacky that you’d ignore it in a two-dollar shop. Except, it works. Press a button and hold the heated tip to your insect sting, whether it be mosquito or wasp, for up to a minute. (Note: it gets quite hot, which is the key.) Then, hey presto ... itch-stopping bite relief.

RRP $13.50; therapik.com

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The World’s Most Advanced Battery Box

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TECH HEAD

IN SUSPENSE TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE ENGINEERING OF THE D-MAX SUSPENSION SYSTEM

DO YOU need a suspension system?

Well, yes. Obviously. But … why? The answer is straightforward, but it’s worth going over, if only to appreciate the incredible symphony of engineering that makes up the modern suspension system.

SUSPENSION: WHAT IT DOES

1. Maintains correct vehicle ride height 2. Reduces the effect of surface shock forces 3. Maintains correct wheel alignment 4. Supports vehicle weight 5. Keeps your tyres in contact with the road 6. Controls the vehicle’s direction of travel

TEAM D-MAX SUSPENSION

In the truest sense of ‘teamwork’, the D-MAX’s system is a total suspension concept which can be described as ‘roadto-seat’. The entire suspension structure contributes to the D-MAX’s ability to offer comfortable ride dynamics as well as load-carrying ability. The ‘road-to-seat’ chain of interrelated components works like this:

»

» »

TYRE RIM SIZE SUSPENSION CHASSIS CABIN MOUNTING SEATING

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All of these are good things.

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»

Isuzu engineering optimises this sequence during the design process, harmonising the components to work in unison with each other. Should one of the components’ characteristics change, it will affect the overall ‘road-to-seat’ characteristics— just like any team is forced to respond to a change in structure.

TECH HEAD

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1

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4

2

THE KEY PLAYERS

1

TYRES

Your rubber plays the first-line defensive role in the D-MAX’s suspension structure. Your tyres are tasked with adhering to the road/track surfaces and absorbing surface imperfections, while also providing a long service life in an extremely harsh working environment.

Because of this, tyre selection is an important consideration; the correct combination helps form the basis of a winning team. Isuzu works closely with major tyre manufacturers in order to achieve these synergies.

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RIMS

The second line of defence after the tyres, rims play an equally important role in transferring both vertical and horizontal forces from the vehicle to the tyres. Because the forces are considerable, this requires a strong and stable material— but in order to reduce the dynamic weights, they should also be as lightweight as possible. Because choosing rims and tyre sizes is often the first step in accessorising a vehicle, special care must be taken when choosing them, lest this relationship be compromised. Take care to ensure the team members you choose are of the permitted size and fit to the hub exactly to avoid any load transfer to the wheel nuts and studs.

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SUSPENSION

In the wheelhouse of the D-MAX suspension team—and therefore steering the ship—is a doublewishbone assembly (sometimes known as a double-A arm) on the front axle system.

A double-wishbone suspension allows for more control over the camber angle of the wheel, which describes the degree to which the wheels tilt in and out. It also helps minimise roll or sway and provides for a more consistent steering feel.

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REAR SUSPENSION

To support the rear axle, the D-MAX uses a five-leaf spring, which remains the best compromise for towing and load carrying.

All cab chassis models and the LS-M come with heavy-duty springs—the only exception being low ride, which is fitted with a six-leaf heavy-duty spring. All other D-MAXs are fitted with a comfortoriented five-leaf spring assembly. When choosing your suspension setup, it is important to consider the operating conditions your vehicle will be subjected to (for example: empty/always loaded/ partial loads/towing only, etc.) and choose the system best suited to your main purpose.

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CHASSIS

The D-MAX’s ladder-frame chassis design incorporates a certain amount of torsional flexibility—this is required to allow the noise, vibration and harshness (collectively known as ‘NVH’) to be isolated to the frame and suspension components. This flexibility also allows the total wheel movement length to be extended, and with it the contact of the wheel to the road surface. This assists with maintaining traction when navigating difficult terrain.

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CABIN MOUNTING

Cabin mounting is the silent member of the team! It’s tasked with keeping occupants isolated from NVH so as to maximise ride comfort, reduce fatigue and allow the independent movement of the chassis to the cab.

SEATING

Seating is the final ingredient, like the mitts of a Premier League goalkeeper! The D-MAX’s bolstered seats keep the vehicle’s occupants where they belong: comfortable and with optimum visibility.

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INSIDE LINE

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HAMMER TIME

THE 2013 AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI WAS A TYPICALLY BRUTAL, CHASSISCRASHING, RIG-BASHING AFFAIR. ISUZU TRIUMPHED YET AGAIN, WITH FIVE ISUZUS IN THE TOP 10

WORDS: Connor Stephenson PHOTOS: Mario Ravaccia at Fuoristradaweb.com

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INSIDE LINE

Did his doctors advise him not to enter this year?

“Doctors worry too much,” is all he’ll say.

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INSIDE LINE

YOU MIGHT think the trucks

Above: No 14-man F1 pit crew out here.

Garland gets on the tools Top left: Red dirt and helicopters Left: Garland (grinning) and Harry Suzuki (blue steel) prepare for a stage Below: Pegging the ears back on the beach in Geraldton. Probably not the best day for casual sunbathing

that take on the Australasian Safari—a seven-day torture test over 3200km of murderous, Mordor-like terrain in WA— cop a belting, but at least they’re built for it.

Spare a thought for the soft, unsprung human bodies inside being belted, rattled and choked with dust for a week.

It’s the sort of sport enjoyed, or endured, only by the brain damaged, as Aussie rough-road legend and Isuzu D-MAX driver Bruce Garland freely admits.

“This sport has broken my brain and broken my wallet, and I’ve got a heap of holes in my body now from various operations,” he chuckles. “But you know, you’re dead a long time.”

Garland led a team of four D-MAXs that entered the brutal mega rally this year. It’s a race in which typically only half of the people who enter actually finish. Incredibly, not only did all four make the distance, they all featured in the overall top 10.

Perhaps even more impressive, when the event finished on the edge of the Indian Ocean at Geraldton, 424km north of Perth where it had begun, the crews that came fifth and seventh did so in 2007 model D-MAXs—further proof of their durability.

The Isuzu crews managed to finish first in the T2 class, in which cars run very close to showroom spec, and also won the modified production class.

“There were five Isuzus in the top 10 [four D-MAXs and one VehiCROSS],” says Garland. “There were three class wins, and one that was first diesel home and third outright. Sadly, it wasn’t us this time around, but we are very happy with our result.”

Garland, who has won the event five times with his co-driver Harry Suzuki, finished ninth overall, in a virtually stock D-MAX. He says it was even more punishing on his 55-year-old body than usual, but he’s seen worse, of course.

In the Dakar Rally in 2011, Garland, racing in an Isuzu, misread a sand dune, landed hard enough to crack his engine’s block and broke his back. His engineers later estimated the vehicle, and Garland, were pulling about 40gs at impact.

“There was a big crack, like an electric shock went up my back, and I couldn’t breathe for 10 or 15 minutes. It was a pain like I’ve never felt and I’ve hurt myself quite a bit,” Garland recalls. “I took some

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Panadol and Voltaren. The car was still drivable, but it was unhealthy, so I drove it the next 30km and went and had a shower because I thought that might fix it.

“I was hoping I’d just bruised my kidneys or something. I didn’t want to see the doctors because they’d tell me I couldn’t race the next day, but they said my back was broken. If I’d taken another hit, I would have been paralysed. So that was lucky.”

While he was recovering, Garland developed a heart problem—a real shock for someone with so much ticker—and had five bypasses. This year he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he had “chopped out” just eight weeks before the start of the safari in Perth. Did his doctors advise him not to enter this year? “Doctors worry too much,” is all he’ll say.

Garland says the Australasian Safari is a bit of a training run for the forthcoming Dakar, in which he races an extremely modified D-MAX, but this year some of the days were “just as violent”.

“You’re getting twisted and shaken and corkscrewed, it’s hardly ever running straight, and you keep yourself in the seat with your shoulder blades, your back and your butt muscles. It does knock you around a bit,” he says.

It was the first time in 20 years that Garland had competed in a stock production-class car, and he enjoyed it more than he was expecting to.

“It’s a big test for a showroom car and I babied it a bit to start with. I wasn’t sure how much it could take, but then I got used to it and really started to push it. We were second fastest overall on the last stage, which is pretty amazing,” he says.

“There’s a lot of standard Isuzu parts on the Dakar car, so I know how much punishment they can take. But we didn’t even have to fix our cars up at night, just adjust the brakes and check the filters. They were running like a dream.

“They were just so strong and so reliable.

In a tough race that lots of people don’t finish, four of us started and four of us finished. It’s an incredible result.”

Garland’s broken wallet is about to get battered again, as he attempts to scrounge up the $100,000 entry fee for the 2015 Dakar event. But before that, he’ll be back in the West next year for another Australasian Safari, whether his body likes it or not.

You know, you’re dead a long time.

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COVER STORY

COVER STORY

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THERE’S A SUPER NEW SUV ON THE BLOCK. INTRODUCING THE MU-X WORDS: Ben Smithurst

THE MOST challenging thing

about driving in the Australia loved by a homesick, London-bound Dorothea Mackellar in her most iconic poem is not that it is “a sunburnt country” or “a land of sweeping plains”.

That’s because lots of countries are hot, and lots of others share our combination of extreme heat and flat bits—albeit usually in a scaled-back sort of way— similarly crisscrossed by unsealed, occasionally boulder-strewn roads.

Nor is it Australia’s “ragged mountain ranges”, or our “droughts and flooding plains”. Although, again, those things can be a bit tricky. In much of Australia, most of the time, the countryside is either underwater or on fire. Often with a quick turnaround, straightaway, one thing after the other.

The most challenging thing about driving in Australia is we must deal with a combination of all those things and urban roads besides. Goat track hills climb rougher

than a Russian hangover and straightline freeways smoother than a Frenchman’s pillow talk. Whether they live in Killara or Kakadu, adventurous Australian drivers must literally be prepared to take the rough with the smooth.

And so, while it’s rare that the global launch of a seven-seater family SUV would start by pitching motoring journalists directly up a 10m, 35-degree incline, it made perverse sense in the case of the MU-X. Isuzu 4X4 Land is a purpose-built training ground at Pattaya, Thailand, a 140km drive from Bangkok. The Land of Smiles is a pickup paradise—it’s the world one-tonner capital. More than 45 per cent of new car sales are utes; Thais bought 538,000 of them in 2012. So you’d expect 4X4 Land, also an occasional training ground for the police and military, to be a doozy. It is.

Happily, the MU-X does that threestorey incline at a canter. A hard-packed,

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COVER STORY

The SUV’s bellicose stance is magnified by aggressive front fenders, large wheel openings and new head and tail lights.

flat-topped pyramid of rammed earth, with no concession on the approach angle, is conquered in low-range—in idle. The new SUV’s 130kW, 380Nm, common-rail turbo-diesel four-pot does not do fussy, which is no surprise; the MU-X shares its legendary 4JJ1-TC 3.0-litre engine with its D-MAX older sibling. (All five models use the same engine, with five-speed auto and manual transmissions available in both 4x2 and 4X4.) Likewise, the 25-degree downslope requires no jabbing of brakes, only a manual selection of first gear, with the brutal, zero-concessions exit angle cleared without scraping. The ladder chassis is shortened by 250mm from the D-MAX, and the MU-X retains a clear 230mm of ground clearance.

The rest of the 4WD course is less spectacular, but no less impressive.

There’s a path of moguls and a garden of microwave-sized miniboulders that would be rejected as a road in Fallujah. The MU-X’s undersides, shielded by a skid plate, sump and transfer guards, are made not of thick plastic but of proper steel.

There’s a series of deep, muddy water crossings attacked both at an extreme angle and flat and deep, with the SUV’s air intake, electronic stability control and

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alternator either protected or raised safely out of saturation’s way. There’s broken ladder railway-sleeper-like corrugations and a colossal, gravityactivated see-saw which … well, which probably proves something, to somebody, but mostly just looks cool.

Most disconcerting, however, is a sequence of long, off-camber berms, one tilting the SUV passenger-side-up, the other tipping the driver’s side skywards.

From behind the wheel, it feels like the car must topple over, but it clings to the slope like freckles to a ginger’s cheek. Despite the impressive ground clearance, the MU-X is just 1830mm high. This fact, combined with clever-dick engineering— presumably by wizards—produces a remarkably low centre of gravity; the family SUV will stay on its feet at a remarkable transverse angle of up to 47 per cent.

Bruce Garland has seen it all and run into some of it: he’s competed in the Dakar and the Australasian Safari; is a stunt man in the forthcoming Mad Max 4; and remains calm even when boshing a camel hidden in a cloud of dust at 160km/h. But it’s the 10m climb that still has him raving.

“I’ve done that here in a D-MAX,” he grins, tucking into a freshly opened

COVER STORY

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Clockwise from above: Putting the MU-X through its paces at Isuzu 4X4 Land Below: The MU-X loses no traction as camber berms tip the vehicle skyward

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COVER STORY

coconut. “In second gear, in idle, with four blokes in the truck—I was amazed. But I didn’t think I would do it so easily in this.

“Although, really, it makes sense. That engine is the same engine we use in the Dakar, only then it’s tuned to about 95 per cent of how far they can push it—we bring it a little back so it’s more durable —to about 195kW and 600Nm. So when they de-tune it to pull down-low, it just makes it incredibly durable and reliable at 130kW.” This is a nod to the turbo-diesel’s five-year, 130,000km warranty—it’s industry-standard B10-rated to an estimated 500,000km—with iron-plated 3.0-tonne towing capacity on both 4x2 and 4x4 models.

A day later, following a colossal international launch in Bangkok itself—set off by the world’s largest high-def video screen; 2500 suited and booted guests; and the cream of Thai crooning—the launch moved to Isuzu’s road testing track.

Isuzu’s design boffins first put pencil to paper for the MU-X back in 2007, and they’ve been busy; the SUV shares only its bonnet and front doors with the D-MAX, the exterior styling most distinctive in the wedge-shape also belonging to the tough ute. Isuzu’s ‘Dynamic Flow’ design language—art speak for the architecture of

This page: At the international launch in Bangkok Facing page: The MU-X is equally happy splashing through the muddy water crossings as facing off against some no-less-challenging orange cones

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the car’s exterior lines—is most obvious in the long, flat roof, with no bulging Kardashian hips on the rear wheel arch. (“We found them to be really polarising,” tutted one official, speaking not about the Kardashians but why they shunned bulging sub-C-pillar hips.)

The SUV’s bellicose stance is magnified by aggressive front fenders, large wheel openings and new head and tail lights, each piece proportionate without looking like it’s been assimilated or bolted on from other cars. It’s nicely done.

It’s inside, however, where many of the MU-X’s changes become most apparent.

It’s Variable Geometry System (VGS) ’charger is electronically juggled to minimise turbo lag, while the D-MAX’s drums are replaced with discs on all wheels—300mm front, 318mm rear—with additional sound, harshness and vibration damping in the cabin. Most importantly, perhaps, is the turfing of the ute’s load-lugging back-end leaf springs for an independent, five-link suspension.

Matched with new front seats that have wraparound bolstering for extra support, with 60/40 split-folds in the second row and 50/50 in the third, the result is a family SUV with a cargo area up to 1995mm long. Add this to the clever standard extras—a dozen cup holders,

for example, and 19 separate storage compartments—or top end inclusions, such as the reversing camera and rear roof-mounted 10-inch DVD screen— and the MU-X asks questions of even its biggest competitors. As happy off-road as on, it’s a genuine family-sized SUV that redefines real-world adventure.

There are just three initial launch markets for the MU-X—Australia, New Zealand and Thailand—while the rest of the world will wait. Here, however, it will land as an affordable option that takes it to the established big boys on several fronts.

Or, perhaps, in multiple arenas—from Toorak’s trickiest driveway to the top of the Top End. With new D-MAX upgrades due in 2014, the brand is well set to go hard on both the family SUV and the tough-as-nails ute— without either vehicle cannibalising fans of the other.

“We don’t have to worry about cannibalisation!” grinned Yasu Takeuchi.

“We just have passion!”

Indeed, the IUA boss was on a high.

“Australia being one of the first countries to get the SUV is frankly amazing to me,” he said. “It’s just fantastic.”

It’s easy to love a sunburnt country.

In 2014, this particular sunburnt country may well love the MU-X back.

COVER STORY

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As happy off-road as on, it’s a genuine family-sized SUV that redefines real-world adventure.

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OUT OF THE BOX

Blood for pearls WORDS: Robin Powell

LIFE WAS CHEAP IN THE RAILROADS, MINES AND FACTORIES OF A CENTURY PAST—BUT RARELY AS DEADLY AS AMONG THE FORTUNE-HUNTING PEARL DIVERS OF BROOME

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OUT OF THE BOX

THE WORLD’S largest

pearl-producing oysters are 30cm across and grow fat in the waters of Tahiti and north-west Western Australia. They are called Pinctada maxima, and in the 17th century they grew so thick off Broome that local Aborigines and even plundering American whalers plucked them from the shoreline by hand.

Each kept the location of the pearl fields a secret. Aborigines traded shell with Makassan trepangers from Indonesia, but had long learned to remain cagey—and to arrive to a trade well-armed. Equally pragmatic, foreigners guarded their knowledge by keeping no written records.

Salvagers were amazed to find pearl shell in the hull of the Cervantes, a US whaler that grounded about 200km north of Perth in 1844. There were no oysters in the area.

Clearly the easy bounty to the north had been too rich for the Americans to pass up—or to publicise.

Nowadays the Broome shoreline at sunset is iconic: a dramatic purple and orange light show framed by the umbrella-like silhouettes of palm trees. In every sense, it’s a classic tropical scene of sunset, lovers, cocktails and swaying palms.

Don’t be fooled: The palms, like the US pearlers, are blow-ins. After all, this is the arid north-west, where mangroves line the shores and big-bellied boab trees

dominate the inland landscape.

Marilyn Paspaley, of the pearl-farming family, says the trees have no place here.

She’s the owner and hands-on developer of Cable Beach’s luxury resort Pinctada, which features not a single palm.

“It’s not tropical here in Broome,” she says emphatically. “Look over there.” She gestures across the road from the open-air lobby of the resort to the glowing red sand and green scramble of natives. “This is semi-arid country!”

But Broome has always been a place that mixed natives with all kinds of imports: Japanese, Malay, Scottish, Chinese, English, Indian, Islander and others lived together in a turn-of-the-century society with a strict cultural hierarchy. Pearl shell attracted them all.

A fully grown Pinctada can be the size of a dinner plate and weigh a whopping five kilos. Those big shells fetched mighty prices in England, where mother-of-pearl was used for buttons, buckles and to decorate furniture. And while pearl shell could initially be collected on the beach, the pearlers were soon forced into deeper water.

That’s when the work became deadly.

The divers were Japanese, Malay and, often, press-ganged Aborigines. According to John Bailey, whose book The White Divers of Broome tells the incredible story of racism, politics and money that made up

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the town’s pearling past, about 2500 Asian indentured workers turned up every year to work the coastline’s 1600km of pearl grounds.

At the industry’s height, 20 per cent of Broome’s pearl divers died every year. They were drowned, killed by the bends or neglected by the tenders aboard the boats on whom they relied for air. They were also swamped by cyclones.

Above: Sunset off the Broome coastline Below: Divers of all cultures flocked to the north-west

Images: Touriusm WA & State Library of WA

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OUT OF THE BOX

Left: While no longer the world’s largest producer, Broome’s pearls are still considered among the finest available Below: Broome’s Japanese Cemetery is the largest in Australia

Images: Touriusm WA & State Library of WA

“Only one imported English diver survived the first year.”

The White Australia policy, which officially began in 1901 (though Chinese immigration had been restricted since the 1850s), was a challenge to the pearling industry’s local status quo.

The government viewed Broome’s mixed community and Asian workforce as highly undesirable. As such, says Bailey, they hatched a plan to prove the white man was superior to all other races.

The White Divers of Broome focuses on an unfortunate group of 12 former British Royal Navy-trained divers brought to Broome to show that Occidentals could do the work— and a damned sight better than their ethnically diverse predecessors. The Englishmen were the Empire’s Navy SEALs of their time. Only one of them survived their first year. They weren’t alone.

The Navy divers joined other victims of the pearl industry, some of whom are buried in the Japanese Cemetery en route to Cable Beach. Ultimately, though, it was the Great War, not the White Australia policy, that ended Broome’s brutal pearl-shell business.

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The town got a new lease of life via the South Sea pearl, cultured in Pinctada up and down the Kimberley coast.

The best place to see how modern pearling works is at Willie Creek Pearl Farm, which is a 45-minute drive from Broome, north through the pindan. Out in the milky turquoise water beyond the mangroves, the oysters are suspended in nets. Each has undergone a delicate operation in which a perfectly spherical seed is implanted which, over the next two years, will gradually be coated with nacre to form a big, fat, lustrous pearl.

Local guides will show you how to recognise a good one—by its size, shape, colour, surface and, above all, lustre—and reveal that the intricate work of the pearl technicians who inject the seed can command more than $100,000 over the three-month season. Even if, as one Willie Creek guide deadpans, a pearl is “just the dried-out mucus of an oyster”.

Most of Broome’s pearl shopping now takes place around Dampier Terrace, not far from the historical courthouse which

originally received the communications that travelled along the submarine cable laid in 1889 from Java to Cable Beach.

Even this building has a touch of historic swashbuckle: the courthouse was designed in England and delivered as a flat pack to Broome. Or accidentally delivered.

According to local folklore, a similar building was made at the same time for Kimberley in South Africa, but the two addresses were mixed up. Broome ended up with the building that had riveted iron louvres set at an angle to deflect the spears of hostile natives. Allegedly, the South Africans got the Broome building and were left unshielded from the next attack.

Today, Broome’s brutal history is hard to reconcile—especially while glorying in a magnificent sunset at Cable Beach, cold beer in hand, barbecue sizzling softly at your back. But while you soak up the light show, consider those shaggy palm trees that so set the scene are blow-ins compared with the corkscrew pandanus and elegant, white-limbed gums that persevere at their sides.

Baked in the heat of a million summers, baptised in sweat and drama, and home to some of the richest oyster fields on earth, modern Broome has come full circle. Now, as long before, it’s a land of contrasts for all visitors.

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Tool Boxes Protect your valuable tools in a premium grade toolbox from BTB. Long lasting quality finish and because we only use the sturdiest locks, hinges, weather seals and roller systems, our toolboxes are a high priority for the professional tradesman.

Images: Thinkstock & Ben Groundwater

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PASSPORT

100 PER CENT

PURE CRAZY No longer a wild west of pell-mell militia and narcotraficantes, Colombia now sees action of a different sort WORDS: Ben Groundwater

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W

ant to do something extreme in Colombia?

Just go there.

It feels edgy the minute you step out of the airport in Bogota, into this country you’ve heard so much about—or, to clarify, this country you’ve heard so many bad things about. If it’s not Pablo Escobar and his drug-runnin’, gun-shootin’ cronies, it’s the incredibly well-named militia group FARC, whose tooled-up members still roam Colombia’s densely forested hills.

PANAMA VENEZUELA

COLOMBIA

EQUADOR

There’s a feeling of danger here that somehow permeates the air, even if it’s not exactly warranted. You might have fears of kidnappings and bent federales and shoot-outs, but the reality is things aren’t so bad in Colombia any more—its bad old days are behind it. Pablo Escobar is dead and his organisation dismantled. FARC is in peace talks with the government.

But that doesn’t mean you won’t find adventure. In fact, this is the perfect place.

About the biggest hassle in the capital Bogota these days is the traffic, the roads clogged like a fat bloke’s arteries, hundreds of thousands of cars trying to get from one side of the city to the other and failing. For those seeking a rush it’s not exactly ideal, which is why most travellers head off as soon as they can in search of fresh air and the real appeal of Colombia: letting loose.

A short flight from Bogota lies the ‘coffee triangle’, an area of mountains, rolling green hills and huge coffee plantations in the high Andes. Army personnel line the winding roads, machine guns clutched to their chests as they give the thumbs-up signal to passing cars, reassuring their occupants that everything’s okay. Does that make you feel safer? Not really.

Our little convoy is headed for the town of Salento, where we’ll be hiring mountain

bikes and a person we think might be a guide to take us up into the heights and then roaring back down on two wheels towards Cocora Valley. We’re not appropriately attired. I’m in shorts and T-shirt, but at least I’ve got a small helmet on. My friend Matt, having failed to find a stackhat that fits him, has opted to go bareheaded. He’s signalled to one of the guys in the bike hire shop, asking if he’ll be okay. The guy just shrugs: “Si.” This has disaster written all over it, although I’m not too concerned. I’ve ridden a mountain bike before, and I’m sure I can remember how to do it again.

It is, after all, like riding a bike.

We get to the top of the trail, on a heavily wooded mountain shrouded in mist. It’s beautiful—no-one tells you about the beauty of Colombia. They tell you about the guns, and maybe the drugs, but they never tell you about the beauty.

However, like fair-goers taking in the sights from the top of a roller-coaster, we’ve now got other things to think about.

Our guide, who doesn’t speak a single word of English, is soon gesturing at us, pointing downhill. Thanks Captain Obvious. Then he turns and speeds away down a narrow track that’s crisscrossed by thick tree roots and covered in a fine layer

BRAZIL PERU

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PASSPORT

Images: Ben Groundwater

FACT FILE GETTING THERE LAN Airlines flies daily from Sydney to Bogota, via Santiago, with return economy fares from $3235. To reach the coffee triangle, you’ll need an additional flight to Manizales. Visit lan.com

GETTING AROUND Once you’ve reached Manizales, the best way to get around the coffee triangle area is in the local Willys Jeeps—battered old vehicles that work as private taxis.

The amount you pay will depend on your skills at the negotiating table, but don’t expect to pay more than about $2 for a journey into the countryside.

WHERE TO STAY El Bosque del Samán in Alcalá makes a great base, allowing access to mountain-biking, horse-riding and zip-lining. Rooms at the estate start from $88 per night for two people. Visit bosquesdelsaman.com

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“Our guide speeds off downhill. We never see him again.” of fallen leaves. We never see the guide again. The rest of us look at one another, shrug, and take off after him.

This track is tricky. Steep, slippery, with rocks and tree roots, on a path cut above dangerous drops. Matt is the first to fall.

His front tyre rams into a tree root and pitches him over the handlebars. He grins gingerly, dusts himself off, remounts.

Gav is next, his bike sliding out from under him on a section of flat rock.

We stop for a break as he recovers, taking in the silence of the Colombian mountains, staring over the verdant slopes still cloaked in cloud. A bird sails high overhead. We joke about where our guide would be by now. At the pub, is our consensus, as we set off for the bottom of the valley.

After a few days in Colombia you begin to realise that, while the country might be safer than its reputation suggests, everything is still just that bit more extreme here. A quiet horse ride in the same valley the next day gets out of hand quickly when it becomes apparent that our horses aren’t really up for a quiet horse ride.

“Tranquilo?” I ask a guide, pointing at my steed, trying to make sure it’s a calm one.

The guy shrugs. “Si.”

Except of course it’s not tranquilo. We’re walking up a riverbank in dense jungle when the horse gets skittish and bolts—it’s all I can do to rein the thing in before we get too far away from the group. Soon another horse is off. And another. It’s as if Colombia is throwing everything it can at us in a bid to be extreme.

Take the coffee plantations. If the tar-thick local espresso isn’t enough of a wake-up call, try zip-lining over the top of the farm itself. You can do that at El Bosque del Samán, an estate and B&B just an hour or so up those winding roads from Salento.

The plantation offers crash courses in the production of coffee, or crash courses in, well, crash courses. There are wires strung throughout hilltops on the farm, and all you need is a harness, a small helmet and a thick glove to start flying along them. Just remember to brake with your gloved hand, or you’ll end up splattered around a tree.

There’s more on offer in this country, too.

There’s deep-sea fishing off the Caribbean coast near Cartagena; surfing on the western beaches; rock-climbing near Bogota. You probably won’t see any marauding militia, but the word ‘FARC’ will still spring to mind.

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Image: Rohan Thomson/Fairfax Media

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UNSUNG HEROES

strong one the

Turia Pitt was caught in a wildfire during an ultramarathon in the Kimberley in 2011. She wasn’t expected to survive, but her hard-fought recovery is one of Australia’s most inspirational stories

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WORDS: Ben Smithurst

Image: Rohan Thomson/Fairfax Media

UNSUNG HEROES

AUSTRALIANS KNOW

bushfires are unpredictable. Sometimes homes burn, and tragedies occur, and there’s little that can be done. But the fire that burned Turia Pitt was different. In September 2011, the then 24-year-old was running a 100km ultramarathon in the Kimberley, WA. It has been suggested that when fire threatened the race the organisers might have called it off, but they didn’t. Soon, a terrifying wall of flames engulfed the competitors.

With nowhere to go, Turia tried to cover her head with her jacket, “but it just got hotter and hotter and hotter and I couldn’t stand it any more, so I jumped up and tried to run and that’s when I got burnt.”

Turia suffered burns to 64 per cent of her body.

Rescued after four hours, she ‘died’ three times on the operating table. She has now endured almost 30 operations.

The story of Turia’s survival, and her miraculous recovery, was recently published as a book, Everything To Live For. And while, for most of us, bitterness would be overwhelming, her positivity has inspired the world. Now, Turia is pouring her energy into charity work, surfing, study, charity work, fitness, motivational speaking and more charity work. And, ever the achiever, she’s hatching a new plan—to climb Mount Everest.

Climbing Everest! Really?

You were the most badly burned, though. And then you had to wait for four hours. What was going through your mind at that point?

I suppose, because I am such a positive person, I was thinking, ‘Well, I’ll be back to work on Monday’. I was thinking it was just a little burn, and I’d go to the hospital and they’d fix me up, and then I’d go back to work. Then a chopper came to pick us up, and we had to walk to the chopper because they couldn’t get a stretcher to us. Then we had to walk from the chopper to the hospital. I did not wake up until a month later in Concord [Hospital, Sydney].

You died three times.

That’s right. I didn’t know about that until probably six months later.

You’re doing an amazing amount of charity work.

We’ve got a lot on for next year—we’re doing The Variety Cycle, from Sydney to Uluru, which is to raise money for

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Variety and children’s charities. Then we’re doing the Lake Argyle swim, which is 20km. But that’s not for charity, that’s just a personal thing that I want to do, because it’s up in Kununurra, and that’s where I got burned. I’m doing that with the other guys from the fire.

Then we’re doing the Great Wall of China. Obviously not the whole thing, because that would take us years, but we’re doing a section of that to raise money for Interplast. They offer free surgical treatment for people in the AsiaPacific region with cleft lip and palate and burn injuries. If you’re born with a cleft palate in Australia, they fix it straight away. But in developing countries you might have it forever.

Do you still surf?

I’m on a bodyboard at the moment.

I’ve got to get back on a surfboard! My days mainly consist of training—I’ve got a personal trainer—and doing yoga.

Then I’m doing my Masters in Mining Engineering and an MBA and I’m on the speaking circuit as well. You’ve got to keep the brain active, I reckon!

To support Turia’s charity work, go to turiapitt.com/projects. Her book, Everything to Live For, is available now ($34.95, Random House).

Images: Random House

Yeah, that’s one of the plans, but it probably won’t happen for another 10 years. But it’ll happen. It’s part of me overcoming obstacles and adversity. So when I do Everest I’ll feel happy that I’ve rehabilitated myself.

three [of the race] was right near the highway, and so I thought I was getting closer. I thought it was a road train. I never saw smoke. And then I saw the flames, and there were about six of us congregated together on the hillside.

Was the book difficult to write?

A lot of people have asked me if I found it cathartic, but I really didn’t. I found it really difficult emotionally, because it took me back to those really dark days. So I did it all because it would make the book better, but I actually haven’t read it cover to cover. I just think that I’ve lived through it. I don’t really need to read it.

Is it hard for you when bushfires are dominating the news?

No, it doesn’t re-traumatise me. I think that after what I’ve been through, I’ve got a closer connection with people who’ve been through trauma as well. I just feel bad for the people who have lost their homes and lost everything.

Does being in the path of an approaching bushfire really sound like a freight train?

Well, I heard the sound of the inferno, and I actually thought it was trucks on the highway.

That pumped me up a bit because checkpoint

Above: The cover for Turia Pitt’s inspirational book Left: Turia had to wear a full-body compression suit and mask to help her heal Opposite page: Turia and partner Michael Hoskin at a charity walk in Canberra

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THE LIST

EIGHT CLASSIC AUSSIE OFF-ROAD WAVES Some of our best surf spots require a tray and a 4WD capable of going the distance

Images: Tourism SA & Tourism WA

WORDS: Rob Landsley

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THE LIST

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POT HOLES BEACH, NSW

GNARALOO, WA

Main shot: The Western Australian coastline meets some of the planet’s rawest swell head on Bottom left: Kangaroo Island walk-around—pack a thick wetsuit

The annual pilgrimage north-west to Gnaraloo is one of our greatest surfing traditions and should be on the bucket list of all Australian surfers. Although originally a sheep station (still operational) pioneered by resilient agriculturalists in the early 20th century, over the last 30-odd years the region has gained a reputation as a desert-fringed wonderland popular with feral surfers, families and European tourists. The two main waves in the region—Tombstones and The Bluff—are hollow and knuckly reef-break lefts that can offer the ride of your life or an unceremonious beating in front of cheering semi-wild campers. The nearest town is Carnarvon, 150km south, so take everything, including a medical kit and fishing gear. This place is the ultimate test for you and your vehicle.

CACTUS BEACH, SA

Drive 72km west along the fabled Nullarbor Plain from Ceduna and then head south from the first town you hit—Penong. The Cactus region actually includes over half a dozen breaks but the hollow right-hander, Caves, is considered the region’s premier wave. Cactus is infamous for sharks that can rival a D-MAX in size and girth, but it’s probably the locals that you should be more worried about. The most famous is an abalone diver called Moose who boasts the kind of proportions his name suggests. However, if you keep your head down, the rugged beauty and world-class waves can offer one of the most unique experiences in surfing. The camping ground has pit toilets and bore water showers. Firewood is supplied nightly by the camp’s owner, but everything else in this unforgiving setting is BYO.

This ledgey right-hander offers some of the best barrels on the south coast of NSW. However, it’s well guarded by a crew of local devotees who surf ‘Potties’ every time it breaks. The wave itself also packs a punch and features an intimidating, close-to-rocks take-off.

Just south of Ulladulla, past Burrill Lake on the Princes Highway, the wave’s namesake—a dirt track with a minefield of deep divots—leads you to an idyllic tree-framed cove where the wave breaks in the southern corner.

DOUBLE ISLAND POINT, QUEENSLAND

Although the long, tapering rights will have your legs wobbly with lactic acid, your brain will keep screaming for one more. Wait until the swell turns on at Noosa and then escape the hordes by driving along the 80km expanse of beach north. Low-tide driving is preferable, and keep in mind that this stretch has laid claim to many a lesser vehicle. Double Island is a cyclone season special (November to April) but will break any time of the year. It’s all about varying levels of perfection; if the sand is built up in the right way, DI Point can be one of the longest and most perfect rights in the country.

LIGHTHOUSE BEACH, NSW

‘Lighthouse’ on the Mid North Coast is popular with 4WD enthusiasts and is one of the few locations in the region where you can still take your vehicle on the beach. A short, narrow track winds through a tunnel of native foliage and spits you out on the sand, which offers a selection of sanddependent peaks.

This is a great alternative when the more accessible spots are overcrowded or flattened by the southerly breeze. Although Lighthouse is just a short drive from Seal Rocks, it still offers a complete sense of escapism from civilisation. Goannas are frequently seen in the nearby bush and dingo sightings are common. Local folklore also has it that a bunyip-like creature known as the Yagon monster lurks around the camping grounds at night.

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THE LIST

Images: Thinkstock, Tourism Queensland & Tourism Tasmania

“The rugged north-west coast of Tasmania offers a definitive ‘land that time forgot’ feel … ”

KANGAROO ISLAND, SA

“Jindabyne was the ideal place to put in a little brewery.”

MARRAWAH, TASMANIA

The rugged north-west coast of Tasmania offers a definitive ‘land that time forgot’ feel and also some of the most spectacular wave settings in the country. Head south of town to Lighthouse Beach where a hollow left breaks into a channel in the northern corner, or dodge the bull kelp on the right-hander, which breaks on the other side of the bay. However, the real adventure starts when you head further south where several dirt tracks lead to isolated stretches of beach. Each is a lottery dip when it comes to waves but the exploring is all part of the fun in this strikingly beautiful part of the world.

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Top: Marrawah’s well-named Cold Water Classic surf contest Left: Don’t let the onshore fool you, ‘Straddie’ gets very good

NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND, QUEENSLAND

Coolangatta’s points are mythologised in surfing folklore, but on its day, Cylinders, on North Stradbroke Island, rivals Kirra or Snapper. The beachside campsites are 4WD-access only and permits are available for just under $40. If you can drag yourself away from the grinding walls and paper-thin barrels at Cylinders, there are a host of other waves to explore, although local law decrees that you stay put one hour either side of high tide. The beach fishing is a bonus on North Straddie but sharks are plentiful; keep your wits about you and bring a mate wherever you paddle out.

At 155km long and 55km wide, Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third-biggest island and offers a broad range of wave options for the intrepid surfer. Take your car over via ferry from Cape Jervis on the mainland and allow yourself at least a few days to roam the coastline.

The island offers pristine beach breaks and a few secret spots for those who are willing to do the exploring or befriend one of the 4500 locals. As the island’s name suggests, kangaroos are in abundance and roadkill tallies are often high. Also watch out for the goannas that have a habit of taking up residence on the roads in the midday sun.

one-rod test The

A RECENT CHALLENGE AGAINST HIS HOOK, LINE AND SINKER TV COMPATRIOT NICK DUIGAN PROVIDED THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO PILOT A D-MAX THROUGH SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST REMOTE ROADS, SAYS ANDREW HART

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WHEN FISHING in far

northern Australia you always face a quandary. There are so many hard-fighting fish and so many different techniques to catch them that you need to travel with a veritable tackle shop to cover all the bases.

With this problem in mind, and in fear of once again blowing the Hook, Line and Sinker budget on excess airline luggage, we decided for our latest trip to the Top End, we were only allowed to take one rod each.

One rod to rule them all.

The destination in question was a camping ground in east Arnhem Land, a leisurely six-hour drive from Darwin.

Legend has it that these waters are about as close as it gets to unfished and with a bit of pre-planning and the required permits,

campsites right on the foreshore can be organised where you can watch fish busting up from daylight to dusk.

We left Darwin early, enjoying yet another crisp, clear Territory morning, the D-MAX loaded up and lopping down the Stuart Highway. A left-hand turn put us on the Arnhem Highway and the speed limit kicked up to 130km/h, so for the next two hours we ate up the kays.

After a quick lunch stop (there’s not much at Jabiru), we headed into the tourist hotspot of Kakadu. The tourist road stops at the East Alligator River, but we kept going. Powering across the river and careful not to run over any crocs, there was no turning back once on the other side!

We had a permit to drive to a place called

HOOK, LINE ‘N’ SINKER

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“The next day we went to go fishing, only to find that our poorly packed rods had fallen out somewhere between Wiligi and Kakadu.”

Above: Who says you need to cart a tackle shop worth of gear about with you?

Left and top: Arnhem Land is a glorious succession of water crossings and red dirt Far left: The spoils of just two ‘one rods’ … albeit occasionally sporting three entirely separate lines at the same time

Wiligi Outstation (you can search for it on Facebook). The drive was another 100km, which took us the rest of the day on the red dust track. There were another three major river crossings and the D-MAX loved it all, smooth sailing over corrugations and around the many washouts.

Once we arrived at the camp, we met the traditional owners, who made us feel at home. The next day we went to go fishing, only to find that our rods, which were both in a tube, hadn’t been packed particularly well and had fallen out somewhere between Wiligi and Kakadu.

Our episode was looking in a bit of trouble.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, we went fishing anyway with the other boys who had joined us on our trip. They happened to be

from Wilson Tackle so they had heaps of spare rods—lucky for us.

We launched the boat off the beach and within half an hour were getting our arms stretched by queenfish, trevally and other big things that proved unstoppable. At the end of the first day we knew we had to find our own rods for the remaining few days; this was the perfect place to test them.

Luckily, over a feast of coral trout and mud crab, word reached us that the local policeman had found a black rod tube some 60km down the road. We were back in business and by the next morning had our rods rigged and ready to go.

The fishing over the next several days was mind-blowing. We caught everything you can think of, from barramundi in the

creeks, to giant trevally on poppers. We caught coral trout on the bottom and mackerel on the troll. And we proved that all we needed was one state-of-the-art fishing rod each, some 30-pound braid line and a suitable spinning reel.

As with all Hook, Line and Sinker stories there is, of course, a twist in this tale. My rod, which I still use all the time, is a proper fishing rod with a spinning reel. Nick’s, however, which he calls the ‘Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon’, is the world’s first double-reeled fishing rod. With a spinning rod and a bait caster, he was running two lures at once and spending plenty of time in a tangle. It made for a great episode and was well worth the effort of driving into a very remote part of Australia.

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Images: Natasha Milne

A SET-AND-FORGET CAMPFIRE FEED

FEW THINGS ARE AS GOOD AS CAMPING, BUT YOU DON’T GO BUSH JUST TO TAKE YOUR ENTIRE KITCHEN WITH YOU …

ONE-POT ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES This dish couldn’t really be any simpler—chop your veggies, put them in a casserole dish, add a whole chicken, then leave it to cook over the fire while you enjoy the afternoon. Go fishing, play cricket, warn foreign campers about the deathly danger of drop bears. It’s up to you. When you’ve finished, dinner for four is ready and waiting.

SERVES 4 80ml (1/3 cup) olive oil or vegetable oil 3 large floury potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks 4 carrots, cut into 3cm chunks 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges 4 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed with the back of a blunt knife 1.5kg whole chicken, preferably free-range steamed green vegetables or a salad, to serve (optional) 1. Heat 60ml (1⁄4 cup) of the oil in a large camp oven or casserole dish on a grill rack over the fire. Once the oil is hot, add the potato, carrot, onion and 2 garlic cloves.

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Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir to coat the vegetables in the oil.

2. Put the remaining squashed garlic inside the chicken, then drizzle or brush the outside of the chicken with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Use a sharp knife to make two slits in each thigh to help it cook evenly.

3. Place the chicken among the vegetables, moving the vegetables to surround it if necessary, and cover with a lid. Sit the dish to the side of the fire or in the coals away from direct heat, cover, and cook for 1.5–2 hours, or until the vegetables and chicken are tender. You will need to stir occasionally to prevent the vegetables on the bottom from burning. Check the chicken is ready by piercing the thigh—the juices should run clear when cooked.

4. Remove from the fire and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken from the dish, tipping any juices back into the dish. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables from the dish and steamed greens or a salad on the side.

TIP Don’t expect the chicken to go golden brown while cooking. However, you will end up with a very tender, moist chook.

Images: Natasha Milne

REFUEL AT THE CAMP

VEGETABLE AND CHICKPEA CASSEROLE This dish is reminiscent of a French-style ratatouille, but with extra vegetables and chickpeas. It can be served as a main meal with couscous or as an accompaniment to grilled meat and fish. Alternatively, for a quick meal, serve cold with slices of crusty bread.

SERVES 4 (or 8 as an accompaniment) 60ml (1⁄4 cup) olive oil 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 red capsicum (pepper), seeded and cut into thin strips 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 eggplants, halved lengthwise and cut into 1cm slices 2 zucchinis (courgettes), cut into 1cm slices 400g tin diced tomatoes 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander 1 small handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn grated parmesan cheese, to serve

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavybased casserole dish or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

2. Add the capsicum, garlic, eggplant, zucchini and remaining oil. Stir well, cover and cook over low heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The heat needs to be not so low that nothing happens, but not too hot that it dries out.

3. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and coriander.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover again, and simmer for a further 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not mushy.

4. Stir in the basil before serving. To store leave to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 12 hours.

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This dish can be reheated from frozen or partially frozen. Place in a camp oven or heavy-based saucepan and sit to one side of the fire so it doesn’t get too hot.

As it heats you need to stir it regularly. Alternatively, you can cook it in a saucepan over a gas cooker. Ensure it reaches boiling point before serving. Serve with parmesan cheese scattered over the top, if desired.

This is an edited extract from Katy Holder’s Hungry Campers Cookbook, out now, RRP $29.99.

Images by Natasha Milna.

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FLASHBACK

THE ISUZU VEHICROSS

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THE ISUZU VEHICROSS was a compact SUV first produced in 1997. The VehiCROSS was highly regarded for its off-road performance, thanks to its ‘Torque on Demand’ (TOD) 4WD system produced by BorgWarner. It combined a computercontrolled all-wheel-drive system for on-road driving and a locked-differential low-gear 4WD system for off-road driving.

While possessing on-road agility, its body-on-frame truck construction, suspension and 4WD gearing made it very capable when the going got tough off-road.

Its aggressive external styling was quite radical in its day. This drew the attention of several Hollywood producers, making it the vehicle of choice in the 2000 sci-fi film Mission to Mars, before a brief cameo in the 2008 flick Babylon AD with Vin Diesel.

VehiCROSS designers Simon Cox and Shiro Nakamura now head up the design departments at Infiniti and Nissan.

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DEALER LIST

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ISUZU UTE DEALERS

QLD

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28/11/13 2:00 PM