max*d Issue 15

ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA | Issue 15

MAD MAX*D!

Rally legend Bruce Garland chews dust on Fury Road

RIDE ’EM COWBOY!

Australia’s best family horse trails

ON THE BEACH How to abandon the bitumen and become an off-road hero

C GO YOUR

OWN WAY

It’s a spirit that drives us to be different. That compels us to deliver vehicles known for their solid, no-nonsense dependability.

Vehicles that will get you wherever you want to go, and beyond. It’s a spirit we share with our drivers. People as diverse as the country is wide, but all with a mutual understanding. Whatever we do, wherever we go – we go our own way.

ISUZUUTE.COM.AU 5 star ANCAP safety rating applies to D-MAX 4x4 Crew Cab variants built from November 2013, 4x2 High-ride Crew Cab variants built from November 2014 and all MU-X models. ^5 years or 130,000km whichever occurs first, for eligible customers; excludes accessories and trays. >The Capped Price Servicing Program applies to eligible Isuzu UTE vehicles with a warranty start date after 1 January 2015. The program covers the first 6 scheduled services in line with the scheduled service intervals. Program price subject to change. For full terms & conditions and current pricing go to isuzuute.com.au/service-plus.

Contents ISSUE 15

18 COVER STORY The D-MAX and MU-X hit the beach on the brand-new I-Venture Club’s first foray to Moreton Island

REGULARS 04 READERS’ RIDES Happy D-MAX and MU-X owners share their stories of adventure and escape

06 NEWS Awards, big waves, Fleetwood Mac … and even the Pope rides in a D-MAX!

10 WISHLIST Survival gear that’ll let you Go Your Own Way no matter where you end up

12 TECH HEAD

FEATURES

18

Want to swap bitumen for the beach?

Read these top sand-driving tips

14 INSIDE LINE

24 OUT OF THE BOX

Rally legend Bruce Garland talks about stunt driving on Mad Max: Fury Road

He’s the larrikin Aussie author whose knockabout first-person adventures are about to clamber onto the big screen. Paul Carter, come on down!

Saddle up and bring the kids along for Australia’s best horseriding trails

34 THE LIST

28 PASSPORT

38 HOOK, LINE ’N’ SINKER

They inspired Charles Darwin, but now the Galápagos Islands attract very different visitors: those who want to dive with hammerhead sharks

Andrew and Nick head into Tasmania’s isolated, trout-riddled interior

32 UNSUNG HEROES When Loren O’Keeffe’s brother, Dan, vanished in Victoria in 2011, she set out on a heart-rending journey to find him. Now she’s helping others

40 REFUEL

14

The camp oven is the king of bush cookery. Meet its culinary queen

43 FLASHBACK The futuristic stagecoach styling of the 2001 Isuzu GBX Concept

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TOUGH AS THE ALL-NEW OPEN COUNTRY A/T II ®

This tyre doesn’t just look tough, it is tough.

Two jointless layers of spiral cap ply and thicker rubber on the sidewall combine to make this tyre one exceptional off-roader.

Learn more at toyotires.com.au.

TRUSTED TYRE OF

S

Welcome

to our latest issue of max*d magazine!

G

reetings and welcome to our latest issue of max*d magazine!

It was only last issue I was thanking you for helping us reach our 40,000 sales milestone.

Thanks to our rapid growth, we are now closing in on our 60,000th sale since we started business here back in 2008.

With such growth comes many exciting challenges, and we are continually looking for new ways to improve both our products and our customer satisfaction. We always appreciate your valuable feedback, so for those of you who have taken the time to share your thoughts with us, thank you. We hope you continue to keep in touch with us.

As an evolution of our company’s expansion, we recently launched our new ‘Go Your Own Way’ marketing platform, to help emphasise the lifestyle opportunities our D-MAX & MU-X vehicles offer.

In addition, we have launched our ‘I-Venture Club’ to help bring you— our patrons—together in a safe, fun environment where you can explore the true capabilities of your vehicles.

The I-Venture Club is in embryonic form but will soon grow. You can read more about the I-Venture Club and the fun some of our customers had on a recent trip to Queensland’s Moreton Island on page 18.

Also in this issue, we have a great ‘Tech Head’ article filled with expert

sand-driving tips for those of you who really do want to ‘Go Your Own Way’!

Our rally legend Bruce Garland is also back in a very different light with some great tales from behind the scenes of the latest box office blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road.

Bruce put his off-road rallying skills to the test on location in Namibia, where he was one of the film's daring stunt drivers.

Safe travels!

Yasu Takeuchi Managing Director & CEO Isuzu UTE Australia

Thanks to our rapid growth, we are now closing in on our 60,000th sale since we started business.

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ON THE GO!

READERS’ RIDES

These owners have a thirst for adventure and the wheels to satisfy ANTHONY ORLANDO

Lives: Geraldton, WA Drives: 2014 MU-X 4x4 LS-U

“I DO A lot of beach four-wheel driving and I just love fishing and camping.

We did a family trip up to Shark Bay. We’ve got a couple of tents, and I’ve got an awning that I set up on the side and sleep under, and my daughters sleep in the tent. My eldest is 17. She’s on her L-plates, with a couple of months to go—she can’t wait to drive my MU-X! I’ve also done a boys’ trip with a mate.

We spent eight days in the South West and drove some great tracks from Geraldton to Pemberton to Denmark, and some really soft beaches, most of the time on tyres under 15psi.

The MU-X had no problems on the soft sand, fully loaded with all my gear. I averaged just 9.5L/100km, fully loaded, for 2500km. Love my MU-X!”

DANIEL KONEN

Lives: Collaroy, NSW Drives: 2014 D-MAX 4x4 LS-M “A FRIEND WAS overseas during the big wet we had in Sydney in April and called to ask me to check his house in the flooding (it was okay—the water was only up to his doorstep!).

You don’t expect to need a 4WD to get around the Northern Beaches! A lot of people were stopped in mud or water, but I was just driving through. It reminded me of a very wet trip to Nambucca Heads last Easter when I explored the back roads of Coffs—it was really rainy and muddy, but I couldn’t take any photos because I was with my girlfriend and she was freaking out quite a bit! Mostly I use the D-MAX to tow my boat around the Pittwater area; my brother is the mad fisherman, I’m just the amateur. Look for us on Narrabeen Lakes.”

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JOHN SCHNEIDER

Lives: Townsville, Qld Drives: 2013 D-MAX 4x4 Crew LS-X “AFTER A LOT of research on buying a new 4x4, I decided on a 2013 series D-MAX as a birthday present for myself last year. I’ve added a few aftermarket extras as well: It has the mag wheels, 2-inch-high lift, Bushranger shower, electronic rust system, custom-made aluminium checkerplate canopy fitted with LED lights, Redarc battery system for my fridge and my Travel Buddy oven, window tinting, UHF radio and 7-inch Pioneer touch screen system with a reversing camera! I towed my 5.5m Savage up to Karumba and you wouldn’t even have known it was there.

My D-MAX is a great vehicle with excellent fuel economy —I could waffle on about it for ages!”

MARK GALLEN

Lives: Moss Vale, NSW Drives: 2014 D-MAX 4x4 LS-M

“I GOT MY D-MAX 12 months ago and I’ve added heaps of ARB gear.

I love the thing so much that I’ve got my two boys into their own utes! My eldest has an LS-M dual cab, like mine, and the young fella has the space cab … although, to be honest, that’s sorta mine as well— he’s paying me off! All we need now is an MU-X for the missus, haha! Oh yeah, and the dog’s name is Max!”

BRIAN AND NOREEN GOULD From: Perth, WA Drives: 2014 MU-X 4x4 LS-M

“WE’RE JUST BACK from a 2000km round trip to Cape Le Grand National Park, east of Esperance. The area has the whitest beaches in Australia and crystal-clear waters. Rocky headlands provide a great catchment for rainwater, which comes out as springs across the sand; the fresh water means there are plenty of birds and roos on the beach. This shot is from Little Wharton Beach. Our kids, Lily and Aubrey, call our car ‘Chocky’ as it reminds them of chocolate. Chocky’s next big trip is already planned—out to the goldfields!”

WANT TO WIN A $50 CALTEX FUEL CARD? Readers’ Rides is a segment reserved for you—the reader. If you’d like to see your ute appear in the mag, send a highresolution image along with your name, town, state, and the make and model of your D-MAX or MU-X, 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, Wynnum, QLD 4170.

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PUBLISHER Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA MANAGING EDITOR Cody Harland ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA FORMER MANAGING EDITOR Dave Harding EDITOR Ben Smithurst ben.smithurst@edge.agency MANAGING EDITOR Paul Rodger CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Liani Solari SUB-EDITOR Peter King ART DIRECTOR Whitney Moothoo ACCOUNT MANAGER Emma Rogers

D-MAX collects even more trophies The Isuzu D-MAX continues its international awardwinning feats, picking up two more accolades in the UK. The D-MAX was named Best Trade Pick-up in the 2015 Trade Van Driver Awards for the second year, with the magazine’s judging panel praising the D-MAX for its value, build quality and well-known off-road capabilities.

And proving it was no fluke, the D-MAX also scored Pick-up of the Year for the third consecutive year in the UK’s prestigious VansA2Z Awards.

ADVERTISING SALES Chris Waite chris.waite@edge.agency CREATIVE DIRECTOR Matt Sterne MANAGING PARTNERS Fergus Stoddart, Richard Parker

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

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 has been sourced from Getty Images.

Business Essentials trading as Edge ABN 22 062 493 869.

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.

SGS-COC-003898

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Welcome to I-Venture Isuzu UTE Australia has introduced an initiative to help owners get the most from their Isuzu vehicles in a safe and structured environment under expert tutelage.

The I-Venture Club offers Isuzu owners the opportunity to join excursions to some of Australia’s most breathtaking—and challenging—off-road destinations, with the support of qualified 4x4 instructors to teach

them the skills and techniques required to handle the toughest cross-country terrain.

There are I-Venture daytrips planned across all Australian states this year, with overnight and weekend journeys and special-interest events in the pipeline. Read about our recent Moreton Island trip on page 18.

Information on current I-Venture trips can be found at www.iventureclub.com.au

NEWS

2015 X-RUNNER hits the streets Brace yourself because there’s a brand-new one-tonne ute in town: the 2015 D-MAX X-RUNNER. With just 360 available, the limited-edition X-RUNNER takes the standard interior features of the D-MAX to the next level, adding auto climate control air conditioning, a sat nav system, Rear Park Assist and a reversing camera. The X-RUNNER also receives the convenience of Isuzu’s new Passive Entry & Start System (PESS), which makes entering and exiting the vehicle

a breeze when you’ve got your hands full. The dark-grey interior trim, exclusive to the X-RUNNER, is another unique touch.

The X-RUNNER’s exterior also makes a statement. It’s available in a choice of two striking, limited-edition metallic colours—pearlescent white and lapis blue—with unique contrasting striping and decals. The X-RUNNER also turns heads with an aggressive front and rear body kit, alloy sports bar and tub liner.

Hippo tackles Jaws Hard-charging D-MAX ambassador Ryan Hipwood recently returned from conquering one of the nastiest surf breaks on the planet: the aptly named ‘Jaws’ off the Hawaiian island of Maui.

The Isuzu-backed Gold Coast big-wave surfer paddled into some of the biggest waves of his life, the massive North Pacific swell creating monstrous surf with wave faces in excess

of 50 feet (15m)! “It was my first time surfing Jaws and I was welcomed in a big way,” Hippo said. “My first wave, I made the drop, tried to pull into the barrel and was smacked in the head by the lip, which was about 4 feet thick!

“I copped a solid beating, my leg-rope snapped and I ended up losing my board on the rocks. Thankfully things got better after that.”

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14825 Protection_ISUZU UTE MAX’D_OL.indd 1

24/04/2015 5:01 pm

15 5:01 pm

NEWS Even the Pope rides in a D-MAX! During his recent tour of the Philippines, Pope Francis took the reins of a new Popemobile: a customised Isuzu D-MAX. The unique modifications, which took two months to complete, featured the addition of an imported Italian leather throne that sported an approved Vatican emblem.

It was also blessed by Manila’s Archbishop, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

We’re now on INSTAGRAM Follow us! @isuzuute_aus

Kicking community sports sponsorship goals countrywide As part of a recent community partnerships program, Isuzu UTE Australia donated more than $200,000 to support grassroots sports clubs around Australia.

The program will give financial support to sports clubs for expenses such as facility upgrades, equipment procurement and uniform purchases. Pictured here is Mike Parsons, General Sales Manager of John Patrick Isuzu UTE in Port Macquarie, who has thrown his support behind the Mid North Coast Women’s Premier Soccer League.

Go Your Own Way Unless you’ve been living under a rock over the past few months, you would have seen our new ‘Go Your Own Way’ brand platform. We enlisted the talent of emerging Australian rock band Kingswood to cover the classic Fleetwood Mac song, which is at the heart of our TV and radio advertising.

“‘Go your own way’ is a mantra for us as a brand as we feel it epitomises the Isuzu driver,” says Isuzu UTE Australia’s Mike Conybeare.

“We don’t see ourselves as a car seller—we’re a service provider offering a great product that enables an extraordinary lifestyle.”

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WISHLIST

by Michael Benn

ER! W PO

1

Go your own way

Gear to get you absolutely anywhere you want—even if you want to be in the world’s toughest places

2

3 4

1

SOG

Power-assist multi

2

Whether Bear Grylls is marooning himself on an ice floe or Pluto, he takes a knife. A multi-tool would be cheating, but those rules don’t apply to you. This is rated by online review site TechCrunch as “superior” to any Leatherman or Gerber option. Its geared cutter tool will slice through, say, a metal washer like butter.

RRP $145, globaldirectshop.com.au

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SEA TO SUMMIT

ApIII sleeping bag

3

Endorsed by Tim Macartney-Snape—one of the first two Aussies to summit Everest (and without supplementary oxygen, via a new route)— this close-fitting ‘mummy’shaped bag is rated to –41°C. If you’re not a professional mountaineer, they offer cheaper versions for your next trip to Moreton Island.

RRP $949.95, seatosummit.com.au

TIMBUK2

Especial Vuelo backpack

4

Waterproof hiking backpacks are curiously hard to find—and can top $500 and come covered in bungee cords and garish zips. However, this bag made by a cycling-focused company looks normal enough for city use but is functional for sopping day treks. Its flap and roll-top combo resists all moisture.

RRP $190, timbuk2.com

GOSUN SPORT

Solar-powered stove It might be midwinter but, generally, Australia is hot.

This 61cm long, 3.2kg stove focuses the sun’s rays with parabolic mirrors to cook without other fuel. It can reach 290°C. It works in cloudy skies—although a sunny Darwin day is obviously better—to steam, bake, fry, roast or boil foods in as little as 20 minutes.

RRP US$299+p&h, gosunstove.com

INTRODUCING SERVICE PLUS

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU & YOUR ISUZU Keep both your wallet and your vehicle happy with Isuzu UTE Service Plus. Service Plus is our comprehensive care package providing you with complete peace of mind and no unexpected surprises when maintaining and servicing your D-MAX or MU-X. Providing 5 year/130,000km Warranty^, 5 year Roadside Assist and 3 year Capped Price Servicing>. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, we’ve got you covered.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ISUZU UTE SERVICE PLUS AT ISUZUUTE.COM.AU/SERVICE-PLUS ^5 years/130,000km whichever occurs first, for eligible customers. Excludes trays and accessories. >The Capped Price Servicing Program applies to eligible Isuzu UTE vehicles with a warranty start date after 1 January 2015. The program covers the first 6 scheduled services in line with the scheduled service intervals. Program price subject to change. For full terms & conditions and current pricing please visit isuzuute.com.au/service-plus.

TECH HEAD

by Graham Cahill

Master the art of sand driving

Correct tyre pressure is vital when driving on sand or other soft terrains

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Whether you’re chasing waves, catching fish or careening across the Sahara, know what you’re doing when things get sandy

N

othing says four-wheel driving like a day out on the beach —blue skies, bluer water and endless empty dunes.

Sand driving can be the most rewarding type of four-wheel driving you’ll ever do, but it can also bite back hard if you’re not prepared. More than one off-roader has lost their pride and joy—and their pride—to an incoming tide after getting bogged!

Here’s a handful of proven driving tips to ensure sure your dream day at the beach doesn’t turn into a sandfilled nightmare.

First up: tyre pressures. As a general rule, go straight down to 16psi—don’t mess around. This will approximately double the width of your tyre’s footprint that makes contact with the sand, meaning your 4x4 D-MAX or MU-X will float across the surface rather than bog down. Think of a tank’s footprint or a tractor with very wide tyres—it’s the width of the tread touching terra firma that allows it to walk over the soft ground.

Sand driving is all about momentum— so, no matter what, you’re going to want to keep your vehicle moving. But that doesn’t mean you want to go thundering up every dune you see (as tempting as that might be). It’s all about finding that sweet spot of throttle input that gives you the perfect balance between maintaining momentum and spinning your tyres excessively.

Successfully navigating sand dunes is all about finding that sweet spot of throttle input

If you keep one cardinal rule in mind, make it this one: no sudden movements.

This means going easy on the throttle and the brakes, and even easier on the steering. Always try to coast to a stop rather than hitting the anchors, which will only cause you to get bogged.

Wherever possible, stop your 4WD so it’s facing downwards on a slope. This will help immensely when you go to take off—you’ll have gravity on your side. And turn down the slope rather than up it.

A common scenario is this: As your tyres begin to dig in, you start to lose forward momentum. As soon as you feel this happening, take your foot off the accelerator. Most people mistakenly try to accelerate, which only spins the wheels and digs you in further. If you catch this situation early enough, reverse back along your tyre tracks, which are firmer, packed sand, and then have another run at it.

Drive to the tides. Low tide is best, as you’ll have the maximum amount of hard-packed sand. Aim to get onto the beach a couple of hours before low tide, and to come back off again no more than a couple of hours after high tide.

It pays to consult a tide chart before you leave home.

All beaches are different. Some will be wide and flat, others steep and almost

Sand driving is all about momentum —so, no matter what, you’re going to want to keep your vehicle moving.

But that doesn’t mean thundering up every dune you see!

Accelerating after the tyres dig in will only get you bogged

impossible. If in doubt, get some local advice about the beach from others.

And always, always, keep a snatch strap handy—if it’s not for you, it will be to rescue another four-wheel driver. There’s no more promising start to a beautiful friendship than helping out a stranger who’s up to his or her axles in silica!

Remember these tips and you’ll master beach driving in no time at all.

For more 4WD tips, and to stay up to date with Isuzu owner events, check out the I-Venture Club website at www.iventureclub.com.au

WANT MORE SAND?

COVER STORY, PAGE 18

Flip ahead for this month’s I-Venture Club group trip to Moreton Island.

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INSIDE LINE

by Ben Smithurst

MAD MAX D Isuzu rally legend Bruce Garland was a Mad Max: Fury Road stunt driver in Africa.

Buckle up for his yarns from the set g Bruce stunt drivin : job r’ he ‘ot in his lly the 2011 Dakar Ra

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A

t 57, Bruce Garland is a lot of things: rally-driving raconteur, world-class mechanic and hard-nosed competitor.

Eleventh outright—and first diesel pickup—in the 2009 Dakar Rally. And a mad cackler. What he’s not, to put it tactfully, is svelte.

Which is a problem when you’re doing stunt driving for Mad Max: Fury Road, a film set in a post-apocalyptic future in which supplies are scarce.

“Haha!” he laughs. “There’s only three or four fat bastards in it, because they didn’t want fat bastards—because it’s set in the future where there’s no food. So I was one of the only fat ones. I think I got a sort of special dispensation to go on, because I’d passed the stunt-driving test and I’d been talking to Guy and helping them out with their mechanical problems.”

‘Guy’ is veteran Australian stunt coordinator Guy Norris, who spun stunt gold in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior but didn’t work on the overly Americanised Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. In preparation for this year’s triumphant fourth instalment of the franchise, Norris was back.

So, three years before filming even began, Norris sought out Garland.

Legendary director George Miller, who has helmed every Mad Max film, decided that Fury Road should have as little CGI as possible. That meant real cars— and real crashes.

Lots and lots of real crashes.

“Guy had been following the Dakar, and he came out to my place and we got to talking about cars and how to do this to cars, and that to cars, and technical things,” says Bruce.

Norris quickly recruited Garland as both driver and mechanical adviser.

It was a portentous move: Rain in the Outback forced production to shift from Australia to South Africa and Namibia.

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INSIDE LINE “They said, ‘We’re in trouble, can you come over?’ We were building the new D-MAX, so I said, ‘I can give you two weeks.’”

In the dry African heat the film’s fantastical, jury-rigged jalopies soon boiled over, and Garland went from adviser to hands-on mechanic.

“They called and said, ‘We’re in trouble, can you come over?’” says Bruce, whose head and arms—scarily—were shaved for filming. “We were building the brand-new D-MAX rally car at the time, but we were waiting on components, so I said, ‘I can only give you two weeks.’ Then I went back later and did six weeks’ driving.”

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He joined 120 stunt drivers—mostly, says Bruce, Australians. (“They did a South African audition for more drivers, and they had 350 people come! Guess how many they picked? Two! Ha!”) They were driving 88 individual ‘character’ cars, and 150 cars in total, plus dirt bikes.

Bruce touched down on the 95th day of filming. It was already game on.

The day before Bruce arrived, a ‘stuntie’ had fallen off one of the swinging 8m poles that stick out of several of the pursuit cars … at 60km/h.

“He broke his hip and his shoulder, I think,” says Bruce, who was driving a junked, black, unrecognisably modified

Nicholas Hoult, wishing he had some lip balm

American pick-up. Later, in zero-visibility dust, he hit another car with trampoline springs stuck all over it. (“I knew it was his car because I heard them go ‘twang’— and he heard me laughing! I ran over his front wheel.”) “Some of the stunt driving I did, my daughter could have done,” Bruce jokes, “but other days …”

“A lot of the stuff in the dust, there were scenes when the wind was blowing across the desert and we were in convoy and you couldn’t see the bloody bonnet, it was that dense. With trucks and road trains and cars and bikes all around you, it was … it was friggin’ dangerous. I was surprised that no-one really got hurt. At one stage in the workshop they were taking bets on how many stunties would die. The most popular bet was five.”

Crashing on purpose didn’t come naturally to a man more accustomed to avoiding errant camels at 170km/h.

“The weirdest thing is when you drive a rally car you’re driving like an idiot, but then you’re constantly trying to save the car,” he says. “When a car goes

“Er ... I think I’m at the wrong barbecue, guys”

up on two wheels, I’m gonna steer it out of it; subconsciously I will try to save the bastard. But a stuntie’s brain is programmed the other way: He’s literally trying to crash!”

In at least one incident, those instincts came in handy.

“There was a scene where a tow truck rolls onto a road train, a tanker,” Bruce says. The tow truck was supposed to make brief contact before bouncing/ sliding off to wipe-out in the desert­—but nobody knew which way it would fall, or what it would do when it landed. Bruce and his fellow stunties were directed to maintain a gap for evasive action.

“Well, the tow truck didn’t come off,” he laughs. “It hung up there for so long that it got stuck, and they were wiggling the truck, trying to shake it loose. But when she went they detonated all the pyrotechnics, which just completely blocked the whole thing from view … and then it hit the deck and went 90 degrees right, which was right where I was.

“I punched right, swung right down off the side of the road and I juuust missed the thing—it was sliding on its bloody side in front of us!”

The best part, says the D-MAX man?

Danger money.

“They paid you extra if it was ‘dangerous’,” he laughs. “We pay to do that stuff, and you’re paying us! I said, ‘I wish they’d give us a bonus for every time you narrowly avoid a massive accident in the Dakar—I’d be a millionaire!’”

Fury Road was Bruce’s first-ever foray into the lucrative world of filmmaking.

Caution: Some of these aftermarket bolt-ons are yet to be safety rated

Even if he was a millionaire, instead of a dusty, full-tilt, nofear rally car driver, one thing is for sure—he’d still be behind the wheel of his custom D-MAX, barrelling through the world’s harshest deserts with a grin on his face.

In fact, while few of Fury Road’s wilder designs struck him as particularly useful for racing, Bruce did take home one suggestion.

“I thought that what we should do on the next Australasian Safari was have a paintball machine gun mounted on the bonnet,” he grins, eyes twinkling. “Then when we come up behind the bikes you put two shots over their right shoulder!

And if they don’t slow down after that, you’re allowed to shoot them in the helmet!”

On Fury Road, a man called Max is the maddest of the mad. Off-road, nobody’s crazier than big Bruce Garland.

George Miller directs a dusty Tom Hardy between shots

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COVER STORY

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by Ben Smithurst

OF THE

SCHOOL

BEACH

Want to become a proper off-road action hero?

Welcome to Isuzu UTE Australia’s I-Venture Club …

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COVER STORY

The MiCat ferry disgorges its D-MAX and MU-X cargo

S

erious off-roading is all too often seen as serious business for Serious Men. This is understandable, to a point, because sometimes serious off-roading is very serious indeed. The armed forces use 4WDs. As do search-and-rescue teams, and miners, and Northern Territory croc wranglers and Outback cops. Basically, the sort of blokes who drag half-fallen caravans back up cliffs and then dribble Solo all down their fronts.

All very serious. And all very important.

But it’s also a shame, because it detracts from the fact that, really, serious offroading doesn’t have to be serious, and it’s for everyone: man and woman, young and old, expert and novice.

“It is a truism that 90 per cent of 4WD owners in Australia don’t go bush with their 4WDs,” grins David Wilson, the deeply respected South Australian off-roading instructor who launched the world’s first dedicated 4WD TV show, Beyond The Bitumen, in the late ’90s. “But

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with the right sort of vehicle under your bum, you can see some incredible places.

“Too many people don’t realise when they buy a 4WD that it really is a ticket to adventure. That’s why we’re here today.”

‘Here’ is Moreton Island. Welcome to one of the first outings for Isuzu UTE Australia’s groundbreaking new I-Venture Club—your ticket, if you’re a novice, to getting off the beaten track … and even further into the sticks if you’re an old pro.

Moreton is a 37km-long sand island just 58km north-east of Brisbane. Sand is the name of the game on Moreton, an island that, together with adjacent Fraser Island, forms the largest sand structure on the planet. More than 97 per cent of Moreton is national park, and with the ferry ride from the Queensland capital taking just 75 minutes each way, it’s a mecca for off-roading enthusiasts.

Wilson has more than 40 years’ offroading experience, and if circumstances require he can splash carbonated lemon squash down his shirt with the best of

them. Since 1993 he’s also been spreading the gospel as an instructor. Now he’s here.

Each D-MAX or MU-X is perfectly good as an everyday road vehicle—and many owners will forever be happy simply to conquer the occasional gravel driveway.

But for those keen to venture further afield, in the reassuring company of dedicated instructors, there’s I-Venture.

It offers the chance to become an offroad champion in some of the country’s most breathtaking and challenging destinations. (For details of forthcoming trips, as well as tips and galleries, see iventureclub.com.au.)

“The great thing about being on Moreton Island today is we’ll get into a mix of sand and hills and everything in between,” says Wilson, as the MiCat ferry disgorges its cargo onto the beachfront.

A nose-to-tail convoy of 16 I-Venture D-MAX and MU-X vehicles soon stretches north along the beach.

“As an off-roader on the beach, you’re always looking for the next fishing spot

or the next remote, perfect wave. We’re learning how to engage 4WD correctly and drive in an appropriate fashion that’s eco-friendly as well, and having an awesome time—that’s what it’s all about.”

For an eight- to 10-week season every year from 1952 to 1962—during which time the processing factory worked 24 hours a day nonstop—Tangalooma was one of Australia’s busiest whaling ports. Now, however, the humpbacks glide serenely by. The only thing that beaches is the MiCat, which remarkably appears to have no draft at all, nudging shorewards to unload 52 vehicles at a time.

On the way over, our motley crew of super-keen Isuzu drivers with their tagalong family members and friends has been schooled on the basics of tyre pressure and sand driving by David. We have all sorts. There’s Hugo, a babyfaced sparkie who’s brought his girl and his flash new X-RUNNER; Kilcoy couple Devin and Karen, who will liven up stops by getting out, cranking the stereo, and dancing on the tray; and Bruce, a digital marketing consultant who’s driven down from two hours north in his brand-new MU-X, and who used to be 1990s Australian soapie heartthrob Bruce Samazan. (“Mate, no-one’s

Moreton Island has almost 200km of tracks and trails

David Wilson teaches class

“Today we’ll get into a mix of sand and hills and everything in between … on the beach you’re always looking for the next fishing spot or the next remote, perfect wave.”

A wild MU-X, spotted here in its natural home

recognised me in about five years,” he grins.) We have mums and fathers and daughters, and couples and buddies, and complete novices and the relatively experienced. There’s also Grant, who runs the MiCat ferry.

It’s a vigorous day, and by lunchtime we’ve tackled water crossings and soft- and hard-sand driving and learned how to cope with all manner of beach hazards.

We’ve powered up and down hills through axle-deep silica, stopped for insights into hidden dangers and expert tips, and nosed through dense scrub.

After a great lunch on the beach below a lighthouse, David demonstrates how to drag out a bogged vehicle from deep sand without snapping your snatch strap— which, admittedly, sounds painful—and Grant is in his element on the island

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COVER STORY David Wilson demonstrates the dos and don’ts of recovery

he knows so intimately. Moreton has almost 200km of tracks and trails, and the shoreline can be intimidating. “I’ve seen lots of vehicles bogged on these beaches,” he says, “and it’s great just having confidence to drive on the sand without worrying about going in up to your axles!”

Devin knows his cars. Now a windscreen repairman, he admits to also being a qualified mechanic and panelbeater, and he used to run Kilcoy’s RACQ depot.

On weekends he and Karen enjoy trail biking or fishing at the 4WD haven of Double Island Point. Devin’s a tall, rangy, knockabout bloke, and his Aussie-ness is almost magical, as if Steve Irwin had fallen into a vat of radioactive soup at a Banjo Paterson recital and come out with didgeridoos for arms. But that’s not all.

Most new car owners satisfy themselves with endless waxing and the occasional Facebook photo. Not Devin.

He chose the D-MAX after extensive research and on-the-job word-of-mouth … and then pulled it to pieces. Literally.

“I was that fanatical when I got the car that I actually stripped it all down and

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rustproofed the whole lot,” he says, “and what I found was that when I stripped it down it was all paint-protected anyway.

I was really impressed with the car by pulling it to pieces and putting it back together again. The manufacturing of the vehicle is just far superior.”

Later, after a long, 80km/h dash along a hard-packed sand beach back to the ferry, spirits are high. Sunset drinks are downed, stories exchanged and plans to meet up again arranged—sometimes for longer, more comprehensive I-Venture trips, sometimes just to redo Moreton at a more sedate pace.

“We’ve had 4WDs before,” says Mostafa Shehab, his eyes crinkling as the sunset kissed the stern, and Moreton Island recedes into the distance. “But this is

the first time in about four years that we’ve been four-wheel driving because I had another 4WD before and I lost it in the ocean! So I just haven’t been confident after losing my other car,” he says. “Plus, my wife, you know, after that, she wouldn’t let me go any more! So it’s really good for me that she came today and saw how easy it is.

“I mean, idiot me, no-one had ever showed me what to do before—it was just ‘Here’s your car, off you go!’ But with I-Venture it’s ‘Here’s your car, and let’s show you how to do it.’ I feel like I can come back now and drive with my wife and feel just very, very confident.”

It’s never too late to start. Off-roading might not necessarily be serious business, but it’s seriously fun.

DID YOU MISS IT?

TECH HEAD, PAGE 12

For top sand-driving tips, head to the advice section of this issue!

The crew full of post-day stoke; that’s Devin, reclining in green

The inn qu

The rigo pur

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OUT OF THE BOX

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by Ben Smithurst

GET

CARTER Oil rigger turned knockabout adventurer and all-round raconteur, Paul Carter has become one of our favourite authors.

Buckle up for a wild ride …

R

are is the person who hasn’t ever so slightly embellished a yarn or two for a better pub, barbecue or schoolyard retelling. Because it’s always more interesting when ‘the one that got away’ is closer to Moby Dick than Dory, and unless you’ve got a cool, oneword name—Slash, say, or Thor—every anecdote will have a flat bit. Paul Carter embellishes, too, but only just.

In fact, he’s done it just the once. Carter’s first memoir, the now legendary Don’t Tell Mum I Work On The Rigs, She Thinks I’m A Piano Player In A Whorehouse, did what all good raconteurs do, which is put the big lie out in front. The Scottish-born Western Australian’s mother not only knew where Carter was, she worked in oil and gas.

She’d got him into the industry.

“I came from Scotland as a 15-year-old, where there’s no beach and you certainly don’t see a woman’s ankles,” he says.

“And the next thing you know I was on

the beach in Perth and it was just all breasts, man! I was really distracted and I failed miserably at all my classes. Mum realised I wasn’t studious, so she embraced the horror and got me my first job.”

It’s Carter’s only published lie, because it’s been the only embellishment needed.

The slap-headed ex-Brit attracts stories like spilled chips attract seagulls and he has filled four books with cracking real-life yarns. He’s even the subject of a forthcoming biopic. Carter has worked on countless rigs and has been held hostage, shot at, victimised by monkeys, knocked senseless in a room full of Colombian ladies of the night, fought burglars (nude) and finally settled down … only to take off again.

Carter’s most recent book is called Ride Like Hell And You’ll Get There. In it he tries to break a salt-flat world speed record on a 4m, 200kg, custom-built motorcycle in South Australia. And breaks his back …

This image: Heat haze on outback flats; Far left: Suited up

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OUT OF THE BOX We’re glad you weren’t shot.

So am I! Oh, there have been loads of incidents with firearms. I was shot at in Thailand, the Philippines, Colombia and Afghanistan. And then there are several bike accidents. It’s always stressful when something goes horribly wrong.

Is working on oil rigs less dangerous now?

Oh, man—the amount of guys who lost body parts, fingers, arms … the whole drill floor back then was one big pinch point.

South Australia’s Lake Gairdner, home to annual record attempts

“I was 100ft above the raging sea, at night, hanging by my coveralls.”

Do you have a death wish?

No, I assure you I don’t. Not at all!

How many times have you nearly died?

Oh, right. Well, I nearly blew myself up in Leinster [Ireland] when I was a teenager, with a 44-gallon drum of petrol. Then there was an incident when we were working in Colombia and getting shot at. And then on a drilling rig in the South China Sea, the rig took a gas kick as I was running across a bridge that connects the fixed platform with a barge tender. That bridge is called a widow maker, for obvious reasons! And I fell off the bloody thing, at night, offshore.

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My colleague literally grabbed me by my coveralls—I was 100ft above the raging sea, at night, dangling by my coveralls.

Haven’t you been shot at quite a bit?

Yeah. Doing book two, I was embedded with a private military contractor’s outfit in Afghanistan for a month. When we got attacked I went into full-on panic mode, literally trying to cram my entire body into the foot space behind the driver’s seat.

Then this giant hand around my throat dragged me out of the car. He shoved my head behind the back wheel and then stood on it—stood on my head. And there was an exchange of fire and lots of hot brass came down on my back. The next thing, he picks me up, sticks me back in the car and says, ‘Keep your bloody head down.’ It was all over in two minutes.”

Ouch.

The worst one was an American driller, a big, heavy, beer-gutted guy. It was on a semi-submersible rig in Vietnam and it was bad weather and so the rig is pivoting on all axes. They were trying to join up two giant, 2-tonne pieces of pipe vertically, manhandling them, trying to get the threads lined up. But the storm was jostling the rig, and this big American guy got annoyed. He walked over and got it in this kind of headlock and shunted it over to the box end. But his belly was sitting on the rim. The two connections just lined up and pinched it off. He died on the spot.

That’s awful!

Then we couldn’t get him choppered out because of the bad weather, so we put him in the freezer. Only, when the weather did clear, he was such a big bloke that we couldn’t get him into the helicopter the way he was frozen. We had to thaw him out, gaffer-tape him to a plastic garden chair and re-freeze him in a sitting position so he could sit in the helicopter seat with a four-point harness on, frozen.

So trying to break motorbike salt lake speed records is actually safer.

Well, I broke my L5 vertebrae—but that was in the queue. I was waiting for my turn for a run on the salt, gasbagging to another rider, when a 20km/h crosswind came through and blew half the queue off their bikes. We’re talking about a 4m-long, half-metre-wide, 200kg motorcycle.

It landed on my hip and broke one of my vertebrae.

Left: Carter recounts another close shave; This image: Best not fall off an offshore rig

What will your next book be?

My dad died two years ago, and among his things I found a Ministry of Defence [MoD], leather documents wallet. Inside, my dad had got every single surviving Victoria Cross winner of World War II, Vietnam and the Falklands to sign a collection of envelopes—81 signatures, and they’ve all been endorsed by the MoD. Then he mailed them to himself from the country where the action took place. For example, the Falklands one has the two Gurkha guys who were decorated and it was mailed from Port Stanley in September 1982 —well, the war only finished in April!

But what will you write about?

Well, I was flying out of Perth one day, when who should I find myself next to but trooper Mark Donaldson VC! So we have a great conversation and I realise the next book has to be about how my father went travelling all over, meeting these incredible blokes. All I have to do is continue on and get the guys who have received the VC, from the end of the Falklands to now, to sign. Mark will help me, and then I’ll release the book, I’ll auction the whole bloody lot and split it down the middle with Legacy.

MORE? RIDE LIKE HELL …

Carter’s fifth book, Ride Like Hell And You’ll Get There, is out now.

All of his books are available online from pcarter.com.au

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PASSPORT

by Ben Groundwater

DIVE WITH

HAMMERS DON’T GET NAILED Welcome to the Galápagos Islands, home to two poorly equipped hospitals—and countless hammerhead sharks

T

he water’s cold in the Galápagos Islands. It’s only about 14°C and the air temperature today isn’t much higher. Our dive boat rocks and the wind whips sea spray in our faces as we zip up some pretty serious wetsuits and think about getting in.

Somewhere in the grey, murky depths below there will be hammerhead sharks circling (33 recorded attacks globally, as of 2013, but no fatalities. Yet). Huge schools of them. Maybe barracuda as well.

Up above it’s not much safer—the weather is getting worse, the current driving our boat closer and closer to the rocky jaws of the Isla Tortuga shoreline.

The day is far from perfect. “Diving in the Galápagos is many things,” says our instructor, Paco, as he assembles his gear, “but it isn’t easy.”

It is, however, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that none of us is prepared to pass up. So we don our diving gear, pull masks on, stuff regulators into our mouths, take a couple of deep breaths for courage, and then tip ourselves backwards off the boat and into the cold, gloomy ocean depths.

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Tourists flock to the Galápagos Islands for many reasons. For some it’s the lure of landscapes untouched by outside influence, a place of lumbering old tortoises, of birdlife that will basically come and perch on your shoulder, of marine iguanas lazing on hot rocks, and of towering, smoking volcanoes.

For the really adventurous, though, the appeal of the Galápagos Islands lies not on land, but below the surface of the water. Where else can you go scuba diving among penguins and sea lions? Where can you find turtles that sometimes seem to outnumber fish?

And where could you hope to find huge schools of the Galápagos’ most famous underwater citizen, the hammerhead shark?

That’s what we’re chasing today, hoping to spot a few in the murky sea surrounding Isla Tortuga, an ancient island that was once a fully formed volcano but over millennia has sunk into the ocean, leaving just a horseshoeshaped outcrop protruding from the surface. It’s a wild place of steep, rocky shorelines and strong winds.

Costa Rica

Colombia GALร PAGOS ISLANDS Ecuador

SOUTH AMERICA Peru

For the really adventurous, the appeal of Galรกpagos lies below the surface.

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PASSPORT As we descend today through layers of cold water, it becomes clear how difficult this dive is going to be; not only is visibility down to about 6–7m, but there’s a strong tidal surge, whipping us back and forth across the rocky ocean floor. You have to reach out and grab onto something just to stay in one place and have a look around.

Almost immediately, we’re attracting attention. There’s a flash next to me and I look up to see a sea lion playing in the air bubbles pouring out of my regulator.

The animal dances and twirls, stopping frequently to check out our group of bubbling, black-clad divers, fixing a beady eye on us before twirling out of sight.

Turtles are everywhere, swaying back and forth with the surging current, flapping to stay in control. A huge school of barracuda creeps up from the murk, their razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the low light.

But we’re here for the star of the show, and it takes about 20 minutes before we finally spot one. At first it’s just a shadow, a huge, dark shape on the edge of our dull horizon. Then there’s the swish of a fin and it materialises in front of us—a hammerhead shark— its broad, flat nose menacing, its prop-forward torso gliding silently behind.

Galápagos looks serene in the afternoon light

Your breath catches in your throat the first time you come face to face with a Galápagos hammerhead, a huge grey mountain of flesh and teeth. This one circles for a while, eyes fixed on us, fin swishing, before it loses interest and fades into the darkness.

This is the underwater world of the Galápagos, and one of the best things about it is it’s not limited to those visitors with scuba diving licences. The trip I’m doing is aboard MV Grand Odyssey, a luxurious expedition vessel that puts the emphasis as much on what’s below the water as what’s above it. Some of the passengers on board this trip are divers, but the majority are just snorkelling, taking in the wonders from high above.

Booby and tortoise: two of the islands’ locals

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Some days you don’t even need to get wet. One of the first shore landings on the Grand Odyssey cruise is at Las Tintoreras, an islet created by petrified lava. Baby marine iguanas laze on the rocks, while a natural channel of water in between is filled with reef sharks, which come to rest and breed. A short walk takes you past more than 30 of these sharks just lazing in the warm waters an arm’s length away.

Day two of the trip and we’re anchored at Punta Moreno. Up above, the volcanoes Cerro Azul and Sierra Negra—the calling cards of these islands—rise from the horizon, but below is where the action lies.

The underwater world at Punta Moreno is moulded by the forces of nature, a seascape of jagged volcanic rock that’s now covered in seaweed. Marine iguanas, those fantastic products of evolution, usually feed underwater here, but today it’s all turtles, huge reptiles that appear in front of you like ships coming out of the mist. Sea lions, too, come to check us out. A colony of penguins flits past.

This is everything that makes the Galápagos Islands great.

A few days later, at Playa Espumilla, flocks of boobies start fishing while we’re in the water. We’re paddling away, staring at the sea life, when the water explodes around us, a huge rush of bubbles as boobies plunge into the ocean, reappearing a few seconds later with their bills stuffed with that sea life.

That’s the reality of the Galapagos: Eat or be eaten. Which makes you worry just a bit about those sharks.

Next Generat

Nx Gen

Nx

Generation

Ne

Gene

UNSUNG HEROES

Loren O’Keeffe

Coping with her brother’s disappearance made this inspirational Melbourne woman determined to find him—and to help others

E

very day in Australia almost 100 people go missing—more than 36,000 a year—yet it’s a crisis we hear little about.

Loren O’Keeffe went through that wringer when her younger brother, Dan, vanished in 2011. She’s since devoted her life to looking for him, but she’s also been inspired to set up the Missing Persons Advocacy Network, MPAN, to help others in her situation. This is her story.

“I had no idea so many people went missing until it happened to me; it’s the sort of thing you only see in movies. Research shows that 85 per cent of missing persons cases relate to mental illness and depression, and one in two people will experience depression or anxiety in their life.

“Dan was struggling with depression and he was very open about it. He never drank or smoked or took drugs; he was the ultimate healthy guy, and a jujitsu master. He was very much against taking antidepressants, but he reluctantly agreed to take the drugs. Then he went without them for three nights, and then he walked away, just vanished. He was 24.

“It was just completely surreal; the day he went missing, I’m putting up these posters around Geelong, just in disbelief.

“I didn’t sleep much for the first four months and was forever emailing, calling and reaching out to people while also setting up the ‘Dan Come Home’ campaign.

“Dan had tried everything to cope with his depression; he’d tried meditation and long walks to clear his head. We think he might have just kept walking this time.

“Four and a half months after he vanished we had a confirmed sighting in

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Queensland, which is where a lot of people who want to ‘drop off the grid’ end up. It’s warmer there if you’re going to sleep rough.

“It was just fate; this woman asked her husband to tape The Project for her while she was at work at a medical centre, and when she got home she watched it and saw me talking about Dan, and recognised him.

“She’d met him two weeks earlier when he’d come in, just to ask for a glass of water; he said he was from Melbourne and that he’d been sleeping in parks in Brisbane.

They offered him money but he wouldn’t take it, which is very [like] him.

“I hope that Dan is proud of what I’ve done, if and when he comes back.”

“I flew up there straight away and they showed me the CCTV footage. It was definitely him. We think he might have just walked the whole way there, over those four months. He looked like death; he’d lost 30–40kg and all of his muscle was gone; it was a relief to know he was alive but also so distressing to see him in that state.

“I spent two months up in Queensland, living like a homeless person, trying to find Dan. There are a lot of people living ‘off the grid’. They can get free meals from charities

and sometimes somewhere to sleep, and no-one asks any questions.

“Going home to Melbourne without Dan was extremely upsetting. But he was alive up there, and we have every reason to believe he’s still alive now, but not knowing is distressing, particularly for my parents.

“We’ve set up a Facebook page (facebook. com/dancomehome). It has 55,000 followers and is the biggest of its kind in the world.

People all over are trying to find Dan. “After about a year I started getting phone calls from other people asking for help with finding their loved ones. That’s when I set up MPAN (mpan.com.au).

“I got an amazing email from someone just yesterday saying they’d been thinking of disappearing; they were depressed, but they sought help instead because of our site and Dan’s story. We get messages from people around the world like that. There’s a lot of solace in that for me. No matter what happens with Dan, it hasn’t been in vain.

I hope that Dan is proud of what I’ve done, if and when he comes back.

“We have this ridiculous situation in Australia where there’s no national system for missing persons; so Dan is registered as missing with Victoria Police, but not in Queensland, despite him having been there.

“Governments have been saying a national system is coming since 1991.

It’s ridiculous. The families of missing people need someone who’s going to be a consistent ‘squeaky wheel’. It turns out that’s got to be me.”

For help dealing with a missing person visit missingpersonsguide.com. You can also donate to Loren’s Missing Persons Advocacy Network at mpan.com.au

’KEEFFEa LOREN O tori to h n, Vic

ig From: H ames Daniel J Brother: 28 w o n , O’Keeffe k.com/ o o s: faceb Website ehome, dancom m, guide.co persons g in s is m m.au mpan.co

Above: Loren with some of the posters seeking information on her brother and others; Left: Dan, pictured in 2011

Words: Stephen Corby

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THE LIST

by Stuart Martin

LET’S

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RIDE Saddle up for Australia’s best horseriding trails —the ultimate venue for the other all-terrain vehicle …

Thousands of Australians saddle up every day, with myriad opportunities across the country to get your horse on, whether it’s via a romantic ride on a pristine beach, breathing in the bush or taking in mountainous scenery. Aussies love a good BYO, so there are two main options: towing your own pony to a secluded spot; or getting your equestrian fix at a fully fledged, guided trail ride. Tally ho!

NEW SOUTH WALES If you like … fine food Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures, an hour north of Sydney and 20 minutes from Gosford, offers guided and “freerange” rides along scenic private trails, with cattle-muster rides and camping options—and, in the summer months, gourmet eats. The property is surrounded by 3000 acres of unspoilt national parks with 50km of private trails to explore.

Guided rides start from $85 per person for a two-hour sojourn in the saddle.

02 4375 1222, glenworth.com.au

If you like … mountains The Megalong Valley Farm, a little over two hours west of Sydney, is home to Blue Mountains Horse Riding Adventures.

They boast over 2000 acres to explore on

Watson’s Mountain Country Trail Rides: Snowy River country

horseback, with escorted rides starting from $50 for an hour’s journey. Rides travel through the farm’s pastures, with views of the Blue Mountains and the Coxs River. Several three- to five-hour bush rides are offered for just under $200 per person—with lunch included.

02 4787 8188, megalongcc.com.au

If you like … quoting Mel Brooks VICTORIA If you like … roaring surf

Follow in the hoof prints of Clancy of the Overflow where the classic 1982 film was shot.

Victorian High Country. Follow in the hoof prints of Clancy of the Overflow, traversing terrain where the classic 1982 Australian movie was shot on the 730-acre working high-country property. Packages start from $40 per person for an hour; suitable for kids over 10 or ‘nervous adults’.

03 5777 3552, watsonstrailrides.com.au

Gunnamatta Trail Rides is based on over 80 acres, an hour’s drive south of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula.

A dedicated horseriding business, it is a licensed tour operator through nearby national parks and beaches—many of which are thumped by some of the country’s ‘boomingest’ swells. A beginnerfriendly two-hour coastal bush and beach ride starts from $140 per person, with a 5-hour “all-day” option for $290.

03 5988 6755, gunnamatta.com.au

Blazing Saddles, situated at Aireys Inlet between Anglesea and Lorne, has trail rides starting with a 1.25-hour bush ride for $50 per person. More experienced riders can go for a 2.5-hour bush and beach run using Fairhaven Beach, priced from $100 per person. Overnight camping trips start from $229 per person, but there’s no mention of repeating the beanfired campfire scene from the movie of the same name. 03 5289 7322 or 0418 528 647, blazingsaddlestrailrides.com

If you like … The Man From Snowy River

QUEENSLAND If you like … idyllic beaches (and Olympians)

Watson’s Mountain Country Trail Rides operates where some of the nation’s most known poetry was inspired —the

Hitting the beach at Queensland’s Noosa North Shore or climbing into the Sunshine Coast hinterland on horseback

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THE LIST Equathon Horse Riding Adventures at Noosa Heads

is the main game of Equathon Horse Riding Adventures, which is managed by triple-Olympian pentathlete Alex Watson. Riding Australian stock horses, a one-hour horse ride on the beach at Noosa starts from $125 per person (minimum two riders and aged 10 and over), rising to $175 for two hours.

There are also overnight and weeklong Bush and Beach packages.

07 5474 2665, equathon.com

If you like … working farms Slickers Horse Riding sits on 3500 acres of a working property offering a broad variety of trail terrain only an hour inland from Brisbane, in Kurwongbah.

It has open plains, bush, steep stuff for the brave rider and a 40-acre lake. Basic trail rides start from $25 for 30 minutes or $40 for an hour. Unescorted trail rides (subject to riding skill) start from $35 for 90 minutes and $45 for two hours.

07 3285 1444, slickershorseriding.com/ index.htm

SOUTH AUSTRALIA If you like … BYO horses The Tom Roberts Horse Trail, named after a renowned SA equestrian coach and rider, is less than 30km south of the Adelaide CBD. There are almost 40km of trails extending from the southern suburbs through gum-studded national parks and reserves. There’s an additional

TIPS Sturdy footwear (boots are your best bet), helmets, long pants, sunscreen and insect repellent are all vital for horseriding.

When making bookings, it’s worth checking the insurance situation— and organising your own cover if necessary—and any weight ratings for the horses, as good operators won’t overwork their animals and 100kg is a widespread limit.

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section in the Belair National Park for those closer to the CBD (admission fees and bookings apply—log on to belair.sa.gov.au). horsesa.asn.au/ trails/tom-roberts-trail

If you like … wine country Four Oaks Farm operates from Littlehampton in the Adelaide Hills, 30 minutes east of the CBD. Its trails meander through the surrounding bushland, with views of the Adelaide Hills and Mt Lofty, as well as acres of vineyards. You’ll even get a choice of Western or English saddles. The trails explore the surrounding bushland, with hand-led trail-ride options for inexperienced adults and children.

Trail rides are priced from $80 for a one-hour stint in the saddle; experienced riders can opt for two hours at $140 per person or three hours for $200 per person.

08 8388 6361, fouroaksfarm.com.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY If you like … the Outback Kelly’s Ranch is a solid day’s drive south of Darwin (990km) or five hours’ drive north of Alice, and it’s a true ‘red dirt’ horseriding experience. Near Tennant Creek, it offers trail rides starting from $150 for 2.5 hours in the Outback.

Owner Jerry Kelly, a local Warumungu traditional owner, provides visitors with insights into traditional culture, cattle station life and the bush. 08 8962 2045 or 0427 824 191, kellysranch.com.au

TASMANIA If you like … untouched bush Horseback is a serene way of taking in the Cradle Mountain region. Cradle Adventures offers rides for the novice or

experienced horserider, including creek crossings and log jumps through the old-growth forest and farmland. A basic two-hour horseback tour starts from $120 per adult and $95 per child (under 16).

1300 656 069, cradleadventures.com.au

If you like … accessible Tassie The chance to get some fresh air amid 10,000 acres of eucalypt woodland, heathlands and pine plantations while fording creeks, climbing subalpine hills and meandering through valleys littered with horseriding tracks is what Horse Riding Tasmania provides. Based at Wattle Hill, about 30 minutes’ drive from Hobart, the outfit offers five main rides.

These start at $100 per person and range between three and six hours, with dining and overnight accommodation options.

0417 308 069, horseridingtasmania.com

WESTERN AUSTRALIA If you like … tall timber The Western Ranch is in tall-timber country near Quinninup, a little over three hours south of Perth. The owners of the property, which is surrounded by karri and jarrah tall-timber bush, offer packages starting with an hour-long forest Ranch Ride for $50 per person.

More accomplished riders can opt for the five-hour Warren River Ride, which includes a picnic lunch, for $150 per person. 08 9773 1118 or 0427 478 828, westernranch.com.au

If you like … a bit of everything Located in the Margaret River wine region two hours south of Perth, The Horse Resort is a 500-acre, family-run working sheep and horse farm. Trail rides through open and wooded pastures suit beginner riders or skilled equestrians.

A standard trail ride lasts for two hours; children as young as five can participate on a led horse. Packages are tailored to suit individual requirements.

08 9757 4444, thehorseresort.com.au

Tales of the Trail Western Ranch, south of Perth

Issue 15 13 |

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HOOK, LINE ’N’ SINKER

by Andrew Hart

Tassie Trekking

Hook, Line and Sinker’s Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart continue their search for the country’s ultimate fishing locations—on Tasmania’s trout-rich central plateau …

Photos: Mike Nesham

T

Nick and a superphotogenic pal mug for the camera

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asmania is famous for trout.

The spotty little sport fish were brought into the state 150 years ago, their eggs transported on massive blocks of ice aboard rickety old ships. Once they hatched into little fish, they—like us—seemed to take a liking to the Apple Isle. Now just about every bit of water is full of trout.

For an angler this is good news. We decided to make an episode of Hook, Line and Sinker in 2015 about chasing large trophy trout. And the best place to do that is in an area called the Western Lakes.

The Western Lakes is located atop a plateau in the middle of Tasmania where there are thousands of natural lakes left over from the last ice age. The water is crystal clear and the trout thrive in this isolated and unforgiving but very spectacular landscape.

You can drive right to the edge of the Western Lakes, but then it’s all on foot. You could walk around the area for years and keep finding new pockets of water—and all are full of big, hungry trout. Because we had a heap of camera gear, we decided to four-wheel drive as far as we could into the back of an area called The Nineteen Lagoons. The track was rough as guts, and

Andrew loving life in the spectacular Nineteen Lagoons

Hook, Line and Sinker’s editor, Sally, joined the trek

big rocks meant it was a bumpy ride, but we cut off about 7km of walking. Thanks to the D-MAX’s high clearance, we didn’t scrape the bottom or the side rails once.

The next morning we were up in camp before sunrise—and filled with trepidation. Let’s face it, we didn’t really feel match-fit for what was coming up.

Usually, we sit in a boat with a can, rather than hiking into the wilderness carrying all sorts of fishing and camera gear!

There were four of us: me, Nick and our cameraman, Mike, plus our editor, Sally, who we’d corralled to help carry some gear.

We had a map but no idea about what might lie ahead.

We came across the first lake after only 15 minutes of walking. We just slowly walked along its shoreline, looking carefully into the water, trying to spot the trout before they spotted us. Conditions were perfect: a light breeze and—more importantly—brilliant, blue Tassie skies.

Not a cloud in sight—and that’s exactly what you need if you intend on fishing these Western Lakes. You wear Polaroid sunglasses to cut the glare and you very rarely cast until you actually spot a fish.

The first fish we saw was just cruising slowly along the deep edge of a little tarn.

The brown trout—a couple of kilos—felt the hook and erupted from the water with a big jump.

I quickly tried to sneak up ahead of it, taking cover behind some bushes, and as I peered into the water I could see the fish was still heading my way. Carefully, I cast my tiny dry fly into its path.

It’s always amazing to watch a trout come up and take a dry fly. The fly is the size of a five-cent coin and floats on the water’s surface, imitating the mayfly that the trout are so fond of.

Well, this fish spotted it straight away and slowly swam up to it, opened its mouth, stuck its nose out of the water and swallowed the fly. I gave it a few seconds to close its mouth and start heading back down, then I lifted my rod and set the hook.

The brown trout—a couple of kilos—felt the hook and erupted from the water with a big jump. After five or six minutes of a powerful fight, we had our Tassie trophy

at our feet. It was a great catch—and all recorded for our show!

We kept walking all day, even getting lost for a few hours, but eventually worked out where we were again. The beauty of being lost in such a place is that every little bit of water you come to, you need to approach carefully because it might be home to a massive wild Tassie trout!

You’re fairly isolated, and there’s no mobile coverage, so you need to be careful not to roll an ankle or get bitten by a snake, because help is a long way away! Luckily we didn’t do either, but we did come across quite a few tiger snakes.

I like finding trout a lot better.

Hook, Line and Sinker can be viewed on Saturdays on 7mate, with the new season starting in July 2015.

Issue 15 |

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REFUEL

THE QUEEN OF THE

CAMP OVEN The simplest bit of bush cooking gear is also the most versatile, says Jo Clews

P

icture the scene. You’re days, even weeks, from civilisation, having forded rivers, crossed jagged mountain ranges and conquered endless desert dunes. Your sat nav is baffled and the kids are in open revolt in the back. Gloriously alone, you set up camp and crack open an ice-cold drink, when you smell something … delicious.

It’s not a hallucination.

It’s Jo Clews, a stone’s throw upwind, with her incredible camp oven.

The WA bush chef knows her way around the bush almost as well as she does around her camp kitchen. The celebrated gourmet has been cooking since childhood, and writing for

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Western 4WDriver magazine since 2000.

She also caters for the Campfire Escapes and Global Gypsies tour companies, as well as demonstrating at 4WD and adventure shows around the country.

There’s nowhere Jo won’t go to dine on mouth-watering gourmet grub.

“My partner and I have three daughters, who are all fabulous cooks as well, and two grandchildren,” she says. “The oldest has a step stool that he pulls alongside me when I am cooking so he can have a go too.”

Jo is all about teaching you to eat well, no matter how far you are from civilisation. Here are two of her favourite camp oven recipes …

Jo Clews’ Australian Camp Oven Cooking is available from joclewscooking.com for $34.99.

LIP-SMACKING BEEF RIBS Like other dishes made with lesser-quality cuts of meat, time is of the essence.

Perfect ribs need to be cooked at a slow temperature to make them tender, juicy and lip-smackingly good. Cooking with a camp oven is a process of trial and error, so don’t give up!

INGREDIENTS Serves 2–4 1 x 300g jar fruit chutney 3 tbsp tomato paste 2 tbsp brown sugar 1kg beef ribs (or about 8 pieces with lots of meat) 2 cups water

METHOD 1. Combine chutney, tomato paste and sugar.

2. Place ribs in a small cast-iron or steel camp oven or heavy-based frying pan or pot. Pour water over ribs and allow to simmer on low heat over a gas burner or campfire coals for about 1 hour.

3. Skim fat from the top of the cooking liquid, add chutney mix and cook ribs over low heat for a further 45 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Check ribs regularly during the last hour of cooking as there is a lot of sugar in the chutney mix and they may burn. If the sauce is not thickening, remove ribs and reduce the sauce over a medium flame on the stovetop.

5. Serve ribs with steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes or salad.

CHOOSING A CAMP OVEN “My small cast-iron oven is great for all in-the-pot stews, soups, small roasts and casseroles, either on a bed of coals or right on the stovetop. Cast iron is traditional, but it is very heavy and can break. My steel oven is very large, which makes it fantastic for baking everything, from bread and muffins, to cakes, biscuits and tarts.

The advantage of steel is its weight and the fact that it won’t break. Either way, choose a camp oven with tall sides—to guard your food from direct heat—and a decent lip around the edge.” Jo Clews

BLUE CHEESE AND DATE DAMPER HORSESHOE INGREDIENTS 2 cups self-raising flour pinch of salt generous grinding of black pepper 2 tbsp oil 1 cup soda water (or beer or water) 100g block blue cheese ¾ cup chopped dates milk (or beaten egg), to brush sprinkling of poppy seeds

METHOD 1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add oil and soda water. Cut together with a butter knife to form a light dough.

2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and pat out to make a disc about 1cm thick.

3. Crumble blue cheese over dough and sprinkle dates on top. Tightly roll dough to form

a log, encasing the cheese and dates. Seal the ends of the dough log and gently roll to lengthen slightly.

4. Place dough log on an oiled baking tray and bend to make a horseshoe shape. Cut slits in the top at 2cm intervals. Brush with milk or beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

5. Place dough in a moderateto-hot camp oven (about 190°C) on a low trivet, with coals scraped to the edges of the lid, for about 20 minutes.

Scrape coals to the centre and cook for a further 5–10 minutes or until golden and crunchy.

6. Serve damper piping-hot straight from the oven.

Note: The same timings and temperatures can be used in the home or caravan oven.

Issue 15 |

max*d 41

Deck it out for work or play

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FLASHBACK

2001

FUTURISTIC STAGECOACH

EDGE 10887

ISUZU GBX

Taking its styling from the stagecoaches of America’s Wild West, the Isuzu GBX (Gear Box) Concept was designed as a ‘pioneering’ SUV for the new millennium.

It was built on the same ladder-frame chassis that underpinned the Rodeo and the Trooper, with an exoskeleton constructed using aluminium, carbon fibre and fibreglass. And the GBX was as practical as it was peculiar: The front seats were cantilevered from the centre console to offer under-seat storage; a gear compartment was built into the cargo gate for easy access to small items in the cargo area; and the sides and rear of the GBX were equipped with electrically operated drop steps. In addition, there was a cabin lamp that could be removed and used as a flashlight, and the dash instrument panel encompassed a futuristic ‘transparent’ speedometer and tachometer.

Issue 15 |

max*d 43

ISUZU UTE DEALER LIST QLD Ayr Burdekin Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4783 7077 Bundaberg Bundaberg Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4131 8211 Cairns Trinity Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4081 5000 Cleveland Keema Cleveland Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3479 9880 Currimundi ASO Pacific Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5438 4888 Dalby ASO Black Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4669 8988 Eagle Farm Brisbane Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3866 2200 Emerald Emerald Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4980 7930 Gladstone Reef City Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4971 4000 Goondiwindi ASO Black Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4671 3512 Gympie Isuzu UTE Gympie Phone: 07 5480 5200 Ipswich Blue Ribbon Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3288 6600 Mackay Mackay Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4961 8000 Maroochydore Pacific Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5458 9740 Moorooka Moorooka Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3373 0777 Morayfield ASO Northstar Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3448 0008 Mt Gravatt Keema Mt Gravatt Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3426 1500 Nundah Norris Motor Group Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3635 5100

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WA

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Narellan Narellan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4622 2552

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Effective as of 15/05/2015. Please visit our website http://www.isuzuute.com.au/find-a-dealer.aspx for the latest dealer contact details.

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| Issue 15

O’Connor Major Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9331 9331 Osborne Park Regents Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9273 1000 Port Hedland Northwest Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9140 0100 Rockingham Bergmans Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9527 8883 Wagin ASO South West Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9861 1144 Wanneroo Wanneroo Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9403 9403

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ASO = Authorised Satellite Outlet

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24/04/2015 11:04 am