max*d Issue 21

GO YOUR OWN WAY ISSUE 21

KING OF THE

MOUNTAIN

The Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X tackle the panoramic playground of the Victorian High Country

SAND AND DELIVER

Crossing the mighty Simpson Desert

MAN’S BEST FRIEND’S BEST FRIEND

Saving our working dogs

DONKEY’S YEARS

The Isuzu Car Club of Australia turns 50

CAMPER TRAILERS FROM

$6999 / $41 PER WEEK VISIT OUR WEB SITE TO FIND YOUR NEAREST STORE OR TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF OUR CAMPER TRAILER EXPERTS

AUSTRALIA’S BEST VALUE CAMPER TRAILERS

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NETWORK

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CALL NOW 1300 667 868 OR VISIT MARSCAMPERS.COM.AU

#MARSCAMPERS

CONTENTS

S I H T IN

E U ISS FEATURES

30

The Simpson Desert Sandier than the Sahara, with more inspiration per acre than anywhere. Meet the Dead Heart.

34

Carey Edwards Things are grim if you’re an abandoned Australian working dog languishing in a council pound. That’s when Australian Working Dog Rescue steps in.

36

Australia’s best food festivals Whether you’re keen to try out a few new tastes, or just hoping to keep the kids entertained, there are no community tucker celebrations better than these.

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COVER STORY

Panoramic Playground A bunch of hardy adventurers test the limits of their D-MAX and MU-X convoy among the alpine gums of the Garden State.

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UP FRONT 06 Readers’ Rides

If you’ve gone your own way, whether on an epic Outback saga or just a weekend off-roading, we’d love to hear from you.

08 News Awards galore, the updated D-MAX and MU-X, a new face at Isuzu UTE Australia HQ and your chance to win a D-MAX LS-T!

10 Wishlist Camping gear doesn’t get much more essential than the sleeping bag. Here are four snoozin’ sacks so snug you won’t want to get up.

12 Tech Head

I-Venture Club guru David Wilson talks trailer sway.

14 Inside Line Special

“We have two boys,” says Roslyn Degnan, co-founder of the Isuzu Car Club of Australia, “and if you cut them they bleed Isuzu!”

Come meet some of the gang at the club’s 50th birthday celebrations.

MIDDLE GROUND 42 Hook, Line & Sinker The boys set off on an

adventure familiar to many owners: a full lap of the country—fishing every stop on the way.

44 Refuel Kitchen maestro Ben Milbourne keeps it simple, Italian style.

47 Flashback The plucky Isuzu Florian.

OUTBACK 48 Dealer List

Find your local Isuzu HQ, wherever you are.

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GO YOUR

OWN WAY

START YOUR ADVENTURE WITH THE 18MY ISUZU D-MAX & MU-X The Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X are stand out performers on or off-road. With the legendary Isuzu 3-litre turbo diesel engine, a beefed up 430Nm of torque and an intuitive 6-speed transmission across the range. Coupled with a Terrain Command 4WD system and outstanding towing capacity, the D-MAX and MU-X have everything you need for any adventure. GO YOUR OWN WAY! Discover the Isuzu D-MAX & MU-X at your local Isuzu UTE Dealer or isuzuute.com.au

5-star ANCAP safety rating on all MU-X models and 4x4 D-MAX Crew Cab models built from November 2013 onwards and 4x2 D-MAX Crew Cab High Ride models built from November 2014 onwards. ^5 years/130,000km whichever occurs first, for eligible customers. Excludes trays and accessories. >The Capped Price Servicing Program (“CPS Program�) applies to Eligible Vehicles with a Warranty Start Date on or after 1/1/15 at Participating Isuzu UTE Dealers only. The 5 years Capped Price Servicing covers the first 5 Scheduled Services for 18MY and later vehicle models for up to 5 years/75,000km (whichever occurs first) and for 16.5MY and 17MY for up to 5 years/50,000km (whichever occurs first). CPS Program is subject to change. For full terms & conditions and current pricing visit isuzuute.com.au/service-plus.

WELCOME

WELCOME

to the 21st edition of max*d Magazine!

T

he first half of the year has been quite a ride for us here at Isuzu UTE Australia. After a hugely successful 2017, during which we achieved double-digit growth for the ninth consecutive year, the expectations were high! We started the year with news that our MU-X had won OzRoamer magazine’s Best 7 Seat 4WD under $60,000 for the fourth time, which was closely followed by a second place in 4x4 Australia’s ‘4x4 Of The Year Award’.

We kept the momentum going by being the Official Automotive Partner of Channel 10’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, giving away a brand-new D-MAX to one lucky winner. Our Service Department launched a service offer that has already seen one ecstatic owner win a brand-new D-MAX (with one more to give away—check out page 8) and we teamed up with endurance race Ultraman Australia as their Official Automotive Partner. Our I-Venture Club continued to run 4x4 driver training events, including a trip to the Victorian High Country (see our cover story, page 22) and, last but not least, we welcomed the new 18MY D-MAX and MU-X range, including the new top-of-the-range­, fully loaded, Isuzu D-MAX LS-T. In the latter half of this year we are due to celebrate our 10th anniversary in Australia— a humbling accomplishment only made possible by you, our loyal customers.

In fact, over the last decade, we have sold over 125,000 vehicles in Australia, with 25,804 vehicles driving out of showrooms in 2017 alone. The turn of the year highlighted our strong overall position as the 13th bestselling out of over 50 reporting automotive manufacturers in Australia, ahead of

brands such as Audi, BMW, Suzuki and Jeep. The MU-X was also Australia’s number one-selling ute-based SUV, which is an extraordinary accomplishment.

Would you like to know what drives us here at Isuzu UTE Australia?

Put simply, it’s you. We value your feedback as we continue to refine our range to best suit Australians and the Australian environment. Feedback from the market and potential customers is what drove the decision to bring the D-MAX to Australia, way back in October 2008. Nearly a decade later it’s still feedback that drives us.

For instance, in 2013 we introduced the MU-X because we heard the demand for a more dependable 7-seat SUV. In 2017 we introduced the heavily revised Euro-5 drivetrain—a cleaner, more powerful 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, matched with a 6-speed auto or manual transmission­—based on exhaustive local research and testing (in fact, no other market currently features an Isuzu 3.0-litre Euro5-compliant engine).

Yes, we heard you.

Fast-forward to April 2018 and that same

process fuelled the introduction of our updated 18MY D-MAX and MU-X range, featuring enhancements based directly on owner feedback. To welcome the newest incarnation of our vehicles, we invited Australia’s premier media outlets to experience the vehicles by undertaking a series of gruelling activities. Highlights include the new 3-leaf suspension tune on key D-MAX models, updated D-MAX interior and Trailer Sway Control, and the introduction of the flagship D-MAX LS-T. A few months since the launch, the response from the media and new owners has been overwhelmingly positive, so thank you!

We hope you enjoy the latest edition of max*d—and be sure to let us know what you think.

Hiro Kuramoto Managing Director Isuzu UTE Australia

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READERS’ RIDES

READERS’ RIDES

Go your own way, whatever the journey—then tell us where you’ve been, and win!

MICHAEL HOF LIVES: NORTH LAKES, QLD DRIVES: 2017 D-MAX 4X4 LS-TERRAIN “I’ve done a few trips on my own, but I usually go with a few mates from work—although I’ve got to find some easy tracks for them! They’re always complaining about getting scratches on their ute, but, you know, that’s why I bought mine, to get out there and use it! I like to get out to a few of the 4WD parks out in the Glasshouse Mountains, camp out and get amongst it. I’ve done the I-Venture Club trip to Moreton Island, where I learned a few things, and I’m planning a trip down to South Australia to do the I-Venture Club trip down there for a bit more hard-core off-roading. I’ve had my D-MAX for about a year now and I just love the reliability. I’ve still got a bit more to do and then I’ll be going my own way again!”

SÉAMUS WALSH LIVES: FRANKSTON, VIC DRIVES: 2017 MU-X 4X4 LS-T “We often camp with friends who have also just upgraded to D-MAXs. We’re planning a big trip up through the Red Centre next year—we really enjoy it. We head out in big groups or maybe 10 cars and 10 caravans for a couple of weeks at a time. This pic was taken at Point Leo in Victoria in January. I love to get away fishing, kayaking, off-roading, visiting wineries and maybe dropping by a few breweries too. I just like to get a bit of dirt on the car, stretch its legs and see what it can do. We did the Victorian I-Venture Club course last year, out at Mount Cottrell, and really loved it.

Now I just have to find a bit more time to enjoy the car!”

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READER’S RIDES

DAVID TEAL LIVES: COBDEN, VIC / DRIVES: 2015 D-MAX 4X4 LS-U “I purchased my D-MAX in January 2015 purely for the purpose of towing a large caravan. I did my research and I think l spoke to 100 or so owners—my wife was sick of me annoying everyone! But all owners were only too pleased to recommend the D-MAX. I like its truck DNA and the 3500kg towing capacity. After 25,000km, including 19,000km around Australia over six months, she hasn’t missed a beat. And by golly she pulls like a bulldozer! I try to keep the revs under 2500 when I can, which works well, but if Mighty Max the ute needs to work harder on long climbs she’s happy to get down and get dirty—and she really shows up the other vehicles towing vans. I can’t fault her.”

ESTHER SHAW LIVES: NAMBOUR, QLD DRIVES: 2017 MU-X 4X4 LS-T “As a single mother of five it was important to find the perfect car. Well, we not only found the perfect car in the MU-X but we found a new lifestyle! The MU-X gives extreme comfort for all passengers. It gives us security and safety with its safety features and the five years’ roadside assist. It gives us freedom with its off-road capabilities. And as a female driver, I’ve become empowered by realising my abilities with such an awesome vehicle in every sense—I feel confident to drive my MU-X no matter the conditions. Plus, she looks beautiful! I wouldn’t buy anything else … or almost anything else. We’ll be adding a D-MAX to the family when my son gets his licence this year!”

DAVE NOBLETT LIVES: DOUBLEVIEW, WA DRIVES: 2017 MU-X 4X4 LS-U “After all the usual research, and having always driven other marques, we bought the all-new MU-X nine months ago. After 15,000km of faultless driving I can confirm it was a great decision. The torque, fuel economy and ride are as good as any I’ve driven, and off-road the manual gearbox chugs along in high gears effortlessly. My wife wanted a small car so we got her a little hatchback prior to buying the MU-X … which now sits in the garage doing nothing as she prefers driving the MU-X! The only issue is that I’m probably going to have to buy a D-MAX now that my wife has stolen the MU-X!”

SCORE A $100 GIFT CARD FROM OUR MATES AT BCF

Simply send us a high-resolution image and a 100-word blurb, along with your VIN, name, contact details, suburb and model of your D-MAX or MU-X, to maxd@iua.net.au

Featured Readers’ Rides will receive a $100 BCF Gift Card Disclaimer: Non-genuine aftermarket accessories and modifications are not recommended or endorsed by Isuzu UTE Australia. For detailed info on ‘what is’ and ‘what is not’ covered by the Manufacturer’s Warranty please refer to the Warranty and Service Booklet.

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NEWS PUBLISHER Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd

MU-X wins again with fourth OzRoamer award!

ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA MANAGING EDITORS Emma Glynn, Mark Harman EDITOR Ben Smithurst ben.smithurst@edge.agency SUB-EDITORS Paul Rodger and Jiyan Dessens ART DIRECTOR Guy Pendlebury ACCOUNT MANAGER Emma Rogers ADVERTISING SALES Chris Waite chris.waite@edge.agency MANAGING PARTNERS Fergus Stoddart, Richard Parker

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

Level 4, 10–14 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone: +61 2 8962 2600 edge.agency

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 and Thinkstock Images. Business Essentials trading as Edge ABN 22 062 493 869.

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

Hanno 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

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MU-X scores second place in 2018 4x4 Australia’s 4X4 Of The Year Award The Isuzu MU-X has been awarded second place in 4x4 Australia’s ‘4X4 Of The Year Award’ (4x4OTY) at the 2018 Australian Motoring Awards.

As always, the 4x4OTY contenders are scored against a set list of criteria—value for money, breaking new ground, ‘built tough’, bush ability and doing the job it’s designed to do. After the votes were tallied, the MU-X narrowly missed first place by just 2 points. “(The MU-X) came home strongly off the back of its robust and simple ute-based design and proven powertrain,” said 4x4 Australia road-test editor Fraser Stronach.

“It’s a good all-rounder, too, happy enough both on and off the road, and simply does what’s asked of it without fuss. And all at a very reasonable asking price.”

“If someone asked me what car are you going to jump into, not worry about it, take it round Australia, it’s going to be that (the MU-X),” added 4WD guru and fellow judge Norm Needham.

The Isuzu MU-X LS-T has again been awarded the Best 7 Seat 4WD under $60,000 by OzRoamer magazine. Rob Fraser, Editor in Chief of OzRoamer, attributed the vehicle’s success to a number of components: “The competitive advantage that the Isuzu MU-X has always had is its stylish good looks, exemplary road manners, rugged off-road capability, outstanding reliability, durability, longevity and renowned value for money.

“The Isuzu MU-X LS-T is now a four-times winner of this category.

It remains the best balanced of all the ute-based 4WD wagons,” he said.

“If you are looking for a robust, honest, durable, reliable 4WD or tow vehicle you would find it hard to pass the MU-X LS-T over.”

Win a mighty Isuzu D-MAX LS-T! Isuzu customers know that reliability is key. So, to help owners get the most out of their vehicle, Isuzu UTE Australia developed the Service Plus Driving Report. It’s a printed report that evaluates vehicle usage and provides tips to improve fuel efficiency. Isuzu UTE Australia is offering their customers the chance to win an Isuzu D-MAX 4x4 LS-T just by Justin Brierty / Newspix completing a Service Plus Driving Report by 30th June 2018!

Reports are free at participating Isuzu UTE Dealers until that date, and you’ll also score a $100 Reward Card to put towards servicing your vehicle, or Isuzu UTE Genuine Parts, accessories or merchandise. Mr Paul Huntriss from Gordonvale, south of Cairns, (pictured) was the first lucky winner, so don’t delay. Head to your nearest Isuzu UTE dealer to find out more.

NEWS

New 18MY D-MAX in Cobalt Blue Mica and MU-X in Magnetic Red Mica at the media launch event.

18MY Isuzu D-MAX & MU-X updates—fuelled

by Australian feedback Official sales of the new 18MY D-MAX and MU-X began in May, but a ‘who’s who’ of motoring writers had a lucky preview.

They put the models through their paces across a 4WD track, towing circuit and suspension test at Mount Cotton, Queensland.

Under the microscope were a number of upgrades, refinements, extra creature comforts, and safety inclusions—each a response to local feedback and demand.

They included a new three-span leaf spring setup for SX, LS-U and LS-T Crew Cab ute variants. It not only improves ride, comfort and handling, but does so without compromising payload capacity versus the 17MY five-leaf setup.

There were plenty of chances to test the newly added Trailer Sway Control (TSC) with a range of payloads, with half of all Australian buyers purchasing an Isuzu with towing in mind. As such, TSC now features across all 18MY models (excluding the D-MAX 4x2 low-ride SX Single

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM

Cab Chassis manual).

The 18MY D-MAX range is now headlined by the flagship LS-T, featuring many of the stand-out features and amenities found on the MU-X LS-T: 18” wheels with Highway Terrain tyres, Sat Nav, roof rails, and a Passive Entry and Start System on 4x4 LS-T only.

The D-MAX range has been further refined with a new, premium leather-accented interior, featuring rich, perforated leather on body contact areas. The dash, glovebox and armrest are trimmed in soft touch leatherette, door handles finished in chrome and the air vents and window switches finished in gloss black.

These soft-touch refinements can also be found inside the D-MAX LS-M and LS-U variants.

Finally, the 18MY D-MAX range features three new colours: Magnetic Red Mica, Cobalt Blue Mica and Graphite Grey Metallic.

The 18MY MU-X is also available in the new Magnetic Red Mica.

New appointment at IUA In the pursuit of 30,000 annual unit sales by 2020, Mr Koichiro (Yoshi) Yoshida has been appointed to the board of Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) and will take responsibility for Sales, Marketing & PR as well as the recently opened Sydney Regional Office. Mr Yugo (Hugo) Kiyofuji, who was previously responsible for those areas, will continue as Deputy Managing Director of IUA and will focus on the ever-growing opportunity of Fleet Sales and Product Planning.

Yoshi brings vast experience from Thailand and Europe, where he has been responsible for various elements of the Isuzu business, encompassing sales, marketing and aftersales. In particular, his knowledge and experience working in Thailand, the largest 1-tonne ute market in the world, has given him a deep understanding of the segment and of the Isuzu brand in particular.

It’s an exciting time for IUA, as Yoshi’s in-depth knowledge of the Isuzu brand and ute segment, combined with the current in-house expertise of Mike Conybeare (General Manager—Marketing & PR) and Ben Jaeger (Deputy General Manager— Sales) is set to take IUA to the next level.

“The appointment of Yoshi as an additional Director for IUA is testament to the fact that Isuzu recognises the Australian market as the most important export market in the world,” said IUA’s Managing Director Mr Hiro Kuramoto.

“Our recent sales achievements in Australia have been duly recognised and the growing management team here is now well positioned to drive the brand forward into its next stage of growth.”

Koichiro (Yoshi) Yoshida and Hiro Kuramoto

If you want to keep up with all things Isuzu UTE, make sure you’re following us on our social pages! facebook.com/isuzuute Instagram: @isuzuute_aus max*d

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WISHLIST

SLEEPING BAGS

A good night’s shut-eye can be the difference between a dream trip and a disaster WORDS GREGOR STRONACH

1

SEA TO SUMMIT SPARK SP1

If weight and packing space is an issue for you when you’re camping, then the Sea to Summit Spark SP1 could be just what you’re looking for. Tipping the scales at a measly 348 grams, the Spark also packs down to something about the size of a prizewinning grapefruit, so you can stick it in the glovebox if the cargo area’s full of other gear.

It’s also compact and light enough that the kids can cart their own sleeping bags from wherever you’ve parked the D-MAX or MU-X to wherever you’ve set up the tent. It’s got a comfort rating of 8.0ºC, but will keep you defrosted and alive in temperatures down to about –5.0ºC at a pinch. RRP $379, sevenhorizons.com.au

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2

WANDERER ROAM 150 CAMPER

For a cheap and cheerful option, the Wanderer Roam 150 Camper sleeping bag is just about perfect—offering $35 worth of lightweight accommodation that’s ideal for camping on a warm Australian summer night. The outer is made from rip-stop polyester to protect against drop bear attacks while you’re asleep, and the designers have included a feature on the zip to stop you getting the fabric caught in the teeth while you’re getting comfy. It has a soft microfibre polyester inner, a pouch in the lining to stow valuables or electronic devices and left and right zips are available to create a double bag. For a no-frills bag, those aren’t bad frills.

RRP $35, bcf.com.au

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3

SNOWY OWL EX

Marketed as the world’s warmest sleeping bag, the Snowy Owl EX is a bodycontoured tube capable of withstanding temperatures as low as –50ºC—perfect for surviving overnight if you ever get stranded in Antarctica or decide to grab 40 winks before that final assault on Everest. It’s been over-engineered to such a degree that it promises to completely seal in a warm layer of air … which may or may not be welcome depending on the percentage of baked beans that went into your camp cooker. It’s also got two complete zipper systems to help guard against the cold and a permanent collar system to help keep the bag snug and your noggin warm. RRP $1440, featheredfriends.com

4

WANDERER UNO SLEEPING BAG SUIT

Anyone who’s spent any length of time in a sleeping bag will know precisely how difficult they are to move around in.

The aptly named Wanderer brand has come up with this novel solution to the issue— it’s a sleeping bag shaped like a human, designed so you can wear it like the skin of a vanquished enemy. It’s got openings so you can reach into your pockets if you need to, although no strategically placed zips for when nature calls during the night. The outside of the suit is rip-stop polyester, so you’ve got nothing to worry about if you get snagged on a tree branch while lumbering around your campsite like a hipster yeti. RRP $69, bcf.com.au

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TECH HEAD 4WD guru David Wilson explains …

HOW TO AVOID

TRAILER

SWAY 12

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Keep out of trouble when a caravan, boat or trailer is on your tail

TECH HEAD

L

ots of people buy a D-MAX or MU-X to travel this great country of ours with the luxury of having their home-awayfrom-home hooked up behind them. It’s an institution—but then, so is the military, the legal system and the government.

And, just like those, there’s potential trouble afoot if you take it on while over-confident or under-prepared. Newly added Trailer Sway Control (TSC) features across all 18MY models (excluding the D-MAX 4x2 low-ride SX Single Cab Chassis manual), and will help enormously in most cases. Even so, it’s best to be prepared—for all eventualities.

What is trailer sway?

Also called ‘fishtailing’, trailer sway happens when your van or trailer swings from side to side. Any trailer towed with a hitch set behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle can be susceptible. Very dangerous, it’s more than capable of taking you off the road.

Good news: it’s largely avoidable.

*When using a Genuine Isuzu UTE tow kit

Environmental factors can contribute to the sway, such as a day of high side winds, where the buffeting gets a rhythm going and you become an unwilling dance partner. At other times, it’s an inexperienced driver dropping the verge-side wheels onto the dirt, then over-correcting. Too often, though, it’s due to overloading or poor weight placement coupled with under or over-inflation of your tyres. You can nip this in the bud.

Know your numbers Isuzu designs its vehicles with a maximum payload in mind that is then combined with the weight of your van or trailer. This is called GCM, or gross combination mass. On a D-MAX or an MU-X that’s very nearly six tonnes of tow vehicle, trailer or van and everything else you’ve packed in. One of the biggest mistakes folk make is buying the biggest caravan they can get—you know, the tandem off-road

kind that makes their tow vehicle look like a toy. The van is already near the maximum tow weight—maybe three tonnes—but then they load up with a bull bar, long-range fuel tank, tinny, fridge and more. Add passengers and the effect of towball downforce, and you’ve bumped up against the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of the 4WD. With the suspension and tyres approaching their limits, too, warning bells should now be ringing loudly! Visit a public weighbridge in this instance to get your figures straight.

Now you’re balanced So you’re under the GCM threshold and you’ve set your tyre pressure to what’s recommended for a big load.

You’ll have the optimum balance going provided the towball downforce* is within spec (that’s 350kg max for D-MAX and 300kg max with MU-X) and the rear tyres aren’t overloaded. Don’t try to balance out excessive downforce using

Environmental factors can contribute, such as a day of high side winds, where the buffeting gets a rhythm going and you become an unwilling dance partner. weight distribution hitches or airbags— weight is the enemy—and be sure you’ve followed the maximum load/pressure requirements, which your caravan manufacturer will prescribe. This will be based on a load carried per tyre; pressure and load are intrinsically linked.

Beware the B-double Watch out for that oncoming semi as you’re punching 100km/h up the highway. As you pass with a combined speed of 200km/h, the moment results in a low pressure event that draws

vehicles together. There’ll be some instability, horrifyingly, so if your sums were wrong the tail may wag.

Them’s the (electric) brakes If you have an electric brake controller, you’ll know that there’s a button or slide control that in this instance can be applied to activate the trailer’s brakes only. In effect, this ‘stretches’ the tow combo back to a safe straight line—but you might not think of this in the heat of that moment. That ‘stretch’ moment is important. When you’re driving and your foot is on the accelerator, it has an effect similar to ‘stretching’ the vehicles. Going downhill on a trailing accelerator unloads the vehicles and can have an unwanted effect in inducing sway.

In a modern vehicle, dynamic electronics are ready to pounce on a situation when this occurs. ESC or Electronic Stability Control is one of them, detecting ‘yaw’ moments (that’s the sway) and offering up corrective brake inputs irrespective of what you’re doing. Some caravan makers now have ESC installed on their vans for the very same reason.

Can you steer your way out of it?

Maybe—just don’t panic.

If you catch trailer sway early enough a gentle initial application of the brake, with progressive intensity coupled to a similarly gentle corrective steering input, will likely save the day. On the other hand, I know of worst-case situations in which drivers have panicked, using big corrective steering inputs and smashing the brake pedal, resulting in a nasty jackknife or rollover. The main thing to remember is that that no two situations will ever be alike, so be prepared, know your load ratings and keep in mind that it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Touring Australia with a van, trailer or boat on the back is an institution that’s guaranteed fun—no matter your age. Make sure you do it safely and you’ll be lapping the world’s best continent for years to come.

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INSIDE LINE

THE

BIGCHILL The 50th anniversary meet of the Isuzu Car Club of Australia Inc attracted a brilliant cast of passionate characters WORDS BEN SMITHURST / IMAGES THOMAS WIELECKI

I

t’s 34 degrees in the shade at Guildford, 25km west of the Sydney CBD, historical home of the Dharug people and, more recently, Australia’s first KFC. Today, half a century of automotive metal is (mostly) gleaming in the light for the 50th anniversary of the grand old Isuzu Car Club of Australia (ICCA).

There’s the painstakingly restored and the delightfully obscure. We have tolerant wives, happy kids and men whose blood is three parts Armor All. And we have Roslyn Degnan, ICCA matriarch and club co-founder.

“We had a ’65 Bellett,” says Roslyn, “and everywhere we’d drive, other owners would wave at us. We thought, wouldn’t it be great to have a club of just one marque?”

Today there are Belletts (and Degnans) aplenty. Plus Florians and Geminis, Wasps and D-MAXs, 117s and MU-Xs. Some were constructed as rarities, like Bob and Loretta Blackwell’s hand-built prototype 117.

Some, like Donkey, evolved into a rarity on their own.

Geoff ‘Stickman’ Taylor says his ’65 Bellett is roadworthy.

It has to be—the cops keep stopping him. Hence the name.

“When I first got it on the road, only the front left drum worked,” he says. “I ran up a number of traffic islands trying not to go up the back of other cars. One day it ripped out the exhaust. I drove it for another two months.”

Soon enough the police nabbed Stickman, who was going sideways through a roundabout at the time.

“I got my licence out, but he said, ‘Don’t worry about that, what is it?’ I told him: no exhaust, no brakes, I’m taking the old horse for its last ride before it goes in to be fixed’. He looked at me and said, ‘Mate, if you’re going to ride a horse, you ride a stallion, not a donkey!’”

Welcome to Guildford. It has a rich history.

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INSIDE LINE

THE ECCENTRIC

Geoff ‘Stickman’ Taylor / 1965 Isuzu Bellett “It doesn’t matter if you wash it or polish it,” says Geoff ‘Stickman’ Taylor. “It’s acrylic fence paint, it oxidises in a heartbeat! I just Gerni it once a year.”

The history of Geoff’s Bellett, Donkey, is told in layers of paint. The original colour, a Benaud-ish off-white ivory, is still visible in the engine bay.

Other remnants are here and there: a Kermit green, a British racing green, fence paint.

“It belonged to a lady who had a bingle,” says Geoff. “She couldn’t afford the respray, so she handpainted that panel with fence paint that she thought matched. It didn’t, so she painted the whole thing.”

Donkey’s been with him through thick and thin.

There’s no firewall, little sound baffling (Stickman’s earplugs hang from the rear-view); the passenger seat is a single mattress, the interior panels are plywood. Geoff wouldn’t have it any other way.

Stickman is a car show regular, but particularly loves travelling —as indirectly as possible—to ICCA meets. He’s from Stanmore, 70km north of Brisbane.

“In the last five years I’ve done 158,000 miles [254,000km] in Donkey,” he grins. “It’s my daily driver.”

At his lowest point, Stickman was living in Donkey, his ‘best mate’. Now she’s his pride and joy “I slept in it on the way here,” he says. “That was only 1050km directly, but I go all the mountain roads and back ways. I’ll do the same going home.”

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THE BLUEBLOODS

Roslyn and Warren Degnan / 1965 Isuzu Wasp Roslyn and her husband, Jim, started the club—originally coalescing around the Isuzu Bellett—in 1968. Seen here with son, Warren, Roslyn is a treasure trove of yarns.

“Oh, we just loved them,” she says. “They weren’t a dime a dozen, and they were just so strong. In the early days a lot of them lost panels because if you needed to weld something, a Bellett door was good, strong metal!”

No car is perfect, however—or, at least, wasn’t in the late Sixties.

The original Belletts’ four-drum problem was that, as Roslyn says, “they didn’t stop”.

“So you’d [have to] throw the anchor out and go back through the gears,” she says. “In fact, one of the fellows in our club who raced one, the other clubs complained that his brake lights weren’t working. He was coming up to bends, in the lead, and they were using the Bellett as the marker. They got back and said, ‘Your brake lights don’t work!’ He said, ‘How would you know, I don’t use them!’”

Roslyn has two boys whom, she says, “if you cut them they bleed Isuzu”. Warren loves his D-MAX [his Wasp appeared in max*d #19], and he’s also restoring a GT. “The young bloke, Kevin, has the red race car [see p14], and an as-found ’65, which I came in. So the club started with a ’65 and I drove here in a ’65—the circle is complete!”

“I don’t mind driving Warren’s D-MAX either,” she says, conspiratorially, “but mother’s a bit of a hoon …”

ISUZU

HISTORY

LESSON

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1916

1949

The company is founded.

The Isuzu River is in the Mie Prefecture, Honshu

1924

The marque’s first ever commercial vehicle: the CP Truck

The company officially takes on the Isuzu name

INSIDE LINE

THE PRESIDENT

Dave Maurice / 1968 Bellett GT Dave Maurice is a dangerous man to speak with at a club event. His passion is palpable and his knowledge—of the provenance of each vintage Isuzu on hand, of the legitimacy of various parts, of Isuzu brand history—is a well too deep to run dry. One false move and you can easily disappear down a conversational rabbit hole of rollicking old stories, itinerant facts about upholstery and in-depth discussion of Sixties paintwork.

Dave is a good man and a particularly compelling advocate.

“The thing I loved first about them was reliability,” he says, adjusting his glasses.

“I had my first new car when I was a kid at 21.

I’d just gone into the army and I bought a four-door Bellett sedan and I drove that all round Australia. It didn’t miss a beat.”

His immaculate silver GT is a work of art.

“There’s a lot of time just looking after these old cars, really,” he says, “because if you get behind you go backwards fast.”

You’ve stayed on top of this one, though, we say. “This is officially a 1968-and-a-half model, sold in Australia in May, which changed over from a single headlight and aluminium grille to the four headlights. The next model had that massive and beautiful new innovation called ‘flow-through ventilation’! That was in 1969…”

If passion is a type of riches, Dave is loaded.

1963 1959

The iconic Isuzu Elf arrives. Later, it will be built in Australia

The Wasp is released.

It’s the first ute in Isuzu’s history

2013 2002

The internationally branded Isuzu D-MAX ute is launched

Arrival of the 7seat Isuzu MU-X

THE RACER

Tom Amos / 1970 Isuzu Bellett GT Type-R “It’s essentially a café racer,” says Tom Amos, standing proudly alongside his very-Seventies-looking, burnt-orange-and-black GTR. Initially purchased by the original owners of Papua New Guinea’s Boroko Motors, Amos snagged and imported four high-kilometre GTRs following PNG’s independence in 1975. “It’s a Japanese version of a café racer—it’s quite fast, 120mph out of the box. They called these ‘Yokohama Screamers’ or ‘Yokohama City Specials’, and that’s what they are. They’re loud!”.

Tom’s brand love dates back half a century to when, as a university student, he was a member of the Holden Dealer Team. “We raced these cars —that’s where it started for me.”

“I still have a Group N Bellett GT race car and we’ve raced that for 20 years, but you get to a point where you can’t race cars any more and so here we are. This is just a road car version of that track racer. What were they like to race? Good! The cars themselves were built by Team Isuzu as race cars, and so it has all the pieces, independent suspension; it’s a sports car with a roof, basically.”

“It was a pretty dangerous era of racing,” says Tom, “but motorsport has never been a relaxing sport. I’ve got the real factory race car sitting in my garage at home that ran in the Surfer’s Paradise races—no roll bar, nothing.

Colin Bond drove it. You’d just put a bash hat on and away you went.”

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INSIDE LINE

THE ENTHUSIASTS Warren and Karen Degnan / 1988 Isuzu Gemini JT190 “I’ve got … er, quite a few cars. I wouldn’t like to say how many,” says Warren Degnan. Another Warren Degnan.

“You’ve got about 20!” laughs Karen. Warren giggles.

“Ah, well, if you want a seriously honest answer,” he says, pausing. “But I’ve been very good lately.”

Karen says, “Only because we’re out of room”.

Warren—motorkhana aficionado, eBay demon, club stalwart—has kept his JT190, a Japanese import, as stock standard. Badged with ‘Isuzu Gemini ZZ Handling by Lotus’, his 1988 ride produces no shortage of marque intrigue when

he pulls up at the shops. Warren rattles off its particulars.

“At the time Isuzu had an interest in Lotus,” he says. “The engine is a 1600 16-valve, obviously twin-overhead cam.

The next model of the Gemini, which is more of a curvy shape—that engine was put in the Lotus Elan. It came with full Recaro interior, 16-valve, MOMO steering wheel, MOMO gear knob, full interior. A gentleman brought it into Adelaide and I picked it up from him in the early 2000s—less than 12 months after it left Japan.”

Warren’s only put 10,000km on it since—for a total of 50,000km—and says it’s “fantastic to drive”.

“It’s got all the goodies of the time: power steering, air-con, it’s very comfortable,” he says. “I’ve got the exact same car in a hatchback, a two-door car ... ”

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INSIDE LINE

THE COLLECTORS

1969 Isuzu 117 Coupé / Bob & Loretta Blackwell “What happened,” says Bob, “is they sent a lot of chassis across to Italy and [legendary design house] Ghia did the production, hand-formed—they used to work in steel.”

Bob, somehow, managed to nab one of those models in 1973 from a dealership where it was let go accidentally. “I paid three-and-a-half grand for it,” he laughs. Being a hand-built, non-production model, his 117 isn’t without problems, but it’s the only one of the three prototype cars that came to Australia that’s known to survive.

At one point, the Isuzu collection at Bob and Loretta’s reached 17. “We are quite passionate, yes,” he says. “We’ve still got a few; my son’s got a Chev LUV ute, which is an Isuzu, I’ve onsold my GT and Loretta wrote off the Sedan …”

“That car ran into me!” protests Loretta.

“Yeah, same difference,” says Bob, with a smile. “The thing was, a lot of them were in various states of disrepair because people from the club would come around and take bits. And then 10 years ago when scrap metal went to $300 a tonne …”

“Don’t tell them!” says Loretta. “… I sold 10 of them to a scrap dealer for $300 each. I thought, wow, that’s a good deal! I’d like to have them back now!”

Note the lack of wing mirrors on Bob’s 117, a form-over-function design flourish from Giorgetto Giugiaro’s pencil. That’s okay. He’s hanging out at a 50th anniversary club meet, but Bob’s not always too keen to look back.

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COVER STORY

PANORAMIC From steep, loose-rock trails to low-range creek crossings, Victoria’s High Country has it all. Join an I-Venture Club trip into the sky

PLAYGROUND WORDS & IMAGES IAIN CURRY

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COVER STORY

F

irst-time visitors to Australia seem well versed in the ways our country can kill you.

Crocodile Dundee, The Reef, Wolf Creek and their ilk must shoulder some of the blame. If it’s not the crocs snatching you from a billabong, the great whites will get you on a snorkelling trip.

Steer clear of water and you’ll perish via a snake or spider bite, or dare venture into the Outback and your car shall (inevitably) break down and the furnacelike heat will do you in. That’s if the serial killers don’t find you first.

One thing tourists neglect to fear about Australia is the cold. Mountains, snow and exposure simply don’t fit the Aussie stereotype, but Victoria’s High Country is not a region to take lightly. Elevation nears 2,000 metres in places; lows colder than –10°C have been recorded and heavy snow fall and biting winds can quickly trouble the hardiest of adventurer.

The window of opportunity to explore many 4WD tracks in the Victorian Alps is small. Isuzu I-Venture Club’s off-road driving trainer David Wilson suggests mid-January until Easter is your safest bet. Even then, there’s a chance of huge rains, or even snow in the upper reaches.

Playing it smart and safe, an I-Venture Club odyssey to the mountains had been locked in for early March, giving Isuzu UTE owners the chance to explore some of the most elevated and spectacular points of the country at the right time of year.

Safety in numbers. That, and the camaraderie that comes with shared experiences alongside fellow explorers, are key drawcards of Isuzu’s I-Venture trips. The Club’s single-day tasters are

great introductions to the true abilities of D-MAXs and MU-Xs, but hop on a four-day epic and your Isuzu wakes muscles you never knew it had. And drivers—two to each vehicle—can’t help but absorb an indispensible amount of off-road driving techniques under the tutelage of expert and engaging guides.

The claustrophobia of Melbourne in our mirrors, we convoy the few hours from city to the rare air of the Alpine National Park town of Bright. The town’s central car park becomes an Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X party, showroom-spec shinies mingling with a few tastefully modified examples dressed for a long weekend of off-road mountain play.

Owners—some retirees, some younglings—have ventured from many corners of Australia to partake.

Pleasantries exchanged and sandwiches scoffed by a glisteningly clear Ovens River, it’s time to climb some mountains.

A wave of happy escapism washes over us from the outset. The sky is a richer blue, the air stiller and clearer, and the trees hardier to withstand the brutal winters. We can see hints of mountains above us from the town—free of snow in these latter stages of summer—and make our way up the sealed and smooth Great Alpine Road.

The light is so pure it almost hurts the eyes, while roadside snow marker posts and wooden chalets could have you believe we’re venturing through the American Rockies or French Alps.

This is not the Australia they typically show in tourist brochures, but it’s no less beautiful than the big red rock or giant ocean reef.

Roadside snow marker posts and wooden chalets could have you believe we’re venturing through the American Rockies or French Alps. max*d

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The first ‘Oh, wow’ moment comes as we suck in the thin air at Mt Hotham’s Danny’s Lookout. At 1,705 metres elevation we’re afforded an endless Alpine panorama; Mt Buller and Mt Feathertop are just a couple of lofty highlights as the muted blues and greens of the mountains ripple to the horizon. A lone cyclist puffs by after what must have been a leg-burning climb, not least in the unexpectedly hot sun we’re enjoying. Almost guiltily, we sink back into the air-conditioned cabin of our MU-X and cosy into our more cossetting leather saddles.

Final destination today is Trig Point, reached only along the steep and rocky Blue Rag Range Trail. Arguably the High Country’s most spectacular track, this was our champagne starter to the upcoming banquet. Damn good champagne, too.

Tyres down to 20psi, low range engaged and the land opens up ahead of us.

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COVER STORY

Our final destination today is Trig Point, reached only along the steep and rocky Blue Rag Range Trail. It’s arguably the high country’s most spectacular track.

Victorian High Country HOW DO I GET THERE? Mansfield is an attractive country town to base yourself for High Country exploring, located about 200km north-east of Melbourne, or 2.5 hours drive. For even more challenging off-road tracks David Wilson from the I-Venture Club suggests a base at Dargo, some four hours or 315km north-east of Melbourne.

With less air in the tyres meaning more contact with the trail’s loose rock-coated surface, I am, as ever, astonished by the MU-X’s climbing skills. In low range the reams of torque mean we can slowly pick our way up the trail, a gentle dab on the throttle is met with instant shove to all four wheels. With steep drop-offs either side of the road, the final ascent demands concentration, but playing follow-myleader behind the experts is great for the confidence.

Dusk is coming and hopping out for yet another flawless vista we get our first blast of true mountain air. The mercury has plummeted during our climb and it’s easy to see how quickly changing conditions could catch bushwalkers out.

The sun setting as we make the return leg, the sky becomes a sea of pastel colours through illuminated ghost gum trees, rising like spindly fingers along the

roadside. Breath firmly taken on day one, we’re already converts to the beautifully stark nature on show here.

Day two is our off-road transit stage finishing at Mansfield in the Alps’ foothills. We make rapid progress along the stony red dirt, before the Isuzus enjoy a cleansing wade across the King River. We spot numerous bush huts, relics from as long ago as the mid-1800s when cattle musterers, loggers, miners and fishermen hand-built these wooden ‘survival’ huts.

We find a fireplace, firewood and even some basic supplies inside each shelter, highlighting how wild the mountain weather gets. They look more aesthetically appealing, spacious and structurally sound than million-dollar ‘renovator’s dream’ properties in gentrified Sydney suburbs, and even today can mean the difference between life and death to lost or

WHERE TO STAY: Mansfield has motel and hotel options (we used Mansfield Valley Motor Inn: mansfieldvalley.com.au), while in summer the nearby ski resorts such as Mt Hotham and Mt Buller are quiet so there are countless lodges, apartments and hotel rooms available.

WHEN TO GO: David Wilson suggests between mid-January and Easter for the safest weather. Check out Parks Victoria (parkweb.vic.gov.au) and Four Wheel Drive Victoria (4wdvictoria.org.au) for the latest trail news and conditions.

Victorian High Country

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COVER STORY

trapped souls in need of emergency four-walled refuge; typically bushwalkers or skiers.

The third-highest hut in Australia, Bluff Hut, is our target on day three, via the lush Bindaree Falls waterfall. The original hut, built in the 1950s, was lost in the region’s devastating 2007 bushfires, but the rebuild already has a postcardworthy rusty patina of age to its tin skin.

A massive open fire inside has us almost wishing to get stranded up here in a blizzard. As long as there was plenty of firewood, good company and a few bottles of the local red.

Bluff Hut is at 1,650 metres and we throw our ride for the day, a D-MAX ute, into its hardest challenge yet. Incredibly steep in places, all we can see at times are

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sky and treetops as we find dramatically steep angles. Slow and steady remains the tactic, and once again our charge walks over the terrain. The cavalcade of Isuzus doing likewise ahead of us, some with novice off-roaders at the helm, shows how effortless these cars make it look.

Our Mansfield base serves up a fine mix of old town charm and modern restaurants, with the local wines (yep, dozens of grape varieties can be grown here) surprising with their range and quality. By morning of our final day we’re again greeted by a deep blue sky. Yes, this region can get all nasty, but we’ve barely seen a rain cloud, let alone been troubled by any of the powdery white stuff.

The trails have been dry, wellmaintained and forgiving as a result.

COVER STORY

Bluff Hut is at 1,650 metres and we throw our ride for the day, a D-MAX ute, into its hardest challenge yet.

Keelan Strachan and Lauren Ferguson Watsonia, Melbourne 2013 Isuzu D-MAX SX Crew Cab “I’ve been amazed how easy the D-MAX has found the off-roading. In low range it really is just point, shoot and steer. You wouldn’t believe what these things can do unless you try it. Lauren was in the passenger seat the first three days of the High Country trip, but on the fourth day she stole the keys and she won’t let me drive now, which is awesome. No, really!

“I’ve owned the D-MAX for two years now and it’s always full of tools as it’s used every day as my work vehicle, so it’s really nice to just unload and go.

“Trips like these give me a heap more confidence and although we’d love to come out here by ourselves, you’re always a bit worried in case something happens. It’s great with the guidance and if you do get stuck there’s someone to help you out.

“The Blue Rag Track was incredible with 360-degree views. I’d love to go back there and hopefully camp overnight. I’ll just have to get all the work gear out again!”

Horsepower is still the answer in Ned Kelly country—although now it’s more about kilowatts.

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COVER STORY

We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s on offer in Victoria’s High Country in our D-MAXs and MU-Xs. Glenn and Sharon Griffiths Hoppers Crossing, Melbourne 2015 Isuzu MU-X LS-T

Only one puncture to report from a train of 12 Isuzus over four days and this was swiftly fixed by the on-hand rescue crew.

This is testament, the guides will no doubt agree, to their expert route plan as well as the vehicles’ toughness.

Our final fling involves a dose of movie magic. On top of Mt Stirling is Craig’s Hut, built specifically as a set for The Man from Snowy River. We put the Isuzus into low range again for another steep climb along Monument Trail—the panorama and openness somehow eclipse all the views we’ve marvelled at so far. The scenic backdrop of Mt Cobbler is finer than anything Hollywood could produce and the picture-perfect hut overlooking it captures the essence

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of the High Country’s magic in one magnificent scene.

As enchanting as Jim Craig’s horseback riding was in the film, to be able to drive almost to this iconic hut’s front door is a rare privilege. It shouldn’t be this easy, but we’re agreed we’re very fortunate it is.

We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s on offer in Victoria’s High Country, but have literally climbed mountains each day in our D-MAXs and MU-Xs. The climate may have been at its most benign, but to have not a single vehicle even look like getting stuck, or even backing up to re-attempt an obstacle, has us confident and hungry to explore even deeper into this gem of a region.

“Sharon was nervous about some of the big climbs, but if you do the right thing, get the tyre pressures down, the car will walk itself up.

“We bought the MU-X because we were retiring. We needed something to tow a caravan and we like to free camp in out-there places so needed the 4WD to get us there!

“We did a lot of research, got lots of recommendations and couldn’t find a bad word about the Isuzu.

“In the past we’ve done a one-day I-Venture Club training drive and on our own we’ve done Outback Queensland, NSW and Northern Territory with the caravan.

“We chose to do the High Country four-day trip because we’d trained before with David Wilson. He’s an expert at giving great guidance and we have confidence in him. We thought it’d be the place to go to have fun and learn, too. And it was!

“We think we could do this sort of trip on our own now, but prefer to do it with others. It’s the social aspect that makes it so enjoyable— it’s a wonderful shared experience.”

MAXTRAX.COM.AU

TRAVELLER

THE SIMPSON

DESERT T

he Simpson Desert, the world’s largest sand dune desert, is at the top of many an Aussie four-wheel driver’s must-do list. The red giant covers more than 17 million hectares of central Oz and incorporates Munga-Thirri National Park (Queensland), Simpson Desert Conservation Park (South Australia) and the Northern Territory’s Simpson Desert Regional Reserve.

Across the Simpson, over 1100 parallel dunes run south-east to north-west—some up to 90m high; some 200km long. They’re separated by intra-dunal valleys, each about 1km wide. Though it’s a desert, the Simpson does support vegetation: spinifex, canegrass and shrublands of acacias, hakeas and grevilleas.

It’s relentless: hot, hard, harsh.

It’s a graveyard for the unwary and an invitation to the unhinged, but it’s also one of the world’s most beautiful places.

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Pop quiz: what’s the greatest sandy desert? (Hint: it’s not the Great Sandy Desert.) Now’s the time to head Outback …

WORDS MARCUS CRAFT

When to go Unless you are mad, a mad dog, or English, avoid travelling through the Simpson Desert in the hotter months.

From November to April, the mercury regularly tops 40°C and can exceed 50°C. Queensland’s Munga-Thirri National Park is closed over summer, from 1 December to 15 March. This is sensible.

The Simpson’s winter maximum temperature is about 19°C; minimum is about 4°C. This is regarded as the best time of year to tour the region.

Experienced (read: clever) drivers plan trips for winter so travelling and camping are more comfortable.

The average annual rainfall is less than 150mm and typically occurs in short downpours between December and March. Sand storms are more common in the dry months.

What to expect Sand and lots of it—you are in a desert, after all. It’s Australia’s driest

place, so you must be self-sufficient (carrying all food, water, fuel, spares, etc.) and you must be experienced in desert and remote-area travel—or at least travel with fellow drivers who are experienced. The closest food and fuel supply is Birdsville.

If you plan to cross the Simpson, you’ll need a 4WD with low-range gearing and high ground clearance, and set aside at least four days.

Drop tyre pressures to 18 psi and see how you go; if you’re struggling to get through the sand, go even lower.

If heading into the Simpson from the west, we recommend you travel on one of three tracks—because we’ve travelled them all: the French Line, which is the desert’s shortest, fastest and most tourer-friendly route; the Rig Road; and the WAA Line. Take your pick. All of these tracks meet at Poeppel Corner.

Travelling east-to-west across the Simpson—along the QAA Line then meeting up with one of the

TRAVELLER

aforementioned routes—is considered more difficult than going west-to-east as the eastern side of the dunes, the lee side, is steeper. The prevailing wind makes them so.

For the more adventurous among you, consider giving the Madigan Line a nudge. This route, taken by geologist Cecil Madigan in 1939 through the north of the desert, is the Simpson’s most remote and challenging drive. Only do so, however, if you are a very experienced remote-area 4WDer, have comprehensive mechanical know-how and you are supremely well-equipped to tackle this route.

In the Simpson, there are no toilets, showers or camping grounds.

Camping is allowed within 500m of the QAA Line. Permits and fees apply so check with the relevant authorities; also make sure you’re up-to-date with track and weather conditions.

The desert gets busy with tourers, so every vehicle must have a sand

safety flag attached to it: this is a high-visibility flag (300mm wide and 290mm high and fluorescent red/ orange or lime/yellow) atop a pole.

The flag itself must be 3.5 metres from ground level if mounted on a bullbar or front of vehicle; or 2 metres from roof level if on a roof rack.

In the Simpson, there are snakes, dingoes, lizards, more than 180 species of birds, wild camels and much more.

Try not to collide with them.

And more sand. The Simpson is a spectacular place—harsh but unbelievably serene. Take a walk a few hundred metres away from your campsite at night, away from any ambient light and soak up the peace of it. Just make sure you know how to get back.

Oh, the places you’ll go At Poeppel Corner, about 175km west of Birdsville, Munga-Thirri National Park meets South Australia’s Simpson Desert Conservation Park and the

The Simpson Desert

QUICK SPECS WHERE: The Simpson Desert lies across the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland. At 176,500km2, it’s the world’s largest sand dune desert.

ACCOMMODATION: Be prepared to BYO in these parts, but you’ll be rewarded with epic night skies.

MORE INFO: guidebooks.com.au—The official site of off-road adventure travellers and guidebook scribes Ron and Viv Moon.

4wda.org.au—Tips, updates and contacts from the Australian National Four Wheel Drive Council. environment.gov.au/parks—Guide to all national parks and reserves in Australia.

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TRAVELLER Northern Territory’s Simpson Desert Regional Reserve. This is where you can be in three states—Qld, SA and NT—at the same time. You’ll also reach Poeppel Corner if you’re travelling west from Birdsville along the QAA line. It’s named after Augustus Poeppel, a government surveyor who, in 1879, marked the corner boundary of the three states. There’s a replica of Poeppel’s original marker at the site.

The dune known as Big Red, situated about 30km west of Birdsville, is considered a 4WDer’s rite of passage; it marks either the start of your Simpson adventure or the end of it. Either way, it’s always a thrill to tackle Big Red. I still recall my first ascent. At about 40m high, it’s not the biggest dune I’d ever been on—

I’d been on the monster dunes of Namibia—and it’s not even the tallest sand dune in the desert, but it’s a symbolic ahievement.

“4WDs are not meant to fly” Vin Diesel is a complete liar—all of those Fast and Furious movies depict cars leapfrogging each other, hurtling between buildings and making it across that gigantic gliderworthy gap that only exists between fictional freeways. No vehicle is meant to fly.

I had this stunning revelation on my first trip to the Simpson in the mid-2000s. I was mid-air, staring through my windscreen at nothing but clear blue sky. My photographer was shouting at me from the front

passenger seat as I was gunning a 4WD over the top of a steep dune in the dead desert heart of Australia.

Not a good time or place to have such a revelation. Mid-air. In the desert. A long way from mechanics, spare parts and hospitals.

I was airborne for seconds— clearing all four tyres off the ground over the dune’s crest—but it felt like an eternity because I realised I’d been an absolute idiot.

As we slammed into the forgiving sand, the vehicle’s chassis moaned and the suspension shrieked under the stress of it all as two tonnes of vehicular engineering, food, water, camping equipment and soiled underwear (mine) came crashing back to earth.

Above: Dalhousie ruins on the edge of the Simpson Desert; This image: The famous Big Red sand dune.

UNDER PRESSURE

If you keep getting bogged, your tyre pressures may be too high

Check your tyres and adjust them to suit the terrain. Tyre pressures have to be lowered for sand driving—18psi or 125kPa is a good starting point. When pressures are dropped, each tyre’s ‘footprint’ will then have a greater surface area, so they will almost float over sand rather than dig into it. Don’t drive too quickly or turn too suddenly when driving on sand with low tyre pressures—that’s a fast way to roll your tyre off its rim.

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As we ground to a halt, my photographer looked at me and said dryly: “Crafty, 4WDs are not meant to fly”. Luckily, nothing mechanical was broken.

I’d been told before the trip that the best way to approach any steep incline in a 4WD is with your vehicle in low-range second or third gear— low first, if the incline was very steep—and with firm but steady acceleration.

My heavy right foot had been a rookie mistake. After my ‘take-off’ experience, however, my dunedriving skills improved rapidly.

Take your lessons where you can The key to safe dune driving, I realised as I watched legendary 4WD writer Ron Moon in action day-to-day, was awareness and technique—with a healthy dash of mongrel.

“Drive up the bloody things like you mean it,” he told me over a campfire one night. He didn’t take unnecessary risks but he did tend to power up the dunes smoothly.

The importance of getting tyre pressures correct was also hammered home to me. Dropping pressures to 18 psi or so increases each tyre’s

‘footprint’ thus helping your 4WD ‘float’ over the surface and it will likely prove the difference between having a great day in the Simpson and spending it all digging your 4WD out. Remember: tyre pressures will increase as tyres heat up due to use and rises in air temperature.

It was handy for me to also remember, as I reached the top of each dune, to ease off on the accelerator, which helped avoid any more ‘lift-off’ recurrences.

Keeping a couple of car lengths between vehicles meant there was more room for someone to back out of a failed dune-climb. The driver could then reverse down the dune and have another crack.

Out in the Simpson we saw herds of wild camels and lone dingoes. For photographic purposes, the snapper and I even chased a deadly brown snake. (Not advisable.) The days were long and hot (when we were out of our vehicles) and a whole lot of fun.

We had beers and barbies every night and witnessed star-filled skies.

But after a hard day’s driving towards the end of the trip, I stood atop a huge dune, which was turning blood-red in the setting sun and I experienced another desertinspired epiphany: all of that quiet, peaceful middle-of-nowhere stuff was great, but none of it came close to the thrill of driving over huge sand dunes again and again.

I was mid-air, staring through my windscreen at nothing but clear blue sky. I was gunning a 4WD over the top of a steep dune in the dead desert heart of Australia. max*d

33

UNSUNG HEROES

THE PUPPY PROTECTOR

Carey Edwards is the co-founder of Australian Working Dog Rescue International.

They save 1,500 unwanted and abused working-breed hounds from death each year WORDS BEN SMITHURST

You re-house working dogs like kelpies and cattle dogs. But how do they end up in pounds?

Surely they’re pretty useful.

Well, you get people in the city who love the breeds—border collies, cattle dogs, kelpies. They’re beautiful and friendly, but they need so much mental stimulation.

Conversely, people out on the farms might breed a litter with a few that are more suited to being lounge lizards. They end up at the pounds and destroyed.

What are the numbers?

Over 200,000 companion animals are killed by Australian pounds and shelters each year. Per capita that’s not great; America kills a little over five million. Probably 30–40,000 per year here are working breeds or mixes of. We currently save around 1,500 a year, and we’ve looked after over 11,000 dogs in our history.

How do you do it?

We’ve formed relationships with about 92 different councils and we have anywhere between 500 and 1,000 volunteers around the country at any time. When a dog isn’t collected, the pound sends out a ‘kill list’ and rescue organisations such as ours have usually got 24 to 72 hours to save the dog’s life. We always, always need more foster carers.

Give us an example.

Many end really badly. But one case was a dog called Shinzi. Its undercarriage was in a terrible state and it had paralysis from the top of the tail down. Someone had actually hung onto his tail 34

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and kicked the hell out of the dog.

That costs money to fix and so there was a big appeal for him.

One of the vet nurses at the clinic just fell in love with him and ended up adopting him. But there are other ones that we can’t save.

How common is abuse?

It’s hidden­—people don’t realise it’s there until a case hits the news. It’s a like an article we had published recently on truck dogs.

What’s a truck dog?

Did you know that stock dogs, working on trucks, are stuffed into little boxes underneath semitrailers? People aren’t even aware that they’re passing by these huge rigs loaded with cattle and sheep, and in the middle of that semi, near the road, there’s a little hole.

And all of a sudden you see this dog’s nose hanging out.

It needs to be stopped.

How are you funded?

Just good business practices and fundraisers. We sell a dog for $395, which barely covers the de-sexing and microchipping. But then we’ll get a litter of puppies with parvovirus and profits go down the drain; treatment can cost $2,000 to $8,000 per dog.

Wait, $8,000 per dog?

Parvovirus is expensive to treat.

It’s a self-replicating virus.

With pups under 16 weeks the mortality rate is upwards of 80 per cent. It’s virtually a death sentence, which is why there’s always a push for people to vaccinate their dogs. But we’ve been working with vets for the past five years on other

When you’ve got your best mate there beside you and the loyalty and devotion is unwavering, it’s pretty hard to look past that for something better in life.

NAME: Carey Edwards, founder—with wife, Di—of nongovernment funded animal charity Australian Working Dog Rescue International BASED: Ballan, Victoria DOGS SAVED: 11,000 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS: 483,000 MORE INFO: awdri.com.au CONTACT: 0417 497 031

treatments and we’ve got many vets now onboard. Our actual mortality rate is down to under 20 per cent to those pups under 16 weeks. We’ll keep pushing.

What do you love about dogs?

They’re the most entirely loyal animal on the face of the planet.

They’ve been bred for thousands of years to be with us. When you’ve got your best mate there beside you and the loyalty and devotion is unwavering, it’s pretty hard to look past that for something better in life.

What’s the weirdest working dog you’ve come across?

We named them ‘the wookies’— they were a cross between an Irish wolfhound and a kelpie.

They looked like Chewbaccas with piercing eyes. They looked cool!

Were they working on a farm?

No, someone posted them on Gumtree. They were hanging them upside down, with a note: “Come and collect these in the next 24 hours or they’ll be shot”.

Oh, no.

That’s the kind of thing we deal with every day. We just had one out of Tamworth pound and were wondering what was wrong with its jaw. X-rays showed that the bone had been shattered— bits of bullet fragment were still in the dog’s face. It had been suffering; it was horrible to see. But that one ended up in a fantastic home.

Someone up in the Northern Territory absolutely fell in love with it­—and the story kicked the crocodiles off the front page of the NT News for once!

UNSUNG HEROES

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35

THE LIST

THE LIST

, S A I L A USTR

BEST

A

FOOD FESTIVALS WORDS GREGOR STRONACH

Fancy something fancy to nibble on while you’re out and about? Good—because no matter how far out, or how long you’ve been about, the regional options are almost endless …

I

t’s not like you need an excuse to go for a drive— but just in case you’ve got a bit of the old ‘let’s just stay

QLD

home’ blues, we’ve put together a list of food festivals from around the country for a bit of gran turismo inspiration. So pack up

the family, fire up your taste buds and get ready to experience some of the very best food and wine Australia has to offer.

Relish Food and Wine Festival

Where: Maryborough, QLD / When: Around June each year Best For: A slow-paced, foodie haven under the Queensland winter sun Now in its sixth year, the Relish Food and Wine Festival is held in Maryborough, about a three-hour drive north of Brisbane, early each June (you’ve just missed this year’s event, which was held on 2 June). Like a lot of local festivals, this one has a very strong focus on local produce and chefs, including Coast Restaurant head chef Tom Jack, and Dan and Steph, who featured on season four of My Kitchen Rules. There’s plenty to taste, plus a bunch of masterclasses to give budding foodies in the family some inspiration to get on the pans once you get home.

Website: relishfrasercoast.com.au

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THE LIST

NSW Curryfest

Where: Woolgoolga, NS Best for: Curry, obviou W / When: 29 September–1 October, 2018 sly—but there’s more The 13th annu to it than just spicy fo al Curryfest is od set to be

long weekend held on the O ctober in the sleepy seaside town an early centre of Woolgoolga, of Sikh migra tion to Austra 20 minutes no lia. It’s about rth of Coffs H ar bour, so, ah, Si find. As the na kh and ye shal me suggests, Cu l rryfest is a ce things curry— lebration of al so if you’re a fa l n of the spices of Sri Lankan, Pa Indian, kistani and M oroccan food, be missed. Mor then this shou e curiously, th ldn’t ere are also off afield as Mexic erings from as o and the Med far ite rranean. And kids. Aside from donuts for fu the food—whi ssy ch you’ll find alon there will be m g Eat Street— arket stalls, de m os , roving entert a main stage fe ainers and aturing traditi onal dancing Website: curr and local band yfest.com.au s.

The Lovedale Long

Where: Lovedale, NSW Lunch Best for: Finding out wh/ When: Every May y the Hunter Valley is wo The Lovedale rld famous for its Long

wines Lunch is fast becoming som of an institutio ething n, attracting vi sitors from al to sample the l over Australia absolute best food and win Hunter Valley e that the region can pr oduce. Based town about an in Lovedale, a hour west of small Newcastle, th unique format e event follow in that the fest sa ival has a num (AKA winerie ber of venues s) that you bo ok in advance to you hop on a visit, and then bus to enjoy gr eat grub, som and great mus e top drops— ic—at your le isure. Extra gr with a few frie eat if you atte nds. Because nd of the format, th a cult-like follo e festival has wing and tend s to sell out. Bo possible if you’ ok as early as re keen.

Website: loveda lelonglunch.co m.au

Taste Port Douglas

Where: Port Douglas, QLD / When: 15–16 September, 2018 Best for: Avoiding rogue crocodiles while sampling spectacular food The joys of Far North Queensland are many and varied—the Daintree, Johnathan Thurston, Irukandji—and the Taste Port Douglas festival adds yet another reason to keep heading north once you’ve reached Cairns. With a focus on high-end, fine dining, the organisers have lined up a very impressive roster of some of the best chefs in the country, all of them briefed to make best use of the incredible seafood and tropical produce the region supplies. It’s licensed, so kids and teens have to be supervised by a responsible adult—or, at least, by you.

Great grub in one of northern Australia’s iconic towns. Head to Rex Smeal Park, in Wharf Street and bring your classiest, stretchiest pants.

Website: tasteportdouglas.com

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37

THE LIST

VIC Pedal and Taste

Where: Beechworth, VIC / When: May Best for: Crashing your bicycle after a few too many wines

TAS Bicheno Food and Wine Festival

Where: Bicheno, TAS / When: 16–18 November, 2018 Best For: A rustic, hands-on Tasmanian foodie experience Now in its 12th year, the Bicheno Food and Wine Festival is an annual event designed to bring the very best that Tasmania’s wonderful east coast has to offer into one place. The three-day festival is held in Bicheno (of course), which is a 2.5-hour drive from Hobart, and just north of the magical Freycinet National Park.

With a venue overlooking the ocean, a cast of ‘leading local wine makers, brewers and distillers, chefs, food producers and gourmet innovators’ will bring their A-games, say organisers, with loads of music and kid-friendly activities to keep everyone entertained.

Website: bichenofestivals.com.au

The Taste of Tasmania

Where: Hobart, TAS / When: 28 December 2018–3 January, 2019 Best For: A week-long indulgence on fine food, wine, whiskey and beer While it’s not exactly off the beaten track, the Taste of Tasmania festival is the largest event of its kind on the Apple Isle. It’s a weeklong celebration of all things Tasmanian, including seafood, cheeses, and Boonie (probably). Of course, there’s the wine, craft beer and the fine offerings from Tasmania’s award-winning distilleries. Last year’s event saw more than 130 free live performances, with a host of free kids’ activities on offer as well. It’s worth a visit—even if just to taste the whiskeys of an island whose reputation for artisanal distilling seems to be growing exponentially.

Website: thetasteoftasmania.com.au

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Pedal and Taste is what it sounds like—a leisurely 35km bicycle tour that starts and finishes in Beechworth, a jewel in the Victorian High Country, three hours north of Melbourne. But you don’t need to be Cadel Evans—or even Tony Abbott.

The tour takes in a number of local producers keen to show off their wares, such as cheese, olives and more. Plus, of course, there are the local wineries— including a private tasting at Brown Brothers to end the day, if that’s your sort of thing. If the idea of cycling 35km doesn’t appeal, electrically assisted bike are available for hire/making other riders jealous as the day wears on. Check with Visit Melbourne for next year’s dates.

Website: visitmelbourne.com

Hepburn Springs Swiss and Italian Festa

Where: Hepburn Springs, VIC / When: 18–22 October, 2018 Best for: Something a little more European Hepburn Springs’ soirée is a departure from some of the food and wine festival offerings around Australia in that it’s designed to showcase the area’s heritage. The town was settled by Swiss and Italian immigrants, and its history and culture continues to be influenced by those early arrivals to this day (so beware Swiss families called Robinson, and libidinous, moped-riding Italians).

It’s an easy 1.5-hour drive northwest of Melbourne for five days of music, food and wine, and a Grand Parade through the centre of town that ends with the Family Festa. It’s as kid friendly as that sounds, lots of fun, and you can also ‘take the waters’ at one of the area’s numerous mineral springs.

Website: swissitalianfesta.com

MAX or MU-X D u z u Is n a y u b Card for rd a Refer a buddy to w e R E T U u z u Is and get a $150r your buddy.* yourself and fo

$15 0

TE ISUZU U CARDˆ REWARD

Find out more or complete your Buddy Bonus Plus claim online at

ISUZUUTE.COM.AU/BUDDYBONUSPLUS *Terms and conditions apply, see full details at isuzuute.com.au/buddybonusplus. Entry available to private, ABN, primary producer and national fleet customer sales only. Available at Participating Isuzu UTE Dealers only. ^Redeemable at Participating Isuzu UTE Dealers only. Valid for 12 months from issue. See terms and conditions for further information. Offer ends 31/3/2019.

THE LIST

SA Barossa Gourmet Weekend

Where: Barossa Valley, SA / When: 31 August–2 September, 2018 Best for: Fine food, fine wine and spectacular scenery

NT A Taste of Kakadu

Where: Kakadu National Park, NT / When: 18–27 May, 2018 Best for: Bush tucker the likes of which you’ve never seen before Billed as a ‘cultural food fest 65,000 years in the making’, A Taste of Kakadu is about as Northern Territory as you can get without being knocked off a quad bike by a croc—which is to say, it’s very Northern Territory indeed.

Held over 10 days in the iconic Kakadu National Park, two hours drive east of Darwin, the festival brings the big names of the Northern Territory food scene together, joining with traditional owners to put their modern spin on a wealth of indigenous ingredients. Expect bush tucker walks, canape cruising and a sampling of culinary traditions twelve times older than The Pyramids. Website: parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/taste

WA Truffle Kerfuffle Southern Forests Food Festival

The Barossa Gourmet Weekend is a three-day shindig deep in the heart of South Australia’s premier wine country, showcasing local food, chefs, produce and— of course—wine. Lots and lots of wine. If you find South Australians to be almost excruciatingly proud of the Barossa, however, you might want to avoid this one—if only because you’ll quickly discover they’re right. Typically, the Barossa Gourmet Weekend has activities to suit just about anyone, ranging from intimate tastings and cooking masterclasses through to garden parties and outdoor feasting. The exact program for 2018 is still being hammered out, but organisers swear it’ll be even bigger and better than last year.

Website: barossagourmet.com

Port Lincoln Tunarama Festival

Where: Port Lincoln, SA / When: 24–27 January, 2019 Best for: Massive, tasty fish—and the chance to throw a tuna as far as you possibly can Port Lincoln’s fish-fest is a South Oz summer highlight.

Held on the Foreshore, it features—as do all good festivals—plenty of food, drink and entertainment, but with an added highlight: competitive fish hurling.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the Bluefin Tuna the region is world-famous for—and the highlight of the festival itself is the world-famous, must-see Tuna Toss. The current record holder is Eddie Konetschka, whose almighty 16.45m heave will be hard to beat (note: there are minimum sizes for thrown fish, and rules are rigidly enforced). Start practising now. It’s very family friendly, with tons of fun for the kids—or at least, those kids clever enough not to wander into the probably very dangerous fish landing zone. Brilliant, friendly and fiercely Australian.

Website: tunarama.net

Where: Fonty’s Pool, Manjimup, WA When: 22–24 June, 2018 Best for: Top-shelf gourmet cuisine and getting your hands dirty Truffles are the epitome of luxury, so it makes sense that a festival devoted to this highly prized ingredient is all a bit posh as well. Truffle Kerfuffle is held in Manjimup, about a three-and-a-half hour drive south of Perth, in the beautiful Southern Forests region. The program features some of Australia’s and the world’s best chefs, including Guy Grossi, Bruno Loubet and Marianne Lumb. But it’s not just cuisine. If you fancy getting down and dirty, you’ll get the chance to go truffle hunting with some local experts. Website: trufflekerfuffle.com.au

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Feeling peckish? Then jump in your Isuzu and check out your next local food festival.

This is

Club 4X4 Country

You have arrived. You took that red dirt track, wheeled your way through the mud and battled the bulldust.

You find yourself a nice secluded patch to set up camp for the night, or maybe two – who knows.

The awning is out and the rooftop tent is ready to lay your head later that night. The campfire is roaring and the Milky Way is beaming down at you. This is what it’s all about right? Well you’re not alone, this is what we’re about too.

How often have you found yourself in this setting and considered what you would do if the worst were to happen to your kitted out 4X4?

Take a moment to do that – we’ll wait.

Would your insurance payout allow you to rebuild this dream? If your rig burnt to embers that night, how much would you be covered for?

If you had an accident on that red dirt track, would your insurer cover you for driving there?

If you’re not sure, head on over to Club 4X4 country, we understand what you need

Visit CLUB4X4.COM.AU or call 1800 CLUB 4X4 for a quote *An excess of $500 will be applied to a claim under this cover, with a maximum of two (2) claims per policy year.

A maximum limit of $1000 also applies to any individual item. Read the PDS for more detail. ** *This Additional benefit is subject to an excess of $200 which will be applied and this benefit is limited to one (1) claim per policy period. Club 4x4 Pty Ltd is an Authorised Representative of the insurer, The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd, AFSL 241436. Any advice provided is general only. Consider the PDS at www.club4x4.com.au

PROUD MEMBER OF

HOOK, LINE & SINKER

TH E LON G WAY

’ROUND

Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart—AKA the Hook, Line and Sinker boys—hitch up their D-MAX to tow (and fish) their way around Australia WORDS ANDREW HART

N

ick and I have been fortunate enough to have produced Hook, Line and Sinker for the past 17 years. That’s a long time to spend trying to catch and film fish!

Coming up with ideas for programs at the beginning of each season seems to be getting harder and harder for us, simply because we’ve been lucky enough to have fished right across the country for most of the big-ticket sports fishing species.

Yeah, we know: first world problems —we’ve got ’em.

So when we sat down to plan our 2018 and 2019 seasons, we decided that the simplest thing to do would be to arrange a road trip. An epic one at

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that­—some 25,000kms, right the way around Australia.

To make it worthwhile, we decided to load up the biggest Bar Crusher we could find—a 780HT powered by a 300hp Yamaha—and load it with heaps of fishing gear.

Starting in Melbourne, we picked up a brand-new D-MAX and Bar Crusher, still pinching ourselves that this was actually work! Then, with not much of a plan other than driving anti-clockwise around Australia, we headed off.

Our first stop, Western Port Bay, was less than 100km down the road. We’d organised a morning’s whiting fishing with celebrity fishing legend Lee Rayner. Lee is the host of his own

popular fishing program, Fishing Edge, and an all-round nice guy. It just so happens he’s well acquainted with Western Port Bay. Sure enough, with local help, we had the first couple of segments of our two-year journey in the can. The King George whiting were fat and happy—or, at least, happy until hooked—and we took enough for a couple of feeds. The ‘HLS Lap of Australia’ was off and running in fine style. Not to mention a very tasty style, indeed!

Next stop was Lakes Entrance, where we spent early the next morning chasing estuary perch in the Snowy River. It’s a species we had never caught on the program before.

HOOK,LINE&SINKER

The D-MAX launched and retrieved the big Bar Crusher with ease, despite the muddy bank.

Our guide, Frank Milito, knew his stuff and we caught plenty of bream, flathead and, finally, our elusive perch.

Once again, going with a local who knows the area and how to fish it proved priceless.

We then had a few days fishing on our own, without help. And we learnt a valuable lesson.

We failed to catch snapper and gummy sharks during a marathon day off Lakes Entrance. We failed to catch a marlin, despite giving ourselves a few days fishing out from Eden in the middle of a ‘hot bite’. We also failed to catch the big flathead we were targeting in Wonboyn Lake.

We did, however, manage to get a few segments in the can, catching magnificent dolphin fish from the Eden FAD (Fish Aggravating Device), so that was at least something. But it was becoming clear that with our

limited time in each location, local knowledge was what we needed to catch anything worthy of being on the TV show!

Our next stop was a long detour inland to Lake Eucumbene. Once again we had local help and were hosted by Buckenderra Holiday Village. We caught plenty of trout and managed to bag plenty of good content for the show. The D-MAX launched and retrieved the big Bar Crusher with ease, despite the lake being low and us having to launch from the muddy bank rather than a boat ramp!

With our trout fishing done and dusted we headed for Jervis Bay. Again, local knowledge was king. We were guided by a few keen fishos from the NSW Fisheries team. Targeting kingfish, we caught and tagged a few from beneath the cliffs of Point Perpendicular. Simply stunning!

ook, Watch HSinker Line andte. Check on 7mal guides loca tails. for de

Next morning, we were at it again, this time on our own, but armed with some secret GPS coordinates that we were confident would help us trick a snapper. That’s exactly what we did, Nick landing two thumping big fish to keep the road trip ticking along nicely.

Then it was time to head home to the family, and regroup and refresh, before heading off again. It’s going to be a hell of a trip around the country —one that’s going to take us a good 18 months to complete. Make sure you stay tuned for the next instalment!

The new series of Hook, Line and Sinker begins on 7mate in August.

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43

REFUEL

SIMPLE

ITALIAN

“Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?” sang Avril Lavigne. Clearly she hasn’t made pasta with Ben Milbourne

“I

used to use food to teach chemistry,” says Tasmania’s finest (and Isuzu MU-Xdrivingest) kitchen guru, Ben Milbourne. “There are just over 100 elements on the periodic table—that is your pantry— and with that we have built the world around us.”

A former high school science teacher, it was his students who nominated Ben for the hit television series MasterChef.

Now, of course, he brings that knowledge to the table in a different way.

“There are thousands of ingredients in the world of food,” he says. “Imagine the things we can create with that!”

As one of Masterchef’s most enduring alumni, culinary creativity is a given. Whether on his SBS Food Network series, Food Lab, or on his earlier shows, Ben’s Menu (Channel 10), or Andy and Ben Eat Australia (SBS), the Logie-nominated star knows his craft. And while he built his reputation as a gifted craftsman of Mexican and seafood flavours, Ben’s Italian cooking is no less impressive.

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Like many great chefs, Ben preaches a gospel of good, fresh ingredients, cooked simply.

Which, as a Tasmanian, is only natural. When you’re from one of the world’s great foodie destinations, quality produce is a given. And when the base materials are so brilliant, there’s less temptation to overcomplicate things.

It’s about restraint.

“Some ingredients, just like the world of chemistry, won’t go together,” he says, “but some will create flavours and textures that make life worth living.”

Of course, when you’re out bush, the other benefit of keeping things simple is that you don’t need to lug a full pantry around to eat like a king.

You just need a couple of quality ingredients in the esky to create one of the simplest, tastiest pasta standards there is.

‘Cacio e Pepe’ literally means ‘cheese and pepper’, and is a bona fide classic. Salmon and lemon—another timeless match—has just a few more ingredients.

Tasty. Easy. Science was never meant to be this delicious.

Cacio e Pepe Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Serves: 3 Ingredients • 100g spaghetti • 50g butter • 100g pecorino cheese, grated • 2 tbsp olive oil • generous pinch of black pepper • generous pinch of Tasman sea salt Method Step 1: Add spaghetti to a pot of boiling water, seasoned with a pinch of salt. Boil for 5–10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

Step 2: In a pan over medium heat, add butter, cheese, oil and some pasta water. Simmer, stirring constantly, until butter and cheese have melted and are well combined. Add the black pepper and then stir until combined.

Step 3: Add spaghetti straight from the pot to the pan and toss until the spaghetti is nicely coated in the sauce.

To serve: Top with grated pecorino cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper.

REFUEL

Salmon Lemon Pasta Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients • 2–3 zucchinis, spiralised/ thinly sliced (zoodles) • 250g hot smoked salmon pieces • 3 tbsp crème fraiche • 1 tsp Dijon mustard • Juice of 1 lemon • ½ red onion, finely diced • Pinch of chilli flakes • 1 tbsp capers • 1 tbsp olive oil • Pinch of sea salt To serve • 1 cup cherry tomatoes • Halved fresh dill Method Step 1: In a bowl combine salmon pieces, crème fraiche Dijon mustard, lemon juice, half of your diced red onion, chilli flakes and capers.

Step 2: Add olive oil, salmon mixture and zoodles to a pan over low to medium heat.

Mix together and sauté until heated through (this will take approximately 5 minutes) Step 3: Serve with fresh dill, cherry tomatoes and the remaining red onion.

FIND OUT MORE Visit benmilbourne.com.au for more recipes and cookbooks, as well as links to Ben’s food tours, degustation dinners and his in-demand cooking school.

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FLASHBACK

1967

ISUZU FLORIAN The name dates to Roman times—‘flōrus’ is Latin for yellow or blond—but the Florian wasn’t quite Isuzu’s golden-haired boy when it debuted at the 1967 Tokyo Motor Show. The four-door sedan (or rarer five-door wagon) shared a chassis with its more stylish stablemate, the fastback Isuzu 117 Coupé, and its 1.6-litre inline fourcylinder petrol engine was a detuned, 62kW version of the unit that powered its more affordable sibling, the Bellett. And yet, while Bellett production wound up in 1973, the mid-sized, premium-range Florian kept plugging along, with only two facelifts across its remarkable 15-year production run. A more robust 1.8-litre diesel option was made available from 1977, completing a luxurious Florian spec sheet that included air-conditioning and leather seats. The last—and 145,836th —Florian rolled off the production line at Isuzu’s Fujisawa Plant, in Kanagawa, in 1983.

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Maroochydore Pacific Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5430 1555

Arundel Gold Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5583 9320 Atherton John Cole Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4030 5590 Ayr Burdekin Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4783 7077 Blackwater ASF KD Motorworx (IASF) Phone: 1300 53 66 86 Brendale Brendale Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3490 6600

Maryborough ASO Bay City Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4123 0000 Moorooka Moorooka Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3373 0777 Moranbah ASF Moranbah Discount Tyre & Mechanical (IASF) Phone: 07 4941 7313 Morayfield ASO Keystar Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3448 1030

Bendigo Central Victorian Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5449 4500 Bundoora Northern Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9466 5855 Dandenong Patterson Cheney Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9215 2300 Essendon Essendon Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9937 7688 Echuca Echuca Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5480 0526 Ferntree Gully Ferntree Gully Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9758 0000 Horsham Horsham City Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5382 4677

Burton North East Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8280 9899

Mandurah Mandurah Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9587 9999

Christies Beach Wayne Phillis Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8384 8066

Merredin ASO Avon Valley Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9041 4444

Hampstead Gardens ASO North East Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8261 6006

Midland Midland Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9273 0030

Kadina Peninsula Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8832 2725 Maitland ASO Peninsula Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8832 2725 Mount Gambier OGR Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8725 7999 Murray Bridge Murray Bridge Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8531 0044

Northam Avon Valley Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9621 4000 Osborne Park Osborne Park Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9273 2000 Port Hedland Pilbara Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9174 2600 Rockingham Bergmans Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9527 8883 Wanneroo Wanneroo Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9403 9403

Lilydale Genesis Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9879 7776

Port Augusta Emanuele Bros Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8643 6233

Melton Harrison Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 8746 0399

Port Lincoln Mike Raleigh Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8683 1211

Burnie Gowans Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6431 5677

TAS

Bundaberg Bundaberg Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4131 8240

Mount Gravatt Keema Mt Gravatt Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3426 1500

Cairns Trinity Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4081 5030

Mt Isa Mt Isa Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4743 0347

Mildura Autosynergy Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5022 0927

Tanunda Jarvis Isuzu UTE Phone: 1800 15 55 88

Derwent Park Jackson Hobart Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6277 6600

Caloundra Caloundra Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5438 4888

Nundah Nundah Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3635 5100

Mornington Mornington Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5975 5188

Victor Harbor Victor Harbor Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8552 7033

Devonport ASO Gowans Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6424 5177

Orange Orange Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6362 8100

Cleveland Keema Cleveland Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3479 9888

Redcliffe Keystar Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3480 8600

Nunawading Eastside Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 8814 6288

Dalby Black Dalby Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4669 8988

Pakenham Pakenham Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5922 4111

Launceston Jackson Launceston Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6323 7000

Parramatta Denlo Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 8014 4441

Rockhampton Tropical Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4931 9333

Wayville Australian Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8179 3666

WA

ACT

Pennant Hills Pennant Hills Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 9479 9566

Dysart ASF Sharps Heavy Equipment Repairs (IASF) Phone: 07 4941 2800

Roma ASO Black Goondiwindi Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4624 4800

Shepparton Ken Muston Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5821 6688

Albany Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9842 5522

Belconnen National Capital Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6256 3321

Bibra Lake Major Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9331 9331

Queanbeyan John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6166 1111

Broome Broome Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9192 7357

Woden ASO John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6122 2222

Bunbury South West Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9724 8444

NT

Narellan Narellan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4623 5582 Newcastle Newcastle City Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4989 5818 Nowra Shoalhaven Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4421 0122

Penrith Sinclair Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4721 9143 Port Macquarie John Patrick Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6584 1800 Scone Wideland Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6545 9117 Sutherland Sutherland Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 9524 6111 Tamworth Woodleys Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6763 1500 Taree Mid Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6592 6300 Tweed Heads Tweed Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5589 7788

Eagle Farm Brisbane Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3866 2200

Springwood Keema Springwood Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3884 8300

Emerald Emerald Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4980 7930

Toowoomba Black Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4631 4200

Gladstone Reef City Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4971 4000

Townsville Townsville Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4750 0300

Goondiwindi Black Goondiwindi Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4677 8100

Warwick Warwick Automotive Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4660 2000

Gympie Gympie Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5480 5200

VIC

Hervey Bay Bay City Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4124 0000 Indooroopilly Westpoint Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3878 0440

Bairnsdale Peter Dullard Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5152 0100 Ballarat Ballarat Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5335 3600

Swan Hill Holts Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5032 1064 Traralgon Gippsland Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5175 8060 Wangaratta Wangaratta Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5722 2000 Warrnambool Warrnambool Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5564 0333 Werribee Werribee Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 8734 4850

SA Berri Chris Sinko Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8582 2933 Bordertown Wise Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8752 0633

Burswood Burswood Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 6164 1040 Esperance ASO Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9071 1060 Geraldton Geraldton Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9964 2323 Kalgoorlie GTP Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9021 4800 Maddington DVG Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9492 0000

Alice Springs Centralian Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8952 2333 Darwin Vanderfield Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8924 8600 Katherine ASO Vanderfield Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8974 0000

ASO = Authorised Satellite Outlet ASF = Authorised Service Facility

Effective as of 01/06/2018. Please visit our website isuzuute.com.au/dealers for the latest dealer contact details.

THE TOP OF THE RANGE

FULLY LOADED ISUZU D-MAX

GO YOUR OWN WAY IN THE 3-LITRE, 430Nm, 6-SPEED ISUZU D-MAX The Isuzu D-MAX LS-T is a stand out performer on or off-road. With a restyled interior, enhanced rear suspension and Terrain Command 4WD system, the D-MAX has everything you need for a fully loaded adventure. Discover the Isuzu D-MAX LS-T at your Isuzu UTE Dealer or isuzuute.com.au

PUSH BUTTON START§

SATNAV

LEATHER ACCENTED SEATS#

REVERSING CAMERA

18" ALLOY WHEELS

§ Only on 4x4 models. #Seats have leather touches or accents, but are not wholly leather. 5-star ANCAP safety rating on 4x4 D-MAX Crew Cab models built from November 2013 onwards and 4x2 D-MAX Crew Cab High Ride models built from November 2014 onwards.+3.5 tonne braked towing capacity on D-MAX 4x4 and 4x2 High Ride models when fitted with an optional genuine Isuzu UTE tow bar kit. ^5 years/130,000km whichever occurs first, for eligible customers. Excludes trays and accessories. >The Capped Price Servicing Program (“CPS Program”) applies to Eligible Vehicles with a Warranty Start Date on or after 1/1/15 at Participating Isuzu UTE Dealers only. The 5 years Capped Price Servicing covers the first 5 Scheduled Services for 18MY and later vehicle models for up to 5 years/75,000km (whichever occurs first) and for 16.5MY and 17MY for up to 5 years/50,000km (whichever occurs first). CPS Program is subject to change. For full terms & conditions and current pricing visit isuzuute.com.au/service-plus.

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