2011 October by Club Editor

Inside ON THE BRINK! Karragullen to Eagle Rock Visitors always Welcome!

October 2011

EDITORIAL—

As we now include reports/info presented

at meetings in the magazine we are now planning to send the magazine out prior to the next meeting. The new cut off date for submissions is the 10th of the month. This is to allow a reasonable time to prepare the mag, have it printed, and delivered, then sent onto members. The aim is to have it to members before the end of the month. This month I’ve changed to a new publishing software and its taken some extra time to produce the magazine. Don’t forget to check out the entries for the Mitsubishi 30yrs in Australia competition on the Mitsubishi website. PJ (Paul Johnson) editor @mitsubishi4wd.org.au

PS - I want this!

POSTAL ADDRESS: Mitsubishi 4WD Owners Club of WA PO Box 655 South Perth 6951 EMAIL ADDRESS secretary@mitsubishi4wd.org.au HOME PAGE: www.mitsubishi4wd.org.au MEETINGS: 1st Wednesday of every month, except January. Commencing at 7:30pm Manning Senior Citizen‟s Centre 3 Downey Drive Manning Visitors welcome at all times. NEW MEMBERS: Visitors must participate in 2 club trips and 2 monthly meetings before they can apply for membership. Visitors cannot attend trips that are more than 3 days duration. Upon application a potential new member must pay a $50 nomination fee. In addition, membership fee is currently $100, which is due each March. Membership fees for new members are calculated pro-rata at the time the application is accepted by the club Committee.

Environment Officer‟s Report for Club meeting 05/10/11 1. Environment Officers‟ Meeting at Kaarakin on 15/09/11. Disappointing only 8 clubs represented, possibly due to location? Camping being banned off Lancelin to Cervantes road probably due to damage & rubbish Mundaring power line track – damage to farmers‟ fences, Assoc. to repair even though not caused by member clubs. Association to arrange recce of track soon Mundaring to Collie 4WD trail basically open but not publicised by DEC. Has been listed in Western 4WDriver or Tracks Out of Perth, not sure which.8 hr. trip, trailers ok Canning Stock Route, there are problems with passes. Currently issued by 4WD Aust. for $100 on behalf of 5 Native Title groups. A 6th now wants to be included & take over issuing of passes. Probably no fires in future Access to Calvert Ranges may be possible in future but likely there will be no camping and must be with aboriginal guide at a probable but unknown cost. Dieback is a major problem and there are maps on the DEC site showing the affected areas which should be avoided in winter & wet weather. Trip organisers need to check with rangers. Tick “Plucker”. One delegate mentioned these are available for $3 from a camping shop in South Fremantle, sorry, he didn‟t mention which one. Please tell us if you find any available. they need to be fine pointed. 2. DEC Shirts & Hats. I have managed to obtain a supply of these and they are for those who have attended at least 3 environment working bees in the last 10 visits the Club has undertaken. I have a list of who has attended, or not, if you have a query. 3. DEC Volunteer Magnetic Signs. These are coming and will be issued in due course to the regular supporters. We will use them when we are on a McWotsit or in a DEC park on a normal run. 4. McBEG Discussion (separate notes.) 5. McLEG. We will be working with a few volunteers from the Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society as part of a nationwide beach clean-up and survey weekend. Those who want to camp can go down on Friday to our special campsite with the work being done on Saturday. Sunday is a relax time and return home. (Presentation of the TBOCS PowerPoint show.) Tony W

Why not lead a trip in 2012. Plenty of help available from your fellow club members. You just need to ask. Keith Parker the club Trip Coordinator would love to hear from you. trip@mitsubishi4wd.org.au

Quality Automotive Repairs Services and Engine Tuning Air Conditioning Repairs Brakes and Clutch Repairs Tyres and Batteries Suspension Repairs 4WD Service and Repairs As a valued client you will also receive, A free car wash and vacuum Free windscreen washer additive

PICTURE OF THE YEAR entry for this month. A lack of suitable entries this month led to this gem being chosen for October. Taken at the Duke of Orleans Bay in January this year. Have you booked for the trip to the Bay for 2012? Left: Getting wet on the OziExplorer Training Day.

From the club policy and procedures manual, entries are chosen that best represents the club’s motto “outward bound.” Did you take this picture? Please email the editor.

‘ON THE BRINK’ a.k.a Our Rig a.k.a Bruce’s Retail Therapy….Our vehicle.. Judith’s perspective.. “It’s Pearl White” ! Judith’s perspective of Bruce’s standpoint ... “Well...It’s a 2007 NM Pajero with a 2" lift kit and Tuff Dog springs Bilstein shocks & Polyairs! Soon adding BushSkinz Bash Plates and Rock Sliders. Wheels..smoooooth aftermarket Speedy Mags 8 1/ 2 " x 17's. Tyres...with grunt!! (a lot more tread than the car’s ever had) Cooper ATR's (& he only went out to get a puncture fixed)!!!!! 60 ltr Fuel Subtank (so Judith can’t run out of fuel) Lightforce Striker H I D Spotlights GME UHF radio $2 Whistler Kangaroo Chaser that seems to work. Saw us all the way from Brisbane to Perth and places subsequent and watched Roos bounce away before we neared them. We own an old Shogun RFDS HF radio... just awaiting instruction from Tony Weldon to find out how to work it and install it! Rhino Roof Racks Version 3 (and counting?). Stock ones were replaced $800 later with ‘you beaut’ double kayak racks, further replaced with ‘you beauter’ Rhino Roof Rack thinner stronger but..”What will we carry up there,darling?” asks Judith “You know... the extra stuff we can’t fit in our trailer. You know. Stuff.” “But Bruce, we’ve never needed extra storage for excess stuff !” “But we might one day!!!”

Our accommodation

o m p l e t e Campsite ,Uluru Camper Trailer 2009....won Trailer of the Year 2009 a couple of months after we took delivery of ours. Helped validate our choice. We wanted a unit that we could comfortably live in and work from if / when we head off around Australia for a couple of years. All with lockable storage and electronic monitoring of batteries and water. There are three areas, kitchen, main enclosed living area incorporating the bed and storage, and a second room.

For short legs me, the main selling point was the ‘staircase’!! We can pull up somewhere and be in bed within 15mins and in the morning just pull out the kitchen and cook breakfast. The gas lift canvas doesn’t need tent ropes and pegs... unless of course if it’s windy. If we intend staying a weekend or longer we erect the kitchen roof and walls too. If we have guests we have an extra room we can erect too. Its roof stays permanently on the top whether we use it or not. That room has, one Easter, accommodated 5 adults and a dog... jig saw style. Our bed is an innerspring with bedside reading lamps... very comfortable. Haven’t quite organised back rests ..if anyone has any ideas? Mounted at the end of the bed is an Eclipse Integrated Radio system with Bluetooth, iPod, radio and telephone connectivity, and a second older Uniden UHF unit from our previous vehicle. A thermal blanket is fixed permanently on the roof of the main section and definitely reduces the temperature in the bed area. A great camp

kitchen with pressured sink tap, 4 burner stove and griller and an Engels 60 litre fridge.

And then...Bruce’s additions....you know.. that therapy I mentioned. A boat rack folds over the top of the trailer. So far it’s carried logs for firewood (when we next opened the trailer we found an ant colony in the canvas) carried 1x shovel but it does make for a wonderful antennae mounting spot so Bruce can listen to Macca on Sunday no matter where we are. And of course.. extra storage !!!??!! And we have a carport !!! We realised that the intrusive heat is usually reflected off the ground outside the kitchen so Bruce had made a shade cloth extension utilizing the existing poles etc.. So we call it our carport. And this is the Brinkley’s home away from home!

Trivial Pursuit For 4WD Enthusiasts There is a longer list on www.landgate.wa.gov.au AREA OF WA: Mainland 2,526,786 square km, Islands 3,089 square km, Total 2,529,875 square km (33% of Australia) Border the length of the WA border with NT and SA is 1862 km.

(Aboriginal for “Red Gully” )

TRIP LEADER: GLENN BIGNELL DATE: 25th September 2011 Special guest guest— —Dr Penny Hussey

There are two manner of 4WD trips to enjoy... the “slog the car and the driver” type and the gentle “cruise and enjoy the bush” type..... Karragullen to Eagle Rock was a well researched, interesting and informative, easy drive through the hills back of Perth. We gathered 9am at the Gull Service Station, cnr Brookton Hwy and Canning Rd. Set off taking an unexpected route back towards Roleystone where Glen revealed to us an open culvert called the Canning Contour Channel. It was a Depression Era public works scheme to carry potable water, entirely gravity fed, from just below Canning Dam through the hills following the natural contours around and above Roleystone and Kelmscott to a screening, fluoridation and pumping station near Gosnells...then to the city's pipeline distribution system. Unbelievably this open concrete culvert was part of the drinking water supply to Perth from 1949 until 1975. Driving on from the walk to the Contour Channel we were shown the still functioning Roleystone Theatre and local General shop both dating from early 1900‟s, a section of old road that is still cobbled along one side, through to Pickering Brook and the old sawmill that at one time had a contract to supply sleepers to an Indian Railway. On to a site of an old Forestry settlement at Carinyah, converted during war years to a Defence Forces training ground. „Somewhere‟ along the way we gathered on a very lifeless rock and stopped for morning tea while little Emma celebrated her 2nd birthday in the best way... in the bush. Nearby was a strong smell of lemon in the air. This may have been a Darwinia Citrodora but those searching could not find the plant. Climbing over the shrubbery were coral vine, white „Old Mans Beard” and twisting up to bare stems and twigs were the interesting insect catching Drosera (Climbing Sundew). We continued along the Carinyah Bike Trail onto Ashenden Rd. and to the old Barton Mill site. This surprising large open clearing,

green and grassy, once housed a community of about 200...families and single men, tennis courts, public hall and a railway line. During 1939, when the distance to stands of suitable timber made the operation uneconomic, the mill closed but was transformed into a Prison in April 1942 when the Fremantle Prison was occupied by the military authorities. Thirteen prisoners escaped the very first night. In 1975 the Barton‟s Mill Prison closed reopening in 1977 for “suitable” prisoners of minimum security risk, and remained open right up until 1989. The area now is a network of rock foundation walls, poorly defined roads, and an old dam. The site is very popular with motor bike riders, one of which decided to accelerate through the middle of our convoy doing a wheel stand, then took a very elegant tumble.. rolled the bike, rolled himself and thankfully hopped up none the worse for wear. Glenn‟s masterstroke of organization was to invite for the day Dr Penny Hussey who spoke at our August meeting. While Glen was boosting our local history knowledge, Penny kept us aware of both native and introduced flora, in the areas through which we travelled. Since this area of Barton‟s Mill is no longer inhabited nor the gardens managed, Penny pointed out the many introduced plants that have become feral... bridal creeper, arum lily, Watsonia, freesias and other bulbs and grasses from Africa which may gradually replace other native vegetation unless an effective weed eradication program can be undertaken. On then to Eagle Rock a granite outcrop SE of Roleystone for our caffeine shots and food... and a walk up the rock. Glenn‟s initial plan was for Eagle Rock to be a way point along the route but because we were all so interested and spent so long on the rock it became the destination. It helped immensely to have someone with us who actually knew what she was looking

at , and was able to impart this knowledge so engagingly. Granite rock such as this provides a growth habitat for lichen, moss, herbs and low shrubs giving shelter to small birds and mammals. The mossy mats act as water sponges to hold the soil on the rock for plants to grow. Some plants were so tiny and had flowers so small that to see them sharp eyes and some â&#x20AC;&#x153;belly botanyâ&#x20AC;? was almost needed. Fortunately none of us needed to resort to lying in the mud or the soggy moss to see some of these plants. Penny changed the con-

cept of granite in our thoughts from “just a rock” to a „living changing organism‟. Wheel tracks in the mud on one section of the granite were present showing severely damaged moss mats in which tiny orchids were just beginning to push through. The effect now will be the scouring of the disturbed soil leaving the rock bare and unable to sustain that original growth. Also apparently, rocks are a natural store for carbon. Perhaps a promotion Respect the Carbon Storing Rock with a symbol of a 4WD and a slash through it might be a public education tool that may help make a difference. 3pm and looming rain clouds persuaded us to return to the vehicles and head home. Our illustrious leader thanked us all for coming and proceeded to give us directions home with a with a “follow this track here, then take the gravel road, take a left , and a turn right... and there is your highway... and your point was?... Glenn??? A unanimous “We’ll follow you! ” A great trip... now we just need the next bush drive to proceed from Eagle Rock to see the remainder of the route Glenn had planned! Trip Notes by Stella Weldon and Judith Brinkley

Martin’s comment.. “Introduced wild life species inhabiting the rock”

Destination

Christmas Dinner

Dec 4

Duke of Orleans Bay

2345

See Flyer in this magazine

fugsleprechaun@hotmail.com

mkms@tpg.com.au

Camping, 65km east of Esperance.

Visitors very welcome. 7.30pm

See Flyer in this issue

Annual trip down south

mkms@tpg.com.au

Details

CALENDAR

First club meeting for 2012. Visitors very welcome. 7.30pm

Martin Archer

Pat O'Dowd

Martin Archer

Trip Leader Contact Visitors very welcome. 7.30pm

GOTO www.mitsubishi4wd.org.au for latest calendar info!!!

Feb 1 Monthly Club Meeting

Dec 27 -Jan 7

Gnangara

Nov 27

Dec 7 Monthly Club Meeting

Grade

EVENT

Nov 18 Big Valley Margaret River -21

Nov 2 Monthly Club Meeting

Date