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Recently there have been some unfortunate events specifically at Mt Augustus where three lives were tragically lost and a fourth person requiring rescue. I am sure that none of the individuals involved planned or even thought that there was the slightest possibility that something could go wrong. After all, a walk up Mt Augustus is a tourist attraction, how dangerous can it be?
As great as the 'wander out yonder' campaign is for encouraging people who would normally not consider a holiday in Western Australia, let alone venture outside of the metro area, it has done a great job of glossing over the potential dangers of venturing out unprepared. We live in a very large, remote, dry and sparsely populated part of the planet and with that comes some very real dangers. Mobile communication is non-existent in many locations, potable water is only what you bring with you and the potential to injure yourself is high. Add to this the heat that many may not be accustomed to and you have all the ingredients for a potential disaster. We are no longer primarily a nation attuned to the pulse of the land, we have been digitally disconnected, no longer at one with the rhythms of the seasons. We are now more at home within our concrete canyons and suburban sprawls, connected to the rest of the planet through social media and Google.
Common sense is much rarer now and we appear to have lost the ability to observe and think before we act. Our world is not digital and there are no 'resets' when things go wrong. Pressing a button on an EPIRB does not guarantee an immediate response and immediate rescue. If it has taken you six days to drive into a location,
you can bet that it is going to take at least that long plus some before help arrives.
Making a mistake can be deadly and it can be as simple as not having enough water. Dehydration kills and kills quickly, a fact not lost on some of our earliest explorers whose bones still lay at rest where they were buried by their colleagues.
If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.
It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Take simple precautions when venturing out, make sure you have enough water and someone responsible knows your itinerary. Check in regularly with them so that they know you are safe. Do not assume and think about what your Plan B is before you need it. Invest in good quality equipment and make sure your vehicle is well maintained. If the proverbial does hit the fan, then STOP and THINK before you ACT.
As I sit here and write this column the 2020 Perth 4WD and Adventure Show has been and gone for another year and the state’s borders are about to reopen to most of the country. On the news last night, encouraging signs of a successful COVID-19 vaccine, providing even more hope that 2021 is going to be an improvement on the train wreck that was 2020. Overcoming adversity is not an Australian trait, it is a human one. We are clawing our way out of this pandemic one day at a time and rebuilding lives and livelihoods adversely impacted by our greatest nemesis (a bug we can’t even see). As we emerge back into the light that there is always someone who is doing it tougher than you. Be kind to each other. Support local businesses and ignore the online rhetoric.
Stay safe and we’ll see you on the tracks.
Birds eye over Black Rock Falls.
Photo: Danny Carter.
could be the
to
Unlessyou’ve been living under a rock, 2020 has certainly been a dismal year for those who had big plans to travel our great nation and particularly our great state.
The COVID-19 pandemic put a lot of strain on a lot of people, none more so than in our states north.
The Kimberley region in Australia’s north west has suffered one of its worst years for tourism and hospitality in recent years, with many small businesses having to shut shop temporarily or worse, close for good. The government lockdowns put a real dampener on an otherwise promising looking year. Late February rains across the region had the country looking green and lush and the waterfalls were flowing with force. Then in March, we were struck with the Coronavirus pandemic and all hell broke loose, so it seemed.
The Western Australian government were quick to act and closed our borders to neighbouring states and territories. The Kimberley region was in full lockdown, with schools closed, hotels and motels near on empty and access into and out of Aboriginal communities was forbidden. For obvious reasons, these measures were made to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. However, with very few cases recorded in the region over the following three months, the situation looked optimistic.
In early June, most regional travel restrictions were removed, except for the remote Aboriginal communities. Time will tell when access to these settlements will reopen but for now, many remain closed to outsiders.
Fast forward to late October and the situation has much improved, so it would seem. A recent trip to Broome for a week during the September school holidays saw a great number of Western Australians making the most of the northern lifestyle. Caravan parks, hotels and shops were brimming with holiday-makers, while their counterparts in the east Kimberley were
Cockburn Ranges. Photo: Benedict Smith.watching tumbleweeds roll down the main street. Perhaps a little dramatic but nonetheless, times were tough and trade was bleak.
Local farmers, retailers, hotels and tour operators were all in the same boat. With fewer seasonal workers and visitors due to the travel restrictions to the region, Kununurra in the east Kimberley, would feel the pinch more than most. Tourists could only travel as far east as Kununurra and facing 14 days quarantine if they wanted to get into the NT, many chose not to venture this way. Broome on the other hand was the destination of choice for a northern holiday. No-one to blame of course, it was a no-brainer.
The northern tourist season is all but over for 2020 and many are looking forward to 2021 and beyond. With La Nina on the radar and a wetter than average wet season looming, locals in the Kimberley region finally have something to look forward to. And so should the rest of WA. Typically,
a good wet season means a good tourist season. Which raises a rather interesting point.
In general, most visitors to the Kimberley region will travel in the cooler months, between April and September. This is for obvious reasons of course; the weather is much nicer for outdoor activities and noone wants to spend their holidays indoors. However, there are a number of benefits to visiting the states far north in the warmer months, or wet season, typically January to March/April.
One of these may be obvious to some but perhaps not common knowledge for most. The warmer weather and water temperatures get the Barramundi biting and more active in the northern waterways. From October right through to March and into April, the Barra are on the bite more so than in the cooler, dry season months of May to September. Obviously, this will appeal to the fishos among us and there are plenty who enjoy chasing the elusive metre Barra, the author included!
Build-up Barramundi. Photo: Danny Carter.For those not so keen on landing a trophy fish, the wet season is a great time to get exactly that, wet! The rain is a welcome sight to many in the north after watching several months of cloudless skies and enduring the rising humidity during the buildup. The first good rain is usually met with a swift run and rain dance - there really is no other feeling like it! Of course, it is a status update that cannot go unnoticed. Who doesn’t get a laugh watching crazy folk dancing in the rain?
Besides the metre plus Barramundi and revelling in the first rains of the season, the single best reason to visit in the wet, is the complete lack of other visitors. It’s a win-win. When most holiday-makers are crowding to the beaches down south, you could be having the time of your life, chilling under a waterfall or swigging a Matso’s ginger beer in your budgie smugglers. What’s not to like?
The wet season really is the best season to visit the north. The hotels and resorts are still open, numerous activities and tours are still operating and the country comes to life with all the rain. Waterfalls are seen flowing from hillsides and valleys from Kununurra in the east to Mitchell Falls in the north. Scenic flights offer the single best views of the incredible scenery the Kimberley is renowned for.
Lightning over Kununurra.
Photo: Danny Carter.
Feet up. Photo: Danny Carter.
Cascades at Middle Springs.
Photo: Danny Carter.
Western 4W Driver
Secret spot 26 (Upper Ord River).
Photo: Benedict Smith.
There are land and waterbased tours operating and 4WD tours can access those hard to reach, hidden waterholes that only the locals know about. Scenic boat cruises and canoe hire, as well as the popular houseboats on Lake Kununurra and Lake Argyle are available. Indigenous cultural tours and art galleries are open. There really is so much on offer during the wet season, it is really up to you, what you want to experience, without the crowds.
Flying over the Bungle Bungles in a helicopter and witnessing the sheer number of waterfalls cascading over the beehive domes really is a sight to behold. Likewise, sitting under a raging waterfall with loved ones and no-one else in sight is a memory to cherish. A holiday in the wet season can be as adventurous as one chooses, or it can be a time of reflection, of rest and relaxation. Days can be spent reading a good book, sitting beside a waterhole and the reward for enduring the humidity is a refreshing dip which invigorates immediately.
The warmer weather will naturally put many off visiting during the wet season and the closure of the Gibb River Road and other attractions will keep others away. The fact remains, it is a quiet time of year for visitor numbers but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Fewer visitors mean more opportunity and freedom to explore in an uncrowded environment. Fewer people on those 4WD tracks to reach that hidden gem.
There’s never been a better time to get the kids onboard, pack the rods in the 4WD and hit the road for that trip of a lifetime. Consider heading north over the summer months, if you can brave the weather, you may just have the time of your lives. The Kimberley is calling.
Troopy at Ivanhoe Crossing.
Photo: Benedict Smith.
Ord River sunset.
Photo: Benedict Smith.
Jon Love takes us on a journey through the lesser trodden paths of the WA goldfields, seeking out the ghosts of our past and bringing them back to life.
By Jon Love
Wetook refuge among a clearing in the grove, only metres from a towering Baladjie Rock, a large slab of granite rock sitting tall above us. This destination is roughly 350 kilometres from Perth and plays host to an impressive abundance of campsites. With our arrival and a simple setup running at camp, we took the opportunity to venture to its peak. With a few zig zags to dart our way up the slopes, the true scale of the rock’s treasures quickly became clear to the eye. A large salt lake stretched across most of the landscape in the foreground, which to our surprise had plenty of water retained
within it, and bushland surrounded the remaining area. All made more impressive by the dipping yellow and red ball dropping below the trees on the horizon. The following morning we scaled the rock face once more to explore a number of small caves and rock pools that lay scattered across its surface. A group of four eagles accompanied us on our journey, with one even gliding within metres to have a good look at who we were. With the sun on the rise we called for the pack-up of gear and to head for the black top once more, but not before pulling in next to the salt lake and discovering how salty the water really tastes; and it’s safe to say I won't be doing that again!
Parked up in front of one of the caves at Baladjie Rock.
With our tanks refuelled in Southern Cross we headed for our favourite tracks, to the roads less travelled. The hissing of the tyres as we aired down signified the start of an incredible off-road adventure, through the goldfields and then on to the stunning sights of the Helena and Aurora Ranges. One thing we set out to achieve on this trip was to locate and peer into as many old mining shafts as we could find along the journey, needless to say they were in abundance given the area we were touring through.
Our first point of interest set us on course for a quick stop at the Mt Jackson Homestead, a tired old building that has seen better days, and from the looks of it, a bit of history as well. After a quick explore and with the log book signed, the journey continued on further east, but not very far. It wasn’t long before we spotted a small gathering of dirt piles littered on the red soil; to us, it meant one thing, mine shafts. With the tyres rolling to a stop and our boots hitting the deck, we peered over a small hole in the ground, nothing but darkness. The aid of a flash light helped us concede to the fact that if you fell down one of these, it would be unlikely you could come back up. These vertical drops were by no means scarce across the trip, with an area that was once so rich in gold and populated with miners, it’s no surprise these sites exist. The final shaft on this site outdid all of its predecessors, with a climb up a modest dirt mound that revealed a jaw dropping hole in the Earth on the other side. No torch we had lit up the bottom of this shaft, and our efforts to hear rocks greeting the bottom were all met with an unnerving silence.
Back on the road we had our sights narrowed in for our next campsite, Pigeon Rock, yet another large and impressive rock structure sitting high above its surrounding bushland. The remainder of the track there
Pulled up by the old Mt Jackson Homestead.
took the cars through a variety of different terrains, from crossing dry salt lakes to carefully navigating densely packed scrub and fallen branches across the path. The light of day was slowly beginning to fade, and with an arduous day behind the wheel, we were eager to crawl into camp and throw out the chairs to retire the day, which is exactly what we did. With the fire crackling, the dinner on the heat and a few tales being spun about the day, it wasn’t long before we called it in for the night. The sound of crackling bacon on the grill filled the campsite as we plotted our journey for the upcoming day. With a climb to the top of Pigeon Rock we could see the Die Hardy Ranges sitting prominently in the distance. The rock itself is much like Baladjie Rock, a solid slab of granite, offering a climb that will burn the calf muscles and leave you breathless at the top (quite the view)! It offers similar attractions with small caves and rock pools to be investigated, and an area that would host an impressive run-off of water with a decent rainfall.
Crossing a dry salt lake on the way to Pigeon Rock.
Back on the road we quickly pulled into an old muster station on the opposite side of the rock. Much like the old abandoned mines that lay abundant in the region, a lot of the old equipment and structures were left to rust and wither with age.
Not long after departing from there we reached the base of the Die Hardy Ranges, a short drive from Pigeon Rock and a decent track for the cars to coast over. With plenty of sunlight left in the day and a desire for adventure, we sought out to drive as far up the range as possible, wherever the tracks would allow us. As it turned out there was no track to the summit, or at least in the area we searched, but we did manage to
Setting out for the day with Pigeon Rock in the background.
circumnavigate a considerable area of the ranges. The track wound around the bushy, and often at times off-camber slope of the range, taking the convoy through some interesting country. It wasn’t uncommon for small branches to be deposited into our footwells and laps, but it certainly served well for the fire later that evening! Much of the drive was spent focussing on negotiating the cosy terrain or marvelling the expanse of woodland disappearing out into the horizon. Having completed the circuit around a generous portion of the Ranges, and a modest amount of sunlight left in the day, we decided to push on further into the scrub. Originally the plan was to find a spot along the Die Hardy Ranges to throw up the handbrakes and whip out the chairs, but with no clear site to set up camp and plenty of sun left in the day, we decided to persevere. The decision was made to try and hightail it for the Helena and Aurora Ranges, our main
Mount Geraldine in the fading light.
destination for the trip, or to at least get as close as possible with the time we had left.
As it turned out, Mount Geraldine sat directly between us and the intended ranges. Stumbling on the mountain by chance while chasing old mining shafts, we followed a track off the main drag, leading us to a stunning view of the surrounds. Even providing the first glimpse of the expanse of the Helena and Aurora Ranges.
It wasn’t hard to bend our rubber arms into camping there the night. With the views it provided and a nice cool breeze flowing over the mountain, it would have been foolish not to. Immediately after pulling up at the clearing we noticed a mound of dirt just metres from us, in our brief time travelling through the area, we knew it meant one thing, a big drop! Upon investigating we discovered three old mining shafts, one of which had a gloomy darkness to it that even a torch couldn’t resurrect.
Not that we should have been surprised, but we came across an increasing number of them within close proximity to the camp, all with varying drops. Certainly not the kind of place you would want to camp if you were a consistent sleepwalker. One shaft in particular that sent chills down the spine was again, where a torch didn’t light up the base, and had a ladder that dropped down only a few metres before it ran out, dropping into the emptiness below.
With the setting sun casting a bright red streak across the horizon, the fire was prepared for a beef casserole to be cooked over the coals. With a few cold drinks in hand and a solid day of exploring behind us, it was good to sit back, relax and enjoy the views on display.
With day three kicking off we set course for the Helena and Aurora Ranges. From our camp on Mount Geraldine we were able to jump on a main access road travelling through the area, allowing us to travel comfortably on the dirt road at speed, certainly something we weren’t used to travelling at within the last couple days of touring.
Unsettling some settled bulldust.
Too close for comfort? Peering down on camp and the old mine shifts on top of Mt Geraldine.
A number of kilometres later we pulled into another abandoned mine, and this time the area had quite a number of mining materials left over. Old rusted water tanks sat in two, and even a very old looking chassis sat comfortably under the umbrella of a tree. A large boiler was standing upright, although this one had been filled with stones, whether it was intentional or from passing travellers, we weren’t too sure. Not to mention the presence of more shafts, although most had filled in, at least across the surface, you definitely won’t catch me walking across them anytime soon! Back on the road we deliberated across the two-ways on the track we would take into the conservation park. Given we were travelling through at the start of the school holidays, and with a keen interest on feeling as isolated as possible, we settled for the tracks less travelled. From there we steered the cars off the main track and followed a faint course through the bush. It was apparent that few people had travelled through the area recently, if any, adding to the rush of adventure. Remarkably we had come across very few travellers in the past few days. Never sharing a campsite or being diverted to another because one was already full. It highlights the fact that many campers divert the areas around the Helena and Aurora Ranges and head straight for its campgrounds, missing the abundance of beauty and treasures that sit silently around it. But this was no issue for us, as always, we relish the feeling of solitude and isolation in the bush, something that’s not so easily come by in the concrete jungle. We cruised through the bush, often stopping at the occasional mine or the disappearance of the track. At one point we lost sight of each other and became briefly separated in the denser sections of the bush. Fortunately, with a trusty handheld and the relentless droning of the horn, it wasn’t long before we were back on course.
Shortly after, we passed the sign marking the entrance to the conservation park, leading us closer to the first climb of
A sight for adventurous eyesturning to the tracks less travelled.
the ranges. After a quick stopover for a roadside lunch, we pulled up next to what used to be a track leading to the top of one of the hills. It was evident a grader had made short work of the old track, further blocking it off with boulders and tree branches. Initially the plan was to drive to the top, but this was no longer an option, so on foot we went. Unequivocally one of the steeper approaches to climb from, and sometimes vertical, we eventuated our way to the peak. Although it wasn’t the tallest peak there, and not even close, it hosted a pretty spectacular view of the surrounding ranges and woodlands, while simultaneously teasing an insight into the views to come.
Continuing on through the park we were now on the Ridge Track, passing a sign warning for high clearance 4WDs only, instilling excitement in us both in anticipation of some challenging four-wheeling ahead. With a moderate climb to the top we were greeted with an unforgettable sight as we crested the hill. Sitting tall on the range the vast expanse of dense, green woodlands sat on our doorstep in every direction. If it weren’t for the other travellers we had passed on the way up, there would have
Negotiating the off-camber angles of the Ridge Track.
been a deep and indescribable feeling of remoteness. Even still, it was a truly remarkable sensation. From the lookout we pressed on further into the ranges, and it wasn’t long before we were on our own again. Travelling across a narrow section of the range, the convoy eventually came to a stand still at the top of a decline, making it obvious why no one was around. Before us was a steep, off-camber, tight and shaly descent; needless to say this got us pretty excited.
Low range locked in and our paths laid out, the slow descent saw us navigating our way over deep washouts and avoiding boulders, all the while trying not to pay too close attention to the steep drop on the other side. At one point the Troopy was slipping sideways as I tried to avoid going over a large rock, but that failed me. This
Camp for the final night with a part of the Helena and Aurora Ranges on our doorstep.
was undoubtedly the most challenging section of the entire trip, but it was well worth the wait. Aside from a few more deep washouts and steep sections, the track returned to normal and signalled the end of the loop. It wasn’t long after that we found a secluded place to camp away from the crowds, with a small peak watching over us.
Once more the setting sun put on a display of red and orange as it dipped behind the trees, with the peak reflecting its light and putting on a vibrant shade of red and yellow as it lit up the dirt and spinifex. Once more we broke out the chairs, sparked a fire and reminisced on the last few days and the adventure
Abandoned settlements, great fishing, impressive Aboriginal rock art, fabulous camp spots, old pearl divers’ graves, beautiful swimming holes and lots more can be discovered and experienced on a cruise of the Kimberley coast.
After over 40 years of exploring the Kimberley on foot and by 4WD, Ron and Viv Moon sample one of the best wilderness trips in Australia.
Gregwas eying the depth sounder and electronic plotter, "We'll give it another half hour ... let's have breakfast and then we'll have enough water under our keel to slip through that gap", he said, as he unwound himself from the chair and slipped down the ladder to the lower deck. I looked at that chart on the sounder and noticed the words that are so common when sailing the Kimberley, 'Inadequately charted'.
While we might have been in uncharted, or at least poorly chartered waters, our skipper was not. With 30 years of experience sailing small boats into every inlet, cove, bay, creek and passage in the Kimberley, Greg was one of the most experienced skippers in the whole region.
His boat, the Kimberley Xplorer, was the third of a series of charter boats he had owned and skippered while before that he had run around the coast in nothing more than a six-metre tinnie seeking adventure and exploring every inlet and island he could come across. Back then, not every voyage had ended drama free or without damage, but as he said he was young,
Greg, with one of his first boats and a bit of an issue.
indestructible and he was willing to give anything …. well, almost anything, a go. And he has the pic to prove it; it shows a much younger Greg with one of his tinnies perched on a rock somewhere along the Kimberley coast.
"Man", he reminisced, "We got eaten by sandflies that night, waiting for the tide to come back in. Luckily they kept the crocs away", he laughed when recounting the story.
Waterfalls tumble off the reef into one of the channels that partly cut through the reef complex.
We had anchored the previous night in a small, somewhat protected inlet formed by two reefs that make up the vast Montgomery Reef some 130 nautical miles north of Derby. The Spring tides were on the wane and the tidal variation was a mere six or seven metres but the amount of water running off the reef was incredible ... but more of that wonder later.
Following breakfast we headed through the gap in the reef, the boat edging along at just a few knots before shifting up to its normal cruise speed of nine to 10 knots.
The 15-metre Kimberley Xplorer was built about 11 years back by Marine Applications in SE Queensland, especially for its role as a Kimberley expedition and exploring vessel. It draws less than a metre of water, its twin full-length hulls, 12mm thick are designed and built to protect the props as much as possible as well as forming the base to sit on the mud if the boat and crew are unlucky enough to get caught out by the incredibe tidal fluctuations that the Kimberley coast is so well known ... and feared for.
It is an ideal craft for investigating this rugged coastline. It mightn't be as luxurious as some of the other boats and pretty ships that cruise the Kimberley coast, but I can tell you, none come near the Kimberley Xplorer for close-up action and going where other boats and ships can't go, or where their skippers fear to tread.
The twin turbo diesel QSB 5.9-litre 355hp Cummins engines are one of the most popular engines on the planet and can be found in a host of trucks (including my 2006 Dodge Ram pick-up) and as marinised power plants in a host of other marine craft. They propel the Kimberley Xplorer along at 20 odd knots, however, they drink fuel at around 110-litres per hour at that speed, while at the more normal cruising speed they are relatively miserly, sipping fuel at just 30-litres/hr for the pair of them.
With over 4300 litres of fuel on board the boat is capable of cruising the whole length of the Kimberley coastline, if and when required. An on-board de-sal plant makes fresh water each day, while solar panels, batteries and an inverter are backed up by a 240-volt generator, all of which ensures fridges and freezes run cold and everyone has access to camera and laptop battery charging facilities and the like. The generator generally only runs when the boat is under way so that evening anchorages and the like are quiet and peaceful.
There's a large well appointed and airconditioned galley along with a deck-side BBQ. Sleeping is on the top deck under cover, basically on single or double beds in a comfortable swag and while there is plenty of room, it pays to know your travelling companions as there is little privacy. The beds are rolled up each morning and the area used for sitting around when the boat is cruising or you are relaxing at night. Although not everyone's cup of tea, the set-up works very well, the balmy evenings of the Kimberley coast adding to the allure of going to sleep on a calm sea with a myriad of stars above.
For creek explorations and shore landings there are two 3.8-metre tinnies with 30hp outboards, which are more than ample for the short runs they are called on to do. When cruising normally they are generally towed behind the mother ship but for higher speed runs they are brought back up on deck.
Trips on the Kimberley Xplorer vary from six to 15 days and while the boat sleeps 12 guests on shorter trips, on the longer forays such as we were enjoying, it only takes eight along with the three or four crew.
Two tenders on glassy waters.
... and in sleeping mode.
The top deck in daytime mode ...
Our charter started in the Kimberley Xplorer's home port of Derby, that lies deep within King Sound. With the aforementioned huge tides the region is subjected to, everything revolves around the ebb and flow of the sea, including departure times, disembarkment schedules and everything in-between.
The muddy waters of King Sound soon gave way to blue seas as we passed Diamond Head and nudged around into Cone Bay, the site of one of the few salt water barra pen fisheries in Australia. That evening we anchored off a series of dragon-back clumps of rock known locally as the Razor Islands and dropped a few lines over to see what we could catch for a feed. Within a half hour we had more than enough for dinner.
Next morning saw us cruise through the narrow twisted waterway of Whirlpool Passage before passing the 'Iron Islands' of Cockatoo and Koolan islands. The latter still
hums to the sound of gigantic ore trucks crawling along the massive man-made inclines of the mine, which now requires a sea wall metres high to keep the water from flooding the workings.
East of Koolan Island is probably the best known tourist attraction in the Kimberley, the famous Horizontal Falls, and numerous tour operators run excursions to these remote impressive tidal streams from either Broome or Derby. The boats used here for the thrilling run through the cascades are 10.5-metre long RIBs designed and built by Outlaw Boats in Perth.
With a maximum of 22 people and two crew the boats are powered by three 300hp V6 24-valve Yamaha outboards, which pushes the Outlaws along in excess of 45 knots. That's more than enough to handle the whirlpools, steep walls of water and the incredible current the area is famous for.
This croc didn't seem to want to move while discussions amongst us on who would go closer ended in a stalemate.
We joined the throng for a few runs through the Falls and with our adrenalin pumping returned to the Kimberley Xplorer and said goodbye to the crowds and the most people we saw for the 15 days we were cruising the Kimberley coast. But there are many more natural wonders to behold on a Kimberley boat trip than just the highly acclaimed Horizontal Falls. At the aforementioned vast Montgomery Reef just a couple of hours steaming north from the 'Horries', the tide drops so quickly and so far that waterfalls form and plunge over the side of the reef complex, while so much water gushes down some of the 50-metre wide channels that cut through the reef that they form tumbling white water much like a wild mountain stream. After a check to make sure the area was free of crocodiles one of our team grabbed a mask and snorkel and drifted with the current, albeit not far from the tinnie! Fish and turtles hung behind rocks and in the eddies of the fast moving current.
For the next 10 days we cruised north, never far from the mainland coast dodging amongst islands and into small inlets and bays. Every day we went ashore somewhere to explore ancient Aboriginal art, historic carved trees, lost graves or even forgotten European settlements that had started back in the 1800s with much fanfare and then fizzled out as the demands of climate, remoteness, rocky soils and the harsh environment took their toll.
In places we swam in rock rimmed freshwater pools where red cliffs towered over us while at other times, when it was safe to do so, we swam on pristine beaches
Powered by 3x300hp motors, these boats fly.
Powering through the Horizontal Falls.
where blue water lapped onto a sandy shore. At the King Cascade, where an indent in the 50-metre high cliffs that line the arrow straight rent of the Prince Regent River, Greg nudged the Kimberley Xplorer right up to the rock face and we frolicked on the front deck in the tumbling waters that were pure and as pristine as nature could make them. That same afternoon with the tide high we pushed up an evernarrowing creek and then took the tinnies up the creek even further to where we could set up a camp for the night on a flat rock shelf, away from any threat from crocodiles and the like. Then, as the tide receded, we were essentially marooned until the next high tide, but what a glorious place to be abandoned.
North of Bigge Island after a couple of days of land exploration we turned for home, our track taking us through the outer islands of the Bonaparte Archipelago, where we explored old abandoned pearling bases and discovered even more Aboriginal art sites.
But Greg had saved one of the hidden gems and natural wonders of the Kimberley for our last night. Edging past Pecked Island we worked our way along the mainland coast through boab dotted Cascade Bay into a channel that had remained hidden until the very last moment.
Our camp was in a delightful setting.
Up a narrow creek for some exploring. The boat nudges up to the cliff face for the obligatory photo.
Fresh water pool just upstream from our camp.
Salmon Gums L5
Roadhouse D5
H4 K2
Serpentine L2 Shackleton K3
Lake L5 K5
Sleeper Camp K8
Greenough J2 South Hedland E4 South Kumminin L4 Southern Cross K4 Stakewell H4 H1
Tambellup M3 Tambrey E3 K3 J5 J2
Tenindewa J2
Bench C7
Jump-Up H6
Rocks C7
Springs J2 H7
Tjukayirla Roadhouse H7 G9
Tjuntjuntjara / Paupiyala Tjarutja J8 Tom Price F3 Tonebridge M3 K3
Trayning K3 Tuckanarra H4 M3
K2
Ullawarra F3
Loop H1 L4 L3
Wakathuni F3 Walebing K3 Walkaway J2
Waterbank C6 Watheroo K3 Wedge Island K2 Welbungin K3 Wellstead M4 Westdale L3 Westonia K4 Wharton L6 Whim Creek E3 Wialki K4 Wicherina J2 Wickepin L3 Wickham E3 Widgiemooltha K5 Willare Bridge Roadhouse C6 Willi Willi H9 Williams L3 Wilroy J2 Wiluna H5 Windarra J6 Windidda H6 Windjingayre / Windjingare C7 Windy Harbour M3 Wingarnie K5 Witchcliffe M2 Wogarl K4 Wogarno J3 Wokalup L2 Wongan Hills K3 Woodanilling L3 Woodarra H5 Woodstock E4 Woolah C9 Wooleen H3 Wooramel Roadhouse G2 Wooroloo K3 Wubin K3 Wundowie K3 Wurrenranginy C9 Wyalkatchem K3 Wyndham B9
Handing me the helm Greg directed me to keep the Kimberley Xplorer in the middle of the stream. The current was running furiously with whirlpools and peaking onemetre waves slewing the boat one way and then the other, such was the tide's incredible power. My hands gripped the wheel and my eyes flicked between the nearby shores and the depth sounder, the water less than 100 metres from shore being over 50 metres deep in places where the current had scoured the bottom down to bedrock. Suddenly the pass opened up and we were through and into the calm tranquil waters of the Inland Sea, where a small group of dolphins joined us for the last few hundred metres to our final night's anchorage. Essentially the Inland Sea is a large bay that is almost totally enclosed by hills and cliffs and eight islands strewn across its concealed entrance. No wonder we hadn't seen the portal when we had sailed by on our first day - even though we had all been looking and admiring the coastline. Next morning, the water like glass, we took another channel out of the Inland Sea and within a half hour were running with the tide into King Sound, the water getting muddier by the minute. None of us cared - it had been an unforgettable, extraordinary and an outstanding adventure. You gotta try it!
Nudging into the alcove that hides the King Cascade. Sadly a dry wet season meant only a trickle of water.
K5 M3 G9
G8
Yackadunyah K8 Yakanarra D7 Yalgoo J3 Yallingup L2 Yanchep K2 Yandee E4 Yandeyarra / Mugarinya E4 Yandi F4 Yarloop L2 Yarri J6 Yealering L3
pristine beach ideal for a swim.
Words by Grant Hanan and Linda Bloffwitch Photos by My Aussie Travel Guide
If you’ve ever dreamt of escaping civilisation to venture beyond the reaches of supermarkets and petrol stations, and well away from readily available water and electricity, it’s important to know how to stretch your camping supplies and resources further. Here’s some lessons we’ve learnt that have helped us to camp out for longer.
Travelling with a supply of 12v power on board allows you to have more options when it comes to creature comforts and keeping things charged. There are two key things that can help you have endless power; one is to know how to use your power wisely and effectively. The other is having enough battery capacity so that it matches your daily usage and your recharging ability.
Calculating your daily usage rates can easily be worked out and done well in advance before leaving home. Start by recording the total number of watts consumed and the amount of storage capacity you need in amp hours. How will you replace the watts consumed? Is it by using solar or relying on your vehicle’s recharging system? Recharging any portable devices is best done from your vehicle’s alternator during the day while travelling. It has the capacity to charge your starter and house batteries, but also has enough capacity to charge other portable devices like cameras, phones, etc.
The life of a 12v battery can be extended when they’re kept full at all times, so the aim is to give them as much recharge as quickly as possible. It’s here where battery management systems are the go as they have numerous ways of keeping batteries correctly recharged depending on the battery type. Ideally, you should look for a unit that uses a combination of solar and DC to DC – they’re a clever device and a very quick way to fully charge batteries. When there’s so many different battery types, capacity sizes
and chemistry types on the market, it’s important you match the right battery to your 12v requirements. Another gadget we travel with these days is a portable lithium battery pack. If you’re looking for some extra power, these multipurpose units are handy for recharging small portable devices like phones, cameras and computers, or simply for supplying power to some lights. Larger capacity models are worth their weight in gold as they can even jump start vehicles when you’re in a pickle. These types of battery packs are small and lightweight, so they’re easy to carry and store.
You can help overcome power issues by travelling with a solar blanket.
Some lithium power packs like this one can recharge small accessories as well as jump start your vehicle.
We keep a hand soap/water mix in the vehicle’s seat organiser so it’s easily accessible.
Being short on water is a surefire way to have your camping adventure end dead in its tracks, so there are a few different techniques we use to make our water supplies go further. Nongreasy dishes are taken care of using a small amount of soapy water and paper towel. This works well for wiping over plates, cutlery, cups and mugs. We don’t throw the paper towel out either, as it makes a great fire starter for the campfire.
Bathing is another way that can chew up a lot of your water supplies if you’re not careful. Baby wipes can help for those times in between showers; they’re effective and an easy solution for saving a good amount of water. The packets are small and lightweight, but just make sure you dispose of the used wipes appropriately as many brands of wipes aren’t biodegradable. Alternatively, let the used wipes completely dry out and just like paper towel, use them for starting your next campfire.
Another excellent water saving technique is to use spray bottles as they have many uses. The bottles are cheap to buy and can be picked up from a discount store, supermarket or even at the hardware store. With just a few squirts of a hand soap/water mix, it helps keep grubby hands clean at any time of day. Dishes can be kept clean while on the go using a simple dishwashing liquid/water mix and a bit of paper towel. Or take care of cuts and abrasions quickly in another bottle using a mix of disinfectant/water.
Calculating your fuel consumption rates isn’t one of those jobs you do after leaving home. In fact, a fuel plan should form part of your trip planning process. This is paramount especially when you’re considering long distance travel and looking for some flexibility in your itinerary to take the odd side track along the way. Fuel usage rates also differ when travelling on bitumen, gravel and when you’re towing, or at any time where you run lower tyre pressures or use low range gears. Storing extra fuel has its own challenges and prices vary between the solutions. While the most practical solution is to add an approved purpose-built tank, these come at a price. Jerry cans work well as a cost-effective portable fuel storage alternative, but you’ve also got to take into consideration where they’re going to be stored. Whether it’s up top on a roof rack or carried on a vehicle’s rear bumper, these areas both come with their own risks. Just avoid placing any containers inside the vehicle.
Travelling with an extra jerry can or two of fuel allows us to stay out that bit longer on the tracks.
Don’t be afraid to adjust your tyre pressures to help conserve your fuel.
Having a fridge of sorts while travelling is one of the larger users of 12v power. But that doesn’t mean you should travel without one. They’re a key accessory for helping you stay out longer by keeping your allimportant drinks cold and extend the life of your food. You can afford to turn a fridge up and increase its cycling while driving or using solar to recharge your 12v system. It’s then easy enough to turn it down at night to minimise the number of cycling times which in turn reduces the battery current draw. Another way to improve fridge efficiency is by keeping it full. You’ll find the mass acts in a similar way that ice does in an esky.
Placing a frozen block of sorts in the fridge is another excellent way to help reduce the number of times a fridge cycles. Things like a packet of frozen vegetables, frozen vacuum sealed meals and meats placed in the bottom of the fridge to slowly thaw over time will all do the job nicely. Travelling with a separate freezer also has its own benefits. Keep it full by freezing small bottles of water during daytime driving as that’s the
The solar blanket across the windscreen keeps the sun out of the vehicle and the fridge inside cooler.
main time when there’s an ample supply of power. Rotate these frozen bottles through your fridge and freezer to help make them
Whether you’re travelling during milder months or in the heat of summer, a vehicle’s interior can soon heat up. Using shade awnings over the vehicle’s windscreen or
Using fridge covers and vehicle shades are two ways to help your fridge run more efficiently.
by simply covering up windows with towels to keep the sun out can work wonders. Other methods to help improve fridge efficiency is to avoid packing items around the fridge motor. Fridges need to 'breathe' for excess heat to escape, so you don’t want to be blocking any vents.
Whether we’re going away for a quick trip or a few months, we’ve always been a strong advocate for having a meal planner. While inventory control is important to know how many meals we’re carrying, the meal planner is much more than that. It’s also a way of knowing what to cook and when. We try to mix things up and use an all-round solution that covers cooking with fire and gas. That way we’re not relying solely on gas supplies which can often be hard to come by while travelling in less populated areas.
Besides having the usual barbequestyle meals or a camp oven dinner over a fire, we’ve always found having some homemade pre-prepared meals are a fantastic heat and eat option while camping. A range of dishes get portioned out, frozen and vacuum sealed before leaving home. It’s simply a matter of taking the thawed-out bag from the fridge at camp and placing it into simmering water. Between 5-10 minutes is all it takes to bubble away before dinner’s done. We never let the water go to waste as it’s perfect for doing the dishes.
Preparing a few home cooked meals and vacuum sealing them before leaving home means dinner will be ready in no time.
But if you’re the type that doesn’t like to cook and you reach for a can of tinned stew every night while camping (not that we think there’s anything wrong with that as they can also cover you in an emergency), why not try one of the pre-packed cooked meals available from camping supply stores. These meals don’t require refrigeration and only need reheating like vacuum sealed meals.
Another way to stretch your camping time further is to keep some dry products in your pantry. Staples such as flour, yeast and dry fruits are all good camping companions as they keep for ages. And it doesn’t get much better when you’re camping and having some yummy campfire damper, scones and delicious breads. Other long-life products which are a camper’s best friend include flatbreads and savoury biscuits. They’re quick to prepare, take up little storage space, and work a treat for using up those meal leftovers.
Homemade camp oven bread and camping – a simple match made in heaven.If you’re going to be travelling with others, it’s well worth spending some time together well in advance to work out how you’ll all stretch your camping supplies and resources further. Camping for weeks on end doesn’t mean you need an expensive and fully kittedout off-road setup. All you need is a good plan that helps you stay out that bit longer.
Enjoying a meal cooked over a campfire helps preserve your gas supplies.
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By Ian Elliot
Group at Gun Bucket Hole.
Photo by Paul Kennedy.
Ian and the Wildtrax crew hunt for a tiny hole in the desert.
The search for John Forrest’s 'Gun Bucket Hole'
In1869, in response to an Aboriginal claiming knowledge of the bones of white men and horses away out to the east of York, an expedition was mounted to see if this could explain the disappearance of Ludwig Leichhardt and party over two decades earlier. Surveyor John Forrest was placed in charge of this expedition which travelled over a vast tract of previously unexplored regions. Not only did they fail to find any trace of the bones, sadly they didn’t notice any of the nuggets they must have ridden over as they passed across what later became some of our richest goldfields. Forrest’s furthest east on this trip, reached in company with his Aboriginal assistant, Tommy Windich, lies a little less than 50km eastwards of the presentday town of Laverton. Here he climbed a tree that he marked with the letter F and described the country he could see ahead. Having not found enough reliable water sources to go further, the two of them were then forced to reluctantly retrace their steps
Gnamma country.
back to the rest of their party who they had left near Mount Malcolm. I’m sure Forrest would have been chagrined to know that a huge waterhole, Nardoo Rockhole, lay just ten miles ESE from the spot where they turned back.
We searched unsuccessfully for Forrest’s marked tree back in 2012 and I’ve since found that Peter Hill of Laverton and the late Harry Leaver of Dongara also had a look for it years ago without result. Even Frank Hann tried to find it as early as 1914, and his failure suggests that it had probably burnt down some time in the forty-five years between his and Forrest’s visits. Recently, though, my interest in this area was rekindled in reading of the finding of a tiny rockhole from which Forrest got water just six miles before he turned back. He and Windich came across this 'small hole in some rocks' completely accidentally. Its mouth was too small to admit a pannican so Forrest used the leather gun bucket from the barrel end of his rifle scabbard.
This enabled them to extract about two litres of muddy water which, after straining it through his pocket-handkerchief, the explorer pronounced to be first rate. Despite its significance to Forrest’s explorations this 'Gun Bucket Hole' has never been shown on maps.
Enquiries of Peter Hill, a long time Laverton resident, drew a blank, but my Frank Hann researches revealed that Hann was shown this rockhole by a sandalwooder named Boase in 1917. He mentioned it in letters to the Laverton Mercury and Truth newspapers in 1917 and 1918 respectively and these letters convinced prospector James Tregurtha, who was then working at Burtville, that he must have camped close to this rockhole in 1901. He went out looking in 1918, found it, and described it years later in a letter to the 'Over the Plates' section of a 1938 Western Mail. From all this data I gleaned that the hole was funnel-shaped, was situated on a small granite knob and had an additional small hole on its south side that allowed small birds an easy entry. I reasoned that, if we hunted over all the areas in the neighbourhood shown as granite on the geological 1:100,000 map, we should come across it. However, I had to put up with a certain amount of derision from some members of the Wildtrax crew when they found out how small the hole we were seeking actually was. A tiny hole in a vast desert.
The distance from Perth that took the explorers two and a half months to traverse, our 4WDs can cover easily in just a couple of days. Negotiating old fenceline tracks has to be done slowly and carefully, though. Camels walk through the old fences leaving long lengths of heavy wire, some of it barbed, coiling across the track. These can foul your tyre treads, axles or drive shafts so badly they can
stop your forward progress if you don’t clear them away. After negotiating miles of overgrown fenceline access, we camped near the search area late on a warm afternoon last September, a little more than 151 years after Forrest and Windich had passed through.
Up and at it early the next morning, I was disappointed to find that the first area I’d elected to search, an area I’d thought to be the most likely because a track to it was visible on Google Earth, was foliated and so broken up that it was most unlikely to be rockhole territory. We moved off to search other granite areas with similar results and I began to have doubts concerning my methodology. There was plenty of thick vegetation to get through on many of these search areas and I was glad we’d taken the precaution to fit our old split rims with 16 ply rag tyres that could withstand the onslaught of pushing through the mulga thickets. Not the best on bitumen, but just the thing in the bush. We had zero punctures although the duco (what’s left of it, anyway) on my lead vehicle took a bit of a beating. At one stage I pulled up with a five centimetre diameter branch stuck in my grill. Fortunately, it had stopped millimetres before destroying the air-con condenser.
Patience pays off though, and as we came around a stand of trees and had a view to the west, I was thrilled to see some low, Mulga stabbing.
red breakaway faces – granite knobs – in the distance. We headed towards these with a rising sense of excitement and all tumbled out of cabs to search the first ridge on foot. Nothing, until returning to our vehicles geologist Mike Donaldson sang out. He’d found the first gnamma but it was too large to be the one we sought. In fact we found six gnammas altogether in this area before we dropped on to the right one. When we did, though, there was no mistaking it. It was at the foot of a granite outcrop, it was funnel-shaped with a very restricted entrance and it had a horizontal entrance on its south side. And it was only 10.00am. Terry Bentley poked a stick down into it to a depth of well over a metre, but like all the other gnammas out there after a three year drought, it was bone dry. But this was definitely it and we were all elated at having tracked it down.
I hadn’t expected us to be the only people who’d found this feature over the years and such turned out to be the case. Balanced on a rock shelf nearby was a small, brown enamel teapot. It had been filled with sand to prevent it getting blown away in a willy willy. We left it where we’d found it but I’m sorry now that I didn’t empty the sand out temporarily to check whether there was anything else inside it. About 300 metres NW of the hole we found an old track that led generally westwards to the fenceline track we’d been following earlier. Two of our party had stuck to the fenceline because they had radials on their vehicle
and trailer and, although this track wasn’t visible on Google Earth, it allowed them to drive out to our find. Near an old tank on the fenceline an aluminium plate was nailed to a tree. On the plate was stamped 'F 1869 L.G.H. 1991.' This suggests to me that L.G.H. was tracing Forrest’s route in 1991 and I suspect that it was they who made the track between the fence and the rockhole. I’d love to hear from L.G.H. sometime should he or she read this.
I reported the finding of Forrest’s 'Gun Bucket Hole' to the Laverton Shire President to see if he wanted to publicise the position of the feature and formalise tourist access to it, but he feels that visitation should be limited at present. They have experienced too many sites being littered with rubbish once public access begins. If anyone really wants to visit the site they can contact me through the magazine. Geographic Names at Landgate will be approached to see if they want to approve the name for use on future maps.
Funnel entrance as described by Hann.
Teapot found near the hole.
Aluminium plate on mulga 4km NW of hole.
In the last edition we looked at the major components of our Ranger build and how it all came together. In this edition we will look at the technical systems installed and how they make the vehicle more functional.
So explain it to me again Chris ... Who isthe Lone Ranger? And why do you want to callyour car 'Silver'?
By Chris Morton Photos by LensNation
Weopted to install ARB’s LINX system which reduces the need for individual switches to be installed into the dash, centralising the control of the vehicle’s spotlights, compressor and air locker, all from a dedicated A pillar mounted smart phone. The unit can control the compressor output with the operator being able to adjust the pressure output remotely, allowing effortless airing up and down.
The digital display of the smart device also provides telemetry data in the form of vehicle speed, direction of travel and height above sea level as well as an Inclinometer. The system also reports on battery voltage and can handle up to three batteries.
Functions not currently enabled in our vehicle provide information on tyre pressure using the optional ARB tyre pressure monitoring system (which can monitor both car and trailer), control of air suspension and ARB fridge monitoring. What we really like about the system is its ability to be added to later as new interfaces are developed.
For communications we opted to install a GME UHF antennae connected to an ICOM 80 channel IC-450 UHF and a Cel-Fi GO mobile phone booster paired to a second GME cellular antennae. We already have had some experience with the Cel-Fi unit in our LandCruiser and have been suitably impressed with the added range the unit provides when in sketchy mobile coverage.
To provide a better departure angle we knew that the factory standard tow bar needed to be replaced. We decided to install Milford’s Ult1Mate Next Gen Towbar. Wanting to support Australian owned and operated companies and products made the decision to choose the Milford product an easy one. The installation was easy and very straight forward, even for a mechanically challenged individual such as myself. We think the result has improved the back-end view of the Ranger quite substantially.
The Ranger’s first real test in its new life as a camera vehicle was at the Three Springs Off Road race in September. It proved itself time and again as we were able to travel across rough terrain, positioning ourselves to capture some great video content while still having the ability to keep camera batteries charged. The cargo area was adequate to allow us to carry all the equipment we needed and to quickly access it when required.
ARB's LINX system.This was further reinforced when we headed out to the Kalgoorlie Desert Race to capture more video and stories. It provided a secure location from where we could operate and return to, keeping batteries charged and spare equipment safe until needed while the team caught choppers and ground vehicles to various locations around the track.
Despite many suggestions that the upright fridge would not be as good as a traditional chest fridge we are more than happy with its performance. Drinks and food stay cold and everything is easily accessible. Its very small footprint inside the canopy and very low empty weight
With a few more kilometres under its belt, we can safely say that we are suitably impressed with our choice of tyres. The FALKEN AT3 Wildpeak provide plenty of grip and very low road noise when on the bitumen and the traction required when we off road. The City Discount Tyres guarantee is an added reassurance where they will replace the tyre if it sustains an unrepairable puncture within the first year of service with less than 25% tread wear.
Taking it outside of the metro area has shown us how comfortable the Ranger is to drive. With the added benefit of adaptive cruise control, emergency braking and driver monitoring, the car is a pleasure to drive long distances. With the bulk of our driving occurring on the bitumen this is extremely important, allowing us to reach our destination safely and relatively fresh. Its extreme off-road handling is still to be fully tested however the Ranger has done everything we have asked of it so far.
Recently we downsized our caravan with the bonus that we now have two vehicles capable of towing its 2.8 tonne mass. The Ranger handles the caravan quite well with plenty of power available in the several short trips we have undertaken with it. If we are to undertake more sustained towing over longer distances where we don’t employ the 200 series, then we would seriously consider the installation of a Safari 4x4 ECU.
The REDARC REDVISION system is proving to be a very wise investment. With the considerable up-front cost of the dual Revolution Power Orange Top lithium batteries it was imperative that they are well managed to ensure maximum longevity. The REDARC 150w solar panel ensures that there is always power available when the vehicle has been idle and REDVISION is constantly monitoring and managing the batterie’s health.
The Ranger is not yet complete with work still to be done permanently mounting the REDVISION screen, installation of the ARB Base Rack and finally getting some signage on the vehicle. Keep an eye out for us on the road and if you see us parked up do not be shy. We love meeting our readers and getting feedback from you.
Myaree Osborne Park Rockingham
Members of the 28th Battalion (The Swan Regiment) Association enjoy a few days of tall tales and gold prospecting at the old mining town of Yalgoo.
up for a nice trip away is usually a fun experience. But how would you like to spend two days loading your caravan only to hitch up your much-loved, 2011 Land Rover Discovery 4 to have the brake light warning come up on the dash and the vehicle go into limp mode?
That’s exactly what happened to Geraldton couple, Lindsay and Liz Morrison, recently as they prepared to join 30 other members of the 28th Battalion (The Swan Regiment) Association for a few days of tall tales and gold prospecting at the old mining town of Yalgoo, 500km north of Perth.
The Association was formed in 1987 and since then, its hardworking committee regularly holds social events for its members and their partners, such as lunches and sundowners, as well as several caravan/ camping trips each year. And every two years they run an overseas trip to visit an historic war site.
These excursions are always entertaining and enjoyable, and help to maintain the strong bonds of mateship that the members have built up since their early days in the Australian Army Reserve or through their military service to Australia.
Fortunately for the Morrisons, their Discovery’s fault was easily fixed and they were able to join the rest of the group just a day later.
A beautiful example of the Wreath flowers along the road verge.
We travelled up to Yalgoo from Perth with Ray Galliott, the Secretary/Treasurer of the Association. Ray was a Commissioned Officer in the Australian Army and has spent over 45 years serving in the military. He is highly involved in providing support and mentorship to reservists.
It was very pleasant with Ray leading the way as we cruised the blacktop, both towing our caravans. There were plenty of colourful wildflowers to be seen and many paddocks were ablaze with the purple winter weed known as Salvation Jane or Patterson’s Curse. Even the weeds along the road verge were in flower as we zigzagged our way north through the country towns of Moora, Coorow and Carnamah.
Lindsay Morrison’s 2011 Land Rover Discovery 4 vehicle being trucked away for repairs.Further up, we decided to stop at Morawa to refuel and support a local country business. The owners told us that Morawa had won the local footy grand final just the day before. The celebrations saw them cooking up 60kg of chips and almost cleaned out of their fast food stocks!
They also kindly advised us that there were some lovely examples of Wreath flowers (Leschenaultia macrantha) at the 48km point on the Morawa-Yalgoo Road and sure enough, after a bit of a hunt along the road verge, we found some wonderful specimens.
With everyone now safely arrived at Yalgoo and set up in their caravans, campers, swags or cabins at the well-run Yalgoo Caravan Park, it was time for some socialising and drinks and nibbles as the sun went down.
A Malaysian beef curry had been prepared for everyone to share for dinner that night by our self-proclaimed ‘shearer’s cooks with bad attitude’ better known as the Association’s President Frank Taylor and Committee member Owen Bunney. Despite their moniker, the curry was delicious.
A picturesque lunch stop in the town of Coorow.
Frank Taylor cooking up a Malaysian beef curry for the group to enjoy.
Frank had invited John Read, the Acting CEO of the Shire of Yalgoo, to come along to the dinner. John told us about the town and its people, and also mentioned that back in the 1960s he was in a Perth pop duo known as the 'Same Day Twins' who had a hit song called 'Walking and Talking.'
In 1968, they were part of a concert party that went to Vietnam to entertain the troops at the Australian and American Army bases. They received a certificate of appreciation for their services from General Westmoreland, the Commander of the US Forces in Vietnam.
Frank Taylor's military history knowledge is second-to-none and many members speak very highly about the military history tours he runs for members and the public through his company Kokoda Treks & Tours Pty Ltd.
His first trip for members was to Gallipoli in Turkey and the Western Front in France in 1987. Since then, he has led tours to many other significant theatres of war, including Tobruk and El Alamein in Libya, Egypt, Malaysia, Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, the Burma Railway, Sandakan in Borneo, Crete, Vietnam and Cambodia.
John Read, Acting CEO of the Shire of Yalgoo at the curry night.
Remarkably, he has also led more than 140 guided tours of the rugged Kokoda Track that runs for 96km over the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea. During World War II, despite the mud and tough terrain, the poorly resourced Australian forces defeated the Japanese and helped protect Australia from invasion.
As a young man, Frank became a Western Australian Police Officer and was transferred to Norseman where he joined
Members on Frank Taylor’s Vietnam Tour of the Mekong River Cruise and the Cu Chi Tunnels with a group guide.
Photo courtesy of Frank Taylor.
the 28th Independent Rifle Company, a special conditions Army Reserve unit that catered for members who lived in the country.
Frank served 38 years in the Australian Army Reserve retiring as Captain and acting as Provost Marshall, Western Region Australia.
The 28th Battalion also has an interesting history. It was formed on 16 April 1915 from men who had undergone military training at a camp set up at Blackboy Hill, Greenmount, on the outskirts of Perth. Back then, the men lived rough in Army bell tents learning parade ground drills, route marches, firearms practice, and fatigue duties before being sent to Gallipoli as reinforcements in September 1915. The Battalion served there until the evacuation three months later, when they were sent to the terrible trench fighting of the Western Front in Belgium and France.
Over the next two years they took part in major engagements, including at VillersBretonneux, France, where one of its members, Lieutenant Alfred Gaby won a Victoria Cross for his bravery on 8 August 1918. Gaby single-handedly took on an
enemy strong point while under machine gun and rifle fire. With just his revolver, he captured four machine guns and 50 of the enemy. However, three days later, he was killed by an enemy sniper and was awarded the VC posthumously.
Between the wars, the 28th was raised as a volunteer militia Battalion. When World War II began, the militia was unable to serve outside Australian territory. Its members undertook training of recruits and the defence of WA and the Northern Territory. Later, the unit was allowed to serve overseas and did so in New Britain.
At the same time, many of its members volunteered to join the 2/28th Battalion AIF, which could fight overseas. The 2/28th and many other units from Allied forces fought against the Germans and Italians in the Western Desert of North Africa at Tobruk and El Alamein, sharing the title, 'Rats of Tobruk'.
In July 1942, during fighting at Ruin Ridge, Egypt, the Battalion found itself surrounded by German armour and 490 men from the Battalion were captured by the Germans. Six weeks later, the reformed Battalion was back in action in the Battle of El Alamein
The 28th Battalion march across the William Street Bridge in 1915 during WWI. Photo courtesy of Ray Galliott.and captured the entire German radio intelligence unit that their General Rommel relied upon.
The 2/28th Battalion returned to Australia to be reinforced and undertook jungle training in Queensland to defend against the Japanese threat. They fought in Papua New Guinea, as well as at North Borneo during the Battle of Labuan and the Liberation of North Borneo before the war finally ended and the Battalion was disbanded in January 1946.
In 1987, Western Australia’s 11th and 28th Independent Rifle Companies merged to form the 11/28th Battalion, the Royal Western Australia Regiment. Together with the 16th Battalion, its members have seen operational service in East Timor, Afghanistan, the Solomon Islands and Iraq as well as assisting in Australian disaster relief operations such as firefighting, flood cleanups and more recently, COVID-19 Taskforce support.
Nowadays, most of the old Blackboy Hill training site is a housing estate. However, an eye-catching memorial has been built there that features different sized silver arches above the Australian Imperial Forces’ famous rising sun emblem. The arches catch the sun as it sets on the eve of the 24th April each year in recognition of the dawn landings at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day.
Back at Yalgoo, most of us were off the next day to try our hand at gold prospecting. We were well aware that you can’t just head off into the bush and go gold prospecting anywhere. Firstly, you must hold a Miner’s Right from the Department of Mines and Petroleum (cost $28). You also need a Prospecting Permit to detect on the Shire-owned prospecting land and that can be purchased for $5 from the Yalgoo Caravan Park office.
In addition, you need a metal detector (we borrowed one but you can hire them from several outlets in Perth), a pick axe, first aid and water supplies as it can get very hot in the bush. A personal locator beacon, a UHF handheld radio or a satellite phone are also highly recommended.
Despite the lure of a big find to keep us going, it seemed that our metal detector was a bullet detector because the only thing we found was two very old mangled .22 rifle bullets. Many others were in the same boat but Association member John May found three small gold nuggets and was the envy of the group. However, it turned out that John’s two smaller nuggets failed the crush test (if it crumbles its pyrite or fool’s gold) but one nugget was gold.
The Rising Sun emblem at the base of the Blackboy Hill Memorial.
The original finding of gold in the Yalgoo region makes for an interesting story. In December 1892, five prospectors decided to try their luck east of Yuin Station in the mid west. They camped by the edge of a large pool and saw that there was another camp nearby so they wandered over to say hello.
They discovered a shepherd, William Pearce, was camped there with an Aboriginal woman and several children. The prospectors were astounded to see the children playing with stones that were rich with gold. They asked Pearce where he had found the stones and he told them it was just near the camp. They were even more shocked to realise that Pearce, who was semiliterate, had no idea about the value of gold. The discovery went on to become the fabulously rich Emerald Reward Mine and led to the rush for the Yalgoo Goldfields.
With hundreds of men arriving to work the diggings and buildings being erected randomly, a survey was done to establish a town site. Initially, the town’s name was spelt Yalgu, believed to be from the Aboriginal word yalguru meaning blood but the spelling was soon changed back to Yalgoo.
Heading out to the Shire of Yalgoo’s area for prospecting.
The fragment of a .22 bullet that we found while prospecting.
John May’s small nuggets of gold that he found while prospecting.
Ron Mitchell and John May ready to do a bit of prospecting.
By 1896, the new town was booming. It had 12 stores, two saddlers, two butchers, three bakers, two cordial manufacturers, three blacksmiths, two hairdressers, two tent makers, livery stables, a police station, four hotels and a further three under construction.
One of the historic attractions at Yalgoo today that piqued our interest was the infamous Jokers Tunnel believed to have been dug in 1896. The 100m long tunnel, located 10km south of Yalgoo on the Yalgoo-Ninghan Road, was allegedly cut through the base of a hill as part of an English consortium’s plans to find gold. Stories abound about how the investors, located half a world away in England, were duped out of their money with a promise of gold that never eventuated.
The main entrance to Jokers Tunnel is quite wide and you can walk through it but the other end narrows down to a smaller opening. Nearby, the ruins of old mining infrastructure, including several open mine shafts, continue to bake in the hot sun. Unfortunately, by 1908, the initial gold find had started to peter out, the Emerald Reward mine closed down and the once thriving town of Yalgoo went into decline. Today, the Shire has a population of around 520 and it is still gold, plus tantalite and
bauxite mining, and sheep pastoral stations that contribute to the area’s coffers.
The Shire is actively growing local tourism and has secured a $100,000 budget for its Courthouse Museum, which contains an interesting array of historic artifacts. Next to the Courthouse is the old Yalgoo police station and jail which have been restored by the local community. That evening, our group enjoyed a dinner at the historic old Yalgoo Hotel. The original hotel opened in 1896 but it burned to the ground in 1954, leaving just the foundations, a garage and the old stables remaining. In order to retain the license a temporary bar operated in the stables while the new hotel was constructed.
Jokers Tunnel south of Yalgoo.
Next day, Association members Paul and Thelma Brabazon gave an interesting talk at the old Train Station at Yalgoo. Back in 1898, the railway line from Mullewa to Yalgoo was opened and the Yalgoo Train Station became the largest on the Murchison line. A railway water tower, still standing today, connected to a 1.98 million gallon dam nearby was constructed in 1900 to feed the steam trains.
In 1975, Paul Brabazon was appointed the Station Master at Yalgoo. He recalls that back then, 12 trains would come through each week loaded with fruit and vegetables, parcels and mail, mining equipment and other goods for the region.
Return trains would be loaded with items such as sandalwood and wild goats. Paul
The members enjoying a drink and dinner at the historic Yalgoo pub.
Paul Brabazon talking about his memories of the old Yalgoo train station.
remembers there used to be a refreshment room at the train station and back in the old days, passengers could have a nice cup of tea or even a tipple of alcohol as it was permitted to sell liquor for one hour before and one hour after the departure of each passenger train.
Paul’s wife Thelma explained that as a new bride to the town in 1975, she remembers baths in murky orange-coloured water, having to cut wood for the chip heater and cooking meals on an old Metters wood stove in the Station Master’s house.
Thelma obtained work at the Post Office in Yalgoo as a telephone switchboard operator and she was delighted to see an old magneto switchboard on display at the town’s museum just like the one she worked on.
The railway line closed in 1978 and the Shire of Yalgoo took over the station building. Nowadays, the railway station precinct has been restored and is part of the Yalgoo racecourse.
The Association members also took the opportunity to visit the remains of the historic St Hyacinth’s Chapel and Convent School at Yalgoo, which was designed by Monsignor John Hawes. The wood and stone buildings opened in 1922 with 26 students and three Dominican Sisters as teachers. However, only two free-standing stone chimneys remain today and the Chapel was restored by the local Shire in the 1980s.
Association members Chris and Frank LeFaucheur, Barry and Michelle Cooke and Pip and Wayne Banks took the opportunity to travel 70km north of Yalgoo to Melangata Station to enjoy a tour and a delicious morning tea at the 100-year-old homestead run by chef-extraordinaire Jo Clews and her partner Ken. The unique homestead, which was designed by Monsignor Hawes with open breezeways in the shape of a cross, also includes a two-storey chapel.
With the Association’s visit to Yalgoo now over, everyone prepared to pack up for the trip home. We had had a ball together and enjoyed experiencing Yalgoo and its unique history. The bonds of mateship and belonging were stronger than ever and no doubt will be renewed again when the members catch up another time soon. Yalgoo’s historic old water tank for the railways.
Melangata Station’s two-storey chapel.
To apply for a Miners Right go to: http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Minerals/ Miners-Rights-2427.aspx
Membership of the 28th Battalion (The Swan Regiment) Association is open to ex-members, current serving 11/28th members or any interested members of the public. Membership fees are $10 per annum (exempt Serving Members). For further information contact the Secretary, Ray Galliott via email at: 28bnswanregtassn@gmail.com
For information on the overseas escorted military tours that Frank Taylor leads, contact Kokoda Treks & Tours Pty Ltd on 9446 9856 or via email on kokoda@arach.net.au or check out their website at www.kokoda.com.au
As a nation we love to explore and we are extremely fortunate to have such amazing landscapes and opportunities in our own backyard. My 4WD My Story is a series that seeks out everyday 4WDs and their owners to discover what makes their fourby the 'ultimate adventure vehicle' and the places they have been. We are running this series in both Western and Australian 4W Driver magazines, with videos featuring on the Australian 4WD Driver YouTube channel.
TheSuzuki Sierra has been on our roads for nearly 50 years. First produced in 1970, the Sierra offers a very light-weight, capable and affordable 4WD. With their relatively low cost and excellent off-road performance, the Sierra quickly became the vehicle of choice for many off road enthusiasts wanting to put their own stamp on a vehicle. Siani’s 'HellYeah' (a reference to the number plates) quickly grabbed our attention when we put the initial call out for vehicles to feature in My 4WD My Story.
Siani purchased her 2010 Suzuki Sierra Jimny in 2013 and soon after started her love affair with the car, spoiling it with upgrade after upgrade to suit her style of off-road adventures. The list is long:
• 1.8L Suzuki Liana Engine conversion
• Heavy Duty Exceedy Clutch
• 25% Reduction gears in Transfer Case
• Custom built Aluminium Radiator (Browns Radiators)
• Electric 14” Thermofan with in cab remote kill switch
• RTC Tough Dog Steering Dampner
• Lightforce spotlights, front Lightforce rock spotter lights, rear worklights
• GME CB Radio and Antenna
• 3” Custom load rated Dobinsons coils/shocks
• ORA Radius arms
• Extended brake lines
• 31” Mickey Thompson P3 ATZ Tyres (31x10xR15) on Sunraysia rims
• ARB Bullbar
• Safari Snorkel
• Rhino Roof Rack
• On Track Fabrication custom made scrub/slider bars
• On Track Fabrication custom made rear bar with tyre swing and dual jerry holder
• Bushwhacker flares modified to fit
• Bonnet scoop from GU Nissan Patrol
• ARB Front and Rear Airlockers
• Air compressor under bonnet
• Redarc dual battery system
• Smittybilt 10,000lb Winch
• Custom Installations interior rear toolbox/flat flooring with tie downs (can be lifted and refixed to utilise rear seats underneath),
• Aftermarket centre console
• Antenna and cradle for mobile phone signal extension.
When we quizzed her as to why she chose the Suzuki in the first place she responded with, “I find its maneuverability its biggest asset. It has great approach and departure angles making almost any climb effortless, and its lightweight construction means it floats over any obstacle.”
Long time readers of Western 4W Driver will be more than familiar with other reviews we have done on the Sierra and already aware of its ability to go where other 4WDs fear to tread.
Siani goes on to reveal the darker side of her Sierra, “The unfortunate drawback for all short wheelbase vehicles is its unending suffering at the hands of corrugations. This particular road type has caused way more expensive repairs than I would like to admit, and despite its abilities in most situations, this is the one time I would happily jump in any vehicle that isn’t going to require moderate dental surgery shortly afterwards.”
You can’t help but notice the impressive custom rear bar with a dual jerry can holder. Siani says that this was instrumental in providing more range for the vehicle. “Suzuki’s are not commonly known for their touring abilities. With a 40L fuel tank and small size, it’s not the primary choice for many. I chose certain modifications to make my space work better and smarter. The rear bar takes the weight off my back door from the larger tyre and also doubles my fuel capacity with dual jerries, allowing me to carry another 40L of fuel or water.”
Siani has also spent considerable time ensuring that the interior of the vehicle is as functional as the rest of it. “The rear interior setup was an unusual idea but allows me the benefit of a fixed rear toolbox, and a flat top with moveable tie downs for fridge/storage crates. This can then be transformed by undoing some straps and lifting out the flat top to reveal the original rear seats. Should the need arise, the car can be quickly restored to its original four seat configuration.”
We pressed her as to what was next on the modification list. She confessed that a diesel conversion, with the added benefits of better fuel economy, increased torque and improved reliability was number one on her wish list. A little more dramatic however was her desire to see the little Suzuki chopped into a ute. She did confess however that this would open up a whole new can of worms in terms of build challenges and considerations.
HellYeah, a tribute to her favourite heavy metal band (which is itself made up of members from other active heavy metal bands), has travelled extensively around the south west. Siani says that we are spoilt here in Perth as you do not need to venture far to find fantastic locations to explore. Of all the places she has been down south her favourite spot is the Harvey Dam. “No matter what stresses there are in daily life, it is only a short trip south and yet feels so removed, with beautiful scenery, pristine waters and some varied tracks. It’s also a short drive or pit stop to so many other tracks and locations if a day off really needs to turn into a weekend or week away!”
We loved meeting Siani and were impressed with her bubbly and happy personality. She has become a friend of the magazine and recently helped us at the Perth 4WD and Adventure Show with some on screen antics. Check out My 4WD My Story at: www.youtube.com/Australian4WDriver
you’re the owner of a 4WD, you can pretty well escape to some amazing destinations; anywhere from the local beach to the remote wilderness of the outback and everything in between. But when it comes to reliability and the subject of a possible breakdown while out on the tracks, what spares and tools you should carry is a question that often gets raised.
Now everyone will have their own view and an opinion on this topic. Some will say there’s no point in having any tools on board as the modern 4x4 isn’t something that can be fixed roadside anyway! Their opinion is more along the lines of taking out a good insurance policy that includes roadside recovery.
On the other hand, you might be the type who wants to lug a full workshop of tools in the back of your vehicle ready for any emergency that might arise. So how do you decide what might be essential tools versus going overboard? It really comes down to an approach using a bit of common sense that sits well with you, the owner.
Firstly, providing your vehicle is well maintained and serviced using a detailed checklist before any major getaway, it should instill a level of confidence that you wouldn’t expect it to breakdown the moment you turn onto a dirt road. Secondly, where are you planning to go? Getting help while still having mobile phone service can just be a simple phone call away provided you’re a member of an organisation that offers roadside assistance. Here it’s just a case of sitting things out and waiting for help to arrive. In the worst-case scenario, it could be that it’s not an easy fix and you need to be towed to the nearest town.
But if you’re travelling further remote where the normal telco network doesn’t reach and you’re a couple of days drive until reaching civilisation, it pays to carry a few extra bits and pieces to help you get by in case things go wrong mechanically. Let’s take a look at 10 useful tools and other accessories that could help get you mobile again in the event you breakdown and help isn’t close by.
A tool roll isn’t going to replace a full set of tools, but you could say it’s the swiss army knife of tools as it’s something you should be able to grab quickly and easily. Use the tool roll when doing your daily vehicle checks, so the tools you store in it should allow you to perform simple jobs like tweaking and tightening anything that might have worked loose. This approach will have you in the box seat to retighten and secure most automotive fasteners on your vehicle as well. The beauty of the tool roll is it doesn’t take up much room and is easy to store, and you’ve always got your main toolbox as back up if you come across something more serious that needs fixing.
The humble tool roll is one of the first things we grab when something needs to be fixed.
Regardless of where you’re travelling to, there can be times when you need to remove and swap a wheel or repair a puncture/patch a leak. So you need a jacking solution which suits your vehicle that gets the wheel off the ground irrespective of the terrain.
We’re fans of using a heavy duty rated bottle jack with a large base plate placed underneath and some packing blocks to allow for extra height if needed. A longhanded shovel also helps to reshape the ground and can be used as a lever when getting a wheel back into position.
Travelling with a heavy duty jack and a piece of aluminium used as a base plate works a treat when the vehicle needs to be jacked up.
Punctures are often a fact of life while travelling, so having a good quality tyre plug kit is going to go a long way to either putting a stop to that leak, or at least slowing it down until you’re able to get it repaired.
Combine your tyre plug kit with an air compressor of sorts for adjusting tyre pressures and some rubber vulcanising glue, and you should at least slow any minor puncture and be able to keep moving.
There’s no shortage of tyre plug kit brands available on the market.
While we all generally carry one spare tyre as a minimum, getting multiple punctures on multiple wheels isn’t uncommon. If your tyre plug kit won’t cut the mustard, you could have no other choice other than to remove the tyre from the rim to add a vulcanised glued patch.
You’ll need to break the tyre bead to remove the tyre before you can patch it, so this is where having a good set of tyre levers can help. This isn’t the type of thing you want to be doing for the first time along some remote off the beaten track destination, so get some practice in before leaving home.
Using some tyre levers to remove the tyre from the rim.
Performing repairs in the bush can mean a bit of improvisation is necessary when you don’t have the luxury of a concrete garage floor equipped with workbenches to work on. But you can provide a clean working surface using a thick canvas style tarp.
They’re good for keeping prickles, stones, sticks, sand and dirt away, and can also double as a crawl mat to lie on for the times you need to get under the vehicle. You can even use a crawl mat as a worktop/workbench when it’s placed next to the vehicle to put tools and parts on. Being such a versatile piece of kit, we always carry a couple of crawl mats with us.
A crawl mat like this canvas type will help keep your gear clean and away from the dirt and makes a good bush work bench.
If you’ve ever had something break during a trip, it’s surprising what you’re able to fix using a bit of glue and some tape. Before taking off on your next trip, head into an automotive parts shop and take a look around their adhesives section. There’s an enormous range of glues, putty, bonding agents and tapes in various shapes, makes and types for all sorts of jobs. A lot of products come in tubes, and while the smaller tubes may cost more to buy upfront, these can work out more cost effective in the long run if it’s a product that’s prone to drying up over time. While you’re there, read the instructions as some products can be used on different surfaces (rubber, steel and plastics). Adding a tank repair putty, a rubber bonding agent for hoses, and some mend-it putty for steel cracks to your kit allows you to do a temporary repair until you can get to a workshop to overhaul it permanently.
With a mix of glues, adhesives, putties and tapes like these, we can fix all sorts of things.
When these basic items can get you out of all sorts of mess, having a range of zip clips and gauges of wire onboard should be treated as kit fundamentals.
Zip clips allow you to hold things in place, while a bit of wire that’s been twitched using some basic hand tools adds strength. You may not be able to reach highway speeds with this kind of simple repair, but at the very least you can hold things together.
We keep some smaller zip clips in a door pocket for easy access while larger zip clips and some wire are never far away.
It’s no secret that roads and tracks don’t have to be the worst going around to have something fall off your vehicle. It’s just a fact of life that you could lose a nut here or a bolt there, even while highway driving. Putting a container together of assorted nuts, bolts, set screws and pieces of threaded rod could just be the ticket that gets you out of trouble. To help determine what goes in your kit, start by looking at the types of nuts, bolts and fasteners used on your vehicle and pick up a few spares. It’s also worth noting that some vehicle components can be held in place with multiple fasteners, so it might be possible to remove one from one spot that can be temporarily used in another area.
Containers like these keep everything organised and easily visible.
Everyone expects to have a troublefree trip, but we all know things can break, crack, or worse still, fall off. But when a repair is a little more serious than simply replacing a lost nut or bolt, it’s probably going to be a job which requires a bit more effort. This is where carrying a range of different shaped brackets, pieces of steel and some plate comes in handy. These, along with the aid of a pop rivet gun and a drill, you can apply your meccano skills and get things put roughly back together. Being able to fabricate a simple bracket is an effective way to temporarily fix repairs to things like chassis parts and spring holders, and component mounts like the gearbox mount.
You need to improvise when fabricating in the bush – here we’re using a G clamp on our camper trailer’s jockey wheel as a workbench vice.
You could easily say this is one of the big guns of a 4WD toolkit and generally means the repair needed is serious!
Being able to weld this stub axle back together in the bush for one of our travelling companions meant their trip didn’t come to an abrupt end.
Provided you can join some 12v car batteries together and have some welding rods, heavy gauge wire and a bit of stick type arc welding know how, then you’ll potentially be able to get yourself out of trouble. This technique is a little more advanced and might take a little practice, but it’s possible to weld suspension related components like shocker mounts, steering brackets, and even chassis rails.
The approach taken in putting together a toolkit like this isn’t necessarily going to allow you to rebuild a blown engine on the roadside.
As mentioned at the beginning, the best tools you can use are prevention tools. You know, that service and checklist before you take off … and when in doubt, replace it before you head out.
But once you’re out there and mother nature decides to throw a curve ball where it’s not welcome, then one or more of our ten suggestions might just allow you to repair that mechanical mishap and keep you moving until a more permanent repair can be made. And as far as what spare parts to carry, well that’s another story!
Stay safe and happy four wheeling.
WA’s annual road trip, the Variety 4WD Adventure was set to take 4W drivers of all abilities on an 8-day tour of WA’s Coral Coast in 2020, but was forced to cancel due to COVID-19, along with the iconic Variety Bash and Variety Creative Car Cruise.
The Variety Ruby Road Trip was created swiftly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a more accessible opportunity for participants to stay involved with the charity’s unique fundraising efforts in 2020, and also marked the charity’s 40th ‘ruby’ anniversary.
A 4W driver, a Variety Basher and a creative car driver walked into a bar… … but this is no joke! Fifty-two 4WDs, classic cars, muscle cars and Variety Bash cars, backed up by 11 support vehicles hit the road for a jam-packed, fun-filled weekend of fun and variety on 22 - 25 October 2020 to reward their fundraising efforts over the past five months.
Participants had the option of taking an adventurous off-road track (for 4WDs and creative cars) or scenic open road as they travelled from Perth to York, Collie, Dwellingup and Rockingham, with plenty of party-filled nights, entertainment and surprises along the way.
It all kicked off on the banks of the Swan River on Thursday 22 October, where the 132 participants gathered for a spectacular send off, including a Welcome to Country from singer-songwriter Phil Walleystack. The foreshore quickly came alive with a sea of rainbow colours (the theme of the day), as well as all the usual characters from the Variety Bash, including Deadpool, The Muppets, The Avengers, Middle Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles and Pokemon, to name a few.
Ahead of the pack were the 'Route Rats'; volunteer officials who put up signs to direct the drivers along the otherwise unmarked roads, which go hand-in-hand with the daily route notes that are provided at the start of the day.
First stop was Carson Street School, which provides specialist education for kids living with disability, where a grant of $18,001 was presented to go towards a wheelchairaccessible bus so that all students can participate in excursions. The kids, staff and support workers were blown away by the colourfully clad cars and crew, who brought gifts to share with the students before heading out of the city.
Top fundraisers at Variety Ruby Road Trip start line.
It was here that 6PR’s Steve Mills hopped on board the colourful carnival on wheels, which made its way to the Perth Hills in a rainbow-coloured 79 Series LandCruiser for lunch at Train Park in Mundaring.
A feature of Variety WA’s road trips are their 'fun stops', where participants pick a spot ahead of the pack to set up an unexpected roadside activity that adds a bit of fun and excitement to the drive.
The first fun stop of the trip was accommodated by 'The Bashers Club', which is a group of like-minded Variety Bash participants who meet up once a month to keep the Variety Bash spirit going throughout the year.
The Bashers Club put on a spread of seafood and champagne, and even organised for a band to serenade the participants as they arrived!
After lunch, the pack split for the first time, with the Bash cars and 4W drivers hitting the tracks east over the power lines. The Bash cars took exceptional skill to slide and climb around the track in their 2WD vehicles, and it was actually a 'Lifesaver' themed 4WD who got stuck in a puddle
that came up to the car’s door handle! Thankfully, the Variety WA mechanical crew were the real lifesavers and towed the vehicle out.
From here, they ventured past Mount Observation and paraded through York, before arriving at Greenhills Inn to party the night away with the help of long-time Variety supporters, The Sheds.
From roof top tents and glamping-style tents to swags and mattresses in the back of the car – the participants’ sleeping arrangements were just as diverse as the cars they drive!
At the end of day one, only one car was out of action, with the Pilbara Princess’s 1965 Volvo Amazon car engine mounts taking a hit. In true Variety fashion the crew called in a favour from a supporter in Northam, who drove down to York with the parts, and the on-event mechanical team switched them over so the girls were ready to hit the road the next morning.
Needless to say, they took out the Ruby Princess Award (for the biggest stuff-up of the day) that day!
Variety Bash Car - Paw Patrol, driven by Chris Grainger, Sue Bell and Michael Carrigg.As the sun rose over the surrounding wheat fields, the crew got a mischievous early morning wake-up call from the Doctor Seuss car, playing the song 'Halleluiah' through their loud speakers at 5am.
After a quick feed and morning briefing, the crew headed south, eventually coming across a morning fun stop at Yornaning Dam, where three teams took on a challenge to make the best 'Master Chef' morning tea out of a loaf of bread and some vegemite.
From here the pack split in two again, with the 4WDs and Variety Bash cars heading west through the forest in Dryandra before reuniting with the creative cars and refuelling with a pub lunch at Williams Hotel.
Hungry for some off-road action, they were soon back out on the tracks, heading towards Collie to stop by another school. Bringing up the rear was the 'Sweep', a volunteer official who takes care of any stragglers who might have veered off track. They rolled into town just before the end of the school day and presented a grant for orthopedic chairs to ensure that local student, Jacob, has the physical support that he needs to sit through his classes every day. The kids were delighted to be the first to check out the massive convoy before it paraded through the town – led by the Collie Police.
Just outside of the main town of Collie, a 'Mystery Location' awaited participants. From the usual landscape of vines emerged a sea of glamping tents within Harris River Estate, which provided a scenic backdrop for the evening’s Oktoberfest event.
A wide selection of Harris River tastings were on offer, with their Black Diamond German beer a crowd-pleaser and there was something for everyone in their extensive range of wines, but the real winner was their Boodja Gin – a collaboration between Beelagu Moort and Harris River Estate, using seasonal botanicals from Noongar country.
What followed was a spectacular night of festive fun, authentic German cuisine and a stellar performance by Perth talent Matt Gresham, who was a top-20 contestant on The Voice in 2020.
Day 3: Out with a Bang Harris River Estate delivered the goods yet again with a breakfast to cure all Oktoberfest hangovers, and even with a battery replacement for the Pokemon car (thanks to the support of the locals and the volunteer mechanical crew), the whole crew was back at it, weaving their way through some spectacular off-road tracks with scenic forest views.
Lunch at Hoffman Mill was a true gem, with participants following a trail of rubies through the trees to a burger food truck in the middle of a secluded forest.
In true Variety spirit, the event had a few tricks up its sleeve for the final night, and shortly after arriving in Dwellingup, a bus arrived to transport the unknowing participants to the iconic Hortham Valley Railway.
The entire crew was welcomed aboard the diesel engine train, which took a special trip through the forest to a long-time Variety supporter’s property in the little-known townsite of Meelon.
What unfolded was a night the participants will never forget – from the champagne reception, grand final celebration, live band and fireworks display, all set against the stunning backdrop of the tranquil gardens, lake and boatshed of the private estate.
Making the evening even more unforgettable was an incredible performance by 12-year-old Jordan Mears – a Variety Heart Scholarship recipient for the past three years – who made a grand entrance arriving by helicopter.
Jordan is a talented singer and dancer with an amazing voice, despite also facing ongoing treatment for Cystic Fibrosis.
The final day of any road trip is always bittersweet, but the P&C at Dwellingup Primary School brightened the mood, with a breakfast of bacon and egg sandwiches which were gratefully received by some sore heads from the night before. The breakfast was also attended by Sharona and her son Aidan, Dwellingup locals and Variety grant recipients. Sharona applied for a grant for an iPad for Aidan to help with his day to day needs, in particular his communication, which is limited by his Autism. Sharona shared a heart-wrenching story of her and her son’s journey, showing the incredible impact that the grant has made on Aidan and his ability to communicate, leaving not a single dry eye in the crowd.
The crew hit the road for one last time, tackling the dam runs over South and North Dardanup Dams before crossing over the finish line in Rockingham.
The finish line was a raucous celebration of the past four days and the many months of fundraising that had preceded it, and with music and lights blaring, the crew were greeted by friends and family.
To add to the family-friendly fun and to top off the trip, the Variety Choir sang their hearts out to show their appreciation to the event participants.
As well as raising money for WA kids in need, Variety WA’s road trips give participants a rare opportunity to experience WA’s most stunning destinations and hidden gems, with their 2021 events visiting the magnificent Pilbara, pristine Coral Coast, spectacular Abrolhos Islands, and lesserknown parts of the south-west.
Registrations for all three charity road trips in 2021 are now open. To find out more and register, visit www.varietywa.org.au
Kids enjoying the fun at the Variety Ruby Road Trip finish line at Rockingham Village Green.
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TT-VI58 $900
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Mitsubishi Triton / Challenger RHV4 4D56 2.5L 100 Kw TT-VT10 $1350 + gst
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Toyota Prado 3.0L CT16VGT 1KD-FTV D4D TT-17201-30160 $1550 + gst
By Chris Morton
Australia is an unforgiving place. We live in a land of extremes. A place where ancient seabeds rise into monolithic mountain ranges and sun-bleached landscapes. Our extreme remoteness has also resulted in some of the most unique plant and animal species on the planet. All these factors mean that a single misstep can end in tragic circumstances. A positive side effect of COVID-19 has seen more Australians taking up the call to 'wander out yonder' and explore their own backyard, however due to many people’s lack of planning or full understanding of the potential dangers, we are seeing a rise in tragic events.
The perception of danger and an attitude of 'that will never happen to me' plays a significant role in many outback incidents. Something as simple as not taking adequate water can quickly result in death. It is quite sad that the scout motto of 'be prepared' is quite often ridiculed by ignorant individuals who cannot see the potential risks right before them. Another issue is our overreliance upon technology. The art of navigation using a map and compass is a skill that is alien to many with ill-informed travellers boasting about having an EPIRB in their possession if the worst were to happen. Unfortunately, technology is not yet at the point where a rescuer can be 'beamed' into your location soon after you have called for help.
Bob Cooper, who has been teaching survival courses since 1990, is one of this country’s most knowledgeable and experienced instructors in the industry. He has shared his skills with government agencies, private companies and individuals not only around Australia but around the world. He has appeared in and worked with National Geographic (America), the BBC, Discovery Channel, The World Around Us and 60 Minutes. He is a frequent guest on local talk back radio and is also called upon by local news outlets when an expert opinion is required.
Bob invited Western 4W Driver to attend his WA Outback Survival Course which he conducts on private property not far from Our damper ready to be baked in the coals.
Practising compass navigation.
Chidlow, for us to get a better understanding of what is involved. Over 2½ days we learnt the mind set you need to have to survive, the five priorities of survival, fire making, navigation, how to use the various items contained within his survival kit, how to deal with snake bite, an introduction to bush tucker, making cordage and procuring water, signalling and fire lighting. He also shared anecdotes with us where he has been thrust into survival situations as well as incidents where he has been asked to consult after a tragedy has occurred.
The key message throughout the course was to ensure that you are prepared mentally and physically whenever you venture out. Ensuring that you have told someone your plans, are carrying enough water and are confident in yourself to be able to make good decisions if the worst were to happen is critical.
He has developed a range of products that are small enough for everyday carry (in a small day pack) but could mean the difference between life and death.
His survival kit is the result of many years of trial and error and ensuring that everything within the kit has multiple uses. His method of ensuring that the kit is not merely a gimmick and can be counted upon when needed is to venture out into the Pilbara and walking unsupported for 200km with only water and its contents.
His rescue blanket not only provides a means of keeping warm (due to its reflective material) and a source of shelter, it can also be used to signal for help and to carry an injured person upon.
Bob’s snake bite kit is made up of three compression bandages that can provide enough pressure to slow down the flow of venom through the limb and give you time to transport the victim to emergency medical care. The bandages can also be used, amongst other things, as cordage or providing protection from the sun, insects, and the cold on your exposed body parts e.g. face/head.
Bob demonstrating snake bite treatment. Bush tucker for breakfast! Boiled Pigface tasted like green beans. Not bad at all!Like any new skills, practice is required to ensure that you do not lose them. Soon after finishing the course we purchased two compasses to include in our day packs to complement the survival kits, snake bite kits and survival blankets given to us as part of our course. We have started to teach our daughters how to calculate a bearing on a map and then how to follow that bearing using a compass. We have found ourselves making cordage from reeds while out exploring and I must admit that Karen is far more skilled than I am at it.
We now look at the bush with a new found appreciation and grass trees now hold greater significance for us with the variety of things that they can provide. We look
Ann teaching us how to use a bow drill.
Water procurement using a plastic bag.
Abdul blowing on an ember to make a flame.
differently at the behaviour of animals and seek to learn from their activities, and although my fear of snakes is not gone, I now have a new respect for them. We don’t expect everyone to sign up for one of Bob’s courses however for those that do you will be pleased that you did. Even with my military experience and plenty of time spent in the bush I still learnt so many new skills and became reacquainted with some old ones. For those that do not see the value then I would suggest that the next time you 'wander out yonder' you heed the following:
• Take note of your surroundings
• Carry adequate water (at least 2 litres)
• Tell someone where you are going
• Carry a first aid kit (or at minimum a snake bite kit)
• If you do find yourself in a situation, stop and think. Act rationally.
If you would like to know more or want to sign up to one of Bob’s survival courses then go to
Tools of the trade. We made our own drill and fire board from the flower stem of a grass tree.
By Chris Morton Photos by DAKAR PRESS TEAM AUSTRALIA
The patchwork colours of our golden outback must be seen to be believed. The kaleidoscope of colours and textures come alive when viewed from the air, transforming your perspective of the country that you travel across.
Coming in to land at the Kalgoorlie Desert Race.
Mass produced consumer drones have partially unlocked this view for many however they are still unable to provide you with that real-time sense of awe, experiencing nature’s creation first-hand instead of after the fact and via a screen still alluding the technology to some extent.
Western 4W Driver first met Harry and Lauren of Circle H Helicopter Heli Services at Mt Vetters Station, just north of Kalgoorlie. Their business was providing helicopter support for the 2020 Kalgoorlie Desert Race, ferrying media to remote locations along the racecourse and aerial platforms to capture video content.
Harry, chief pilot for the business, flies his helicopter like it is an extension of himself. The nimble and reliable Robinson R22 is the helicopter of choice for aerial mustering pilots Australia wide which is where Harry first learnt his trade.
cattle stations and across the red centre. He has spent time flying through the Kimberley and ancient Pilbara. Lauren goes on to say that, “The R22 is like the Toyota of
“Where else can you get a bird’s eye view, a front row seat to our spectacular country than from a helicopter?” Harry says. His passion for flying is clear as is his love for the outback as he describes the places he has flown. From Queensland’s sprawling
his flying steed, completely aware of his surroundings and comfortable flying so low to the ground. Almost a decade of mustering cattle across the country has enabled him to hone his skills to what they are today.
Circle H Heli Services came into being after Harry and Lauren identified a gap in the market. Local station owners, discovering the benefits of aerial mustering over traditional methods, were having to employ Pilbara-based helicopter pilots. In many cases Harry was the pilot sent to get the job done. Four years ago, they made the decision to start the business and buy their first R22, quickly making a name for themselves by providing an excellent local service to Goldfields pastoralists. More recently they have decided to expand their services by purchasing a slightly larger second helicopter. The Robinson R44 still provides them an excellent aerial platform with an extra seat and the ability to sling load up to 350kg if required. They are developing the business to also cater for
The pindan red, peppered with salt bush and salmon gum contrasts magnificently with the stunning white of a salt lake creating a canvas worthy of any art gallery.
"What does this button do?"Lauren and Harry.
commercial work beyond cattle mustering with them being able to offer remote mine site and exploration support, quickly being able to transfer critical staff or small pieces of equipment at a fraction of the cost when lost productivity is taken into account. This aerial 'hotshot' service can also be extended to 4W drivers who have broken down and require parts to get them going again. For those mechanically minded and capable, being able to airlift parts to a broken-down vehicle could potentially save thousands in recovery costs.
Their experience with the Kalgoorlie Desert Race has also allowed them to work with internationally experienced motorsport photographers, adding further to their already impressive skill set. They offer a range of scenic flights around Kalgoorlie and have plans to develop packages to cater for a variety of unique experiences. For further information, to book a flight or request an aerial hotshot service contact: Circle H Heli-Services
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Phone: 0432 237 744 Email: circle.h@outlook.com
Harry re-fuelling one of the R22s ready for its next sortie.
Robinson R22 technical specifications
Range: 386km
Top speed: 180km/h
Cruising speed: 177km/h
Engine type: single reciprocating
1 Pilot and 1 Passenger
Robinson R44 technical specifications
Range: 560km
Top speed: 240km/h
Cruising speed: 200km/h
Engine type: Air cooled, six cylinder, Lycoming 0-540
1 Pilot and 3 Passengers
In hot pursuit of one of the race cars.
Western 4W Driver
As a reader of Western 4W Driver, getting away from it all is always high on your agenda. Escaping the crowds and disconnecting for a while helps to recharge the batteries and reconnect with what is important. As much as this is the dream, the reality is that we still need to be able to be contacted or contact the outside world while on walk-a-bout.
Recently we came across a great new satellite communication product that has been co-developed by Australian company Beam Communications and Canadian firm RoadPost. ZOLEO is a small device that connects via bluetooth to your smartphone (or tablet) and allows for messages to be sent and received via its dedicated app across the Iridium satellite network.
ZOLEO features:
• the ability to operate from anywhere on the planet where you have visual line of sight to the sky,
• an emergency SOS function that is monitored 24x7 and will alert two preprogrammed contacts,
• a quick and easy check in button that allows you to let others know you are OK,
• the ability to share your GPS location with others
• an Australian mobile number. Both the SOS and Check in function DO NOT require a smart device to operate. The ZOLEO app does allow you to communicate via text message with the monitoring centre if you have activated the SOS function until help arrives. This is especially important when compared to an EPIRB as it gives you the peace of mind
that help is coming and more importantly you do not feel alone.
The device is easily charged using a variety of USB sources and can be accessorised with portable power banks or even small solar panels to ensure that not only ZOLEO, but your smart device continues to operate when you need it most.
Starting at only $32 per month (plus an activation fee of $40), the plan can be suspended after the first three months with the ability to retain your Australian mobile number for only $6 per month. You can easily reactivate and deactivate your plan on a month by month basis after this.
So far, we like what we see. Having the ability to stay in touch when working remotely without the cost of a satellite phone is extremely appealing and being able to switch the plan on and off to suit our travel schedule even more so.
Western 4W Driver is now a ZOLEO dealer and the units can be purchased from our website for only $345.
For further information on ZOLEO or to see what plans are available please go to www.western4wdriver.com.au/shop
By Chris Morton Photos by DAKAR PRESS TEAM AUSTRALIA
"The Kalgoorlie Desert Race (KDR) has become part of the Western Australian Off Road Racing Championship (WAORC) and is hosted by the 30 year old Western Desert Racers Club. Now in its third year, the KDR has quickly established itself as one of the premiere off road racing events in Australia."
quest for speed has long been associated with the Goldfields town of Kalgoorlie. Between 1914 and 1939 the isolated claypan known as Lake Perkolilli hosted an annual race meet, quickly gaining legend status with the breaking of many Australian land speed records. With the event almost being lost in time, enthusiasts recently successfully revived this iconic event.
A little closer to town a new event emerged from the boiling red dust of Mt Vetters Station, home to another iconic local landmark, King of the West Lake. The Kalgoorlie Desert Race (KDR) has become part of the Western Australian Off Road Racing Championship (WAORC) and is hosted by the 30 year old Western Desert Racers Club. Now in its third year, the KDR has quickly established itself as one of the premiere off road racing events in Australia.
Despite COVID border closures restricting interstate travel, this year saw an impressive turn out of over 150 bikes and 50 off road cars / buggies enter the 360km race.
The Legends Bar and spectator area provided a perfect vantage point for the finish line.
Although injured in this crash, the rider is expected to make a full recovery.
Over 3,500 people attended the Thursday evening street party.
Starting with a public party on Thursday night, Kalgoorlie turned out to welcome the racers and to check out their machines. The crowd was treated to an amazing aerial motorbike display by the team from Hardwired Entertainment, featuring world renowned daredevil Josh Sheehan.
A small city in the Kalgoorlie outback appeared almost overnight with most teams staying onsite for the duration of the event. Everything from small pop up marquees to professionally erected commercial tents appeared out of the salt bush to provide temporary workshops for the various teams to work on their machines. Kids were safe to roam and explore with their siblings and there was a real sense of community amongst everyone on site. It reminded me of when I was a child and would go to Polo Crosse tournaments with my family.
Racing commenced Friday with teams competing for a top 10 place and the chance to win $5000 in the first Kalgoorlie Desert Race Night Shootout, eventually being won by Harleigh Uren in his Class 4 Extreme 2WD buggy.
The Circle H Helicopter team enabled the media contingent to capture some amazing footage.
High five alley was popular with the kids to welcome weary riders back.
Being less than 15 minutes north of Kalgoorlie allowed for a steady stream of spectators out to the start/finish line where they could enjoy the various vantage points and get close to the action.
For the first time, the race was live-streamed via the KDR FaceBook page across the entire event which included not only terrestrial camera operators, fixed cameras
along the course and camera teams operating from the helicopters but a live feed from one of the cars as it raced through the desert. The team from Front Row Screens did an amazing job.
The highlight for me was getting to jump in a Robinson R22, operated by Circle H Helicopters, and chasing some of the vehicles as they thundered back to the finish line. The choppers were an essential part of the event providing aerial support to the media team covering the event as well as an emergency airlift capability for medical staff.
Having four aircraft operating at the event was another first for the organising team and provided an extremely versatile resource to the event. It was also great to see so many spectators take advantage of the aerial mustering pilot’s skills and see the race from the air.
The committee responsible for organising the KDR need to be congratulated. The race was well organised and well run. In only its third year, the event has managed
High fives on the last day of racing.
to grow exponentially and become an event that Kalgoorlie can be extremely proud of, potentially rivalling other national events around the country. The level of support not only from spectators but the local business community is testament to the small country town attitude of everyone pitching in for the good of the town.
Circle H helicopter shadows this car over the finish line.
Spectators were able to get up close to the action.
Western 4W Driver #116 107
“Saleshave increased dramatically during COVID. I think a lot of people have decided that if they are not able to travel overseas or even interstate that they are going to holiday by car in their own state. Suddenly their vehicle, whether it be a 4WD or a ute, has now become an active recreational vehicle that needs to accommodate all the practical luxuries of travel when heading out bush or to the beach,” Massih Aimaq said.
Massih Aimaq is the co owner of HSP 4x4 Accessories. The business designs, manufacturers and sells a broad range of innovative and cutting edge 4WD and ute accessories. The business supplies products to the Australian market, as well as many overseas countries and vehicle manufacturers.
“As an example, we are selling a lot more HSP Load Slides. These are customised
and fitted to the ute floor and provide a retractable bed slide so you can move things in and out of the ute with ease,” Massih Aimaq said.
“While a lot of people are having these fitted to their utes to help with their renovation work at home, we are also finding that many people are using them to put BBQs, cupboards and refrigerators on so that when they are out travelling they can easily access these things. We even have customers that have put pie warmers on them.
“I suppose they are turning their utes and 4WDs into mobile man caves and she sheds. Not everyone wants to travel in a caravan or stay in a hotel. A lot of people are taking up camping. Why not load up your ute or 4WD with all the practical luxuries you need to get away and enjoy yourself.”
The HSP Load Slide isn’t the only thing flying off shelves. HSP’s Premium Hard Lid is also in strong demand.
“With more people driving around in utes and storing valuable equipment in the back, whether it be work equipment or recreational equipment such as a generator, fridge, BBQ, freezer, tent and fishing gear, our HSP Premium Hard Lids are incredibly popular,” Aimaq said.
According to one of the country’s leading manufacturers of 4WD and ute accessories, HSP 4x4 Accessories, demand for vehicle accessories has surged during COVID as consumers focus on fitting out their vehicles with awesome features instead of holidaying overseas.HSP
“Our HSP Premium Hard Lid has been engineered to feature a unique pin release for easy removal, twin seal weather protection, as well as the latest technology in painting and detailing for clean aesthetics.
“The central locking system is also an exciting exclusive feature of our Premium Hard Lid – offering additional security and peace of mind for vehicle owners that when their vehicle is locked, so is their lid.
“If you’re out camping, you want to know that all of your gear is safe in the back of the vehicle and if it rains it is not going to get wet.”
According to Aimaq, technology is a big consideration during COVID.
“Interest in accessories that are powered through app and voice command are really popular too. For example our HSP Roll R Cover, which is a one of a kind electric roll top, is compatible with Android and Apple devices as well as voice command through Siri, Apple Watch and Air Pods, and it enables users to open, close and lock the cover with ease,” Aimaq added.
“We are also installing a lot of custom bike carriers for people that want to attach their bikes to the area above the ute tub.
“Some of our customers have really invested a lot of time and money into customising their vehicle to meet their needs. With overseas travel not expected to be back until next year, we anticipate that domestic sales will keep growing.
“It’s actually great to see so many people getting the most out of their vehicle.
“At HSP 4x4 Accessories we are innovators through-and-through and we are not slowing down. It is incredibly humbling to see our products getting put to the test around the world. We will continue to push against the conventional limits of the 4x4 industry and designing products that will exceed the expectations of ute owners.”
Massih Aimaq, along with his brother Masood Aimaq and life-long friend Omer Dost, design and manufacture worldfirst products that maximise the potential of a ute by creating solutions, not just products. With over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, the close-knit three co-founded HSP 4x4 Accessories. The company continues to push boundaries in the local and international 4x4 industry – making the most innovative, best-priced products on the market.
https://hsputelids.com https://www.instagram.com/ hsp4x4/
HSP Premium Hard Lid. HSP Roll R Cover.
If you were one to place a wager, then you would have been quietly confident that this year’s Perth 4WD and Adventure Show was never going to happen. With a pandemic lock down fresh in everyone’s mind and subsequent outbreaks on the east coast it would have been a fair assumption. Fortunately for Western Australia we have a government that was prepared to make hard short-term decisions to shield us from the worst of it.
Being only our second 4WD show since taking over the reigns of Western 4W Driver we were a little worried as to how the show would perform. We had spent months planning and discarding possible scenarios until we ultimately settled upon keeping things simple. Unlike many vendors our supply chain is very short. We either bring stock from our storage unit or we order stock from our printing partner Vanguard Press in Northbridge. Blessed with great weather the show was inundated with visitors with almost a 30%
By Chris Mortonincrease in attendance compared with last year. We were three times busier than last year and speaking with other exhibitors can safely say that this was a common trend.
Phil Bianchi was on hand to launch our much anticipated The 4W Driver’s Guide - Canning Stock Route, with a daily presentation and Q&A session as well as book signing. Phil’s CSR talks were all well attended as was a live stream that we uploaded to FaceBook.
Autographed copies of Phil's new CSR guide book were very popular.
We welcomed Bob Cooper into our stand who was also a key presenter at the Fourby Forum. For the first time we had Bob’s complete catalogue of survival items available for sale which proved to be extremely popular.
This year we made some subtle changes to the popular Fourby Forum which was held in a larger marquee to accommodate the COVID Safe requirements.
Seating was dispersed and we did away with the large outdoor TV screen on the stage, opting for multiple LED screens instead. We tried our hand at a live stream of the show over the three days from which we learnt some great lessons and are already making plans for next year.
This year both of our daughters assisted for the entire event, happy to get a Friday off school (don’t worry they are both getting excellent grades). They ran our point of sale and ensured that our book stands were always stocked. We couldn’t have done it without them.
Karen and I love meeting current and new subscribers to the magazine and despite the exhaustion and long days on our feet, get a real boost when we do. It is great to get constructive feedback and hear the stories of your adventures. A dedicated team of volunteers worked behind the scenes to ensure our success.
We were inundated with visitors to our stand all weekend.
Our 'Are We There Yet?' photo board was popular with kids and adults alike!
A special thanks to Ben from Goldfields Off Road for your tireless efforts and commitment. Bobby from LensNation who was throwing the switches, directing our live stream and capturing digital content. Shane (the Shark Caver), always ready to lend a hand and even get arrested (watch the video at www.YouTube.com/ Australian4WDriver - it's hilarious!), Siani for giving up her free time and jumping in front of the camera for us. Last but not least Josh. Josh is a film student who answered our call for a camera operator and wanted to help as part of his work experience requirements. We think you will be ‘seeing’ more of Josh in the future.
A special thanks to our Fourby Forum presenters Steve and Richard (who have yet to be mentioned) as well as to everyone who came and visited us at the show and who subscribes to the magazine.
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The recreational courses are held at venues close to Perth. You need your own (or a hired) 4WD vehicle to participate.
half-day private towing and reversing course is unique in that an experienced towing instructor will come to your home to deliver the course at no extra
if you live near Perth CBD. You need your own vehicle and towing unit to participate. The course
The cost for each half-day course is $385 per vehicle/van (one or two people). Clients wishing to take both courses can do so for the special combined price of $750 until 31st December 2020. Gift vouchers are also available.
Director and Senior Instructor, Jeremy Perks, says Global Gypsies has been delivering 4WD and towing training courses for over a decade. "We have a commitment to providing the highest level of customer service to our clients and to teaching them how to be capable, confident, responsible and environmentally aware."
"Our private courses are proving very popular for health reasons and also because of the personal service we provide," he says.
Global Gypsies also runs escorted, selfdrive 'tag-along-tours' to a variety of destinations suitable for 4WDs, caravans, camper trailers and motorhomes. For more information on tours or training visit: www.globalgypsies.com.au
New Zealand company UBCO Bikes recently launched their new Generation 5 two-wheel drive electric motorbikes into the Australian market.
With significant improvements made over the previous generation, potential buyers now have the choice between a road registerable and off-road only version.
Aside from cosmetic appearances, both bikes are the same. 1kW hub motors in each wheel deliver improved power and torque and the choice of three battery sizes allows
Keyless fob for improved security.
you to select the most appropriate power option for your application. A keyless fob with a lockable battery provides a muchimproved level of security for the bike.
Josh was really excited to try out UBCO's new Generation 5 work bike.
With the ability to operate the road registerable Adventure Bike on any Western Australian driver’s licence, they make an excellent option for those touring and wanting a light-weight bike to explore from once they have reached a destination. Both bikes offer a very low centre of gravity, making them much easier to ride than a traditional trail bike and silent operation. With a top speed of 50km/hr and a
carrying capacity of 150kg they make an extremely effective utility bike. Weighing in at maximum weight of 70kg (with a 3.1kW battery fitted) they are an excellent option for covering that 'last mile' where you cannot get your 4WD into.
ruggedly constructed Work Bike is ideal for farming applications, prospectors and even hunters looking for a versatile and cost-effective transport solution.
Visitors to Laverton should note that the Great Beyond Visitor Centre is temporarily located at the pub while their new and enlarged premises is under construction. It'll be about six months I'm told, but Laurinda and crew are still providing a source of goldfields maps, books, good coffee and their usual helpful advice on all things Laverton and surrounds.
I've been meaning to carry out a rubbish check on Hanns Track for some time now so I headed out a while back for my fifteenth expedition on Hann's historic 1903 route between Laverton and Warburton. Curious to see how my instructions given in our Hanns Track trip book related to the present-day track, I got a mate, Terry Bentley, to lead our group by following the trip notes. I was happy to find that the track itself has now had enough use to be bedded in permanently. The sand mounds beneath the spinifex we'd bounced over in first forming the track were gone and the
wheel ruts are now smooth, hard and easily visible for about 95% of the route. There are still a few rocky spots to negotiate and the track disappeared for a couple of hundred metres in a burnt out area just before we reached the Saunders Range. The visible wheel ruts were soon regained here by heading for the next navigation point, Wpt 72.
I found an embarrassing error in the position of Wpt 2 which is located 900 metres before the turnoff to Hanns Camp. When the Shire agreed to grade a new access track into the camp (which, by the way, isn't where the map shows the name) they couldn't get the grader through the gate. Instead, they turned off at a spot where the fence is down and, unfortunately, I forgot to correct that waypoint before publication. No problems with the rest of the waypoints which provide a really good guide to the route.
Almost all the distances published for the former 'cross country' portion of the route now give figures that are a fraction too long. I believe that this is due to two factors.
Wheel ruts on Hanns Track are now smooth, hard and easily visible.
WILD TRAX with IAN ELLIOT
One is that, now the track is bedded in with a much harder surface than previously, tyre pressures do not need to be reduced as much. The other is the smoothness of the track. With the disappearance of the spinifex crushed by the passage of many wheeled vehicles, the sand mounds that used to lie beneath the spinifex have blown away decreasing the rolling surface distance by just enough to result in the small differences in my original measurements between turns or landmarks. That's my theory anyway.
We found evidence of someone having been bogged below Amy Rockhole and I was bogged myself near Waulfe Creek in 2011 showing the folly of attempting this trip too soon after rains.
Terry was concerned over a track forking northwards off the Hanns Camp track just after you cross Nambrock Creek, an intersection not mentioned in the book. This didn't rate a second glance when the camp track was newly graded but I must admit that the tracks now look almost identical. It's one to watch out for, but as Wpt 3 at the camp is to the SW I think this is enough to deter travellers from taking the northern track by mistake. Another to watch out for is when you're ascending the jumpup at the northern end of the Saunders Range. Just as your bonnet drops as you crest this rise the way straight ahead looks invitingly clear, but the track actually turns sharp right here to proceed over to Wpt 73 where you can park to walk to the rockhole, overhang and handprints.
Asked about his view after leading our convoy of seven vehicles on this trip, Terry stated that he'd experienced no real problems in understanding the trip notes. The book and improved track conditions have made it possible for all to enjoy an easy 4WD trek into the history of the desert. I agree that Hanns Track offers a first rate, picturesque, remote desert experience to outback travellers and I'm happy to recommend it as a permanent established 4WD route now. Oh, and rubbish wise, we picked up one small green beer bottle along the entire 200 kilometres between Bishop Rileys Pulpit and Point Lilian, a great reflection of the neatness of those who have travelled the route since the publication of the trip book.
As my friends and I grow older the deterioration in our hearing is giving us more and more laughs at the misheard variations that occur from time to time. A recent campfire tale involved a tyre punctured by a length of copper tubing lying on the track. When the flat was examined all that was visible was a small circle of copper the diameter of the tubing embedded in the tread. Once the tyre was removed from the rim, the whole length of the copper tube was found wrapped round and round inside the tyre. Interesting enough but a query from the hearing impaired brought forth a roar of laughter from the rest of us. “How the heck did a cockatoo get inside the tyre?” “Copper tube, mate, copper tube – not 'cockatoo'!”
Bishop Rileys Pulpit.
My cherished Freedom Minit tent of 20 years plus and 1,000 sleeps, was looking sad and dowdy, and was deserving of some work including a dermal scrub and some moisturiser. She had been a hard worker, but her skin was drying out and if there was a hint of rain it would be absorbed with unfortunate results to occupants, usually me. Wet sleeping bags are no fun.
Some of you are probably thinking, “Truthful has been camping forever and still uses a tent?" I suffer from sleep apnoea and the CPAP machine I use works best on 240 volts. I just cannot take the risk that rain may fall during the night, leaving me at risk of electrocution or even worse, frizzy hair.
of a larger diameter than the bottom and internally it has a heavy-duty spring fitted. This is spot welded in the correct position so when fitting the pole inside the tent, the spring compresses, which when released allows the pole to expand keeping the tent taunt via the spring. With this system tent, tent erection is a breeze. No more pole tension loss resulting in slippage and halfmast tents.
Recalling the adage 'buy cheap buy twice' we handed over $500 plus (remember this was in the late 1990s) and we have been the best of friends with the tent ever since. I should admit that she has had two new zips and a new floor. She has been everywhere with us; through rainstorms, a two-day drowning due to a tropical low, being camped on mud, beaches and dune tops and she is still going strong.
"Why did I bother to spend money on such an old tent?" you ask. I love my Freedom Minit so I looked into buying another one and found they no longer make a 2.4m x 2.4m (8ft x 8ft) tent. The cost of making a 2.4m is the same as the 2.8m, so nowadays only the larger size is manufactured.
Originally, why did we buy this particular tent? My wife and I kept seeing this tent out on the verge of a camping store on Erindale Road (the shop is still there) and decided to check it out. It was a Freedom Minit tent 2.4m x 2.4m with a centre pole. It was made in New Zealand from high quality canvas and had a brilliant centre pole system that I have not seen on any other centre pole system since. The pole comes in two sections; the top section is
I have used Peter G’s Marine Products in Malaga WA, for years. They manufacture marine, cleaning and camping products. In particular I have used their silicone based waterproofing product many times. It isn’t cheap, but it works.
I went to the Big Green Shed and bought a five-litre pressure bottle sprayer and then to Peter G’s to pick up the waterproofing solution which comes in one, two and fourlitre sizes. Why a pressure sprayer? They are inexpensive and do a great job in swiftly coating the tent. When the job is finished, I discard the sprayer because the solvent damages the pressure washer’s seals and other plastic componentry.
Using a 2.4m square frame made of timber, I attached the tent corners and erected the tent on paving so any overspray would not kill the lawn and gave the canvas a good scrub to remove any dirt, then left it to dry thoroughly. Emptying the Peter G solvent into the pressure bottle, I pressured up and began spraying an even coat, thoroughly
wetting the tent. When it was dry, I gave it another thorough coating. Once coated twice I left it to dry out and air for a few days ensuring all solvent smell had dissipated.
Other uses for Peter G’s waterproofing product include water proofing swags, clothing, furniture and carpets. In addition, other Peter G camping products include fuel for camping stoves, porta potti toilet chemicals, Night N Day liquid soap and shampoo. The shampoo and soap are brilliant and lather in all water conditions including hard and salty water. (Please don’t use it in the ocean, yes it would work, but it isn’t good for the ocean is it?) The salty water I am talking about is from outback bores, wells and windmills. Please do the right thing. Don’t ruin water habitats and do keep away from stock troughs.
Getting back to the tent project, I tested the tent surface by letting water pool on it, when released the water ran off without leaving any wet patch, very impressive.
I was delighted with the facelift. The hardworking tent now has smooth skin and is looking youthful despite her age and is now ready for another five plus years of camping.
Hello Chris,
Following the re-opening of regional WA from the Coronavirus restrictions, we decided to undertake our usual desert tour in July and in particular, include a traverse of Hanns Track. We followed the route as set out in the booklet on the track commencing on the cut line leading off the Ann Beadell 'Highway' just after Bishop Rileys Pulpit. After ten or more years of vehicle travel Hanns Track is now reasonably well defined and a fairly easy drive for most 4W drivers.
After a number of very dry years, none of the rock holes carried water and bird and native animal life was very scarce. Some areas mentioned in the booklet that were burnt out when the booklet was written are now regenerating, however, there are other large areas that have been subsequently fireaffected and a section approaching Saunders Range could be a little boggy particularly for a convoy of vehicles.
There are several aspects to driving the track that people should be aware of: It would not be wise to drive the track in reverse, that is, from the Point Lillian or eastern end of the track as there is a rather steep sand dune just before Winterbottom Rocks (travelling from the Lily Rock hole) and trying to get a wellladen vehicle up this dune could result in tears and certainly considerable
damage to the track. As it is, the top of this dune is double headed and a little boggy already.
The rocky 'jump-up' after leaving Winterbottom Rocks which is marked by stone cairns can be negotiated reasonably well in low-range first gear, even towing a camper trailer. We were towing a 1.3 tonne off-road Goldstream Mini caravan which goes everywhere the Isuzu D-Max tow vehicle goes and we had no trouble.
The second 'jump-up' at Saunders Range is a different matter altogether. It is abruptly steep and has been 'chewed up' after ten or more years of vehicles tackling it. The way the booklet reads, it could be misinterpreted that you need to traverse this jump up by vehicle. Unless you are a keen rock hole and aboriginal rock painting exponent it would be most prudent to park on the flat open ground near this feature and hike the kilometre or so into the breakaways, following the vehicle tracks. There is a serious potential now for someone to have an accident here or cause damage to their vehicle in an attempt to drive the jump-up. Retrieval of a damaged or rolled vehicle from this remote spot would be very costly indeed if it could be achieved at all. Better to err on the side of caution and stick to the flat ground adjacent to Saunders Range.
After rounding the bottom or southern end of the range there is a magnificent area of open mulga woodland which is smooth, level and clean and is an excellent camping area. It is a better alternative to the offshoot track to the nearby camping area suggested in the booklet as the entry track is now eroded and scoured out by water flow. There is enough room in the mulga woodland to accommodate a hundred campers. After Saunders Range it is an easy run to Point Lillian and to the Connie Sue 'Highway'.
We were constantly amazed by the beautiful and photogenic breakaways especially when seen at either end of the day when the lighting is soft. Driving Hanns Track certainly inspires a sense of exploration and one cannot but marvel at Frank Hann’s tenacity in traversing this country back in 1903. I was surprised though that Pilot Rocks which the track goes right past is not mentioned as a feature in the booklet.
Cheers, Lawrie and Margaret AndersonHi Lawrie and Margaret, Thanks for your fantastic update of Hanns Track. Due to its remoteness we don’t receive much correspondence related to this book and as you would appreciate the landscape does change with the passing of time. Hanns Track is on our list of titles that need to have a review to ensure that we are up to date with the information we provide so we will ensure that your observations are kept on file. We do hope to see more visitors out to the area where they will certainly appreciate its untamed beauty and gain a sense of what individuals like Frank Hann endured while exploring our state.
Congratulations Lawrie & Margaret!
You've won a Survival First AidHandy Kit and a Dingo Duffle Bag (total value $139.90), thanks to
drawn from Shark Bay to Esperance includes all or part of seven different Australian Biogeographic Regions. Each of these regions “represent a landscapebased approach to classifying the land surface, including attributes of climate, geomorphology, landform, lithology, and characteristic flora and fauna,” (Commonwealth of Australia 2012, Map produced by ERIN, Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra, October 2016.) Not only are Sandgropers sure to be familiar with the huge and fascinating number of endemic plants found in the south-west of the state, that area has also been the focus of all who appreciate wildflowers and the astonishing spring displays that many interstate travellers as well as locals follow from north to south as the spring flowering season advances southward. Often, this seasonal spectacular is followed by an outstanding display of floral diversity centred around Kings Park in Perth. Almost 4000 plant species are endemic to the south-west region, meaning that they don’t occur naturally anywhere else on the planet. To make this huge group of plants even more
interesting, something like half of them are only pollinated by birds or animals. How come the insects are missing out I hear you ask? Well, I don’t know the answer to that question, but I am certain that the answer is probably out there somewhere.
The biogeographic regions in the southwest corner of Australia are huge when compared with those found in a narrow band along the east coast of the continent, mainly between the eastern edge of the Great Dividing Range and the Pacific Ocean. I find it interesting that there are only eight biogeographic regions along the whole of the east coast of the continent, from the northernmost tip of Cape York down to Cape Howe in the south. These east coast regions are mostly narrow elongated zones and except for the brigalow belts in Queensland, rarely extend westwards over the range and further into the interior than about 200km. It will be no surprise when I tell you that the vegetation on this side of the continent is vastly different from that found in Western Australia, and that is only partly because it extends from the wet tropics in the far north to the cool temperate regions found to the south of the Sydney basin. Geologically, some areas
within this eastern elongated coastal strip exhibit remnants of volcanic activity, which in general terms gets younger the further south one goes. The far northern part of the east coast zone makes up the region known as the ‘wet tropics.’ While in recent drought years this region was suffering from lack of rainfall, the vegetation that can be seen on roadsides is mostly a combination of typical wet tropical species with a few trespassers and ‘weeds’ perhaps resulting from human activity. There are about 4,000 plant species in the bioregions in north Queensland and only about 700 species are endemic to the area, a far smaller proportion than in the south-west of Western Australia. What plant explorers will find here are plants that belong to the Gondwanan flora that developed when the Australian continent was differently shaped and had only just broken away from the other land masses to which it was joined in eons past.
As a general rule, the plants that grow in one or other biogeographical zones are determined by the type of soil and to some extent its depth. Volcanic soils, being relatively new, still contain many natural nutrients and so can support a wide-ranging variety of plants. Along the east coast, as well as wet tropical forests, one can also find numerous other vegetation communities such as the wet and dry sclerophyll forests. (Their name comes from two Greek words meaning ‘hard leaves'.) These forests are fascinating because of their characteristic of having leaves that point their edges towards the sun so as to minimise their exposure to hot sunlight and thus reduce water loss through transpiration. If you have ever wondered why the sun is not blocked out as much as you might like “under the shade of a coolabah tree,” then you know now. Sandgropers will not find the east coast sclerophyll forests to be exactly like their own wet sclerophyll forests when they see the relatively small size of the trees in the east coast forests; they will perhaps wonder why they seem like dwarfs compared to the majestic Karris
of the south-west which are reputedly the world’s tallest hardwoods. However, the shoe is on the other foot when it comes to the Plum Pines. One Western Australian version (Podocarpus drouynianus) known as Emu Plum and by the Noongar name of ‘koolah’ growing around Northcliffe for example, is shrubby and barely reaches one metre in height. Although there are dozens of species of this genus spread all over the remnants of ancient Gondwana, one member of the family endemic to the east coast of Australia, (Podocarpus elatus), known as the Plum Pine, or the Illawarra Plum, is a medium to large tree growing between 30 and 36 metres tall with a trunk up to 1.5 metres in diameter. Apart from their grape-like edible fruits which their Western Australian cousins also bear, these were felled for use in boat
Emu Plum (Podocarpus drouynianus).
Plum Pine (Podocarpus elatus).
building because the resin-filled timber was resistant to immersion in salt water. Sounds a bit like Jarrah to a Sandgroper, I suppose.
I did not begin this essay with the idea of it becoming a botany lesson, I simply got enthusiastic about the differences in the landscapes and vegetation that become so obvious when you take the west-east journey across the continent. We have not been able to do this for some time, but very soon the time will come, and we’ll be able to tour again. More than one lot of Sandgropers is certain to cross the continent when the spectre of quarantining for a couple of weeks is removed from their travel plans. And I guess that cautious travellers will hesitate when contemplating an overseas trip, and I don’t mean going to Rotto. I have never found the Nullarbor crossing to be boring as some claim; I am always far more interested in what can be seen just a few hundred metres off the sealed road. Most astonishing is the observation that after mounting the Darling Range and passing over the eastern slopes of that range, there is not much significant elevation to be met with until you reach South Australia. While the changes in the country are clear on leaving one wheat belt and finally arriving in another, we have only crossed about eight more biogeographic zones.
There is much of interest for travellers in an understanding of the landscapes through which they pass. All across Australia, the various state equivalents of national parks can be found. I always find these to be great places to visit and most of them have some sort of interpretive centre that distributes information which will enhance your enjoyment of the particular park you are visiting and very often they also have extra information on sister parks located in other districts that you might be planning to pass through. A mate and his wife, proud to be known as 'Grey Nomads' always make a bee-line for the local information centres in any town that they visit because they claim that the locals can give you the
best information about things to see and places to go. Another couple of friends make meticulous plans about where they want to go and what they want to see, but sometimes they become quite despondent when they find out that some location that they would have liked to visit is closed. Others were not advertised in their guidebook. And that’s the thing now, isn’t it?
If you are going to travel, it seems as though some sort of screen and search system is indispensable today and can be operated by the passenger or a back-seat driver to bring points of interest to the notice of the driver. Be aware though, that all over New South Wales for example, there are 'eyes in the sky' photographing drivers consulting mobile phones or laptops whilst driving. Don’t risk the fine and consequences.
If you make it across and into Queensland’s Wet Tropics Bioregion, a tiny 0.26 percent of Australia, you can expect to discover over 200 species of butterfly, the same number of land snails but only 135 species of dung beetle (although I have to admit a search for these is never on the top of my list of interesting animals to tick off.) What is remarkable here and in other parts of Australia now, is the number of well-illustrated regional guidebooks that you can discover on almost every kind of interesting native species, birds, reptiles, orchids, trees and more. These definitely enhance visitor experience and if you are travelling with the kids, books like these and the pamphlets that you can assemble from visitor centres make great resources for end-of-holiday school projects and are wonderful substitutes for the endless ‘I spy...' activities that can become tiresome after a couple of days together in the vehicle.
Well, I’m looking forward to getting out and about again and I have a couple of venues in central New South Wales that I plan to visit in the not too distant future. I’ll keep my eye out for you and perhaps we’ll have a camp together somewhere.
The south west coast offers the visitor a marvelous area to explore at the right time of year. From sandy tracks to remote beaches to the magnificent forests, there is a plethora of things to keep one interested. I was invited to join a tag-along tour with a bunch of fellow geocachers and jumped at the chance when it was offered. With two kids also on the trip, it was proven that geo-touring is not just for the adults. The plan was for us all to meet at Alexandra Bridge campground to start our south coast adventure in the morning. Arriving at 5pm, we made our introductions with the 4 others and had a relaxing evening telling tall tales. The possums being highly active here at night and certainly not shy of campers.
In the morning, the kids decided to brave the cool waters of the Blackwood and go for a swim – as only kids do and the first cache for the trip was found collectively at the campground.
The 'pissums' did not live up to their name on my awning on this trip.
Let's get this tour underway.
Braving the chilly, early morning Blackwood.We made breakfast and hit the road for the Karridale roadhouse where a geocaching event was being held to mark the start of our journey and to meet some fellow cachers that could not join us on our tour. After a roadhouse coffee and a chat with these cachers, we were off in search of geo-adventure along the south west coast. The first stop being east Augusta, where we easily found the cache owned by one of the participants on the trip. The next cache on the list was to knock off one known as the south coast hut. The cache description showed we would be up for a challenge – “Not for the faint hearted, bush bashing, beach walking, climbing sand dunes and the need for a boat to reach the other side”.
We did not have a boat for starters. Others that had attempted it by land had failed. We would be the trailblazers.
One could see why. After trying to navigate a multitude of bush tracks to no avail, we eventually had to stop on one track as it was heavily overgrown and stopped by a fence line. With only 1.4km to ground zero, the party decided to hoof it and become the first to complete the challenge without
Planning for the south coast hut geocache.
a boat. A leisurely walk had us traverse cleared paddocks, sections of waist height weeds, navigate around a large inland lake and finally, take a goat track up an overgrown, steep sand dune ... and at the top, there sat the south coast hut. The geocache was quickly found and our names were entered into the history books, being the only ones to have completed the task by land entry. We were only the 8th geocachers to find it in its two-year history and only one other has been there since some 20 months later. A lovely way to kill two and a half hours. I do love an unloved cache.
Opening the cache at the south coast hut.
With the time getting on, we hit the sandy tracks for our next intended destination: Black Point. One sand hill proved a little challenging due to the chopped-out track, but soon enough we were all up and on the way. Turning onto the Black Point road, the lead vehicle got stuck in a patch of soft sand. A bit of shovel work and a gentle pull with the winch and he was out. Next attempt, with a bit of momentum, both he and the rest of us were through and before we knew it, we had made Black Point. A quick look at the Stepping Stones and Breakfast Holes lookouts and we were headed for camp, arriving at 5:30pm. Day three dawned and we drove back out to the Breakfast Holes for the first of two earth caches located here. Earth caches are different to the traditional caches we mainly find. Generally, you have a series of questions you must answer correctly to be able to log the cache. Both earth caches located at Black Point are geology-based questions. They are very educational and provide a bit more substance than finding a piece of Tupperware in the bush. Sometimes you need to do a bit of research to answer some questions if, like myself, it has been a while since you attended school. It helps a little to know about lava tubes for the earth caches here. The earth cache at the Salmon Holes requires a bit of physical effort. You must walk the 1.5km or so of beach out to the point to observe the rock formations there. The beach narrows considerably near the point and you need to make your way over some big and sometimes loose rocky boulders. The cache, named 'stepping stones' or 'tumbling blocks' was very appropriate.
Pondering the earth cache questions at Breakfast Holes.
A tough walk getting out to the point.
The start of the walk out to the point and the stumbling blocks.
It took us until midday to complete the two tasks so we then pushed on further east down the sandy track for 10km until we hit the turn off for Jasper Beach. Heading east is a much easier journey as you descend the two potentially troublesome hills either side of the beach entrance. If coming from the west, the hill prior to Jasper is steep and deeply wallowed. The one just after the beach turn off is considerably long with deep, soft sand drifts in the dry summer months. One of our team stayed high and walked down, still emotionally hurting from the embarrassment of the winching the day prior. The other cacher and I drove down on to the beach. In the western corner lies a rusty ammo can, a cache I had logged some years prior. The others found it and signed the logbook. Then it was time to ascend the hill to get off the beach. In summer, this hill can be quite soft and challenging, but with the unseasonably cool weather and gentle rain that had fallen throughout the day we both made it up without drama – tyre pressure is the key.
From Jasper Beach we had another 12km to go to our camp for the night, Lake Jasper. It's an easy journey these days with remnants of conveyor belt still lining the crest of some of the small sand hills on the way in. Back in the old days, they used to tow ski boats in here and the track could be a little difficult with some deep wheel ruts full of soft sand to negotiate. The massive ruts have all but disappeared now, no doubt due to the reduction of trailer traffic.
We arrived for an early camp by 3pm. I was excited about this one, because a new cache located here was only published 10 days before we left. At the time I left home, it had not been found before. Unfortunately for us, a cacher had been through and got the first to find the day before we arrived. Never mind, we still found it and had an easy afternoon, lazing by the lake. I set up being prepared for the rain which did not eventuate until later that evening where the six of us huddled underneath my awning with a warming glass of red.
Day four would take us to an old cattleman’s hut, the site of a geocache placed in 2003 that I had been meaning to collect for years but had not got to. A log from a fellow cacher states this hut was built in 1917. I cannot verify that, but I do know a lot of land down that way was given out in the soldier settlement scheme from 1916 onwards, so the timeline fits. The route there presented us with two paths. I sat at the junction whilst another attempted the track on the left. The response on the radio was not great. The passenger having to get out of the vehicle constantly to bend vegetation out of the way was not a good sign. So, before we lost radio contact, I decided to push on straight ahead, and a good choice this turned out to be, the track being only mildly vegetated. Both these tracks led to a gravel road and eventually we were all reacquainted, some paintwork in better condition than others. Over the crest of a small hill, we decided this was the place to go in on foot for the cache. The bush here was very thick with some steep hilly terrain to traverse. Only 300 metres to ground zero, how hard could that be?
Well, it was a bit harder than we thought as the tree canopy played havoc with the GPS. But we got there in the end to be presented with a destroyed hut. A felled tree had flattened the hut.
Lake Jasper camp.It had been some four years since it was last found and we were now challenged to find the container under the ruins of flattened corrugated iron with a tree on top. With six eyes on the job, a corner of the cache container was spotted, and then the teamwork began to get it out. I am happy to report we got it, signed the log, and found a little piece of history. Some research on huts in D’Entrecasteaux national park shows a Scott’s hut in nearby proximity, but I believe that one is too far north west of this place. I believe this hut is just a cattleman’s squatter shack. If anyone has further information on this, I would love to know.
If getting to the hut was a challenge, getting out was worse. Not having marked the car’s waypoint (newbie error 101), trying to follow the breadcrumb track on the GPS was near impossible with little satellite signal to go on. We veered too much to the south and ended up in extremely dense, slow going bush with lots of fallen log hopping. I was just hoping that the potential hidden tiger snake would hear us coming because we would have stepped on it before we saw it. A couple of members of the party were becoming a bit concerned at trying to make their way through the scrub and some reassuring words were needed. But we stayed together and eventually poked our nose back on to the road, some 100m away from the cars. It sure gave us a sense of what the pioneers of the area had to endure.
Now back on a maintained gravel track and eventually back to bitumen, we made our way for our destination of Pemberton. On the way we checked out the strangely named Snottygobble campground. For the
uninitiated, Snottygobble is the name of a small shrub endemic to the area. Some botanist had a field day when he named this plant. Here a visit to the cache at Goblin Swamp is warranted. Looking like a scene straight out of a Harry Potter set, collecting the cache is secondary to the peculiar scenery of the mangled and twisted trees that live here.
The now flattened hut.
The hut, circa 2004.
The twisted Goblin Swamp.
At the end of this road lies the Donnelley River boat ramp. Some 12km downstream lies the river mouth and a set of shacks. The only way to access those is by boat. At the mouth, lies another unloved cache. One we had planned to get this trip. There is a tour boat running from the ramp here down to the mouth and our aim was to go on the cruise the following day, knock off the cache and return to Snottygobble to camp up that evening. Dropping in on Beedelup Falls, there are a couple of caches located here. Even without the lure of a cache, it is a picturesque place to visit. The swing bridge across the river is not to everyone’s liking though. Cue the 'swing the bridge' club. Arriving in Pemberton, late afternoon, we all grabbed an unpowered site at the caravan park, had a tub and went to the pub for dinner. Now with phone coverage, we rang the boat operator for our Donnelly River cruise to be advised that the operator needs a minimum of 10 people for cost effectiveness, we only had six. With no others booking on, we had missed the boat ... and the cache. Time to remake our plans.
On day five we left Pemberton, clean and refreshed, for a couple of caches near Yeagarup Lake. One here I had not been able to find before, so that was a worthy detour in the wrong direction for our planned daily travel. With the caches now found, we made our way to the Dave Evans bicentennial tree. The kids, like a rat up a drainpipe, were at the top before I even got five rungs up. Not for the feint hearted, if you do not look down and just concentrate on one step after the other, you will be at the top before you know it. Sitting some 75m above the tree canopy and the tallest of the 3 (now 2) fire lookout trees in the area, it is worth the dose of jelly legs for the view from the top. While the kids and I climbed the tree, the others went to grab some more caches nearby.
The magnificent coastal scenery at Windy Harbour.
The jelly leg staircase to heaven.
Back on the road once again, we hit Windy Harbour around 3.30pm. Just enough time to find the five caches located nearby and marvel at the spectacular coastal scenery to be had here. Windy Harbour is a quaint little fishing village filled with lots of multicoloured shacks and is a must see if ever in the region. At the cliff tops, there are some dedicated pathways to take you out to some lookouts, but the best scenery to be had is by making your way north to the cliff face over some gnarly limestone. There are no official tracks here, but plenty of kangaroo tracks to follow. Do
One of the bigger holes. Some are only an inch in diameter, right below your feet.
not go too close to the edge, as the face is undercut and in places, holes in the limestone provide an unwelcome view of the ocean below.
The council campground here is great. Good toilets and showers and plenty of free space when we were here. The wind can be a bit tough at times though. There must be something about the name of the place. Huddled beside the car to escape it, we could not believe how cool this January trip had been.
Camping on grass after days of sand is a blessing.
The wildlife come to visit in the morning.
On day six we headed back via Pemberton and finally onto Snottygobble campground for our last night. Two of the party had arranged to get on the river cruise down the Donnelly the following day. The two of us with kids did not have the luxury of another day on the ground, so we missed out this time. We stopped in to climb Mt Chudalup, where you will find an earth cache located. A series of questions to answer from information boards on the way up form the basis of being able to log the find. The view from the top on a clear day is just stunning. Well worth the short hike to the top.
Back in Pemberton, we made our way out to the Cascades, a feature visitor spot of the area and the site of another geocache.
Mt Chudalup.
Climbing the Gloucester Tree.
Then we moved on to the second fire lookout tree for the trip, the Gloucester Tree. Having strained a leg muscle trying to prove my youth on the earlier tree climb, we left the kids to do the climbing whilst I sought the cache nearby.
It is amazing how time-consuming touring around the south west can be. We did not arrive to our Snottygobble camp until well after 5pm. If you come down to the area for a visit, allow yourself plenty of time. Like the rest of this trip, the campground was empty, rather unusual for this time of year I would have thought. That allowed us to take the group camping site, with its large timber hut for some protection from the impending drizzle that was starting to threaten.
On day seven the two of us headed for home via Lefroy Brook and the third fire lookout tree of the trip, the Diamond Tree, just outside of Manjimup. Both sites now have our names in the geocache log. Unfortunately, the Diamond Tree has been de-commissioned for safety reasons, so
we were lucky to bag the three trees in the one trip. The other two cachers joined the cruise later that morning and found the cache at the river mouth whilst we headed for home. Leaving something behind for the future is a great tactic for yet another road trip. I am good at that.
Over the years we have tried all the mossie repellers and insect repellents on the market, mainly because Viv is an attraction for them, while I’m not so much bothered by the little buggers.
On our last trip to the Kimberley we met up with friends in Broome and as we were heading out fishing he told us about this new mossie repeller, the ‘Thermacell’, which he now swore by. Next day we were down at the local fishing and camping store buying a unit and a couple of refill kits. Since then they have become more widely available as well as coming down a little in price, which makes them even more worthwhile. In the last few months we’ve used them at home, out camping and fishing. These units work best in calm conditions and each unit will provide coverage over an area of 21 square metres or about 4.6m in diameter … or so the company says. Certainly, when we place a unit under Viv’s chair I also get the benefit of the repellent – if I’m not too far away.
With each kit comes a number of butane gas cartridges and a few insert mats, the number depending on which kit you buy. Insert a gas bottle and a mat and then switch on the unit. Wait for a few seconds and press the start button a number of times. This lights the heater which warms the mat giving off the insect repellent. One mat lasts for up to four hours while the butane gas cartridge lasts up to 12 hours.
So, would we recommend them? Viv does whole heartedly and we always carry one with us, or have one at home. They are easy to use and while they may seem a little expensive they have proven to be effective, even for keeping mossies at bay for more than one person!
If you go to the Thermacell website you’ll find a number of units available suitable for a tent, caravan or camper trailer use, outside in the patio area, or even sitting around a campfire.
For more information, go to: http://thermacellrepellents.com.au
RRP $40 or so for basic unit which includes 12-hour refill kit. 48-hour refill kit costs around $38.50.
What’s not to like? The Ningaloo region remains a jewel in our state.
Those earliest visits felt like we were visiting another world as we experienced Exmouth as a town still establishing itself and just starting to dream and develop the enormous tourism potential. It had a captivating and intriguing character. American naval personnel, July 4th celebrations, left hand drive vehicles everywhere and even the odd anti-nuclear demonstration. When initially set up as a joint US Naval outpost the Americans brought everything in with them on boats and built everything to American specs and standards. It looked for all intents and purposes as though a little town in the States had been transplanted in the north west.
Back then the Lighthouse Bay caravan park was tiny and tucked away near the old lighthouse keeper’s house, a great example of Australian outback period architecture.
Much of the west side wasn’t established for accommodation and Yardie Creek station with its heritage listed homestead was the prominent feature. In the late 80s the National Park was gazetted but until that became well established and set up, not much more than dirt tracks took visitors south along the coast.
A lot of the Ningaloo stretch was still very accessible and people basically camped in clearings in the dunes all the way south, past the station. It was not unusual in those early days for campers to set up for three months at a time, escaping the southern winter. Ned’s Camp, Mangrove Bay, Turquoise Bay and nearly every other spot were simply tracks to the stunning western shoreline and the breakers of Ningaloo Reef further out.
Our focus was on shore-based exploration and fishing with the use of a beachlaunched dinghy on the good days. No doubt like many parts of our coast, the fishing from shore back then was at times mind-boggling and the range of species, incredibly prolific.
Small mackerel, various types of trevally and big queenfish roamed the shoreline attacking bait schools in the shallows and provided lots of angling fun for those flicking small lures and poppers. Nor west snapper (spangled emperor) were prolific
and in the evenings on a rising tide, the target of many trying their hand at fishing in the north for the first time.
Typically, it was eight to ten days, planned for many months in advance and although we experimented with different times of year, the July break or escape from the southern winter became the standard trip, every year. Sometimes it was combined with other spots further afield such as Gnaraloo, Coral Bay, Ningaloo station and places east of the Gulf but it was always centred around the many varied opportunities available around Exmouth.
Exploring the trails between Coral Bay and Ningaloo.
A typical Exmouth Spanish mackerel.
Exmouth prize – a lovely coral trout, harder to find these days.
With it came a raft of indelible memories, some still vivid to this day. Many came with our more serious foray into boating in this now world renowned sports fishing mecca. None surpasses the day we watched in absolute awe as a big blue marlin that looked as big as our 3.8m tinny emerged from the deep and tried to inhale the bibless minnow lure being trolled close behind in the prop wash for a mackerel. Giant trevally off the tip of the cape at Point Murat the size of a mini, shouldering each other out of the way as they chased shorecast poppers. The fight, albeit exciting, always ended shortly afterwards in grief, no matter what size gear we had.
Boat fishing never required great distance given the reef and deep drop off waters behind it were easily accessible. We opted for those flat, glassy, safe days in these smaller craft and they were always very productive. Big spangled emperor were abundant, but still relied on technique and working the tides, with unweighted baits, drifted temptingly back down in the berley trail. Big golden trevally were common as well, along with the odd cobia and the shark and spanish mackerel that were as thick as blowflies on the right moon phase. The prospect of a delicious coral trout or rankin cod for the plate all simply added to the attraction.
Bigger boats and less shore-based trips followed as the years passed and exploring new grounds many miles north and south of Tantabiddi and beyond nor west reef to
An indelible Exmouth memorya whale shark coming up to the back of my boat to say hello.
From the archives. A 1991 Ningaloo sunset tinged by Indonesia’s Mt Pinatubo eruption.
the Murions became new ventures. Sailfish, Mahi Mahi and marlin were no longer just wishful thinking but figured consistently in our trips if we wanted to turn to a day or two of game fishing with the outriggers. So what’s changed? Exmouth and its surrounds and attractions has become well and truly established as a place to be savoured. Tourism at a local and international level continues be the region's mainstay. Lots of conservation measures and controls have justifiably been introduced to protect the amazing marine environment and the whole Cape region. Fishing and diving are still key attractions and big numbers still frequent the area or visit for the first time, but obviously the area is not as pristine as it once was.
A much younger and fitter author posing with one of the sizeable locals.
from Tantabiddi, Helby Bank and nearest the Cape itself has probably changed the most. That’s not to say that the fishing in those areas has been decimated but I think the demersal scene has definitely diminished. The anecdotal evidence from those working out wider is pointing to similar things with charter operators having to work harder and wider for their fish.
The fishing opportunities in a relative sense are still very good but like all places that become the focus of sustained angling and camping pressure, there are signs of impact. I believe the fishing near the reef, particularly inside, is not as it once was, even since the introduction of greater management and control. These fishing regulations are continually revised to include special limits and conditions for the region but these days the inshore fishing has diminished somewhat, particularly for those who don’t understand the critical importance of northern tides.
The growing scourge of sharks taking hooked fish from recreational anglers is of course a real disappointment and has had many looking for places where it can be less of a problem. These days finding and hooking up to a mackerel is still easy –landing it though can be nigh on impossible. The more accessible ground such as inside the reef along the west side, outside
Recreational angling has of course evolved incredibly in the last couple of decades and these days bigger and more capable boats and electronics see fishos venturing much further. Deep dropping, as it's known, is now a common approach with the deeper waters from 100 to 300 metres being targeted for different species such as gold band snapper, ruby snapper and various deep water cods.
Things have matured in terms of the township. A fantastic new marina development and resort has emerged amongst the growth in accommodation facilities and there is a bit more on offer for the big numbers of winter visitors nowadays.
Exmouth, the Ningaloo reef and surrounds are certainly still a great place to visit and fish, there’s no question of that. It still retains some historical mystique and interest and an amazing geography where magical sub-tropical waters meet the desert and a rugged range, even if it has a changed a bit.
None the less it’s a coastal environment that has few equals in Australia and the essence of what makes the region so attractive is still there. For locals and interstaters alike, it's often high up on the list, even just for that road trip to somewhere different.
was looking for something to do when she left high school when she discovered vehicle mechanics.
Her father was a mechanic before she was born but she doesn’t claim that it is in her blood.
She loves being hands on and the thought of being in an office is not appealing. Every day there are new challenges. She loves the feeling of being self-sufficient, knowing that she can look after herself if her car breaks down.
As much as she loves the challenge, it is also the main thing she doesn’t enjoy. Tasks that are supposed to be straight forward quite often turn into a mental battle as she seeks to resolve it. The dirt doesn’t worry her.
Her biggest bug bear is customers who don’t wash down the outside of their car. Mud and sand driving are fun but failing to clean them afterwards becomes her problem when she works on their pride and joy.
She prefers cars over 4WDs as they are cleaner and less complicated.
She completed her apprenticeship at Thornlie Automotive in Kenwick, a family owned business where she was also
exposed to some very old-style cars. She confessed that although some of the cars were quite simple, the lack of exposure to them and being able to repair them was quite satisfying.
She has been at Lifestyle 4WD for almost two years and enjoys the diverse nature of the job. She finds that some people are a little surprised when they discover that she is a mechanic however has not had any detrimental reactions. She hasn’t had to work in large teams and even found
everyone else in her TAFE class to be extremely supportive.
She recommends the career to anyone who has an interest in vehicles and mechanic regardless of gender. If it is something you are passionate about then just go for it.
Her advice to girls wanting to get into mechanics is simple: don’t wear fake nails, be prepared to cut your hands … a lot, and it is not going to be easy. If you really love it then all the crap won’t matter.
"Her advice to girls wanting to get into mechanics is simple: don’t wear fake nails and be prepared to cut your hands … a lot ..."
Readersof Western 4W Driver will already know how much we advocate 'being prepared'. You never know when you’re going to need to patch either yourself or someone else up. Having a good quality first aid kit is essential for everyone. The team at Go Camping and Overlanding peddle the Survival First Aid Kits. The kits come in a variety of sizes and are the perfect accessory to stick in your car or day pack when you head out.
The Survival First Aid Kits are colour coded to make finding the right supplies in an emergency easy. Re-stocking is a breeze with everything clearly labelled and available to re-order from their website.
As with almost everything else nowadays, there is even an app that contains a whole host of functions such as step by step guides for various incidents as well as the ability to call 000.
The Survival First Aid - Handy Kit retails for $69.95. Go Camping and Overlanding have it currently on special for $49.95, however if you mention this article, Western 4W Driver readers will receive a further $10 off this or any other Survival First Aid Kit in store. Valid until end of February or while stocks last.
Available from: Go Camping and Overlanding in Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au
Outon the tracks you want your UHF antennae as high as you can get it to ensure you get the best range and signal possible. Back in the big smoke however they tend to get in the way.
Go Camping & Overlanding have managed to get their hands on a limited amount of 4x4 Equip Adjustable Antennae Bases. They retail at $79.95, but if you mention this article, they will knock another $20 off for Western 4W Driver readers.
Available from: Go Camping and Overlanding in Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au
night’s sleep is important. There is nothing worse than going away with someone who turns into Mr (or Mrs) Grumpy because they didn’t bring their favourite pillow along for the ride. Fear not. The team at BLACKROLL Australia have the solution. The BLACKROLL Recovery Pillow is a memory foam pillow with neck support,
catering for four different sleeping positions. It can be rolled up and stuffed into a pack or small bag, consuming very little space. Made in Germany, the pillow is light and hygienic. Available for only $149 from: Go Camping and Overlanding in Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au
Egg Poachers are made from black steel and are spun here in Australia. They make the perfect poached egg over the fire!! Coupled with the Red Roads Goog Pouch made from Bradmill Canvas right here in WA, these items make the aptly named Googy Pack. Sold in a pack of 4 but expandable out by another two or three egg poachers as the hungry group of campers grows. Available in a few different colours to suit any palate. Get Googying On!! Price for set of four is just $60. Available from: Go Camping and Overlanding in Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au
For many, staring at the 'bush telly' when camped out on the tracks is no longer cutting it. To feed our insatiable appetite for stimulation we often turn to our phones and other smart devices for entertainment. Who would have thought FaceBook or Netflix would be more engaging than sitting around a fire and sharing stories? To keep these little dopamine stimulators running you need power. Companion Brands have now got an extremely portable 40 Ah lithium battery pack which comes complete with a built in MPPT controller, allowing for direct solar panel input. The unit has a variety of input and output plugs and only weighs 6.5kg. The manufacturer claims a life cycle of approximately 2000 recharges making it very good value for money.
Go Camping and Overlanding in Balcatta have the Rover available in-store for only $699 (normally $799). www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au
Iwasasked the question not long ago what I thought was my super power. Apparently we all have at least one and at the time I couldn’t answer.
After some consideration I have decided that mine is being able to take a seemingly empty cupboard and create a meal for a bunch of mates to enjoy. Over the years that I have been cooking I have come to know what flavours and ingredients work together and what doesn’t.
To say I am a bit of a 'fly by the seat of my pants' type cook is a pretty accurate description and most times this organic approach to constructing something edible is quite successful.
Recipes, for me, are more of a suggestion than a rule, and to have that attitude and intuition about food only comes with practice and the confidence to just have a go regardless of the results.
Sometimes it feels a bit like witchcraft when all the ingredients behave the way they are meant to and as if by magic an amazing thing is created.
Maybe I should start carrying a wand and saying abracadabra a lot or perhaps just learn to ride a broom (some would say I already know how to do this).
What I particularly like is when I can take a tried and true recipe and turn it into something else in this case the basic three ingredient scone recipe has now successfully been turned into donuts. A swish of my wand and 'abracadabra'. Now that’s a bit of magic right there.
This basic combination of common pantry staples has been used as a light pastry dough for apple or apricot pies, golden syrup dumplings, the humble scone and now donuts.
One of the things I like to try and do is encourage people to venture away from the good old stews, roasts and burnt bottom dampers, the type of things everyone knows how to cook, and try something a bit different.
The smaller cast iron camp ovens make a remarkably good deep fryer when partially filled with cooking oil and heated over a gas or butane burner. So not only is the camp oven being utilised for a different way of cooking but the scone dough is as well.
Let’s get started so you can wow your mates next time it’s your turn to make morning tea or dessert.
Will make 8-12 donuts.
You will need:
For the donuts:
2 cups self-raising flour
150ml pouring cream
150ml lemonade
Generous sprinkle of cinnamon
1 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 litre vegetable oil
Small cast iron camp oven Clip lock lunch box Tongs Heat source, either gas or butane burner.
Place the cinnamon and sugar into the clip lock box, place the lid on and shake to mix. Pour oil into the camp oven and place over high heat for 10 minutes then reduce to low heat. Put the two cups of flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in all the cream and most of the lemonade, combine the ingredients with a knife until a stiff dough is formed, you may not need all the liquid to achieve this.
Flour your hands so the dough won’t stick and break off slightly larger than golf ball size pieces. Roll into a ball and flatten, make a hole in the middle with your thumb and stretch the dough out to make a circle of dough with a hole in the middle of about 4-5cm diameter. Gently lay the donut into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown. Remove from the hot oil and drain on some paper towel then place a couple in the box with the sugar and gently rotate the box so the sugar evenly coats the donut.
I normally sacrifice the first donut and cut it in half once I think it is cooked just to make sure after it is removed from the oil it has cooked all the way through then continue cooking in batches of 3-4 until all the dough is used up.
Tip - How to determine oil temperature? Drop a small piece of the dough into the hot oil and if it floats as soon as it hits the bottom of the pot the oil is ready. Be sure to keep the gas on low so the oil doesn’t get too hot and burn the donuts.
Tip - Long donuts can be made by turning the piece of dough into a log and cooking the same as above. These can be sliced through the middle and filled with jam and cream.
Tip - Donut balls can be made simply by breaking off a smaller than golf ball size piece of dough and rolling into a ball and cooking the same as above.
Tip - Jam (without any chunks or seeds) or Nutella can be forced into the centre of the donut ball by using an old squeezy sauce bottle filled with slightly warm filling and the nozzle gently pushed into the donut and squeezed until it just starts coming back out the hole. Donuts can also have icing and sprinkles applied for just a little bit more magic. Enjoy.
The club has been keeping a busy schedule of maintaining regular monthly events varying from day trips, overnight trips and extended trips.
The club has also been keeping momentum in giving back to the community with its efforts in the opening of the Wanagarren Track Grey - Wedge with the Tending the Tracks Alliance. Since this project, the Club is busily working in a big clean up project with DBCA in the Moore River National Park and has future joint projects with Track Care WA and DBCA in the Julimar Forest and Warrigal Claypan Wetlands.
The Isuzu Club is all about promoting safe and sustainable 4W driving. Focussed on being a family orientated club that caters for singles, families and retirees, no matter what your age, experience or vehicle set up, the Isuzu club welcomes you to become members.
For more information on the Isuzu 4x4 Club of WA Inc. head over to their website: www.isuzu4x4clubwa.com.au or email: info@isuzu4x4clubwa.com.au
Onthe weekend of 17th and 18th October, Track Care ran a clean up style project at Roelands Village. Westpac Indigenous Banking group, through Amanda, introduced us to Roelands Village and we began planning this project one month prior to meeting on 15th September at Roelands. The project was done at short notice due to the dependence of removing cotton bush on the weather.
In all, we had an attendance of 28 people representing Track Care, Westpac, Armadale 4WD Club, 4WD Club of WA and Isuzu 4WD Club. Graham lead the group on a tour of the sites for the next day and promised to get them up on the hill for a sunset preview of the drinks and nibbles at sunset planned for the Saturday night.
We visited both sites and there was a large amount of smoke from a nearby bush fire.
The sun was red but we did not get to see it set. Why, you may ask? Well, Graham took us up a large hill (yes, the one he thought was the hill for the great view on Saturday.) but when we got to the top, the smoke was too thick, the view wasn’t to the coast as promised and the sun had already set! We headed back to camp and started with a discussion around the campfire of what we would be doing for the next day along with all of the normal chat that occurs at these events.
On Saturday morning, we went to a site alongside a creek with a swimming pool and waterfall where we weeded the nonnative grasses from the native grass. There was an incredible passing of knowledge between the group as people realised the best way to distinguish each type of grass while doing the weeding. The weeding was in preparation for the planting of Jarrah, Karri, Peppermint trees and other local
native plants later during the weekend. This only lasted for a little more than an hour as we were to return to the campsite for a Welcome to Country and some story telling from Les and Syd who were residents of the village as youths. This was a highlight for the weekend as we all participated in part of a healing process for all. Les is a person who can talk longer than Graham but has far more interesting topics to talk about! After the Welcome and stories, we had lunch and headed to the two work locations. One group went back to the creek site and continued the weeding, and planted 250 plants over the afternoon.
The other group hit the cotton bush HARD! We found that the timing was almost perfect for removing the cotton bush by pulling rather than cutting and using poison. A fantastic environmental result. Nobody counted the number of plants removed, but the picture below says it all for day one of the weeding!
huge conversation bubble lasted the entire time we were there. Just after sunset, we headed back to camp, had dinner and most of us gathered around the campfire for another talk fest.
Sunday morning the entire remaining team headed back to the cotton bush site and covered an enormous area removing yet more plants. This time we created multiple small piles of plants to reduce the amount of time spent walking up and down the hill creating one large pile. Although the plan was to work through to lunchtime, at morning tea break, Graham called a stop to the work so that people had time to pack up, group together for a sausage sizzle and depart for home.
It is staggering how much can be done by a group of enthusiastic volunteers!
Saturday afternoon, Graham led us to the site to watch the sunset. He did find the right hill and parked us in the middle of some very lovely Scottish Thistle. But all jokes aside, the view was fantastic, the sun set alongside Bunbury harbour and a
Les, Amanda and Graham have agreed to get together soon to create a six to twelve month plan for projects at Roelands Village. In the meantime, if you wish to stay at Roelands there is the ability to camp on site for $20 per vehicle per night or check out the website for more information on the large scale accommodation available. www.roelandsvillage.com.au
Thank you all!
TrackCare WA Inc. has found that the development of enduring partnerships with like-minded volunteers and land managers is an essential part of maintaining 'Access for the Future' for 4WD recreationalists. To help achieve this goal, members of Track Care WA Inc. and our partners, the Isuzu 4×4 Club of WA Inc. came together to assist Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise and community members at a revegetation planting at Ellen Brook Nature Reserve. Why was this an important activity for our respective members?
According to the Department of the Environment and Heritage, the Western Swamp Tortoise is one of Australia's most endangered reptiles. It has the smallest surviving population of any Australian reptile. Restricted to only two wild populations, there are less than 200 endangered Western Swamp Tortoises left. These survivors live in wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plains near Perth in Western Australia. The Western Swamp Tortoise is listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Western Swamp Tortoises are ridiculously small, growing up to 15 centimetres in shell length. They are remarkably like the Longnecked Tortoise in appearance except they
have a shorter neck! The Western Swamp Tortoise is unique, with an ancestry that dates back 15-20 million years.
During winter and spring, the tortoises live in the water, feeding on insects, larvae and tadpoles. In the drier, hotter months they shelter under leaf litter and in holes and aestivate (sleep), not re-emerging until the winter.
On the last Saturday in June, fifty adults and fifteen children came together to plant over 4500 of 5000 seedlings provided by Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). There was a
A portion of the group listening to planting instructions.
Teaching the young. TCWA's youngest member at work.
Words and images by Jan Bant - Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise and John Collins - Track Care WA Inc.
wide range of plants that included Acacia Pulchella (Prickly Moses), various Melaleuca species through to the very tall Swish Bush. The remaining 500 plants had to go into muddy water on the edges of the swamps and the DBCA experts planted them the following week. Fortuitously, there was an exceptionally heavy rain shower just after the completion of planting that settled the seedlings in to their new home, which means we are now looking forward to an enhanced establishment rate.
The revegetated area was part of a horse stud just a few years ago but dedicated Western Swamp Tortoise Recovery Team members arranged purchase of the land adjoining the Ellen Brook Nature Reserve. Planting the bare paddocks and realigning the feral proof fence have been a priority for the Friends group, Chittering Landcare and DBCA. Ellen Brook Nature Reserve is the only self-sustaining population of the shortnecked, critically endangered Western Swamp Tortoise, which was believed extinct for over 100 years. Since its rediscovery in 1953, the population has fluctuated markedly, due to habitat destruction, feral predation and slow breeding rates. Although none of the cryptic reptiles were spotted, they would have been swimming in the newly filled swampy areas and hiding amongst the plants.
Biosecurity and equipment hygiene is important. Laurance discussing his tow hitch boot cleaning station.
The finalisation of an Memorandum of Understanding between Track Care WA Inc. and the Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise will see further collaboration on a project near the Moore River National Park to enhance suitable habitat for releasing captive bred hatchlings from the very successful Perth Zoo program. If you are interested in assisting with similar worthwhile protection projects and you are not already a member of Track Care WA Inc., please contact us via our webpage.
Isuzu drivers busily planting.
“Daaad, where are we going again”
“Chingarrup. Remember, same as last year. We did the mist nets, catching and banding birds and checking the pitfall traps for animals like lizards, scorpions, frogs, beetles and spiders”
“Oh yeah, that was fun.”
Tending the Tracks Alliance with the support of the Conservation Council of WA and Track Care WA Inc. hosted the annual Family Nature Experience Weekend at Chingarrup Sanctuary on the south coast near Bremer Bay. Chingarrup is a 572ha area of privately owned and
Eva demonstrating bird release technique.
funded nature sanctuary that consists of a mixture of remnant native, revegetated and rehabilitated farming land.
Activities that were enjoyed by the 20 adults and 10 children included mist netting and banding birds of the mallee heath, inspecting and identifying the animals that fell into the pit traps during the previous evening and listening to Dr Nic explain why and how animals have certain features. This year, as part of helping Eddy and Donna with their research, the group dug 80 x 25 litre plastic buckets into the ground to establish new pit lines in a rehabilitated vegetation area. Eddy and Donna will
Serious work with Dr Nic. Pit trap digging.use the new buckets to compare animal diversity between revegetated land and rehabilitated land.
To cap off a great weekend of work and nature exposure, we headed for Black Point beach to surf a couple of waves, flick a lure and enjoy a cold beer or two. Even Eddy had a crack at mastering the body board. The final day saw everyone pack up, say goodbyes and head for home. Some families finished off with lunch and a play at Katanning’s All Ages Giant Playground which had recently finished being revamped.
“Daaad?”
“Yes, kid?”
“Can we do that again next year? That was a fun weekend! We really loved hanging out with our new friends exploring and catching animals.”
“Sure can!”
The 2021 Chingarrup Family Nature Experience Weekend 26 February - 1 March 2021
Children’s environmental education and activities, ground fauna monitoring, bird banding. Reciprocal property work by 4WD team in support of Eddy and Donna Wajon’s Chingarrup Sanctuary.
A break from the bush.
Grace and skink.
We first became aware of Vic Dale earlier this year after being contacted by one of our readers. We took the opportunity to visit him on our way back from Kalgoorlie towards the end of October.
VictorChurchill Dale was born on 7th May 1945 in Kalgoorlie on the same day the war ended in Europe. He spent his younger years a free spirit in and around Coolgardie before moving through the wheatbelt, first to Corrigin and then to Merredin. He left school at the age of 13 and started work, having various jobs before finally enlisting in the Army and being sent to Vietnam. Six months into his tour, Vic developed severe tropical ulcers and was evacuated back to Australia.
“Lawson and Patterson are great inspirations of mine. They both had different styles of writing and yet both could capture the essence of the Australian story almost effortlessly.”
How has your military service in Vietnam shaped the way you write?
“Vietnam affected me on many levels. I went from an idyllic lifestyle in the Western Australian Goldfields to patrolling the jungles of South Vietnam. Not only did we have to face the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army but we also fought unseen foes; the psychological ones that still keep veterans awake at night long after the fighting is over.”
Your poetry captures the very essence of the Australian bush story. From where do you draw your inspiration?
“I never finished primary school, leaving at the age of 13 to start working. At that time education was not necessary if you were prepared to work hard. My mother had cancer and when I was sitting with her as she passed away it was almost like we established a telepathic connection. The poems come to me before I even pick up a pen and every time they are in my Mum’s voice. I know it sounds strange but that is how they come to me.”
As Vic spoke, the words of Redgum’s “I Was Only 19” filled my head, “When each step could mean your last one on two legs, it was a war within yourself. But you wouldn’t let your mates down till they had you dusted off. So you closed your eyes and thought about something else.”
Coming home, Vic said he was running at a different pace than everyone else. His service in Vietnam affected him more than he cared to admit. The sound of a telephone ringing was enough to send him looking for cover. The adrenaline coursing through him made him feel like he was running 10 times faster than everyone else. He turned to alcohol to slow himself down.
“Anything you do, do it well, otherwise don’t do it at all”
Twenty years trying to come to terms with what he had witnessed cost him his family, business and finances so he became a recluse living in the bush, seeking answers.
“Military service, especially war service, matures people very quickly. You come home and you have a much more sober look on life. If anything, it strengthened my endeavour to do things. Military service gave me the strength I needed.”
Coolgardie obviously holds a special place in your heart. What is it about the town that holds your attention?
“It’s not just Coolgardie. There is an imaginary line that can be drawn outside the metro area. The characters of our nation can be found inland. We are losing our identity in the cities to modern living, whereas our stories can still be found within the men and woman who live out in the bush. They are very wary to open up to strangers however once you have gained their trust, they are very forthcoming to share their life with you.”
The countryside around Coolgardie was filled with returned soldiers who were seeking solitude from the horrors that they had witnessed from two world wars. Much like Vic, they sought solitude from
the world to battle their demons alone, forgotten by their country whose call they had answered without hesitation. Vic got to know many of these veterans over the years and took the time to listen to their stories when no one else would. When he eventually picked up a pen, he was able to share their experiences. How did you discover your talent for poetry?
“I always believed that you needed to be well educated to write, especially poetry. The stories were always there but I lacked the confidence to put pen to paper. It was after a visit to a clairvoyant that I got the final push to start. She said to me, "Your mother has told you to write, so get writing".”
Tell us about the volunteer work you do with local school children.
“Kids love to learn. They are fascinated by the stories of the past and where they have come from. Learning from a book is one thing, but to walk the streets of their forefathers and to stand next to the building and landmarks from their history books is another. I provide local schools with oral history presentations around the town, teaching the kids about Coolgardie’s past and the important role it played in creating the state we live in now. It is very rewarding, and I find it a privilege to be able to share the past with the kids.”
Vic says that as young people, we spend most of our time taking from life but as we get older it is time to balance the slate and give back. Volunteering allows him to share his experiences and to 'balance the slate'.
Coolgardie was the destination for the Holland Track when it was first established. We are witnessing a resurgence in its popularity with many first-time adventurers cutting their teeth on its remoteness. What advice can you give to the inexperienced heading out to explore The Holland and where else should they venture?
Coolgardie carries the most important history of Western Australia. In 1890 the
state’s population was just under 38,000 people. Ten years later there was over 800,000 people living in WA which can be directly attributed to the mining boom of Coolgardie.
Coolgardie was also the first place where foreign investment was brought into Western Australia, a major turning point that created the economic climate we enjoy today.
The country around Coolgardie is criss-crossed with the remnants of the Woodlines, the major endeavour to feed the gold mining industry with timber as well as its rich mining history. When you get to the town, stop and take the time to visit the visitor centre and touch the magnificent buildings that line the main street.
In a digital age, the art of poetry is becoming lost in a sea of social media influencers and individuals all seeking their five minutes of fame. What would you say to anyone wanting to develop their writing skills and to capture their experiences with words instead of pictures?
“The most important thing is what you are writing about. I write a lot about our past which does appeal to many. In the main, the young would prefer to just listen to the stories."
This results in most of his books being sold to older readers.
Vic sees that poetry as an art form is waning. It is very hard to compete with social media where most are just seeking a form of gratification and social acceptance instead of wanting to tell a story worthy of being passed on. Hearing Vic speak is almost like listening to a statesman of old; every word has meaning and carries an air of authority, a sense of first-hand knowledge. Although we now live in a world more connected than ever, it is difficult not to see how disconnected we have become. The experiences we now share are focussed more on 'the here and now' instead of where we have come from. We discard the knowledge of the past because we are too smart to make those mistakes again and yet we appear to be doomed to repeat them.
It was an honour and a privilege to sit down and speak with Vic and we appreciate him giving up his time.
Subscribe to www.YouTube.com/Australian4WDriver to be notified when we release the video of this interview.
If you would like to get hold of any of Vic’s work, head over to www.victorchurchilldale.com.au
By Victor Churchill Dale
There are no mile pegs on the road Nor is it kind by scenic view Furrowed ruts of the big dray wheel Are broken in the horse’s shoe Summer leaves on the distant haze And winter brings her bitter cold A man must search his sanity When he’s drawn to the lure of gold
My soul is driven on the dream Where water holes are far and few And I’d trade a year of Sundays
To taste a good old English stew My boots groan with the heavy load And the miles pass me in their grace ‘Til the twinkle of the campfires Sits gently on the stranger’s face
A man must pride his yesterdays Accept the value in his past Should he wrestle with tomorrow Against where time may call her last Fate deals her hand the unseen card While law of chance sits in between A hungry family far away Or the prayer that’s beside my dream
Seven long days from Southern Cross
I walked with the strong and hardy I camped those days among good men
On the road to old Coolgardie I walked the road many would follow In the days when our years were bold I came the way of pioneers We walked the outback lure of gold
Upcoming planned events:
6 December, 3.00pm - The Last Drop Beeliar - Christmas Party Raffle Draw/Meet n Greet
12 - 13 December - Sandy Cape Fishing and 4WDing
10 January - Seabird to Lancelin Day Trip
22 - 26 January - Spectacular South Coast
7 February - Ziplining Lane Poole Park
9 February, 6.00pm - The Last Drop Beeliar - General Meeting/Meet n Greet
21 February - Ladies Day - Captain Fawcett Track
26 February - 1 March - Stirling Ranges/Porongurups
Keep up to date with us online:
Website - www.cockburn4wdclub.org.au
Email - president@cockburn4wdclub.org.au
Facebook - www.facebook.com/cockburn4wdclub
Upcoming events for December 2020 - February 2021
Western Patrol Club Annual Meet & Greet
Where - Wilbinga Sand Dunes
When - Sunday 17th January 2021
Come and join us for our first event of the year - our annual Meet & Greet! We invite everyone to come out with us for a day to see what we are all about. The Committee will put on a sausage sizzle for lunch. For more details on meeting time etc. please head to our Forum page www.westernpatrolclub.com/forum
Where - Whiteman Park
When - Sunday 21st February 2021
Time - 10.00am to 3.00pm
We are polishing up the rigs and showing them off! We are going to be set up at Whiteman Park, where everyone can come and have a talk and meet current members. Ask questions and have a yarn.
Western Patrol Club General Meetings 2021
Where - Belmont Sports & Recreation Centre, Abernethy Road, Belmont
When - The 4th Wednesday of every month.
Come and sit in on a General Meeting, where you can meet members and talk shop. Our first General Meeting for 2021 will be Wednesday 27th January 2021.
Follow www.facebook.com/WesternPatrolClub/ on Facebook or contact the club by email on secretary@westernpatrolclub.com
Anyone who has travelled north out of Broome along the Cape Leveque Road will surely be able to attest to its infamous corrugations. Once regarded as one of the most difficult drives in the Kimberley, the creation of an all-weather bitumen road has now been completed, providing year round access to the communities and pastoral leases along it. With the project first breaking ground in 2018, the completion of the road is viewed as being a 'double edged sword' for the area. Providing safe and year round access was essential however the expected influx of tourists into the area has the potential to create new problems. Given that most of the land on the peninsula falls under native title a working group of stakeholders was established in 2019 to formulate a management plan to ensure the protection and appropriate use of the area. At the time
of writing there had not been any formalised tourist management plans agreed upon. As an interim measure, signage will be erected to inform tourists entering.
The project itself was funded by both the State and Federal governments and supported approximately 290 jobs over the two year duration.
What are your thoughts on the sealing of the Cape Leveque Road? Is an influx of tourists into the area going to be beneficial to the communities there or are we going to see substantial environmental impact? Will the lack of a ratified management plan have an impact upon state authorities and traditional land owners?
We would love to get your feedback. Leave a comment on our FaceBook page or email us at feedback@western4wdriver.com.au
and sunsets are some of the most commonly photographed scenes. When you go away on a holiday there is always the token sunrise or sunset photo from your trip. The fact is though, they will turn what would otherwise be just another photo of a landscape scene into something amazing!
That is just what Dylan Jackson has done here with his photograph of sunrise over Avon Valley National Park.
When I first set eyes on this image I was instantly impressed with Dylan’s clever composition of the scene. Straight away I was drawn to the bush in the foreground, the sharp shadows of the grass trees and other shrubs with the newly risen
sun backlighting their foliage. My eye was then led to the base of the hill in the background. It has a blue tinge and looks as though that whole area of hills has some fog cover. It gives the impression that it was a cold morning, yet the sun rising beside it gives the whole scene some warmth. Dylan has used the silhouette line of the hills to
done Dylan, you’ve won
fromDylan Jackson - Sunrise over Avon Valley National Park.
then lead my eye up to the sun. It is partially obscured by the tree in the foreground, just perfectly enough not be too bright in the image, but to cause some beautiful warm rays to fan out in front of the tree trunk. This is a well-balanced image with Dylan giving a fine example of the use of rule of thirds. If you imagine drawing a grid in thirds across your image horizontally and vertically, and then composing the scene by placing any important focal subjects around the area where the lines would intersect, it will give your image a more natural and balanced look.
We can see that Dylan has done this by composing the sun near what would be the top intersection line and the base
of the hills near what would be a bottom intersection line. This not only balances the photo but the line of the hills leads your eye up to the sun.
Well done Dylan on such a well thought out and composed image.
Why don’t you try using the rule of thirds when next photographing a sunrise or sunset? During ‘golden hour’, the hour just after the sun rises or before it sets, the sky is ever changing with different hues of pink, purple, yellows and oranges. Throw some interesting clouds into the mix and you can be in for a real sky show and a very impressive photo to show for it!
Maybe we'll see your photo in a future edition of Capture the Moment!
from Email photos to:
As travelling shooters we can sometimes forget that the thing we do - photography - and the tools of the trade - cameras, lenses, flashes, tripods - can be very exotic things to others. We take pictures all the time and often don’t count them as anything but fodder to be filed away. We plant our forest but lose sight of the trees.
Not so for people who don’t take pictures - or who encounter only the barest sort of imaging done with mobile phones. They can be the best subjects and the most appreciative viewers of all.
Think back to when you were young … in the 19th century. A family might have only one photograph taken all their lives, and a grim thing it was too. No-one smiled or moved, and the head clamps and glass skylight studios made darn sure of it. The end result might have been in a superb brass frame of a small cardboard slipcase … but it was proof, as had never been before, that someone actually existed and had form.
Well, its like that for a lot of people today. You’ll meet them as you travel about, here and overseas. And they will not be the people you think of - many members of our community only exist for history in a driver’s license picture and some not even that. Yet I’d be willing to bet that they all want to be seen by someone.
Not just seen - seen looking good. Of course there are as many definitions of good as there are people, but there’s a few guesses we can make:
1. People want to have their picture taken when they say so - not when you just intrude on them. Street, track, or camp photography as a peering exercise is all the rage and has been ever since the 35mm photojournalist cameras came out - yet so often it does no justice and little mercy to the subjects.
2. You can always make someone look bad by choosing an awkward moment or some ugly aspect of their appearance. I plagued my mother-in-law for years at family parties with photos as she was just about to fork in a mouthful of food. You can be just that mean to everyone but you’ll get no thanks and eventually no pictures.
3. If you spend some time to make people look good, they’ll help you. Some won’t know how to do it, and overstep themselves in an effort to appear handsome or beautiful or whatever … but if you persist you can go past the awkward show and get a real picture. When you get one, get a nice one.
4. Pictures of people need to be held by the people themselves. This might be virtualthe electronic image that can be called up on a phone of tablet - or physical. This may be a large portrait or a postcard, but if they take the trouble to pose for you and you take the trouble to make a good portrait, get a copy of it into their hands as a priority. This idea of a picture of them that they can hold is very ably taken care of these days with portable Instax printers. These are a development of the old Polaroid principle of an instant paper print but is now done through the Fujifilm company. They make a whole range of Instax instant cameras and Instax portable printers that can take an image from your camera or card and spit it out as a colour picture in 90 seconds.
One of the main travelling reps for the Fujifilm company is an Australian, Warwick Williams, and he uses the Instax trick extensively to make friends overseas. Often the tourist-trap baksheesh pests can be deflected with a print from the Instax and they do not hound the photographer. On other occasions the gift of a small print has opened doors throughout the trip.
The printers are inexpensive, the film packs modest in price, and the results are excellent. They make the portrait subject real in their own eyes and that means their posing will be all the more realistic for you.
No, it’s not politics - it’s what you need when you are using a digital camera in the outback. And you need to be the person who generates it. Okay, not generally with a generator - we’re not talking about big mains power. Fine if you can do it or get it, but consider whether or not you want to try that 1000km away from home. We really want just a little power to put electricity into our camera batteries.
Note: Batteries. Don’t go on a big photo trip with only one battery. Two is minimum and three is better. Despite the camera maker’s assurances that you’ll be able to go all day on one battery, take that with a grain of lithium-ion salt. And remember that if you have two batteries and a three day shoot to do, that you’re in an electric deficit to start with.
Get a charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter of your vehicle or that sits in the sun and generates charging electricity from that. Make use of every driving opportunity to pack energy into the spare batteries. Shoot away, but keep an eye on the power meter of the camera and change over regularly.
So far, no-one has made an outback pedal-power digital camera so you need to be pro-active in the electricity line.
With over 40 years experience teaching Outback Survival,
calls the ‘Trilogy for Survival’.
every time you go bush,
items should
doesn’t go to plan and
– anywhere.
Three
aid.
Quality survival blanket. This one spells HELP.
This is a fun activity whether you're camping or just going for a bush walk.
Go for a bush walk or look around your campsite for some fallen trees or branches (don't cut or tear down branches - only use what has already fallen). These can be used for walls for your cubby.
Collect some large branches and sticks. You will need quite a lot of these to form your walls and roof. Forked branches are great because they can be used to balance the roof canopy on.
The easiest place to build a cubby is next to an existing tree. Choose a tree with forks that you can wedge branches into to make the frame which will be the main support for your cubby. Use a branch like a broom to clear the ground. Once the frame is up you can then start leaning other branches and sticks to form your walls. Do the same to make a roof.
Collect some smaller pieces of bark, sticks and leaves and place them on top of the supporting branches to thicken out the roof and provide a bit of camouflage.
Pack a drink and some snacks and enjoy them in your bush cubby.
This photo is of a cubby we built last time we were camping. We used the existing trees as a doorway and cleared the leaves on the ground to make a path. We even had a back door leading out to a pretend camp fire.
Next time you're out in the bush, try building a cubby of your own!
you built an awesome cubby in the bush? Send us a photo for a chance to win a prize!
F H B O S A E B O G G E D V F Y L S T R A C K F D K S W C X M G H O E J B E U K V Q A B A T T E R Y I F B P E X H A U S T I O E F G E J D F S W N R X M N P L U W H K Q A O S R P E F S H D D R I V I N G R A D I O O X H T J Z M C Z Q N I S G G T A A T S I S N O R K E L C K S Y T H B D L F L W Y K T V R U H B W N Y N V Q I Y L T G C K U B A P K Y X R I E R G J P F R G N B C E D S X Z E V H P H T S H A T B U L L B A R E S B I G T O M P V A U L Z W M N U D G L C J S W T M E Z S R V J A D O F U E L C O B D O L I H D O C C X H Y L C E R S A L A Q O X T P N J S R U A I W S U L
Y D K R O O F R A C K J M F I H L
M A P G R V L I T N W Q Z L Q V M
Being the thoughtful bloke that he is, Wayne May wanted to make his mate feel better after he became 'tractionally challenged' while negotiating this water crossing. Wayne proceeded to 'park' his Patrol in the same spot to demonstrate the finer points of a water recovery. We are not too sure about your figurehead Wayne, or is that an Aussie recreation of 'The Thinker'? For your thoughtful efforts we think you are a deserving new recruit to the MAXTRAX ARMY.
Proudly sponsored by
How you get stuck is your business. How you get out is ours. Now you can take the easy way out with Maxtrax. Get your pic in to win this great prize or, if you can’t wait, go to www.maxtrax.com.au to learn more.
KEEP ‘EM COMING FOLKS. All you need is a potentially funny situation, a good sense of humour and of course, your camera. Send your silly snap to: Silly Snaps - C/- Western 4W Driver, PO Box 2384, Malaga WA 6944
or
Two wheels, two motors, no gas, no noise. The UBCO 2x2 will redefine the way you ride, work and play.
enough to be carried on the front of our caravan or the back of our 4WD, my UBCO 2x2 gives me back my mobility and freedom when we’re off the beaten track.”
Light weight, strong build Portable power Easy to Accessorise Road Registerable Whisper quiet All-terrain performance Electric drive
With its lightweight frame and powerful, near silent motors, the UBCO 2×2 gives you complete control for all your adventures, both on- and off-road. Whether you’re getting the cows in or commuting to work, the 2018 UBCO 2×2 is ready to take on whatever you throw at it.
All terrain and all performance, the 2×2 gives you the power to go. The 48Ah Lithium-Ion power supply not only fuels the bike; it powers all your tools from your phone to your drill (at the same time).
Digitally Connected
Chris MortonCart your gear from job to job with ease and adapt the bike as you need it with clever accessory lugs located across the 2x2.
The dual electric drive is smooth, ultra-quiet and low maintenance; it can go through trenches, up hills, over asphalt and down bush tracks without a second thought. And all of this with a running cost of under $1 per 120km.
The adventure awaits with the UBCO 2x2.