Women in 4W Driving

BY CHRIS MORTON

Gemma Hofman

Gemma Hofman doesn’t work in the 4WD industry, in fact the 19-year-old is a lifeguard and has only recently taken up the quest for adventure. Her mum, Nat, is a long-time industry figure and part of the management team for ARB here in WA. It was while speaking with Nat that we heard about Gemma’s recent solo adventure that got our interest.

Gemma drives a 2008 Nissan X-Trail (the 4WD version) and she wanted to take three months off and go on a solo adventure along the south coast before heading north as far as Broome. With the help of Mum and Dad, she got her vehicle equipped for the challenge. Removing the rear seats revealed a previously undiscovered amount of space for Gemma to utilise. She was able to install a false floor from which she could build

up a sleeping area. An area was set aside for a fridge and pantry, and she utilised the drawer already in the vehicle to hold additional kitchen items. A pair of roof rails allowed her to fit a small awning, and a tent extension at the rear of the vehicle gave her additional space when she needed it. A pair of Maxtrax provided her some recovery options and a UHF radio gave her on-road communications. To ensure that she didn’t stop and pick up any hitchhikers, a caddy occupied the passenger seat and contained maps, a road atlas and kept other items that she may need within easy reach. Concerned with her safety, Gemma’s Dad bought her a pepper-spray that she said she carried everywhere as well as a Spot 2 Satellite device. This gave her the ability to regularly check in with the family when out of mobile range and gave her some additional peace of mind when hiking on her own.

The first part of her threemonth adventure started along the south coast, where she fell in love with the beaches of Esperance. “I will live there one day,” Gemma told us. “I was there outside of school holidays and had beaches to myself. It was amazing.” Before heading north, she stopped back in Perth for a couple of days. She said it was lucky that she did as the radiator decided to fail on her. When I asked her about other issues that she might have had with the car she said that she was quite lucky. The battery system she had for her fridge failed almost immediately and she had a second battery fitted with a solar panel before heading north. “My starter battery died in Exmouth, but I was able to get that replaced quite easily.” The car was excellent and was more than capable of getting me onto beaches and along some 4WD tracks. “I had to break out the Maxtrax a couple of times and I was carrying an air compressor so I could drop my tyre pressures when I was going into soft sand.” Having two daughters of my own I wanted to ask Gemma how she felt when travelling as a single female. “I would always ensure that I was stopping by 4.00pm so that I could see who was camping around me and move if I didn’t feel safe. I would make friends with any older couples that I came across, building a little rapport with them.” She said that for the most part she didn’t feel threatened, although there were a couple of incidences where some guys were a bit creepy and she would take extra precautions. She had equipped the X-Trail with a pair of spotlights so that if she did need to keep driving at night she could do so with some confidence. While travelling, Gemma even had an entire back story prepared so that she didn’t share personal information that might cause her issues. “I never used my real name to start with and would indicate that I was travelling with my boyfriend.

This got a little awkward when I was hiking in a gorge with a guy who was camped nearby at Karijini for a few days, and I was talking to an older couple and used my real name. He was a little confused at first but understood why I was taking precautions when I explained it to him.” Apart from the beaches around Esperance, Gemma said her highlight was Karijini. “I only planned to stay four nights and ended up staying eight. Again, it was before the school holidays and I almost had the entire place to myself. The gorges were magnificent, and I could have stayed even longer.” She said that travelling alone as a female does have its challenges and she had to ensure that she kept her wits about her wherever she went. She needed to be vigilant all the time. “A week before I left, there was an incident near Carnarvon that got all my friends and family concerned. I was worried but that just ensured that I became hyper-vigilant.” She was amazed at the number of people who do travel and don’t take precautions or think about where they are going. There appears to be a lack of consideration as to how remote WA is and the trouble that you can get yourself into. “I was on the beach at Exmouth and two girls got caught in a rip and were getting swept out to sea. A guy sitting near me and I grabbed some paddle boards and raced out to rescue them.” Always a lifeguard. The cost of staying at a caravan park on an unpowered site staggered her. She was surprised to be paying $45 per night for the privilege outside of the peak period. Fuel was the other one that surprised her. “I budgeted approximately $3,000 for fuel and ended up using $3,200. A couple of places were nearly $3 per litre.” She can’t wait to head off on her next adventure. The Pilbara and the Kimberley are next on her list.