Western 4W Driver #124 Summer 2022/2023 by Vanguard Publishing Perth

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124th EDITION Summer 2022/2023

7 days in

KUNUNURRA

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WESTERN 4W DRIVER 124th EDITION Summer 2022/2023

KIMBERLEY ADVENTURE

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CONTENTS ADVENTURES

Edition 124 Summer 2022/2023

7 Days in Kununurra

Ideas to add to your itinerary when you spend a week in Kununurra ...................................................................... 8

Kimberley Adventure - Part 2

Lauren's trip to the Kimberley continues ......................................................................................................................................................... 18

Desert Dash

From Kalgoorlie to Nullagine .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 36

Desert Discovery

Science in the Desert ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 46

The Last of the Nomads

... and Wiluna, the town that welcomed them ......................................................................................................................................... 56

Run to the Ranges

Jon puts his new vehicle through its paces in the Helena and Aurora Ranges .................................... 70

Exploring Mount Little Station's Big Backyard

Grant and Linda discover one of the Flinders Ranges' best kept secrets ..................................................... 86

WA's Best Shower with a View

John Collins takes us to Gladstone Port on the North West Coastal Hwy .................................................... 96

| Western 4W Driver #124

FEATURES Preparing your Vehicle for Outback Travel

REGULARS 4Thought

How to adequately prepare for your trip to the outback .................................................................. 28

Nuts to These Mods! David Wilson gives us his thoughts on vehicle modifications ................................................................ 64

Dark Sky Tourism

Tourism in the Upper Gascoyne region ................... 78

Portable Blender

........................................................................................................

Over the Bonnet ..................................................................... 104 Bush Mechanics ..................................................................... 106 What's in a Name ................................................................ 109 ......................................................

114

............................................................................

117

The Things You See Fishy Business

Women in 4W Driving .............................................. 122 125

Product Review ....................................................................................... 103

Outback Survival

Crystal Clear Audio Recording

Gear to Go Camping ..................................................... 129

Product Review ......................................................................................... 151

WIN A HEMA MAPS PRIZE PACK

Clewed Up

.................................................................

..........................................................................................

.................................................

136

..................................................................

147

Track Care WA News 4WD Club Focus

132

Capture the Moment .................................................. 150 Smart Photography

.......................................................

Now We're TAWKing!

................................................

152 156

Are We There Yet? .............................................................. 161 Subscriptions Valued at

$233.85

...............................................................................

164

Supplier Directory ............................................................. 165 Silly Snaps ........................................................................................... 166

See page 146 Western 4W Driver #124 |

Premium Publishers ABN 70 616 133 870 26 John Street, Northbridge WA 6003 PO Box 50, Northbridge WA 6865 Phone: (08) 9291 8303 admin@western4wdriver.com.au www.western4wdriver.com.au Editors Chris and Karen Morton Graphic Design Karen Morton Advertising Matt Clarke Natalie Du Preez Administration Steve Larcombe Sally van Heemst Printing Vanguard Press

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Premium Publishers or the editors but those of the authors who accept sole responsibility and liability for them. While every care is taken with images and photographs, and all other material submitted, Premium Publishers accepts no liability for loss or damage. Premium Publishers reserves the right to amend publication schedules and frequencies. Edition 124 Summer 2022/2023

| Western 4W Driver #124

Where have all F

or those that visited us at this year’s Perth 4WD and Adventure Show, you will have noticed that we were positioned in a new location, amongst the trees, just near the lovely Jo Clews and her cooking demonstrations. The move was a result of us not being able to run the Fourby Forum this year and saw us being placed on the edge of the Content Creator’s area. A show patron wandered into our stand, proudly wearing a newly purchased shirt from one of the influencers and asked if we had any information about tracks that he could go and explore around WA. I directed him to our display of guidebooks and issues of Western 4W Driver and suggested that these were indeed the guides that he was looking for. He started to peruse our selection of titles before asking me, “Are these things free?” When I told him that they were not free, he became a little agitated and pointed out that the content from the “influencers” further along was free and our content should be too. Despite me explaining that this content cost money to produce he was adamant that we should give him a book and he reiterated that his beloved influencers produced free content for his consumption. He raised an interesting point. What happens when the production of good quality and accurate content becomes financially unviable? Where does our

4 THOUGHT with CHRIS MORTON

the real adventurers gone? information come from? An industry has aim to produce high quality, informative spawned from the rapid advancement of and well researched pieces that don’t get technology, almost eliminating the barrier anywhere near the recognition that they deserve (I am looking at you Seriously to entry for anyone who wants to become Series) and it will be a shame to see a tidal their own “star” and produce content for wave of influential effluent wash it away. the masses. Where once we were glued to our television sets, watching the latest Early this year I had to make the difficult adventures of Alby Mangles, Malcolm decision to step down from my full-time Douglas, The Leyland Brothers or The role with the magazine. Whilst away on Bush Tucker Man, we are now glued to our content trip up north in June and July, I our phones, learning how to build an epic suffered an injury to one of my ankles which mall-crawler that will be required a surgery on my the envy of all your mates. "Where once we return to fix. Prior to surgery Where once, a sense of were glued to our #22 (not an exaggeration), adventure was brought into scans revealed that my television sets ... our living rooms, taking us suspension bushes are to some of the most remote we are now glued buggered, and I am going places on earth, using have to undergo a major to our phones ..." to their knowledge of bush refit soon to keep me mechanics, survival and upright. With the prospect common sense, we are now bombarded by of further trips away resulting in quite a how to deck out our caravan with the latest bit of pain and longer and longer recovery décor or why that stainless steel snorkel times post, Karen and I decided it was will make your rig look “fully sick”. time for me to go and get a real job that doesn’t involve me gallivanting around We now appear to be form over function the countryside. as advertisers latch onto this phenomenon and seek out creators who will promote Now, what about the bloke I started telling their wares unashamedly. To ensure their you about? Well, he didn’t buy anything place in the revenue stream, influencers and was last seen heading back down look to make content that doesn’t have to the yellow brick road, deep into influencer be technically accurate as long as they get country, trying to get a selfie with one of his idols. likes and follows. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic content creators out there who

Stay safe and we might see you out on the tracks somewhere.

Western 4W Driver #124 |

7 days in

BY GRANT & LINDA HANAN

KUNUNURRA

| Western 4W Driver #124

A trip to the Kimberley is high on many 4W driver’s list, and Kununurra is a great base for experiencing its east. When an abundance of waterways and spectacular landscapes surround the town, there’s endless opportunities to get out and explore. Let’s look at some things you can add to your Kimberley trip itinerary when you spend a week in Kununurra.

LOCAL 4WD TRACKS

The good news is you don’t have to go too far from Kununurra to hit the dirt. One of our favourites tracks in the Kimberley’s east is the Old Halls Creek Road. Better described as a single lane track, it runs between the Parry Creek Road and the Great Northern Highway by Wyndham. During the goldrush era of the late 1800s, it was this track that linked the towns of Wyndham and Old Halls Creek. While this 15 kilometre section of the track is only a portion of the original road, we absolutely love it. You can easily

see the track’s 100+ year old hand-laid stones, plus there’s a few other relics from yesteryear scattered around the place. We’ve generally found a bit of water laying around in creeks and lagoons each visit, so it makes the area a bit of a haven for wildlife as well. The Old Halls Creek Road is by no means a difficult track and could easily be completed in an hour or two. Not that we do that, and we hope you don’t either! It’s the type of track where you could easily make a day of it by including a visit to a few of the other attractions that are covered shortly. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Some of the best sunsets happen around Kununurra. We came across this couple on the Karunjie Track who were just about to give up and walk for help .

Not the best place to have taken a wrong turn … yes, that’s us!

The hand-laid stones along the Old Halls Creek Road.

Another one of our local picks a bit further afield is the Karunjie Track. This too has a long history dating back to the 1800s, when it was originally designated as a stock route. As the track includes major tributaries like the King and Pentecost Rivers, these helped outlying stations to be able to water their cattle when being walked into the port at Wyndham. While the practice of walking cattle along here has long gone, it’s a top track for today’s four wheeling community. From Kununurra, you’ll need to allow just over an hour to get to the track that’s located off the Great 10

| Western 4W Driver #124

Northern Highway by Wyndham. About 10km south of Wyndham, turn onto the King River Road. Not far from that turnoff is Moochalabra Dam (Wyndham’s water supply), plus an old prison boab tree. It’s worth checking these out on the way to the Karunjie Track if you’re not in any hurry. There’s a gate at the entrance to the track and a sign indicating the track isn’t a gazetted road. From here you’ll be passing through station properties, so it goes without saying that gates need to be left as you find them. The track is around 80 kilometres and consists of a combination of rocks, dirt and sand, although there’s around 20 kilometres of flat-as-a-tack mudflats as well. Here, it’s possible to find inch wide cracks in the dry mud from being starved of wet season moisture. It’s an eerie yet beautiful landscape to experience. As you follow the track further west, it hugs the Cockburn Range as it wends its way

to the Pentecost River. Some of the most spectacular scenery in the east Kimberley can be experienced along here, so take your time. The end of the track is just east of the Pentecost River crossing. Taking a left turn here will get you back on the Gibb River Road bitumen in no time. In an hour or so, you can can be back in Kununurra to wash off the dirt and relax with a sundowner. Keep in mind the track isn’t maintained, so it can get muddy in sections if it’s wet. If that’s the case and you come across any muddy patches, you’ll need to be prepared!

NO SHORTAGE OF WATER

When the Kimberley in general gets more than its fair share of rainfall each year, you can pretty well take your pick for choosing some fabulous spots to visit around Kununurra. One of the area’s highlights is the Ngamoowalem Conservation Park. It’s a quick 15km run west along the Victoria Highway before turning off onto Valentine Spring Road. From here, it’s just a short distance to Valentine Springs where you can dip your toes and grab a bit of shade.

Time to get swimming at Molly Springs.

As you continue, the road meets up with the Parry Creek Road that leads to Middle Springs and Black Rock Falls. These too are good spots to visit, but the falls generally peter out late in the wet season. Aside from these, Molly Springs is another attraction that’s located in the conservation park. While it’s still accessed from the Victoria Highway, these natural springs are a little further out (30km west of Kununurra). The water has been flowing here each time on our previous visits, so they’ve become another one of our east Kimberley favourite attractions.

Taking it all in at Valentine Springs. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Another fabulous place that’s located off the Parry Creek Road is Marlgu Billabong. As part of the Parry Lagoon Nature Reserve, the billabong sits on the edge of the Ord River floodplain. It’s a popular spot for a wide range of bird varieties, some of which are known to be migratory. Our tip for visiting is to arrive early in the morning or just before sunset, as it’s generally the time of day when bird activity is at its best. Keep in mind there’s saltwater crocodiles that lurk in the water here, so no swimming. Further towards Wyndham, the Grotto is only a couple of kilometres off the Great Northern Highway. Here, walls of water spills over the rocks and down into the deep amphitheatre during the height of the wet season. Even if the water has stopped flowing, you can walk down the steps to cool off. There’s 140+ steps each way, so you’ll probably need it! Closer to Kununurra, it’s hard not to be impressed by Ivanhoe Crossing. It’s only 10km out of town and the one place where water flows 24/7. The crossing over the Ord River was put in place almost 70 years ago in 1953.

The tranquil waters at Marlgu Billabong.

| Western 4W Driver #124

Freshie or saltie … you still need to be croc-wise around Kununurra.

It was the original major crossing for the road between Wyndham and Darwin before the Victoria Highway between Wyndham and Kununurra was built.

DANGLING A LINE

If you’ve packed a rod or two into the fourby and dreamt of bagging a barra, there’s a few spots you can try turning that dream into reality. There’s the waterway by Ivanhoe Crossing that’s always popular with anglers, but watch where you stand so you don’t end up as croc fodder. However,

if you’ve got a tinny and prefer to get onto the water rather than standing near it, you can launch a boat at Mambi Island boat ramp. The salties around here aren’t the smallest going around either, so you’ll want to make sure your boat is up for it. Further away by the Gibb River Road, your best bet to wet the line is from stations like Home Valley, Diggers Rest and El Questro. Other than these, you can always get yourself onto a tour. Having that local knowledge could just mean the difference between feeling like you’ve won the lottery, or going home empty handed.

HIT UP A LOCAL

If you really want to immerse yourself in a place, we think it’s hard to go past jumping on a tour. And when Kununurra is the hub of the east Kimberley, it’s a sure way to be able to get to heaps of cool things. In the past, we’ve jumped on a tagalong tour with Kununurra local and fellow Western 4W Driver contributor, Ben Smith (kimberleydreaming.com.au). Ben’s

Hitting some 4WD tracks around Kununurra with Ben.

backyard is both spectacular and big, and his local knowledge of the area is second to none. As we found from jumping on one of Ben’s tours, he can get you to some off the beaten track destinations that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to visit as an independent traveller. It would be remiss not to include a Lake Argyle cruise here (there’s a few to choose from) when there’s little else to compare it to around the country. To help explain the magnitude of the lake, let’s say size wise, it’s not uncommon for a Kimberley

Ivanhoe Crossing is popular with tourists and locals. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Enjoying a Lake Argyle cruise. Time for a de-briefing before taking to the skies.

Josh from the Gourmet Camp Oven Experience at Lake Argyle .

cattle station to be around half a million hectares. For comparison, Lake Argyle can be half that size. That’s a lot of water! A cruise is an excellent way to learn all about the lake’s history and development, and includes lunch or afternoon tea, depending on the cruise you choose. Top that off with a refreshing swim in the lake’s balmy water, and it’s a fabulous tour. Before heading back to Kununurra, the Gourmet Camp Oven Experience is another unique Kimberley tour available from Lake Argyle. Guests are served a gourmet style camp oven dinner from a private lookout that overlooks the beautiful lake below. It caters for small groups, so it has an intimate feel. We’ve been on this tour a couple of times now when catching up with friends in town, and we like how it’s something different to 14

| Western 4W Driver #124

do. We also like how the tour focuses on using local products and bush tucker for meals. This tour is fine dining Kimberley style, and all under a million star-lit sky. When it comes to seeing the region from the air, the choices are almost endless. There are short scenic style flights (helicopter and fixed wing) that last a couple of hours, through to tours that will fill up the day. With such an abundance of water in almost every direction around Kununurra, a float plane tour is a unique way to experience the countryside. Being able to see the region from both air and water levels gives you the best of both worlds. Choosing a tour will really boil down to where your interests lie, and more info is available at the visitor information centre.

CHEAP & CHEERFUL

Thanks to good climatic conditions and an abundance of water, Kununurra is known as the Kimberley’s food bowl. In fact, it has some of the best produce in Australia’s north. Markets are held in town each Saturday morning, so it’s the best place to tap into a selection of locally grown produce. Depending on the season, you’ll find fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pawpaw, plus a variety of melons in the mix. Other things available include honey, zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, okra, squash, chillis, capsicum, pumpkins, herbs, plus plenty more! The markets aren’t purely produce related though, as stalls of local art and craft, tourism info, entertainment, and food and drinks are also featured.

Venturing to one of the lookouts for sunset.

An inquisitive visitor by Wyndham.

formations. Sunset views from Kelly’s Knob are also another local attraction not to miss. The views from atop overlook the township of Kununurra below, while the sunset to the west can be pretty speccy from here. Wyndham too has spectacular views from its Five Rivers lookout atop the Bastion. As the name suggests, five major Kimberley rivers converge into the gulf, providing uninterrupted views as far as the eye can see.

SHOP LOCAL The view from Wyndham’s Five Rivers Lookout.

Might have to stock up here!

Then, if you find you’ve overindulged at the markets, there’s always a number of walking trails located close to town. One of these is Mirima (or Hidden Valley) National Park that’s located only a few minutes out of Kununurra. The park has a number of bushwalks that range from a few hundred metres in length upwards, with each taking you through some spectacular rock

We’ve always found another way to familiarise yourself with what goes on in the local area is to hit the shops. Just out of Kununurra, the Hoochery is a local familyowned business that’s been producing Australian rum for more than 20 years. As avid distillery visitors (yes, we love their rum), the family produces a range of rum, whiskey, gin, and my favourite, a rum liqueur. It’s a great topping over ice cream! The cellar door is the place to do some tastings, and you can also join a tour of the distillery. And you won’t go away hungry when you can finish the visit off in their onsite café. Take it from us when we say the rum cheesecake is to die for! Get in early though, as it can sell out quick. Down the road from the Hoochery is the sweetsmelling Sandalwood Shop. Sandalwood has been grown in Kununurra for more than two decades now, with its oil used in a range of fragrances, skin care and other products. If you time your Kununurra visit just right, you may even catch a glimpse of the sandalwood being harvested at one of the blocks on Weaber Plains Road. Western 4W Driver #124 |

We can highly recommend frozen mango from the Kununurra markets!

SUMMING UP WHERE TO STAY AND EAT

When looking to throw down the swag and camp, glamp, or perhaps spoil yourself (or a loved one) rotten, Kununurra and its surrounds have the full gamut of accommodation offerings. Around town, caravan parks are aplenty, plus there’s Wyndham’s caravan park and Lake Argyle Resort further afield. Kununurra also has hotels, motels, and apartments that offer a range of facilities. Station type stays that are close to Wyndham include Parry’s Creek Farm and Diggers Rest Station. Alternatively, you can always bush camp at places like Mambi Island boat ramp that offers a bit of seclusion yet isn’t far from town. Kununurra isn’t the place where you’ll go hungry either. Plenty of hotels and cafes offer a range of meals and snacks, plus there’s the Country Club and the Pumphouse for something a little more upmarket. We found during our last visit the bakery periodically offers up pizzas at night times as well, so that’s something a little different. For a good coffee, our pick is Spilled The Beans located onsite at Kimberleyland Caravan Park. Heading west, there’s the Wyndham Bakery if you’re heading up that way, and Lake Argyle Resort dishes up a mean burger if you’re going east.

Kununurra is an adventure destination and finding the time to fit in everything you’d like to do in the area can be quite a challenge. We’ve only scraped the surface here with some ideas to help kick start your itinerary. But the bottom line is to allow plenty of time ... because if you’re anything like us, you’ll most certainly find seven days in Kununurra is far from being long enough!

INFORMATION BAY BEST TIME TO VISIT April to September.

RECOMMENDED VEHICLE

4WD to help get you to the good spots.

TERRAIN

A mix of bitumen and dirt roads can be expected to get to the destinations listed.

PERMITS

A National Parks permit is required for Mirima (Hidden Valley National Park). Go to: exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/ park/mirima-national-park

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Kununurra Visitor Centre www.visitkununurra.com

The spectacular water views from Kimberleyland Caravan Park.

| Western 4W Driver #124

UNRIVALLED

durability

www.icom.net.au

y e l r e Kimb ADVENTURE PART 2

BY LAUREN DARGE

Fitzroy River.

| Western 4W Driver #124

When you’re overdue for a break what else do you do but hitch up and hit the road? We took this trip in late 2021 with our border collie puppy in tow. We were fortunate throughout the trip to find friends or other travellers who were able to mind our dog the few times we did things that she wasn’t allowed to. This is part two of our Kimberley adventure.

Continuing on the Gibb We continued our travels, pulling up in the mid afternoon at Drysdale River Station. We decided to leave the camper trailer here to do a day trip (a long day) to Mitchell Falls. The following morning, we got up well before the crack of dawn to drive out to Mitchell Falls. Most of the way there the road wasn’t too bad, but there was a lot of fog. Once we turned into the Mitchell Falls Road conditions worsened, however weren’t unmanageable. We arrived and started our walk by about 8.00am. The walk itself wasn’t too difficult; there were a few rocks to clamber over, and a lot of flat walks. What made it difficult was that it was incredibly humid.

CHECK OUT 'S PART ONE OF LAUREN E UR NT VE KIMBERLEY AD OF 3 #12 N ITIO IN ED WESTERN 4W DRIVER. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Mitchell Falls.

Once you’re past the top of the falls there’s some cascades and a helipad. We went for a quick swim and then watched a helicopter land. I asked the pilot if we could pay for a ride back, which he agreed to. It made the whole trip out there worth it as we got to see the view we had been expecting to see. If you get the chance to go out that way, we felt it’s only worth it with the helicopter ride, however, don’t do what we did - make sure you book it before you walk up the top! We then made our way back to camp to relax for the afternoon and inspect the vehicle for corrugation damage, but everything was fine. We hit the road and didn’t travel too far before making an essential stop for scones at Ellenbrae Station. We spotted some carnage on the way where the front axle of an old Prado had collapsed under the car.

Enjoying a swim at Ellenbrae Station.

| Western 4W Driver #124

Mitchell Falls.

After having our scones and a mango smoothie made from mangoes grown on the station, we decided to stay the night. We visited both the swimming holes and spent the afternoon relaxing. The next day was the same, not driving too far before arriving at Home Valley Station where we decided to stay a night. We set up camp by the Pentecost River and then went back up to the main area for some fish and chips, a swim and the first spot of mobile reception in a while. This spot was our best sunrise and sunset of the trip.

Finishing off the Gibb with El Questro Following our stay at Home Valley, it was another short drive to El Questro. We wanted to get there early to get a powered site as we were worried the batteries in the camper were getting a bit low. We'd had a few too many shady camp spots and then the solar was struggling to catch up with the fridge running a lot on the hot days.

After setting up, we went for a drive to Branko’s Lookout. It was a 20km long 4WD track with spectacular views at the end to watch the sunset. The next morning we got up early and headed out to El Questro Gorge and completed the walk. To get to the walk itself we had to drive through a deep water crossing (0.8m at the time), that many did not want to tackle. We were glad we got there early as the pool at the end was lovely, but quite small. The walk itself was one of the prettiest and most challenging. There was a lot of climbing to get to the end. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling, got burgers for lunch and went for a drive to check out Saddleback Lookout. We had a similar start the next morning, instead visiting Emma Gorge. This was a lovely walk, with a big pool and towering cliffs surrounding it. In the corner there’s also some hot springs. We were able to enjoy the walk and an iced coffee after. We came back to the camp area and bought nachos for lunch, before going on an afternoon boat cruise through the

Branko’s Lookout - El Questro. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Chamberlain Gorge. This was the only way to see this gorge, and whilst a little expensive, was worth the experience. At the turn-around point for the boat we got some fish food and the fish would spit water at you to be fed. We also got some fresh fruit and champagne. We were back from the boat cruise in time to put the roast on and pop down to the bar for happy hour. The next day was another early start so we could tackle Champagne Springs. This was a long, hot walk and we were a little disappointed with the pools and springs. I think we would have been impressed had the walk been more enjoyable, but we were hot and bothered and there needed to be a bit more water flowing to make it prettier. After the hot walk back we drove to Moonshine Gorge and weren’t excited to do another walk, but instead went for a

Chamberlain Gorge.

| Western 4W Driver #124

Chamberlain Gorge.

swim at the swimming hole at the start of the walk. We collected the dog from her babysitter, where she'd spent the morning playing with another dog who was being looked after. We were fortunate that we had so many offers from staff on their day off to mind the dog while we explored. We then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and planning our next movements.

Ivanhoe Crossing.

Spring Creek.

Kununurra and back to Derby We got up early to check out Zebedee Springs, which was great because we almost had it to ourselves. Then we packed up camp in time to buy breakfast from El Questro before it closed (which was 9.30am). The dog also got to say goodbye to all her friends! Next, we hit the road for Kununurra, set up camp at the caravan park and stopped by the Ivanhoe Cafe for smoothies, wraps, burgers and delicious cakes! You must try the lemon meringue cake and the mango cheesecake! The next morning, we cooked breakfast and hit the road, first travelling over the Ivanhoe Crossing which at the time was relatively mellow. We continued along the gravel road, stopping in at Middle Springs and Black Rock Falls. We would like to visit both again when they’re actually falling. We also stopped by Button’s Crossing by the Ord River and Spring Creek. At the end of the Spring Creek Road is a lovely pool and waterfall. Definitely worth the long 4WD track in. We stopped at Parry’s Lagoon Nature Reserve where we were impressed with all the birds. There were so many! We also stopped at Telegraph Hill, where there were the remains of the old telegraph station. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Parrys Lagoon.

Fitzroy River.

Cruising Lake Argyle.

We then made our way into Wyndham, stopping at Five Rivers Lookout, the bakery and the jetty, stopping at the Grotto on our way back for a quick swim with the dog. From Kununurra we headed to Lake Argyle where we spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool or sitting under the big mango tree listening to the live music. The following morning, we booked ourselves on a boat cruise. We took the dog on a hike and then got ready for our trip. It was a great way to see the lake, although we didn’t see as much as the tour normally does as it was very windy. We had a lovely lunch before cruising back. We were now at the turn-around point for this trip so we hit the road again in 24

| Western 4W Driver #124

the direction of Derby. We stopped in at Larrawa Station Nature Stay, which had hot showers and a few walks, but we didn’t feel like doing any as we were walked out! The next morning, we continued on and decided to set up camp near the mouth of the Fitzroy River. This was a nice spot and we were surprised at how fast the tide came in! We spent a bit of time exploring here before heading back to Derby where we checked in, did some washing, some grocery shopping and relaxed for the afternoon.

the nurse sharks and I was glad I brought my prescription goggles. The current was very strong; if there wasn’t any wildlife to be worried about, we needed the cage to stop us drifting away.

Horizontal Falls.

The following day we dropped the dog off at the kennels and went to the airport for our helicopter flight to Horizontal Falls. The trip out was awesome, with spectacular views, spotting crocs on the way. We landed on the pontoon like famous people with the other tourists taking pictures of us. They had a shark and fish feeding show where you could hop in a shark cage. I loved sitting under the water and watching

Next, we went for a cruise through the falls. This was a fast, bumpy ride and it was amazing how much the tides change. They then took us for a ride through Cyclone Creek which was a lot more mellow, where we spotted a sea eagle. We had fresh Barra for lunch before another ride through the falls and our helicopter ride back to Derby. It was amazing to see the differences in the falls with the changing tide.

Broome Time

We started the day with bacon and eggs at camp in Derby and headed towards Broome. We had a late lunch at Matsos, got fuel and headed out to James Price Point.

Horizontal Falls. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Enjoying the sunset at Cable Beach.

Gantheaume Point, Broome.

We found a private spot on the beach to set up. The next day we had a cooked breakfast and went exploring for a more sheltered camp spot as it was incredibly windy. We checked out Coulomb Point and Quandong Point, went for a swim and then ended up heading back to camp at the same spot! Fortunately, the wind died down after dinner and we had a decent sleep. We made our way to Broome to set up camp where we then lost track of the days. We went to the courthouse markets, checked out Gantheaume and Entrance Point, finally finding some fossilised dinosaur footprints and went to Cable Beach every day, and we enjoyed the Moontide Distillery. After five nights in Broome our trip came to an end where we made our way home.

Camped at James Price Point.

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James Price Point.

LAUREN'S TOP 10 CAMP MEALS 1

Pizza topped with bacon, salami, olives, capsicum, pineapple and cheese. We usually do it on a stone in the Weber.

Steak cooked on cast iron on the fire with chips. We cut potatoes into thin discs, seasoning with salt, pepper and Moroccan spice and then shallow fry.

Burgers with high quality mince squashed flat on the cast iron, pickles, red onion, lettuce, burger sauce and burger cheese with the inside of the bun toasted.

Roast pork, or roast anything. In a tray in the Weber with some roast veggies, usually gives us lunch for a few days.

Chicken surprise. We like to call into the local butcher and pick up a few different things, they usually have a chicken wrapped or chicken stuffed something.

Sausages - you can’t go wrong with bangers and mash or a sausage sizzle.

Cold meat in bread or a wrap with some ham and salami or left-over roast. We find wraps last ages and are very easy to store.

Frankfurts. On our first camping trip together, we got red sausages as a bit of a throwback to birthday parties as kids. Now we will have them as a camping treat.

Bacon and eggs, definitely a favourite.

Spaghetti bolognaise, this is an easy one to make the sauce before you go. Then you can just boil some pasta and stir through the sauce to warm through. Western 4W Driver #124 |

PREPARING YOUR VEHICLE FOR OUTBACK TRAVEL BY BEN BROEDER

| Western 4W Driver #124

Hitting the remote tracks of WA can lead you to some hidden gems, fantastic scenery and magical camp sites; however, without the correct preparation, these same tracks can very well be a road to ruin. Let's look at why it is important to adequately prepare for the outback, some suggestions on how to prepare and lastly, how best to manage the situation when things go wrong.

here is a plethora of information available offering tips and advice on how to prepare for the outback and how to travel safely. Despite this, we still hear of disaster stories and ruined trips on a regular basis. Why is this? Put simply, many still underestimate how quickly situations can go wrong and how what might be a negligible incident around town, or on the highway, can be a life and death scenario in the bush.

WHAT MAKES OUTBACK TRAVEL MORE HAZARDOUS?

Without trying to state the obvious, there are multiple aspects to remote outback travel that make it inherently more hazardous than a trip down a major highway. Some of these factors include: Distance – Australia is a big country. Many locations in the outback can put you more than 1,000km from the nearest population centre. If something goes wrong, help isn’t just around the corner. Likewise, due to the vast distances, helicopters cannot operate at the ranges required for outback rescues. Isolation – Unfortunately, more often than not, a friendly service station or homestead is not just around the corner. Even when a town is marked on the map, it may offer limited, if any, mechanical, medical or recovery services. Extreme environment – Summer and winter can both bring temperature extremes. Summer in the outback is particularly hazardous due to lack of water and shade, combined with the low humidity and high ambient temperatures. Expense – Due to the isolation and distances over rough terrain, recovery or mechanical help can be a very costly exercise. This is due to the operators having to put their staff and equipment at the same, if not greater risk than those travelling in these locations needing assistance. Because of these reasons, even seemingly minor medical, mechanical and tractional Western 4W Driver #124 |

issues can escalate rapidly. A broken limb, a failed water pump, a bogged vehicle, can all become life and death scenarios with the addition of remote travel. Do not let this scare you off that bucket list outback adventure though. Be assured, that with adequate preparations and contingency planning, outback travel can be extremely safe, as it is for thousands of travellers each year.

a reputable and experienced mechanical service centre. Preferably one experienced in remote travel. Keep in mind there is much more to vehicle maintenance than just changing the oil and waving a grease gun around. Developing a good relationship with your local service centre is important. At the end of the day if you suffer a mechanical failure, they will most likely be your first call for assistance.

WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE HEADING OUT?

QUALITY ACCESSORIES

PREPARING YOUR VEHICLE

Ensure you do thorough research on accessories and only buy reputable, wellbacked products.

Whilst there is no ‘one size fits all’ checklist to ensure that you are set to go, there are three key areas that you must ensure are adequately prepared for outback travel. Your vehicle, yourself and your travel companions. Your vehicle is quite possibly the most important thing to ensure is well prepared and equipped for outback travel. Ultimately, more often than not, the vehicle causes travellers to become stranded in the outback. Conversely, a well prepared and equipped vehicle can equally get you out of trouble if it occurs. Some key points in vehicle preparation are:

VEHICLE MAINTENANCE

I cannot emphasise strongly enough that owners of all 4WD vehicles should have full log book servicing regularly carried out by

A good mechanic will check for signs of wear that could become an issue in the bush.

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The second most common failures seen are attributed to poor quality or ‘knock off’ accessories. Poor quality suspensions, bar work, roof racks, and other accessories are seen to regularly fail.

OVERLOADING

Just as common as seeing accessory failures, all too often we see vehicles grossly overloaded suffering chassis failure, or the overloading causing failure of suspension or premature failure of other vehicle components. Check what the maximum GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) and GCM (Gross Combined Mass) of your vehicle is and ensure you stay within the manufacturer’s limits. Similarly it’s common to see accessories such as roof racks fail due to overloading from excess fuel and tyres exceeding the

Suspension issues like this could possibly be picked up in a pre-trip inspection.

manufacturer’s loading specifications. Keep in mind some manufacturers have a different load rating for on-road and offroad use.

SPARE PARTS

Even if you are not capable of fixing your vehicle yourself, at least if you have the parts with you, someone else stands a good chance of getting you going. You are best to discuss with your local mechanic, who knows your vehicle well, what parts you should carry with you for your vehicle.

That being said, it is even more important to carry not just a ‘speedy seal’ type plug kit, but you should also have radial patches, glue, spare valves and equipment to mount and unmount tyres from your rims.

TOOLS

All travellers should carry a basic mechanical tool kit with them. Whilst you may not be a mechanic, you may be surprised at how simply you can fix some issues yourself or with assistance over a satellite phone. However, without any tools, you do not stand a chance. A good basic tool kit should comprise of the following minimum items: • Comprehensive 3/8” socket set (1/4" and 1/2" sets would be excellent additions) • Combination spanner set (keep in mind that many vehicles have nuts ranging up to 22/24mm) • Shifter, combination pliers, needle nose pliers, large and small side cutters • Slip joint pliers (multigrips) and vice grips • Comprehensive screwdriver set • Cold chisel and large ball peen hammer • Small and large pry bar

TYRES

• Test light and/or multimeter.

Modern tyres have come a long, long way from even what was available when I started 4W driving. Tyre failures are a much rarer occurrence; however, that is no reason not to be prepared. Ensure you operate good quality all terrain, light truck or 4WD tyres off road. Be sure to operate them at suitable pressures for the speed, load and conditions. It is common to carry two spare tyres for outback travel. This is a good idea, but in addition, it is recommended to carry a tyre tube with you, which will fit your tyre/ rim combination. This way, if you destroy a tyre beyond what a patch kit can fix or bend/damage a rim, you have another trick up your sleeve that may keep your vehicle mobile.

If you're travelling in a convoy, you can avoid duplication by having other vehicles carry different tools, spares etc.

FUEL CAPACITY It’s not uncommon for inexperienced travellers to run short of fuel in the outback. Keep in mind your fuel consumption will be vastly greater off-road than it is on-road. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Do a couple of short off-road trips, fully loaded, before your first big outback trip. This way you can gauge your vehicle's fuel consumption and plan accordingly. It is also best practice to treat your fuel load in thirds. One third to get there, one third to get back and one third ‘just in case’. Without harping on the matter, fuel tanks are another accessory where it is extremely important to buy quality, not just the biggest or the cheapest. Nearly every week we are removing a fuel tank to have cracks and leaks welded, whilst there some makes that we never see issues in. Be sure to do thorough research on what lasts in the outback.

FIRST AID

All vehicles travelling in the outback should carry a well-equipped first aid kit. St. John Ambulance and other organisations can provide excellent information and kits to best suit remote travel requirements. Likewise, it’s important that you and those in your party have at the very least, basic first aid training.

WATER CAPACITY

It is well understood that water is important in the outback. With all remote travelling, water must be conserved at all times. If something major goes wrong with your vehicle, you and your family can last many days without food, but your demise will come exponentially quicker without water. It’s also a good idea to break your water storage up in multiple tanks or containers, that way if one fails, you don’t lose the lot.

A comprehensive first aid kit updated regularly is essential.

NAVIGATION

Ensure you carry adequate digital and paper maps, as well as your GPS and a compass. You may be familiar with where you are planning to go, but what if something blocks your path and you need to take an alternate, unfamiliar route. What happens if the device containing your maps and route information fails, the screen breaks or the charger was to fail? Ensure you have a backup in the form of paper maps or backup devices. Ensure that you and your party can perform basic navigation and are able to determine you current position via maps or GPS. It is important that everyone can relay position information in latitude and longitude in case you need to convey that information to emergency services.

Conserve water by only washing dishes once a day.

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Ensure water containers are well strapped in. 20 litres of water can become a 20kg missile in a rollover.

COMMUNICATIONS

RECOVERY EQUIPMENT

We are not just limited to the reliable, long serving HF radio, but many satellite based services, such as satellite two-way radio and satellite telephones.

• Snatch strap

In the modern age, we are extremely lucky to have the capabilities of keeping in touch and calling for help from virtually anywhere in the world.

If you are going to carry a satellite phone, ensure you know how to use it and have a list of contact numbers for medical, mechanical and recovery assistance at the ready. Whilst UHF CB radios are great to chat to those in your travel party, or for your spotter to guide you over an obstacle, they are not a suitable device for emergency communication in the outback. Having come across travellers in remote areas who were solely relying on UHF CB as their one and only form of communication, it is clear that not everyone appreciates the risks involved.

All vehicles travelling in the outback should have suitable recovery points and carry, at the very least, a basic recovery kit. A suggested minimum would be: • 2 x rated shackles • Shovel • Traction boards • Jacking base • Winch extension strap and/or towing strap. By carrying these items, some difficult recoveries can be achieved when combining equipment carried across multiple vehicles.

BOX OF TRICKS

This is what can at times, be the most useful item carried in your vehicle. Again, there is no set guide, but it is something you will eventually build up and add to as your outback experience grows.

There's never enough cooks when it comes to breakdowns.

Western 4W Driver #124 |

Items kept in my box vary, but these items are permanently in there: • Gasket paper, gasket compound • Cable ties, fencing wire • Spare nuts/bolts/washes • Silicone, liquid steel/JB Weld • Gaff, silicone, rubber and electrical tapes • Radiator sealant and solder rods • Various wire, crimp terminals, relays and fuses.

LESS IS MORE

Keep in mind that every kilogram of weight you put on your vehicle is another kilogram of strain on tyres, driveline components, cooling system and fuel consumption. Ensure you go well prepared, but pack sparingly. Leave what conveniences you can live without at home. A great idea is to pack and use items that can have multiple uses and ensure you keep as lightly loaded as practicable.

PREPARING YOU AND YOUR TRAVELLERS

It’s all well and good if you are an experienced outback traveller and have all the medical and mechanical experience in the world, but what if it is you that is injured? Then what? An important factor is to ensure all those in your travel party have at least some training and preparation in outback travel, first aid, communications, navigation and what to do if something goes wrong. Ensure that everyone is familiar with the route you are going to take, and how your communications and navigation equipment functions, including backup systems. Likewise, take the time to ensure your party understand how the vehicle operates; teach them basic 4W driving and recovery techniques so that they can assist if things go wrong. Preparing yourself and your family is just one of the many areas where joining 34

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your local 4WD club can impart a wealth of experience to you quickly, without you having to make the mistakes for yourself to learn from.

SUMMING UP

As with most things, nothing can better extensive experience. However, the only way to gain experience in outback travel is to go out there and do it for yourself. The better you prepare yourself and your vehicle, the less risk is involved and you will enjoy the experience all the more. Key points to consider would be: • Ensure you vehicle is well maintained by a reputable service centre experienced in 4WD vehicles. • Only buy quality accessories. • Pack lightly; leave the kitchen sink at home. • Ensure you and your party learn basic outback skills, such as first aid, basic mechanical repairs, recovery and navigation techniques. • Join a local 4WD club, enjoy the camaraderie and learn from their wealth of experience. Clubs are only too eager to welcome new members.

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DESERT DASH

Kalgoorlie to Nullagine BY LARS P WANG

Giles Breakaway.

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One of the attractions of winter in the Goldfields and the Western Deserts is the dry weather.

e had planned a trip from Kalgoorlie to Nullagine travelling via the Sandy Blight Junction Road (SBJR). However, the Four-Wheel Drive Club of WA had also organised a trip starting in Kalgoorlie a few days before us and their Facebook posts told us about lots of rain and some very wet days. From Laverton, the first 50km of the Great Central Road were a race against the westerly wind and rain. We called in at Giles Breakaway and found that the accessible camp area had been much reduced in size by a line of big rocks blocking off the track along the top of the breakaway. The next day and 300km further east the sky cleared and the temperature rose to a pleasant 25°C. Happily driving towards Warburton, the dashboard suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. Most 4W drivers are aware that electric or computer faults can be troublesome in the outback. Mechanical faults we can deal with, but if the ECU plays up it can easily become the end of the trip.

Having pulled over, I turned off the ignition and restarted the car. The same seven warning lights came back on so that didn’t help. I have previously noticed that the ECU in modern cars can have a memory which can be reset only if the cranking battery is briefly disconnected. That did the trick; now only the diesel particulate filter (DPF) warning light came on. Following the instructions in the manual, the DPF was cleaned ('burnt off') and we could carry on. Once in Warburton, a phone call to Toyota in Perth confirmed that occasionally multiple warning lights come on when the DPF warning light is activated. Unable to make it to Warakurna, we camped at the Yarla Kutjarra campsite. Only one other camper pulled up during the evening and we had a peaceful night. Firewood was of course sparse around this overnight site. Furthermore, most of the ground is rock or rock covered by a shallow layer of sand. This caused the ugly Australian to rear its head again and leave copious amounts of toilet paper in the bush. Fortunately, there is a toilet in the centre of the large camping area!

Western 4W Driver #124 |

Warakurna visitors.

Warakurna Roadhouse had a good feel to it and with several public water taps available, we topped up on both drinking water and diesel. Hundreds of zebra finches had also decided to get a drink at the roadhouse. The Great Central Road around Warakurna is very pretty. It runs just south of Rawlinson Range and Schwerin Mural Crescent and in the distance, we saw the Gill Pinnacle so we knew we were close to the SBJR turnoff. There were no road signs indicating the name of the road, the communities along it or the distance to the next fuel stop at Kintore. The original Sandy Blight Junction Road started some 24km SE of Warakurna Roadhouse. The SBJR can be driven in one (long) day. It is 330km to Gary Junction Road from the start of SBJR. In his book Outback Highways, Len Beadell describes how he discovered the Bungabiddy Rockhole and how the Gunbarrel Highway Construction Party made an effort to construct the road near the little gorge. The 38

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Bungabiddy Rockhole.

SBJR starts out as a well-defined, wide and graded road. However, the fun starts after the last turn-off to the Tjukurla aboriginal community. Following the recent rains, the washouts on the SBJR were massive and multiple detours had been created. The going was slow, but the road was indeed beautiful. We gave Sir Frederick Range a miss as we'd had enough challenges along the track already. Several Beadell markers made it even more interesting and towards the northern end of the road Mount Leisler becomes visible from 30km away. It is an impressive and majestic sight. Tietken’s tree is now somewhat underwhelming, but it is still fascinating that this part of Australia was unexplored when he passed through 133 years ago. Camping opportunities along the road are sparse. Bungabiddy Rockhole, Davenport Hills and the area near Tietken’s Tree under the imposing silhouette of Mt Leisler are the best options. We met only one other car on

the SBJR. Many people have towed camper trailers along the SBJR, but with the current state of the road we were grateful that we had left the camper at home. Towing would have been possible, but it would have been tough on the trailer and possibly stressful for the driver. The SBJR finishes at the Gary Junction Road (GJR) just east of Kintore in the NT. Kiwikurra, on the other hand, is the most easterly community in WA on the GJR. This fact may explain why the road from Kintore to Kiwikurra was as rough as guts. NT hardly maintains the road west of Kintore to the border, and WA seems to do minimal maintenance and grading east of Kiwikurra. Anyway, once we were heading west from Kiwikurra the road improved. However, we did pick up a tek screw in the rear tyre when we fuelled up in the community. Fortunately, the tyre pressure monitor picked up the slow leak. After a change of tyre, we were very happy that we had brought two spares.

Sandy Blight Junction Road washout. Western 4W Driver #124 |

The long red sand dunes dotted by plenty of green spinifex made the run from Kiwikurra to Jupiter Well and beyond a spectacular part of the trip. Jupiter Well provides a large camping area and wonderful, clear water from the bore. We were observed by other campers who flew their drone over our camp several times. It was surprisingly unsettling and intrusive. Heading further west, we stopped at the Gary Junction and signed the visitors’ book in the box welded by Ron Moon onto one of Beadell’s fuel drums. We also

The majestic Mt Leisler.

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photographed the beginning of the now abandoned Calawa Track. Gary Junction was quite a historic location. Then we crossed the Canning Stock Route shortly before arriving at Kunawarritji. Despite arriving on a Sunday, store and accommodation managers Jo and her partner opened the accommodation facility to us and we were able to shower, sit on chairs and sleep in beds. Such luxury! Kunawarritji is a small community and although we had the necessary permits for the lands we travelled, access into the

Gary Junction marker with plaque and visitors’ book.

Jupiter Well.

Western 4W Driver #124 |

residential area of the community was not permitted. It was peculiar and disturbing to realise that the restriction referred to non-indigenous visitors. We heard the bird (and camel) life around Well 33 was worth having a look at, so we motored out to see for ourselves and enjoy the sunset. The camp area around Well 33 is large and has one of the famous Track Care toilets. Track Care deserves much credit for the work they have done along the CSR despite the huge logistical challenges. The toilet facilities are greatly appreciated by many a traveller. The only travellers at Well 33 had camped right next to both the windmill and the tank so there was no hope of wildlife spotting, but it was otherwise a spectacular and peaceful place.

Canning Stock Route, Well 33

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After fuelling up on Monday morning, we headed further west. Stopping at the intersection of Wapet Road and Gary Junction Road by Lake Auld, we arrived at Punmu Community. Punmu was established in 1985 and provides the same services to the traveller as the other communities in the Western Desert (fuel, mobile phone signal and a store). Diesel fuel was available 24/7 from automated pumps at Kintore and Kiwikurra and within opening hours at Kunawarritji and Punmu. The longest distance between fuel stops is 411km from Punmu to Nullagine or 396km from Punmu to Marble Bar. We were keen to find a camp site in the afternoon, but once we had passed Lake Dora it turned out to be difficult. Having further passed the Telfer mine site and

turn-off, we decided to press on to reach Carawine Gorge. And what a great choice it was. Although there were another 8-10 cars, the camping area is huge and we found a beautiful spot to ourselves. The gorge is on Warrawagine Station land. There were plenty of indications the camp area gets flooded most years. Trees and bushes are 're-located' by the water and many succumb in the process. This provides some firewood, but there was plenty of evidence of previous campers having cut down a large number of trees and large branches from most free-standing trees. The extent of chainsaw activity was staggering and the destruction must surely be unsustainable and unacceptable to the station managers.

Carawine Gorge. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Running Waters Waterhole on Skull Springs Road.

The following day was one of rest. We visited Running Waters near the eastern end of Skull Springs Road. It was a picturesque spot with clear turquoise water ideal for a swim. True to form there were several campers right on the water’s edge although getting the trailers there must have been a struggle. We knew that the trip was about to come to an end and we would be in Newman the next day. Driving the Skull Springs Road was slow, but scenic. Once we reached Nullagine, we were back in mining country. The area between Roy Hill and Newman is being mined with gusto. New roads and mine sites everywhere, huge

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bulldozers and trucks clearing the land and water pipelines large enough to make CY O’Connor blush. For the first time I accepted how the indigenous people may feel offended by what is happening to the land - it seems overwhelming. Back on the bitumen, we started to digest the impressions from the trip. It had been extremely scenic, probably more than expected and more scenic than previous drives in rural and remote WA. I believe Len Beadell was right; the Sandy Blight Junction Road really is the prettiest and most scenic of the 'bomb roads' built by the Gunbarrel Highway Construction Party 60 years ago.

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DESERT DISCOVERY Science in the desert

Fire-ravaged trees resprouting.

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BY PHIL BIANCHI

Dunnart.

Desert Discovery ... who are they you ask? Desert Discovery (DD) is a voluntary non-profit organisation with the principal purpose of ensuring the protection and enhancement of the natural environment in remote regions of Australia. Every two years a remote location is selected for research.

o be successful, a DD project needs to attract and retain a mix of volunteers skilled in the natural sciences as well as in outback travel and logistics. DD also needs to liaise with government, non-government agencies and landowners to identify areas where research would be beneficial. Then, once a site is chosen, obtain all the necessary permits and approvals for the project. The DD 2022 project was of particular importance to the Department of Biodiversity and Cultural Attractions (DBCA), because due to a lack of resources and funding, little scientific investigation had been carried out in this project area and our findings would fill a significant gap. David and Margaret Hewitt of Alice Springs contributed significantly to the establishment of DD. David was President for 12 years and he and his wife Margaret are highly regarded across the deserts by Traditional Owners. Their reputation has smoothed the path in obtaining approval for project locations. The first project was in 1996, south of the Edgar Range in the Kimberley, and to date there have been 14 projects, mostly in WA and always in remote areas of the desert. The August 2022 project was held at the abandoned Yeo Homestead on the Anne Beadell Hwy (ABH). Participants came from NSW, Victoria, SA and WA. My very good friend Libby Sakker, an 84-year-old, and a veteran of DD and Track Care WA projects, drove by herself in her 100 series Toyota, all the way from NSW. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Marsupial and reptile team with DBCA staff.

Pit line trap.

There were various expert teams present, each with a project leader. Teams included botany, birders, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates, pioneers and logistics. Botany also had a collector of fungi, lichen and slime moulds. The Mammals and Reptiles team had a number of subsidiary groups including trapping of Mammals, Reptiles and Invertebrates, Predator Scat collecting, Animal Tracks and Burrows and Marsupial Moles. Mammals, reptiles and insects were captured using Elliot or soft traps and pit line buckets. Specifically dingo and feral cat scats were collected. Because several desert species are now endangered due to predation, it is hoped testing the scats will reveal what predators had been eating. Another team investigated animal tracks and burrows to determine animal activity. Yet another team investigated Marsupial Mole activity by digging pits. Prior to the selection of a project site the Pioneer Team investigates suitable

Elliot trap.

Richard, the camp cook.

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Damper cooked to perfection.

locations and ensures all requirements are met for a successful project, including approvals from landowners, and that potable water and an airstrip are available for emergencies. The Logistics Team is responsible for ensuring the safe running of the camp, setting up the project marquee, provision of lighting, sufficient pit toilets, ensuring potable water is readily available, and at some camps, a donkey hot water system is installed for showering. The team leaders are required to obtain approval from various agencies including WA Herbarium, Museum of WA, Bird Life Australia, CSIRO, Department of Biodiversity and Cultural Attractions (DBCA) and from various Aboriginal bodies and native title holders. They are then required to sign off on various aspects of collecting as required by these agencies including ethics, such as animal trapping and handling, to reduce stress on animals. While most attendees are retired, the depth of knowledge in their field of

expertise is astounding. They can walk by an eremophila, and there are hundreds of them, and ID the plant by its latin name without touching it. Reptiles, insects, birds, tracks, burrows and such were also quickly identified. I’m a member of DD and have been to several projects, the first being in 2006 at Rough Leaf Bore, west of Well 35 on the CSR, others being Rawlinson Range and on Eagle Highway. My most recent at Yeo Lake was in August 2022. I’m not an ‘ologist’ but contribute by assisting botanists with collecting, driving tracks to determine suitability for collecting and trapping, providing exploration history of the area and generally help where I can. I also helped one chap to temporarily fix punctures with plugs. He was so unlucky, having five punctures between his vehicle and camper. Many desert travellers drive along the ABH, stopping at Yeo Homestead and maybe camp there overnight and sadly keep

Breakaway country. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Aboriginal tool making.

Camels break mulga branches to eat the new shoots.

going without looking around the area. During the project I had the opportunity to drive some terrific tracks, through vast woodlands and grasslands and was able to explore breakaways, buttes, claypans, creek lines and lake systems. In several places stone chips showed evidence of Aboriginal occupation in days gone by. The country away from the ABH would have to almost be a pristine desert environment. At the time of the 2022 project the desert was in drought, yet nature still had a way of showcasing itself with flowering plants, dunnarts, sandy inland mice, spinifex hopping mice, reptiles, and numerous insect types. Birds however, tended to be scarce due to lack of water. Yeo Lake was named by veteran explorer Frank Hann on 9 October 1903 after Sydney J. Yeo, a Kalgoorlie stock and share broker. Yeo formed the syndicate which financed several of Hann's explorations. Hann was a cunning old blighter; he would name features after his financial backers in the hope they would finance future expeditions. Now for some 4W driving. Heading northward 5.5km from the homestead there is a crossroad. To the west, a 7km track, in excellent condition, takes you through superb eucalypt and mulga woodland. Many sandalwood trees and eremophila shrubs grow trackside. The track ends at a claypan, which at the time of our visit had a small pool of water in it. To the east, the track follows the southern edge of Yeo Lake for 42km. However the vegetation on this track, although similar, is not as thick as the westward track. Several small dry salt lakes are crossed, some having

Strange cloud formation.

| Western 4W Driver 124 #

Archway south of airstrip breakaway.

talcum powder-like bulldust. The eastern end of the track had been severely burnt by several bushfires in previous years, but puncture risk is minimal. The track then heads southward, joining the ABH some 32km east of Yeo Homestead. Continuing 3.3km from the crossroad to the lake, the track takes you through excellent pristine woodland and breathtaking breakaway country. The track ends on a large dune giving great views over Yeo Lake and a nearby wide creek system, both of which were dry. Caution here, the lakebed and creek system look solid enough to drive or walk on, however they aren’t. Disaster awaits you if you drive on them so keep vehicles well away. Even walking was hopeless, with many a boot encapsulated in thick goop and needing scraping down. Another track heads southward from Yeo Homestead. Initially it traverses very open country with low vegetation and some breakaways. At the 15km mark you drive along an old airstrip; the track then goes through mulga and eucalypt woodland. This 20km track ends at impressive breakaways providing superb photography opportunities. A circular walk of some 30 minutes will take you through a series of ‘pounds’, some with striking but different coloured ochre. The main creek line has a 2-metre-high waterfall with a significant plunge pool at the bottom. At the time of our visit it was dry. Animals however, had been digging into the sand to access soakage water.

Botanical specimen collecting.

Frankenia. Photo: Richard House

Solanum. Photo: Richard House

Botanical specimen collecting. Western 4W Driver #124 |

The DBCA ladies.

Hard at work.

Checking pit line traps.

At the beginning of the project, scientific staff from DBCA Kalgoorlie joined us. I wasn’t used to seeing such a hands-on approach when government officers are involved in projects, but these ladies were 110% hands on. They were on the track at dawn and assisted in all manner of projects, including digging the pit line bucket traps and the twelve marsupial mole pits. Each mole pit was 1200mm long, 800mm deep and 400mm wide, that’s a third of a cubic metre per hole. These ladies were with us for a week and were indefatigable. One of the botanists remarked, "We sure appreciate the help the ladies have given us, but I’m so looking forward to when they leave so I can slow down!" Before the DBCA team left us, they, using a petrol driven post hole digger, dug a series of bucket sized holes for pit line use the following week. Katherine (team leader), Tiana, Tegan, Nikita and Melissa, you’ve done yourselves and DBCA proud. Thank you for the advice, support and friendship you provided to everyone at DD 2022. Nathan Johnson, from Victoria, led the mammal reptile team. Numerous lines of pitfall traps were erected - these are 20 litre buckets dug into the ground with the lip being level with the surrounding terrain. A small taut fence, made of shadecloth, was strung vertically so that it went over the middle of each bucket. In this way any mammals, reptiles or insects will, when reaching the fence, follow it along until they fall into the bucket. Each line of traps is checked three times a day so as to reduce any danger to the health of any trapped animals. Animals caught and released included dunnarts, sandy inland mice, spinifex hopping mice and small reptiles. Joss Haiblen and Trish MacDonald led the tracks and burrows team. They were specifically looking for Bilby and Great Desert Skink locations, however all tracks and burrows were investigated.

Pit line trap specimens.

| Western 4W Driver #124

Bevan Buirchell led the invertebrates team. By exploring crevices, turning over rocks or after dark, vertically hanging

a white sheet with a bright light behind it, numerous insects were collected for further study. These included spiders, centipedes, scorpions, moths, butterflies, pseudoscorpions, and beetles. The botanists were led by Alan Bedggood from Victoria. This crew were in a league of their own, while many of them didn’t have relevant scientific qualifications, their hobby and expertise put them on the same level. Many plants were identified at a casual glance, and a decision to collect or not is made. Plant species aren’t gathered in a bundle and put in a bag for processing. Each specimen is individually recorded in a register, at the collection site, with its own ID number, as well as the plant name, and details such as plant characteristics, soil type, height of plant and GPS location. A photograph is also taken, and its number recorded for matching purposes later. Then specimens are placed individually in a plant press for eventual delivery to the WA Herbarium for processing. Mal McKinty (Mr Fungi as I called him), collected fungi, lichen and slime moulds. Details of each specimen and its location were recorded, and samples individually stored. I recall him being on cloud nine about a tiny mushroom-like plant about 2cm high and 0.5cm across. It took me ages to see the little black shrivelled thing, despite him pointing it out. All his specimens were to go to the WA Museum for processing. Mirinda Thorpe oversaw scat collecting. Predator scats go to Alice Springs for testing, unfortunately no Great Desert Skink scats were found during the survey. It was hoped that some would be found so eDNA work could be undertaken. Mirinda was also in charge of the Marsupial Mole project. Several mole tunnels were found, each was measured for height, width, distance from the surface and so on. A penetrometer was used to determine soil compaction, with measurements taken both inside and outside the mole tunnel. Samples of soil from inside each tunnel were collected and will be sent away for

Dunnart.

About to be released.

Fresh dunnart tracks and diggings.

Mr Fungi at work. Western 4W Driver #124 |

analysis to Joe Benshemesh, a marsupial mole expert in Melbourne.

Checking a Marsupial Mole pit.

I wonder what lived in these densely packed burrows? After surviving a fire and reshooting, a second bushfire killed this tree.

| Western 4W Driver #124

The Birders, led by Linda Brotherton, weren’t seen in camp often. They travelled far and wide and stayed mostly in the field, doing grided bird surveys and recording the details. The drought-like conditions had affected the bird population significantly. Bird varieties and numbers recorded were down on similar previous surveys. On a disappointing note, while I was walking around exploring mulga groves and creek lines, I found four piles of sandalwood trees that thieves had pulled and stacked. Something must have scared them off because they were abandoned where they were stacked. Even a nature reserve isn’t safe from greed. The next DD project is scheduled for 2024 and will most likely be in WA. A few sites are under consideration, but much more work needs to be undertaken before a final site is chosen. A project such as DD would not be possible without scientists, citizen scientists, volunteers, logistics and pioneer team members all doing their bit. If you are interested in Australia’s outback and remote travel and feel you can contribute to one of the teams or want to know more about DD and our projects go to: www.desertdiscoveryinc.com.au or www.facebook.com/DesertDiscoveryInc

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As we recently travelled through the northern goldfields just over 500km north of Kalgoorlie, we couldn’t help but get tied up with the interesting Aboriginal and European history of Wiluna. Yes, it might be just another of WA’s small gold rush towns, but in fact Wiluna has many more interesting faces visitors will not find anywhere else in Australia.

ne of the first things in town that quickly grabbed our attention was the story of two now quite famous desert Aboriginals. Widely recognised as the last of the desert nomads to give up their traditional lifestyle and ‘come in’ to the welcoming outback community of Wiluna, Warri and Yatungka left behind a life of solitary desert exile which they had endured for most of their lives. This outback story of love and survival made news around the world in 1977 as the old couple reluctantly gave up the life they had known together in the vast Gibson Desert of WA.

This story in fact, has its beginnings back in the 1930s when Warri and Yatungka met and fell in love. Tribal law however, forbade them from marrying because they were the wrong match according to ‘skin group’ law of the Mandildjara desert Aboriginals. The consequences for breaking this law in those days was often a punishment of severe physical injury or even death, and so these star-crossed lovers ran away together in the middle of the night from their tribal families, telling no-one of their plans. Over the years in their world of desert isolation, the couple had three children. Their daughter however, died at a young age but their two sons survived and eventually returned to their estranged Mandildjara family, leaving their now ageing parents to once again wander naked and alone from waterhole to scant waterhole and living off the land. Despite the couple’s continued defiance of tribal law and their clandestine departure years ago, the Mandildjara elders had not forgotten them,

THE LAST OF THE NOMADS n BY COLIN KERR

... and Wiluna, the tow that welcomed them.

| Western 4W Driver #124

Statue of Warri and Yatungka. At the time of our recent visit (Winter 2022) the sculpture of Warri was missing the spear he was originally carrying. It seems it has been broken off and presumably souvenired by someone. There are local plans to have the spear replaced. Western 4W Driver #124 |

nor indeed had they ever stopped being worried and concerned about them. Over the years, most of these struggling desert people progressively gravitated to urban settlements, but Warri and Yatungka continued their life in isolation. It was not until 1977 when several years of drought had dried up virtually all the known waterholes, that the elders in Wiluna became anxious for their welfare and initiated a search party out into the vast Gibson Desert to find them. After several weeks the couple were found, still inseparable, but physically very weak and close to starvation. After much discussion (including the promise that they had been forgiven for their ‘indiscretion’ and there would be no retribution against them) they were persuaded to reluctantly leave their desert home. On arrival in Wiluna they were greeted with much joy and relief by their extended families, and another real bonus for them was their reuniting with their sons, Ngunyunytjarra and Rumi. Being the last of the Mandildjara tribe to ‘come in’ from the desert, and now safe and being cared for by their welcoming family, this still deeply in love old couple are believed to have been the very last (although possibly challenged elsewhere around Australia) of Australia’s desert nomads leading a traditional lifestyle that had stretched back more than 40,000 years.

Sadly, having never fully recovered from their weakened condition, nor completely adapting to their new community life, Warri and Yatungka passed away just two years later within a few weeks of each other. Today, standing proudly at the entry to the town that welcomed them in from the desert, is a splendid sculpture of the couple together with a plaque briefly recording their story. Warri, tall and thin, is proudly standing upright looking over the country, whilst Yatungka sits beside him with a coolamon (dish) full of quondong fruit. Located almost in the geographic centre of Western Australia, we found on our recent visit to the town that the remote community of Wiluna has, in addition to the ‘old couple’ story, many other interesting and historic faces that kept us busy over a couple of days checking them out. To begin with, any historic account of Wiluna must have two parallel threads – one detailing the European history and the other recognising the infinitely longer story of the Mandildjara (commonly referred to as Martu) people and their connection with the region. For the Martu, this place was simply an outlying part of a vast tract of ‘country’ stretching into the Little Sandy and Gibson Deserts. They knew the area well and regularly passed through here according to the dictates of seasonal conditions (waterholes, hunting and gathering) and visiting culturally significant sites. Warri Kyango died 28 April 1979 aged 70. Yadoolta (Yatungka) Kyango died 23 May 1979 aged 62.

Breakaway country seen between Wiluna and Leinster.

| Western 4W Driver #124

European involvement with the area began when surveyor Lawrence Wells, recorded aspects of the region in 1892. Four years later prospectors Woodley, Wotton and Lennon discovered gold just a few kilometres south-east of the present town site. Unlike many other WA goldfields towns, the population of Wiluna however, did not immediately see a rapid ‘gold rush’ increase with the town only peaking to around 600 by the early 1900s. It was not until the advent of new mining technologies in the 1930s that Wiluna started to boom. By 1932 in excess of 9,000 lived here, with town ‘suburbs’ stretching 3km to the south of the present town site. By the mid-1940s however, when the Wiluna Gold Mine (once the biggest mine in WA) closed, the population shrank and by 1953 there were less than 400 residents, reaching its lowest point 10 years later with only 90 still here.

Rabbit proof fence - near Wiluna.

Old railway goods sheds.

Today with renewed local mining activity in the district (including nickel, gold, uranium and other minerals – mostly FIFO operations) and more particularly, growing numbers of Martu people, the population has now increased to around 700. Clearly, these days Wiluna, despite its outback location, is not the isolated community it once was. As many of our readers will know, the forefront of its attraction in recent years is with 4WD adventurers starting or finishing the historic and challenging Canning Stock Route and/or the original Gunbarrel Highway. Wiluna strategically sits where these two outback trails join and is a welcoming first or last piece of civilisation and service point for travellers undertaking these great adventures. Heading north from Wiluna the Canning Stock Route (the longest stock route in the

The start of the Gunbarrel Highway.

world) is an amazing 1,800km 4WD desert trail following the stock route surveyed by Alfred Canning in 1906/7 to bring cattle from the Kimberley to markets in the southern part of the state. After the establishment of over 50 wells and watering points along the way, the first large mob of cattle was brought down the new stock route in 1911 and the last cattle drive was carried out in 1959. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Of course, the Gunbarrel Highway has a very different history, having been surveyed and created by Len Beadell who, with his road-making team, was commissioned to develop a system of access roads out from Woomera in 1955 (and into the 1960s) as part of the atomic weapons and rocket testing operations taking place at that time. Len claimed, during construction of this trail, that he tried to make sections of it, “as straight as a gunbarrel”. Coming back to the town’s welcoming reputation, a clever piece of promotion is a colourful sign at the town entry which reads “Pukurlarrinpalatjungku! Welcome – we are happy to see you!”

Looking around town today there is clearly a feeling of civic pride with most of the old shanty town buildings, structures and ruins all cleared away, including virtually all of the relics from the sprawling ‘suburbs’ from the 1930s – now all gone. The history of many of these features has not been lost however, with a splendid series of colourful ‘goanna plaques’ located at many places around town telling a brief history, and giving a fascinating insight into life in the town over the years. Visitors here are, in fact, encouraged to pick up a local brochure and follow a couple of well thought out town heritage trails leading to the main points of interest. Not to Wiluna Traders - fuel, post office and general store.

The old morgue, originally the town's first hospital's operating theatre.

Wiluna Heritage Trail brochures are available at the Discovery Centre. Phone (08) 9981 8000.

The old Club Hotel now the Shire offices. Canning-Gunbarrel Discovery Centre (formerly Wiluna District Hospital).

| Western 4W Driver #124

be missed along the way is a visit to the wonderful Canning-Gunbarrel Discovery Centre where there are excellent displays and information on both the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway, as well as souvenirs and other information about the Martu people, the town, its history and local attractions, as well as local stations and mining history. Something I must mention here is that whilst at the Discovery Centre, visitors are offered a free cup of coffee – yes, real coffee (we’re talking latte, cappuccino, long black, mocha), plus tea and hot chocolate. Indeed it is worthwhile calling in here just for the coffee … and the excellent displays are just a bonus!

Artwork in the Tjukurba Gallery.

The town swimming pool.

Adjacent to the centre is another great attraction worth visiting – the Tjukurba Art Gallery where there is a wonderful display of high quality paintings by local Aboriginal Birriliburu artists, some of whose works have been exhibited around Australia and overseas. Quite often here it is possible to stand and watch some of the artists at work – a really enjoyable experience. Many of the quality art works on display are also available to purchase with prices ranging from a few hundred dollars up to several thousand. A few other places worth a special mention include the modern town swimming pool, the historic morgue (once the local hospital’s operating theatre), an old WWII bomb shelter (can you imagine the whole town climbing down there in the event of a Japanese air raid?), the old pioneer cemetery (1893 to 1903) and the colourful display of silk and plastic flowers seen adorning many of the graves at the current cemetery. At each of these cemeteries there are many sad and quite tragic stories to be read. The new cemetery includes the white posts and rails around the restored graves of Warri and Yatungka. Not far out of town is Lake Violet (rough access track) which would be quite a sight when full after rain, and a beaut free camping or picnic spot at North Pool – a lovely white river gum lined permanent waterhole north of town. The Canning Stock Route Well No. 1 is also worth a visit – approximately 7km from town and accessible to all vehicles. Graves of Yatungka (back) and Warri (front).

Information sign and remains of a World War II bomb shelter.

INFORMATION BAY LOCATION

Wiluna is 535km north of Kalgoorlie and 135km east of Meekatharra.

TERRAIN

North Pool, near Wiluna.

Other services around town include a post office, two general stores (with a limited range of fruit, vegetables and basic food supplies), two fuel outlets (one of which is a 24-hour facility), gas bottle exchange (no refills are available) and basic mechanical and tyre services. Telstra mobile phone service and internet is available in town, but is limited or non-existent elsewhere in this remote area. All too soon it was time to reluctantly say farewell to Wiluna, but before setting off we had a bit of fun photographing our 4WD and caravan ‘posing’ beside the signs showing the beginning/end of the Canning and Gunbarrel trails – not for us however, this time! Our plans from here on this trip were to continue our wanderings through some of the back roads through the northern goldfields and see what other enjoyable places we could find. Wiluna, it might be remote, but for the many travellers out there it is truly worth the effort to call in and say hello to this historic and very welcoming community!

On the Canning Stock Route.

| Western 4W Driver #124

From Meekatharra: mostly wide gravel road in good condition with a number of sealed sections along the way. From Leinster: all sealed Goldfields Highway.

ACCOMMODATION

The Gunbarrel Laager Travellers Rest (13km east of town) has donga-style accommodation as well as caravan, RV and camping with a shared kitchen and ablutions. Phone (08) 9981 7161. There is a 72-hour free rest area for travellers located in town adjacent to the Discovery Centre and at the time of our visit (Winter 2022) there were current plans to set up a caravan park in town, but timing was unknown.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Contact Wiluna Shire Phone: (08) 9981 8009 Email: reception@wiluna.wa.gov.au Web: www.wiluna.wa.gov.au

COME ON AN EPIC ADVENTURE Join us on a 4WD tag-along adventure tour, taking in the raw beauty of WA’s landscape and history. We are family-friendly, environmentally conscious and respect the land on which we travel as well as its history, features and landscape. Our goals are simple; to lead and support people to discover the splendour of Western Australia and to provide you with a safe adventure-filled experience. Our overall goal is to make sure you see things that otherwise you might not, go to places that otherwise you might not visit and meet some new friends and enjoy their company in a friendly, safe and secure surrounding. Why not join us? If you are new to four-wheel driving, don’t worry, we will provide you with support and guidance whenever you need it.

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NUTS to ! S D O these M

BY DAVID WILSON

Front three-quarter shot reveals an enhanced approach angle, stated at 44 degrees compared to the stock model’s meagre 30.5 degrees.

| Western 4W Driver #124

D-MAX AT35 working on its tan in a brief moment of Arctic sunlight.

“Boomer”, some bloke called me the other day. I didn’t know whether to be offended or chuffed, until I thought about it a bit more.

e was asking for opinions on what direction to take his new D-MAX on, particularly when it came to tyres and suspension. The mistake he’d made was he’d spied the new AT35 D-MAX from Arctic Trucks (and somehow now available in Isuzu showrooms). You know how it goes on the forums … you take delivery of a new vehicle, you want to make it yours and individual. I get that. I’ve been doing it forever. I’ve followed a tried and proven formula that’s worked on my vehicles for thirty years now and I’m not about to change it. As alluring as a pumped-up and butch ute might look, it’ll be impractical with a capital I. So, this bloke had a bit of an idea and wanted it validated by his peers on Facebook. There’s the problem straight up, Facebook engineers. Old mate wanted a body lift-kit, with an additional three or four inches of suspension lift in the front and three inches in the rear and then sit it all on top thirty-fives! In case that needed deciphering; replace the existing body mount rubbers with items twice the height, then replace the front suspension struts with something approaching 75-100mm longer than stock and do something similar in the rear. Then Western 4W Driver #124 |

Side-on shot shows the massive increase in clearance; 266mm in the front, 290mm in the rear.

balance it all atop a wheel/tyre combination, that’s 120mm taller than the stock rubber the car was originally sold with. He’ll need a stepladder to get into the cab! Anyway, the Facebook engineers all chimed in, in support of taking what was originally a very pleasant vehicle to drive around town, with a modicum of off-road ability and turn it into an absolute pig, an illegal one at that (at least in Australia), now likely dangerous and hopeless off-road. I’ve seen folk go down this path time and time again, vainly spending thousands and thousands in search of something that is the local equivalent of a USA monster truck. I thought since he was asking, I’d offer an alternative viewpoint. He’d already made his mind up though and didn’t need to hear my recommendations because I’m a boomer, so what’s going on in 4WD land today that is driving this fantasy? Once upon a time in Australia we used to build utes, you know, the Falcon and Holden single cabs and all the young urban tradies bought the go-fast Typhoon and Maloo variants to ferry their tool belts to site and back each day. Must-do mods included a loud exhaust, a cold-air intake, seriously wide rims with lowprofile rubber to suit and a tougher posture, slammed to the deck with lowering springs. That’ll make a boy-racer out of any ute! 66

| Western 4W Driver #124

Front-on and man, look at those haunches, all puffed-out and full of tyre. AT35 runs a 17x10” rim with an LT315/70R17 or 35” in the old money.

Previous generation AT35 D-MAX having a frolic in the sand.

The locally made utes are no more, so young tradies are gravitating to Thai utes and flipping the genre on its head, and going up, instead of down, is the new, errr, black. You know what I mean. Now, vehicle rules are there for a purpose and it’s called safety. A modern truck (ute) has safety in its DNA because it’s mandated so. That safety camera up in the windscreen is measuring Rear view of Holden’s wild Maloo R8 go-fast ute.

all sorts of perils and distances to stop, distances to other vehicles, over and over again, precise computations measured in milliseconds. Change the viewing angle and guess what? It won’t work. I noted my new D-MAX with Isuzu’s IDAS (Intelligent Driver Assistance System), went missing for a few weeks when I did something as innocent as changing my wheel/tyre combination. Whilst modestly taller and well within the legal 50mm tyre diameter increase that we are permitted nationally, the D-MAX’s primary safety gizmo went MIA. That slightly elevated view of the road ahead was enough to challenge IDAS into submission, but it returned after “learning” the new angles weren’t upsetting the algorithms too wildly. That nominal difference is apparently designed into the system, but a vehicle sporting a now 200mm taller stance, was never conceived of in the computer’s rulebook and it’ll throw an error and that will have a domino effect on critical safety systems. That’s bad and outside of vehicle design rules, making it likely illegal and positively uninsurable. Suspension rule 101 states: “Though shalt not f*#k with an IFS” (that’s independent front suspension systems). Western 4W Driver #124 |

Going down the pathway of big lifts creates all sorts of steering geometry craziness and dictates changes to control arms to be able to dial in corrections to help it steer. Not only that, driveshaft angles will be horrid, pointing so far downwards there’ll be zero droop travel left and you’ll be riding on the bump-stops. The CVs (Constant Velocity Joints) will be stressed to the max and likely binding on every change in direction coupled to a bump. Smashed CVs become an expensive tedium after you’ve broken the first two or three. Hope you left a budget for a diff-drop to offer some respite to those CV angles? Whilst you’re fiddling there, think about extending all the cables and brake lines, the diff breather hoses and the transmission selector. The bigger news though is the effect the new wheels and tyres will have. Thirty-fives weigh plenty. A stock alloy wheel/tyre combo will tip the scales around 27kgs. A thirty-five will weigh 50kgs. Apply that mass to things and you can expect failure. Hub assemblies will have double the force exerted on them than they were designed for. Steering racks will suffer bent or broken tie rods, hell, maybe even the steering box might be torn from its chassis mounts? The rolling mass of those big wheels really messes with brakes. Those pathetic drum brakes up the back will have no chance of effectively stopping a 2.5T vehicle from higher speeds, so you might have just made yourself a crash-test dummy. That same rolling mass breaks 68

| Western 4W Driver #124

Black and Gold Artic Trucks D-MAX twins.

front differentials; gear sets stressed beyond belief and crown-wheels and pinions smashed to bits on bumpy uphill grades. You could argue that the monster truck concept would be an investment and so much more astute than pissing the same money up against a wall, or smoking it. Nope, spending $30-40K to build a 4WD that is now cop-bait doesn’t float my boat and I bet I can run rings around it off-road with my modestly lifted and re-tyred jigger. Call me a boomer, because yes, I was born in 1957, but I haven’t had the 4WD life sucked out of me. Yet.

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RUN to the

RANGES BY JON LOVE

| Western 4W Driver #124

The adventure kicked off just like any other, shooting down the open road with a boot full of gear and a tank full of diesel. This time however there was a slight change in the convoy line-up; quite recently the Troopy had been moved on with a Hilux taking its place. With it being virtually stock and only carrying the equipment transferred from the Troopy, the Goldfields was a perfect proving ground to get a feel for its off-road handling and capabilities.

o there we were, a Hilux and a Defender rolling into Karalee Rocks at around 11.00pm, navigating the washed out tracks on a moonlit night. It wasn’t long before the campfire crackled and a few tins were cracked open. It had been a long eight months since we had a chance to go camping, so the cold, fresh air accompanied by the smoke of the fire was a welcome sensation. The rising sun allowed us to fully appreciate the undulating rock figure in the background, dotted with limestone walls that guided rain water into a large dam nearby. Walking over its surface revealed more rock pools than I can remember, with the larger bodies of water playing host to a plethora of tadpoles. Needless to say there

Western 4W Driver #124 |

would be no shortage of frogs scattering the area in the months to come. Keen to get the show on the road we packed up camp and winded our way to the water catchment zone. Although no longer in use, it served as an integral part of supplying water to miners within the remote community. A water bridge nearby transferred water collected from the rock into the dam, although it certainly looked like it had seen better days, with a considerable amount of rusting and a handful of holes in its belly. Back in the bush we pressed on to investigate a handful of tracks that disappeared into the thick shrubs. Despite the road being solid and with no traction issues we decided to pull over and air down the tyres to cushion the side walls. Being on stock rubber with no side wall protection, in an environment decorated with sharp stakes and serrated rock edges didn’t give me a great feeling driving through it all, and with any luck keeping the pressures low would help prevent an early blowout and a disappointing end to the trip.

a faded yellow header sat unaccompanied in the field nearby. Not far from here was the rock we had been chasing, and having climbed out of the cars to investigate the old shed we continued over the field to see what the solitary rock had instore. Much to our amazement, as we crested one of its many steep walls it unveiled a sizeable pool, surrounded by further steep rock ledges and lush green trees on the other side. It was a truly unique sight, having such a large pool elevated onto a rock that was surrounded by grassy fields. After a quick inspection we looped back to the convoy and brought them over to the area. After some slow manoeuvring we managed to slot the two cars near the waters edge. Being quite a warm day and having climbed the rock not long ago, it would have been a crime not to jump in the water to cool off, so that’s exactly what we did! Launching off a raised slope next to the waters edge, one after the other we bombed into the pool and enjoyed the exclusiveness of what felt like our own private remote swimming hole.

Pinstripes screeched their way back into fashion as we headed toward what seemed to be a unique rock formation. In a short period of time the scrub cleared and opened up to an abandoned farming shed. Old equipment scattered the tall grass and

It didn’t take us long to unanimously come to the same conclusion, that this was without a doubt where we wanted to spend our second night camping. Only issue was we hadn’t actually been on the road that long and the day was still young, so we

A refreshing dive bomb in the bush!

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decided to circumnavigate the rock and the surrounding areas to do a little more exploring before setting up camp. Heading into new territory our exploration continued, but not for long. The solid ground we were traversing quickly began to go soft, and in no time at all the surface gave way to the soft mud below, halting the Defender in its tracks and almost immediately sinking it to its diff. Having seen what was going on ahead I slowed the Hilux to a stop and headed over to see what we were working with. Sure enough it wasn’t going anywhere without a bit of encouraging. With the Maxtrax making their first appearance this trip and the shovel being displaced from its mounts, we set to work. The mud was thick and an unbelievable amount of ground water filled the holes where the mud once sat, making it sloppy work for sure. It was reassuring to know that there was a fresh pool of water waiting for us back at camp. With the majority of mud cleared and the Maxtrax lodged firmly under the tyres, the Defender hopped up above the mud and inched further forward, only to seconds later go down again. The mud didn’t hesitate to part ways from the tyres and suck the rubber down, but a handful more recoveries and it was on safe ground again. Having watched all this take place and with it being my turn behind the wheel, I strapped on the belt and lined the car up for another

On the hunt for a buried Maxtrax board.

route, thinking I was about to cheat the system and get away scot-free; needless to say this didn’t happen. Fortunately for us the Maxtrax were already out and waiting for another go. All up moving through this muddy stretch of land cost us just shy of two hours, all in a bid to cover no more than 200 meters of land. After driving past another large water catchment area and making our way around the rock, we finally made it back to home base for the night, and were able to set up on the rock, and more importantly still, freshen ourselves once more with a dive into the rock pool. Before long we had collected a more than generous portion of firewood to see us through the night, with the swag and tents pitched and a casserole sizzling away in the camp oven. Sunset was something else on its own, crawling our way to the top of the rock, watching the orange and pink light reflect off the water with the smoke of the campfire filling the air above it.

Enjoying the sunset views with our private rock pool. Western 4W Driver #124 |

The following morning kicked off with the traditional smell of bacon and eggs on the hotplate, at the same time pouring over the map to suss out which tracks we would venture down for the day. Ultimately we wanted to end up in the region of the Helena and Aurora Ranges, then see how we were going for time when we got there. With this in mind and a destination sorted, the gear was packed away and the cold engines grumbled to life. The day saw us snake through a number of quiet and remote tracks, with the occasional saltwater lake dotting the landscape. Shortly after however, the scenery went from white sand and pools of clear water to brown and orange pools of mud. Sitting in front of the idling cars was a decently long stretch of chewed up mud and water, while this looked fine for the defender on all-terrains, I did wonder how the city slicking tyres on the Hilux would fare. As expected the Defender sailed through, spewing out and impressive wave of mud that decorated the trees sitting next to it. Next up was the Hilux, and with solid momentum and a firm grip on the wheel, it also managed to cut through without any issue of getting bogged, much to my surprise. Eventually

Parting the seas on our way to the Helena and Aurora Ranges.

Two chuffed blokes celebrating the Hilux’s first muddy challenge!

On the doorstep to the mighty ranges.

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this made its way to the beginning of the track into the ranges, and little did we know, but a number of larger and even muddier stretches of road lay ahead of us. Once more the Hilux was tested in the sloppy terrain but it never faulted, displacing the mud as it carved through to the other side of it. Momentum played a key role in this but the lowered tyre pressures certainly aided the job. As we approached the ranges the mountainous terrain slowly grew bigger and bigger in our windscreens, until it was almost a vertical jump up above us. Having spent the majority of the day behind the wheel we opted to drive the ranges the following day, and to seek a campsite with enough time to explore the area. Making our way over hill climbs with shaley rocks, a location was spotted and we pulled in to check it out. Dismounting from the cars and curious to see what the area had to offer, the hiking boots were slid on and the journey up the remainder of the hill took place. The area was littered with bright red rocks with dark veins running through

them, contrasted by the almost fluorescent green leaves that accompanied the area. The climb was steep with loose rocks making it difficult to get a solid footing in the ground, and eventually it became a vertical climb up a handful of rock faces, adding a fun mixture of rock climbing to the hike. The hard work paid off as we reached the top, standing on the edge of a tall rock face with a vertical drop below us, peering out to see a dense green of woodlands filling the horizon. Sitting on the edge with a slightly cooled stubby in our hands was a fitting way to enjoy the scenery around us, had we walked a bit faster it would have been a cold stubby, but still enjoyable none the less! With the big orange ball in the sky making its final descent toward the horizon, we switched to hill descent mode and trekked our way back to the cars. Finding a flat piece of ground for the roof top tent to level itself out on was no easy find, but with the aid of a few rocks under the tyres everything was sorted. Once more the campfire sparked to life as we all sat by the flames to enjoy the last remnants of the scattered light across the horizon.

The camera seems to be doing justice to the amount of banking going on at this moment, descending the ranges inch by inch. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Making a sharp, near 180 degree turn, being careful not to lose focus from the surrounding views.

With a belly full of food and a solid day of adventuring behind us, we packed It in for the night and called it a day. The final morning was upon us as we swept away the fine coats of water that had settled on the gear; a short period of rain had made its way over us the previous night, making for a cold packup that morning. With the rays of the sun now warming up the day it signalled the start of the end of the journey. The convoy departed for the top of the Helena and Aurora Ranges, and navigating slippery hill climbs we edged our way to the top. The morning air was fresh as the cars cruised over the top of the ranges, with endless views in a 360-degree field. Eventually the track thinned out and began to make a quick descent, with scattered boulders and a few sharp turns thrown into the mix. The Defender edged its way down the slope, making a near 180-degree turn to keep the wheels comfortably on the track and away from the edge. Sensational views scattered the horizon but any stray in attention could place the car in a tricky position. The Hilux followed suit, and despite careful wheel 76

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placement the limited clearance resulted in a bottom out here and there. With the final part of the trip now behind us and a short timeframe to return home, with great sorrow we started to head back west to where it all began, but certainly not before spending a tedious hour clearing the muddy tracks and bog holes that waited for us on the way out!

INFORMATION BAY DISTANCE

450km from Perth.

BEST TIME TO GO Autumn or spring.

RECOMMENDED VEHICLE Standard 4WD

TERRAIN

Mostly well maintained roads near the ranges, but they can get wet and sloppy in the wetter months. Slippery, shaley rocks on hill climbs.

DARK SKY TOURISM BY DR JOHN H COLLINS

The Upper Gascoyne Kennedy Loop Car Rally 2022, Chaff Cutters Spring Stargazing & Astrophotography. The Shire of Upper Gascoyne continues to work hard to identify gaps in services and resources for their local government area that would be beneficial to the larger system through improved community resilience in times of drought and other significant change events.

egular readers will recall several articles about activities associated with the Kennedy Range area. For new readers or just to simply recap, the winter edition of Western 4W Driver (#122, page 160) described the Baston family vision for Jimba Jimba Station to restore parts of the former shearing shed that was destroyed in the 2010 Gascoyne floods and to make minor repairs to former Winnemia shearing shed infrastructure to allow for low impact tourism which will give independent overlanding travellers who are wanting to camp close to and enjoy the Gascoyne River prior to entering the Kennedy Range

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National Park. Will Baston also described the process his family has taken to formally recognise the Yinggarda people as being the traditional custodians of the land and how they formalised this acknowledgement by negotiating and then by executing an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) on 31st August 2021. At the time of writing, Track Care WA volunteers have made a start on the project and reportedly, already the area isn’t recognisable. Around the Kennedy Range in Five Days: A Vintage Car Challenge published in Western 4W Driver's spring edition (#123, pages 140-151) discussed how this Vintage Car Challenge was intended to be the first step in assisting the creation of a new trail that will add value to the existing Gascoyne Murchison Outback Pathways (www.outbackpathways. com). It was anticipated by the authors that this new trail will spotlight the Gascoyne Murchison attractions of astrophotography, astronomy, stargazing, geology, station stays, birdlife and wildflowers. The authors predicted that these attractions will appeal

to self-drive overlanders, particularly those who are prepared for an authentic 4WD adventure. Developing strategies to bring community together, develop a shared vision and to form bonds is a challenging objective at any time. When the local community is just over 200 residents within a land-locked shire spread over 57,809 square kilometres, it is important to have a feeling of connectedness, particularly in difficult times. An added layer of complexity is that many of the community reside in other locations within the state. Although geographically separated from the shire, many people hold on to strong connections to the region even though those relationships will be complex and diverse. It is important to reach out and reconnect to these people as I believe that they can bring additional skills and support that is required in times of adversity. Reconnecting with these nonresident stakeholders is a well-recognised regional community development or resilience building problem. One solution

for engaging with all stakeholders is the upskilling of community leaders, a process that in some parts begins in primary school. The development of courageous and authentic leaders by engaging in experiential leadership training is a method that has been successful and repeatedly demonstrated by approximately 30 years of great work undertaken by Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) graduates who together work towards building thriving and resilient regional, rural and remote communities. Gascoyne community leaders Alys McKeough, Will Baston and Ainsley Hardie have recently participated in the Australian Drought Resilience Leadership Program that is delivered by the ARLF. What is this program? The program is typically delivered over eight days in total and focuses on topics including adaptive leadership, change theory, personal and community resilience, climate science, problem solving, mental and physical wellbeing, scenario planning, influence, Western 4W Driver #124 |

and network leadership. The program is part of the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund which provides funding to help Australian farmers and communities prepare for and respond to the impacts of drought. The program intends to provide farmers and regional communities the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge, mindset, and networks to lead their communities into the future.

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Ainsley said that as part of the program, they were given the opportunity to create an event that would bring the community together to celebrate who we are, and to better understand the resilience of our community, and how we can come together to create opportunities to strengthen this resilience. The Car Rally event was envisioned by Alys, Will and Ainsley to take the invitees out of their day-to-day environment and meet in a neutral space away from technology. This facilitated participants to enjoy their own backyard, meet new people and have time to yarn over food. Of course, sitting around a campfire ensures everyone is able to have a shared experience that simplifies the development of new social networks that are essential to better individual and community resilience during times of need. The organising trio decided an ideal

location for the workshop would be the Kennedy Range loop road that included camping at Chaff Cutter Spring. The event commenced at the Gascoyne Junction Community Resource Centre on Friday 16th September, with two departure times so that arrival at the Chaffcutters Spring was timely and ensured essential camp set-up activity could be completed before sunset. This approach ensured sufficient time was available to stop and discuss various points of interest such as Mooka Springs complex and its associated creek formation that is a regionally significant aquatic system and an unusual ecological community. The name is derived from the Aboriginal word "mooka" that means "running waters", no doubt in reference to the many freshwater springs that feed Mooka Creek. Participants viewed the protection and interpretation signage provided by the recently established DBCA National Park ranger team. The spring stopping area is adjacent to the Mookaite mine that produces a gemstone that has been described as chert, opalite, chalcedony or combinations of the three. Apparently, the degree of silica in the material determines its description. Mookaite is made up of billions of fossilised silicate skeletons of marine organisms called Radiolarians. They are found as zooplankton throughout the ocean, and their skeletal remains cover large portions of the ocean bottom as radiolarian ooze. This ooze has been heated or metamorphosed over the millennia of time and the porcelainised mud formed the Mookaite. The colours were added by the manganese and iron minerals weathering from the Kennedy Ranges into Mooka Western 4W Driver #124 |

Spring and staining the Mookaite. Being a chert, this geological supply was an important stone tool or implement making resource for Aboriginal people and the area is surrounded by several sacred sites and water holes. The surrounding exMooka pastoral lease was purchased as part of the Gascoyne Murchision Strategy (GMS). The Strategy purchases comprise the Mooka pastoral lease and parts of seven other National Park adjoining leases. All the eight purchases have been managed since acquisition as if they were already National Park whilst the process to add them to the public conservation estate proceeds. The GMS started in 1999 and was intended to help drive increased tourism, agricultural infrastructure development and agricultural diversification in the GascoyneMurchison Region. It was described by our State Government as a 'highly successful $50million Strategy' that was completed in September 2004. Chaff Cutters Spring stargazing was the “star” event for me! Matt Woods’ day job is

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Tour Administrator at the Perth Observatory and he led the stargazing viewing using a telescope focused on Saturn and other points of interest. I saw for the first time, the unmistakable rings of Saturn. The image had a very sharp focus although quite small, but it was surrounded by smaller bright sparkling stars. The scene reminded me of a fine jewellery setting with Saturn the central feature that was surrounded by innumerable sparkling diamonds arranged to enhance and focus attention onto the central feature! The dark night sky was perfect for viewing the stars and provides a great opportunity for anyone interested in astrophotography or nightscape photography. Briefly, astrophotography is the capture of deep space images of faroff features such as the Milky Way that shows features not observable by a human eye. Nightscape photography will typically include some foreground features with a brilliant star light sky. Matt also reminded everyone that the Shire of Upper Gascoyne is working with the Shire of Carnarvon to coordinate a series of events based around the Solar Eclipse that will be occurring on Thursday 20th April 2023 in Exmouth. At around 11.27am the path of totality will graze the tip of WA along the Gascoyne coastline drawing thousands of visitors to the Gascoyne Region. On 20th April, Gascoyne Junction will receive 90.25% path of totality, Kennedy Range National Park 92.19% path of totality, and Mt Augustus 87.81% path of totality. Matt said, "On April 20th, 2023, WA gets to experience a rare total solar

eclipse at Exmouth and if you can’t get to Exmouth, Gascoyne Junction isn’t a bad spot to see it from. We're looking forward to getting back to Gascoyne Junction on the way back from the eclipse as well. It's always fantastic to be able to get out of the city and experience the darkest night skies possible. It's even better when you can experience breathtaking scenery during the day as well and we got to experience this on our trip up to Gascoyne Junction this year." This eclipse is unusual for two reasons. First, this one promises to be a relatively rare “hybrid eclipse.” This is when the Sun-Moon-Earth spacing provides an annular eclipse at both ends of the path of totality (the points on Earth farthest from the Moon) in which the Moon covers the Sun’s centre, leaving the Sun’s outer edges visible. This brief event forms a “ring of fire” or annulus around the Moon and, a brief total eclipse in the path’s middle. Second, the track of totality covers tiny bits of land in just three countries - the Exmouth Gulf Area of Western Australia, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia. While this is a truly fascinating

region of the world, getting to see totality will require some planning and as I suspect, accommodation bookings will be challenging around Exmouth for the event. WARNING: Never view the sun with the naked eye or by looking through optical devices such as binoculars or telescopes! The morning of Saturday 17th start was leisurely as we were to complete the Loop Track before heading back to Gascoyne Junction for a Gascoyne Food Festival dinner at the Junction Pub and Tourist Park. There were numerous stops along the way to enjoy points of interest and just to take a short break from driving. Our BBQ lunch stop overlooked the eastern edge of the Kennedy Ranges and the expanse of the Lyons River valley far below us. The view was described by Matt who said, "I was awestruck getting the chance to stand on the Kennedy Ranges escarpment and seeing an ancient landscape that few people get to see in their life." We also stopped at the mysterious former Merlinleigh Station homestead, which was apparently destroyed by fire. Although Western 4W Driver #124 |

little of the homestead building remains there is an adjacent corrugated iron shed that was possibly a harness / saddle area. Nevertheless, it is an interesting spot to stop and ponder various abandoned artifacts from an earlier time. The culmination of a great last day was the invitation from the Gascoyne Junction Pub and Tourist Park to enjoy a gastronomic event that comprised an array of BBQ and smoked meats from the region, paired with some of the other fresh Gascoyne produce. Everyone was dressed in their best country attire and dancing boots for those country tunes. We also had the opportunity to once more enjoy a leading stargazing experience that was complete with the prospect of viewing brilliant stars set against a very dark sky through a telescope operated by Matt from the Perth Observatory. People interested in the 20th April 2023 Solar Eclipse may like to consider as their planning evolves that according to Matt, "Gascoyne Junction isn’t a bad spot to see it from". I look forward to hearing more from our hosts Alys, Will and Ainsley about how they perceive the success of their innovative project, which I think is an

interesting example of experiential outdoor community engagement. These types of community engagement programmes tend to foster a sense of stewardship and encourage appropriate visitor behaviour that minimises adverse visitor impacts on the environment while enhancing visitor experiences. I also feel privileged to have been a part of such an innovative project and offer my thanks to everyone who came together to make the event such an extraordinary occasion.

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FreeTouring Map Featuring 8 Iconic

ROADTRIPS

Kununurra Kooljaman Ardi Cultural Drive

PLUS Cultural Tours,Bushfood Tours Art Galleries,Accommodation, Cultural Centres,Rock Art Festival and Events

KIMBERLEY

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Kimberley Wilderness Loop

Port Hedland

PILBARA

Warlu Way

Exmouth

Shark Bay

Derby Broome

Karratha Onslow

Gibb River Road

AncientTracks NewJourneys

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AboriginalTours and Experiences

Coral Coast Hwy

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Laverton

GOLDFIELDS Golden Quest Discovery Trail

Merredin

Kalgoorlie

Perth Fremantle Bunbury Yallingup

SOUTHWEST South West Edge

Esperance

Albany

FREETOURING MAP OFWA Pick up yours at visitor centres or scan the code to order online

AncientTracks,NewJourneys

EXPLORING

Mount Little Station's

BIG BACKYARD With South Australian station stays offering a range of experiences, Grant and Linda take a road trip to the Flinders Ranges, discovering one of its best kept secrets in the process. BY GRANT & LINDA HANAN

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fter being on the road for a little over a week and taking some fabulous back roads to explore the state’s mid north, we pointed the 79 towards the Flinders Ranges. It had been a great trip so far, and we were particularly looking forward to this next leg and staying at Mount Little Station. As part of Station Stays SA (a collaboration of SA outback, Flinders and Gawler Ranges stations), Mount Little Station is one of nearly 30 in the group that runs tourism alongside pastoral interests. As is the case with most things, station stays vary with their offerings, but generally include a smorgasbord of experiences. Accommodation can be anything from bush camping through to five star glamping, and activities like 4WD tracks, walking and cycling trails. But when they throw in some

spectacular natural attractions, bird and wildlife, plus tasty food options and plenty of history, well, they’ve really got a bit of everything. Arriving in the southern Flinders Ranges town of Wirrabara just on lunch time, a bakery lunch was on the cards. Julia’s Café and Bakery is a local institution here and renowned for serving up some of the best food in the district. So how were we supposed to go past that? Their pie of the month (beef chilli con carne) was full of flavour, and we finished off with a lip smacking banoffee donut. Real crowd pleasers for outback bakery die hards like us. From Wirrabara, we continued north along the Horrocks Highway for around

Western 4W Driver #124 |

90 minutes to the Flinders Ranges hub of Hawker. Besides the roadhouse selling fuel, some groceries, and a few snacks (not that we had any room for anything after lunch anyway), we love how the roadhouse come information centre has a terrific historical book collection. This is one place where we never walk out empty handed and pick up something to add to our book collection each time we visit. As we left Hawker and continued north on the black top, the view to our east was spectacular to say the least. Along this section of the highway, we were flanking the western side of the very impressive Elder Range which was towering up almost 900 metres. We’d only been driving for 20 minutes once leaving Hawker before arriving at Mount Little Station’s entrance track. Those million-dollar views continued with the Elder Range being the station’s backdrop. How lucky we were, and with a view like that, we knew we were going to be in for a treat over the next few days. Following the entrance

Driving towards Elder Range.

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track in for a few kilometres, a quick look at the map showed we were parallel with Hookina Creek. While it might be called a creek, in reality it’s more comparable to a riverbed, when its width is more than four Olympic sized swimming pools. So it’s far from being an average creek! Along here we saw dozens of towering gums lining the creek too, and their massive girths gave a good indication that they weren’t young by any means. At a guess, they could even be older than when the first Europeans arrived in the district. We pulled up alongside the station homestead and were met by one of the station’s owners, Kellie Zadow. Alongside her husband, Peter, the Zadows have been at Mount Little Station since 2018. Their other interests lie further south in SA’s Riverland region, so you could say they’re relatively newcomers to the district. While talking with Kellie, she tells us about the property and hands us a folder that’s overflowing with all sorts of information about the

station and its surroundings. We learn that the land around this area of the Flinders was originally divided and offered to returning soldiers from WW1. Back then, Mount Little Station was initially set up for cropping, but the Flinders sporadic rainfall made that unviable. A decision was made a few years later to shift to farming sheep. As is often the case, modern stations are an amalgamation of neighbouring properties to help make them sustainable, and that’s also the same for Mount Little. The station today is around 24,000 hectares and runs 2,500 merino sheep and a small number of cattle, but these numbers can fluctuate when you’re at the mercy of mother nature and relying on rainfall. After leaving Kellie and getting back into the vehicle, we headed off to set up on our designated campsite using the mud map we’d been given as a guide. We soon gathered while driving the short distance to the camping area that there wasn’t going to be any bad spots to camp around here. All the campsites we passed were

well spaced apart, with each having plenty of space and more than large enough for a few groups. On top of this, each had a fire pit included so you can BYO firewood or buy some directly from Kellie and Peter. Near the camping area are some amenities where some solar showers, toilets, and a well set up camp kitchen are available to all. We pulled up at our campsite next to Mount Little Gully and it was well and truly a ripper! We had picturepostcard views of the Elder Range from our doorstep and like the other station campsites, ours was also large enough to fit a few groups. We already knew we’d find it hard to drag ourselves away from this spot. The next few days we hit the tracks around the property to experience as much as we could. With the main track from the camping area cutting north through the station, we found many of the attractions peeled off to the east or west of this main track. When the station has such a long and interesting history, there was definitely no shortage of things to see. We started

Settler's ruins are scattered throughout the station. Western 4W Driver #124 |

The old Metters name for stoves has been around for years, especially in SA.

An old underground pantry with some bits and pieces of yesteryear.

Campsite breakfast with a view.

The Goat & Goon Saloon is a top spot to take a break.

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by visiting around a dozen scattered ruins that consisted of old houses, woolsheds, and numerous farming relics. Roy’s Ruins and its surrounding area is one spot where we spent considerable time as there was lots to look at. The Stone family was one of the district’s original settlers, and Roy Stone lived in the old house for many years that’s located here. The settlement of his family was a stone’s throw away and where the original homestead ruins plus an underground cellar still stand. Not far from Roy’s Ruins we made a beeline for Woolyana homestead to take another look around. We found the house here was far more substantial than the one by Roy’s place and currently undergoing some reno work. While talking with Kellie when we arrived, she explained the old stone building was going to be brought back to life and into

the 21st century. They’ve got a plan in place to use the restored homestead as another accommodation option at Mount Little in the future. Another building that’s not so old is the Goat & Goon Saloon that sits on a hill backing onto the Elder Range. With a name like that, we weren’t quite sure what to expect when we got there. However, as it turns out, the structure was built by the previous owner and used as a base for boys’ trips while hunting goats up in the range. Not a bad looking place to camp if you ask us!

As far as natural attractions go, there’s plenty to visit along the Elder Range. One of the station’s highlights is Mayo Gorge, and it’s quite close to the camping area. The walk from the car park into the gorge turned about to be an easy one and only took us just on 15 minutes. As we got closer to the gorge’s permanent waterhole, we loved how the gorge walls increased in height until towering well above the waterhole several metres below. We can understand why this is such a station

A very picturesque Mayo Gorge. Western 4W Driver #124 |

favourite with visitors (and the wildlife) as it’s a little oasis. Besides these attractions, we found there was plenty more to experience. The Heysen and Mawson Trails are iconic in South Australia, and both run through Mount Little Station. Bringing a couple of bikes here wouldn’t go astray and hiking one of the many trails around the place is something we’d like to do next time. We’ve already mentioned how good the views are here, and whether exploring the place on two or four wheels, or simply on foot, those views can be captured at a few designated lookouts. Although in reality, we found we couldn’t go wrong anywhere at the station. Simply perching ourselves on a bit of a hill near the Elder Range, we found the surrounding views were pretty good in every direction and the perfect spot to have a sundowner. Alongside Mount Little Station’s own pastoral history, there’s railway history as well. The ruins of the old Hookina township are located just by the station’s

A reminder of where the original Ghan line and railway bridge used to be.

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entrance track out on the highway, while the original Ghan line runs smack through Mount Little itself. Hookina came about around 160 years ago, when it was found to be located next to near-permanent water. A pub kicked off in the early 1860s, and some stables, stockyards, smithy, and a hut or two later followed. Back in the day, Hookina was used as a resting point for bullock wagons carrying things like food and building materials north, and for taking wool south down to Port Augusta. This all happened before the Ghan was built. After the bullock wagons were replaced by the old Ghan railway, a railway bridge was constructed over Hookina Creek near the original townsite. That was an achievement in itself, as the bridge needed to span a whopping 250 metres. After a torrential downpour in early 1955 caused major flooding of the creek, the bridge was washed away. Although that incident wasn’t the first time flooding had caused problems at that location, and it was a culmination of Hookina’s flooding problems that contributed to another Ghan line being

built further west. Unfortunately, that flood in 1955 didn’t help the new railway line either. An unfinished bridge on that broad gauge line being constructed further west also washed away on the same day! When we walked across the creek where the railway bridge once stood, the creek bed was stone dry. However, the heavily eroded banks and the overturned mammoth gums soon divulged the secrets of the damaging floodwaters of the past. A little further up the main highway, we looked around the Hookina cemetery that sits on the edge of Mount Little Station’s land. It was a small outback cemetery that had a similar story to others we’d visited, and another reminder of the difficult times faced by those early pioneering families.

Our last night coincided (or as we like to call it, well planned!) with one of Mount Little Station’s pizza nights. Wood-fired pizza in the bush and I don’t have to cook? Yes please! We arrived at the station’s tavern about 30 minutes before sunset and the place was already in full swing with guests. That’s little wonder when the tavern is located at another cracking spot to take in those views and right beside the refurbished woolshed. We also saw the original Mount Little homestead near here that today is one of the station’s luxury accommodation options in conjunction with a couple of sunset retreats. Walking towards the tavern, we found chef John was already whipping up a range of pizzas in the station’s woodfired oven (which he also built).

Small jump ups can be found on station tracks. Western 4W Driver #124 |

Station guests were all rugged up and getting cosy around the nearby campfire which was no surprise when evening temperatures were dropping quickly. With great pizzas, a few laughs and good conversation, plus something to wet the whistle, it was a fabulous night all round. We could have easily stayed much longer at Mount Little Station, especially when Peter and Kellie made visitors like us feel so welcomed in their big backyard. While time may have got the better of us this visit, we’ll be back to further explore and enjoy this fabulous station that’s a highlight of the Flinders Ranges. Ancient river red gums don’t stand a chance when torrential rain soaks the ground.

Wildflowers just beginning to blossom.

| Western 4W Driver #124

INFORMATION BAY WANT TO KNOW MORE?

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WA's Best Shower with a View

BY DR JOHN H COLLINS

| Western 4W Driver #124

My nomination for the shower with the best view in Western Australia is located at the Gladstone Port.

djacent to the North West Coastal Highway, 149km south of Carnarvon or 341km north of Geraldton, the turn-off to the Gladstone Bay Campground is well sign-posted and opposite Yaringa Station homestead. The 6km access thoroughfare is a graded dirt road and the campground can usually be easily accessed by two-wheel drive vehicles. Like all secondary roads in the north-west, road conditions are dependent on current climatic conditions and the interval between maintenance.

Western 4W Driver #124 |

Popular during winter, the campground reserve at Gladstone Port jetty and beach area typically attracts numerous campers with caravans dotting the back of the beach and dunes. The reserve is vested to the Shire of Carnarvon and the campground is managed by the Yaringa Station owners Fran and Richard. Gladstone Bay is in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area and the Gladstone Special Protection Zone restrictions help conserve the local population of dugongs which visit the area

| Western 4W Driver #124

to breed during summer. Waters south of the Gladstone boat ramp are annually closed to boating from 1st September to 15th January with the waters north of the ramp being closed between 1st December and 31st March. While the Wooramel Special Purpose Zone recognises the significance of the Wooramel seagrass bank in the Shark Bay ecosystem, there is a channel that facilitates boat access from the beach to areas beyond the restricted zone at all times of the year.

The campground facilities include flushing toilets, an artesian (hot water) camp shower, a caravan dump point and access to non-potable water. There is a communal picnic area that comprises a wood fired pizza oven, a BBQ, a communal fire pit and a shaded gazebo with plenty of seating. You must supply your own firewood. Prior

to COVID-19, a camp host was on site and was able to provide gas bottle refills, drinking water, firewood, and some basic supplies which were available for purchase. Unfortunately, this service is currently unavailable because of difficulties securing a camp host. Hopefully somebody will take on the camp host role in 2023.

An excerpt from Hema's WA state map.

Western 4W Driver #124 |

The beach commences at the jetty and trends to the north for 2.2km until it meets with the shallow tidal flats of the Wooramel River delta. It is backed by an irregular 50-200m wide beach-foredune ridge plain. The beach is low, narrow (2-5m) and composed of sandy-shelly beach with stunted vegetation growing almost to the shore, and intertidal vegetation on the tidal flats off the beach. The most obvious structure is the causeway and jetty, the remains of what was the most substantial wool-lightering structure on the Western Australian coast. The 287-metre stone causeway lead from a wool-store shed to a 77-metre timber jetty. The footings of the wool-store can still be seen today, and the site has several helpful interpretive signs for visitors. Originally Bibra’s Landing, named after Frank von Bibra and sons Francis, Ernest, and Leopold, the family became Western Australia’s major sandalwood suppliers in conjunction with their pastoral pursuits. In the early 1830s the Bibra family arrived in the Swan River Colony from Tasmania and over the years this pioneering family

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moved north. Bibra Lake in Perth is a relic of the family's influence on the Swan River Colony. In 1872, Frank von Bibra took a mob of sheep, 800 cattle and his pregnant (second) wife by bullock wagon from Perth to Shark Bay to take up the pastoral lease on Dirk Hartog Island. Brother Charles and son Louis applied for a large pastoral lease between the Wooramel and Gascoyne Rivers as the family pioneered its way north to Carnarvon. On 17th March 1891, a town of 5,500 acres was gazetted at Bibra’s Landing. The townsite was called Gladstone, and it had thirty-eight lots laid out that at auction had the upset price of twenty pounds each. Gladstone was an important port for many years when boats freighted wool and sandalwood to ports further south. You can see relics of the port facility constructed in 1910. Lighters used the port to collect wool and sandalwood brought by teams of camels from stations throughout the Murchison district. In the year ended August 1909, 342 bales of wool and eighteen tons of sandalwood were exported from the port. As the result of community lobbying

an artesian bore was developed at Gladstone in 1909 and by 1910 a woolshed and the jetty were built. Pastoralists were also assisted with the construction of the stone causeway from the wool shed, and the jetty could, depending on tide, handle the largest lighters using a tramway to get the bales of wool to the end of the jetty. The 774-foot-long stone causeway comprised an initial 370-foot conglomerate filling and another 404 feet of stone filling. This was attached to 85 feet of timber piling and planks that were eight and a half feet wide connecting the wool shed. The jetty’s end was 45 feet long by 20 feet wide and at low tide was in six feet of water. This infrastructure facilitated the largest lighters at Shark Bay. A lighter is a type of flatbottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps" and the motive power of water currents. The name itself is of uncertain origin but is believed to possibly derive from an old Dutch or German word, lichten (to lighten or unload). In Dutch, the word lichter is still used for smaller ships that take over goods from larger ships.

Western 4W Driver #124 |

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The town of Gladstone was never really settled, and although remnants of the causeway and jetty remain, the woolshed was destroyed by a fire reportedly lit by careless campers in the 1980s. Today, campfires are permitted subject to seasonal fire bans, and you must supply your own firewood. Please check the fire rating and adhere to any restrictions in place. My nomination for The Best Open-Air Shower with a View in Western Australia is based upon the history of Gladstone Port, the World Heritage Area significance of the surrounding area, the exquisite sunset ocean views, the open night sky views together with the associated brightness

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of stars overhead and a seemingly neverending supply of hot artesian water that possibly has therapeutic properties! Where else in Australia can a camper ablute in a rustic shower stall that can compete with these attributes?

INFORMATION BAY WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Contact Fran or Richard Phone: 08 9942 5952 Email: yaringa@westnet.com.au Website: gladstonebaywa.com

PORTABLE BLENDER BY CHRIS MORTON

or anyone that remembers watching Enemy of the State, you might recall Will Smith’s devastation of having his blender stolen during a home burglary. “Some people meditate, some people get massages, I blend,” he laments to his onscreen colleague over its loss. Well Will Smith, the team at Wanderlust have the solution to ensure you can blend wherever you are. As the name suggests, the BlendJet 2 Portable Blender allows you to create your favorite concoction whenever and wherever you like. Powered by a 5V electric motor, with a RPM of 275 per second, the six-pointed stainless steel blade is sure to handle almost anything you throw at it. The 4000mAh rechargeable battery will allow for over 15 blends per one hour of charge and the USB-C port makes it quick and easy to place on charge.

The unit is quite compact, making it easily packed away and the blending chamber holds up to 475ml. They come in a range of colours and would make the perfect gift for that adventurous someone in your life who is difficult to buy for. Available from Wanderlust. wanderlustperth.com.au/product/blendjet2-portable-blender-white/

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Western 4W Driver #124 |

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OVER THE BONNET

OUR READERS WRITE

Hello Chris, the Toorak Taxis poem in I suspect like many of your readers, made me reflect how that also it But edition #123 raised a smile. was also me not so long ago. a 4WD course, and listened, I’ve been around a bit now, done lly in the excellent Western observed, and read a lot (especia remain safe and responsible 4W Driver of course) about how to e I always will. off road. I’m still learning, and I hop doing something incorrectly, My point is that if you do see me then please don’t be “like the inefficiently, or downright wrong, (preferably without anger or chat roo”. Come over and have wledge and experience, and sarcasm). I’ll benefit from your kno sharing. I guarantee that you’ll feel good for Keep up the good work. Regards, Stuart Brown

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G’day Stuart You make a great point, and we dly should all be open to a bit of frien to way rter sma a is e ther if advice do things. No-one has all the answers and there is nothing wrong with offering e in up a solution, as long as it is don the right way. Probably best to read the room beforehand and pick who you choose to 'help' as not everyone will be as open as yourself.

Congratulations Stuart!

You've won a Red Roads stainless steel collapsible cooking tripod, valued at $149 - thanks to

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| Western 4W Driver #124

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BUSH MECHANICS with GEOFF LEWIS

NOT A GOOD START We've all heard of, or have been in the situation ourselves of waking up in the morning at camp, walking over to fire up the 4x4, and nothing, completely dead. This leaves the age-old question of what to do next?

here are a myriad of whizz-bang products out there which can solve this problem in seconds, though they aren’t much good to anyone if you have left them at home or just don’t have one to begin with. There is one item though, which many of us have, or can afford. So, before we get started on a solution for this problem there are just a couple of things to outline for those who are new to the mysteries under the bonnet. 1. 99% of all 4x4s require 12 volts in order to function properly. 2. If you have an automatic vehicle the following could possibly, partly solve the problem. 3. If you have diesel 4x4 and it is manual you will need to ingest at a minimum an entire box of Weet-Bix and put plenty of cement in your tea or coffee for this to work. 4. If you have a point ignition petrol 4x4 (traditional) then the following will be a piece of cake.

are incredibly simple in their overall operation and they use a 6-volt battery. Any well-prepared outback traveller should always carry spare batteries for their torch, so if you have a 6-volt battery in your torch and you have a spare 6-volt you could potentially have 12 volts if the batteries are linked in series (which means, positive to positive, negative to negative). This can be done by using some spare electrical wire from your tool kit or in a LDS (life and death situation) it can be salvaged from your indicators (as you can just simply use hand signals if required from there on). In most situations, it is simply a case of your 4x4 not having enough guts from the battery to be able to turn the starter motor over or it doesn’t have enough power to turn the motor quick enough for it to fire. For a point ignition engine to fire it requires a minimum of 6 volts, however, the starter motor requires 12 volts, so you simply roll start the car. But what if that is not possible? By having linked the 6 volts in series or just hooking up your torch to the positive and negative terminals of your battery, you will be able to give the battery just a little bit of a boost which might be enough to get your

So, what is this item we pretty much all have and can afford? It's a torch. Yep, just that, nothing more. One of the best bangs for your buck torches is the tried and tested Dolphin torch, which can be picked up from any supermarket. They are waterproof, have great longevity, 106

| Western 4W Driver 124 #

All hooked up.

car started, or in the case of an automatic, might be able to get it in the right setting or gear for it to be towed. In the case of a manual vehicle, if you wedge or chock all of the wheels, jack up the driver's side rear wheel, turn on the ignition and place it in its highest gear, making sure your 4x4 has an open diff in the rear, you will, by turning the wheel a number of times, be able to bring your 4x4 back to life. How is this so? By leaving your 4x4 in its highest gear, you have turned the jackedup wheel into somewhat of a crank handle and by turning the wheel in a clockwise direction you are turning the motor over just fast enough for the 6-volt battery or For a manual vehicle, jack up the driver's side rear wheel ...

batteries to create a spark, which when the piston in the motor compresses the fuel in the cylinder, will cause it to fire and start the vehicle. When this happens, you will need to jump into the car and place it in neutral before lowering the jack, otherwise it will run off on you. If you have a diesel this can be done, though it is much harder, due to the higher compression ratio. So, you will need to wrap (not tie) a strap (such as a snatch strap) around the tyre of the jacked-up wheel so that you will be able to pull the strap away from the rear of the vehicle. No different to the old Seagull outboard motors. By using all the strength from your WeetBix and the cement from your coffee or tea, pull the strap using your whole body and this will rotate the wheel as described above, and bring your 4x4 back to life. It's not something you want to do on a regular basis, but definitely a useful trick worth knowing about for those remote trips.

Success! ... engage top gear ...

... and turn the wheel a couple of times.

Western 4W Driver #124 |

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What's in a Name?

with PHIL BIANCHI

WA Explorer blazeS Is it history or graffiti? I’ve always had a passion for seeking out where explorers blazed a tree or chiselled their name on a rock. Some people feel these names are acts of vandalism but to others they are looked at as historic, with some being officially recognised as survey marks.

’ve discovered that vandals have defaced a number and added their own with a ‘I was here’ mark. A question I’m often asked, and to which I don’t know the answer, is: When does an engraved name stop being historic and become vandalism? The most prolific at blazing trees and rocks in WA, without any doubt, was Frank Hann and his offsider Talbot. For convenience I call blazing trees and inscriptions on rocks 'blazes'. Their names can be found on trees and rocks throughout the Great Victoria and Gibson Deserts. I derive great satisfaction in tracking them down; some have eluded me for years and some I have stumbled across by accident.

Hann and Talbot blaze at Lang Rock.

Rather than show regular Hann and other explorer blazes, I will discuss some unusual or controversial blazes. At Lang Rock, 60km east of Cosmo Newberry on the south side of the Great Central Road, there are numerous blazes on rocks. Here was a well-known soakage area which was frequented by many prospectors and explorers. Some of the blazes go back to the late 1890s, including of course Hann and Talbot. Also there are other names including, H Swincer, H Mason, May, Miller, Pope, Jones, Thompson, Stafford, and Drinkwater. The unusual thing about Drinkwater’s name is that it was initially spelled ‘Dinkwater’, when the error was discovered, a small R was chiselled between, but above, the D and I. What happened here? Was it a genuine spelling mistake or maybe Mr Drinkwater should have stuck to water rather than having too many ‘lemonades’ when he was chiselling in the rock face. Note permits are required nowadays should you wish to visit this site.

The Drinkwater blaze with the addition of an R at Lang Rock. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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about blazes. The only evidence of the attacks are the remains of the ruined fort, which is still clearly visible today. Frank Hann visited here on his 1902 expedition. Seeing Forrest’s blaze, he blazed a second nearby corkwood tree.

Peter Muir's breakdown blaze at Lang Rock.

Also at Lang Rock is a painted message, on a rock, of the vehicle break down of Peter Muir. Muir was a dogger with the WA Agriculture Protection Board, and was here in 1972 when his vehicle broke down. Using his HF radio he advised headquarters of his predicament, and they organised for parts to be delivered. Muir was short of water, but knowing it was a soakage area that had been frequented by explorers and prospectors he dug down six feet to water. The message on the rock says he broke down on the 25 November 1972, dug six feet to water and only found four gallons in a crevice. Help arrived 28 November 1972. While he was stuck there only four days, the weather at the end of November would have been unbearably hot and without water, it would have been life threatening. In 1874 John Forrest, while on an expedition to South Australia, blazed a corkwood tree at Weld Spring with F46. The F was for Forrest and 46 being the 46th day of the expedition. This site is also known for the construction of a stone fort used by Forrest’s party to repel attacks by Aboriginals, who were also camped in the area. Several Aboriginals were shot and died during the attacks, however, the story behind the attacks is complex and to this day not clearly understood. Not wishing to diminish the significance of this tragedy, it will not be discussed here because it's outside the purpose of this article which is 110

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Canning’s party came through during the 1906 stock route feasibility expedition and noted the existence of the F46 blaze. By the way, Well 9 on the Canning Stock Route was dug here by Canning’s men in 1908. In 1942, because of the potential Japanese invasion of the north, the Australian army had Captain Russell undertaking a vehicle reconnaissance of the CSR. His party was to investigate the feasibility of using the CSR to move cattle and people out of the Kimberley. When he reached Well 9, he noticed the tree blazed JF was in a deteriorated state. He presumed it was John Forrest’s blaze of 1874. Russell cut the tree down and took the blazed section of the tree trunk to the WA Museum. Writing to the Surveyor General, he said he cut it down because he was concerned it would

Dogger Herbert's photo of F46 blaze at Weld Spring, taken in 1926.

Russell’s action and tried to stop him. In a letter he facetiously described Russell as a ‘brave captain’ who attacked and cut down a blazed tree. "They wanted me to take part in the destroying, but I refused and told the captain what I thought", said Lanagan. R Falconer, owner of Billiluna called it vandalism. Therefore, the tree trunk in the WA museum was not Forrest’s but the nearby corkwood tree blazed by F Hann. Forrest’s F46 had long disappeared before Capt. Russell arrived at Well 9. Dr Bill Peasley investigated the site seeking to resolve the mystery of, was the JF John Forrest? He found the remains of a corkwood tree stump below the surface and the second where Hann described he blazed his corkwood tree. It was Peasley who proved the blazed tree trunk in the WA museum was not John Forrest’s blaze.

Forrest Tree F46 at WA Museum. Photo: W J Peasley

be lost forever. The tree trunk was then put on display at the WA Museum. The trunk shows several other blazes, J and what appears to be an overgrown F, F Hann, Talbot, J Bru… and two station brands UD7 and R7F.

Another Forrest 1874 expedition blaze that has proved difficult to locate and still divides opinion today was F41 at Windich Spring. As discussed above regarding F46, the F was for Forrest and 41 being the 41st day of the expedition. Forrest’s journal indicates he blazed a tree there. During the centenary retracing of Forrest’s expedition conducted by Stan Gratte and the Geraldton Historical Society in 1974, they searched for the tree and being convinced they had the correct tree, cut a blaze and placed a plaque on it to commemorate the Forrest’s expedition

The UD7 brand belonged to Billiluna Station; the origin of most of the cattle coming down the CSR. It was thought by Russell and others, that the JF blaze was John Forrest’s, but it has since been proven it wasn’t his blaze. Who JF was is unknown and the identity of J Bru... is unknown. News of the tree removal caused much upset at that time. George Lanagan, the CSR drover who had been manpowered to travel with Russell, was dismayed at

Commemorative plaque at Windich Spring. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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Geraldton Historical Society marker at Windich Spring in 2009.

and the F41. Later Peter Strugnell, a Wiluna identity, wasn’t convinced it was the correct tree. He was able to prove by using photographs taken during Snell’s 1929 well reconstruction expedition, that Forrest’s blaze was in fact on another tree to the north. Snell’s photograph showed his party standing in front of the F41 blazed tree. The tree in Snell’s photograph had a distinctive shape, making it easy for Strugnell to find it. Strugnell’s findings were confirmed by me when I re-visited the site in 2009. Although no blaze could be found, there is a blemish on the bark that may indicate there was a blaze. The correctly blazed

tree is on the west side of Windich Spring and north of the tree bearing the Geraldton Historical Society commemorative plaque. The book Work Completed, Canning by Phil Bianchi goes into great detail about issues regarding both Forrest blazes and the shooting tragedy at Well 9.

Forrest's blazed tree at Windich Spring in 2010. Photo: Phil Bianchi

Snell's restoration party in 1929 at Forrest's blazed F41 tree at Windich Spring.

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P Strugnell's son Clinton at Forrest's tree at Windich Spring. Photo: P Strugnell

THE THINGS YOU SEE! with (TRUTHFUL) PHIL BIANCHI

Lazy Pigs and Vandals The message of don’t trash the bush, take your rubbish home, respect the environment, leave only footprints has been belted out ad nauseam, yet it doesn’t seem to be getting through to some. These people don’t give a hoot.

hy do people vandalise? I’m not going to turn this article into an academic discussion, but safe to say it’s out of frustration, to draw attention to a cause, to make money, or a game. Vandals work alone or in a loose or organised group. By the way, Dr Google tells us Vandals were an ancient Germanic people associated with the senseless destruction and sacking of Rome, under King Genseric, in 455AD. Sounds like some of us may have a strong genetic link. I have a home spun theory. Humans are mammals, and some say we are the top of the animal hierarchy because of our intelligence, mathematics ability, etc. I beg to differ. Maybe so with some. In any sectors of the mammal kingdom males fight each other for dominance over the herd and then get to mate with the females, thus perpetuating the strongest genes. Things are different for humans, with no head-butting or seeking to overthrow the alpha male. I feel however that some human males have what I call the ‘Biggest Willy Syndrome’. They need to show off in front of fellow males and try to outdo each other in daring. It’s almost, "Look at me I’m tough and brave". Hence with some, we have vandalism, fighting and other reckless behaviour. It’s like they’re thriving in being pigs and suffer from the malady antiestablishmentarianism. A sign

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saying ‘Please don’t …’ with some is almost a guarantee that they will. Okay, enough of the bush psychology. Here are numerous examples of what I have been confronted with over the years in the world of 4W driving. Some years ago at Durba Spring on the Canning Stock Route, a group of yahoos on motorbikes jumped into the pools, washed themselves with soap and generally behaved like idiots. In doing so not only did they spoil everyone’s peaceful camping, but they also made the water impossible for use. What were they thinking? In mid-June 2022 the Canning Stock Route re-opened after being closed due to COVID for over two years. Within a month, yes only four weeks, travellers had already left rubbish, not buried their poop, left toilet paper and wipes blowing around, burned sleepers from a recently restored well and used a well lid as a bbq plate and chopped down live trees in camping areas. How lazy, disgusting and repulsive are some of us?

Garbage on the CSR.

In July 2022, while on a trip out to the Great Victoria Desert, I stopped at old Yeo Homestead on the Anne Beadell Hwy. I found toilet paper blowing around, despite there being a long drop Parks and

Wildlife toilet in excellent condition nearby. We found someone pooped behind the homestead rather than use the toilet - they kicked a few leaves over it and the paper and left it. And they left the fire pit at the homestead smouldering. At Niagara Dam, a green, still standing, mulga tree in the carpark had been partially chopped into. At Hospital Rocks camping area, bottle caps were nailed in a large pattern into a tree. Why?

Vandalised mulga tree at Niagara Dam.

How many campfires have you seen with glass, mainly stubbies, thrown in them? Glass doesn’t burn so why throw it into the fire. If you’re able to carry it in full of liquid, the least you can do is take it out with you. After all, it’s now empty.

Tree adornment at Hospital Rock.

Almost all truck bays are adorned with fluffy white flags (toilet paper and wipes), all kinds of cans and empty packets. Most truck bays have bins, but no bins for them! Oh no, just throw it on the ground. Then there’s dumping of rubbish such as used tyres and household rubbish in truck bays, just to avoid fees. We’ve all seen empty 44-gallon drums out in the deserts, if any have the top missing, you can guarantee someone will have dumped their rubbish thinking the council will come out and empty it. Some years back, I was coming out of Steep Point and was parked up pumping tyres to road pressure. An elderly chap stopped and seeing the drum marking the corner, he got his neatly tied bags of rubbish and put them in the drum. When we advised him he shouldn’t do so, he replied, "Won’t the council collect it?" In August 2022, Conrad McKee was driving the 1300km Anne Beadell Hwy from east to west. He decided to clean up the track and collected three trailer loads of rubbish.

Rubbish collected along the Anne Beadell Hwy. Photo: Conrad McKee.

"There were empty stubbies, empty lolly wrappers, two bull bars and quite a few tyres, old oil drums, empty jerry cans where people had bought fuel, tipped it in and just placed them on the side of the track," he said. He emptied his trailer at communities. Why did he do it? "I just wanted to mix it up a bit and do something for the track and for the country," he said. That’s the spirit Conrad, if all of us adopted a bit of your philosophy, Australia would be a much better place. It may be an overdone cliché, but take your rubbish with you and leave only footprints. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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www.westernangler.com.au

FISHY BUSINESS with JOHN BORMOLINI

Off Road Angling Itineraries

CLIFFS & CORAL Here’s the first in a series of planned 4WD angling treks or itineraries for those keen to explore the fishing possibilities beyond short trips they’ve experienced closer to Perth.

hese more extended trips are not a dash to just one particular fishing hotspot but ideally, eight to ten days savouring a wider area. If the timing works it should provide some different opportunities for testing the different possibilities and filing away the info for future trips. Treks of ten days or so need good planning and preparation and if it’s completely new country, some trusted or first-hand

information. This will obviously increase the chances of decent fishing as well as avoid disappointing or costly mishaps. Like any itinerary, one particular spot will have more personal appeal or the weather might dictate a necessary change, so adjustments need to be thought about when packing and before setting out. An essential starting point is some trusted first-hand information as well as reference to good quality maps. Those available through Hema or their apps for example, are worth checking out. This particular featured section of the north west coastline has amazing contrasts and a great mix of angling options to try your luck with. The camping and off-road exploring opportunities just add to this being a great fishing road trip.

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Day 1 – Perth to Kalbarri. With overnight accommodation organised and an early start on the highway, this popular WA holiday icon is easily reachable with plenty of afternoon daylight. If the tide is on the rise and the sea breeze is reasonable, the beach at Wittecarra Creek is worth a cast on dusk. Kalbarri has some great tailor fishing options and is arguably one of WA’s best spots to land a mulloway, but if unpacking the rods and setting up is too much work at this early stage, perhaps think about it for the return trip. Day 2 to 4 - Kalbarri to Quobba. The Quobba Station coast has long been renowned as one of the best land-based sports fishing locations in Australia. It can be a challenging place to fish though and not for the faint hearted but the fishing can be phenomenal, especially with the right gear and know how. Accommodation options are available at the homestead but prior booking is a must. Their website at www.quobba.com.au highlights a lot of the detail but seek out some good articles on the area too. Be aware that the rough and corrugated dirt trails are tough on tyres and some sections to the fishing platforms are definitely 4WD only. Make sure you have a full fuel load before venturing off the highway (19km north of Carnarvon, heading to the Blowholes) because there is no road access back out to the highway further north.

Quobba Blowholes.

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Most of the time will be spent trying at one of the spots along the 80-odd kilometre strip, usually starting off at first light and making the most of the morning calm and easterly breezes if ballooning baits out to deeper water. The afternoons will be spent resting up and re-rigging before deciding on the next day’s location. It may be at some of lower ledges like the Two Mile, Camp Rock or the Ledge or alternatively high up off the water at spots like Whistling Rock or High Rock. A good extension, pole or flying gaff is essential but DO NOT risk fishing any of them if there’s a swell running. Very large rogue waves are notoriously common in this part of the world and have proved fatal numerous times. Gnaraloo, the adjoining station further north also has opportunities at its southern end to explore and fish with a regulated camping site at the Three Mile, if time and fuel permit. Popular with the surfing fraternity this section provides an alternative look at more of this isolated remote and spectacular shoreline. Red Bluff is usually the drawcard here. www.gnaraloostation.com

Day 5 – Quobba to Coral Bay. Back on the highway, and with the next base camp, Coral Bay in the sights, you’ll pass by the turn-off into Warroora station, another future station stay option to consider for some days camped and fishing from the beaches, with Ningaloo Reef just offshore. The small holiday settlement of Coral Bay is an eventual must see for every West Aussie and a perfect base to spend time exploring the unsurpassed coral coastline. From Quobba, the drive is less than 300km and a comfortable half day trip. Day 6 to 8 – Coral Bay. The town (if it can be called that) is tiny but will always have plenty of people there. It does have one or two basic creature comforts and is a good home base to venture from for day trips along the fabulous Ningaloo Reef beaches. Maud’s Landing lies just to the north past the airstrip but the signposted '4WD Access' track on the way in to the town is the trail that takes in the whole Ningaloo stretch north. It goes through Cardabia, Ningaloo and eventually Yardie Creek stations. Closer to town the Oyster Bridge and Lagoon attract the occasional morning fisho but the most attractive locations are a lot further up and to the north of the Ningaloo Homestead. The incoming tide at dawn or dusk is the time to try for a spangled emperor, trevally or whatever else might be cruising by. Nowadays some of the larger soft plastics are proving to be very effective, especially when sweetened with a little squid or octopus. If showers of baitfish being chased are spotted, change to a popper or a small chrome metal slice lure and work it back through the shallows. More often than not queenfish or small school mackerel are hounding them and will readily chase down what looks like a fleeing baitfish. If the weather railroads the fishing for a day, consider exploring and checking out the old whaling station ruins at Norwegian Bay, on Ningaloo Station. It’s a serious off road, sand driving challenge but the spread of

abandoned whaling station equipment and the whole site is fascinating. The access and state of the track needs to be checked first with the station owners. The sandy coastal track that winds its way north from Ningaloo will pass the camping spots at Lefroy Bay, Winterabandi Point and heaps of beaut spots along the way. Eventually, about 40km up, the Cape Range National Park boundary emerges and soon after the interesting Yardie Creek and its small gorge. The limited camping is all in strictly controlled sites here but every bay and access road right up to the tip of the Cape is full of picturesque, interesting and crystal coral waters. Careful research will turn up the best of the angling possibilities along here but the coastal landscape is so beautiful that just taking that in is almost enough in itself. Day 8 and 9 – Exmouth. Finishing with a couple of days camped at Exmouth is not a bad way to round out the whole excursion. From here venturing down to the beaches and rocky ledges down from the western tip of North West Cape is very easy. The alternative is all of the exploring to be done on the inside from Bundegi Beach, the marina rock walls or the calm, protected waters all the way down the Gulf. Spangled emperor, queenfish, big trevally, dart, various mackerel and all sorts of northern species can be targeted at the right times around the northern sections of the Cape and these prolific grounds.

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Swalllowtail Dart at Ningaloo.

If soaking up the northern sun in a more sedate, shirtless fashion is your thing, don some polaroids and have fun strolling and sight fishing for the solid yellowfin whiting that cruise along the gulf beach shallows. It’s an easy drive out onto the beach line from the main road or down to the lower sections such as Wapet Creek. Day 10 – Homeward. Rested and with a taste of Exmouth and its surrounds under your belt the trek home can be tackled with a break in Carnarvon or further down at Nanga or Denham in Shark

Trisel Access.

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Juvenile Giant Trevally.

Bay. Don’t risk driving too much at dawn or dusk and at night because the kangaroos, cows, wedge tails and other critters can be plentiful. By the time this whirlwind tour of the north west coast is done, quite a few kilometres would have clicked over. In the process much would have been seen and learnt, even if only to better prepare for a more extended visit to one of the places next time round. In any case, rarely does a visit to this part of the world disappoint.

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WOMEN IN 4W DRIVING BY CHRIS MORTON

Karen Morton

The subject of this edition’s Women in 4W Driving is someone very close to my heart. The artistic brains behind Western 4W Driver, Karen Morton, has been bringing the magazine together since edition #111 hit the stands.

aren’s involvement with the magazine started at the same time as mine, when we purchased the brand from Nick Underwood. She has quickly made her mark within the pages of Western 4W Driver. What do you like the most about Western 4W Driver? For me it’s the destination stories. Before we started with the magazine, I had no idea how diverse our state was and the sheer volume of destinations there are to see. Knowing that there are so many opportunities to have a great adventure without going to the popular tourism spots is liberating. I now have a long and growing list of places I want to travel to.

I also enjoy reading about WA’s history, in particular Phil Bianchi’s articles which make me want to get out into the desert and explore. Did you find taking over the artistic reins of a then 30-year-old publication daunting? Not so much daunting, but it’s difficult to come into something that’s been going 122

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for 30 years and want to change and modernise something that has been the same for so long. Our readers are so used to seeing the magazine look a certain way that changes need to be done slowly so it stays recognisable. There is a fine line of ensuring that we treat the brand with respect while ensuring its relevance. What has been the effect on you when going away on family holidays? In the past I always preferred beach holidays, and while I do still love the beach, now I’d much rather head for the red dirt and explore inland locations. Jo Clews' articles have me trying my hand at camp oven cooking, Bob Cooper’s articles have me building shelters with the kids or weaving my own cord, and I know so much more about 4W driving techniques than I used to. When we’re away on holiday, we’ve often had readers who see our vehicles come up for a chat and it’s great to hear what they enjoy about the magazine. I have it on good authority that you wield a pretty mean paint brush. How has working on the magazine affected your style and subject matter? Our travels have provided me with a lot of inspiration, so I make sure I take lots of photos whenever we’re away. I love using turquoise and ochre colours which suit WA landscapes perfectly. We came across an

artist on Cheela Plains Station last year who was camped up and producing some beautiful paintings. We chatted to him for quite a while and he gave me some wonderful tips which has really helped me with my watercolours. Seeing those paintings in a gallery setting after the fact meant so much more, having watched his process and the story behind their creation. Do you think that your involvement with the magazine has helped change long held attitudes within such a maledominated industry? I haven’t really had any issues and find that our readers are just as likely to chat about their 4WDs to me as they are to Chris ... even if a lot of the time I have no idea what they’re talking about!

Karen with her painting at the recent City of Bayswater Community Art Awards.

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With over 40 years experience teaching Outback Survival, Bob Cooper has produced what he calls the ‘Trilogy for Survival’. Along with enough water, Bob believes every time you go bush, no matter what form of transport, these three items should accompany you in case something doesn’t go to plan and you’re in an emergency situation – anywhere. A quality Three stretch elastic bandages. Quality survival blanket. emergency/survival kit. Multiple uses and first aid. This one spells HELP.

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OUTBACK SURVIVAL with BOB COOPER

Bush Plants and the Universal Taste Test W hen it comes to bush tucker from plants, we must be very precise about making sure that what we sample is the right plant and not a poisonous look-alike.

To minimise the risk of accidental poisoning I have developed seven steps that I call my 'Universal Taste Test'. I have personally found the poison indicators very useful in avoiding potential hazards from contact with toxic plants. This test is designed as part of a long-term survival strategy, to prevent accidental poisoning from utilising plants in a variety of ways, not just as an edibility test. When followed correctly it should prevent any mishaps with toxic plant parts worldwide; however, there are no guarantees.

Nine plant poison indicators.

You must carry out every step on the part of the plant you intend to use.

• Trumpet flowers

Firstly, the 'Look' Test

• Prickly fruits.

Actively look for poison indicators. There are exceptions, but if you don’t know the plant is an exception, then use the following physical indicators on any plant anywhere in the world as a very reliable guide as to whether the plant contains some form of toxin or not. These usually indicate poison in a plant: • Furry stems • Opposite leaves or leaflet shapes • Avoid all fungi • Milky coloured sap • Palmate leaves • Red seeds

• Pea flowers Second, the 'Smell' Test Crush the portion of the plant that you are considering eating or using and sniff it to detect aromatic odours. • Almond or peach-like odours are an indicator of natural cyanide. • Unpleasant odours indicate that the plant is usually not edible. Third, the 'Skin' Test If it looks and smells edible then crush a small portion of the plant (the part you are thinking of eating/using) and rub it onto your wrist, above where your watch band would be. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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increase the amounts you consume – double the size and again wait four hours, then increase portions in small amounts. IMPORTANT

Your wrist is a sensitive part of your body that you can afford to sacrifice to experimentation. Wait 15 minutes. If there is any kind of reaction such as itching, swelling, redness or pain on the skin, discard the plant. Do not eat it. Fourth, the 'Lip' Test Rub a little of the crushed plant that passed the test on your wrist onto the inside of the very corner of your bottom lip. Do not rub it in the middle of your lip as it may have a burning or irritating reaction making further eating and drinking difficult. Wait 15 minutes for any reaction whatsoever – if any adverse reactions, discard the plant. Do not eat it. Fifth, the 'Tongue' Test If there is no adverse reaction, roll a small portion into a little ball shape and rotate it on and under your tongue – then spit it out. This allows all the sensory sections of your tongue a chance to discover any adverse reaction or sensation. Wait another 15 minutes and confirm that there is no form of irritation or awful taste received from any part of your tongue or mouth. Again, if any unpleasant sensations occur do not continue. Sixth, the 'Swallow' Test At this stage, you can swallow a portion no bigger than the size of a small grape. This time you must wait four hours to check for bad reactions. These include headache, nausea, diarrhoea, fever, cramps, etc. in any part of your body. Do not consume any other food during these four hours. Again, if there are any unpleasant sensations or reactions do not continue. The Final Step — The 'Eat' Test If you found no ill-effects while performing any of these tests, then you can slowly 126

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Different people have allergic reactions to different plant properties, so the Universal Taste Test must always be carried out by each and every person wishing to eat any part of an unfamiliar plant. The process must NEVER be short cut. We can also poison ourselves in a number of other accidental ways: Handling toxic plants with your bare hands can expose your skin to the pure resin which can be absorbed into your body. Shish-kebab sticks made out of poisonous plant stems can poison your food from resin absorption. If you handle caustic plants you may transfer that resin to your eyes and cause mild to severe problems. Red seeds made into bush jewellery have transferred enough toxins to make the wearer ill. Smelling the flowers of highly toxic plants can cause terrible headaches. Rashes and allergic reactions from some stinging plants can occur on any part of your exposed body when brushed against them. This is a reason for wearing long trousers and long-sleeved shirts in the bush. Do not place plastic bags over toxic plant branches to get fresh drinking water using the transpiration method – you will poison the water. Do not burn or cook on dead wood from any poisonous plant. The toxins emitted in vapour form can be absorbed into your food while it is cooking. Fumes from burning poisonous plants, if inhaled, are so toxic that they can be lethal in a confined space. Oleander fumes nearly killed a family of four in their lounge room open fire in NSW. They were saved by an unexpected visiting family friend.

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GEAR TO GO CAMPING ZIPS DON'T BREAK. PEOPLE BREAK ZIPS. Y ep it is fair to say, no zipper ever woke up in the morning deciding it was going to break itself. Rather, like any moving parts, zippers need maintenance. If you don't put oil in your car, or air in your tyres, how good do you reckon they would go? So let's have a look at a couple of neat products that aid in zipper maintenance and repair. Firstly, Gear-Aid Zipper Cleaner and Lubricant, because prevention is better than the cure. The Zipper Cleaner and Lubricant is designed to remove sand, dirt and salt deposits that can make a zipper stick. An inbuilt handy brush on the top removes debris and delivers the cleaning formula right between the zipper teeth. Finally it leaves behind a clear, protective and lubricating film to prevent corrosion of zippers. Use it regularly and experience the joy of gliding zippers for longer!! Secondly, when you've failed to prevent the zipper sticking and tried to rip it clean off the product, or have just had a bad day and ripped the zipper apart (much like the writer here has done), the ZlideOn Zipper Repair is a patented Swedish innovation, produced in a family owned foundry on the Swedish countryside (just near where the Swedish Chef lives). Their mission is to provide a replacement

zipper option for those times when you have broken your zipper. Their website has a very informative section on choosing the right size and then how to cut, open and put on the new zipper. And as a cheeky third bonus in this maintenance and repair section of Gear to Go, is a humble can of Atsko WaterGuard Spray. This silicone spray is our go-to solution for customers at Go Camping & Overlanding who have a 'leaking' tent. While there are many specific solutions on the market for canvas, Gore-Tex and the like, the Atsko Water-Guard Spray is the one-stop solution for someone who needs to get the quickest outcome for water management. Most fabrics have some form of water repellency that wears off over time with use and this can of silicone spray works to restore the beading effect as quickly as possible.

These products are available from Go Camping and Overlanding. 9/58 Erindale Road, Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au Western 4W Driver #124 |

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GEAR TO GO CAMPING

CAMP-A-BOX B

ack to Sweden we go (remember, that's where the ZlideOn is made), and to the town of Borås (which surely is really close to where the Swedish Chef lives!!) Inspirational outdoors folk, Ingvar Svantesson and Jan Andersson, created the company Wildo (WILD Outdoors) back in 1979. They continue to manufacture products in Sweden such as the Camp-ABox and a heap of other cool little eating tools. Function was crucial to the design and remains to this day, lightweight, durable and as compact as possible. Perfect for all you Suzuki Jimny owners!! Available from Go Camping and Overlanding. 9/58 Erindale Road, Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au

Wacaco Octaroma F

inally, a reasonably sized coffee cup that is aimed at people who don't like to fill up with one litre of joe! The Wacaco Octaroma ticks all the boxes as the perfect to-go tumbler. A 180ml capacity is perfect for a standard flat white, double-wall stainless steel construction with vacuum insulation, a leak-proof lid, and a thin lip design for a comfortable drinking experience. Your only hesitation should be which color to pick from the five available! Available from Go Camping and Overlanding. 9/58 Erindale Road, Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au

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GEAR TO GO CAMPING

OVERLANDING PATCHES L

astly for this edition's Gear to Go section, a gratuitous plug for Go Camping & Overlanding, who have released a beautiful range of 'Overlanding Patches'. Now, if you need some education on what an overlanding patch is, think of it as a swappable collectible (like trading cards of old) that is inspired from army identification patches. One side of the patch is the hook velcro, the other, a myriad of wonderful designs. The hook side of the velcro attaches to any 'loop' material, such as your car drawers, your vehicle roof liner or that bit on your backpack you wondered about (the soft velcro bit). The Go Camping & Overlanding campfire design is the perfect way to show off your allegiance this summer to one of the most enjoyable elements of camping in WA - winter!!

Get yours from Go Camping and Overlanding. 9/58 Erindale Road, Balcatta www.gocampingoverlanding.com.au

PLANNING A TRIP ALONG THE CSR? This is the only guide you need! A wealth of information is provided to help you plan your trip, along with detailed Hema maps showing the location of all the wells and other sites along the length of the Canning Stock Route. Product features:

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Chicken Pot Pie with Filo Crust

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CLEWED UP with JO CLEWS Chicken Pot Pie with Filo Crust

There is one thing that I feel obligated to do when teaching people to cook in a camp oven, and that is they go away having had a success and feel like they could recreate what they have made under my guidance on their own. (Just ask Chris how many apple pies he has made since learning how to.)

may have jokingly anointed myself the Camp Oven Cooking Queen but realistically I am more like the Camp Oven Cooking Mother Hen. I will do everything in my power to have you leave having had a positive experience and this recipe is one I am more than happy to teach to an absolute novice that has never cooked in a camp oven. Everyone loves a one pot wonder and I am certainly no exception, and one of the quickest versions to make is out of chicken. The beauty of this delectable delight though, is it’s a fantastic beginner's recipe as most of the meal is cooked over hot coals or even a gas flame, then the only time you need heat on the top of the lid is to brown off the filo pastry. This recipe was on high rotation at the station this year as it was just so quick and easy to make. The most time consuming part is putting on the pastry but I can guarantee it's worth the effort.

You will need: 500-600g diced chicken, thigh or breast will do. 1 roughly diced onion 2 carrots, diced 2 sticks of celery, diced ½ cup of frozen peas 1 tablespoon of chicken stock powder 300ml pouring cream 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 pack of Filo pastry 100-150g of melted butter Heat the oil in a medium sized cast iron camp oven over fire coals, heat beads, bagged charcoal or a gas flame. Add the onion, carrot and celery, fry until onion is transparent, then add chicken and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Pour in the cream and sprinkle over the stock powder, mix well and allow to gently simmer until the sauce has thickened and is not too runny. It's quite important that the chicken mixture is quite dry as the pastry will just absorb the liquid and not crisp up as well. While the chicken mixture is simmering, melt the butter and start painting the individual sheets of pastry. I tend to get a bit hasty so I usually pour a couple of spoons of melted butter over half the sheet of pastry then with my clean fingers just smooth it out evenly. Once the butter is on, fold the pastry sheet in half and then in half again, then either roll into pinwheels or simply scrunch into a loose wad and place on the top of the chicken mixture. Add the peas just before putting the pastry on so they don’t overcook. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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Repeat this process until the top of the chicken mixture is covered and pour over the remaining melted butter. Now comes the important part: the lid of your camp oven needs to be really hot and preheated before it is put on top to brown the pastry, so while the pastry is being applied make sure you have a generous amount of coals on the lid so it is ready to go when you are. At this point you also don’t need any coals cooking it from underneath as its already cooked and will still be plenty hot enough when the pastry is crispy. Put the hot lid on with just a little gap to allow any steam to escape and cook for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crunchy. Enjoy.

Do not leave the lid on after the pastry is cooked as it will steam and go soggy. You could add filo to any stew or curry-like meal to add that extra little zing. Always, if in doubt check it out. Lift the lid and look. It’s better to lose some heat than to incinerate your meal.

GENUINE OUTBACK HOSPITALITY YOU DESERVE IT

Plan a stay at the grand old Queen of the Murchison Guest House and soak in the history of Cue. Admire the preserved buildings, fossick for gold, photograph amazing sunsets. Owner Joyce Penny has created a fresh and homely environment for travellers and workers.

Address: 53 Austin St, Cue 6640 | T: (08) 9963 1625

E: info@queenofthemurchison.com.au | W: www.queenofthemurchison.com.au

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GUEST HOUSE

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TRACK CARE WA NEWS

STOCKTAKE

August 2022 BY ROD DURSTON

The CSR is one of Australia’s most iconic drives and gives the traveller a real sense of achievement when completed. It hasn’t been used by the public for two years due to COVID, so what state is it in? Well, Track Care WA was about to find out!

o my knowledge, nobody has ever done a stocktake of the Stock Route. What’s there, where it is and what condition is it in? So, a plan was devised to find out. In consultation with our friends at Kuju Wangka and Jamukurnu-Yapalikunu (JYAC, formally Western Deserts Land Aboriginal Corp.) we formulated a plan to GPS locate, photograph and document all the relevant pieces of infrastructure along the CSR. A huge project but undertaken enthusiastically by the volunteers at Track Care WA. A group of four drivers was assembled and the first stop, Wiluna, was to be hosted by the Shire CEO and some of their councillors.

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We were entertained with stories by two elders, Lena Long, a councillor who was born at Well 7, and Rita Cutter. Rita recounted when she was about seven years old, the day she saw her first white fella. He came out of the bush on a big iron machine. He had funny skin colour; white, red, brown and black, and spoke a weird language. Turns out it was Len Beadell’s grader driver Scotty Boord! She ran away. After we had copious supplies of sandwiches it was time to get on with our job on the CSR and we hit Well 1 in the early afternoon. Here we discussed roles for

each person. These included Road Conditions, Environmental Condition, Sign and POI photos and GPS locating everything. At the end of day one we camped at Well 3. It was freezing - two sleeping bags in my swag for me thank you. The next day had us taking a side trip to meet with Peter and Rebecca Gum, owners of Cunyu Station, to discuss any issues they may have with travellers on the track. Peter said most of the travellers act responsibly and don’t present problems unless they try to access station tracks after rain. I asked the age-old question of whether he allows trailers on his section of the track (there are still many signs saying they are not allowed) and he said he doesn’t mind. Just don’t come asking for help. More tea and cake and we were off again to set up camp at Windich Springs. After a few days of GPS locating and photographs of the numerous signs etc. we did strike something that seemed a little unusual to say the least. John the Camel Man, just outside Well 5. John, his five camels and trusty dog have been walking around Australia for the past three years visiting every state including Tasmania (where they struck a blizzard). Imagine loading those lanky things onto the Spirit of Tasmania! Talk about logistical problems; every night John must unload one tonne

of gear and set up an electric fence to allow the camels some free space to feed. Search for John Arthur Elliott on YouTube. Time waits for no man or camel, so we moved on to our camp. Things were going swimmingly when disaster struck at a place we aptly named Two Flats Flat. After most of the convoy passed a small tree on the track, Tail End Charlie managed to stake not one but two tyres on the one tree! You get the name now? So, this car was now down to no spare tyres and we hadn’t reached Well 8 yet! After a bit of debate, we decided to push on as the terrain would morph into sand dune country and be a little easier on tyres compared to the hard station tracks. Guess what? Setting off the next morning we had a third flat on the same car within 200m and once again a sidewall puncture. Normally not repairable but we had no choice, so a couple of plugs later we were back on the move. Can it get any worse than this given the nearest tyre shop is in Newman, about 700km away? As hoped, we hit the sand dune country, so things were easier on man and machine

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TRACK CARE WA NEWS

and we made good time, skipping through our duties and ticking over the miles. More stunning sunsets, full moon rises and the flowers kept spirits high. The next potential obstacle was going to be the Savory Creek crossing at Lake Disappointment. We had seen puddles of water along our journey, some of the ground was a little squishy at times and there was a big downpour in the area earlier this year, so I was a little apprehensive. Fear not. After a quick check of the depth, we easily crossed and continued. We set up camp at Georgia Bore to find that something slithery had slipped into the bore casing and was making its way back, piece by piece, up the bore outlet. This problem was eventually solved by continuously pumping it out and in the end the bore was back to its glorious best. At this point we departed the CSR and headed west for several reasons: we all had to fuel up and thanks to the generous support of JYAC, we had free fuel at Parnngurr. Two volunteers had a date with a tyre shop in Newman, and the others had a day off snoozing amongst the trees 138

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at White Gums, which is the entry to the Karlamilyi National Park. I was looking forward to what the northern section of the CSR had to offer. It didn’t disappoint. The dunes are taller and longer than in the south, and the vegetation remained glorious. Everything was in flower and put on a real show. The dunes were more of a challenge now, so everyone had to up their game when crossing them. After a few days we reached Well 33 and the community of Kunawaritji. There we met up with a solo motorcyclist, Alex, who was doing the CSR north to south. He was in for a little mechanical repair so while we waited, I asked him about the range on his bike. "800km", he replied. I told him the southern section is about 900km. Oh! Then I remembered about the petrol drums we saw at Well 12 abandoned in May 2022 (when the track was closed) and he was all smiles again. Kunawaritji has accommodation, showers and washing machines that we took advantage of as well as fuelling up again. The next major exercise was to make good the burnt out Well 46. I’m unsure how this

TRACK CARE WA NEWS was damaged and there are many rumours floating about on social media but an area about the size of a football field was burnt and this took out the top timbers of the well. The lids had been removed too, so all that’s there is a gaping hole. Fortunately (for us) someone had trashed their ute nearby and we made good use of the tray as a lid for the well while it waits for repairs. Also, at Stretch Lagoon, the toilet was flooded some time back and the white ants have moved in chewing out all the supporting structure. Don’t use it unless you want to end up in the bin below. Before long we had reached our goal at Billiluna community. We had covered 1750km starting at Well 1. We had emptied all the dunnies we could (some had tyre troubles too), did a bit of handyman stuff, crossed 577 dunes (yep, we counted them), only saw seven cars and importantly documented all that we could on this famous track. We found that the track infrastructure is in good condition and we are confident it will be ready for the expected influx of visitors next year. Thanks go to my fellow travellers, Kevin, David and Phil for their efforts (without grumbles) in completing this project in the quick time of 15 days.

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Winnemia Project Part 1 BY GRAHAM WEBER Track Care Chair PHOTOS BY STEPH MURPHEY AND GRAHAM WEBER

This project was introduced in the last edition of Western 4W Driver. The upshot is that phase one is now complete. So what did it involve?

The Track Care Trip After much planning and preparation for a period of about 18months, the Track Care trip started on short notice with two of us meeting at Muchea and then travelling to Geraldton to pick up number three. Then as we got to our first stop at Billabong we picked up number four. So a total of around 660km on the first day. We were going to stay at the free camp at Billabong but the truck noise was considered to be too much so we went on to the Meadow free camp marked on Wiki camps. Unfortunately, it had been closed by the mining company working nearby so we decided to go to Gravel Pit (yes, one of the many Wiki camps of that name).

The gravel pit was no longer used and so it was private, flat and a good relaxing stop. Much of the vegetation around the site had regrown and it was really quite pleasant despite its name! Number three had trouble starting their car in the morning but it resolved itself fairly quickly after a bit of a warm up and a kick! We then stopped in Carnarvon and refuelled at the Puma tanker near Harbour Road because it was the cheapest at the time. After one of us spending some time having a look around Carnarvon (lost!), while the rest of us waited, we headed east 150km on the road to Gascoyne Junction. The four Track Care members got to site just south-west of the Kennedy Range, at part of the Kennedy Range loop that goes through the pastoral lease of Jimba Jimba.

BY GRAHAM WEBER Track Care Chair PHOTOS BY STEPH MURPHEY AND GRAHAM WEBER

Photo: Steph Murphey

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TRACK CARE WA NEWS We turned off at the road to Winnemia Pool and found that the Kennedy Range was in view as we drove. Around 390km for the second leg of the trip.

On Site! The site where we were to work was already cleared and the shearers mess hall/hut was visible and definitely in need of repair.

were not recycled or repurposed were the bolts and Tek screws. So, we got help from Jimba Jimba, who did a lot of the work. Once shown how to roll the corrugated iron with the almost-100 year old manual roller, they did the full set of tin for the roof of the verandah.

The aim was to return a single shearers dining hall that survived the flood of 2010 into a complete building fixing all damage possible while adding verandahs to the south and north. This will eventually be a camp kitchen. There were four people helping out on site as employees of the station owner: one from Perth and three from Israel. They had already done the big clean up and the digging of post holes for verandah posts. We met them and the owner and had a pleasant introduction for all while discussing where we were camping and what we were doing.

Photo: Steph Murphey

Speaking of Camping: Our campsite was alongside the Gascoyne River and we had budgies nesting in the tree hollows next to each of our camps. What a broad spectrum of campsites it was: one tent with a cooker in the back of the car and a shovel!; another was on the back of a ute with built in kitchen and toilet but an external shower; the next was a hybrid camper with external kitchen, toilet and shower but had hot water; lastly an offroad caravan with indoor kitchen, toilet and shower and an outdoor kitchen as well! For the first time, Track Care was creating new access for the 4WD and camping communities rather than maintaining access for the future. The lessees of Jimba Jimba had organised materials by clearing the site and collecting all that could be repurposed and had five staff on hand to help with the work. The only things that

Photo: Graham Weber

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TRACK CARE WA NEWS They collected tin for the roof from the damage site where complete houses were lifted, destroyed and dumped by the 2010 Gascoyne River flood. 4x2 and 3x2 of varying lengths were collected and it was only after trying to get the timber sorted that we realised that these young pups were metric and we had to change the way we spoke. Quick results were achieved with the building walls returned to be almost complete but completion was only achieved after the doors were added. Our intrepid “Wood Butcher” worked on the doors getting two in place within two days. Meanwhile “Safety Dave” set the steel poles, pre-welded with crossbars to keep them in the ground during cyclones and brackets at the top to hold the rafters. Due to repurposing the timber, we had 4x2 rafters with 4x2 battens (none of this new fangled metric for me!) so the structure was very robust and rustic with all timbers coming from old flood damaged buildings.

Construction We worked solid for six days with a typical day resembling this: Our Israeli friends helped by carrying anything they thought we may strain with because I was old and grey. They spent much of the day re-rolling the corrugated iron so that it was smooth and as close to new as possible (apart from the corrosion)

Photo: Graham Weber

and then going to other sites to get even more. We fixed the loose corrugated iron to the structural timbers, formed up the verandah floors, searched for timber to be used in constructing the verandahs and denailed the old timbers. The steel posts had been prepared for us earlier in the project and we found that the foundation holes were not deep enough. So we volunteered our Israeli and Perth friends to dig them 30cm deeper. We unloaded cement for the post hole foundations and prepared two doorways in the construction. All done by 5pm where we then went and had a drink, dinner and had the obligatory around the lamp light chat as we were in the north after 1st October and no campfires are allowed.

Photo: Graham Weber

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TRACK CARE WA NEWS The team worked solidly for six full days with a half day for the seventh. We toured parts of the property looking at old buildings, accommodation and travelling tracks where no other vehicle, apart from the track construction vehicles, had ever travelled. This was a serious work trip and we really needed a little more time to sight see as we normally would on a Track Care trip. Next time there will be days allocated for traversing the Kennedy Range and its surrounds.

Purpose: So why are we doing this? To allow some form of management of users of the Kennedy Range loop, supplying a place to camp and have some facilities near the loop. We implore people not to camp anywhere on the Jimba Jimba pastoral lease because it is a working cattle station where we do not want to create bio-security issues. We also ask that you ring 08 9943 0505 (the pastoralist) as you would on any other station so that they know you are there and can make you aware of any issues relating to the operation of the station, in particular, the timing of mustering and other station activities. In the future, there will be a toilet installed on the site at which time there may be a service charge or Track Care donation box to allow the facilities to continue. Keep an eye on the TCWA website to see what space will be available for the solar eclipse next year. The Track Care website will be up and running in its new format at

Photo: Steph Murphey

the end of January 2023 but our historical posts will give you an idea of what types of things Track Care does. www.trackcare.com.au also has a downloadable membership form that you can still use should you wish to become a member. Track Care and Jimba Jimba have put in a lot of time building up a relationship and getting this project off the ground and there are other benefits to the relationship. Those can only be found if you are a member of Track Care while the project work continues.

Photo: Steph Murphey

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WA State NRM & Coastal Conference October 2022: A Report on Multiple Experiences and Partnerships

The 4W Driving Community Experience BY JOY UNNO - Environmental Officer, Subaru 4WD Club of Western Australia

This conference brings together environmental managers, coastal planners, practitioners, volunteers, Traditional Custodians, researchers, and businesses to share our experiences and knowledge, and our passion and visions for the future in a series of presentations, workshops, networking opportunities, field trips, etc. Key presenting partners this year were the City of Mandurah, the Shire of Murray and the Shire of Waroona.

he purpose of this article is to relate how recreational 4W drivers were involved as stakeholders in this conference and how connections between local government agencies and 4WD groups have forged working alliances to achieve the goals of both protecting the coastal environment and allowing 4WD recreational access to coastal areas. A key player in this process is Dr John Collins from Track Care WA Inc. who gave a presentation at the Preston Beach Community Centre as part of the Conference’s Preston Beach Field Trip on Wednesday 16 October. We were going to have the talks onsite at Preston Beach but the wind and weather were not accommodating. John’s topic was Code Off Road: Coastal Zone, Wetland and Rangeland Education Delivery by Stakeholder Partnerships. This well thought out, educational effort directed in this case towards 4WD coastal users has resulted in an informative pamphlet: A guide to safe and responsible off-road driving on WA 144

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beaches and coastal national parks. Track Care members have ‘Awareness Days’ where they attend a beach, for example Preston Beach in the Shire of Waroona, that is very popular with the off-road fraternity, and hand out the pamphlet as well as chatting with people. In this way people are made aware of the issues involved in coastal preservation and are educated in practices that help to keep themselves and the environment safe. Track Care has also produced Code Off Road pamphlets for Rangeland and Wetland areas. As John described in his presentation, Track Care encourages collaboration and partnerships between 4WD groups, community groups, and government agencies such as Shires, City Councils and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. In addition to education delivery, Track Care is a liaison that organises volunteers from stakeholder 4WD clubs to assist agencies in remedial works to repair damage caused by off-road vehicles. It was for this reason that the Subaru 4WD Club WA representatives, in the

TRACK CARE WA NEWS form of Club President David Peck and myself, were present in club uniform in the audience listening to John’s OffRoad talk. The Subaru Club is a member of Track Care WA and as such has volunteered for many rehabilitation projects, not just at the coast but in wetland and rangeland areas as well. The Club has a vested interest in preserving the coastal environment of the beaches between Mandurah and Bunbury including Preston Beach, as we have the Annual Beach Run trip in that area, as the name suggests, annually. It is one of the few municipal areas that still allows access for the beach driving experience. Besides John’s talk, there were other interesting presentations on the day. Of particular interest (because it involved 4W drivers behaving ignorantly at best or badly at the worst) was the Preston Beach Dune Conservation and Restoration presentation given by Rhys Bloxsidge, Senior Infrastructure and Development Services Officer at the Shire of Waroona. Rhys showed spectacular drone footage of Preston Beach with amazing views of the high wave energy beach and the landward dune field. The drone was used as a monitoring tool and clearly showed the tracks of off-road vehicles breaching the foredunes, creating an erosion tunnel and the resultant sand blowouts. It also showed the efforts of the Preston Beach Rangers, a community volunteer group, who take brush from a public dump site near the beach and partially bury it in sand, blocking the tracks into the back dunes. The combination of drone monitoring and brush dune rehabilitation appears to be a successful strategy enabled by the co-

operation of the Waroona Shire, the Preston Beach Progress Association and the Preston Beach Volunteer Rangers. Another speaker contributing to the Conference that day was Jacqui Freeman, Manager of City Reserves for the City of Albany, whose experience with 4W drivers on the coast from a municipal officer’s point of view is described below: The take-home message from this Conference Field Trip Day was a rather unexpected one for me. Generally 4WD clubs are regarded negatively in relation to the environment, particularly in coastal areas. However, at this conference, I observed a different and perhaps more realistic attitude in municipal authorities responsible for coastal care. One that was not only more inclusive of off-road activities as a valid public recreational activity but also was cognisant of the need for education and management to mitigate damage to the environment caused by a small percentage of off-road vehicle users. There seemed to be a greater willingness to look towards forming alliances and working together in promoting responsible 4W driving. I would like to thank the Conference organisers and Track Care for inviting us to participate and also the Noongar People whose land we were on at Preston Beach.

For more information, go to: www.nrmandcoastalconference.org.au/2022-themes Western 4W Driver #124 |

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WIN A HEMA MAPS PRIZE PACK

Valued at

$233.85 Send us a photo and a sentence describing your favourite WA destination. PHOTO MUST BE YOUR OWN.

PLEASE READ BEFORE ENTERING:

How to enter: Competition will be run in Western 4W Driver magazine and on our Facebook page.

Entrants can enter either by emailing their answer to submissions@western4wdriver.com.au or by replying to the Facebook competition post. Duration of competition: The competition opens 1 December 2022 at 12.00pm and concludes on 28 February 2023 at 12.00pm. Selection of winner: Winner will be selected by the editors of Western 4W Driver magazine. Prize details: Winner will receive a Great Desert Tracks Atlas & Guide valued at $69.95, Great Desert Tracks Map Pack valued at $99.00, Western Australia Road & 4WD Atlas valued at $34.95 and 4WD & Camping Escapes Perth & the South West valued at $29.95. Prize is not transferable or redeemable for cash. Delivery of prize: Western 4W Driver will arrange for the prize to be delivered to the winner to an address within Australia. Winner notification: The winner will be promptly notified via email or Facebook following the end of the competition.

4WD CLUB FOCUS If you would like your club featured in our 4WD Club Focus, please email: admin@western4wdriver.com.au

So why the Freedom All Wheel Drive Club? BY PETER VINCE

ometime, somewhere in 2012, three friends were sitting and talking over coffee (or at least they told me it was coffee…). They all had a common interest (dare I say a LOVE) of the outdoors, sightseeing, camping and a wish to have a family friendly group of friends to do this with. In a very short time, the Freedom All Wheel Drive Club of Western Australia was started. The first AGM of the club was held in August 2012 and consisted of quite a few likeminded people including an honour roll of members who are still members today. One honourable mention goes to an 82 year old widow who joined with no previous experience.

Most of the members had a mish-mash of small all-wheel drive cars and small SUVs including a couple of X-Trails (we still have two of those), RAV4s, a Zook (Suzuki) or two, a Honda CRV, a Lada Niva!, and (I think) a Toyota LandCruiser. There was no dedicated club for smaller vehicles so the idea was to open up to anyone that didn’t fit the bill of a regular 4WD or didn’t want the 'hard core' aspect of 4W driving (we all know rock crawling and mud sliding can be fun but not all the time, and it does tend to break things on your car). The main goal of the club was to get out, have fun, see stuff, do it safely and take that photo to brag or reminisce about. The author of this article joined the club about two years ago. The first six months or so was pretty much dampened by COVID-19 but since then, the club has had some amazing day trips such as the Julimar

Some of our vehicles lined up at Mt Augustus in 2020. This trip was 9 or 10 days of remote driving, camping and sight-seeing. Yep, that IS a Hyundai Kona! It didn’t skip a beat the whole trip. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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4WD CLUB FOCUS Jaunt, Wildflower Wanderings, 'Dam' Good Drives, weekenders and longer trips. Some trips include Birdsville, Uluru via the Great Central Road, Simpson Desert and the Flinders Ranges. The only trip not suitable for the littler cars was the Gibb River Road. Following are some photos of said trips with a brief explanation of each.

We even did a night run once… …now THAT would have been interesting.

About as hard core as it gets on a Freedom day out. The Powerlines near Mundaring.

The club itself is pretty unique, even including the logo. I love the way it looks like a map of W.A. It’s not a 'specific' club by brand of vehicle or location of the club. It’s open to anyone who has a vehicle that remotely resembles a 4WD and to anyone of any skill level. Someone is always able to help in a tight spot or recovery situation. And if you’re just starting out, most of the members have spares (eg. hand-held radios etc.) to get you OFF the road. We meet at the Manning Senior Citizens Centre (no reflection on our average age or abilities…) on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 7.30pm. For more information about the Freedom All Wheel Drive Club of W.A. follow the links below:

A drive onto the beach at Broke Inlet during a weekender at Shannon National Park.

Website - www.fawdcwa.com.au Phone - 0418 944 304 Email - info@fawdcwa.com.au FreedomAllWheelDriveClubWa

Wandering the Wandoo Woodlands. Another day trip.

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www.tlccwa.org.au

CAPTURE THE MOMENT with UNCLE DICK STEIN We Love Photography

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Greg Harewood - Talawana Track, Little Sandy Deser

y Golly, you’ve got to be careful! Turn your back on a campfire for one moment and it’ll set the whole sky ablaze. This happened to Greg Harewood out on the Talawana Track in the Little Sandy Desert. Fortunately he was able to grab a good colour shot before FESA showed up with the big hoses. The campfire was fine but they had a heck of time putting the clouds out … Okay, all joking aside, Greg has done a great job of balancing the sky exposure with that of the campfire. No exposure data, but he may have set his camera to manual to allow some movement in the flames while allowing enough time for the sky to colour in. Good choice. As a graphic piece it is perfect - we know it’s out bush because of the black tree silhouettes, and we don’t want detail in them to take our eye away from the magnificence of the sky. The fire ties it all together.

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And as a travel piece it is also perfect evoking the relief of getting a camp set up after a hard day’s travel - a camp that will be warm when the temperature drops and a fire that will make it possible to get a good meal. Great photography is not just fine equipment - it is also good and careful observation on the part of the photographer. A simple vision can be as rewarding as a complex one, and often reaches out far more quickly to the viewer. Of course, good gear is a help. Greg now gets a voucher to go visit one of the Camera Electronic stores in Murray or Stirling Street and stock up for the next campfire and sunset. This one is so good we can’t wait to see what the next will be.

Send us a photo and you could win a

$200 VOUCHER from

Email photos to: submissions@western4wdriver.com.au

Crystal Clear Audio Recording BY CHRIS MORTON

JI, better know for producing drones, have recently jumped into the audio recording space with their new DJI MIC. The package comes with two microphone transmitters and one receiving unit, with a range of up to 250 meters. The units come with their own portable charging case, elevating your total operating time to over 15 hours. The case also pairs the transmitters and receiver, making set-up quick and easy. 14 hours of onboard memory ensures that you shouldn’t miss anything. The DJI MIC caters for a range of devices, being equipped with USB-C, lightning and 3.5mm TRS ports, making it compatible with mainstream smartphones, cameras and laptops.

For anyone wanting to up the ante on their next family video or holiday production, then the DJI MIC is a serious contender to ensure that your audio is up to standard. Available from Camera Electronic. cameraelectronic.com.au/dji-mic-wirelessmicrophone-kit

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SMART PHOTOGRAPHY with KARL FEHLAUER

THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE Welcome back to my latest article on smartphone photography. So far, I have discussed what smartphone (or small sensor) photography is, some techniques for getting better images and how to set up your camera settings in your phone. I hope that you have enjoyed these articles and found them useful.

n this article I will cover what is known as the ‘exposure triangle’ so that you understand how to capture an image with the exposure that you want. Notice I didn’t say ‘the correct or perfect’ exposure but more on this shortly. Smartphones and tablets have revolutionised the way many people take photos, and more photos are taken by these devices every day than any other camera device in the past. By combining a camera with a smartphone (and tablet) it has given instant access to everyone to enable them to take a photo immediately as everyone has at least one (if not more) devices on them at any time.

photographers want to be able to create their own image based on what they see, the exposure they want and the mood that they are trying to create. As I mentioned above, there isn’t a ‘correct or perfect’ exposure because each of us has different likes and dislikes and what one person thinks a good exposure is, another may not. Essentially, an image’s exposure can either be over-exposed, under-exposed or somewhere in between. An over-exposed image is usually very bright with lots of detail hidden in the brightest part of the image, whereas an under-exposed image is usually dark with lots of black and detail hidden in the shadows. It is usually easier to recover

For most people using their smartphone camera, they simply open their camera and take a photo using the camera’s auto settings and are happy with the result as the camera uses computational algorithms to determine what the best exposure settings are before it takes the photo. In most cases the camera ‘gets it right’ based on what it thinks the correct or perfect exposure is (or should be). However, this isn’t always the case and sometimes the images don’t work out or the photographer isn’t happy with the result. Also, there will be a time when some 152

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Seascape - Albany (Sa msung

S21).

The exposure triangle consists of aperture, shutter speed and ISO and by adjusting one or two of these it will create the exposure that you are after. Firstly, let’s talk about aperture. As I have mentioned before, most smartphones have a fixed aperture in their cameras, usually between F1.8 to F2.8. Basically, the . S10) Mushroom - Macro (Samsung aperture is the size of the opening in the camera lens that lets the light in and the smaller the detail in an under-exposed image than the number the wider the opening is. So, in an over-exposed image because that an aperture of F1.8 will let in a lot of light detail in the brightest part of the image is whereas an aperture of F16 or F20 lets in usually lost. very little light. Many photographers will intentionally Generally, having a wide aperture is under-expose an image to ensure that they usually very good for low light situations, have all the detail and can then recover that but the size of the sensor comes into detail when post processing. For example, play as well and smartphones have very when I do my nightscape photography, I will small sensors which does restrict the low under-expose my images so I can bring out light performance somewhat, but in most the detail in the night sky/Milky Way. Also, situations, you can get some very decent if I am using a flash or external lighting, I images in low light conditions. However, in will also under-expose the image so I can bright conditions it will let in too much light get the correct exposure I want in post and as it is a fixed aperture you will need processing. I will cover post processing to adjust the shutter speed to reduce the and some of the apps available to do this exposure, but more on that shortly. in a future article. Aperture also affects the ‘depth of field’ So, how do you get the correct (DoF). In its simplest definition, the DoF exposure that you want? is that part of the image that is sharp Firstly, you need to be in the camera’s front to back and a wide aperture usually manual mode - often called ‘Pro-mode’ has a very shallow DoF, whereas a small ‘Pro’ or ‘Pro-photo’. From there you can aperture will give you a very sharp image set the shutter speed and ISO that you through the image; however, with the fixed want, remembering that most smartphone wide apertures that smartphones have, cameras have fixed apertures which cannot generally you will have a shallow DoF but be adjusted. in many cases you may not notice it due to the size of the images on the screen. How do you know what the correct settings are? The second part of the exposure triangle is shutter speed. Shutter speed affects both Simple, this is where the ‘exposure triangle’ the motion of the subject in the image and comes in and by understanding it, you will the colour of the background (in particular have a far better understanding of how to the colour of the sky). Shutter speed select the correct settings. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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is measured in seconds or fractions of seconds and is the time that the lens stays open to let the light in. Basically, the faster the shutter speed, the shorter the time the lens is open and the less light that is let in and vice versa, the slower the time, the longer the lens is open and the more light that is let in. Therefore, by using a fast shutter speed and reducing the amount of light coming in, it will freeze motion and darken an image, so if you are photographing a person running, you would use a fast shutter to freeze them, otherwise they would be very blurry. Also, if the image is too bright (or over-exposed) a faster shutter speed will darken the image and balance the exposure. You can also use a fast shutter speed to darken the background,. For example, to make the sky a lot bluer, you would use a fast shutter speed which will make the sky a lot darker. As most smartphones have a very wide fixed aperture you will need to use a very fast shutter speed to balance the exposure of the image and sometimes those speeds may be as fast as 1/4000 of a second. One benefit of using fast shutter speeds is that in most cases your images will be nice

and sharp and not blurry, however, using shutters speeds of < 1/40th of a second or longer (i.e. 1 sec, 5 sec, etc.) will introduce blur because it is too hard to hold a camera for too long without moving and therefore you will need to use some sort of tripod to hold the camera still. The last part of the exposure triangle is known as ISO. Simply, ISO means 'International Standards Organisation'. The ISO measures the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor and the smaller the number the less sensitive the sensor is. In very basic terms, ISO is simply a camera setting that will brighten or darken a photo. As you increase your ISO number, your photos will grow progressively brighter. For that reason, ISO can help you capture images in darker environments, or be more flexible about your aperture and shutter speed settings. However, raising your ISO has consequences. A photo taken at too high of an ISO will show a lot of grain, also known as ‘noise’, and might not be usable, therefore, brightening a photo via ISO will always have this as a trade-off. You should only raise your ISO when you are unable to brighten the photo via shutter speed

S21). Three image panorama (Samsung

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Kulin camping (Samsung S21).

or aperture instead (for example, if using a longer shutter speed would cause your subject to be blurry). Most smartphone cameras have a very low ISO, for example my Samsung S21 has the lowest setting as ISO 50 which is very good and the highest setting of 3200 and I would only use this in very extreme situations, such as nightscape photography and even then, I would only use 3200 as a last resort as the ‘noise’ is very noticeable. In most situations you would only adjust (increase) the ISO when shooting in low light conditions, such as at night or inside a building, and you need to use a faster shutter speed, otherwise leave it at its lowest setting. So, there you have it - the Exposure Triangle in its simplest terms. Now that you have a better understanding, you can use it to create the exposure that you want in your images. As I have already mentioned, smartphone cameras have a fixed aperture so you can only adjust your shutter speed or ISO and I would advise that in most cases you would use your shutter speed to adjust the exposure in the first instance and only adjust the ISO in low light conditions when you need to use a fast shutter speed. The best way to understand this is to go

out and put your camera in ‘Pro’ mode and play around with the shutter speed and ISO to see what the differences are and how they work together to create an image. As they say, practice makes perfect and digital storage is cheap and you can delete the images at the end. Different genres of photography will require different exposure settings. For landscape photography, I use fast shutter speeds and the lowest ISO, whereas for nightscape photography I will use a very slow shutter speed (up to 30 seconds) and an ISO of around 1600-3200 and the smartphone will be on a tripod. In my next article I will discuss white balance (WB) and focus points and how these affect the image, as well as how and when you would need to adjust them. I will also discuss the difference in RAW and JPEG file formats. If you are interested in seeing some examples of my photography with both my Smartphone and DSLR camera systems then checkout my website, Facebook page or my Instagram and Vero accounts – just search for Westralian Images and please leave a comment. Until next time, keep the shiny side up and get out there and take lots of photos. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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now we're tawk ing! travelling australia with kids - with mandy farabegoli

TOP 10 PLACES TO VISIT IN WA Many people think that travelling Australia with their kids is just a dream. I’d like to encourage you to turn it into a plan.

’m Mandy Farabegoli and I run the website www.travellingaustraliawithkids.com encouraging families to take a few weeks, months or years and travel our amazing country. I travelled Australia with my husband and three children for two years and it was the best thing we ever did, as a couple and as a family. In my articles, I address some of the major concerns that families seem to have and that may get in the way of turning their dreams into a plan. BUT in this article we are going to let you know the top 10 places to visit in WA (in no particular order) as voted by our TAWK members.

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BROOME Broome and its famous Cable Beach is just sensational at sunset. You can drive along the beach and pick a spot. You can swim depending on the season and advice from the visitors centre (jelly fish) and whether or not you choose to embark on a camel ride, just watching this iconic activity is fun. Take a picnic and enjoy the sunset. It all sounds so simplistic, and it is, but there really is something about Cable Beach.

EIGHTY MILE BEACH AUSTRALIA'S CORAL COAST When you visit here, it really is time to fish. If you don't catch one here, you never will! There are quite a few of our 'grey nomad' cousins here who are full of advice on how to catch the 'big one'. My advice: go whenever you want - incoming tide, outgoing tide, whatever. We went against all the advice and still hauled in four lovely huge fish.

karijini national park

Karijini National Park truly is amazing! It gives the children a chance to explore some of the most magnificent gorges as they are so easy to reach. A dip in the plunge pool at the bottom of Fortescue Falls at Dales Gorge is just an appetiser for beautiful Fern Pool (pictured above), which is a short walk away. The more adventurous (and maybe slightly older children) should head to Weano and Hancock Gorge, where ours loved the Spiderman walk along the narrow gorge on the way to Kermit Pool.

The exotic beaches and marine life of Australia's Coral Coast include the heritage listed Ningaloo Reef, where at certain times of the year you can actually swim with the biggest fish in the world, the whale shark. Depending on their age and ability, children can experience this, either swimming in the water with them, or snorkelling along the top with a parent or a pool noodle. In Coral Bay, the Ningaloo Reef almost comes to you - children can easily snorkel and access the exotic underwater world. There are many 4WD tracks (ensure you are really familiar with this type of driving and let your tyres down to the appropriate pressure). You can take yourself off and head to a part of this coastline and have it all to yourselves. The remoteness is beautiful! Cape Range National Park is not far from Coral Bay, but you have to head to Exmouth to get there on bitumen. You can cut in off-road, but not with your caravan. This really is the most amazingly beautiful area, but be aware that at busy times, there is a queue to get into a camp spot in the park.

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BUNGLE BUNGLES Be aware, the road into the Purnululu National Park and Bungle Bungles is rough and can be really tricky, you will need a 4WD! Ensure you have heaps of water as it can get very, very hot. If you are going to stay at one of the two campsites in there, you will need to be completely self-sufficient, although there is a caravan park just off the main road before you start heading in. Check out the National Park’s website and maybe contact them before you head in to check on the condition of the road. If you do head in though, it really is a sight to behold. Not only the beehive shaped domes but the awesome Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm. With the latter, check with the visitor centre for the best time of day to get the sun giving the perfect photo opportunity.

The properties in this part of Australia can be bigger than some European countries and many open them up for a station stay opportunity, giving the children a real experience with the animals. With the lack of city lights, camping is an amazing experience with stargazing an event in itself. With all the apps on the market now, you can literally point your device and find out what planet or constellation you are looking at. Counting shooting stars and just being in awe of our universe makes you feel even more at one with the earth while you are in this part of Australia. I think this experience can sometimes be overlooked as a must-see WA destination, but I think it has something special - and not just because I felt that if I looked hard enough I might find some gold!! The Nullabor starts (or ends) here, and you can also do several holes of the longest golf course in the world; The Nullabor Links golf course, which as the name suggests goes the length of the Nullabor.

DAMPIER PENINSULA THE WA OUTBACK Australia's Golden Outback takes up a lot of the state. The gold mining towns of the WA outback give the children a chance to actually pan for gold and get an idea of the differences from the mining of yesteryear to the huge open pits of today. You can do tours of both. 158

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This remote area of the Kimberley is about a 3-hour drive north of Broome, but put it on your 'must see' list! The Cape Leveque Road has now been sealed, making the drive quicker and easier, but be aware that many of the camping areas and locations are still accessible only by 4WD. Families that have been here, say it is one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences of their trip around Australia.

A boat trip up the Murchison River was a highlight for the kids. Be aware of the wind whipping up the river on the way back and giving you all a cooling (read soaking!) down. You'll think of this article when it happens to you!!

EL QUESTRO El Questro ... again in the Kimberley, will not disappoint. Whether you are visiting it whilst doing the Gibb River Road or heading in from Kununnura - it's a must see! The road from Kununnura is now sealed all the way to the El Questro Homestead and also to the famous Emma Gorge. You should check before you head in what the conditions are like for the numerous walks and 4WD tracks that are available, to get the most out of your trip to this amazing spot and to ensure they are all open - as they do close at certain times of the year and under certain conditions. The sunsets are spectacular from some of the viewing points, although for a couple of them, you really do need to be a competent 4W driver.

The rugged coastline leads to one breathtaking view after another, with most places easily accessible for you and the children. We have been here often and usually see dolphins playing in the ocean and at the right time of year, you can see whales along the coastline. The National Park gives you access to the most dramatic gorges and landscapes, and of course the trip would not be complete without the obligatory photo in the rock formation known as Natures Window. The park can get very, very hot, and you should seek advice from the visitor centre, on the local conditions before heading in.

ESPERANCE & LUCKY BAY

There is accommodation for all budgets, but we were equally happy to stay in our caravan and enjoy this remote location and everything it has to offer.

KALBARRI

There really is something for all the family in Kalbarri. Fishing was the top of hubby's list and there certainly are a lot of opportunities for that.

What we didn't realise when we set off to see Lucky Bay, was just how far away from Esperance it is! We did a day trip, but in hindsight, we wished we'd camped at the camping area and stayed longer. However, spaces are limited, so definitely check first or avoid known busy times and/or have an alternative option. It’s a long drive back! The coastline of Esperance is sensational, and you visit one awesome spot after another. The weather can play a big part in your experience as it rained most of the time we were there (April) but we could see how beautiful it would be with lovely weather. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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DS-2 PITCH BLACK DOUBLE DOME SWAG

Designed as a swag, delivers like a house. For sleep whenever you need it. The world’s first swag with Pitch Black Tech® - to keep out up to 95% of sunlight. Share the starlit sky and avoid the midday sun with the DS-2 Pitch Black Double Dome Swag. It’s large, comfortable and comes fully kitted for today’s drovers and adventurers.

* OZTENT DS-1 Pitch Black Single Dome Swag shown.

Key features • OZTENT’s Pitch Black Tech® - keeps out up to 95% of sunlight • 2 Person - Sleeps two comfortably • Easy access - through the side or the head of the swag • Replaceable super-fine 65gsm No-See-Um mesh sky-screens • 100% waterproof - stay dry • Multiple storage features - keeping everything close and secure • Power cord inlet and light loops - tech-friendly and flexible.

OZTENT ..it’s the experience.

“The main focus on light-proof fabric is a great bonus for Australian outback conditions. This is the first product of its kind to block out sunlight, which is very impressive. It’s a well thought out and executed double swag that offers high-quality, breathable fabric, in-built ventilation solutions and good tie-downs. Overall, it’s the ultimate high-end swag. A standout project that ticks all the boxes for good design in this category. Well done.” GDA Judges comment, 2021

e y t ? e r e h t e Are w

Written by kids ... for kids

BEACH SAFETY During summer a lot of our camping trips are near the beach which is a lot of fun, but can also be dangerous. Here are some ways to recognise a rip and help you to stay safe this summer. 1. The easiest thing to remember is that often the calmest looking area along a beach is usually a rip. A rip is usually the area without any wave activity and appears darker and deceptively calmer. It can sometimes appear milky or turbulent, but has mostly no wave activity. All the water coming in via the waves has to go back out somehow, and this is what a rip is.

2. Always take 5-10 minutes when you get to the beach to observe the surf conditions and identify where these areas are. 3. If you are caught in a rip, DO NOT PANIC. Go into floating mode and raise one arm as a distress signal when possible. See which direction the rip is taking you - is it straight out or at an angle? Once you have

determined this, and if you have the energy, swim to the right or left of the direction of flow, never against. Some rips can move at three times the speed of an olympic swimmer, you won't win! If you cannot swim out to either side of the rip, just go with it. Most rips won't take you out very far, and will usually spit you out not long after they take you, so keep calm and save your energy for the swim back to shore. 4. The safest place to swim is always between the flags on a patrolled beach, but this isn't always practical given the size of our coastline and number of beautiful beaches. There are many other factors that can come into play when it comes to beach safety, but rips are the number one killer. They are not hard to identify, and spending 5-10 minutes observing the surf before entering the water is the best way to stay safe. Western 4W Driver #124 |

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PUZZLES FOR KIDS BEACH SAFETY word search BEACH CALM COASTLINE CONDITIONS CURRENT FLAG FLOAT LIFEGUARD OBSERVE PATROLLED RIP SAFETY SAND SHORE SIGNAL SUMMER SURF SWIM TIDE WAVES

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C M O I C Y S D B S R W G R E C H N

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4WD CLUBS Freedom All Wheel Drive Club........................... 147 Toyota Land Cruiser Club.....................................149 ACCOMMODATION Queen of the Murchison...................................... 134 BATTERIES/BATTERY SYSTEMS Battery World............................................................ 99 Redarc.......................................................................135 CAMPERS/CARAVANS & TRAILERS Adventure Campers............................................... 42 Off Road Equipment..................................................3 CAMPING SUPPLIES Bob Cooper Outback Survival............................124 Drifta Stockton........................................................IBC Go Camping and Overlanding............................128 OzTent.......................................................................160 COMMUNICATION Icom..............................................................................17 ELECTRONICS Camera Electronic...................................................151 Wanderlust...............................................................103 4WD PARTS & ACCESSORIES Drifta Stockton........................................................IBC Goldfields Offroad................................................... 35 Make Tracks WA...................................................... 95 Maxtrax.....................................................................IFC Medicar Automotive Solutions..............................77 Off Road Equipment .................................................3 RLD Design..............................................................105 Supafit Seat Covers................................................ 55

Western 4W Driver #124 Summer 2022/2023

Articles inside

Product Review

Smart Photography

Track Care WA News

Silly Snaps

4WD Club Focus

Gear to Go Camping

The Things You See

Women in 4W Driving

Outback Survival

Bush Mechanics

John Collins takes us to Gladstone Port on the North West Coastal Hwy

Product Review

Grant and Linda discover one of the Flinders Ranges' best kept secrets

Jon puts his new vehicle through its paces in the Helena and Aurora Ranges

From Kalgoorlie to Nullagine

Ideas to add to your itinerary when you spend a week in Kununurra

Tourism in the Upper Gascoyne region

and Wiluna, the town that welcomed them

Lauren's trip to the Kimberley continues

on vehicle modifications

your trip to the outback