Horizons August/September 2022 by The Royal Automobile Club of WA (Inc.)

August/September 2022

Your RAC member magazine

Member benefits + Your feedback + Ten of the best

Southern belle ALBANY’S BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS AND HIDDEN GEMS

WA’s daily commute All the numbers on how we move around our cities and towns

Boo-boos at the bowser Put the wrong fuel in your car? Here’s what to do

The urban village Bringing better social connection to a street near you

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Your RAC member magazine

HORIZONS® Published by RAC WA EDITOR Vanessa Pogorelic GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rochelle Smith ADVERTISING Gail Raj (WA only) T: 08 9388 7844 E: gail@mediatonic.com.au Lauren Casalini T: 03 8520 6444 E: laurencasalini@hardiegrant.com CONTACT US facebook.com/RACWA twitter.com/RACWA instagram.com/RACWA editor@rac.com.au rac.com.au 13 11 11 Roadside Assistance, Battery Services 13 17 03 Membership, Motoring Advice, Insurance, Finance, Travel, Touring, Security Services 1300 797 078 Vehicle Condition Appraisals 1300 135 667 RAC Auto Services 1300 651 042 RAC Tyres 9436 4111 Corporate Enquiries For deaf, hearing or speech impaired members: Emergency Roadside Assistance SMS number 0434 182 877 All queries relayservice.gov.au See page 81 for more contact details

ON THE COVER Misery Beach, Torndirrup National Park, Albany. PHOTOGRAPH BY Tom Proudfoot

CAB AUDITED AS AT MARCH 2022 IS 678,768 HOUSEHOLDS OUR PLASTIC WRAPPER IS BIODEGRADABLE AUSTRALIA POST ISSN NO 0810 8285 The opinions contained in this publication may not be shared by the Royal Automobile Club of WA (Inc) or its related bodies corporate (together “RAC”) or any of its or their councillors, directors or employees. Advertisements in Horizons are the responsibility of the advertiser. No person should act or rely upon such opinions or advice and RAC accepts no liability for them. Any rewards or rights provided to a member cannot be transferred, assigned, sold or redeemed for cash. Inclusion of a product should not be construed as an endorsement by RAC.

Membership +Benefits 61 Member benefits

81 Contact us

Inside this issue AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

Our State, People+Future

Home +Life

Travel +Touring

Car +Motoring

President's message

Member lounge

WA travel brief

Misfuelling Put the wrong fuel in your car? Here’s what to do

Your feedback

Ten best

Get back to Albany Explore our vibrant southern city and its natural wonders

12 Snapshot

16 Loving your neighbourhood Building more socially connected communities

51 Future moves

44 On the bush tucker trail How you can savour WA’s delicious outback larder

25 WA’s daily commute How we’re getting around our cities and suburbs

30 Vehicle-to-home charging Using an electric car to power your home

52 Test drive

57 Car doctor

Sam’s in for safer roads At 17, Sam hasn’t been driving long, but he’s already experienced how a road crash can flip someone’s life upside down. As well as witnessing the impact of crashes on close friends, Sam has attended RAC bstreetsmart: a live crash re-enactment that gives senior

Search RAC Road Safety

school students a very real insight into the dangers of risk-taking behaviours on the road. “Now that I’ve seen and understood the damage it can cause, I always drive with care,” said Sam. Sam’s in for safer roads. And at RAC, we’re in for educating our younger drivers.

Our State, People+Future

President's message HOW WE FUND OUR ROADS NEEDS REFORM There is a growing problem with our motoring tax system, and we’re running out of time to fix it. As petrol prices have risen in recent months, there has been a spotlight on fuel excise – the federal tax we pay per litre at the pump. What has been overlooked in this discussion, is how much longer fuel excise as a funding model and revenue source can remain viable. Fuel excise revenue has been declining since the early 2000s, due to our vehicles becoming more fuel efficient. This decline will continue as electric and hybrid vehicles become more common. Governments need to start looking closely at how we will fund our roads in the decades ahead. If we don’t act soon, the overall pot of money available will continue to shrink, putting more pressure on already constrained transport networks. It’s important we have the right tax settings in place to maintain a steady flow of funding for transport projects needed to keep our communities moving. The answer to this funding problem is complex. It requires State and Federal governments to work together, to show leadership and provide certainty to the community. With increasing urgency, we should be moving toward a nationally coordinated, evidence-based review of all motoring taxes, including fuel excise, stamp duties, GST and others. It will be crucial any new approach is designed to replace existing fees and charges. It must not add taxes on top of existing taxes. This review should be comprehensive, looking at the full impacts of road use and considering a variety of funding models. The aim being to create a more equitable and sustainable system that enables long term planning and delivery of our transport needs. Any new approach should also be designed to support the growth of electric vehicles during the early stages. This is why RAC does not support the WA Government’s plan to introduce a road user charge for electric vehicles in 2027. This could disincentivise the uptake of EVs at the very time we should be accelerating it. The case for reform is clear. If we let this opportunity slip, we risk a funding problem that will mean less money to fix and upgrade our roads, to expand public transport and to improve cycling and walking paths. Jacqueline Ronchi RAC President

RAC PRESIDENT Jacqueline Ronchi RAC COUNCIL President Jacqueline Ronchi Senior Vice President Professor Ross Dowling AM Vice President John Driscoll MEMBERS OF COUNCIL Leanne Bishop Allan Blagaich Professor Donna Cross Freda Crucitti Jill Darby Tony Evans Stephen Fox Dalton Gooding Brian Hanson Jody Nunn Emmerson Richardson Jim Walker

Our State, People+Future

Your feedback Our Facebook followers shared their thoughts about space-saver tyres as an alternative to full-size spares.

Space saver wheels are a huge danger as I regularly see people driving along the highways and freeways at full speed with a space saver wheel on. It should be mandatory that all vehicles in Australia carry a full-size spare. The ability to change a tyre safely also needs to be taught to drivers. Andrew I had one in my Mazda. I took it out and replaced it with a full size one. I do a bit of country driving. The space saver wheel is now taking up space in my laundry. Julian Having a full-sized spare was number one on my ‘must have’ list when buying my car. I was planning a trip from Perth to Adelaide and back, and no way was I setting off with anything other than a full-sized spare tyre on board. Wanda

WINNING FEEDBACK

Amber doesn’t mean ‘go’ The road regulations state that when approaching a traffic light that has just turned amber, you must slow down and stop if there is sufficient time to do so. However, most drivers seem to simply speed up to cross the intersection sometimes even as it’s about to turn red. I’ve taken to checking my rear-view mirror before stopping just in case the driver behind me is close enough to think that I’m going to speed through when, in fact, I plan to stop. Doreen

SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK AND WIN Send us your opinions and feedback and you could win a year’s Classic Roadside Assistance. @RACWA

Not all country towns will have a tyre place, and if you are more than 80km from a major town with a space saver/ run flat tyre, you are plum out of luck and up for towing costs. Andrew

@RACWA @RACWA editor@rac.com.au Terms and conditions on page 81. Published letters may be edited for style and length. While we try to respond to all letters we receive, a response cannot be guaranteed.

Our State, People+Future

UNDOING SOME HARD WORK I recently bought two new tyres at a local tyre shop. The new tyres went to the front and the good old ones from the front went to the back. A rattle gun was used to refit the wheel nuts on all four tyres when they were put back on. Great, except when I went to take a tyre off later at home to examine a rear sway bar link, I couldn’t undo the wheel nuts. They wouldn’t budge. No tool I had even got close, even my own air compressor and trusty air rattle gun. I went back to where I had bought the two new tyres and they redid all the wheel nuts so I could get them to undo. It might be worth checking your car’s wheel nuts or at least one as a test. Don’t get caught with a flat down the road, unable to undo the tyre. Stephen

Wrangling roundabouts Our story which explained how roundabouts work, inspired lots of heated debate: Nothing wrong with roundabouts. They are safer and quicker than a set of traffic lights. The problem is 90 per cent of Perth drivers don’t know how to use them correctly which makes them dangerous. Barry So many people approach roundabouts far in excess of the speed limit and just expect everyone to get out of their way. Duart The roundabout is an English invention. It was brought about for the sole purpose, as out lined in this story, to minimise damage and injuries in a crash. That it also helped with the flow of traffic was an added benefit. And it truly is a pity that the majority of road users don’t have a clue how to use them. I guess you can’t expect much more. They don’t know how to merge, stay out of the right-hand lane, or maintain a proper road speed. Matt People in Perth enter roundabouts without looking to see if it’s clear. They also indicate in every direction apart from the one they’re meant to. William Not a good idea to have plants in the roundabout that block the view of other vehicles on any road leading into the roundabout. Keith 9

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News in brief from RAC and beyond

Snapshot

Here’s how the Tesla Model 3 compares with other passenger car sales for the January to March period in WA:

Tesla Australia’s biggest selling passenger car in March The Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle was Australia’s biggest selling passenger car in March this year, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Tesla began publicly releasing its Australian sales figures for the first time in March, but its arrival into the official sales data mix came with a bang. With a total of 3097 recorded sales in March, the Tesla Model 3 was not only the top-selling passenger car but also the fifth-biggest selling

vehicle overall, behind the Mazda CX-5 (3772), the Mitsubishi Triton (3808), Toyota RAV4 (4610) and the biggest seller, the Toyota Hilux (6324). Tesla’s sales record in March was boosted by large shipments of Model 3s arriving in Australian ports. Shipment quantities vary from month to month and in April Tesla recorded only 52 sales nationally. For the period from January to March, Tesla recorded 380 Model 3 deliveries in WA.

540 Hyundai i30

500 Toyota Corolla

380 Tesla Model 3

319 Kia Cerato

301 Toyota Camry

Our State, People+Future

TRAINING DRILL TURNS INTO RESCUE DRAMA What began as a training exercise for the RAC Rescue helicopter crew, Marine Rescue Rockingham and Water Police, soon turned into a real-life rescue. During the training drill off Rockingham Beach, the crew spotted a small dinghy nearby that was spinning out of control with the engine running but no one on board. They immediately searched the area and found a man who had fallen overboard and was now quite some distance from the unmanned dinghy. He was pulled from the water and soon after Water Police were able to get the dinghy under control by jamming its engine with rope. The RAC Rescue helicopter landed on the beach next to the jetty where a critical care paramedic gave the man medical assistance.

High CO2 levels inside a car can cause drowsiness

The RAC Rescue helicopters are sponsored by RAC, funded by the State Government and managed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).

Opening a car window for ventilation is no longer as necessary as it once was with more advanced climate control systems in modern cars. However, being cocooned within the cabin of a car with all windows fully closed and with the air recirculation button on can also lead to an increase in CO2 levels. High concentrations of CO2 inside the cabin can cause drowsiness and impact a driver’s concentration levels. In 2013, Hyundai regarded the issue as one that needed to be addressed and for its 2014 Genesis models introduced a world-first CO2 cabin air sensor. The sensor automatically vents the passenger compartment when CO2 levels in the cabin rise higher than 2000 parts per million (ppm). The level of CO2 concentration in the outside atmosphere is around 400ppm. Other manufacturers, including BMW and Volkswagen, have also implemented ways to better manage the cabin air quality of their cars, such as the capability to measure outside air quality and temporarily restrict its entry into the cabin. In inclement weather, when you’d prefer not to roll down your car’s windows, we recommend ensuring that the recirculation button is set to outside air mode.  13

Our State, People+Future

RAC COUNCIL ELECTION ALERT – USE YOUR VOTE If you are a voting member of RAC, look out for the election supplement with the next issue of Horizons. The election supplement contains a ballot paper that will allow eligible voting members of The Royal Automobile Club of W.A. (Inc.) (RAC) to cast their vote in the 2022 RAC Council election.

Keeping tailgaters off your tail Tailgating appears to be a commonly experienced issue on WA roads. A survey of RAC members earlier this year revealed that 93 per cent observe other drivers tailgating at least sometimes, with 51 per cent saying they observed it most of the time or always. The challenge with tailgating is that there is no prescribed distance that a driver should keep from the vehicle in front. Regulation 109 of the Road Traffic Code 2000 (WA) states that, “Except when overtaking and passing, the driver of any vehicle must, when following another vehicle, keep such distance behind it as will enable the driver to stop the vehicle in an emergency with safety, and without running into the vehicle in front.” If you do experience tailgating, we recommend continuing at the safest legal speed for the conditions. However, if you feel nervous or uncomfortable and are being tailgated by an aggressive driver, if it’s safe and legal to do so, consider changing lanes or pulling over and allowing the tailgating vehicle to overtake. Avoid excessively slowing down or unexpectedly changing speeds as this may escalate the situation. In good road conditions, a general guide for estimating a safe following distance when driving is to apply the two second rule. Simply count the seconds between the vehicle in front of you passing a particular point on the road and your vehicle passing that same point; the time taken should be two seconds or longer. If you’re driving on unsealed roads, or when it is dark, wet or foggy, the ‘cushion of space’ should be extended to at least four or five seconds. You should also give yourself some extra space if you’re towing a caravan or trailer, or driving a heavy vehicle. 14

Only those persons who are Honorary Life Members, Gold Life Members or Personal Members (being members with RAC Roadside Assistance or Wheels2go, and who have paid their subscriptions in full for the applicable period of membership), as at the date 28 days prior to the date of the annual general meeting, are eligible to vote. Other members, including Red Card, Rewards, free2go, child and youth, fleet and national assistance program members are not eligible to vote. If you are an eligible voting member and you have not received a copy of the election supplement by 19 October 2022, you can request one by emailing councilelections@rac.com.au, calling us on 9436 4389, or by visiting our website rac.com.au and using the ‘Contact Us’ link. Members should note that, where there is more than one eligible voting member in a household, only one election supplement will be included with Horizons, with further copies being sent separately by later post. 

Our State, People+Future

Bringing back the urban village By Ruth Callaghan

On the surface at least, we are more connected to each other than at any time in human history — so why do so many people feel lonely? Loneliness is a problem that worries social researchers, who warn that despite the many technological ties that bind us, we are becoming less socially connected rather than more.

“Access to transport options, job opportunities, local services and community facilities, and recreation spaces also has a big influence on this and people’s general health and wellbeing.

And with the pandemic having limited key opportunities for interaction — from community sport to volunteering to attendance at religious services — some groups have seen a sharp decline in faceto-face contact in the past few years.

“We also know from our own member surveys that many people want that sense of community spirit, which helps them feel connected to the places they live and the people around them.

With this, health care costs also increase as people who are very socially isolated are more likely to need medical care and less likely to take preventative health measures such as exercise or eating well. But communities with poor social bonds can also be less safe, less economically stable and less attractive places to live. “Social isolation or having limited opportunities for meaningful social connection can be a real concern for some in our community,” says Sarah Macaulay, RAC acting general manager of Social Impact. “It can be exacerbated by a lack of physical contact or social interaction, which we’ve seen at different times during the pandemic.

“These are important ingredients for healthy, active and thriving communities.”

Screen time no substitute Exactly how the pandemic has eroded the social ties of Australians has been explored in a report by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, on Loneliness and Social Connectedness in Australia. Published in late 2021, before the WA borders opened, it demonstrated the widening gap between the sense of loneliness and isolation experienced in states with low cases and those where case numbers had forced protracted lockdowns. WA performed better than any other state on measures of social connectedness, but still saw declines in key measures of social connection.

Our State, People+Future

“ I n recent years we’ve

seen an increasing focus on planning for what some call urban villages.”

For example, the proportion of Western Australians who reported weekly faceto-face contact with friends and family outside the home fell 10 per cent to 54.3 per cent between 2019 and 2020. This was far better than in Victoria (where contact more than halved) but still demonstrated a rapid retreat from social interaction. Overall, the report found Australians were less likely to volunteer, went to fewer sporting events, and avoided crowds. They went to workplaces less regularly and had fewer chats with neighbours. As measures of social interaction and support fall away, loneliness rises and the report found high levels of loneliness  17

Our State, People+Future

among women under 17 and both men and women over 65 — with as many as one in five reporting being very lonely. All age groups reported some impact, but working-aged people saw the greatest loss in social contact, while people with disability, who often had fewer social supports before the pandemic, became more isolated as the risks of interaction grew. And although technology is everywhere, it wasn’t seen as a true substitute for catching up with friends and family in person. Other types of contact, like talking online or by phone, remained static for men and declined for women in the early stages of the pandemic. So if technology alone isn’t the answer to creating a stronger sense of connection, could changes in the way we design our communities make the difference?

Designing for better social connection Walter Van Der Loo is an urban designer with PLACE Laboratory, a Perth-based firm that works with local governments and businesses to create areas ripe for social engagement, from the Rockingham foreshore to Mindeerup Piazza in South Perth. He sees a growing demand for public spaces that foster social connection, even if the people who share a plaza, park or area don’t directly interact. “If you think about where we have come from, the suburban mall ran riot for quite some years and people moved away from town squares,” Van Der Loo says. “They retreated from main streets, the car dominated, and the time they spent in public places became very transactional. But I think now people are looking for something more and COVID was a really good demonstration of that.

“When we first had our lockdowns, you would see people getting out and walking in their streets, even though they had to be physically separated. People were using their front yards, their parks, and looking for green spaces. It’s really important that we have these public spaces for people to connect.” As ‘living with COVID’ becomes a reality, having more public places that allow outside interaction is also an advantage, and WA — with around 270 days of sunshine each year — is better able to adapt to outdoor public living than many other cities.

84% of RAC members felt key services close to home, like schools, shops and medical care, was important.

Could ‘15-minute neighbourhoods’ play a role in WA? Sarah Macaulay says RAC members feel strongly about the role local areas play in their lives, with a recent member survey finding that access to key services close to home, like schools, shops and medical care, was important to 84 per cent. Almost as many highlighted the importance of the character of local areas — how they looked and how they made them feel. Nearly three in four said that easy access to local transport options was important and nearly 60 per cent said they believed community spirit and social connection also mattered. “One of RAC’s 2030 Vision pillars is to create a more connected WA, and how our neighbourhoods are planned and the opportunities we have for interaction and to get involved in what’s happening in our local areas plays into this and can impact many facets of our lives,” she says. “In recent years we’ve seen an increasing focus on planning for what some call urban villages, and the concept of 15-minute neighbourhoods, where you can walk, cycle or use public transport to reach the main amenities and services you need for a good life within that travel time. 18

60% believed community spirit and social connection also mattered.

NEARLY

3/4 said that easy access to local transport options was important.

Our State, People+Future

“ S ocial isolation or having limited

opportunities for meaningful social connection can be a real concern for some in our community.

“Having enhanced and more localised access to things can help foster greater community connection, not least because you’re spending more time in your local area and you can get involved in what’s happening nearby.”

old local show revived for the community, Dianella’s Dig Dig Park transformation set to open in spring 2022, and the creation of a beachside lookout in the Mid West town of Horrocks, as a space for a community still recovering from Cyclone Seroja.

To help communities build and re-establish social ties, RAC supports several initiatives, including a partnership with non-profit organisation, Town Team Movement to empower communitydriven change.

RAC also partners with local governments through its Reconnect WA initiative, providing $2 million to support 22 projects to date, to enable the revitalisation of streets and public spaces on a grander scale - creating better places for people.

Town Teams are community groups made up of passionate locals and business owners who work together to beautify and activate public spaces, run local events and promote the best about their town or neighbourhood.

Last year, RAC backed a six-week trial with the City of Subiaco to turn a section of Rokeby Road near Churchill Avenue into a pop-up plaza, complete with mini-golf, live music and other community events. The project increased visitation to Subiaco town centre by a remarkable 82 per cent. More than 7000 people were attracted to the area and 86 per cent said they would like to see more local projects that reclaimed the streets for people.

There are more than 97 Town Teams across Australia including 88 in WA. The initiative has seen RAC members cast their vote to support projects such as the Wickepin Harvest Festival, a 30-year-

RAC’s Sarah Macaulay said the response to projects has been incredibly positive and spoke to the desire by people to have creative and diverse ways to engage with others in their local areas. “You can have social connection in many different ways, like get-togethers with family or friends, getting involved in local groups or sports, supporting a local event, or by just popping down to the local cafe and interacting with people in your street. “Communities are strongest when people feel physically and socially connected to the people and places that matter to them. “Enabling people to be as active as they’d like in their local areas and ensuring well-designed communities, with good transport options, safe streets and welcoming public spaces, can enable the connectivity we need to enhance our health, wellbeing and overall quality of life.” 

Car+Motoring

What to do if you put the wrong fuel in your car IT’S EASY TO MAKE A MISTAKE AT THE FUEL PUMP AND INADVERTENTLY PICK UP THE WRONG HANDLE. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR CAR AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. There was a time when diesel fuel pumps were over to one side of fuel retailer forecourts so trucks could easily pull up and refuel.

This response to the greater demand for diesel has increased the chances of motorists putting the wrong fuel in their vehicles.

With the number of diesel cars now on our roads, diesel pumps sit alongside the fuel dispensers for regular and premium unleaded petrols.

While both diesel and petrol pumps are clearly labelled, motorists taking only a passing glance at the line-up of dispensers can still pick up the wrong one due to

Car+Motoring

Just how much damage a fuel mix up can cause depends on the fuels and vehicles involved.

differences in the colours associated with each fuel type across different fuel companies. For example, at BP, 91 RON fuel is green, while BP’s diesel is green and black and its 98 RON petrol is dark blue and black. Caltex/Ampol market their diesel as Vortex, but also market their 98 RON unleaded petrol as Vortex. It’s a similar situation with BP and its Ultimate fuels, and Shell/Coles Express and their V-Power petrol and diesel fuels. Just how much damage a fuel mix up can cause depends on the fuels and vehicles involved, petrol into a diesel vehicle being the mistake that could potentially do the most damage. The best-case scenario is to realise your mistake before the fuel is pumped from the tank into the engine. Worst case is replacing the entire fuel system.

it significantly reduces the lubrication abilities of the diesel fuel and can damage the diesel fuel pump and other parts of the diesel’s fuel system. The higher compression ratios in the combustion chambers of diesel engines also means that preignition may occur, which can reduce engine power and cause damage. Some old diesel vehicles and heavy-duty farm machinery are said to tolerate a small amount of petrol, but modern systems are far less tolerant. Ideally, you wouldn’t want a drop of petrol to trickle in. If you realise your mistake before you start the engine, ask someone to help you push the car into a parking bay and call RAC Roadside Assistance to organise a tow to a service centre where the fuel system can be flushed. RAC Auto Services can perform this service.

Of course, the best policy is to prevent it from happening altogether. If you’re confused when trying to identify the right pump to use, ask the station attendant for clarification. It’s a small extra step compared to the damage that might be done if you make the wrong selection.

It’s important that you don’t turn the ignition on as this can cause the petrol to start affecting the tank.

What happens if you put petrol into a diesel car?

If you do inadvertently start the ignition and drive the vehicle with petrol in it, depending on how much petrol is in it, the vehicle may begin to lose power and/or make a knocking sound.

Putting petrol into a diesel vehicle is, unfortunately, an easier mistake to make as the petrol nozzle fits into the filler neck of most modern diesel cars. In diesel engines, diesel fuel is also a lubricant for the high-pressure fuel pump. If petrol, which is a solvent, enters the fuel system of a diesel engine,

Don’t attempt to siphon the fuel out of the car yourself. Draining the fuel out of the car is best undertaken by a specialist to prevent harm to you and the environment.

The extent of damage and cost of repairs can vary considerably. It’s possible your vehicle may only need a fuel flush-out, but it’s also possible the damage 

Car+Motoring

If you start the engine, you might find it won’t run as smoothly.

The numbers in these fuel grades refer to their octane rating, or Research Octane Number (RON). RON is a measure of the fuel’s resistance to ignition when under pressure. The benefits of fuels with higher RONs can be leveraged by engines with higher compression ratios, because higher octane fuels can be compressed more before they ignite, meaning more power or efficiency can be gained from the engine.

can go as far as requiring a new fuel pump, new filters, injectors, and possibly even a new engine. What happens if you put diesel into a petrol car?

Putting diesel into a petrol car is far harder to do. The diesel nozzles at the fuel bowser are much larger than petrol nozzles so won’t easily fit into the filler neck. But that hasn’t stopped some from making the error. Despite being far from ideal, it’s less risky and usually less costly, than putting petrol into a diesel tank. If you start the engine, you might find it won’t run as smoothly and, more noticeably, there could be a significant amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust – especially if you add more than half a tank’s worth of diesel. The real dangers to your car will set in the longer the diesel is left to run in the tank.

Yet for the most part, you’ll only need to get the fuel tank drained, and perhaps the fuel filters replaced, before you can then refuel. If you’ve only pumped in a small amount of diesel, topping up the tank with petrol may be enough to avoid any performance issues. As with putting petrol into a diesel tank, if you’ve put a large amount of diesel into the tank of your petrol vehicle, as soon as you’re aware of the mistake, pull up to a safe spot and contact RAC Roadside Assistance to help you. Putting the wrong unleaded petrol in your car

If you’re driving a diesel vehicle, you’ve usually only got one choice at the pump. For petrol in Western Australia the three grades of petrol are primarily regular unleaded (91 RON), mid-grade premium (95 RON) and high-grade premium (98 RON). Ethanol blends are less common in WA. 22

Both 95 RON and 98 RON have a higher resistance to ignition under pressure, which can marginally improve engine performance and fuel economy – but only if the engine is designed to run on these fuels. So, while putting a higher-grade (and higher priced) premium petrol in your regular unleaded tank doesn’t pose any danger to your engine, it will take a needless toll on your wallet. But if your car is designed to take premium petrol, and it is fed a lower grade petrol than recommended, that’s when issues can arise. For example, putting regular unleaded 91 RON in a car designed for the higheroctane 95 RON or 98 RON could result in knocking in the engine. This could cause serious damage and may be accompanied by unusual sounds and/or a loss of power from the engine and increased fuel consumption. It all comes down to staying alert at the pump and knowing what’s right for your tank. 

Car+Motoring

The daily commute Across a series of RAC member surveys spanning a year, we’ve captured a snapshot of how our members travel around their communities, their pain points as drivers, passengers and riders, and what they feel needs to change to improve their daily commute. The ways in which we choose to move around our city and state from day-today has continued to shift over the past two years.

Meanwhile our reliance on cars has increased. In 2020, when we asked members how they travelled to work or study, 89 per cent nominated a car as one of their modes of travel. By 2021 that had increased to 92 per cent.

After an initial hit due to pandemic impacts in 2020, public transport usage has not recovered and in the case of commuting by train, has declined further, with only eight per cent of members saying they caught the train to work or study in 2021, down from 11 per cent in 2020.

Members’ preference for driving over other transport modes has also sharply increased, from 58 per cent to 71 per cent. Here’s more of what you told us about your own daily commute. 

Car+Motoring

Commuting to work or study Commuting times

minutes

was the average commuting time for all members. This dropped to 15min for those living in regional areas and rose to 30min for peak hour drivers in Perth (those who drive at peak hour at least five days a week).

minutes

is the average maximum commuting time regional members would be willing to travel.

How do you currently get to work or study?

92% Drive a car

10%

Public transport

Passenger in a car

We asked our members in Perth their thoughts on how affordable public transport was.

36%

Catch the train

agreed it was cheaper to commute to work via public transport instead of driving.

Catch the bus

$31.50

Walk

minutes

is the average maximum commuting time regular peak hour drivers in Perth would be willing to travel.

is the average maximum amount members think they should have to pay per week to use public transport.

Work/study from home

6% Cycle

(Note: Some respondents nominated more than one mode of transport)

42%

disagreed.

Car+Motoring

Electric cars

Top 3 Changes that would make members more likely to use public transport:

1. Construction of a light rail network serving inner Perth suburbs and activity centres (61%). 2. Better connection of public transport to activity centres outside the Perth CBD (60%). 3. Cheaper off-peak and weekend fares (56%).

50%

of our members would consider buying a hybrid or electric car for their next vehicle purchase.

65%

How often we use public transport

10%

Five or more days a week

Once a week

Once a month

A few days a week

Once a fortnight

estimate they will own an electric car within the next ten years.

37%

The main barriers to people buying an electric or hybrid car:

68% 3% The cost is too high

6% Worried about 'range anxiety'

Uncertain about running costs and maintenance

10% Access to charging infrastructure

Do not know enough about them

Less often

28% Never

Cost of motoring We asked members to estimate what they thought it cost to run their car (including loan repayments) over the course of a year. The average estimate was $4679 and 70 per cent estimated $5000 or less per year.

Estimate vs actual running costs

Actual annual vehicle running costs vary for different vehicle categories. When loan repayments are included, actual running costs become substantially higher than the average costs drivers estimated they were spending. Annual vehicle running costs

Vehicle category

Example vehicle brand

Small car Medium sized SUV Large SUV

Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Subaru Forester 2.5iL Mazda CX-9 Sport AWD

Cost without loan repayments

Cost with loan repayments

$2857

$9578

$4052

$13,975

$4824

$17,790

RAC’s 2021 Vehicle Operating Costs Survey.



Car+Motoring

Cycling How often do we ride bikes?

Five or more days a week

Once a month

21%

A few days a week

Less often

49%

Once a week

What stops us from riding more?

47% 34% 34% 33% Fear of sharing the road with cars

Weather

Too far to get to where I need to go

Lack of safe bike routes

Never

What are our main reasons for riding?

72% 16%

Once a fortnight

Exercise

Errands/ shopping (9% in 2020)

72% 15%

Leisure/fun

Travel to work/study (9% in 2020)

Driver behaviour

69%

of our members see motorists being aggressive towards road users, at least sometimes.

68%

see motorists not leaving enough room for cyclists, at least sometimes.

25%

42%

see motorists tailgaiting most of the time or always.

notice other drivers speeding far above the speed limit or using a mobile phone without a handsfree device most of the time or always. Source: RAC Member Priorities Tracker, January to December 2021 

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Car+Motoring

Using your electric car to power your home By Toby Hagon

IMAGINE BEING ABLE TO USE YOUR CAR TO POWER YOUR HOME AND THEN GETTING PAID FOR THE EXCESS ELECTRICITY YOU SEND BACK TO THE GRID. Using your electric vehicle (EV) as a giant energy storage battery is a scenario that is not far away now that vehicleto-grid (V2G) charging for electric vehicles is a reality. Long talked about, the ability to use excess electricity in your EV’s battery to power your house or send excess back into the grid this year received the regulatory tick from the Federal Government. V2G or vehicle-to-home (V2H) technology allows drivers to send energy back during peak times before recharging when electricity is cheaper. Or you can power your house, potentially keeping the TV, fridge and air conditioning working at night before recharging from rooftop solar panels the next day. Tim Washington is the CEO of JET Charge, a company that installs hardware in homes and businesses for electric vehicle charging. He describes V2G and V2H as a “game changer” for EVs. “It’ll be the first time we can use the car for something other than transport,” says Washington, referring to the 23 hours the average car is not used each day. “It will act like a stationary storage battery.” He says the potential is enormous, especially when it comes to utilising a costly depreciating asset. Sell your excess energy back to the grid

There’s potential to significantly reduce electricity bills for those turning to their car for power.

A car can act as an energy storage device and one with a lot more capacity than most dedicated home batteries such as the Tesla Powerwall. EV Council CEO Behyad Jafari says there could also be other benefits. He references a trial in Japan that allowed Nissan EV owners to park for free if they allow the carpark operator to have some of their excess electricity. Crucially, he also says there’s the potential to smooth the grid, something reinforced by a 2019 report prepared by Energeia for the Australian Energy Market Operator. The report states: “Large battery storage capacity has the potential to be harnessed through emerging vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to provide customers with additional storage capabilities and assist the grid during peak demand events”. Jafari says that will not only benefit EV owners but also those without EVs. “The promise of it is, it’ll increase the stability of the grid and also help to bring down the unit price of electricity, so it’ll make electricity prices cheaper,” he says. You’ll need a bi-directional charger

As with anything new, there are tricks, and the enabling technology is not cheap. It’s not a matter of simply plugging your EV into a powerpoint or its usual charger. You’ll need dedicated hardware that can regulate the flow of electricity and ensure it is charging or discharging at the right time for the vehicle owner and the grid operator.  30

Car+Motoring

“IT’LL BE THE FIRST TIME WE CAN USE THE CAR FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN TRANSPORT.”

Car+Motoring

“THE PROMISE OF IT IS, IT’LL INCREASE THE STABILITY OF THE GRID AND ALSO HELP TO BRING DOWN THE UNIT PRICE OF ELECTRICITY.”

For now, there’s only one bi-directional charger available in Australia, a unit called the Wallbox Quasar. It sells for about $10,000, which for many will be enough to shun the idea. But the CEO of JETCharge, which retails the Quasar, expects those prices to drop soon.

System, F-150 Lightning automatically kicks in to power your home if the grid goes down,” the company said in announcing the all-electric ute that sells from US$39,974.

“I think it’ll come down in the next few years as more competition hits the market.”

There are currently no plans to sell the Lightning locally, although there are more than a dozen electric utes currently under development with some slated for Australia. Many are planned to power external appliances or a house.

With up to 131kWh of battery storage, the large ute could power the average Australian home for a week.

Washington says big players in the electricity space such as ABB and Delta are working on V2G and V2H hardware options, something that could hit the Australian market as soon as next year.

Most EVs don’t have V2G capability, but it’s coming

If all this talk of powering your house from your car has you salivating at the thought of going off the grid, don’t get too excited just yet.

Most current generation EVs don’t have the capacity to perform V2G or V2H charging. The only two cars currently on sale that can do it are the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the latter with a smaller battery because it’s a plug-in hybrid with a petrol engine.

The Wallbox Quasar requires a grid connection to operate.

Each has a CHAdeMO DC charging plug, commonly used in Japan.

“It doesn’t operate in what we call ‘islanding’ mode,” says Washington, explaining that it requires a frequency from the grid to function.

CHAdeMO already has the capability to reverse the flow of electricity.

Going off-grid a dream (for now)

In Australia, the DC fast charging plug mostly used is called CCS combo (it incorporates a Type 2 plug for AC home charging) and does not yet have the capability to perform V2G.

For the same reason, your car will not be able to power your house in a blackout, for now at least. “If there’s a blackout and there’s no grid connection it won’t work.”

But CCS chargers are one step closer to V2G capability, following the release in March of an ISO standard. That’s a crucial piece of the puzzle that Washington says will kickstart the commercialisation and widescale uptake.

All of which seems like a short-term issue. In announcing its F-150 Lightning EV in the United States, Ford talked up the ability for the car to step in if the grid failed.

“Car makers, charging station manufacturers, etc, will now go full steam ahead to develop products.”

“With Ford Intelligent Backup Power and the Home Integration

Car+Motoring

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The Ford F-150 Lightning EV can power a home if the grid goes down; A Tesla Powerwall on show at a Tesla dealership; The Nissan Leaf has the capacity to be used for vehicle-to-home or grid charging.

The top-selling EV in the country, the Tesla Model 3, has a battery capacity of at least 55kWh, versus an average household’s average daily electricity use of 18kWh. Many have bigger batteries.

Vehicle-to-grid charging in WA

V2G is on the radar for the Western Australian government, but it says the priority is “preparing the electricity system for EV integration” and that “implementation is still some way off”.

So there would be no shortage of electricity in powering a house overnight – or longer, provided the car and house have the functionality.

“V2G is not essential to EVs helping the power system – just as important is helping the power system manage intermittent generation from renewable sources,” said a WA government spokesperson, adding that “when and how fast an EV is charged matters to the grid”.

And the WA government acknowledges “in the longer term, V2G technology may mean that EVs can help meet peak demand, too”. If households rush to the technology – something highly unlikely given its current cost and limited usability – and install wallboxes or regular EV chargers that aren’t connected, or smart, there could be challenges with overloading.

The government says the ability for EVs to supply electricity will likely initially be focused on home integration above feeding the grid. “EVs with a basic level of charge will be the priority for many households, rather than providing services to the power system.”

“If we have charging that doesn’t have these smart capabilities then there are concerns that if everyone comes home and charges at the same time … that could be quite bad,” says Jafari.

But V2G is planned as a trial under the Government’s Electric Vehicle Action Plan.

The WA Government is aware of the challenges and has its eye on connected systems.

“This is not due to occur until later in 2023, with the initial focus on the more immediate challenges of preparing the electricity system for EV integration.”

“In the United Kingdom, newly installed home chargers must be ‘smart chargers’ and default to not charging during the peak periods,” said a spokesperson.

Plenty of range to drive, and to power your home

Estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics late last year showed an average passenger vehicle travels 11,100km annually, or a little more than 30km per day. Most EVs now have a range between charges of at least 300km, many between 400 and 500km.

Given the timing and the push for gadgets and even household appliances to be internet connected, V2G and V2H tech is already planned to be smart, with the Quasar unit connected to the cloud, constantly communicating to ensure it’s maximising electric supply and recharging opportunities.

In other words, in excess of 90 per cent of the battery range is not being used to power the car each day.

It’s a tantalising taste of new technology that could have broad appeal, once more options become available. 

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Coober 2 Pedy

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• Take a 2-hour scenic flight over Lake Eyre North and South

• Explore the rock formations of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) & Walpa Gorge

• View the ‘Painted Hills’ on Anna Creek Station on a scenic flight

• Kings Canyon walk plus visit Standley Chasm & Ormiston Gorge

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• Dine under the stars at the ‘Sounds of Silence’ dining experience

• Take a thrilling 4WD tour at Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary

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News and info for WA travellers

WA travel brief STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE The VERTIGO experience on the rooftop at Optus Stadium has been giving thrill seekers a sky-high adrenaline rush since March this year. The 90-minute experience will see you harnessed from above and able to walk out five metres beyond the edge of the stadium roof on a specially constructed metal deck. For those who want to push the limits even further you can step right out over the edge to dangle above the playing field below or even hang upside down. VERTIGO also includes access to the Western Viewing Deck where you’ll have a bird’s-eye view over Stadium Park, the river and Perth city skyline. These experiences are fully wheelchair accessible, with lift access for those unable to walk to the rooftop. To book, visit theozone.com.au

2022 Gascoyne Food Festival The Gascoyne Food Festival is one of Australia’s premier gastronomic events and as part of this year’s festival, a special event is coming to the beachfront at RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. At the Flavours of Shark Bay, you’ll be able to sample some of the Gascoyne region’s best fresh produce, including a huge selection of local seafood, tropical fruits and vegetables, and quality meats. Some of WA’s best wines and craft beers will also be on offer and you can enjoy it all while taking in the stunning ocean views and listening to live music. This is the third time this popular event will be held at Monkey Mia and is a great time to enjoy the wonders of this unique destination. The Flavours of Shark Bay, part of the 2022 Gascoyne Food Festival, is at RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort on Sunday 4 September, from 1- 4pm in the Resort’s recently refurbished Monkey Bar. For more details and to book tickets, visit rac.com.au/gfe

Travel+Touring

Go off-grid in a tiny cabin Tiny cabins are becoming a big hit with WA holiday makers and it’s not hard to see why. These comfy cabins can be placed in truly unique locations and Heyscape have done just that with its Wheatbelt cabins. Strategically placed to overlook a working farm of more than 2000 hectares, Heyscape’s two luxurious tiny cabins provide a secluded place to go off-grid, relax and immerse yourself in the local landscape. Nearby you’ll also find 18km of mountain bike and hiking trails along with Normans Lake, a popular spot for kayaking and stand-up paddling. After a day of exploring the region you can unwind in your own private outdoor hot bath, watch the sun set over the fields, and dine on the large outdoor deck under the stars in one of WA’s premium stargazing locations. Heyscape’s two Wheatbelt cabins are located a short drive from Narrogin and approximately 2.5hr east of Perth. To find out more and to book, visit heyscape.com.au

WEEKEND WILDFLOWER TRAIL Western Australia’s wildflowers are already blooming in some regions, with many of the state’s best displays springing to life from around July in the Coral Coast region. For those in or close to Perth, there is an easy wildflower drive you can complete in a weekend that takes you in a loop from the Brand Highway to Indian Ocean Drive and through some stunning wildflower country. To begin, head north along the Brand Highway to Badgingarra and the Iain Wilson Nature Trail in Badgingarra National Park. The 3.5km walking trail here winds its way past a colourful array of local wildflowers. From Badgingarra continue north for one hour to the Western Flora Caravan Park, where you’ll find 12km of trails to explore. Guided wildflower walks are also offered in the park from August to October. Your last stop is the Lesueur National Park, one hour south, where an 18km scenic drive will reveal some of the best displays in this renowned wildflower hotspot. The drive takes you to the top of Mount Lesueur where you’ll have panoramic views over the national park and coast. From Lesueur National Park it’s just 25min south to Jurien Bay for the return trip to Perth along the Indian Ocean Drive.  37

Travel+Touring

For even more dramatic natural wonders, head about 50 minutes north of Albany to Porongurup National Park. ABOVE: At the base of the Castle Rock in Porongurup National Park.

Travel+Touring

Southern belle By Julie Hosking

Head to Albany for spectacular natural wonders wrapped around a city filled with cultural and culinary delights. When Cameron Syme chose Albany as the home for the Great Southern Distilling Company it wasn’t just because it had an abundance of the hard, minerally water which is favoured for fine whiskey. The lawyer turned master distiller wanted it to be somewhere spectacular, just like the world’s other great distilleries. “It was pretty hard to beat the view out here,” he says. “Princess Royal Harbour is larger than Sydney Harbour, so we’ve got a phenomenal resource.” The award-winning whiskey producer’s location neatly captures the essence of the port city – a place surrounded by jaw-dropping natural beauty and replete with man-made pleasures. As Western Australia’s oldest settlement, it is also a city that pays due respect to its complex history, but more on that later. A comfortable 4.5hr drive down Albany Highway (or about 420km) from Perth, Albany is part of the stunning Great Southern region and is the kind of laidback holiday destination that invites you to do as little or as much as you like.

Tourism Western Australia

With accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, you’re bound to find somewhere to nestle for a few days (though book early for school holidays). National park highlights

It would be easy to spend the entire break in and around Albany city, lazing on the 4km-long Middleton Beach, dining at one of the many eateries or scoffing fish and chips by the jetty.

But with a world of wonders at your doorstep, don’t forget to mix the beachside relaxation with some exploring. Start at The Gap. About 15 minutes’ drive from town, this spectacular granite channel can now be admired safely, thanks to a raised viewing platform that takes you over the 40-metre drop. The platform that protects visitors at the adjacent Natural Bridge also provides excellent views of the Southern Ocean’s sculptural work. For those who remember visiting when neither was there, don’t be tempted to slip under the safety railings and onto the rocks. While everywhere you look is breathtaking, the landscape is treacherous, with unpredictable winds and strong sprays. Just watch and listen, marvelling at the mighty ocean and taking in the thrilling whoosh of the Blowholes as the air crashes through cracks in the granite. These rocky sentinels are part of the rugged 3900ha Torndirrup National Park. Popular with wildflower enthusiasts, the park abounds with banksia heath, karri trees and peppermint woodlands. Easily accessible by car, Torndirrup also has myriad trails for bush walkers, ranging from an easy 0.6km stroll to Stony Hill Lookout over the ocean and town, to the more challenging 12km hike, which starts near Misery Beach — recently named Australia’s best beach — to the domed Bald Head. Drop into the Albany Visitor Centre to pick up maps and get advice on current conditions first. 

Travel+Touring

Tourism Western Australia

Australia’s last whaling station, which shut in 1978, is now a museum.

Australia’s South West

For even more dramatic natural wonders, head about 50 minutes north of Albany to Porongurup National Park (or make it a stop on your way down from or back to Perth). As majestic as it is ancient, the Porongurup Range dates back more than a billion years, its 12km of solid granite encased in forest.

the views while protecting you and the area’s renowned flora as it wraps around the imposing Castle Rock. If you’d like to get an even better aerial view, the summit level requires a little more agility, including a 6-metre ladder climb. It’s worth it for the ‘wows’ when you reach the top.

If you’re reasonably fit, take the 4.4km return Castle Rock Walk Trail, which starts at the Castle Rock picnic area and meanders through jarrah, marri and karri trees past the Balancing Rock and up toward the Granite Skywalk. The cleverly engineered skywalk makes the most of

Built up a thirst? Rather hungry? You’re spoilt for eating and drinking choices in Albany and surrounds. The Great Southern region has a good number of vineyards producing excellent quality wines, particularly for fans of riesling or pinot noir.

Food and art

Book a Net Zero Now tour at Oranje Tractor Wine, a small winery about 10 minutes from town that has consistently impressed wine critic James Halliday (they also make a wickedly good vermouth). Find out how Pam Lincoln and Murray Gomm transformed a cattle property into a diverse organic farm with more than 100 fruits, nuts, vegetables and other edible delights, before tucking into a seasonal tasting board and a glass of wine. The Wilson Brewing Company offers a range of house-made beers, as well as seasonal brews. The Albany venue is a popular local haunt also offering

Travel+Touring

Australia’s South West

SIX THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND ALBANY 1. E njoy a tasting board at Oranje Tractor Wine.

2. V isit Australia’s last whaling station which is now a museum. 3. T ake the trail to the Granite Skywalk at Castle Rock in Porongurup National Park.

Australia’s South West

Tourism Western Australia

4. V isit the acclaimed National Anzac Centre.

lip-smacking burgers, pizzas and spicy chicken wings and there’s live music from Thursday to Sunday. Due South, overlooking Princess Royal Harbour, and Garrison, atop Mount Clarence, are both great places to dine while soaking up some natural beauty. If you fancy something a little, well, fancier, step inside the Parisian-inspired Liberte. Boasting fabulous cocktails and cracking Vietnamese-influenced food, the bar and restaurant’s bric-a-brac and velvet touches lend a chic air to the old London Hotel, believed to be one of WA’s first watering holes.

For a tour of the vibrant public artworks splashed across the city, take the self-guided art trail around the city centre. There’s a map on amazingalbany.com.au. To really soak up the local arts scene, visit during the Southern Art + Craft Trail event. Each year from late September to early October you can follow the trail through local studios, pop-up art spaces and exhibitions, and also take part in artist workshops. Connecting the past

Albany has many historical sites to explore. European settlement began here in 1826 when the Brig Amity sailed into

5. S tep onto the viewing platform that takes you out over The Gap. 6. E njoy a cocktail at the Parisianinspired bar and restaurant Liberte.

King George Sound, though it did not become Albany until 1832 when Governor James Stirling was toying with the idea of moving the Swan River Colony capital. The Menang/Minang Noongar people, who had called the area home for thousands of years before Europeans arrived, had a far more evocative name than that of an English duke: Kinjarling (place of the rain). The Museum of the Great Southern, overlooking Princess Royal Harbour on the site of the first European settlement, is a good place to get a sense of the area’s history. Here, you can learn about 

Travel+Touring

There are also exhibitions, workshops with local artists and ‘curatorials’ covering topics such as the influence of Noongar artist Bella Kelly and Albany’s woollen mills. The replica of the Brig Amity is also on site, where you’re invited on board to discover a little about life on the crowded convict ship (animals and all). Historic Strawberry Hill has a complicated past. Nestled at Barmup (place of tall trees), this was an important camping spot for the Menang Noongar people, including Mokare and his siblings. But when Europeans arrived, they established a farm on the site, eventually building a house and fences that the Menang saw as a barrier to their traditional way of life. Now in the care of the National Trust, the custodians have been working with the Menang to ensure they are an integral part of the story, including within the awardwinning Visitor Orientation Hub, which architects designed to ‘bridge the cultures’.

now better known for whale watching. You can board any number of whale watch cruises from May to October to see majestic humpbacks and southern right whales in their playground. Australia’s last whaling station, which shut in 1978, is now a museum. Albany’s Historic Whaling Station is well worth a visit for a sobering reminder of the 178 years we hunted these magnificent creatures. Whether nearby Misery Beach was named due to the connection with whaling is up for debate, but there is no denying it’s now firmly on the tourist radar after Tourism Australia declared it Australia’s Best Beach for 2022. Just 20 minutes from the town centre, it’s so lovely and secluded we don’t blame those in the know for wanting to keep it quiet, though. Far easier to find is the acclaimed National Anzac Centre. Opened in 2014, this

thoughtfully crafted museum on Mount Adelaide is a fine tribute to the thousands of Australians and New Zealanders who left Albany for the battlefields of World War I. Each visitor is handed a card of someone who set sail from the stunning shores, many never to return. As you move through the interactive exhibition, the journey of your Anzac is slowly unveiled. The personal touch makes a compelling historical experience even more moving. Standing outside the museum after you’ve been drawn into the past, overlooking the brilliant blue waters of King George Sound, is a vastly different feeling than before you entered. You can’t help but think of those who never came back, who sacrificed so much so that we could enjoy everything this slice of Western Australian paradise has to offer. 

Australia’s South West

Another uneasy chapter in Albany’s history, that has long been consigned to the past, is whale hunting, with the region

Bo Wong

Mokare, who gained the trust of many of the new arrivals, helping to give a better understanding of his people, and served as a guide on expeditions to name Mount Barker and Mount Lindsay, among others.

TOP: Historic Strawberry Hill at Barmup now includes the award-winning Visitor Orientation Hub. ABOVE: Misery Beach was named Australia’s Best Beach for 2022 by Tourism Australia.

R18620

Blooming marvellous holiday accommodation

With over 12,000 wildflower species calling our state home, now is the perfect time of year to grab the camera and head out on that road trip. RAC Parks & Resorts has a range of quality accommodation options to choose from along the way, from Cervantes to Exmouth. With cabins, hotel rooms, and caravan and camping options, trust us to help make your holiday a relaxing one.

RAC Cable Beach Holiday Park

RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park Ningaloo Reef Resort

RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort

RAC Cervantes Holiday Park

Perth RAC Busselton Holiday Park RAC Margaret River Nature Park

Call 1800 871 570 or visit racparksandresorts.com.au Image credit: Tourism WA

RAC Karri Valley Resort

RAC Esperance Holiday Park

Travel+Touring

On the bush tucker trail By Fleur Bainger

FROM HONEY ANTS TO SALTBUSH, THE TANG, CRUNCH AND SWEETNESS OF THE WA BUSH IS GAINING IN POPULARITY. WE LOOK TO WA’S ANCIENT ABORIGINAL CULTURE TO SEE WHAT’S ON THE MENU IN OUR ABUNDANT OUTBACK LARDER.

Wardandi Bibbulmun elder Dale Tilbrook pours a steaming cup of home brew lemon myrtle tea and swirls it with local honey. She breathes in the fragrance deeply and exhales with a list of astonishing attributes. “It has intense lemony, almost limey flavours, it’s full of calcium and it has huge antioxidant properties,” she says. “It’s also a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.” It’s one of a slew of native ingredients WA’s Aboriginal people have been using for tens of thousands of years. Salty samphire, tart quandong and tangy Geraldton wax leaves have long been familiar to the Aboriginal palate. Increasingly, bush tucker is showing up on restaurant menus and on garden centre shelves. Awareness of WA’s bush foods is growing as chefs embrace bush flavours and the public’s appreciation for low food miles turns to hyper-local sourcing. In many ways, Western

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dale Tilbrook runs bush tucker ‘talk and taste’ experiences in the Swan Valley; Terry Hunter’s Borrgoron Coast to Creek Tour at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm; A selection of bush tucker plants collected on Josh Whiteland’s Koomal Dreaming tour.

Australia is playing catch up with the culture of our land’s custodians. “Traditionally, fresh, local and seasonal was how it was,” says Dale. “We invented it.” Sensory journey across time

Frances Andrijich

Tourism Australia

Tourism Western Australia

Travel+Touring

goes well with lamb and mutton. It’s full of protein in the leaves and the seeds.” Next, she pulls out a glass jar of roasted wattle seed, which wafts coffee and caramelised white chocolate notes – a natural mocha.

Co-owner of Maalinup Aboriginal Art Gallery in the Swan Valley, Dale sits surrounded by the leaves, seeds and nuts she talks about during her bush tucker discovery workshops. Visitors are encouraged to touch, smell and taste the plants that traditional owners commonly selected for both nutritional and medicinal benefits – health was understandably at the forefront for people who lived off the natural environment.

“Wattle seed is rich in protein, high in magnesium and high in dietary fibre – what’s not to love?” she says. “A lot of food is medicine, and medicine is food.”

Dale picks up a sprig of saltbush and offers a silverygreen leaf to sample. “We Aboriginal people would harvest them, grind them down and use them to make little bread cakes, or mandjaly,” she says. “Saltbush

“About 80 per cent of food that was prepared by women was vegetable,” says Dale. Men hunted for meat, a slow process that was conducted less frequently, reflected in the dietary mix. 

As the elder offers a strand of sea parsley, she hints that WA’s Aboriginal people might also be the pioneers of the plant-based diet movement. With women in charge of food gathering and preparation, the ingredients favoured – seeds, roots, fruit – were the most easily accessible.

Travel+Touring

BUSH TUCKER RECIPE

Chocolate wattleseed biscuits

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: Dale Tilbrook’s bush tucker pies and sausage rolls; Josh Whiteland foraging for edible native plants at Castle Rock, Dunsborough; Bush tucker foods at Dale Tilbrook’s Maalinup Aboriginal Art Gallery in the Swan Valley.

by Dale Tilbrook

Method: Soak wattleseed in hot water for 5 mins, covered. Drain and blend it with butter and allow to stand. Cream the wattleseed butter with white sugar. Add egg and mix well, then add plain flour, cocoa, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Fold in chocolate chips. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place tablespoon-sized balls of biscuit mix, evenly spaced, on the baking tray. Flatten slightly. Top with a sprinkle of unroasted wattleseed. Bake for 8-10 mins. Leave on tray to cool. Unroasted wattleseed can be substituted for finely chopped sandalwood or macadamia nuts.

Tip: The biscuits should still be soft when removed from the oven. They will firm up as they cool.

Tourism Western Australia

Ingredients:  100g butter, softened  ¼ cup roasted wattleseed, ground  ½ cup white sugar  1 egg  1 cup plain flour  ¾ cup cocoa  ¾ cup brown sugar  1 tspn vanilla extract  100g chocolate chips  Unroasted wattleseed

A seasonal supermarket

Colonisation altered Aboriginal consumption practices dramatically, particularly in Perth. “All along Derbarl Yerrigan (the Swan River), there were huge yam gardens. They’re marked on maps dated to 1829; they were called warrains,” Dale says. But the location of these native riches was problematic. “They occupied the good alluvial soil, and that was what the Europeans wanted. It was also where you gained access to the river, because back then it was the main transport artery, so it didn’t take long for Aboriginal people to be pushed from their traditional gardens,” she says. 46

Pre-colonisation WA’s Aboriginal peoples foraged and hunted a range of bush foods far beyond the well-known kangaroo, goanna and emu diet. It’s a practice that continues today. As well as wildlife, nature’s supermarket encompasses plants, seafood and grubs. The food harvested varies in line with what’s available in each region of WA. Specific things live and grow in some areas, whereas other foods can be found right across the state. For example, the boab tree, and its edible tubers and nuts, are only found in WA’s tropical north. Succulent, pigface, meanwhile, used for its nutritional fruits and the medicinal juice in the leaves, is widespread along the WA coast.

Tourism Western Australia

Travel+Touring

The time of year also plays an important role. The Noongar people of South West WA adhere to a six season calendar. The calendar’s shorter seasons allow for more subtle changes to be observed. Each period denotes the best time of year for particular foods, as well as which ones to leave, existing in harmony with nature. Bunuru signifies the ‘second summer’ felt from February to March. It’s when living by the coast and fishing is best, when the endemic Zamia palm produces its edible cones and when jarrah trees flower. As the land cools for Makuru, the June to July winter period, people shift inland, hunting marsupials both for food and warmth, with their furry skins turned into cloaks.

Educate your palate

Aboriginal culture is being shared right across the state, with many interactive tours including bush tucker in an authentic, sensory-based way. Dale Tilbrook’s enlightening bush tucker talk and taste experience (daletilbrookexperiences.com.au) is held at the family gallery, as well as at Mandoon Estate. In the Pilbara, Clinton Walker of Ngurrangga Tours (ngurrangga.com.au) weaves mud crab spearing on the flats of Hearsons Cove into his tours of Murujuga (the Burrup Peninsula). He might also pull over his four-wheel drive to pick bush coconuts from the bloodwood 

THE FOOD HARVESTED VARIES IN LINE WITH WHAT’S AVAILABLE IN EACH REGION OF WA.

AWARENESS OF WA’S BUSH FOODS IS GROWING AS CHEFS EMBRACE BUSH FLAVOURS AND THE PUBLIC’S APPRECIATION FOR LOW FOOD MILES TURNS TO HYPERLOCAL SOURCING.

Tourism Western Australia

Travel+Touring

ABOVE: Fishing on traditional hunting grounds at Hearsons Cove near Karratha with Ngurrangga Tours.

tree, showing the grub that lives inside, en route to the gorges of Millstream Chichester National Park.

designs its menu in line with the sixseason Noongar calendar, changing its multi-course lineup every two months.

His Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi family has lived in the Pilbara for more than 2500 generations, passing down a wealth of information on the land’s bounty.

You might find crisped saltbush or dusted quandong elevating more recognisable ingredients, while marron is delicately enhanced with lemon aspen. Wildflower’s opening chef, Jed Gerrard took his ethos to the Ritz-Carlton’s Hearth restaurant. While he has since moved to Margaret River’s Will’s Domain, native ingredients continue to subtly elevate Hearth’s carte.

North of Broome, towards the tip of the Dampier Peninsula, Bardi man Terry Hunter can often be found sourcing and then cooking oysters using spinifex. He shares these ancient skills on his Borrgoron Coast to Creek Tours, which lead from his home on Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm - Australia’s oldest continuously operating pearl property. In the Margaret River region, Wadandi man Josh Whiteland snaps off fragrant bush herbs, points out forest fruit and cooks kangaroo meat in the coals on his on-country Koomal Dreaming tours (koomaldreaming.com.au). His traditional practices add another dimension to Margaret River’s gastronomic spread. Dining out on bush tucker

As WA’s dining scene has matured, so too have the ingredients chefs access. Perth’s leading fine dining restaurant, Wildflower

Swan Valley distillery-restaurant, Old Young’s has wholeheartedly embraced native produce. Chef Rohan Park has sought advice from Dale Tilbrook, as well as ingredients from suppliers such as Marvick Farms, Kimberley Wild and Creative Native. He stokes culinary curiosity via kangaroo tartare with a little-known endemic shrub called youlk, crocodile chorizo sprinkled in ground rosella leaf and ceviche elevated with samphire and Geraldton wax. The expansion of flavours is like going from black and white television, to colour. Pop-up dining company, Fervor takes the meaningful embrace of indigenous

Australian flavours to another level again. Founder and chef, Paul Iskov teams up with Aboriginal people to forage and source the ingredients ahead of his degustation-style dining events, often held in remote WA destinations. He’s a huge fan of green tree ants, bunya nut and yams, all frequently on his captivating menus. Growing your own

Old Young’s now grows plenty of its own native produce – something home gardeners are also embracing. Dale Tilbrook advises that many leafy greens are easy to cultivate. She suggests having a go with local beach herbs, sea celery and sea parsley, as well as Geraldton wax, which can grow into large bushes, and saltbush, a plant so hardy, if you chop it back, it grows out even bushier. Another one to try is lemon myrtle, a Queensland native. “It’s an understory rainforest tree, so it wants to be sheltered from the sun and the easterly wind,” Dale says. Her other tip is to keep your eyes peeled at native nurseries and garden centres. “My advice is, if you see a plant you want, buy it there and then, because it won’t be available all year round.” 

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Our State, People+Future

Future moves STATIONS ELECTRIFY It’s taken some time, but distributors of liquid fuels such as petrol and diesel have increasingly been moving towards offering electric vehicle charging as well. Recently revived Australian brand Ampol has announced it will establish a network of 120 fast charging stations across Australia by October 2023, with the Perth suburb of Belmont to get one soon. Meanwhile, BP has this year announced plans to set up a charging network in Australia and New Zealand. Shell has begun rolling out charging stations overseas and has said it is looking for opportunities to establish a network in Australia.

DEPENDABLE FUTURE With the ongoing limited supplies of new cars, the future of car ownership could be changing. As people hold on to their cars for longer, there comes an increasing need for cars to be even more reliable. If you’re planning to buy a car that you’ll keep for a long time, the JD Power vehicle dependability survey may be useful. In the US-based study, Korean brands Hyundai, Kia and Genesis (Hyundai’s premium brand) occupied three of the top five vehicles to have the least problems reported by owners. The top five were, from first to fifth, Kia, Buick, Hyundai, Genesis and Toyota.

SOUNDS OF SILENCE You may have heard that there’s not much to hear when it comes to driving electric vehicles (EV). For some years, EVs have had politesounding noise generators designed to give pedestrians a friendly warning that an EV is approaching. The Kia EV6 also provides noises for the occupants of the vehicle, and there are several to choose from. Kia’s Active sound design has four different sound options comprising ‘Stylish’, ‘Dynamic’, ‘Cyber’ and ‘Custom’, which rise in pitch as you accelerate. They vary, but all bring a smile to your face. You can also turn the sounds off, so you’re left with the sounds of EV silence. 

Car+Motoring

Test drive

AFFORDABLE SPORTS CARS GO BACK-TO-BACK We compare the Subaru BRZ with the Hyundai i20 N. By Alex Forrest

While most cars exist primarily for the transport of ourselves and our stuff, some are made to help you savour the journey.

TOP and LEFT: Though more expensive, the Subaru delivers a purer sports car experience. RIGHT: The BRZ has a well-built and functional interior, but it isn’t especially luxurious.

Car+Motoring Sports cars – even the affordable ones – are luxuries of some kind. They’re great at the fun driving experiences, but less great at getting a barbeque from the shop to your house. So you’ll need some other vehicle, or have to pay more for delivery to get those big boxes home. If you need to rationalise a sports car purchase, the ones most likely to get across the line are the affordable ones, like a Subaru BRZ or Hyundai i20 N. Both are tremendously engaging to drive, with pointy handling, fizzy engines and pert proportions. They’re light on fuel but deliver high smiles per mile and while they require compromises, they also bring rewards. Let’s see how these two go about doing just that. Value for money

These are affordable sports cars. The Hyundai i20 N will cost $36,630 drive away, while the Subaru BRZ will be $44,260. Both prices are for manual transmission cars, though the i20 N is only available with a manual. The Subaru has a well-built and functional interior, but it isn’t especially luxurious. Interior fit and finish is similar in the Hyundai, however the latter does have more features that appeal to drivers. In the i20 N, there’s a selection of driving modes and other customisation options and an exhaust you can choose to be crackly or not.

ABOVE: The Hyundai i20 N is only available in manual transmission.

Hyundai i20 N

Feature-for-feature, you could say the i20 N has it over the BRZ, but there’s more to the story than that. On the road

The BRZ and the i20 N are focused on delivering driving fun, but drive them back-to-back and you’ll be smiling at slightly different things. The BRZ is a rear drive, two-door with a 2.4-litre naturally aspirated flat four engine, while the i20 N is a front drive four-door hatchback with a 1.6-litre turbo in-line four. This new BRZ is a much calmer and more enjoyable car than the previous BRZ, thanks to its engine’s peak torque arriving much earlier in the rev range, complimented by direct and beautifully weighted steering. The i20 N’s power delivery comes with a big surge as revs climb and the turbo’s boost builds, but the car never feels like a handful. It’s like a playful puppy that wants to reward you simply because you chose it.

ENGINE 1.6-litre turbo petrol POWER 150kW @ 6000rpm TORQUE 275Nm @ 1750-4500rpm CLAIMED FUEL ECONOMY 6.9L/100km PRICE from $36,630 drive away ANCAP SAFETY RATING not rated

Safety and practicality

With its eminently more useable backseats, which can be folded down for even more space, the i20 N has a notable advantage over the BRZ.

Subaru BRZ

In the BRZ, there are two tiny rear seats and while these can be folded flat, there’s no hatchback and the boot opening is small, so the space isn’t as big or accessible. With the new BRZ model came lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring. In automatic versions, Subaru’s Eyesight suite of safety gear is available. Unfortunately, the manual doesn’t have this. The i20 N is comprehensively equipped with safety kit as well, however neither of these two have a current ANCAP safety rating. Verdict

Anyone who enjoys driving should be grateful these two affordable grin machines exist. The i20 N will carry two people in semi-comfort in the back seat, plus some gear in the boot. And it grips corners like a slot car. The BRZ is a completely captivating modern incarnation of the proven rear-drive sports car format. The i20 N is cheaper and more practical, while the BRZ is more expensive but delivers a purer sports car experience. Either way, you won’t lose. But for us, it’s the BRZ by a numberplate.  53

ENGINE 2.4-litre petrol POWER 174kW @ 7000rpm TORQUE 250Nm @ 3700rpm CLAIMED FUEL ECONOMY 9.5L/100km PRICE from $44,260 ANCAP SAFETY RATING not rated

Car+Motoring

TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID EDGE If there was one gap to fill in the Toyota RAV4 range, it was at the very top, where the most expensive variant was not available with a hybrid system. The RAV4 Edge is already well-equipped, including a multi-terrain select system (so you can adjust the car’s four-wheel drive system to suit different terrains), larger 19-inch wheels, and a premium nine-speaker sound system. However, with the huge popularity of the RAV4 Hybrid variants, it made sense to also offer the Edge as a hybrid. Hybrid versions of the RAV4 are by far the most popular within the RAV4 range. In WA, more than 71 per cent of RAV4 sales in 2021 were hybrids, a figure which climbed in the first four months of 2022 to 75 per cent. So now, the Edge has an electric motor sending torque to the rear wheels instead of a front-to-rear propshaft. The petrol-only Edge, which is still available, continues to use a propshaft to get power from the engine to the rear wheels. As with other Toyota Hybrid vehicles in recent years, the hybrid version of the RAV4, including the Edge, is not only more fuel efficient than the petrol-only variant, but it’s also much better to drive.

ENGINE 2.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid POWER 163kW (combined petrol/electric output) TORQUE 221 @ 3600rpm (combustion engine only) CLAIMED FUEL ECONOMY 4.8L/100km PRICE from $58,980 drive away ANCAP SAFETY RATING 

The electric drive does the hard work when accelerating from standstill – the type of driving in which petrol-only cars use the most fuel – which can make a big difference in stop-start city traffic. Along with the RAV4 Edge getting a hybrid system, a new RAV4 variant, called the XSE, has been introduced. It sits just above the RAV4 GXL and has mainly cosmetic differences plus a powered rear hatch, which the GXL doesn’t get. More recently, the RAV4 range has also had its safety equipment updated, comprising the addition of intersection pre-collision safety and emergency steering assist. The RAV4 has also had its infotainment system updated - a welcome change.

Car+Motoring

KIA EV6 The EV6 stands to significantly change the way Kia is regarded as a manufacturer. For an EV of its size, range and performance, the EV6 is relatively affordable, a trait that promises to give competitors such as Tesla something to think about. Unlike other EVs such as the Hyundai Kona EV and Volvo XC40 Recharge, the EV6 has been designed from the ground-up as a pure EV. Its underpinnings don’t have to allow for a combustion engine or other mechanical parts, and its interior space can be optimised. There’s no bump in the floor for the middle rear passenger to negotiate, the wheels are pushed out to the corners of the vehicle, and the batteries can be lower in the vehicle. There are only two equipment grades, being the entry-level Air variant ($75,480 drive away) and the top-spec GT-Line (from $82,930 for the rear drive). An all-wheel drive GT-Line will be $93,150. All EV6s have a 77.4kWh battery pack weighing 477kg. That’ll take all-wheel drive versions 484km according to the regulation test. Rear-wheel drive EV6 GT-Line models go 504km in the same test, while the entry level Air variant went 528km thanks to having lower electrical loads from fewer extras. It was no surprise that even the rear-drive EV6 we drove had no shortage of performance. However, it was also astonishing just how well this large, 2000kg crossover vehicle handles and rides.

Put through challenging dips and curves, the EV6’s grip and handling control was astounding given its size and weight.

MOTOR Permanent Magnet Synchronous POWER 168kW (rear motor) 74kW (front motor) TORQUE 3 50 (rear motor) 255Nm (front motor) CLAIMED BATTERY RANGE 504km * PRICE from $82,930 drive away * ANCAP SAFETY RATING 

The EV6 is one of the best EVs on the Australian market, however that’ll be theoretical for many, given long delivery times being faced by the model. 

* Rear drive GT-Line

Kia is in the habit of tailoring the suspension and steering of its vehicles for the Australian market, and the EV6 is the first mainstream vehicle to use a new damping technology called Selective Damping Control.

Car+Motoring

Car doctor RAC members can take advantage of our Motoring Advice Line. If you have a motoring question, call 6150 6199 Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm to speak to one of our experts.

Q I have a 2012 Mazda 3 and it squeaks when reversing the first 20m or so. It’s worse when cold outside. Mazda don’t have a solution but is there anything we can do? Karis, Hillarys

A One possible source of

this squeaking is the engine’s drive belt, which can make squeaking sounds when it ages and wears, when it’s cold or when it loses tension. It could be a combination of these, or another component such as the power steering pump. We’d recommend having a workshop confirm this. If it’s the belt, it will be relatively inexpensive to replace, but make sure you get more than one quote.

Q I currently own a six-yearold Honda CRV which I am thinking of selling to buy a similar sized vehicle - either a

four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive SUV. Can you please explain the differences between these two types of SUVs and how they each perform on corrugated gravel roads in regional areas? Michael, Bull Creek

Q I recently purchased a

Hyundai Palisade Elite diesel. Having had no previous experience with diesel cars I am wondering if ‘special diesel’ is really special and whether it is beneficial to use diesel additives. The Palisade requires an annual service, or at 15,000km. Daryl, Booragoon

A There is a notable

difference in the off-road capabilities of four-wheel drives and those regarded as all-wheel drive SUVs. Compared to an all-wheel drive SUV, a four-wheel drive is typically a more sturdily built vehicle with a separate high and low range transfer case for challenging low-speed off-roading. An all-wheel drive SUV usually has part-time all-wheel drive that engages all four wheels on demand when extra traction is required but is usually better suited for city driving with its on-road wheels and tyres, and a lower ride height.

A Regular diesel will be

fine for your Pallisade. While the distributors of ‘special diesel’ or premium diesel fuels claim these fuels clean your engine, we haven’t seen any independent testing that proves this. Some brands claim their premium diesels contain an anti-foaming agent, however with light vehicles where flow rates are usually slower than in trucks, this is less of a problem anyway. 

WIN FREE FUEL Send us your question for the Car Doctor and if it’s published, you’ll receive a $50 fuel voucher to use at any Puma location Australia-wide, thanks to RAC Member Benefits. Send your questions to editor@rac.com.au or post to The Car Doctor, Horizons, GPO Box C140, Perth WA 6839 Please include your full name, address and daytime telephone number with your question. If your question is chosen for publication, please allow up to eight weeks for delivery. See page 81 for terms and conditions of entry.

People, places, prizes and RAC news

Member lounge HOW A SECURITY SYSTEM CAN SAVE YOU MONEY Having a home security system will help keep you and your family safer and lower your risk of burglary and theft. Did you know that many insurers will recognise this by offering you a discount on your home insurance premium? RAC offers the following discounts on RAC Contents Insurance for professionally installed alarms*:  Save up to 12.5% by having an alarm system.

Save on winter breaks at RAC Parks & Resorts

 Save up to 25% when you have an RAC Security monitored alarm.

Winter is a great time to get cosy in the South West and RAC Parks & Resorts has three different destinations for every kind of cosy South West holiday. RAC Margaret River Nature Park is a nature-based eco-experience in Wooditjup National Park and only a short walk from Margaret River town. The Park has selfcontained accommodation, a caravan park and campgrounds. At the award-winning RAC Busselton Holiday Park you’ll be only a 300-metre stroll from the beachfront at Geographe Bay. The Park is set on eight hectares of natural bushland with motel-style rooms, self-contained cabins, ensuite sites and powered and unpowered caravan and camping sites. There’s plenty to keep the kids busy with a 9-hole mini golf course, BMX bike track and a playground. Heading inland to the forests of Pemberton, RAC Karri Valley Resort on Lake Beedelup, has accommodation options ranging from 2 and 3-bedroom Lake View and Forest View chalets, Lakeside rooms, powered and unpowered caravan and campsites along with ensuite sites. The Resort’s Lakeside Restaurant set right on Lake Beedelup features local produce and wines from the region. Around the resort you can go trout fishing, canoeing, play disc golf or hire a bike and hit one of the mountain bike trails. Members save up to 20%* on accommodation at all RAC Park & Resorts. To book your next South West break, visit racparksandresorts.com.au

If you’d like to know more about installing a home security system, contact RAC Security on 1300 132 735 or visit rac.com.au/security *Discount is subject to minimum premium and alarm eligibility. Terms and Conditions apply. Issued by RAC Insurance Pty Limited. Check the PED Guide, PDS & TMD at rac.com.au

Home+Life

Best seat in the house In the South West coastal town of Dalyellup they’re making a big statement. With funding from RAC’s Connected Communities initiative, The Dalyellup Collective Town Team has created the Dalyellup big chair project. This giant, colourful chair, crafted by the local Men’s Shed is becoming a popular spot for locals and visitors to climb up for a selfie or just to relax and watch the world go by. Located outside the town’s community centre, The Dalyellup Collective hopes the chair will become a local icon, with the space around it used as a new hub for community activities. The big chair was launched at the Dalyellup Twilight Easter Street Party in April where hundreds of locals came together to enjoy live music, market stalls, food trucks and workshops. And of course, many also spent a bit of time getting comfy in the big chair. To find out more about RAC’s Connected Communities Fund and Town Team Movement, visit rac.com.au/connected.

ABOVE: RAC members Kale and Jess with their kids (from left) Kayla, Aurora, Willow, Eden and baby Elijah.

HYDROPLANING A BIG RISK WITH LOW TYRE TREAD On wet roads, the grooves on your car’s tyres work to squeeze water away from the contact patch - where the rubber is in contact with the road - so they can keep a grip on the road. When the grooves on your tyres are too worn or there is simply too much water on the road and you’re travelling too fast, the tyres are not able to clear water as effectively to maintain grip. Your car’s tyres can begin skimming across the wet road surface, referred to as hydroplaning or aquaplaning, and while this is happening, your car will be out of control. In Australia the minimum legal tread depth is 1.5mm but it’s highly recommended that you don’t allow your tread to wear any lower than 3mm. You should also maintain the correct pressure in your tyres. If you do find your car hydroplaning, avoid braking too hard as this will make the situation worse. Ease your foot off the accelerator and keep steering in the direction you were already heading. Always make time to check your tyres, but if you’re not finding the time to get them changed, RAC Tyres can come to you. Our mobile service is available within the Perth metropolitan area and members get 10% off tyres.

TWO SPECTACULAR WEEKS IN THE BEAUTIFUL AVON VALLEY

2022

R KF

- 9 O C

SEP

MUSIC THEATRE DANCE HISTORY NATURE STORYTELLING ARTS & CRAFTS

M O ES T I VA L.C

Make the most of the great everyday savings you get as an RAC member. Whether it’s discounts on travel, fuel, gas for your home, pharmacy, groceries, entertainment, dining or RAC products and services – RAC members save every day.

MEMBERS SAVE 5%* ON WA’S NEXT-LEVEL INTERNET Plus, save 5% on electrical appliances in store and online at Retravision. Page 62 & 63

Show your RAC member card and start saving today

Partner offers

Save 5%* on WA’s next-level internet That’s the power of membership RAC Members can save 5% off the full retail price of their selected home or business Fixed Wireless, PentaMAX, Apartment Broadband and neXus internet plans for 12 months with Pentanet.

Visit rac.com.au/pentanet *Terms and conditions apply visit rac.com.au/pentanet

Membership+Benefits

Save at these partners everyday visit rac.com.au/mb for more

Explore more of WA for less That’s the power of membership RAC members save 50%* off selected park passes available from the RAC online shop.

rac.com.au/nationalparks *Terms and conditions apply. Visit rac.com.au/nationalparks for details.

Save 4 cents per litre at Better Choice That’s the power of membership Show your RAC membership card to save

Visit rac.com.au/betterchoice Visit rac.com.au/betterchoice for full terms and conditions.

SHARING PIONEERED SHARING PIONEERED SHARING PIONEERED SHARING PIONEERED SHARING PIONEERED

Partner offers

Cicerello’s has been an iconic Fremantle destination

since its founding in 1903. Today, nearly 120 years later, we are still a local family owned business.

Whilst we have grown and evolved over the years, we are still famous for traditional fish ‘n’ chips. On any visit you can also enjoy a selection of fried or grilled delicacies, including fresh local fish that is hand cut onsite, local lobster, crabs, prawns and even abalone. A Cicerello’s experience is so much more than fish ‘n’ chips, our Fremantle location is home to WA’s largest private free aquariums which we invite you to explore.

Members save

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We are pleased to partner with another local WA icon, RAC WA.

FREMANTLE – 44 Mews Road, Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour MANDURAH – Unit 2/73 Mandurah Terrace, Mandurah

www.cicerellos.com.au

THE HOME OF FISH ‘N’ CHIPS

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Join Wizard and receive a $5 welcome voucher Wizard Rewards is our free-to-join loyalty program that rewards you for your everyday purchases. In addition to your 5%* RAC member discount, you’ll receive 3 points for every $1 spent in-store, PLUS seniors get triple points!†

PLUS all these other great Wizard

benefits!

Good health has its Join in-store or online at wizardpharmacy.com.au wizardpharmacy.com.au †Exclusions may apply. Please see full Wizard Rewards terms & conditions at wizardpharmacy.com.au *Available to all current RAC members when a valid RAC membership card is presented in-store or online. RAC members don’t need to be a Wizard Rewards member to receive the 5% discount. Discount not available on PBS prescriptions, clearance lines or postage. RAC membership can only be associated with one Wizard Rewards card.

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165

and 15% off selected services

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Roller Shutters

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Custom made in WA and backed with a 10 year warranty. • Increase security • Keep warm • Increase privacy

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10%

Colour Tip!

off paints and stains

Match deeper richer brown colours to meaningful objects and artwork to ensure a balanced, soothing space.

Create your colour story with Wattyl today!

Find a Wattyl Paint Centre or shop online at wattyl.com.au *Discount applicable for the months of August and September 2022. Exclusions apply – see in store for full details at all Wattyl Paint Centres. Online promo code: RACA22

Membership+Benefits

Save at these partners everyday visit rac.com.au/mb for more

Why shop anywhere else? You’ll have your hands full with these great deals!

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If you find a lower advertised price within 60 days of purchasing

y As well as beating an

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a Retravision product, we’ll refund 120% of the difference!

Buy now, pay later m! with zipPay and hum ordable Access easy and aff finance options with nts. interest-free repayme y to It’s the stress-free wa . ion vis shop at Retra

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@RetravisionAU

Available to all valid RAC Members when a valid RAC membership card is displayed in-store or used online (digital membership cards not accepted due to POS systems). Discount not applicable to the following brands which are excluded from the RAC member offering including but not limited to: Asko, AEG, Falcon, Falmec, Gaggenau, La Germania, Miele, Speed Queen and Neff. Retravision acts as an agent for these brands and isn’t permitted to offer a discount or bonus. Discount applies to products only and does not apply to installation services.

WH89637

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Security Doors & Screens SALE NOW ON Members save

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179 Beringarra Ave, Malaga

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*^T&Cs apply. Available only on new purchases. Offer ends 30.9.22. Visit our website for more information. Security Agents License no. 20818

More discounts and special offers To see even more member offers across a range of categories, visit rac.com.au/memberbenefits

Members save

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Other offers

Online Tax Return. Simple, Fast & Painless

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Complete your Tax Return online and receive 50% off your online Will PROMO CODE: RAC2022W

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Members get 50% off the price of an online Will (normally $99) when you complete a Tax Return with One Click Life 73

Other offers

“This Hearing Aid Has Changed My Life” “Wish I had gone to Hearing Loss Specialists sooner, my hearing aids have changed my life. I now hear sounds I had not heard for many years and my family and friends no longer have to repeat themselves. Thank you, Gerry and staff, for your honesty, integrity and support. You are amazing!” T.Kirk, WA.

“Thank you to you Gerry and your wonderful staff. My experience with your hearing loss practice has been excellent. The hearing aids you recommended are the best I have ever had. It’s a life-changing experience to be able to hear clearly and I so appreciate your patient and caring manner, Kind regards” M.Bowden, WA.

“I would recommend Hearing Loss Specialists for their service and understanding. I have tried other types of hearing aids for a few years, which have not been very successful, the noise of shopping centres etc. was unbearable, I would not wear them half the time because of that. The new ones I have now are brilliant, noisy areas are not a problem. The staff at Hearing Loss were very helpful and understanding. Five out of Five stars!” G.Finnie, WA.

“I simply cannot believe the difference it has made to my life! The ability to actively engage in conversation both one on one and in a myriad of social settings borders on disbelief. The sheer joy of being involved and indeed contributing to discussions is something I had long forgotten and drives home just how much I have missed over the years.”

Richard Bryndzej, WA.

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Increasing evidence with hearing loss and the link to dementia

Findings from a recent study* revealed a striking measurable improvement in memory after 6 months of daily hearing aid use. *(Anderson 2019 and Glick and Sharma) *Special discounts for RAC Members, Pensioners, Vet Affairs, Senior Card Holders and Self-Funded Retirees

Free In-Clinic

Hearing Test, Consultation & Demonstration

Home Visits

Hearing Test, Consultation & Demonstration*

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DUNCRAIG

NEDLANDS

31 Arnisdale Road

Hollywood Specialist Centre

Members save $600 off every hearing aid 74

ROCKINGHAM

Waikiki Specialist Centre

Other offers

Members get 10% off their mid-week stay

Stay 3 nights mid-week and save $100 Three nights in a lakeside apartment for only $500* or stay in a lakeside cabin for $530* Booking Code: RAC22 Our cosy cabins and spacious two-storey apartments are nestled in a spectacular jarrah forest on the banks of stunning Evedon Lake. Watch the sunset over the lake or enjoy your cosy log fire. Cook up a gourmet feast in your kitchen or enjoy dinner in the restaurant. Fish, kayak or take a walk along the estate’s many forest trails. Superbly located in the Ferguson Valley and Geographe Wine Region, nearby to Honeymoon Pool, just 20 minutes from Bunbury’s beaches and just a two hours from Perth, Evedon Lakeside Retreat is perfect for a family holiday or romantic getaway.

EVEDON LAKESIDE RETREAT

Lakeside Cabins — Weddings — Café / Restaurant — Kayaking — Bushwalks — Fishing 205 Lennard Rd, Burekup T: 9726 3012 E: info@evedon.com.au | www.evedon.com.au *Prices incl GST, are per double, extra people $25 per person per night. Monday to Thursday only, subject to availability. Not available school and public holidays (except for Mon 19th – 22nd December 2022). Valid for new bookings by RAC members only, for stays from the 2nd May to 22nd December 2022. RAC membership must be verified upon booking. Offer expires 30th September 2022. Check café/restaurant opening hours at evedon.com.au

Members stay 3 nights mid-week and save $100

Other offers

Skylights and Roof Windows for any interior space!

*Conditions apply. Not in conjunction 31/05/22 with other offers. Offer ends 30/09/22

Members receive 5% off Solatube Brighten Up Series Skylights, Solatube Whole House Fans & Velux Roof Windows

Members save up to 40% on 3M window tint & paint protection films

Other offers

10% OFF TO RAC MEMBER S *Con ditions apply

www.originsmarket.com.au 86 West Street, Busselton

An alternative way to experience shopping & dining. Feed your soul with a visit to Origins Market in Busselton.

Cut your pool water evaporation by nearly 100%

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with Elite Triple Cell Solar Pool Blanket

Origins Market is an inspirational space and unique retail experience where you taste, test and connect with WA’s best makers and producers

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Visit our factory showroom at 10 Cressall Road, Balcatta *Offeravailable availableuntil until30/09/2020. 30/09/2022 onFactory Elite Triple Solar Pool Blankets. Factory *Offer directCell sales only. 31/05/2021 direct sales valid with other or if Elitepool. has to measure pool. Not valid withonly. any Not other offer or any if Elite hasoffer to measure

*Must show this advert to claim voucher Offer valid to 18/12/22

Members receive 10% off

Members receive a $10 voucher to spend in the market*

Get your second month free! When we say no catches, we mean no catches. We say no to complicated contracts and yes to one simple straightforward membership.

No Lock In Contracts

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Find your new local! With 16 gyms across Perth you’ll be sure to find your fit. From Joondalup to Cockburn, Kelmscott to Claremont and everywhere in between, find your closest Revo Fitness at revofitness.com.au

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Members get their second month free

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FREE BED ACCESSORIES WITH EVERY ADJUSTABLE BED PURCHASE

WORTH

$500

ADJUSTABLE BEDS Valid until 30/09/21

$500 WORTH OF FREE BED ACCESSORIES FOR RAC MEMBERS Make your selection from pillows, fitted sheets, mattress protectors + more Pop into one of our showrooms and test out our beds for yourself Valid until 30/09/22 *Not to be used in conjunction with any other offers.

www.motobility.com.au info@motobility.com.au

311 Selby Street, Osborne Park (08) 9242 7333

2/17 Gordon Road, Mandurah (08) 9479 3232

Members receive $500 worth of selected bed accessories of their choice with every new adjustable bed purchase 78

Other offers

GARAGE DOOR NEEDING ATTENTION? pp p New Doors pp p Replacements pp p Services pp p Spare Parts We install, repair, and service all makes and models of doors & motors

9303 9334 Unit 1, 5 Quantum link, Wangara WA 6065

edenrocgaragedoors.com.au *must show or quote your RAC member number at time of booking. Discount applies to garage door spare parts and servicing only. Offer expires 30/09/22.

Members receive $100 off any new stairlift purchase

Members save 10% off door spare parts and servicing*

Hidden

WATER BORES

RAC members pay $4,000

$3,600

18 METRE BORE

•

plus get a free tap and

pressure release valve RAC members (worth $240)* pay $4,000 More RAC bore •

· Gutters and downpipes

Hidden

$3,600Save

packaged & depths available

on ongoing water bills

• Submersible bore drilled to 18 metres (ideal in most lower-lying Perth suburbs) • Tier one multi-stage stainless steel submersible pump with an industry Submersible bore drilled beating P. M. Technology to 18 metres (ideal in most Italian 1hp motor • Standard electrical lower-lying Perth suburbs) connection to house power Tier one multi-stage • Plumbed to existing reticulationsteel submersible stainless • Your stainless steel pump pump andeep industry will bewith invisible, beneathP. theM. ground. beating Technology

$1000’s

– Ask us today!

WATER BORES

plus get a free tap and Italian 1hp0111 motor Call for a quote on 9246 Troy 0408 454 130 David 0499 248 562 | PERTH METRO pressure release valve on • Standard electrical on going Check us out online virginbores.com.au (worth $240)* connection to house power

· Ridgecap re-pointing

· All general roof repairs

18 METRE BORE

· All work guaranteed

water bills

• Plumbed to existing More RAC bore reticulation packaged & • Your stainless steel pump • Submersible depths availablebore drilled will be invisible, deep *Subject to obligation-free site visit. Other depths & pump configurations recommended/available as required depending on your location & depth to water. Assumes electrical & reticulation connection nearby & accessible, up to 10m cable and pipe run. Cannot be claimed in conjunction with any other special offer. Valid until 31/03/20.. Must be claimed at time of quotation.

to 18 metres (ideal in most beneath the ground. today! RAC members – Ask uslower-lying Perth suburbs) • Submersible drilled to 18 metres $4,000 •Call Tierbore one 18 METREpay BORE formulti-stage a quote on 9246 0111

(ideal in most lower-lying Perth suburbs) stainless steel submersible Troy 0408 454 130 David 0499 248 562 | PERTH METRO

· Re-roofs/Roof extensions

$3,600 $4,100

• Tier one multi-stage stainless pump with an industrysteel RAC members beating M.with Technology Check usP.out online virginbores.com.au submersible pump an industry pay $4,570 plus get a free tap and Italian 1hp motor

· Free quotes

Call 0439 707 578 or 9398 9861

Save

WATER BORES 18 METRE BORE

· Roof restoration

$1 Save

0’s $100 000’s

beating P. M. Technology Italian 1hp motor *Subject to obligation-free site visit. Other depths & pump configurations recommended/available as required depending pressure release valve • electrical Standard electrical on•your location & depth to water. Assumes electrical & reticulation connection nearbypower & accessible, up to 10m cable and Standard connection to house pipe run. Cannot be claimed in conjunction with any other special offer. Valid until 31/03/20.. (worth $240)* toclaimed house power Must be at time of quotation. • Plumbedconnection to existing reticulation plus get a free tap and • Plumbed to existing • Your stainless steel pump will be invisible, More pressure release valveRAC bore reticulation deep beneath the ground. (worth $300)*packaged &

300mm

• Your stainless steel pump depths available will be invisible, deep More –RAC bore packages available — Ask us today! beneath the ground. Ask us today!

$200 ZINC $210 COLOURBOND Fully installed

Call for a quote on 9246 0111

Troy 0408 454 130 David 0499 248 562 | PERTH METRO

*Conditions apply valid until 30/09/22

Check us out online virginbores.com.au

www.roofrenewals.com.au

*Subject to obligation-free site visit. Other depths & pump configurations recommended/available as required depending on your location *Subject to obligation-free visit. Other connection depths & pump configurations recommended/available as required & depth to water. Assumes electrical &site reticulation nearby & accessible, up to 10m cable and pipe run.depending Excludes low yield areas. on your location & depth to water. Assumes electrical & reticulation connection nearby & accessible, up to 10m cable and Cannot be claimed in conjunction with any other special Applies to package only. Valid until 30/09/22. pipe run. Cannot be claimed in conjunction with offer. any other special offer. Validdeals until 31/03/20.. Must claimedat atthe timetime of quotation. Must bebe claimed of quotation.

EC 14442

Members get a free whirly bird on a full house gutter replacement

Members save $770 79

Terms+conditions

The Royal Automobile Club of WA (INC) 832 Wellington Street, West Perth GPO Box C140, Perth WA 6839 T: 13 17 03 W: rac.com.au

CAR DOCTOR, PAGE 57 Entrants may submit more than one entry. Up to three entrants (winners) will be awarded only one prize as follows: one $50 fuel voucher to use in one transaction at any Puma Energy location Australiawide. The prize is not transferable or redeemable for cash. Entries that do not, in the absolute discretion of the panel of judges, comply with these requirements are invalid. The winner will be notified by email, telephone or letter. When the winner is notified of their prize they will also be provided details as to the collection of their prize. Entrants published in August/September 2022 Horizons must claim their prize by 7 September 2022. In the event that no contact details are supplied, or RAC cannot make contact with the winner, the prize may be withdrawn at the absolute discretion of Horizons magazine. Prizes will only be awarded following winner validation and verification. This competition is subject to the promoter’s privacy and security statement and group privacy policy.

WINNING MEMBER COMMENT, PAGE 8 Entrants may submit more than one entry. One entrant (winner) will be awarded only one prize as follows: a year’s Classic Roadside Assistance valued at $195. If the winner already has Roadside Assistance, the Classic Roadside Assistance will be applied as credit to their account until their cover runs out. Entries that do not, in the absolute discretion of the panel of judges, comply with these requirements are invalid. The winner will be notified by email, phone or letter. When the winner is notified of their prize they will also be provided details as to the collection of their prize. Entrants published in August/September Horizons must claim their prize by 7 September 2022. In the event that no contact details are supplied, or RAC cannot make contact with the winner, the prize may be withdrawn at the absolute discretion of Horizons magazine. Prizes will only be awarded following winner validation and verification. This competition is subject to the promoter’s privacy and security statement and group privacy policy.

Member Service Centres – Metropolitan CAROUSEL Shop 1098, Westfield Carousel, 1382 Albany Highway DIANELLA Shop 20, Dianella Plaza, 360/366 Grand Promenade MANDURAH Shop SP037, Halls Head Central, 14 Guava Way WEST PERTH (Head Office) 832 Wellington Street Member Service Centres – Regional ALBANY 110 Albany Highway BUNBURY Primewest Centrepoint SC, 60 Blair Street GERALDTON Shop 8, Stirlings Central SC, 54 Sanford Street KALGOORLIE 51-53 Hannan Street Travel Centres APPLECROSS Shop 2, 14-16 Riseley Street T: 6150 6459 CAROUSEL Shop 1098, Westfield Carousel, 1382 Albany Highway T: 6150 6454 DIANELLA Shop 20, Dianella Plaza, 360/366 Grand Promenade T: 6150 6455 JOONDALUP Shop T31, Lakeside Joondalup SC, 420 Joondalup Drive T: 6150 6477 MANDURAH Shop SP037, Halls Head Central, 14 Guava Way T: 6150 6456 WEST PERTH (Head Office) 832 Wellington Street T: 9436 4830

Full terms and conditions for competitions available at rac.com.au/competitions

@RACWA

holiday fun in Busselton » Surrounded by 8ha of natural bushland » Only 300 metres from the beach » Large grassed caravan sites » Self contained cabins » Two swimming pools » Kids activities

R18640

Call 1800 871 570 or visit racbusseltonholidaypark.com.au

editor@rac.com.au

Home+Life

Ten best BUSH TUCKER PLANTS Samphire Samphire or milyu is a native succulent plant with a crunchy texture and a flavour that is a little like asparagus. It can be eaten raw, blanched in hot water or sauteed. The plant is quite salty to taste and is often found on salt flats and in soils with high salinity. Samphire has many vitamins and minerals, including magnesium and calcium.

Quandong This small tree produces a round, red fruit which is high in antioxidants. The flesh has a sweet to tart taste with a large kernel inside which contains a nut that can be roasted. The Quandong tree is a true survivor with its roots able to tap into those of nearby plants to draw water from them.

Saltbush The variety of saltbush known as old man saltbush has edible leaves and seeds which, as you’ve probably guessed, have a salty flavour. It is commonly found in coastal dunes and has pale silver-grey foliage. Saltbush is often used to season foods that may be wrapped in its leaves and can also be blanched or dried for use as a dried herb.

Milk maids Milk maids, or kara in Noongar, have small, white flowers on long thin stems and are found across a wide part of WA, from around Geraldton in the north to the Cape Naturaliste region in the South West. They are also

plentiful in bushland areas around Perth. The plant’s tuber, which is high in protein, is dug out of the soil and can be eaten raw or roasted. The raw flavour resembles that of a potato.

Chocolate lily With an attractive purple flower, chocolate lily is a flowering herb that has been so named because its flower has the scent of chocolate. The plant’s root tubers are edible and are best roasted. The flower is also edible and makes an interesting garnish.

Bloodroot Related to the kangaroo paw, bloodroot has an edible bulb with a hot, peppery taste. It can be eaten raw or roasted and brings spiciness to any dishes it is added to. The sap in the root is a deep red colour and has also been used as a dye.

TOP: Sandalwood nuts are rich in omega-9 oil and protein. BOTTOM: A selection of WA grown bush tucker fruits and greens.

ease inflammation. The tasty nuts are best roasted and have many uses in both sweet and savoury foods or on their own as a snack.

Wild rosemary Tasting very similar to English rosemary, wild rosemary can be used in much the same way and can be dried or used fresh. Silvery-grey in colour, the shrub is found in coastal areas and produces a small flower which is also edible. It is also known as a natural insect repellent.

Karkalla This native succulent grows low to the ground and produces a small, sweet fruit. The leaves are also edible with a slight salty flavour and can be cooked. Bright pink flowers that look like daisies bloom amongst the fleshy leaves throughout the year.

Sandalwood nut Sandalwood trees, found in the southern half of WA, produce a small nut which is packed with omega-9 oil and protein. The nuts have been used in Aboriginal medicine to

Red-eyed wattle Attached to the twisted pods of the red-eyed wattle

are small black seeds that have a nutty flavour and are surrounded by a distinct red ring. The stem of the wattle has a sticky gum which can also be eaten. Bright yellow wattle flowers bloom on the shrub during the warmer months.  To find out more about Western Australia’s incredible array of bush tucker foods, see page 44.

DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR THE TEN BEST? Send your suggestions to editor@rac.com.au

MEM RAC BERS GET

15 % CA R H

IR E W

OFF*

ITH S

IXT

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*T&Cs apply

Get covered for your next adventure with RAC Caravan Insurance Plus members save up to 20% off at RAC Parks and Resorts

That’s the power of membership Get a quote today Issued by RAC Insurance Pty Limited. Check the PDS & TMD at rac.com.au to see if this policy is right for you. Member benefit terms and conditions apply. Discount varies according to season. See website for full details.