August 2015
Overland Cruisering Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia (Victoria) Inc.
A0005442c
Inside... < FWDV
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40th Anniversary celebrations
driving in Mongolia
www.tlccv.com.au
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August Driver Awareness
Registered by Australia Post Publication No. PP339119/00013 $5.00
TOYOTA LAND CRUISER CLUB OF AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA) INC. A0005442C ABN87301244383
CONTENTS
General Meetings: 7:30pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Mulgrave Country Club Wellington Road (corner Jells Road), Wheelers Hill Melways Ref 80 H1 Geelong Meetings: 7.30pm the 1st Tuesday of each month & 2nd Tuesday each November at the Supper Room, Geelong West Town Hall, 153 Pakington St. 3218. (Mel. 451 J2) ENQUIRIES: Membership & General to: The Secretary Toyota Land Cruiser Club PO Box 363, HAWTHORN 3122
Website: http:www.tlccv.com.au MEMBERSHIP DETAILS Joining Fee: $280.00 Membership: $145.00 REINSTATEMENT OF PAST MEMBERS If a member rejoins the Club within 5 years, a joining fee is not applicable. If a member rejoins the Club after 5 years, they are required to pay the joining fee and undertake the Club’s Driver Awareness course.
RECOGNISED CLUB RADIO CHANNEL: 15 UHF
AUGUST
2015
VOLUME 44
No.2
Club Information
1
Committee 2015-2016
2
President’s Report
3
Over the Hill
5
Calendar/Coming Events
7
FWDV 40th Anniversary
9
Annual General Meeting
13
August Driver Awareness
17
Geelong Social event
18
4WDing in Mongolia
19
News from ARB
27
Member Directory
28
YARCK PROPERTY Our property is a registered Land for Wildlife property and no inference is drawn in the publication that the sign or registration has any other meaning. Life Members: Graeme Wilson, John Whitney (Dec), Don Honey, Bill Dower, Alan Winch, Barrie McCarthy, Harold Ross, Sandra Tanner, Brian Stewart, Charles Norman, Ashley (Dec) & Judith Williams, John Turbill, Garry Cooper, Jan Chivers & Ken Hildebrand Honorary Members: Ross McClure, Clive Blakely, Reece DeJong Club Auditor: Chris Rumble
Main photo by Sarah Lilley The opinions expressed in the articles appearing in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia (Victoria) Inc. The Editor reserves the right to delete where necessary any section of any article, which has been sent for publication in the magazine. Acceptance of advertisements does not necessarily imply endorsement of products or associated companies or individuals by the Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia (Victoria) Inc.
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COMMITTEE President Laurie Miles president1@tlccv.com.au
2015 - 2016 Advertising Sandra Tanner
0 advertising@tlccv.com.au
Activities Coordinator 0 Ian Ross activities@tlccv.com.au Vice President Michael Martin president2@tlccv.com.au
Past President Ian Ross 0 president3@tlccv.com.au Secretary Sandra Tanner 0 secretary1@tlccv.com.au Assistant Secretary Ian wells 0 secretary2@tlccv.com.au Treasurer Alan McMeekin 0 treasurer1@tlccv.com.au Assistant Treasurer Barbra Bryant treasurer2@tlccv.com.au
Yarck Management Brian Stewart yarckmanage@tlccv.com.au
Excursion Visits Coordinator
Marketing/Public Relations Coordinator Brian Tanner 0 marketing@tlccv.com.au Emergency Response Coordinator tlccrg@tlccv.com.au
Magazine Distribution Gordon Chessum
trips@tlccv.com.au Trip Convenor Tony Middleditch * Register a Member’s trip * Assistance in trip preparation
Raffles & Supper Gabi & Grace Azzam Karen Wade Club Shop Graham Cahill
clubshop@tlccv.com.au
Sergeant-At-Arms Technical Brett Dyson
technical@tlccv.com.au
Training Matt Lilley training@tlccv.com.au • Club training courses co-ordinator Special Events Peter 7KHD 0F/HDQ events@tlccv.com.au • Shows & special event co-ordinator
Membership 0 Barbara Bryant membership@tlccv.com.au * Membership renewals, name badges, contact detail changes
Committee Liz Mills 0 committee2@tlccv.com.au
Librarian Wendy Wilson library@tlccv.com.au * Borrow DVDs & books * Contributions to the Library
0 editor1@tlccv.com.au
webmaster@tlccv.com.au
excursions@tlccv.com.au Driver Training John MIlls: driverawareness@tlccv.com.au * Driver Training Course bookings * Awareness Course certificates
Committee Michael Schuettke committee1@tlccv.com.au
Magazine Editor Sandra Tanner:
Webmaster Laurie Miles
FWDV Delegate 0 fwdvdelegate@tlccv.com.au Tony Bryant
Social Coordinator social@tlccv.com.au * Book for participation in social events Visitor Greeters Carol & Greg Edmunds Cruiserkhana enquiries@cruiserkhana.com.au
GEELONG BRANCH President Matt Lilley
Vice President Matt McPhee
0 geelong@tlccv.com.au
geelong2@tlccv.com.au
Secretary Jennie Harvie Social Alison Williams
alison4913@gmail.com
MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTIONS
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
TRADING POST
All articles, trip reports and other contributions are welcome for inclusion in the magazine. They must be in the hands of the Editor by the first of the month. Please send them to: The Editor, Overland Cruisering, PO Box 1778, Geelong 3220
• Please submit articles as Word documents with no formatting. (No fancy formats as it will only have to be removed in preparing for publication). In particular DO NOT embed pictures in your documents • Images (photos) should be supplied as seperate JPEG files. The higher resolution the better. As a guide images should be of 300 pixel per inch with image files around 1-5MB fine. • If you have multiple images, please burn to a CD and post to Editor rather than trying to email numerous images. • Articles can be posted with normal photos. They will be scanned and returned to the author if a self-addressed envelope is provided.
• Note: if selling a vehicle in the Trading Post it is a Motor Car Trader Regulation (1988-22(4) legal requirement that a cash price, registration number or engine number are supplied.
or email: editor1@tlccv.com.au
Members’ name and membership number must accompany all articles and/or contributions.
ADVERTISING A TRIP • Note: All trips must be approved by the Trip Convenor before they can be gazetted in Overland Cruisering.
All contributions MUST BE received by the 1st of the month.
ADVERTISERS Please support those companies that advertise in our magazine. Let them know you saw their advert in Overland Cruisering.
ARE YOUR MEMBERSHIP DETAILS CURRENT? If you have recently moved, please email Barbara Bryant – Membership Officer – and provide your new address, telephone number(s) and (if altered) your email address as soon as possible. Please also remember to remove the Club sticker if you change or sell your four-wheel drive.
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U P D AT E
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
tepping up to the President’s role always has its challenges. Following our AGM last month, my big focus with taking on the President’s role is to see the 6 main areas of our Club continue to be strongly developed – these being, Trips, Training, Yarck, CruiserKhana, Membership and Community. During my term, I will be taking an active role with the sub-committees in these key areas to ensure that we continue as a leading 4WD Club in Victoria. My fellow committee members will continue to support all of our sub-committees including Geelong Branch. I also have a passion to continue to improve our Club communications. It is important that we continue to use all of our communications outlets to get information to you quickly and effectively. We currently use meetings, magazine, Weekend Wrap, Facebook and will actively promote our Club news on all of these outlets. With spring fast approaching, hopefully we will see some new Club trips being advertised soon to the High Country and Outback Victoria. For those members busy with families, hopefully we see some great day trips. Remember, if you are interested in leading a trip, then email Tony our Trip Convenor at trips@tlccv.com.au. Tony will update you on the Trip Leader processes. Our committee is currently reviewing the way we run our Club Shop. It is important that we continue to give members the best
value with our Club services. We will have more news shortly. Matt Lilley has been busy organizing new and exciting Club training courses. Don’t forget to support these courses, as they are being run for you. Thanks to the members giving up their weekends to run these courses. There are many courses being run at Yarck this year, so it may be a good time to book into a course, and at the same time take a drive around our Yarck property to relive those DA tracks you found a big challenge when you joined the Club. Our DA team is always working hard to get all of our new members through their DA training. A big thanks to John Mills and his team for venturing up to Yarck in all sorts of weather conditions to put our newbies through their paces. Earlier this month, Vice President Michael Martin took a spill on a slippery section whilst training some DA participants. Michael needed a few stitches in his hand, but the good news is that he is recovering well. CruiserKhana 2016 is deep into the planning stage. Neil Chambers is looking for members to assist with setting up and marshalling this great annual event. If you can help, please email Neil at enquiries@cruiserkhana.com.au. No prior experience is required. CruiserKhana 2016 will take place at Yarck on 16th & 17th April next year. Our Club Library continues to give value. Many members are borrowing some great
DVDs to see what is possible for their future Outback trips. Other members just like watching the DVDs to relive their past travels. Make sure you drop into the Library at your next Club meeting and see what is in store. Most of you will know that I took a spill from my motorbike on my way to my first Executive Committee meeting as President. I am now recuperating at home with a fractured wrist. I can still use my left hand, so by the time you read this report, Heidi and I will be away on a 6 week Outback Adventure up the Hay River in the Northern Territory. Michael Martin will take over the chair for the August and September meetings. You can follow our trip at: https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=e 50d55bea43cecfb7. Finally, a big thank you to all of you who attended dinner at the Mulgrave Club before the July meeting. The Mulgrave Country Club staff was extremely happy with our members following their seating requirements. Please remember, if you plan a future pre meeting dinner, then please make sure you wait to be seated by the Mulgrave staff, and also advise them that you are a TLCCV member. Laurie Miles (1058) PRESIDENT
VERONICA McPHERSON – 31/7/1935 – 28/7/2015
and spent the next few years meandering around the country. Their great thirst for adventure meant that on one trip to England, they drove to Darwin first and then boarded a plane – because they could!! Whenever we saw Veronica, she would regale us with detailed accounts of their latest adventure. She gave up taking photos in the end – there were just too many. Their call sign was “the Drifters” and Veronica sent back innumerable well documented trip reports to Club magazine Editor, Sandra Tanner, who recently recounted that if she didn’t print the trip report word-for-word as submitted, she would inevitably receive a phone call from Veronica. Family was everything to Veronica, and whilst originally trained as a typist, she devoted much of her married life to bringing up the family whilst always in the background planning that next trip. It was a measure of the woman when she broke her leg in outback Queensland. She hobbled around for 3 days before getting medical attention – without complaining. The break was so severe that she was air lifted back to Melbourne for surgery and 6 months recuperation. In her mind, all that
seemed important at that time was how long the travel plans would be on hold. She had a hunger and enthusiasm for life and new places. Veronica had a huge smile, a love for the naturalness of the bush and a great sense of humor that came to the fore around a campfire. Veronica was what the Club is all about – never too busy to lend a helping hand or a word of advice to those that needed it. The gate at Yarck was actually named McPherson corner. There was many a Club event where she worked tirelessly, often late at night welcoming Club members and visitors with a cuppa, a smile and a chat around the fire. Neil and Veronica were the first people that we ever met when we came to a TLCCV radio weekend at Yarck, and we have been privileged to have remained close friends. Vale Veronica, you will be sorely missed on the tracks. No doubt you are exploring somewhere else. Angela Di Lallo (225) with the assistance of Bev Rust (487) and Lucy Di Lallo.
S
It was with great sadness that we received the news that former Club member, Veronica McPherson passed away on Tuesday 28th July, 2015 just days short of her 80th birthday. Veronica had been in care over the last few years as a result of a long battle with dementia. She is survived by her husband, Neil, sons David and Ian, nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Veronica and Neil joined TLCCV in 1986 and most long standing members will remember them. They shared an insatiable appetite and enthusiasm for travel, both within Australia and overseas. Veronica’s travels with her family started in a Datsun 1600 travelling around Australia for 5 months. She tirelessly supervised their kids schooling in the back seat! A Land Cruiser 60 Series and then a Troopy subsequently followed, complete with caravan. Neil and Veronica only resigned from the Club in 2003 to pursue their long held dream to become grey nomads
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COMING TRIPS
CALENDAR
INFORMATION FOR TRIP LEADERS â&#x20AC;˘ Trip leaders please note that under the Constitution, members may not take part in any club activities involving four-wheel driving unless they have completed the Driver Awareness
Course (Theory & Practical) and have filled in an Indemnity Form. â&#x20AC;˘ The Club Insurance Policy states that only Club Trips that are gazetted in the Club Magazine and the Club website are covered by the Club Public Liability Policy.
â&#x20AC;˘ All Club Trips gazetted in the Club Magazine must include a telephone number (or mobile) and/or an email address for the purpose of booking on a trip. â&#x20AC;˘ Members please note that telephone calls should not be made later than 8:30 pm.
Club trips are for club members only. Non members are not afforded insurance coverage by the club and may jeopardise our coverage. If you have any queries they may be raised with our Trip Coordinator, Tony Middleditch.
Members Please Note: All guests attending TLCCV trips must take out Temporary Membership. This includes children of members 18 years of age and older. If you have any queries contact our Trip Convenor, Tony Middleditch at trips@tlccv.com.au. All applications and pay-ments for Temporary Membership MUST be received by the Membership Officer NO LATER than 14 days prior to the trip. Facebook: Any trips advertised on Facebook that have not been approved by the Trip Convenor will not be recognised as an official Club trip and therefore not be covered by the Club insurance. Seasonal Road Closures: Contact Parks Victoria on http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/safety/fire,-flood-and-other-closures/seasonal-road-closures2
NOVEMBER Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment: Overnight: Details:
Trip Leader:
PORTLAND SAND DUNES - Melbourne Cup weekend Friday 30th October - Tuesday 3rd November, 2015 Swan Lake Camping area (maps supplied for participants) 9:00am start time Saturday morning from Swan Lake Camping area. 14 vehicles Medium to hard depending on sand conditions and your experience. Full tanks from Portland. 15 UHF Standard recovery gear, snatch strap, compressor, rated recovery points & shackles. Base camping at Swan Lake. Drive the only legal sand dunes in Victoria. Test your skills on the many steep sand hills. Apart from a drop toilet there are no amenities at the camping area. Caravans & camper trailers are OK. No pets. Be prepared for wet & windy conditions. Sand driving for Saturday & Sunday, Monday trip to Picaninny Ponds, beach drive in SA, lunch at the Nelson Pub. Return home Tuesday. To allow time to process PDBC paperwork, your intention to join this trip needs to be in the hands of the trip leader by the end of August. Garry Cooper: Email: gac001@bigpond.com
TRAINING Date Sept 5th (1 day) Sept 6th (1 day)
C O M I N G T R A I N IINPG O P P O R T U N I T I E S Training / Activity Topic Communications (Radio, Sat Phone, Spot) Vehicle trip prep (packing & pre trip inspection)
Location
Facilitator
Yarck
Tony Middleditch
Yarck
Tony Middleditch
Sept 12/13
Map Reading & Navigational skills
Yarck
Paul Hawdon (Tracks) & Jeff Gazzard
2FW /
Bush craft Basic Camping Skills
Yarck
Paul Hawdon (Tracks) -HII *D]]DUG
Oct 9/11
Chainsaw Course
Yarck
Matt Lilley
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2FW
7ULS PHDO SUHSDUDWLRQ &RRNLQJ %XVK PHFKDQLF ZHHNHQG
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CALENDAR August 22nd & 23rd August 29th & 30th September 5th & 6th September September September September
8th 12th 12th & 13th 19th & 20th
September 26th & 27th October 3rd & 4th October 13th
COMING TRIPS Maintenance & Construction weekend DA Practical weekend Communications / Vehicle prep at Yarck Yarck Management and DA Theory Social night at Manhatten Hotel pub Mapping at Yarck Maintenance & Construction weekend DA Practical weekend Bush craft & basic camping at Yarck Yarck Management and DA Theory
SOCIAL NEWS WHERE: Manhattan Hotel, Cnr Canterbury & Heatherdale Roads, Ringwood – just off Eastlink. WHEN: Saturday 12th September at 5:30pm (venue shuts at 9:00pm although we can adjourn to the Gaming room). COST:
$28 for Adults. $20 Seniors and discounts for children.
FOOD:
Smorgasbord buffet
Please see Angela Di Lallo at the meeting or contact her at social@tlccv.com.au. Prior bookings are required as numbers need to be confirmed. Pay hotel on the night.
Prior to booking or setting any dates for an event, please check with the Activity Coordinator who will ensure that there are no clashes. Please email to the Activity Coordinator the proposed date, time, venue and overview of the event.
October 17th & 18th October 24th & 25th Oct 30th – Nov 3rd November 7th & 8th November 10th November 21st & 22nd November 28th & 29th December 8th
Trip/Meal Prep & Bush Mechanics @ Yarck Maintenance & Construction weekend Portland Sand Dunes Melbourne Cup w/end DA Practical weekend Yarck Management and DA Theory Monster Maintenance & Construction weekend DA Practical weekend Yarck Management
CRUISERKHANA 2016 16TH & 17H APRIL CruiserKhana next year will move into April due to an early Easter combined with school holidays. After a solid review of this year’s event, it is proposed to only run the main competition on the Saturday with the prize presentations after dinner on the Saturday night. The optional events such as Rock Climb and Bog Hole will be run on the Sunday morning. However, before any further planning / organizing can take place, we need a committee. Please review the following vacant positions and contact me if you are available. The committee meets once a month, but a lot of our work is done via email. Please give serious consideration to volunteering because without YOU there will be no CruiserKhana. Coordinator, Sponsorship, Publicity, Chief Marshal, Entries, Financial Controller, Secretary, Logistics Coordination, Merchandise and Marshals Coordination.
Please contact Neil Chambers : enquiries@cruiserkhana.com.au
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SHOW & TELL
S E P T EI PM B E R
R O Y A L F LY I N G D O C T O R S E R V I C E
Who do we call in an emergency whilst travelling in the Outback? Where would the isolated stations be without the RFDS? One of the largest aermedical organisations in the world using the latest in aviation, medical and communications technology, it delivers extensive primary health care and 24 hour emergency service to those
NEWS
who live, work and travel Australia. This presentation will be an informative insight into the world of doctors and nurses who have to deal with numerous situations in rural areas. Liz Mills Show & Tell Co-ordinator
C O M I N G IEPV E N T S
TRIP PLANNNG/CAMP COOKING BUSH MECHANICS/LED LIGHTING /SOLAR PANELS OCTOBER 17th-18th AT YA R C K
Liz Mills
Brad Schaffer
PLANNING A WEEKEND OR EXTENDED OUTBACK TRIP? Saturday This two day course is designed to give tips and ideas on catering and packing plus cooking on hot coals, all to make your trip more fun.
DO YOU KNOW?
• Solar panels and what size do I need? • What spare parts and tools do I take on a trip?
• Are LEDs good and do I need them? • What to look at on your 4WD before going away?
Sunday Have fun using your new skills for a "Scone Cook Off" DVD for kids on Saturday evening
Prizes to be won
Numbers are limited for this weekend. Participants must bring their own cooking pots, all ingredients plus notepad and pen RSVP no later than Sunday 4th October:
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email: training@tlccv.com.au
SPECIAL EVENT
F W D V 4 0 T IHP A N N I V E R S A R Y W E E K E N D
The chilly Alpine evenings were kept at bay with numerous fire drums situated around the camping areas - which proved very popular with this group of club members
ver the Queens Birtday weekend, Victorian four wheel drive clubs celebrated the 40th anniversary of Four Wheel Drive Victoria. Originally established as the Victoria Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs in Februray 1975, the organisation is the oldest such Association in Australia. To celebrate, a small sub-committee headed by Sandra Tanner and supported with some extremely able members from some other clubs organised a weekend of four wheel driving in the Victoria High
O
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Country. The Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Victoria, had the largest continigant of members, and by all reports had a great time. The weather was spot on, with sunny days and chilly nights. The event was held at the Mansfield Showgrounds, with many arrived with caravans and trailers, while others chose the comfort of local motels. Some spartans also spent the nights in a tent. Tony Middledich did a brilliant job in coordinating more than 20 trips over the
weekend. Saturday evening - following happy hour the official 40th Anniversary dinner was held. It was a sell out event, with over 200 guests packed into the main showgrounds pavilion. A comprehensive 3 course meal was served, many door prizes of local wine and produce handed out, plus the drawing of the monster FWDV raffle. Official speakers saw Brian Tanner speak on the creation of the Association, Lyn Holland, Sergeant Victoria Police Mansfield on the importance of club
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members in assisting the public. She admited that many four wheel drivers visited the area totally unprepared and lacking appropriate equipment and skill levels. This was demonstrated the following day when one of our convoys came across a rolled 4WD. Shane bacon assisted in getting it back on its wheels and escorting it back into town. Bart Smith, Area Chief Ranger Parks Victoria spoke on our partnership with the department and how over the years this has evolved from an adversary role to today, where FWDV is an important partner with Park authorities. DJ James provided a lively selection of music, with many members hitting the dance floor after dinner, This was a very enjoyable weekend that enabled club members to kick back and be as active as they chose. There were trips of all standards, the opportunity to meet with members from other clubs, plus plenty of time to enjoy time around the fire. This was agreat event, well supported by 50 plus club members. Brian Tanner (607)
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NEWS
A N N U A L G E N E R AI PL M E E T I N G
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TRIPS
T L C C V D R I V E R A W A R E N E S SI P - 1 s t - 2 n d A U G U S T 2 0 1 5
n behalf of all the attendees, a big thank you to our trainers, Simon Mustey, Tony Bryant, Michael Martin and Darren Russo (trainee trainer). They freely shared their knowledge and with their endless patience and gentle encouragement, we enthusiastically embraced the challenges they set and moved out of our comfort zone (many times). Another challenge we faced was the weather (and mud). It rained on Friday and Saturday nights, and it was bitterly cold. On both days at 6:30am it was 5 degrees and by 8:00am it was a blistering 9 degrees. At 8:00am on Saturday morning, Stephen and David Hooke, Ian and Robyn Goding, Bruce and Rachel Porter, Rahul Mohod and Michael Schulze were gathered in the Hilton ready to start training. We examined and compared manual and automatic engines, talked about cars and four-wheel driving in general and observed a winching demonstration. Little did we know that it was going to come in very handy later in the day. Then to Whoopsey-Do where we applied the theory of “driving through the brakes,” and learning the skills of driving steep slopes. In the afternoon we set off to Latimer’s Hill.
well almost always. Another learning experience for us all. Back at the Hilton, Stephen cleaned and bandaged Michael’s hand but to no avail, Michael had to admit defeat and took himself off to the local hospital and received four stitches. Saturday evening we set off for ou7r night drive via Tee Tree track and Terip Road to the top gate and then back down Bulldozer onto the Bridge track and finally back to base, tired, happy and with the thrill of achievement. Bandaged Michael was back on board Sunday morning. More theory provided by the voices of experience. Tony talked about trip preparation, Michael about communications, Darren about tyres and Simon, with so much information to share, encouraged us to participate in TLCCV group activities. Later that morning we set off to the sand pit to practice “snatch strap techniques.” We practiced going through the mud hole and then off for a final drive around the property. Ups ‘n Downs track, visiting the new hut being built, and yes, another real life situation. Bruce’s 200 Series got caught between two muddy ruts. Fortunately Tony was close at hand to snatch him out. We headed back to the Hilton for a recap on what we had learnt, a quick lunch, tidy up and then home. An absolutely wonderful experience and new friendships made. Bruce & Rachel Porter
O
This exercise took considerably longer than the trainers anticipated when Stephen, in a Troopy, just missed getting to the top of the hill. Simon, taking control of the situation, decided “real” winching was required. Eventually the Troopy appeared at the top of the hill, much to David’s relief. We drove to Garvey’s Gully where Darren demonstrated the skills of an experienced four-wheel driver. Michael Martin had a bit of a mishap resulting in a cut hand and Darren administered first aid. Simon led us to the Ups ‘n Downs track, Bulldozer track, the bridge and the bridge track with convoy procedures followed at all times –
eNews – Are you receiving your copy of TLCCV Weekend Wrap? Make sure you include your email address on your membership renewal form. Alternatively you can send an email to the Membership Officer (Barb at membership@tlccv.com.au with your updated details. Weekend Wrap is produced by Laurie Miles (1058) and Garry Cooper (1219). Items for Weekend Wrap can be sent to editor@tlccv.com.au.
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GEELONG TLCCV Geelong Branch Social Day at One Day Estate Although cold and windy outside, we were seated right beside the roaring fire and it was a terrific social day. It was a large group, and everyone enjoyed the Paella and Risotto. It was also great to see Angela and Leigh Di Lallo at our outings again. Our next outing will be Sunday 23rd August, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Otway Ramble.â&#x20AC;? Why not join us? A leisurely drive on the black top visiting and tasting lots of local attractions around the Otways. We will be leaving Geelong at 9:30am sharp. For more details please email : Alison4913@gmail.com
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O N E IDPA Y E S T A T E
TRIPS
PING IN MONGOLIA FOUR WHEEL DRI V
MEMORIES OF FOUR-WHEEL DRIVING IN MONGOLIA chance phone call from an old uni friend early in 2015 who wanted company on her latest adventure, which was an 11 day 4WD exploration around central and north western Mongolia. It was a destination I had never considered, but the more I thought about it the more appealing it became. Hubbie decided to stay home and let us have some girl time, but I suspect he thought he was going to have some peace and quiet! The challenges of solo travel in Mongolia are many, not the least being the alphabet, which is the Russian Cyrillic plus poor communications and even poorer roads. Whilst a lot of the younger people speak English (the country has a 98 percent literacy rate), we chose to travel with a small group of 16, organised by a company who have an office in Sydney called Insider Journeys formerly Travel Indo China. They go to some amazing destinations all over Asia and India, and are after travel with a sense of adventure. Whilst they run tours, they are very flexible, very friendly, relaxed and not at all regimented. We flew overnight to Hong Kong from Melbourne, then to Beijing where the group was to meet. Everything went seamlessly and we checked into our hotel and met everyone for dinner. There were twelve Aussies from Rockhampton, Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Orange, Melbourne and Geelong. Added to that a very quiet American doctor, a French Canadian
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couple and English lass. Ages varied from 13 to 70, but what was present in everyone was an enormous sense of adventure. I thought we had travelled extensively but you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe the number and some of the places these people had been to. Both worldwide and in Australia! The first day we did a journey to the Great Wall. It was advertised as being remote and indeed it was! None of the usual 200 tourist buses and throngs of people flowing sticks with little tour company motifs on them! After a lot of huffing and puffing and our tour guide cracking a bottle of champagne, we returned to Beijing and got ready for the early departure of the Trans Mongolian Express the next morning. This is the first stage of the Trans Siberian express to Moscow, although how anyone
would do that over 6 days of continuous train travel I am not sure. It took a day and a half to get to Ulaanbaatar the capital of Mongolia, a city of some 80,000 people with skyscrapers and development going ahead gangbusters, courtesy of a mineral boom. Interestingly at the Chinese/Mongolian border they not only change staff and the dining car but also the bogies of all the carriages, due to different railway gauges. You have the choice of staying and being locked on the train and watching the nifty and quick way they do this, shunting the bogies to the end of each carriage, which takes about 3-4 hours. Otherwise you exit stage left and are locked on the station - at least with toilet facilities! Needless to say this aging mama chose the latter!
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The map shows the route the train took to Ulaanbaatar and then the 4WD route, which basically went westwards across the steppes and touched on part of the Gobi desert, and then north almost to the Siberian border. Main areas or towns traversed were Khustai National Park (endangered wild ponies and ancient monument markers which stretched as far as the eye could see - Stonehenge in miniature for miles), Karakorum (ancient capital of Mongolia) and Tsenkherrin Hot Springs (very much needed for sore bottoms) and Terkin Tsagaan Nuur (Great White Lake) - the latter had some spectacular photographic conditions. We spent four nights at Lake Khuuvsgul at the end of the trip. We visited volcanoes, temples,
deer hunter, ancient ruins and the spectacular Naddam festival - more of that later. Please don’t ask me to pronounce any of these words - Mongolian is like Chinese with a Russian accent - reflecting the two great recent influences on the country, which has now cast off the shackles of Soviet and Chinese domination and is now independent. One highlight that must be mentioned is the Mongolian throat singing - which sounds like a sort of vocal didgeridoo! Traditional dance and instruments make this a real spectacle to see. It is very hard to describe the Mongolian scenery. We Aussies agreed that in places it was very reminiscent of the Flinders Ranges, perhaps with a bit of the Simpson Desert, the High Country and the Finke
River thrown in. The further north we got the greener it got, with huge forests of Siberian Larch which had the appearance of confers or pine forests but weren’t. Whilst it was quite hot in the south with short sleeves and sunburn, in the north the climate was very much colder being even more severe than Melbourne in winter. One day I had a t-shirt, hoodie, thermafleece, and slicker on, topped off with a thermafleece hat! The next morning I was really looking forward to our 4WD adventure and meeting our drivers. It had been explained to us that we would travel in four 4WD people movers of a brand I had never ever heard of. I vainly thought they might be Troopies or 100/200 Series! In fact there were some Land Cruisers parked in the hotel car park, and my hopes went up. Not to be! They were Mitsubishi and Hyundai “Tarago” type vehicles, with high ground clearance that would tackle the challenges of the trip ahead! My head told me that they do the trip often but my heart lamented the fantastic Land Cruiser suspension.
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Some of them didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have seat belts, which necessitated grabbing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesusâ&#x20AC;? bar or any other handle often. There was a lot of jolting around, and I am not really sure if I ended up with bruises in all sorts of different parts of my anatomy. Some of us had done a fair bit of four-wheel driving, however it was a shock to the system to others. We soon learned that upon leaving Ulaanbaatar, it was not only bush tracks that needed 4WD! We visited Mongolia in summer, and in winter the effect of permafrost (freezing of the soil) play havoc with roads especially sealed roads. It is a similar sort of phenomenon of what you might see in Canada and Alaska where sealed roads buckle and even disappear for a matter of metres, due to permafrost. In North America, there is significant road maintenance but in much poorer Mongolia it appears non-existent on some sealed (supposed) highways. It is not unusual for one or two metre wide and one-foot deep potholes to appear on what seems to be a good road. However the drivers, as they should, drive to the conditions and negotiate these hazards competently. Any vestiges of speed would easily result in a rollover so travel is slow. Mongolian drivers are very careful, and on sealed roads if you are going to pass a stationery vehicle on the side of the road, there will be an inordinate amount of tooting, as a matter of courtesy. Another side effect of permafrost appears to be the service
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stations, which seem to be on an elevated apron from surrounding land, presumably to alleviate the effects of the ground
freezing. The further we went from from Ulaanbaatar the worse the road became.
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They were unsealed, not sign posted and were quite often a combination of various chicken tracks, full of potholes, which our drivers seemed to select at random. Amazingly there did not appear to be a GPS or a map in sight! The trip runs once a year and the drivers seemed to know intuitively which track to follow. I cannot speak highly enough of our drivers Bata, Margi, Tsogo and Bilge who manoeuvred top-heavy 4WD people movers around all obstacles, crossed flooded creeks and through slippery, muddy bog holes. Many
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in the Land Cruiser Club will no doubt laugh at the vehicles used, but the skill and expertise of the drivers left nothing to be desired in terms of competency. It was simply amazing to see them and not once did they put a wheel in the wrong place. It could be that the vehicles were so heavily loaded with people and luggage that helped the centre of gravity equation, but they appeared to have stock standard suspension. Our drivers were absolutely fantastic bush mechanics and to illustrate this a broken spring was changed very quickly one lunch stop, and a sticking thermostat (5L of water in half an hour) removed and then fixed to have us on our way again! It would appear that the choice of vehicle was probably based on financial considerations by the very reputable Mongolian tour company sub contracted by Insider Journeys. They in turn sub contract to the individual drivers. There were tons of 80, 100 and even 200 Series run by other tour companies. Unfortunately (and regretfully) I only saw one Troopy - in a parking lot in the capital Ulaanbaatar. However, some Club members of the opposite inclination would be interested to know that I saw NO Nissan Patrols. RAV 4â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Klugers and Prados were in abundance, and I seem to remember ONE Nissan X-trail. Funnily enough there were a lot of Lexus vehicles four wheel and allwheel drive. It might be that all these vehicles are more available on the secondhand market? Accommodation was in Gers (or Russian Yurts), which are very clean and comfortable with traditional furniture. Instead of caravan parks you have Ger parks with central toilet blocks and showers, all pretty basic but comfortable. Gers are traditionally an impervious outer layer with felt insulation and carpet or
tapestry walls. They can be packed up (furniture included) and relocated in an hour of two. The Gers in camps were usually on concrete slabs with lino over that and outer walls were canvas but were very true to traditional Gers. Funnily enough the nomadic Gers these days quite often have a solar panel or a TV aerial hanging off them and lots of nomadic herders have mobile phones for use when they get reception! Food on the tour was not very traditional Mongolian; they appeared to be giving us what they considered western food such as sushi and crumbed chicken predominated with a lot of rice. Traditional Mongolian food is based on mutton and potatoes, sometimes cooked in a milk churn these days, and we did have some traditional delicious soups and casseroles in a couple of places. Mongolia does not have the climate for fruit or vegies, so a lot of that is imported from China or alternatively grown in hot houses.
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Overall the people we encountered were very friendly. It’s a vast country with a population a fraction the size of Melbourne and a rich and unusual culture. There are vast swathes of the country with very few people but lots of animals. I have never seen so many goats in my life; there were large mobs of sheep (nothing unusual for us Aussies!) and lots of yaks (the novelty soon wore off!). Lots of horses and to a lesser extent cows; fermented mares milk is a national delicacy and fresh yoghurt and butter/cheese is also very available. Mongolia is similar to China in a lot of ways, but with its own proud heritage (Genghis Khan and his Empire play a large part) and without millions of people. We finished the trip with a 2-day excursion to see Naddam (sort of like Moomba in Mongolia) at a small provincial town named Khatga in Northern Mongolia. It was like a country fair, with everyone dressed to the nines in both traditional and western costume. Imagine a dusty paddock at the edge of town with market and food stalls laid out around the edges, a central wrestling arena and archery competitions. There are a number of cross country horse races, which start 15 to 20km out of town with mainly bare back jockeys - kids between 6 and 10 years old. It’s all taken very seriously with ceremonial dances before and after the wrestling with participants parading in circles. Apparently there was a punch up with the police called on the last day when an owner thought he had been unfairly dealt with. Horses are trained all year for the one race, and Naddam is celebrated in different days, in different towns throughout the country. The trip was not without adventures, particularly towards the final day or two. Lake Khuuvsgul is a torturous 90 minute trip from the nearest made road, and there was only 20km to cover. The last day at Naddam it started raining and it did Melbourne justice. Basically 18 hours of more or less solid rain. The trip back to our Ger. camp that night was not without its challenges, and at one point there was a bit of a slide down a hill - masterfully
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handled by our drivers with a few prayers from us thrown in! That was at the start of the deluge, and by the next morning the route back from the Ger. camp resembled a quagmire with bog holes and creeks that had risen overnight (but not dangerously). That return trip took us two hours for the 20km, and we had been advised that our return flight from the regional capital Moron (yep spelt that way but not said like that) would not even take off from Ulaanbaatar to pick us up if it was raining! A few more prayers said but whilst it was bitterly cold and very windy it did take off, albeit two hours late! The rest of the trip home promised to be
uneventful, but we struck a minor glitch when our flight to Hong Kong was delayed by 9 hours in Beijing due to supposed bad weather somewhere between the two cities - versions varied. Despite the protestations that we would get our flight to Melbourne (we clearly wouldn’t as it left Hong Kong at the same time we left Beijing) we were fed the Chinese version of Dragon Air sandwiches for dinner, and arrived in Hong Kong at 3:00am. We must acknowledge the wonderful people at Cathay Pacific who put us up in a beautiful waterfront hotel in Kowloon, with return taxis and 3 buffet meals. We arrived back in Melbourne exactly a day late with a whole lot of unexpected sightseeing in Hong Kong and severe sleep deprivation. What a trip! Angela Di Lallo
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TRIPS
I W TRIP MANSFIELD SNO
Photos by Sarah Lilley
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PRODUCTS
ARB REMOTE FRIDGE MONITOR ARB Corporation Ltd, is pleased to announce the latest addition to their growing camping and touring range. After years of extensive research and design, the ARB Remote Fridge Monitor is set to be the next favourite camping accessory for every 4WD adventure. There’s nothing worse than arriving at your campsite after a hard day’s 4wding, only to discover the drinks you put in your fridge freezer are warm. It’s every camper’s worst nightmare. Fear this no more with the release of the ARB Remote Fridge Monitor. This monitor allows you to keep track of the temperature of your ARB Fridge Freezer from the comfort of the drivers seat Utilising clever wireless transmitting technology, the ARB remote fridge monitor displays operating conditions such as internal fridge temperature, supply voltage and compressor status of your ARB Fridge Freezer on a conveniently located backlit display for the driver to monitor whilst in
transit. Like all of ARB’s innovative products, this monitor was developed by 4WDers, for 4WDers. The monitor contains advanced wireless transmission technology, providing 30m (100ft) line of sight or 15m (50ft) of interrupted transmission range. This ensures that wherever your off road journey takes you to, you can still keep an eye on the temperature of your fridge freezer and you won’t encounter any unpleasant surprises. If you’re like most of ARB customers who carry two ARB Fridge Freezers (with the hope of one of them being filled with the catch of the day), the ARB fridge monitor can display up to two fridges with the addition of a second transmitter. Another innovative feature is the ability to change the transmission frequency so that you do not inadvertently monitor another
fridge in your convoy. Once you’re setup at camp, simply remove your ARB Remote Fridge Monitor from its quick release holder, plug in the power supply via your portable power pack, and sit back and monitor your fridge from the comfort of your camp chair, tent or caravan. www.arb.com.au
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MEMBER SERVICES DIRECTORY
ELTHAM TIMBER & HARDWARE P/L ROB DEYLEN (1622) MANAGING DIRECTOR Mobile: 0409 305 534 1175 - 1181 Main Road, Eltham Vic. 3095 Phone: 9439 5533 (All Hours) Fax: 9431 1762
miles.ppm@bigpond.com
NOTES
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