December 2013 tlccv magazine

Overland Cruisering Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia (Victoria) Inc.

A0005442c

Christmas in the Otways INSIDE > > > > >

4x4 Fit-out Day Part 1. Madigan Line Trip Report Christmas in the Otways Monster Working Bee Weekend Haunted River Trip

Registered by Australia Post Publication No. PP339119/00013 $5.00

December 2013

Guest 4WD service centre has been established since 1961 with extensive expe operating 4WD tours to some of Australia’s roughest and remotest areas. As well as general servicing and vehicle modifications, we pride ourselves on pre-trip preparation and suspension modifications to ensure customers have a trouble free 4WD adventure.

Extensive showroom

With decades and millions of kilometres of 4WD experience, we only stock the best quality accessories in our new showroom - at the best prices.

Services • 4WD service and tuning • Pre-trip inspection and advice • Suspension modification and kits • Transmission and diff repair • Pre-purchase inspection • Clutch and brake repair • 4WD tyres and wheel alignment • Dual and triple battery kits • Turbo & intercooler kits Products • Engel & Waeco 12 volt fridge freezers • Piranha off road distributors • ARB accessories • TJM accessories • Kaymar step bars and wheel carriers • Black widow storage systems • Cooper and BF Goodrich Tyres • Roof Racks • Rhino Racks • Long range fuel tanks • Electronic parking aids • Tyre repair kits • T-Van Camper trailer hire • Air compressors • 4WD maps and books • Shower units - hot and cold • Optima batteries • Lightforce, IPF, Cibie & Hella lights • HID head and drive lights • Recovery kits • 4WD tours • Safari snorkels • GME UHF radio and antennae • GPS and EPIRB • In car TV/DVD and Sat navigation

194 Grange Rd, Fairfield, Victoria 3078 Ph: (03) 9497 3899 Fax: (03) 9497 3155 email: info@guest4wd.com.au website: www.guest4wd.com.au

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER CLUB OF AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA) INC. A0005442C ABN87301244383

DECEMBER 2013 CONTENTS V VOOL LUUMME E 4 41 2 .

NNoo.. 15

Club Information

1

Committee 2013-2014

2

President’s Report

3

Over the Next Hill

5

Calendar/Coming Events

9

Haunted Stream Trip Report

13

Portland Sand Buggy Trip

19

4x4 Fit-out Day Report

20

2014 Cruiserkhana Update

21

Christmas in the Otways

23

Yarck Monster Working Bee Weekend

25

Yarck Bushfire Plan

26

ARB Air Locker

28

Part 1 Madigan Line Trip Report

29

Trading Post

32

Overland Cruisering Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia (Victoria) Inc.

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

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

A0005442c

Christmas in the Otways INSIDE > > > > >

4x4 Fit-out Day Part 1. Madigan Line Trip Report Christmas in the Otways Monster Working Bee Weekend Haunted River Trip

Registered by Australia Post Publication No. PP339119/00013 $5.00

December 2013

Main photo by Lorraine Parbury Christmas in the Otways Geelong Branch Christmas Run

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.

Overland Cruisering 1

COMMITTEE

2013 - 2014

President Ian Ross president1@tlccv.com.au

Driver Training John MIlls: driverawareness@tlccv.com.au * Driver Training Course bookings * Awareness Course certificates

Vice President Eric Bishop president2@tlccv.com.au

Yarck Management Brian Stewart yarckmanage@tlccv.com.au

Secretary Sandra Tanner secretary1@tlccv.com.au

Assistant Secretary Alan McMeekin secretary2@tlccv.com.au

Treasurer Matt Parrott

Emergency Response Coordinator Bruce Fullard tlccrg@tlccv.com.a

trips@tlccv.com.au Trip Convenor Tony Middleditch * Register a Member’s trip * Assistance in trip preparation

Raffles & Supper Gabi & Grace Azzam Karen Wade

Technical

technical@tlccv.com.au

Training Eric Bishop training@tlccv.com.au • Club training courses co-ordinator Special Events

Committee Liz Mills committee1@tlccv.com.au Committee Russell Edwards committee2@tlccv.com.au

editor1@tlccv.com.au

Magazine Editor Sandra Tanner: Advertising Sandra Tanner

advertising@tlccv.com.au

Public Relations/media Officer pr@tlccv.com.au Garry Cooper

Magazine Distribution Russell & Lesley Edwards finerprint@bigpond.com

treasurer1@tlccv.com.au

Assistant Treasurer Adriano Denni treasurer2@tlccv.com.au

Marketing Coordinator Brian Tanner marketing@tlccv.com.au

events@tlccv.com.au • Shows & special event co-ordinator

Membership Barbara Bryant membership@tlccv.com.au * Membership renewals, name badges,

u

Club Shop Graham Cahill

clubshop@tlccv.com.au

Sergeant-At-Arms Russell Edwards finerprint@bigpond.com Social Coordinator Helen & Rebecca social@tlccv.com.au * Book for participation in social events Visitor Greeters Carol & Greg Edmunds Cruiserkhana enquiries@cruiserkhana.com.au

contact detail changes Librarian library@tlccv.com.au * Borrow DVDs & books * Contributions to the Library FWDV Delegate Tony Bryant fwdvdelegate@tlccv.com.au Webmaster Laurie Miles

webmaster@tlccv.com.au

Excursion Visits Coordinator excursions@tlccv.com.au

Activities Coordinator activities@tlccv.com.au Ian Ross

GEELONG BRANCH President Matt McPhee

geelong@tlccv.com.au

Vice President Matt Lilley Secretary Jennie Harvie

secretary1@tlccv.com.au

Social Judith Williams

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.

A R E Y O U R M E M B E R S H I P D E TA I L S C U R R E N T ?

If you have recently moved, please notify 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.

2 Overland Cruisering

REPORT

PRESIDENT’S REPORTI PS

y, my, it seems that this year has come and gone so very fast. Maybe it has felt that way because it has been a very busy year for me. As much as it has been a busy year for me I also know that it has been a very busy year for the club. Something that never ceases to amaze me is the amount of work that goes on often behind the scenes.

This month for instance perhaps one of the best examples for this is the turnout that was achieved at the mega working bee. As I understand it something like 75 people attended. Wow, is the best way to sum up on that. When you consider that the average working bee gets 15-20 this is a really great result. Best part of all though is that I heard that a huge amount of work got done and everybody had a great time afterwards sharing a bite to eat etc.

Continuing on the subject of behind the scenes, cast a thought as to the set-up time that everybody puts in to setting up for each general meeting. Then of course there is Yarck management, driver training etc etc. It would be remiss of me not to also mention the time that the committee members put in each month. To give an example the average committee meeting goes for about 4 hours and then there are

M

the emails and telephone calls that follow from that.

At this meeting Adriano will be presenting a concept plan for the front car park section of the Yarck Hilton. Adriano has done a great job in putting it together. As I understand it the concept plan has been approved by Yarck management and the committee. Adriano will, at the December meeting, present the proposal to the members. I hope that you like it as has been the case thus far in the club.

After the meeting please join me at the bar to have a drink. As per usual the club will put some money on the bar. Unfortunately due to the rules of the club, we are unable to bring in food stuffs for a nibble also.

Although consideration was given to supplying some via the club, unfortunately the cost was simply unaffordable. The good news is that in the coffee lounge various nibbles etc are available for purchase.

I am pleased to report that investigation into the various options for our new interactive club web site and membership system are well under way. The sub-committee has done a great job of determining a strategy plan and I hope to be able to report back on more good progress early in

the New Year.

At each general meeting I am often approached and asked if I can allow people time to talk about various items. In the past I have done all that I can to accommodate the requests. Occasionally at times I can only allow a small amount of time as my priority is also to get through the meetings and finish on time. Can I ask that if you think you would like some time that you contact me or the secretary a few days before the meeting so that we can plan for it. On another issue, if anybody wishes to submit things to the committee please do not leave them to the last minute. Lately this has happened on a number of occasions and it causes a lot of follow up work.

Finally we are looking to fill two positions.

We are seeking a softwear (clothing) officer and a special events co-ordinator. If you may be able to assist please let the committee know.

That’s all for this month. In closing I wish you all Seasons Greetings and a very merry Christmas and a happy safe and prosperous New Year.

Ian Ross PRESIDENT

COMING EVENT

TERRAIN TAMER SITE VISIT SATURDAY 15th FEBRUARY, 2014 9:00am – 12 noon

NOT ISSED! M E B O T OW BOOK N

For an informative, interesting and perhaps challenging morning, TLCCV have been invited to the new Don Kyatt – Terrain Tamer facility at Sunshine The visit will include some time with Allan and an introduction of the premises A BBQ and opening of the new test track will be available for those wishing to try it.

Ample off street parking on premises is available.

Address: 245 Sunshine Road, Tottenham (just under the rail line)

To book, please contact Gabby at: gabby@donkyatt.com.au

The President and Executive members wish all members a safe and happy Christmas period, and look forward to your continued support in 2014 Overland Cruisering 3

CALENDAR

INFORMATION FOR TRIP LEADERS • 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

COMING TRIPS

Course (Theory & Practical) and have filled in an Indemnity Form.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 Seasonal Road Closures: Contact Parks Victoria on www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1process_content.cfm?main=9&page=2.

DECEMBER Date: Trip Leader:

ABERFELDY ADVENTURE Trip Full, waiting list only Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd December, 2013 Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : trips@zebra400.com

DEC/JAN Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment:

NYE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY Sunday 29th to Thursday 2nd January, 2014 Omeo 9:00 am 6 vehicles Medium Full tanks ex Omeo 15 UHF Vehicle in sound mechanical condition, raised suspension recommended, genuine off-road tyres with minimum 50% tread (roadd biased tyres not acceptable), full recovery equipment, compressor & tyre gauge, camping equipment, water & supplies. No trailers, pets or firearms.

Bush camping with no facilities.

A relaxed, family friendly trip over the new years period. It’s a busy time of the year so we will be base camping by a river, with time to fish,, practice your campfire skills, swim, read a book and maybe have a few half day 4WD adventures. Camping location will be confirmed close to trip date after assessing weather, etc, but will be within a half day drive of Omeo.

Adam & Olivia Takacs: Email: adam@insightproperty.com.au

Overnight: Details:

Trip Leader: JANUARY Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment:

Overnight: Details:

Trip Leader: JANUARY, 2014 Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment:

HIGH COUNTRY WANDER Saturday 11th - Friday 17th January Tom Groggin 9:00 am 6 vehicles Medium to hard Full tanks ex Corryong 15 UHF Vehicle in sound mechanical condition, raised suspension recommended, genuine off-road tyres with minimum 50% tread, full recovery equipment, closed recovery points front & rear, compressor & tyre gauge, camping equipment, water & supplies for the whole duration of the trip. No trailers, pets or firearms.

Bush camping with no facilities.

An exploratory trip starting from Tom Groggin & then working our way south & west through the High Country travelling through some well known areas & many not so well known. We will finish in the Dargo to Licola area, but the route & trip pace to get there will be flexible. There will be as little bitumen/gravel roads as possible & time to relax, fish, etc along the way.

Adam & Olivia Takacs: Email: adam@insightproperty.com.au

TANTALISING TINGARINGY - Trip full, waiting list only Saturday 25th - Monday 27th January, 2014 (Australia Day weekend) Orbost Caravan Park Saturday 8:30 am 8 vehicles Medium to hard - depending on weather conditions Full tank from Orbost UHF (initially channel 15) Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.

Overland Cruisering 5

TERRAIN TAMER parts are proudly designed and developed in Melbourne by a team with decades of engineering experience.They are produced in partnership with the world’s leading manufacturers, such as this modified input gear for the LandCruiser that we manufacture in Japan. Talk fluent 4WD with us on 1300 888 444 or visit terraintamer.com

YOU’RE IN SAFE HANDS.

CALENDAR

Overnight: Details:

Trip Leader: FEBRUARY Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment: Overnight: Details: Trip Leader: FEBRUARY Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment:

Overnight: Details:

Trip Leader: MARCH Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment: Overnight: Details:

Trip Leader: APRIL Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment:

Orbost Caravan Park on first night. Bush camping on Saturday & Sunday night.

Head north from Orbost to Mt Tingaringy driving to the summit on the NSW border. Take in the views as we head down to McKillops Bridge via the Laurie Track. On Monday we will visit the Little River Gorge before heading home.

Note: No trailers, no dogs, no cats, no firearms permitted on this trip.

Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : trips@zebra400.com SWIFTS CREEK EXPLORER - Trip full, waiting list only Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th February, 2014 Swifts Creek Caravan Park Saturday 8:30 am 8 vehicles Medium to hard - depending on weather conditions Full tank from Bruthen UHF (initially channel 15) Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.

Swifts Creek Caravan Park.

Explore the exciting 4WD tracks around Swifts Creek including the famous TVGC track.

Note: No trailers, no dogs, no cats, no firearms permitted on this trip.

Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : trips@zebra400.com JAMIESON TO WALHALLA - the interesting way!

Thursday 20th - Sunday 23rd February.

Jamieson 9:00 am 5 vehicles Difficult to very difficult Full tank ex Mansfield 15 UHF Raised suspension, good quality 33+ inch off road tyres & minimum of one diff lock required. Full recovery equipment (with winch recommended), compressor & tyre gauge, camping equipment, water & supplies. No trailers, pets or firearms.

Bush camping with no facilities.

Take an extended weekend break to explore the more challenging tracks between Jamieson & Walhalla. Mitchells Flat, Mt Sunday, Barkly River Jeep/Toomstar/Deep Creek tracks, etc and many more are on the itinerary. Finish in Walhalla.

Adam Takacs: Email: adam@insightproperty.com.au

DAVIES HIGH PLAINS ADVENTURE - Trip full, waiting list only Saturday 8th - Monday 10th March, 2014 (Labour Day weekend) Corryong or Khancoban (TBA) Saturday 8:30 am 8 vehicles Medium to hard - depending on weather conditions Full tank from Corryong / Khancoban UHF (initially channel 15) Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.

Caravan Park on Friday night (fees apply). Saturday & Sunday night bush camping.

Situated in the far NE of Victoria, we will take in the views from Mt Pinnibar to Mt Kosciuszko. We will cross the mighty Murray River before climbing up onto Davies Plain. We will visit Davies Hut & camp on the picturesque Buckwong or Limestone Creek.

Note: No trailers, no dogs, no cats, no firearms permitted on this trip.

Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : trips@zebra400.com SANDS OF WYPERFELD & VIC/SA BORDER TRACK - Trip full, waiting list only Friday 18th - Monday 21st April, 2014 (Easter weekend) Lake Hindmarsh Friday 8:30 am 8 vehicles Medium - depending on weather conditions.

145Lt capacity - full tank from Horsham - refueling at Pinnaroo if required.

UHF (initially channel 15) Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.

Overland Cruisering 7

CALENDAR

Overnight: Details:

Trip Leader: APRIL Date: Meeting Place: Time: Limit: Standard: Fuel: Radio: Equipment: Overnight: Details:

Trip Leader:

Thursday - Lake Hindmarsh CP (fees apply) - bush camping Friday, Saturday & Sunday night.

Travel through the sandy Wyperfeld National Park via Lake Albacutya, circling the Big Desert via Ross Springs. We will then travel through the ‘Disputed Country’ before crossing into SA & headingn down the Vic/SA Border Track.

We will experience the border sand dunes & some interesting bog holes before finishing in Nhill.

Note: No trailers, no dogs, no cats, no firearms permitted on this trip.

Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : trips@zebra400.com AVON RIVER ADVENTURE - Trip full, waiting list only Friday 25th - Sunday 27th April, 2014 (Anzac long weekend) Huggetts Lane, near Heyfield.

Friday 8:30 am 8 vehicles Medium to hard - depending on weather conditions.

Full tank from Heyfield UHF (initially channel 15) Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.

Bush camping - pit toilets Thursday night - no facilities on Friday & Saturday night.

4WD the Avon River to the edge of the Avon Wilderness, camping on the river’s edge. For those that wish to MTB with Heidi some interesting terrain to ride on Friday morning. The Avon River will be refreshing at the end of the day Saturday will see us heading west to take in the spectacular views from Ben Cruachan & McMillans Lookout then heading down to camp on Macalister River. Sunday we will climb up to Mt Useful before exiting the tracks near Walhalla.

Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : trips@zebra400.com

8 Overland Cruisering

CALENDAR December 21st & 22nd Dec. 29th – Jan. 2nd January 11th – 17th January 25th – 27th, 2014 February 11th Februry 15th & 16th February 20th – 23rd February 22nd February 22nd & 23rd March 8th – 10th March 11th March 15th & 16th March 22nd & 23rd April 15th April 18th – 21st April 18th

SOCIAL

COMING TRIPS Aberfeldy Adventure NYE in the High Country High Country Wander Tantalising Tingaringy Yarck Management and DA Theory Swifts Creek Explorer Jamieson to Walhalla – the interest ing way!

Rock ‘N Roll Night at Yarck Maintenance & Construction week end Davies High Plains Adventure Yarck Management and DA Theory Maintenance & Construction C/K set-up Cruiserkhana 2014 Yarck Management and DA Theory Sands of Wyperfeld & Vic/SA Border Track Good Friday - Easter

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.

April 25th – 27th May 13th May

May 24th & 25th June 10th June 14th June 21st & 22nd July 26th August 9th September October 25th November 15th

Avon River Adventure Yarck Management and DA Theory * RIOS Brazilian Theatre Restaurant, Richmond – Expressions of Interest Maintenance & Construction week end Yarck Management and DA Theory Lower Plenty Hotel Pub Night Maintenance & Construction weekend Christmas in July lunch at Fergussons Winery, Yarra Valley Chocolate Indulgence Tour *Blues Train Evening – Expressions of Interest Halloween Night at Yarck Living Legends (home of retired champion racehorses), Greenvale Picnic and Tour

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST CLOSE TUESDAY 18TH February 2014 FOR THE FOLLOWING EVENTS

1. RIOS BRAZILIAN THEATRE RESTAURANT, RICHMOND – MAY 2014 RIOS is a Brazilian carnival restaurant with an exciting evening of food, entertainment and dancing. $20 deposit per seat is required at the time of booking. When definite numbers are known, a booking will be made for a Saturday evening in May 2014. For further information see: www.riosmelbourne.com.

2. BLUES TRAIN EVENING – SEPTEMBER 2014 Blues Train Evening consists of a meal at the historic Queenscliff Railway Station followed by a musical journey on a moving steam train. Full payment is required at time of booking. When definite numbers are known, a booking will be made for a Saturday evening in September 2014.

Discounts apply for group bookings of 20 or more. For further information see: www.thebluestrain.com.au

We need sufficient numbers to make these events happen. Please register your interest as soon as possible by contacting us: Email

social@tlccv.com.au

In Person: at Club meeting in December, January or February.

TRIPS... TRIPS... TRIPS... TRIPS The Trip Convener is happy to receive suggestions or requests for the running of specific trips. If you have a place you think would make an interesting trip please feel free to make the suggestion. Include as much information as you can, e.g great camping, great views, best season, rough tracks, possible grading levels, etc.

The Trip Convener will try to match the suggestion with a Trip Leader to run it. Of course if you are already a trip leader then put it forward as a trip.

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Overland Cruisering 9

Twist and Shout ...

It’s the Fabluous Fifties and Sixties!

Six O’clock Rock ‘N Roll at “The Hilton on the Hill” at Yarck.

Saturday 22 February, 2014 from 6 o’clock onwards.

Also Construction & Maintenance Weekend Come and join us for a great night out dining and rock ‘n rolling. Let your hair down after toiling on our beautiful property.

Dancing demonstrations and basic lessons, themed music and entertainment PLUS a three-course dinner Fancy dress - 50s & 60s Rock ‘n Roll Prizes for the best dressed 50s & 60s female, male and couple.

Limited numbers so booking are essential.

Book early to avoid disappointment.

Adults: $35. Children 6 yrs to 16 yrs $15.

5 yrs and under free.

Payment is required by January, 2014 Club meeting.

BYO drinks, bowls, plates, cutlery and don’t forget your dancing shoes and Brylcream!

WE MUST KNOW YOU ARE COMING FOR CATERING PURPOSES. Email: social@tlccv.com.au Or see Helen or Rebecca at a Club Meeting 10 Overland Cruisering

SHOW AND TELL FORTHCOMING SHOW & TELLS JANUARY Don’t miss this exciting talk on “Self Drive Safaris – Africa” A unique opportunity for Australians to drive themselves on their own Safari in a 4x4, deep into the wilderness areas of Africa, but with the safety of travelling with a support vehicle. Get the adventure of doing it yourself but with the planning, bookings and routes done for you so as you get the most out of your time in Africa.

FEBRUARY Freshield Vacuum Pack System The ultimate packaging method to store and prolong the freshness and quality of your raw and cooked foods.

This will be an informative presentation on vacuum packing pre-cooked meals, saving time preparing meals after a long day driving. Increase the shelf life of your pantry items. Useful also for instantly sealing freshly caught fish, protecting valuables against water damage & sealing bearings, wheel nuts, etc. against dirt & dust.

Enjoy this talk and demonstration.

CRUISERKHANA MERCHANDISE All Cruiserkhana merchandise will be on sale at General meetings or can be purchased by separate arrangement.

Classy breathable Polo shirts and T-shirts at $35 each ($30 for kids sizes), hats at $18 and fantastic jackets at $50. Limited stocks ready to sell. Now is the time to get ready for Cruiserkhana 2014.

Special: A discount of $5 off per item if you put your name down as a marshal.

ALSO The official video of the 2013 Cruiserkhana can be purchased (needs to be preordered) for $10 and $15 if posted.

Further information at www.cruiserkhana.com.au

Thanks Many thanks to the Camping Megastore, 2/30 Leather St., Breakwater 3219 (Geelong) www.campingmegastore.com.au for providing a number of raffle prizes for the Geelong Branch Christmas Run. 10% discount available to Members.

Overland Cruisering 11

TRIPS

MYSTICAL HAUNTED STREAM - NOVEMBER, 2013

Trip Leaders: Convoy:

Laurie & Heidi Miles Peter, Phillipa & Stephanie Alexander Cameron, Daniella, Liam & Darcy Stevens James Clark Gerry & Pam Jarvis George, Natalie & Sarah Vrsecky Ryan Davies Michael Schuettke

H

Zebra Mojos Cam James Gerry Gee Iceman Rhino Michael

aunted Stream awaits: This was the first club trip Pete & I had attended so we were very excited. We decided to camp on Friday night at the Bruthen Caravan Park, as a 4.30am start from Melbourne with a toddler didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appeal to us.

We were very impressed with the beautiful grounds, showers, toilets, cooking and laundry facilities that the park provided.

100 Series TD 100 Series Petrol/Gas Prado TD 76 Series TD 80 Series Petrol 80 Series Petrol FJ Cruiser Petrol 100 Series TD

Everyone arrived by 8.30am at the park and by 9:00am we were setting off, travelling north along the Great Alpine Road for about 35km. We aired down our tyres before our drive to Stirling via the Haunted Stream track.

Pete & Heidi went off ahead on their mountain bikes and we soon followed. The rain from the previous night and previous week provided some fun, basic puddles and creeks to drive through.

Overland Cruisering 13

By morning tea and after 14kms of mountain biking (MTBing), Pete had done enough riding and jumped back into our car. However, fitness freak Heidi continued MTBing on alone all the way up to Dawson City. The rest of us enjoyed 4WDing the other 51 creek crossings of the mystical Haunted Stream, which allowed us to see some amazing scenery and have heaps of fun. The ferns and fauna in the area are stunning.

Some of the entries and exits into the Haunted Stream were made more exciting by the muddy conditions but no one ran into any trouble. We finally caught up with Heidi about 5 minutes before our lunch stop at Dawson City. A muddy and wet Heidi arrived soon after to complete her MTBing for the day.

After lunch, it was time for our final Haunted Stream crossing (No. 52). We then ascended the Boomerang Spur Track.

Parts of this track were reasonably steep and slippery at times, but again everyone managed fine. Along a tighter, more over-

grown track, some blackberries and close bushes proved a more psychological challenge for some members, as they listened to their cars being brushed by the bushes.

We then headed along Mt Baldhead, which was an open area covered in cloud and fog. It was also very pretty. We then continued down the steep Dane Track towards the Wentworth River, where we camped the night at Cams Top Place.

hastingscamping@gmail.com 14 Overland Cruisering

After tents were set up (some roof-top varieties were quicker than others), everyone mingled around the campfire until dinner.

After dinner the kids (and some adults!!) enjoyed roasting marshmallows in the fire before bed. The first day was a perfect introduction into a club tripâ&#x20AC;Ś.thanks Laurie and Heidi.

Peter & Phillipa Alexander (2600) Heading up Murdering Spur: After a wild night of partying we woke to a crystal clean morning as the sun filtered across the Wentworth River. Well, not sure about the partying as I fell asleep at the fire and woke to an empty campfire except for our trip leader making sure no-one (like me) fell into the fire.

As we packed up on Sunday morning it became clear the families with little kids were going to slow the exit a little. This worked well as the others went off for a morning walk to check out the old Cams Top Place (the old disused hut still stands).

We continued to pack up looking for that extra space that even with an 80 Series, you just do not seem to have enough room.

Peter decided to add further difficulties to

camping with the kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adventure by carrying his mountain bike inside our 80!

On returning from the walk to the hut Laurie gathered the group for the morning briefing. It was basically cross a river, up a hill, down a hill, through a few tight spots, add to the pin stripes collection, down a hill, up a hill, over the river, up and down a very steep hill and have lunch by the Dargo River.

Off we headed, meandering the Wentworth River until we came to the first steep climb.

Even though the area had a fair amount of rain over the past few days the dust appeared for the first time on the two day trip.

The climb out of the valley up Murdering Spur to about 800M was a good low 2nd climb. At the top of the hill we went through the seasonally closed gate, which appears to have been rebuilt a few times. After turning onto Birregun Rd (2WD), we re-joined the steep 4WD descent with a left turn onto the Stock Route Spur Track.

Descending to the Dargo River we had great views across the valley to the nut farm and the tracks on the other side of the

Dargo River, which we planned to drive after morning tea. With the Dargo River about at sill height, it was a nice crossing to wash out some of the mud from the Haunted Stream crossings the day before.

Morning tea was held on the bend of the Dargo River crossing, with the kids skimming rocks cross the river.

After morning tea we visited Harrisons Cutting, where in 1880 the Dargo River was diverted to allow the river bed to be sluiced for alluvial gold (similar to the one at Sheepyard Flat). It did look good for a swim, however the river was a little cool even for the nice 25 degree sunny day.

It was time to leave the Dargo River for some 4WDing up Matheson Track. From here we climbed another hill we named Mt Gooey track, but after many calls on the radio between the trip leader and Charlie we all agreed the real name was Mt Ewan Track. Now you may think the track was nice and soft, kind of gooey to drive, but unfortunately it was dusty and as hard as the black top.

We turned left at the entrance to Farm track only to find the steep descent was now closed. So we re-routed down Mt Ewan Jeep Track which required 1st low range for most of our convoy. After a quick lunch down on the Dargo River, we thanked our trip leader for an enjoyable, well planned and informative trip as we finished at Dargo.

The next interesting call on the radio (on the black top) was to advise of the short cut to Melbourne at Beverleys Road. Michael went left whilst everyone else took the short cut right. Well it would appear that the short cut only saved the convoy about 3 minutes, but it was fun for both parties to find the quicker way home.

Well done Laurie & Heidi for notching up another trip to make your 74th TLCCV club trip. A great achievement and I am sure many members have enjoyed your trips and to experience the great state of Victoria and beyond.

Cameron & Daniella Stevens (2687)

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TRIPS Trip Leader: Participants:

T/ end Charlie:

PORTLAND DUNE BUGGY CLUB TRIP Garry Cooper & Ann Pinney John Nazloomian Karen Wade & Ebony Wayne and Susan Jinks David Manz Bob & Vikki Gilchrist John & Wendy Wilson Gary Holt Greg & Carol Edmunds Gunther & Almina Scheffel Chris Bradbury & Helen Gormlie Jasmine, Maz & Fergus Bradbury Gabbi & Grace Azzam

Day One – Saturday: After a lazy start, we all attended the briefing for the day ahead. The use of snatch straps (ABBA) and safety involved was explored, sand flags fitted, tyres down, and we headed off onto the sand dunes beyond.

We did a little experimenting in the safety of the Dome. Heading off, we went down a dip, whoops. Greg’s ultimate suspension collapsed!

A lunch stop back at base to check his car, then onto increasing challenges. Baldy was calling, and the competition is on...and on…and on, success was had by many cars. Wayne had to have one more try, the 200 launched over the top of Baldy and flew 8 meters.” He can fly,” was the cry, but then work on the shovels to un-bog him from all and sundry took the shine off the flight.

The rest of the day was a continuous, fun series of success and bogs, bogs mainly belonging to Wayne. There were great photo opportunities of snatching, sand up to the chassis rail, use of sand tracks. This is what the weekend is all about.

A great day, finished around the fire with a promise of more to come.

Bob and Vikki Gilchrist (2343) Day Two – Sunday: This is our first trip with TLCCV and Wayne and I were hoping that we would love it. After a cold night we headed off about 9.30am. The sand dunes are beautiful and the view of the ocean is fantastic.

The weather was supposed to be awful but even though it's cold the sun is shining and it's beautiful out of the wind. We took our lunch with us today so we are looking forward to having a big day on the sand. We were having trouble finding the track (how Garry ever finds his way back is beyond me!) but we found some challenging dunes on the way. We found a hollow behind a sand dune for lunch which was perfect.

Most of us had a go at sand boarding down a slope - lots of laughs and digs at everybody's expense. If we thought the track getting here was challenging the way back was twice as bad. Lots of shoveling sand, winching and team work to get us all up a very difficult dune. We were all looking forward to happy hour and sitting around the fire, talking about all the great times we had during the day.

Landcruiser 79 Series Landcruiser 80 Series Landcruiser 200 Series Prado Landcruiser 76 Series Nissan Patrol GQ Landcruiser 100 Series Prado 150 Landcruiser 79 Series Land Rover Discovery 2 Landcruiser 100 Series

To Garry and everybody else's credit we have had a great time meeting new people and learning lots of new skills - a truly fantastic day thanks to all.

Wayne and Sue Jinks (2629) Day Three – Monday: After a gusty night, we woke to a calm sunny morning. We left our base camp at 10am with tyres aired up to road pressure and sand flags removed heading towards Nelson. Garry split us up into 2 convoys to make it more manageable and safe going to the Piccaninnie Ponds near Nelson. Along the main road we were overtaken by an anxious logging truck driver, I felt so much safer hammering through the sand dunes.

After a 30 minute drive across the South Australian border, we arrived at the picturesque Piccaninnie Ponds. Swimming, snorkelling and diving are popular activities in the crystal clear fresh water. However, none of us took advantage.

At Piccaninnie Ponds you can snorkel across the top of The Chasm and peer down into the dark depths below. The crystal clear waters have been slowly filtering through the limestone and forming the Pond's features over thousands of years. The freshwater rising to the surface under pressure has eroded a weakness in the limestone to form “The Chasm”, with its white walls covered in delicate green algal growth contrasting with the dark depths below.

Garry lead the convoy to the beach where we drove along the firm sand without airing down. After about 5 minutes we turned around at the Victorian border and stopped for a group shot.

Coming back the same way along the beach, we headed into the Nelson pub for lunch. Whilst having dessert - thanks to Grace - the group surprised Garry’s partner Ann with a birthday cake and some excellent singing from the group.

Overland Cruisering 19

TRIPS T L C C V F I T- O U T & F I E L D D AY

Portland Trip continued On the way back to base camp, we made a stop at a very pristine wide sandy beach called Nolan’s Rocks. A few of us collected some Pipis which we later enjoyed during happy hour.

Arriving in base camp, those 4 drivers who made it up Big Baldy the day before decided to head there again for a group photo.

We lined up on top of this giant sand mountain along the edge of the dune, climbed on our bull bars and jumped into the slope.

Great fun, really. A synchronised descent down the dunes with 4 vehicles in parallel followed. But it did not stop there, of course some of us had to climb the dune a few more times. And, to make it even more interesting, we ascended side by side. Felt like top gun stuff, I think on one occasion I was Wayne’s wing man.

Back in camp, happy hour was in full swing and turned into a party for Ann’s birthday with our younger members turning the music up and our oldies leading the way to show how good dancing looks like. It was great to see everyone having so much fun.

Most of the blokes watched the action from the sideline with a cold beer. We also had a roaring fire going to keep us all warm on this beautiful but cold night.

What a weekend it was, full credit to our trip leader Garry and also to all the participants.

Gunther and Almina Scheffel (2465)

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unday 10th November saw clear skies as everyone began to arrive at the Brighton Toyota dealership in Elsternwick. Members parked their ‘rigs’ and opened them up to show members and visitors the variety of fit outs they had achieved as Tom Rocks from Toyota set up four new four-wheel drives for visitors to view.

The range of fit outs on show was inspiring.

There was everything from innovative home-made timber and plastic drawer systems to the more expensive drawer and shelving set-ups. Roof top beds and ladders to get to them were demonstrated and bat-wing awnings pulled out.

Laurie advised members about OziExplorer mapping and Tony demonstrated UHF and HF radio techniques.

Rhys talked about camping gear and Glen gave great information on battery systems.

Brad talked all things LED and solar panels while Graham displayed recovery gear.

Sixteen members were more than willing to show off their fit outs and give useful advice.

The sausage sizzle was popular with Bernie and Garry twice calling for more supplies during the day.

12kgs of sausages, 7 loaves of bread and a large container of onions were consumed plus the tomato sauce spluttered to a halt. (We could have done with those loaves and fishes from biblical times!) Over $200 was raised for the CFA from donations, a great effort.

The kids were kept busy coloring in camping pictures for the competition to win Fourby and Ariel, kindly donated by ARB Brighton. The winners were: Sally Dowling

S

and Jade Schaffer. Highly commended were: Jazmyn De Jong, Zac Schaffer, Amy Dowling and Lucy Dowling. They received a Fourby key ring each.

Then it was time for – not only the youngsters – but the young at heart adults to try their skills at “Whack a Rat” and Tyre Quoits.

An estimate of over 100 members and visitors attended the day and all in all it was a great success. More could be done for future events to make this day bigger and better.

My thanks to all who gave up their precious time to help, they have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, so new members, take the opportunity in future to tap into this – experienced members are only too willing to help.

Bill & Jan Black Charles Norman Dulcie Watts John & Maureen Turbill Michael Martin Jeff Gazzard Alan & Gail McMeekin Laurie Miles Glen McVeigh Tony Middleditch John Mills Rhys De Jong Greg & Carol Edmunds Bernie & Claire O’Reilly Graham Cahill Paul Langenberg Garry Cooper & Anne Pinney Bradley Schaffer Paul & Annette Hawdon Paul Keyte Liz Mills (1937

Fit-Out day

Laurie helping with OziExplorer

Kids drawing

Bernies “Cafe” Bernie and Garry cook up a storm

Turbo and Charle’s rigs

John talks fit-outs and Driver Awareness

U P D AT E 2014 CRUISERKHANA C R U I S E R K H A N A 2 0 1 4 - Yo u r C l u b n e e d s y o u As all Club members will appreciate the Clubs annual CruiserKhana is a huge logistic exercise absorbing a sub committee of about ten enthusiastic Club members for most of the year.

For new members and the uninitiated, the event is a skills based family 4WD competition which has state wide prominence. In recent years a huge amount of effort has gone into building the event up and last years CruiserKhana was hugely successful with over 60 competitors and almost three hundred people to be catered for, for the Saturday night dinner. It is intended that this year’s event will be even more streamlined with a lot of small tweaks to the comp.

The event is useful also in showcasing the Club to the public and promoting inter club ties between Clubs that share our fantastic recreational interest. Good natured rivalry is abundant between the Clubs in the quest for the Inter Club trophy!

CruiserKhana for 2014 will take place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd March with a new night time event on the Friday night with fantastic prizes sponsored by national company Light Force.

Entries are now open and filling fast but the event won’t happen without atleast 100 volunteers. We have about $17,000 worth

of very generous sponsorship from some national and local companies organised and this year even the local Scouts will be providing catering on the Friday night.

However the team is not complete without: • Volunteers to prepare the property in the preceding working bees to the event. And to clean up afterwards!

• Lead marshals and individual event marshals.

• Kiosk personnel and the cooks for Saturday night catering.

• Gate Keeping and Car parking personnel.

• Event promotion and raffle ticket selling.

• Photography and post event article preparation.

• Odd job people and runners to get the event results to the scorers.

• We also rely on a whole lot of specialised people such as first aiders, recovery personnel, an MC and water carriers.

We rely on ALL these people to make CruiserKhana run smoothly and to state the obvious the MORE volunteers we get, the MORE the load is spread and the MORE time volunteers get to wander round and just enjoy the weekend when they are not rostered on!!!! This year there will also be some marshals prizes for the best marshal for each event!

So what do you need to do?

The first thing is to fill out a volunteers form which will be available on line and at Club meetings soon - for rostering and catering purposes we need to know by 1st March at the latest. Those members that arrive without prior notice will need to pay entrance fees! We would prefer that volunteers arrive early, preferably by Friday night and certainly by 7am at the latest on the Saturday. Camping is free in certain designated areas around the property (hut area will be for competitors and associated spectators.) All that you need to do is to pay a nominal amount for the Saturday night 3 course dinner and bring all your camping stuff! For those that may prefer there is off site more up market accommodation in the local area!

Thank you so much to all those members that have already been “accosted” and “volunteered”!!!!!!!!!!! We cant run the event without you! However we need plenty more of you and the sooner we know the better!

Angela Di Lallo for the CruiserKhana sub committee.

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22 Overland Cruisering

TRIPS

C H R I S T M A S I N T H E O T W AY S

20th – 22nd September, 2013 Participants were: Matt & Sarah Lilley, Darren & Rachel Russo, Monica & Phil Coleman, Kelvin Connors, Ian & Jan Wells (Connor Griffin & Lachlan Griffin, temporary members), Andrew & Lorraine Parbury, Brian & Sandra Tanner, Matt & daughter Abby McPhee, Bill Miller and Fran Kettle.

The Geelong Branch Christmas trip through Otway National Park was my first with TLCCV. Members had travelled from as far away as the Grampians and Mornington Peninsula to join in. We met the participants at the Forrest Caravan Park Saturday morning.

After a check to ensure each vehicle’s UHF was on the “air” and with the strategic placement of lesser experienced drivers interspersed with the more experienced drivers, in the convoy, we were off.

We travelled along unsealed roads passing pine plantations, beef cattle, sheep and lambs in tremendously lush paddocks.

Overland Cruisering 23

Kelvin became bogged on a number of occasions - but he wasn’t alone!

travelled along unsealed roads passing pine plantations, beef cattle, sheep and lambs in tremendously lush paddocks. We drove on into the bush, the vehicles at the front of the convoy sighted crimson rosellas, kangaroos, a wallaby and everyone stopped to enjoy the sight of a mother koala with a joey in her pouch. People were keen to share their observations so that everyone might see them and enjoy.

There were no sightings of the Otway panther!

The wildflowers were abundant and colorful. We sighted evidence of strong wind damage with lots of trees and branches lying on the forest floor. Lucky for us, the weather had provided a lovely fine, calm day. As we travelled along Jarosite track, a trivia question about Jarosite came over the UHF. Whilst travelling along Neck track we had to wait, for a tree felled across the track to be cleared by a fellow collecting

24 Overland Cruisering

firewood. We stopped for a picnic lunch on Mahers Road, providing a chance for the group to intermingle and chat. A group of horse riders, one on a draft horse, rode past and a small group of trail bike riders stole the silence of the bush momentarily.

After lunch our team leader took us to a “more challenging” track, the Newcombe Spur track. We followed convoy procedure, very safely ensuring each driver had negotiated the decline, or progressed successfully through the greasy, muddy section, and then alerted the following driver it was safe to advance. Wise advice was generously given as to which side of the muddy puddles to pass, or when to apply some “curry.”

Also potentially treacherous hazards were alerted such as ditches, protruding rocks, or more trail bike riders on the track. We kept an eye in the rear view mirror to ensure our fellow travelers were still following.

We were cruising steadily, when an announcement on the radio confirmed we had a vehicle bogged. Most people got out to assess the situation. There was wise helpful encouraging advice offered as to how the stuck driver might move free.

Eventually the use of rescue equipment was deemed necessary. A snatch strap was applied and with a good rev of the motor from the tow vehicle, the bogged vehicle was pulled free. The next vehicle attempted to pass through the bog hole, but alas, was unsuccessful too. In all, four vehicles had to be assisted through that keep mud hole. It was great to see such camaraderie and team support and fun to hear the teasing about the performance of the various makes of vehicles.

With an announcement that tail end Charlie had gotten through, we were off again. The challenges continued, next time a steep, greasy hill. Again the TLCCV community spirit came to the fore with people assisting, supporting and encouraging the drivers through. After a few more challenges we made it to the “hard top” again.

All vehicles were covered in the evidence of a challenging day driving through the Otway clay.

That evening we all congregated at the Forrest Wonky Donkey pub for dinner and drinks.

Alison Williams and Yvonne Connors also joined us. A Christmas raffle was held, with prizes very generously donated by: Twin pack of wine – Jennie Harvie; Wind up radio & torch – Jennie Harvie; Bottle of wine – Wonky Donkey Pub; ARB snatch strap, cap & Stubby holder – ARB Geelong; ARB chair – ARB Geelong; 2 x sleeping bags & self-inflating King/Single mattress – Camping Mega Store in Breakwater, Geelong Some of the group headed off home after dinner, and others stayed overnight at the Caravan Park and made their way back home Sunday via the Great Ocean Road.

I was really impressed with the degree of safety and caution exercised by all the drivers. The team members’ willingness to share their knowledge and experience was a pleasure to witness. Thank you to team leaders Matt & Sarah Lilley and President Matt McPhee for researching and organizing the day. Also thanks to all TLCCV members for making the day so memorable.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and safe Christmas.

Fran Kettle (356)

YA R C K

I PMSA I N T E N A N C E A N D C O N S T R U C T I O N W E E K E N D

23rd & 24th November, 2013 his certainly was a monstrous weekend. By Friday evening there were already more members there than any other maintenance weekend this year great! Saturday morning there were even more.

There were teams out clearing fallen trees and removing scrub from behind the main camping area. Another team preparing for gravel down the side of the hut and the small amphitheatre next to the path to the toilet. All the Nature Walk numbers were repainted. The garden areas were cleaned up, some pruning done and a number of new plants put in. Grassed areas down Garvey’s Gully were slashed or mowed.

Other camping areas were Whoopsy-Do. The Batchelor Pad and Caravan Parking and the check-in area at the second gate all had improvements done.

The Hilton had a clean-up, three old couches were disposed of (no we don’t need any more). The outside posts and beams were sanded and repainted and the shade cloth blinds cleaned. A hat and coat rack made with old railway spikes is now on the wall under the veranda at the front. Guttering on the hut and toilet was cleaned and the water catchment pipe system flushed out.

The taps and plumbing system were checked and serviced and water pumped.

Electrical system checked and the path solar lights brought back into service.

Scrub was cleared back on a number of areas along the main access track, there is still quite a bit more to be done. The boundary fences were checked and fallen trees removed.

Competition Area. Grass was mowed mainly around the Bus Stop and where the slasher can’t get to. Tree guards and garden stakes were gathered up. The area should look great by C/K . Repairs to some events and improved viewing pad at the Water Crossing. A number of thistles were given a good spray.

Bush Hut. Another team here were able to move the poles to the site and get them all standing in position, impressive. It was a great effort by everyone.

Special thanks to Angela and Annie for their contribution in organising such a fantastic BBQ feed on Saturday evening and then lunch on Sunday. A great finish to a big year at Yarck.

Members present were, Neil Chambers – Trajco Vilarov – Adriano Denni – Ted Gray – Brian Stewart and Glenys Wilkinson – Peter Burchall – Dave White Garry Cooper and Anne Pinney – Paul Keyte – Andrew Bock – Dulcie Watts – Robert and Julie Harrington – Garry Holt – Eamonn and Libby King – Mac Redfern Annie McGennisken and Derek Bardsley – Graham & Sue Dart Ken Hildebrand and Jan Chivers – Peter,

T

Pip and Stephanie Alexander - Greg Edmunds – David , Carly & Luke Miles – Walter & Maria Denni - Paul Langenberg – Tony & Barbara Bryant – Tony Campanale – Geoff Berry, Rocky & Marie Rowland – Ray Colban and Di Barry – Sue Bland Angela DiLallo – Alan Whitefield – John & Wendy Wilson – Shane Bacon – Slawko Kulyk & Rebecca Schlosmacher – Fred Bell and Margaret Wastell – Colin & Chris Low – John Nazloomian & Karen Wade – Phil Ryan - Robert Karkut – Ian & Helen Penman – Bill Motschall – Brad Schaffer & family – Tony Dowling & family.

Thanks to all of you for making it a great weekend, and in particular the regular participants throughout the year. We have achieved plenty.

One item that needs to be addressed is CAMPFIRES at Yarck.

The “no fires” sign at the second gate is a

Yarck Management responsibility and was brought in during the summer droughts to lower our fire risk. It would be hoped that members would be responsible enough to be in control of their campfire.

Following discussion with CFA and the Murrindindi Shire regarding campfires, the policy on the TLCCV property at Yarck shall be (subject to Executive Committee approval).

“Campfires in the open in dedicated fire places can be used for cooking and warmth at any time during the year provided it is not a day of Total Fire Ban. All fires to be extinguished before leaving the site.”

On behalf of the Yarck Management team I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very safe and happy New Year.

Brian Stewart (340) YARCK MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR

Overland Cruisering 25

YA R C K BUSHFIRE PLAN AT YARCK The Toyota Land Cruiser Club does not recommend a “Stay and Defend” plan.

Infrastructure on the property can be replaced.

FIRE DANGER PERIOD [November – May] It is members’ responsibility to listen to radio news reports each evening during the Fire Danger Period for advice on the possibility of fires. Also be up to date with any declaration of Total Fire Ban Days.

Yarck is in the NORTH CENTRAL FIRE BAN DISTRICT - 149 Rennies Lane, GOBUR It is recommended that members leave the property the day before a declared Total Fire Ban day or very early in the morning of a Total Fire Ban day Members should not go to the property during any Total Fire Ban day.

EVACUATION • Those present will select one person from their number to take charge, • The issue of evacuation during an emergency must be addressed early in the planning.

• Evacuation can be extremely dangerous unless it takes place well in advance of the fire hazard entering the general area of the camp. Roads may be blocked with fallen timber and visibility reduced by thick smoke.

• Increased pressures on emergency services may make it difficult for them to render assistance.

• Evacuation should only be done via the

26 Overland Cruisering

BUSHFIRE PLAN main access track to Rennies Lane and the Gobur –Yarck Road.

REFUGE • There are NO bushfire proof shelters on the property.

• If a fire incident occurs and members cannot leave the property, then the Hut could possibly be used as a “safer place” to provide protection from radiant heat. It should be made as fire safe as is practical.

• Wet towels to be placed under doors to prevent embers entering.

• There is running water inside; there are knapsacks and fire extinguishers.

Other equipment to have on hand should include.

• A battery operated am/fm radio and P2 filter masks.

• UHF radios left on – mobile phones – torches – first aid kits – drinking fluids.

• Clothing - it is advisable to have long trousers, long sleeved shirt and sturdy footwear. Gloves and hat are also useful.

The wearing of shorts, dresses, thongs or any synthetic fabrics is totally unsuitable.

• Be prepared for smoke and embers that may enter the building. After the fire front has passed check outside and extinguish any burning embers or fires around the hut.

• All vehicles should be parked on bare ground, facing towards the exit with all doors and windows closed and keys in the ignition. DO NOT BLOCK OFF ANY ACCESS TRACKS. ALARM. A distinctive alarm signal should be used, a simple manual device such as the triangle hanging in the tree outside the

hut or the electronic device near the radios in the hut.

PANIC. This is something that can well be done without. Anyone showing signs of panic should be kept under some form of supervision, and provided with reassurance and prevented from doing anything rash.

COMMUNICATION and CONTACTS Phone: 1800 240 667 for Bushfire information.

000 only to report a fire.

Alexandra Fire Station Phone 0357721855 Yarck Fire Captain Phone 0357734334.

Mobile: 0439 656 913.

ABC radio AM band 774 Local Radio Station (Alexandra) UGFM 106.9 (an official emergency broadcaster) GPS coordinates of the Yarck Hilton are: Lat Long Lat = South – 37 deg 2 min 54 sec Long = East – 145 deg 35 min 11 sec UTM Zone 55H Easting – 374295 Northing - 5898825 Websites www.abc.net.au\emergency www.cfa.vic.gov.au A Bushfire Survival Kit is located on the notice board behind the hut door.

It is available for members to read and return it.

Progress report on the new bush hut.

Pix Colin Low â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grubbyâ&#x20AC;? the digger driver opened up a new track and cleaned up scrub

David Manz took these two contrasting photos at a recent Yarck working bee.

Overland Cruisering 27

PRODUCTS

ARB AIR LOCKER he ARB Air Locker has been internationally synonymous with traction since 1988, becoming the mainstay traction aid for 4WDers, dirt racers, rock crawlers and government agencies around the world.

Never satisfied with the achievements of yesterday, ARB has remained focussed on evolving the Air Locker design into an even more superior product. As a result, ARB is celebrating 25 years of innovation with new features such as forged gears, timed gearing and a two piece design, along with launching a new logo and industry leading 5 year warranty.

Forged gears, which deliver increased load carrying capacity and strength, are typically found in the most demanding applications, including heavy duty industrial, commercial, race car and agricultural transmissions. In the Air Locker, the phenomenal amount of force applied to the gears means that their strength, durability and fatigue resistance is paramount, and so forged gears have been implemented across the range.

When combined with ARB’s patented ‘timed gear’ design, the resulting strength of the whole assembly is amplified. Simply put, timing the gears ensures that no matter when the Air Locker is activated, the gear teeth will always ‘lock’ into predetermined positions that offer the greatest surface area between the gear teeth. This ensures that optimal locking strength is

T

COMING EVENT A factory tour of ARB is planned for 19th March 2014. Details to be confirmed in the New Year.

28 Overland Cruisering

achieved every time the Air Locker is activated.

Housing this superior internal gear train in a two piece case brings further benefits.

Machining a case from two pieces instead of three results in a much higher dimensional accuracy of the finished assembly.

Eliminating the smaller cylinder cap as a separate part and switching the air entry to the crown wheel side of the differential not only adds huge strength, but also allows ARB to refine the locking mechanism design, eliminate the need for an internal annular piston, and lock the side gear directly to a redesigned high strength flange cap. In addition, this also allows the locking ring to reside closer to the splined side gear, considerably reducing actuation and disengagement time.

ARB’s Air Locker division, based in Melbourne, utilises the latest arsenal of software programs, including Solidworks, CAD and Cosmos, in the development of all Air Lockers. The lengthy design process involves countless hours of testing using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), which allows the engineers to subject each Air Locker design to ‘virtual’ off road driving simulations which are impossible to replicate in the real world.

Prototypes are then fitted to 4WDs that operate in the harshest environments imaginable, including Outback NSW, the Flinders Ranges and Victorian High Country. Some prototypes are sent internationally to be put through their paces in extreme off road racing events like the iconic King of the Hammers in the Southern California desert.

ARB Air Lockers are all manufactured in a world class, aerospace standard machine shop in Melbourne. Utilising aerospace grade materials and state of the art machinery, the facility ensures that the Air

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For more information or details of the stockist nearest you, head to www.arb.com.au.

TRIPS

PART 1. MADIGAN LINE - AUGUST 2013

Camp 20 Kuddaree Waterhole

Trip Leader: Don Bryant & Ken Fischer Participants: Harry King & Alan Stewart John & Nicki Lee David & Sue Hooke Alby Littlepage & Julie Maclean Ken Ribbons & Diana Morgan Ground Charlie: Dinah Bryant

100 Series 100 Series 100 Series Troopy 79 Series 100 Series (petrol)

hile we met at Coward Springs and travelled together on the Oodnadatta Track and through Witjira National Park, this report focusses only on the main purpose of the trip, i.e our drive across the northern Simpson Desert on the Madigan Line.

16 August: After a great meal and social night our six vehicles led by our esteemed trip leader left Mt Dare to follow Cecil Madigan’s trek of 1939. Firstly onto Binns Track which, for a way, followed the Finke River. A narrow, sandy track and very picturesque. Past McDills Bore we crossed over the Finke – although not noticeable as a river. We drove north to Peebles Bore – stopping briefly for morning tea – and on past Andado Station. At this stage the wind was picking up and dust was being blown everywhere. We arrived at Old Andado Station, originally the home of Mac and Molly Clarke, where Molly lived on after Mac passed away until ill health forced her move to Alice Springs. While at the station, Molly had allowed tourists to

W

camp, even cooking meals for them. The homestead remains virtually as Molly left it, furniture, groceries, clothing, radio, telephone (still connected and usable with an appropriate donation), vehicles, etc. It is now looked after by volunteers and the owners of the nearby Andado Station, not that anyone was there when we visited.

After lunch sheltering from the wind and dust in various quarters of the property, we headed north. Along the way, we met up with a station hand from Andado who offered to fire up the boiler for us at Old Andado had we wanted to camp there the night. However, our intentions were to keep moving. After a chat regarding camping possibilities, we continued on to North Bore through very dry country with barren, low rolling sand ridges. We entered Mac Clarke Conservation Reserve where one of very few growths of Waddy Trees (Acacia Peuce) now remains. Despite maps showing tracks passing through the Reserve, it was necessary to retreat back through the gate at North Bore and follow

the fence line going east. At East Bore, we found a place to camp in an old river bed.

This site would have been quite pleasant had it not been for the wind which continued blowing quite strongly until well into the night.

The gusts and the wild camel noises from the direction of Harry’s swag made it difficult to sleep.

17 August: Alby was unable to start his vehicle this morning – so many hi-tech gadgets to charge, and a fan left on. Towed into life, we finally set off for Camp 1.

The actual site of Madigan’s Camp 1 is not on the regular track driven by Madigan travellers these days. The marker originally located at that site was moved – for reasons now unclear – to what is referred to as Camp 1A, which is on the regular track.

Many travellers no longer visit Camp 1 – or if they do, they drive in and out from Camp 1A. Our intention was to drive directly there from East Bore. Our Trip Leader had determined from internet forums that there was some form of track travelling north from East Bore along a fence line. There were indeed three possible tracks that Don investigated on first arriving at East Bore; but he had found that these all appeared to join into one. This was clear and easy to follow for a way, but when it began to divert away from the direction of Camp 1 we decided to simply follow our GPS and travel across country through the desert. It was not difficult travelling, although Don suffered a tyre problem that did not become apparent for several hours.

Overland Cruisering 29

On arriving in the swale in which Camp 1 supposedly existed, there was no clearing or any obvious marker. We could see faint tracks leading out the other side of the swale which we presumed (and subsequently proved) were leading to Camp 1A. At first, we couldn't locate the precise whereabouts of the first marker but Don followed his GPS like a bloodhound, to the point where he thought Camp 1 must have been. His co-traveller, Ken, who was closer to the ground in any case, spotted an old tent post lying on the ground. To this was attached a piece of canvas binding marked ‘Camp 1’.

There were also two Eclipse mint tins containing dull but briefly diverting messages from travellers who'd visited the spot since 2008. Fantastic, we had found it! We added our autographs, firmly replanted the tent post marker and then headed off to Camp 1A. For future reference, a good joke or two brought by everyone wouldn’t be amiss, since we were forced to endure some off contributions by ‘Radio DK’ hosted by Kenny Gee as DJ. At Camp 1A, we inspected the marker – badly scratched by people to add the ‘A’ suffix to the camp number. We also celebrated Ken’s birthday with a cake carried

by Don for the purpose.

Now back on the main track we continued north, diverting to Camp 2 and The Twins (two adjacent hills identified by Madigan in his book). Along the way, Don was notified by an alarm from his tyre pressure monitoring system that he had a leak in his front left tyre caused by a small stake picked up earlier on the way into Camp 1. This was duly plugged at The Twins and proved to be the only tyre problem encountered by all of our vehicles during the entire Madigan crossing. While visiting this area, Don asked everyone to remain on the track taken by previous travellers, and not to remove any aboriginal artefacts should any be discovered. Although not within the Aboriginal Trust for which we had a permit, there is some aboriginal cultural concern regarding this area.

After taking a break for lunch, we left The Twins and headed out to re-join the main track. This track, we understand, is a ‘drilling road’ – not on any of our maps – which passes into the Pmere Nyente Aboriginal Trust to Colsons Track within the vicinity of Camp 5. We were told by a person at Mt Dare that this drilling road continues past Colsons Track, out of the Trust, swings south east and then further to the south. It was not clear where it went. Our permit allowed us to drive this route into the Trust, eliminating the need to take the cross-country route via the ‘Pivot’ and ‘Crossing’ across the Hale River flood plain and then NE to Camp 6, as has been the path necessarily taken in the past when not permitted in the Trust area. While we were able to drive through the Trust, we were still not permitted to visit Camps 3 and 4, much to John’s irritation. However, there being conflicting information in our permit docu-

30 Overland Cruisering

Convoy at foot of Geosurveys Hill mentation about Camp 5, and because we were within a few hundred metres, we did visit this site. Rather than proceeding down the Colson Track as marked on our permit map, we took the original and still well used route directly east from Camp 5 towards Camp 6.

Our travel was through swales and over ‘sand ridges’ (as named by Cecil Madigan, because he did not consider them dunes).

Sue and Nicki identified (much to Alan and Harry’s irritation) wattle in bloom, potato plants, poached egg flowers, everlasting daisies, wild stock, native daisies, corkwood, bloodwood eucalypt and parrot pea.

Jokes in poor taste were made when Alan tried to look for parrot pee.

As the trip progressed it was felt that mushrooms consumed at lunch breaks were responsible for the high spirits of certain members of the group.

As we travelled, some of us were reading ‘Crossing the Dead Heart’ by Cecil Madigan to trace our journey. Highly recommended as it chronicles in a very readable way the who, what, why, when, where and how of the crossing in 1939. (Copies available on ebay.) Madigan had a great sense of humour.

We found a camp with a good supply of timber in the vicinity of a very dry Illogwa Creek. On the way up to Mt Dare, Alby had denuded the Old Ghan of several sleepers in case we were taken short. These rattled about for several days on the back of his truck; but were not necessary this night as there was plenty of dead wood available. A pair of grey falcons nesting in a tree near our camp site, and a lone dingo howling mournfully around dinner time, was a welcome distraction for some. The day ended around a convivial fire, after some warming reds and a single malt. Several malts and one under seventeen year old to be precise. One of Alby and Julie’s two chairs collapsed under the weight of a substantial dinner. Harry kindly supplied a milking stool for Alby the Amish member of the group, and that’s where he typically sat for the remainder of the trip, anaesthetised by Shiraz, maintaining the desert theme.

18 August: After a wind-free night – chilly now that the skies were clear – we set off at 8.30 heading for Camp 6. We soon arrived at what was presumably also a Drillers Road which Don had been told was perhaps an easier but longer route to Camp 6. It would re-join the track to the right which disappeared up over a dune

and which also lead to Camp 6. We felt the right hand track looked more interesting and challenging so we took the road less travelled – thankfully, as the better road did not re-cross the track to Camp 6. It is not clear where it went, and was not marked on any of our maps.

As is the case for each camp site, a yellowpainted star picket marks the actual site of Madigan’s camp. On each picket is a small oval shaped plate bearing the camp number. These were placed across the Madigan Line by Owen Correa Outback Expeditions in 1994. We made our stop at Camp 6 and, as became our routine, photographed the marker, and took a short break.

The track proved to be a pleasant sandy track with the dunes getting steeper as we approached the section between Camps 6 and 7. We soon arrived at Camp 7, quite unprepossessing but flat country.

For most of the way we had been following dingo tracks which soon revealed a live dingo at the top of a ridge and close to the smell of an old camel that had gone into the great oasis in the sky a matter of weeks or days before.

As we shifted deeper into the desert, tracks of small rodents and lizards appeared in the sand and scat of camel and the ubiquitous dingo. Each swale harboured new plants in flower, mainly cassia. We found a verdant and flat spot for morning tea and found dingo scat in the area. Scat identification had become serious business, initiated by Nicki and Sue, who had a serious interest in the freshness and texture of the material, just short of tasting.

Don was aware of a potential camp site between Camps 7 and 8 which we located at approximately 1.30pm. As there were no more good sites expected between here and where we would possibly turn off to Geosurveys Hill shortly after Camp 8, we decided to take an early break, set up camp for the day, and perhaps attempt Geosurveys Hill tomorrow.

The tracks so far were clean and well travelled and nowhere near as treacherous as we'd anticipated, but what would tomorrow bring.

We made temporary repairs to Alby’s chair but sitting in it had a detrimental effect on the spine and, more importantly, created great difficulty holding a wine glass and drinking from it. The angle forward was bordering on the acute.

19 August: At 8.30 we broke camp on

the whistle. . Demon John, distracted by the power of his whistle, got stuck on the first dune. Ken called it ‘too casual.’ 20 minutes later we arrived at Camp 8.

Sparsely vegetated, dingo and camel scat and tracks indicated previous visitations.

There was some interesting discussion as to the origin of camel scat (descendants of Madigan's camels were ruled out as Afghan cameleer, Jack Bejah, would never have allowed any roaming of camels).

We carried on along the main Madigan Line. In the next swale, Tracker Don spotted a message on a bottle beside a track heading off to the south. Written with a permanent marker on the side of a drink bottle filled with sand and propped up in a shrub, the message indicated that previous visitors had found that this track missed Geosurveys Hill by 1.3km. It was not clear as to whether they had reached their destination or gave up trying. Don had a waypoint for a track that left the Madigan just over the next dune. So he went on alone to check that out. There was a track there but it simply went a short way to what had obviously been a camp site used on a number of occasions in the past. Don then returned back over the dune to the rest of the party.

On the basis that we were ahead of schedule – because of the drilling road taken a couple of days earlier – were all wellplaced for fuel, and our vehicles were still in good shape, we decided we would take

this track south to see if we could reach Geosurveys Hill.

Progress was slow. The track was rough, with our vehicles rocking and pitching over moguls. 48 km and four hours later including a brief tea break, we reached a spot where our GPS told us we were to the east of Geosurveys Hill and going past it.

Furthermore the track appeared to be petering out. It may have been that this track originally provided access to old shot lines located away to our south, and/or to a spot known as the Geographical Centre of the Simpson Desert. There appeared to be no side track off to the west going to Geosurveys Hill. While pondering our situation, we took a lunch break. Ken R and Dave and Sue managed to climb up the adjacent sand dune but found the going very difficult. Furthermore, from the top, they still couldn’t see the hill, although we had glimpsed it several times earlier in the day. We didn’t know how many dunes we would have to climb to get to it. As climbs from the eastern side of the dunes are generally harder (and there were three potentially difficult dunes we would have to climb on our way back), we decide to backtrack approximately 5km to the first of those difficult dunes and then try to travel cross country to a swale giving us visibility of the hill. This we did and so blazed ‘Don's Track’. We found this involved one further climb, difficult but achievable on firm sand for the lead vehicle but very difficult for

others once the track was chopped up.

Snatches for several vehicles were needed, with a triple snatch for the sleeper-laden 79 series. Once we could see the hill, we simply navigated directly to it. At 4.30 pm we finally circumnavigated Geosurveys Hill but could see no evidence of other tracks leading in or out of the area.

We climbed the hill on foot and located evidence of previous visitors in a visitor’s box holding an exercise book with notes and autographs.

The country was rough with moguls, and overgrown, and not particularly suitable for camping so we made our way back towards the Madigan line. En route, Don broke a torsion bar anchor arm (as he previously had on a Canning Stock Route trip). This meant there was effectively no suspension on the front left of the truck, with that side of the vehicle riding down on the bump stop. Still we pressed on – a worrying event and an uncomfortable ride.

With light fading we eventually found a relatively clear area beside the track to pitch our tents. A lively night after a hard day ensued.

The second part of this comprehensive and interesting report will follow in the next issue of Overland Cruisering.

Overland Cruisering 31

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