File - Summit Trax 4wd Club Inc.

DECEMBER 2013
SUMMIT TRAX 4WD CLUB
THE PEAK OF 4WDRIVING
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
2
3
PRESIDENTS REPORT
ABOUT
SUMMIT TRAX
Well the last 3 months have
gone by so quickly and it is
again time for me to write
another presidents report.
Over the last few months we
have a few trips, starting with
Palmer Come n Play where
we had a fantastic turnout of
club members and a couple
of guests. I know that many of
us tested ourselves out and
some came out with a few new
dents.
We then had the Fishing,
Boating and 4wd Adventure
show, where we were able
to introduce ourselves to a
large number of people and
I think we found out that our
club already has a very good
reputation from 4wders.
There was the Club Christmas
trip to Southend where
everyone had fun in the sand,
and I hear that there were a
few recoveries needed. A place
that we definitely have to go
back to next year.
Finally the YP trip last
weekend, where I heard that
a good time was had by all.
I’m looking forward to the
planned trips next year,
starting with the Victorian High
Country at the start of January.
I would like too wish you and
your families a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New
Year.
See you all in 2014
Toni Cox
Summit Trax President
Summit Trax 4WD Club Inc. is
a 4WD club which formed to
primarily service the Adelaide
Hills and foothills areas,
Fleurieu, Murraylands and
Mallee areas SA.
However, we also welcome
prospective members from
further afield. In fact we
even have some interstate
members.
We are a club for 4WD
enthusiasts who enjoy the
more challenging aspects
of this recreation, while
incorporating responsible
driving, travelling and camping
in this great country.
SUMMIT TRAX 4WD Club Inc.
Postal address: PO Box 594,
Littlehampton, SA 5250
T: 0435 017 879
E: [email protected]
Summit Trax is an affiliated
member of the SA Association
of 4WD Clubs, and as
such, promotes responsible
4WDriving activities with
skills development and driver
training.
Our Club has a number
of members who have
achieved Basic and Advanced
4WDriving certificates and is
fortunate to have a few, who
are also accredited driver
trainers and assessors with
the Driver Training Unit of
SAAFWDC. Much of our skills
development is field-based,
as we use our many and
varied trips as opportunities to
Club Headquarters:
Anembo Park Sports &
Recreation Association
Clubrooms
Princes Highway,
Littlehampton, SA
educate our members in reallife situations as they arise.
Our club is family orientated
and open to all 4WDrivers of
all levels of experience, all
types of 4WD vehicles, all
ages, genders and abilities.
We welcome visitors and run
annual Come and Try events
so that potential members can
experience first hand what we
are about.
Meetings held: 4th Thursday
of each month at 7:30pm
3rd Thursday in December
(due to Xmas)
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
INTRODUCE
YOURSELF
Name:
Trev and Sue Manning,
written by Trev.
I was born in Hindmarsh,
Adelaide in 1951, the youngest
of 4 children. In 1957 the
family relocated to Birdwood
and built a home on 2.5 acres.
In the same year, Sue and twin
sister Leanne, were born at
Angaston, also the youngest of
4. I attended Birdwood Primary
and High School and played
local sport while the family
developed a dairy farm on the
land just out of the township.
1964 saw my Dad start a
refrigeration and electrical
business in Birdwood. Mean
while, Sue was attending
Angaston Lutheran Primary
School and later, Nuriootpa
High School.
In 1968 I left school and
started an apprenticeship
under the guidance of my
Dad and received recognition
for my achievements as
Refrigeration Apprentice of the
year in 1970. Further study
eventually would see me
obtain further trade certificates
in Electrical, Plumbing and
Gas fitting. Our business
was already specializing in
the Dairy Industry. Mean
while, Sue and Twin, Lea
were training in Nursing at
Gawler Hospital and Sue then
started Nursing at Mt Pleasant
Hospital.
My family had a strong
connection with sporting clubs
and the Rural Youth Movement
and I found great fun in
debating teams and other
public speaking competitions.
Football, tennis, basketball
were my strongest sports but
a knee injury in the early 70’s
saw me involved in sport from
a sports training point of view.
Sue was playing basketball
and the social scene but it was
Sue’s profession and sport that
brought us together. A split lip
from a cricket ball, a gorgeous
nurse, a doctor who had to
stitch it twice and a first date at
Rowley Park, dirt track racing,
saw the start of our lives
together.
4
5
Married in 1978, Toni was born
in 1981 and her sister, Danni
in 1982. We had built a home
in Talunga St. Birdwood but
our attachment to houses was
never great. The next 30 years
would see us sell, renovate,
and built a total of around 6
houses, all in Birdwood. Mean
while, Sue continued to work
as a nurse and I worked with
my Dad until he retired but
was still running Manning’s
Refrigeration and Electrical
until I “retired” in July 2013.
Toni and Danni’s involvement
in sport and school, saw us
both involved in all aspects
of their lives which included
officers of clubs, umpiring and
fund raising. Little Athletics
was a major involvement with
both girls staying until age
prohibited their membership
but it introduced me the
“Come and Try” days.
In my now “semi retired”
occupation, I hope to challenge
myself with some other “off
road” areas of Australia,
continue to enjoy having Grand
Kids, get some fishing in, and
probably in the near future,
change houses again.
Both the girls attended
Birdwood Schools and would
both go on to successfully
study at Flinders Uni. Early in
the girls’ lives, I was suckered
into membership of a local
hospital board and stayed for
24 years including many as
Chairman. Recently someone
thought to recognize my
stupidity and I was awarded an
OAM. Sue redirected her work
into the area of Aged Care and
has now clocked up 20 years
of specializing in that area.
Another early family
connection saw me involved in
CFS and I clocked up 35 years
of involvement before retiring
some years ago. It was in
CFS that I first encountered 4
wheeled driving in the form of
a Fire Truck and involvement
with both Ash Wednesday
bushfires and many other fires
had me behind the wheel of
overloaded and under powered
4WD trucks in the Adelaide
Hills. The outdoors, fishing
and shooting have always
been my passions so to join
Toni at Summit Trax some
6 years ago, was always an
easy choice. Sue is a reluctant
camper but has enjoyed the
company at Summit Trax and
will always be some where in
the frame. My first 4x4 was
a Holden Rodeo, dual cab,
petrol, which was a work and
recreation vehicle. Know to
family as the “Super Ute”,
it was often found in usual
situations, mostly loaded with
spotlighters and shooters. Next
came a Ford Courier, dual cab,
petrol, which eventually had a
long range tank fitted, 2 inch
lift, sliders, draw set inside the
canopy and a few other extras.
The fuel tank was not quite
sufficient to get me across the
Simpson, but 15km is a near
miss, isn’t it? The need for a
better camper saw us buy from
family, a 2003 GU Cab/chassis
Patrol, 4.2 turbo, and fitted
air rear suspension, 2 inch
front lift, sliders (although only
after denting both sills) and a
Trayon camper, hence the Mr.
Whippy. This has now taken
me across the Simpson again,
SA West coast x 2, Tasmania,
Central Australia and recently,
Cape York, plus a few other
short trips. But, keep an eye
out for the “For Sale” sign?
The club should not under
estimate its ability to educate,
entertain, inform and influence
people in their recreation and
also the agencies that make
decisions that could change
our access to our passion. I
feel privileged to be part of
the club and hope to continue
to play a small part in its
future. I encourage people to
“be involved”, not just come
along for the ride. Clubs do
not happen without members
offering to do a job, and
fulfilling a role.
Trevor Manning alias
Mr Whippy.
As we are a ever changing
club, we would love to get
a few of these profiles so
we can all get to know
each other better.
If you feel like you would
like to introduce yourself,
please email me at:
[email protected]
with the words in Microsoft
Word and some images as
Jpegs. If you could set it
out like this one it would be
greatly appreciated. Ed.
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
6
TIP TIPS
7
The following is not going to be a blow by blow run down of
the Summit Trax Club trip but rather some thoughts from my
perspective on the various do’s, don’ts, where, how etc etc.
I’m not attempting to sound like a 1 trip expert either, it’s just that
I know a lot of people would like to do a trip to the Cape and don’t
really know what to expect. If the following helps then so be it.
Route to Cairns
(Jake & Jack only)
We decided to drive up
to Cairns thru the middle
of Oz. This route cuts off
approximately around 500kms
from the east coast run. Jake
and I travelled together. This
was a great safety net for us
as everything on our cars
is interchangeable – as if a
TD4.2 GQ would break down
though!!! The other 3 vehicles
were travelling different routes
and at different times as the
Club trip commenced from
Cairns, not Adelaide.
We went via Broken Hill,
Tibooburra, Eromunga
(very cheap fuel), Jundah,
Longreach, Hughenden,
Ravenshoe, Cairns. We really
enjoyed the openness of
the outback, the roads were
mainly quite good and allowed
us to sit on 90-100kms the
whole way. There were areas
where the wildlife was prolific
and others where the land
was barren of anything, but
both in different ways were
captivating. If I was to do the
Cape again I would definitely
go bush to get there. Fuel
costs varied but nothing over
$2/ltr and Eromunga was
only $1.58. We averaged
14.6 litres/ 100kms with roof
top tents adding to our wind
drag. Camping out bush is
easy enough and wood was
plentiful. Stopping in a couple
of the outback pubs for a cold
one is something as Aussie
as meat pies and football and
the publicans are all great
characters.
Jack Laidlaw
Nissan Patrol GQ TD4.2
Jake Laidlaw
Nissan Patrol GQ TD4.2
Grant and Kylie Stephen,
Hayley and Cameron
Nissan Patrol GU TD4.2
Steve and Kim Cooper,
Nathan, Justin and Jacob
Nissan Patrol GU TD3.0
Trev and Sue Manning
Nissan Patrol GU Cab
Chassis TD4.2
At least we were all in
good 4wds, not one of
those other kinds that
would wear out our
winches and snatch straps.
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
8
camp set-up and breaking
camp are major issues. You
will not enjoy the trip if every
day becomes a chore that you
just don’t want to face and it
will also ultimately affect others
you may travel with especially
if they find themselves waiting
for you all the time. Between
our 2 vehicles we had 150l of
fridge/freezer space so this
made it easy for us to carry
sufficient cold foods. We
carried lots of cryvac meat
packs from home and worked
out a menu before leaving
which supplied the shopping
list.
Our Set-up
(Jake and Jack only)
As mentioned both Jake and
I drive GQs. They are set up
almost identically with 4’ lifts,
turbos, auto locker in the front,
the back diff LSDs are tight
as, rooftop tents, drawers,
inverters, GPS, awnings,
winches, MTZs, etc. you don’t
need to have a 4wd set up
as capable as ours to do the
cape, however if you want to
tackle all of the river crossings
and not run the chicken
tracks then you will need to
give some thought to what
accessories you will need.
We found our vehicles to
be excellent on this trip, not
perfect, but lots better than
many we saw that cost 2 or 3
times that of a GQ. The Mud
tyres were great in the Cape
but good ATs would suffice.
Our inverters were a must for
charging cameras etc and for
powering our smoothie maker
for scrumptious breakies. The
rooftop tents were fantastic.
We had almost 3 weeks of rain
and not one drop came inside.
They also stood up to some
punishing winds and were
undamaged.
For a long trip of this nature I
think the best set up vehicles
are ones that are user
friendly. You don’t want to be
having to move lots of stuff to
access something you need
constantly. Also quick and easy
Timeframes
up to the Old
Telegraph Track
Jake and I took it easy heading
up travelling approximately
5-600 kms per day. We
stopped in Longreach for
2 nights to have a bit of a
look at the Stockman Hall of
Fame. We arrived in Cairns
unstressed but with days
before the rest of the Cape
Crew were due which allowed
us plenty of time to look
around. The overall timeframe
that we had all agreed upon to
do the Cape from Cairns and
return to Cairns was 3 weeks.
In hindsight this was about
right. You could complete it
quicker and in fact we did but
there were many side tracks to
areas that we didn’t include in
this trip. What caught all of us
by surprise was the distance
from Cairns to actually get into
the real Cape York region.
9
If you were on a tight
timeframe you could bypass
Cooktown and head straight
up to Laura. We spent 3 days
getting to Cooktown and I must
say that the Daintree region is
absolutely beautiful but does
add days to the overall journey.
One area worth going into is
the Palmer Goldfields area and
the old town of Maytown. We
drove a track named the Old
Coach Road (from memory) to
access the area and it was a
ripper with really good 4wding
to keep everyone smiling.
We didn’t get out to the Cape
Melville area and this is one
that I would like to explore next
time.
We drove the Frenchmens
Track out to Chilli Beach. I got
badly stuck in a mud hole and
had to be winched backwards
to get out. One of the traumas
of being the lead car I suppose
but at least we knew the rest
of the vehicles had to take the
alternative track. We spent
1 night at Chilli Beach and
probably should have spent 2
as it was a nice spot. I would
drive out of Chilli Beach on the
Frenchmens Track next time
as opposed to driving in as it
is badly corrugated. There is
a much smoother alternative
just above Archer River which
is the better way in. Driving
out on Frenchmens at least
gets you to cross the Pascoe
River which was reminiscent
of the worst that the Vic High
Country throws at you. If not in
a lifted and capable truck then
the Pascoe is not for you and I
don’t think there was a chicken
track.
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
Old Tele Track
This is what everyone heads
to the Cape for. The track
begins at Bramwell Junction
Roadhouse.
Is it any good ?? You betcha
left one it is. To be honest,
up to this stage we were a
little disappointed as we had
this naïve idea that once we
left Cairns we would be in
awesome 4wd tracks full time.
So far the Frenchmen’s was
the only track we needed
to lock the hubs so we had
probably done 800kms on
the Cape but not seen more
than 50 kms of action as yet.
Within 10 minutes of being on
the OTL you hit Palm River
Crossing and it is as much
fun as one can have with their
clothes on. It is about now
that you will really come to the
realisation of whether you or
your fourby is up to it. There is
a chicken track which is quite
challenging from what I was
told, but none of this for Jake,
Grant or myself. We are stupid
enough to be bulletproof!
I was 1st into it and the auto
locker on the GQ is simply
awesome at pulling my bus up
some ugly hills and it didn’t let
me down here either. Grant
and Jake also came thru and
had a ball doing it. It is 1st
low crawling into the river and
you had better have a good
winch if you don’t have lockers
installed to crawl out the
slippery steep exit.
There are many river crossings
with some pushing water up
onto the bonnet. The GUs
tied their fans to stop damage
on the deeper crossings. The
GQs have loads of space
between the fan and the
radiator so Jake and I didn’t
bother and had no issues. This
10
is something some might need
to look at for their respective
vehicles. I did have damp
carpets for virtually the whole 3
weeks but I expected that and
kept nothing on my floors that
may be affected.
Gunshot was actually far
easier than expected but it
remains the most spectacular
for viewers, film and photos.
Once again I was 1st down
and loved the feeling of driving
straight down such a sheer
angle and living to tell the tale.
11
Grant and Jake creamed it
but Steve and Kym became
stuck on a 70 degree angle
looking directly down into the
mud. The problem was they
only run with a 2” lift where the
other 3 vehicles have 4” lifts.
This made all the difference. A
quick jerk had them down and
into the mud. Having said that,
don’t go thinking that you need
a monster lift for everything as
their 3 litre 2” lifted GU went
virtually everywhere we did
except for Palm River, and this
minor issue on Gunshot. Trev
and Sue went around this one
which was the smart decision
as their camp unit on the back
of Trevs GU has a bit of weight
to it and he most definitely
would have had his rear end
hung up. Mind you, Trev and
Sue cruised across the Pascoe
and Nolans without a hitch.
Nolans is interesting and we
actually found it to be easy
enough but it does get deep.
Just go steady and don’t panic
and all should be good –
unless you are in a petrol 4wd
of course (but they are not real
4wds anyway).
Elliot/Twin and Fruit Bat Falls
are not to be missed and
make sure you take the budgie
smugglers. This is one spot the
kids really enjoy.
We took the ferry across the
Jardine but there was some
thought about driving across
but no-one wanted to be the
one to walk it 1st. The ferry
costs a bit but at least there is
minimal waiting time.
The Top End
The Development Road to
the ferry after the OTL, and
after the ferry into Bamaga
was a shocker. And no doubt
has ruined a lot of shockers.
Apparently 3 cars rolled the
week prior to our arrival due
to the corrugations. At one
stage I had a car coming at
me on a bend on my side, he
just appeared out of bulldust.
I missed him, but not before
heading into the edge of the
scrub.
Bamaga and Seisia have small
supermarkets so we topped
up with some fresh food and
went out to Loyalty beach
which was our accommodation
for the next 4 days. There
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
is nothing flash about the
campground, not that we were
chasing anything too flash, but
after paying for the ferry which
includes camping anywhere
past the ferry for free, I might
be tempted to look at some
of those next time instead of
paying at Loyalty Beach.
You have to do the walk – the
one out to the sign at the tip.
It is a buzz to get there. Five
beaches is worth a look and
possibly even camping a
couple of nights.
There are some good fun
tracks directly from Loyalty
Beach campground to the Tip
via Punsand Bay.
Muttee Head and the mouth
of the Jardine look very fishy
and I would have to suffer a full
cardiac arrest to not stay at the
Jardine next time. It smells like
Barra.
12
13
Fishing
Well, to sum it up, we were
crap!!! And that really hurts to
say. Between us we must have
done thousands of casts using
hundreds of lures in some
brilliant looking locations and
still zip, nada, zilch. But to be
fair, no one else we spoke to
were catching anything either,
not even the charter operators.
Apparently due to having a dry
Wet Season resulting in little
run-off and an unseasonably
wet Dry Season (read it
again, it does make sense)
the fishing this season is very
unpredictable and plain lousy.
Oh well, at least we were up
there and not working. Jake
and I went to Fraser Island for
a week on the way home and
ate plenty of fillets of yummy
fresh fish so no wrist slashing
was done.
Breakdowns,
Bogs, and BS
We really didn’t have too many
problems. Nothing engine
wise went wrong at all. I had
a coil spring snap on the
OTL. After much discussion
we came up with a plan to
get me mobile again. Grant
suggested we ram a log of
wood inside the spring so Trev
and Grant went off to find the
right piece. I decided to use
a heap of straps to tie the 2
sections tightly together. We
then shaped the log to almost
fit then hammered it into place
midway down the shortened
coil. I managed to drive from
Fruit Bat Falls to Seisia on this
and this section of road is the
worst corrugated part of the
whole Cape. Bush Mechanics
at its best! I picked up a 2”
Nissan coil in Seisia and
travelled all the way down to
Rockhampton with one corner
of my GQ 2” lower than the
rest of the car.
Jake had a fox long travel
Shocker break the top shaft
clean off the body of the
shocker. Trev to the rescue
as he was carrying a spare
Dobinson shocker. Jake had
another Fox shocker break
which we also used the
Dobinson spare on as we had
sourced a replacement Fox by
then.
Apart from these items, there
were no others real issues.
Both Jake and I did over
12,000kms with Trev, Steve
and Grant doing less than
this as we cruised around for
another 7 weeks after we all
parted company. In all of this
nothing went wrong apart
from the above. This does not
happen by luck. We all did
daily checks, we cleaned and
changed air filters regularly, we
went over every nut and bolt
often to check for looseness.
We also had spares for
virtually most of the things that
are repairable ie, belts, filters,
oils and fluids, hoses. We
carried tools, ties, straps etc.
There were very few times
we got into difficulty. I got
bogged in a water hole that
hid some nasty washouts that
would swallow up any road
legal vehicle. There were
no situations that were not
easily recovered and in fact
every situation we went into
could have been managed
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
14
15
by a self recovery so in other
words one could do the trip by
themselves. Mind you it would
have been a scream to see
Kym crawl out of their GU at
Gunshot. The 1st step would
be a beauty five feet down into
mud.
As far as the BS in the heading
of this section, well that was
a nightly occurrence that we
all contributed to in copious
amounts. No-one disgraced
themselves doing drunken firewalking – what a bummer.
Things to
be aware of
Crocs - I only saw one and
that was in the Daintree River.
Sure, keep your eyes open
and watch the kids but don’t
let paranoia about crocs shut
down some of the fun to be
had. There are plenty of places
where there will be no crocs,
ie rocky areas such as Twin
Falls however you would want
to keep your eyes open around
places like the Jardine River.
Insects – we used a mix of
metho, Dettol and citronella oil
in equal proportions to keep
sand-flies and mozzies at bay.
It worked a treat for me and I
am allergic to sand-flies. Buy
it in litre bottles and mixed
together and decanted into
spray bottles makes for really
cheap and efficient bug spray.
I didn’t get bitten at all and we
crawled around in mangroves
where all the bugs live (and
crocs).
Driver fatigue – obviously
rest. We talk on the UHF a lot.
But we also carry small spray
bottles of water to spray into
your face if you feel any fatigue
coming on. Sounds weird but it
works.
Wildlife – lots of animals and
stock on the roads, no one
travels at night. Watch out for
animals feeding on road kill too
as sometimes you might find
up to a dozen wedgetails on
one dead roo and they can be
reluctant to leave.
Fuel – fuel is not really an
issue as long as you do some
planning. Fill up when you
can unless running long range
tanks. I only have a 90litre tank
and never had to carry a jerry
can.
Water – as above.
Temperature – we had
freezing mornings on the way
up thru the middle but once up
to Cairns it was quite pleasant
day and night. It rained a lot
but it was bearable as it was
not cold.
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
Clothing – T shorts and shorts
were pretty popular, especially
on the OTL where we were
constantly walking the river
crossings. Long trousers
and boots are better in some
areas where there were lots
of prickles but this was not
common.
Camping in QLD – it is a joke
booking camp sites and QLD
national Parks should be
ashamed of themselves. Not
enough room here to go into
it so do some homework on
this issue if going to QLD. This
issue can potentially ruin much
of the fun of being on holiday.
Communications – pretty
ordinary for most of the Cape.
You get occasional areas of
coverage but don’t rely on it
too much. We had the club sat
phone for safety.
Conclusion
There are probably many
things I have forgotten or left
out but hopefully this gives you
an idea of a trip to the Cape. I
would be more than happy to
show some video and photos
at a club meeting if there is
interest in this subject.
I have to thank John Keep
for floating the trip and being
the initial trip leader as he did
much of the early fact finding
which helped me once leading
the trip fell into my lap. A pity
he could not make the trip.
I also need to thank the other
Club members that came
on the trip. I don’t recall one
instant when we were not all
getting along really well. We
had a ball and I would travel
with this mob any time. Cheers
Jack Laidlaw
16
17
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
PLAY DATE
18
19
By Trev Manning,
A number of members arrived
at the property on the Friday
night to find a toilet delivered
and firewood cut and piled
up courtesy of early arriving
members. The scene was
set for a great weekend.
Toni, Russell and Trev had
researched the place the week
before and many challenging
areas identified. For now it was
a fantastic night for a camp
out, and everyone enjoyed the
warm fire.
Saturday morning, some
were out early, to the irritation
of others, and new arrivals
starting moving in. A 9.30
start had 3 groups head
off to explore. Russell had
challenges in mind, while
Trev took a group of “Palmer
Virgins” up to the “Rock” to
show them the property and
stretch their suspensions.
The morning was spent trying
slopes and climbs, rocks and
creek beds, soft and hard, and
back at camp for lunch had
tongues wagging about the
morning. Some recoveries had
been required and a blown diff
seal had spoilt some one’s day.
A few others arrived for the
afternoon and everyone was
now keen to test themselves.
The object was to find a
challenge and, guided by
common sense, take them
on and, if a recovery was
required, so be it! Very little
damage was done, even
to egos! People took their
cars places they had never
imagined they could, and
Palmer produced some magic
moments. Saturday night camp
was awesome, with a great
selection of meals cooked and
a massive fire. Some headed
home while others settled
down to a night around the fire,
although some seemed to think
the world’s problems needed
solving and stuck around for
quite a while. 23 members and
5 guests had been present to
take part in our first Come and
Play.
Sunday morning saw some
leave for other functions but
the rest stayed to re explore
some of the areas, or leisurely
pack up and head home.
Lunch time had everyone
packing up and the privilege
of being on the property was
once again realised. We are
extremely lucky to be able
to use the property, and look
forward to another visit next
year.
By Braden Rosser
Howdy all, braden here just
giving some feedback about
the wonderful weekend at
come and play at palmer a
few weeks back. Although I’m
new member to the summit
trax club i would like to say
what a great time was had
with all whom came and tested
there rigs. It was a three day
adventure, although i rocked
up on the second day with my
mate heath and meeting mark
on the way. First of all i have
to say what a great turnout
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
there was from club members
to newbie’s , there was a great
range of 4wds on the scene
of the beautiful landscapes of
palmer that Saturday morning,
weather was fantastic,
atmosphere was welcoming
and buzzing from all ages, was
a privilege to be allowed on the
premises , big thankyou to the
property owner.
Palmer trip started on Friday
afternoon with few members
rocking up and setting camp
waiting for a big start Saturday
morning. All who came filled
the book and shoved the
money tin with there donations
for the property owner. We
all aired down for a nice early
start on the sunny morning.
There was 2 groups to start
with on the Saturday (so many
cars) one lead by trev and the
other by russel first of all we
engaged 4wd and had radio
check to all cars from then
we started off heading up to a
easy challenge to test the flex
of our rigs on a sloped rock
aswell as see the property and
surrounding area. Trev showed
20
the flex of his gu ute as others
followed marks rig the mighty
mav which had a impressive
amount of flex which made me
lick my lips. Next was heath
in his d22 navara, followed by
me in the blue over silver gq,
then toni in the prado followed
21
by newer style vehicles mainly
prados which showed there
muscles.
From there on we took to the
property going up and down
some pretty steep descents,
testing all the 4wds. Some
having wheels in the air :D,
we came to a creek bed trev
got through followed by mark
and heath with no issues, i
followed but got caught out
with my towbar, nothing a good
snath coulnt fix. Roger and
partner in the prado got stuck
but i helped snatched them
out, all the others had a breeze
getting through. we then came
across a flowing creek as we
spoke about giving it a shot
we headed off in aim to come
back to it later in the day.
We spotted some eagles in
the tree(help me on that one
heath). Next we came across
a big rock pad, excellent
testing ground for approach
and departure angles as well
as wheel placement to gain
traction and getting up some
of the slopes on offer few
scratches hear and there but
all for good cause .
Later in the day we tried some
steep hill decents which were
good testing ground for low
range and the brakes, next
we came across a dried out
creek bed which most tackled,
first few cars mainly nissans
got through the rest struggled
and required snatching up
and over all in all great fun.
We then started to head back
to the running creek bed that
we were at earlier which the
other group had already had
a play off, watching out for the
red belly snake and slipping
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
22
23
CLASSIFIEDS
Nissan Patrol
Full steel roof rack
much stronger than what
is being sold at present.
$100
2 Hella 160s spot
lights with plastic
covers
hazards. Trev was first and
made it look like a walk in
the park, followed by mark
in the mighty mav, making
it look easy, i followed with
little attention and almost got
caught out, objects from the
back came and sat with me
in the front as a few people
jumped on the back to help
gain a nicer angle but then
pulled through the obstacles,
toni gave it a crack and did
very well except a big bolder
i was hitting before was really
catching under her prado
few minutes later after some
gentle persuasion with a
snath strap we removed the
obstacle making it easy for
others , member with the surf
hilux, drove through it better
than all who went before him.
After having fun in the creek
trev wanted to show us some
nice washouts on offer most
pursued to have a crack allot
of cars were on some very
interesting angles with some
great photo shots, after we al
had fun we called it a day and
headed back to base camp,
a few left but alot stayed the
night . Big circle around a big
fire all munching on dinner
and laughter. Few of us stayed
up till the early hours of the
morning unaware. Luckily it
was good weather and only a
little sprinkle during the early
hours of the morning.
Next morning most packed up,
some stayed on some left but
the few that stayed, we hit off
where we finished off but we
went where the other group
got to the day before having
a crack off a few obstacles,
steep hill climbs and admiring
the beauty of the property
and surrounds on offer with a
little drizzle thrown in all was
fun, bits of the track got a bit
muddy but nothing to out of
reach. As we finshed up the
weather got slitly worse for
wear but then cleared up we all
parted ways of what i think was
a excellent weekend getaway
at palmer, thankyou to all who
went shows tha summit trax
is a great club in which why i
joined.
Excellent condition $60 for both
VMS 700HD Touring GPS.
touch screen. 16gig SD card.
2011 (still current) model $450
Jack Laidlaw
P: 0438991604
INSERT YOUR
ADVERT HERE!
Please forward ads to:
[email protected]
with the subject line:
Summit Trax Newsletter For Sale
This way I will be able to find
it and file it for insertion. If you
can supply all text in Microsoft
Word and images as Jpeg files
it would be greatly appreciated.
$000 ono
P: 0000 000 000
E: [email protected]
2004 D22 Navara
STR Twin Cab Ute
Dark blue all over - few
scratches and small dents
from offroad driving
Overall condition good - very
good
3.0 Turbo Diesel - 227,000kms
Cross country Intercooler
DP Chip
2.5 inch exhaust
Hi-flow turbo
Bogart turbo timer
EGR block off plate
Dual battery
Air compressor
and big tank under rear
Extreme clutch only 5 months
old + brand new starter motor
3” lift
Snake racing UCA’s
Snake racing 3” shackles
Ironman torsion bars and rear
springs with helper spring
Bilstein front shocks
Widened front flares
Mickey Thompson 32” ATZ
of steel wheels 95% tread +
Geolander 33” on patrol rims
with 85% tread
Ironman protector bullbar - just
over a year old
Ironman Bash guards, never
fitted still like new
Spot lights
Good stereo with bluetooth
UHF
Electric Brakes - used once to
test.
Clean interior, no rips or marks
in seats
Ice cold AC + Dark tint
Rhino Racks x 3
Towbar
Lots of $$$ spent, Inspections
welcome.
Mainly used for camping with
the family. A great truck and
will be sadly missed.
$16,500 ono
P:0424 943 058
E: [email protected]
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
24
25
ends with you collapsing into
your swag mid to late evening.
The event is however, above
all else a moving colony of
comradeship in a sea of sand,
spinifex and this year...flies.
More of them later.
TRUE GRIT
The Simpson desert bike
challenge is one of those
events that draws you in once
you have conquered it. Up
until that point it is viewed
from a few different angles.
As a bike rider you may be
drawn to it as a bucket list item
or maybe with amusement
at the thought of a bunch of
slightly crazy people racing
mountain bikes in one of the
most inhospitable places on
the planet or even, perhaps,
some disdain. Disdain from
the support point of view, at
the thought of being butler for
a week to an emotional and
physically wrecked individual,
who you probably have only
just met and whose only
communicative conversation
starts with “I could do with a
drink” and then usually ends
with “I could do with something
to eat.” That however is the
desert Challenge. Once
you have experienced and
participated in it, your attitude
invariably changes. It is as
they promote, “5 days in hell”.
For the bike rider it is without
a doubt, a physically brutal
event and dare I say a
psychologically brutal one as
well. That can also be said for
the support crew, albeit from
the relative comfort of an airconditioned 4wd and without
the constant maceration of
ones nether regions into
a glutenous mess. It is a
demanding trip that starts at a
frenetic pace before dawn and
In the 5 years that Alan (the
guy that I support) and I
have been involved in this
event we have seen it all.
From 2009 when he won the
event on the first Fatbike to
cross the Simpson, being the
only person to complete the
course 100%, experiencing
an intense dust storm that
had us cowering in the front
seat of the Landcruiser eating
gritty curry and slurping gritty
red wine. Covered in dust and
sweating in the heat - it was a
real, dare I say, gritty character
building experience.
To the aborted 2010 crossing
due to desert flooding and
the subsequent “Plan B” race
over the Ann Beadall highway.
You haven’t experienced
corrugations if you’ve never
traversed this highway people,
trust me. I spent a good deal
of time under other vehicles
tying fuel tanks back in with
ratchet straps. It killed one of
my optima batteries and the
fridge fried itself. By now the
“Fatbike Fenomena” had also
taken a hold and there were
now nine fat tyred bikes out of
twenty eight.
Adding to that, 2011 saw us
again thwarted in our attempt
to race in the sand, this time
fire ravaged the desert. Once
more a hastily organised
race was thrown together on
a Friday evening (we were
leaving the next morning) and
we raced around the barren
lands north of Oodnadatta,
dodging bushfires, storm
squalls in-dispersed with
plagues of midge flies. I still
remember the heat during the
night at the Pedirka Siding,
sharing my claustrophobic
swag with about 10,000
insects. Then periodically
throughout the night a thunder
squall would race through
the camp, blowing over
shelters, picking up anything
that wasn’t tied down, but
at the same time bringing
relief, albeit temporarily, from
the oppressive heat and the
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
insects. The final stage of the
2011 race being the 4wd track
over the dunes just outside
Oodnadatta - just so we could
lay claim to having ridden on
some sand!
That year was in fact the 25
anniversary of the event and a
hastily convened celebratory
black tie dinner was held in
the famous Pink Roadhouse.
A testament to the dedication
and organisational skills of
the committee and the short
notice entrepreneurial talents
of Adam Plate (RIP).
Finally, 2012 saw us back
where the race belonged,
in the blistering heat of the
Simpson Pasture, Alan won
again, this time partnering
the 1st place with his Sydney
riding partner Murray. With so
much green vegetation from
the rain and flooding from
Queensland the desert was
alive with native rats on the
ground and hoards of circling
kites in the air. If anything
remotely edible was left on the
26
ground it would be eaten or at
least chewed during the night.
This included people sleeping
in swags! To see the desert in
this vegetated state was truly
amazing.
This year 2013 was almost
a dream run. Beautiful
weather not too hot, not too
cold. What it missed out on
temperature it made up with
wind. Problematic for a person
27
riding a bike it would seem.
However as a tailwind it was
warmly greeted and made
use of. Average speeds were
breaking records. It was one of
the fastest races experienced.
MAKING TRAX DECEMBER 2013
UPCOMING
TRIPS
4th - 12th Jan 2014
High Country
14th - 16th Feb
Robe
7th - 10th Mar 2014
Pyrenees
29th - 30th Mar 2014
Ngarkat Working Bee
4th May - 8th June 2014
Gibb River Road
30th Aug - 8th Sept
Simpson Desert
Trips without dates
- Mt Boothby
- Morgan
- Dorado Downs
28
6 STUBBIE
HOLDERS
$
See Jo at the next meeting to buy one of these vitality
important 4wd accessories. Less power to run than a
fridge and doesn’t melt like ice... so support your club.
29