Western 4W Driver Ebook 107

different markings as a juvenile conditions are needed to get to their compared to the mature adults, young grounds. They’re often a better night red emperor have bright banding that time feeder than in the day also, will see three distinct dark red bars which makes life more difficult for the against a pale background. As an recreational angler. Although they do adult the colouration becomes a more take deep water jigs and soft plastic consistent all over bright orange red. lures, fresh whole squid and small Big red emperor certainly present bottom dwelling baited fish tend to as a stunning fish. draw more success. Any red that eventually comes to Interestingly, unlike nearly all of the the surface on the end of the line other true emperor that are part of the obviously gets anglers excited but Lethrinidae family, the red emperor when its an 8 or 10 kilo fish there’s is really part of the sea perches or much to rejoice about, such is their the Lutjanidae family that includes revered status. Many still regard them species like the mangrove jack, scarlet one of the very the best eating fish in sea perch and Maori sea perch. Given the ocean. its size and impressive form, those in Catching the prized red emperor is not the naming game probably decided it an easy task compared to many other was more deserving of the “emperor” angling species. There are certainly tag because it definitely sounds more essential elements to consider but fitting I reckon. even then, they’re never a sure thing. Whatever the case, as recreational To start with they’re found in particular anglers we’re lucky to have our variety areas, over relatively flat bottom and of emperor species to catch. Long may the depth of water often means calmer they still be around for us to enjoy. - Tailor made to suit your vehicle @solarscreenaustralia - 3 year warranty - Highest quality 9-layer thermal fabric - 100% Australian made & owned - Over 20,000 Satisfied customers ‘Cool in Summer, and Warm in Winter’ learn more at: www.solarscreen.com.au Western 4W Driver #107 149

A BUSY BEE When the Spring has sprung there’s no better way to spend a long weekend than head for Bee Keepers NP and adventures above and below ground as Amanda and friends discovered. 150 Western 4W Driver #107

WEEKEND Words – Amanda Burton Images – Red Dirt Australia We venture into Stockyard Gully. Western 4W Driver #107 151

hose big bucket-list-ticking you are not enamoured with bollards trips that last for weeks there are sandy tracks to the north (and even months if you’re and south of the main campground that twist and turn their way to a few Tlucky) are something we informal 4WD only campsites. Access can be boggy and tight, and if someone all dream about. But if you’re has beaten you to them, space for saving up every minute of turning around can be a challenge, your measly four weeks a year but if you score one they are annual leave towards “the big absolutely stunning. trip”, you can become a very We were in luck and got the pick of stay-at-home type of camper. the bunch. It was then time to burn This is when you need to look a off some of that lunch with a stroll little closer to home and make along the coast. Clambering over the the most of those long weekends. There is plenty out there, so we grabbed a couple of mates to find out just how much you can fit into an (admittedly busy) long weekend. The Jurien Bay Bakery was our meeting point and if you can’t find something to tempt your taste buds here, you’re just being too fussy (mind you, best leave the Weight Watchers calculator at home, this is the real old-style pastry-and- sugar overload type of bakery). Suitably refuelled we continued the 10km northwards to Sandy Cape Recreation Park. Access to the campground is via 7.7km of good gravel track off Indian Ocean Drive, which brings you to the main bollarded campground. If, like us, 152 Western 4W Driver #107



limestone cliffs took us around to the In really hot weather, best let them bee. sweep of the gorgeous white-sand bay Are they trying to protect the cave or and then out to Sandy Cape Lookout. their public liability - or both. Nothing boring about this coastline. Sweeping vistas, crashing waves, cameras” warning. The next few caves protected bays, limestone caves, soft are, I felt, equally well protected by their white sand – it has it all. With appetites current occupants -the feral bees. We restored it was back to camp for the certainly came to the conclusion that best part of the day – beer o’clock the entrances had enough “wow factor” around the campfire sharing tales that we didn’t need to risk going in any tall and true. deeper. If you want to find these caves There’s nothing more relaxing than you’re going to have to do a bit of prior lying snuggled in bed listening to the research with your maps and GPS – just gentle lapping of waves just metres driving in to see what you can find will away, and it was tempting to while away the whole weekend here, but we had a busy bee planned. The bees, in this case, were to be found in Drovers Cave National Park located between the two Beekeeper’s Nature Reserves. Drovers Cave NP isn’t really developed for anything. There are just a few (very) soft, sandy tracks, plenty of thick bush, wildflowers and if you’re feeling adventurous (and don’t suffer from a bee allergy) some interesting caves to be found. Though the deeper caves are locked off (I’m not totally convinced about the CCTV security camera warnings) there are still some deep crevices with amazing pendulum hives of bees. I’d certainly never seen anything quite like it, and each cave with its resident population of feral bees was more impressive than the last. This is definitely one of those “do at your own risk” adventures, as there are plenty of warning signs that the feral bees can become very aggressive if disturbed. Takes the “tread lightly” message to a whole new level. The first cave we found (after a bit of poking around in the scrub, nothing here is signposted) was Drovers Cave. An unfortunate outcome of the extensive vandalism previously visited upon it, it is now locked up tight with a rusted metal front door, plastered with that “you are being watched by security 154 Western 4W Driver #107

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Lesueur NP has some great walk trails - time to smell the... wildflowers. Hakea Neurophylla. likely see you finding nothing. amorous little green jewel-like beetles After a couple of hours of fun playing which call these flowers their boudoir. in the sand tracks, adding some Back to the vehicles it was a short hike bush pin striping to the vehicles and further northward to seek out some competing with the bees to spot slightly more accessible and less bee- the wildflowers (there’s even a few friendly caves. If you’ve never checked orchids to be found if you look carefully) out Stockyard Gully Caves, do. It is we headed back to the bitumen and an especially great one to do with the northwards to Lesueur National Park. kids as it’s easy to access and when This one is much more civilised and you’re half way through and turn off the developed than its southern Drovers torches they get to experience what real neighbour, but still well worth a look. “pitch black darkness” is. There are a number of different walk The entrance to the Stockyard Gully trail options, and the diversity of wildflowers made for a very stop-start stroll and full camera cards. Don’t miss the gorgeous pink Hakea Neurophylla which is a highlight of the flora of the park and keep an eye out for the 156 Western 4W Driver #107

Cave has a few small beehives (well, the head-height rock hanging down small in comparison to what we had from the ceiling about half way along seen that morning at the caves in and you’ll be all good. Along the way Drovers) then it’s torches on and in you’ll spot old stalactites and maybe you go. It’s an easy walk, the ground some little bats and big spiders (though is smooth and sandy with plenty of I admit I didn’t try very hard to look for head room, just keep an eye out for those last two). The walk through is Western 4W Driver #107 157

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just long enough to get a good A relaxing second night’s camp at taste of caves and darkness Lake Indoon. without getting bored or too Splendid white spider orchids were claustrophobic. Last time we tried a treat at Lake Indoon. to take the Pearsons Track shortcut do these shorter trips. There really is from Stockyard Gully Caves out a lot to do right here on our doorstep toward Lake Indoon it was a and it’s just as good as some of very tight squeeze, but those locations you travel days to get someone has been busy to. I think this is where I get to add in a with a bulldozer and this plug that, if you need inspiration, look time our paintwork was no further than our esteemed Editor’s never at risk. It’s still a bit Explorer Series “4WD Days (and/or) bumpy with the limestone Weekends Out of Perth”. They’ll provide rocks, but nothing a gentle plenty of inspiration to help you keep the pace won’t manage. dust off (or should that be dust on?) your Lake Indoon is a grey 4WD between the big trips. nomad hotspot, but if you trek off away from the main entrance there are a few more private spots to be had. After a full-on day, it was a convenient place to pull out the fire pit and over a beverage or two reflect on what had been a varied and very enjoyable weekend. Though this was only our second night away, the wide range of different things we’d seen and done is such a short space of time and distance made it seem much longer. It’s definitely worth making the effort to Are We Weird To Name Our Camper? Actually, no don’t answer that. way without the name. Imagination You may have noticed the bright is a powerful thing, by assigning an pink new number plate on the inanimate object a name you are camper. Well, there’s a story behind it. Anthropomorphism (even the name sounds like some type of nasty phobia) is the attribution of human traits, emotions, and intentions to non-human entities. I realize most people don’t name their cars, much less their camper, but my Husband isn’t most people. He was feeling a connection to our new camper and believed she deserved a name. Giving something a name tends to create a type of bond, a relationship that’s unlikely to be there in the same Western 4W Driver #107 159

essentially giving it a personality. Queensland number plate she was Our model of camper are affectionately christened with that provided the idea – nicknamed “Q’s” (short for Quantum) 505 UCY – Lucy – Series 4 Supercamper. and for those of us of a certain vintage, LUCY Q4. So now when I say we’re the first “Q” name that springs to mind taking Lucy camping, you’ll know it’s not is Suzi Q(uatro), rock diva extraordinaire. the new mistress (though she does get Nice ring and association there, but given an awful lot of time, money and attention our camper is series four, we probably lavished on her) she’s our Lucy Q4: the missed that obvious boat. It was the glamping diva supercamper. Sandy Cape Recreation Area Excerpt from Hema’s WA State map. Camp sites at Sandy Cape are subject to a first come first serve basis (there are 78 bollarded sites). There is no pre-booking of sites and there are no provisions for overflow camping once all sites are full (which often happens at peak times). When on site, camp fees can be paid direct to the camp host, otherwise at the information bay honesty box. Camp fees for Sandy Cape apply to the entire Land Reserve area - this includes the 4WD-only access areas north and south of the main campsite. Camp fees are $20 per night per campsite for up to 2 adults and 2 children, with additional adults $3 per night and additional children $2 per night. Camp fires permitted from 2nd April (excluding Easter) to 19th September. Fires must be contained in a fire pit (BYO) and BYO wood. Lake Indoon Lake Indoon is located in the Carnamah Shire, along the Eneabba-Coolimba Road. It is approximately 12km west of Eneabba and 19km east of the coast and Leeman. Camping at Lake Indoon is free, maximum of 72 hours. There is an ablution block with flushing toilets and rainwater when the tank is full. 160 Western 4W Driver #107

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learing the Air C From the Ed Many of our readers and especially those who own 70 and 200 Series LandCruisers should now have a heightened awareness of the fallibility of their air intake systems and its propensity to dust ingress. Dust in the motor can have serious and cheapest line of defence. Following financial consequences as this my disaster I’ve taken two steps to stop writer discovered in a horror end dust getting past the airbox seal in our to 2017 and for many it could 70 Series. The first as mentioned in the stop your favourite recreation in its last edition was to run a line of grease tracks. With knowledge of the problem, along both sides of the filter seal. This we know vigilance is the key and keeping catches dust but doesn’t close any gaps a regular weather eye on the state of so the second step was to run dense 5 filters and looking for signs of dust on mm sticky-backed foam about 1 cm wide the engine side of the system is our first along the inside edge of the airbox lid Western 4W Driver #107 163

where it makes contact with the Like water, a small amount of filter seal. The surface must be ingested dust can do a lot of damage clean and dry before the foam to your engine. goes on and if you use the right who also specialise in snorkels, exhaust foam you’ll find it will go round systems, canopies and the like. They are the corners of the lid without presented here in alphabetical order. crinkling. Use one length only and butt the two ends together well to complete the seal. A light daub of silicon in the join will help close the gap. Since then we’ve run several dusty roads with no sign of dust ingress but I know this is no permanent fix and sooner or later we’ll need to bite the bullet and replace the airbox or find a permanent fix of some kind. To that end we’ve had a bit of a look around to find the key manufacturers of replacement airboxes and discovered the few players in this game are custom fabricators AAA Exhausts and Fabrications Based in Queensland, this company manufactures everything from exhausts to truck bodies. On the 4wd side they make canopies for trade or travel, tool boxes, performance exhausts, snorkels, intercoolers and provide a range of suspension and lighting options. Their airboxes cover Toyota, Nissan and Ford and average around $850 with filter. (200 Series) Toyota models include the HDJ Turbo Diesel, 200 Series and 79 Series V8. For Nissan they cover Navara and Patrol and for Ford, the Ranger. All their airboxes are 2.5 mm aluminium with 6 mm flanges and they take standard OEM or K & N panel filters. Owner Jason says, “If you can think of it, they can build it”. To suss out their range go to www.aaaexhaust.com.au or call Jason on 07 4952 6331. 164 Western 4W Driver #107

Fatz Fabrication cone filters - wet or dry. Another nifty feature is a This company, also based in Queensland clear Perspex lid so you cut their teeth in competition and can do a visual on extreme off-road so their products have your filter. been designed with endurance and Airboxes are powder functionality based on their experience coated and costs start at in off-road racing. Fatz make products for $680 plus freight. To see Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Mazda plus a more go to www.fatzfab. few US brands. com.au or call them on They fabricate 07 4936 1588. polished snorkels and airboxes with standard plumbing or full intake kits, VDJ 4” stainless exhausts, bull bars, rear and scrub bars, custom trays, aircraft grade alloy steering arms and engine mounts. Fatz don’t use panel filters in their airboxes - preferring Moonlight Custom Fabrication and Welding Moonlight is a Western Australian for almost any make and model 4x4. Company based in Wangara Perth. The Moonlight air box is configured to maximise the surface area of the panel filter to a claimed four-fold increase. Their air boxes are stainless steel, use the factory mounts to install and start from around $830.00 for a VDJ 70 Series air box. To find out more, check out their website: www. moonlightcustomfabrication.com.au or phone Kelly on 0467 224 758. They specialise in custom 4” stainless steel snorkels, air boxes, intake and intercooler piping. Models covered include the Toyota VDJ 70 Series, 100/105 Series, 80 Series, HZJ/HDJ 70 Series and Hilux. Nissan models include GU, Navara and Pathfinder. Moonlight can also make custom snorkels Western 4W Driver #107 165

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Camp Oven Clewed up Maintenance with Jo Clews Finally Melangata Station is feeling the effects of the approaching cooler Seasoning of a camp oven is a simple Autumn and Winter months and process and if done regularly will mean after what seems like an inferno generations of trouble free cooking, I eternity, which in reality is only six-eight will go through all the variants from weeks, once again days are cooling and a brand new camp oven to a woefully becoming shorter, which for me, is the abused camp oven so you know ideal time to start thinking about all things exactly how to tackle your own. These camp oven. methods apply to cast iron as well So while I have camp ovens on my mind as steel and for the sake of making now seems like the perfect opportunity life easier I will assume we will be to inspire you to go and dig your poor seasoning the camp oven at home and neglected camp oven out of the Redback use the kitchen oven or hooded BBQ infested corner of the shed, where all the for the process. Camp fire method will other underutilised camping equipment be provided as tips at the end. resides, dust it off, season it up and get cooking up a storm. The sole purpose of seasoning a camp oven is to provide a protective barrier between the bare metal of the pot and the food you are cooking. This prevents your food being tainted with a metallic taste, and is especially important when cooking things directly in the pot like roasts and stews. Straight off the shelf out of the box brand new Brand new camp ovens come with an oily protective coating to prevent the metal rusting before it is purchased, this must be removed before the seasoning process can begin. Step 1. Immerse the pot and the lid in a trough of warm soapy water and give it all a good scrub until the coating has been removed. Step 2. Place the pot and the lid into the oven or hooded BBQ at about 200degC until all traces of moisture have dried. Step 3. With gloved hands, carefully remove the pot and lid Western 4W Driver #107 167

from the oven to a heat proof surface Step 1. Fill empty dirty camp oven with and apply a thin film of spray oil or oil water and heat up, doesn’t need on a paper towel to the inside to boil. and outside of the pot and lid Step 2. Allow to cool then with a dish making sure all excess has been cloth wash down the inside. thoroughly removed. Step 3. Discard dirty water and allow Step 4. Place the pot upside down and it to dry. the lid right side up in the oven and Step 4. Re season if necessary allow the oil to bake on at 200 degC following step 1-5 for the bush method for two hours. It’s wise to repeat this or 2-4 if at home. process a few times to make sure there Quick fix while out bush. is a good layer of seasoning before Step 1. Follow cleaning instructions embarking on your camp oven cook up. then dig a well in the coals of the camp Pre-seasoned Camp ovens. fire and place the clean pot in the well There is a good American brand of and heat up. cast iron cook ware that I love called Step 2. Carefully remove from the Lodge and an Australian brand called coals and spray with oil or oil on some Solidteknics that sell pre seasoned paper towel, making sure all excess is cast iron. thoroughly removed. This does not mean that they never Step 3. Replace pot back into the well have to be seasoned again, it’s just of coals making sure hot coals come they have had the first seasoning and right up the sides. once you use the equipment and it is Step 4. Leave the pot in the hot coals clean and free of food then you will until the oil on the pot starts smoking. need to follow step two – four to build the layers of seasoning up for next time. Woefully Abused. If for some reason you have a badly neglected camp oven that may have gone rusty or had residual food welded to the pot, when one too many bevvies were consumed whilst having a cook up with the mates, then fear not, all is not lost. Even the worst camp oven can be bought back from the dead. This applies for cast iron as well as steel, but cast iron is slightly more forgiving of mistreatment. Whatever you need to do and by any means you see fit, e.g. a wire brush on a drill, a hammer and cold chisel, a molasses bath or even a sand blasting, anything it takes to get the inside of the pot and lid back to bare metal then follow step two – four to make your old faithful pot like new again. Tip. A well maintained camp oven should not need detergent or harsh abrasives to clean out after a successful cook up. 168 Western 4W Driver #107

Spread the oil with paper towel or of the pot as that’s where all the magic hubby’s favourite hanky. happens. It should always look glossy Step 5. Leave pot until it stops black without sooty residue getting on smoking, at this point the oil has now fingers, it should never be shiny metal been cooked on. as it will rust, the outside is just going Repeat if necessary. to get dirty, dusty and covered in ash Tip. Well maintained and seasoned so can be a little rough looking. camp ovens should not need a Tip. Practise, practise, practise and protective layer of oil to prevent rust, you will only get better at cooking in once the oil is cooked on it prevents your camp oven and it will become an rusting very well. essential and not just an optional extra Tip. Put all your efforts into the inside when packing for a trip. Enjoy. Back to the coals for a bake on. Our Airbox could save you $1000s Airboxes made to suit your 4x4. 4 inch inlet and outlet allows unrestricted dust-free flow from snorkel through to engine. 6 Featherstone St PH: 07 4936 1588 Parkhurst, QLD www.fatzfab.com.au Western 4W Driver #107 169

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In the 1970’s Denis Bartell blazed a number of vehicle trails across the Simpson Desert, some of which we follow today and others that haven’t been repeated since. Ron Moon got to talk to the legendary.... OUTBACK ADVENTURER Ifirst met Denis Bartell when I was editing an outdoor mag and Denis packed incidents in the 25kW 3-cylinder, was about to set off on a walking 2-stroke 540cc Suzi, including being traverse of the Simpson. By then, hung up on spinifex clumps and which was in the mid 1980’s, he had teetering on a roll over on a number of already carved a name for himself occasions, and a busted front axle on with some incredible vehicle exploits the return trip, he arrived back at Cape in the desert. His first record-breaking Bryon lighthouse, 9 days 2 hours and crossing of the Simpson was in July 20 minutes after he had previously left 1977 when he set out from Cape Bryon it! The following year he set out again, to make a double crossing of the in a more powerful 800cc Suzi for a continent, with the east-west crossing record breaking west to east crossing of the Simpson to be entirely cross and in 1979 he set out on another first, country and to pass close to the centre to follow Dr CT Madigan’s 1939 route of the desert. After a number of action- across the northern Simpson, which he completed again in a little Suzuki. DB takes a compass bearing during the 1979 Madigan Line Expedition. Western 4W Driver #107 171

The following year saw Denis back in on earlier forays, his route lay not in the desert, this time in a shorty Land a straight line but in a longer sweep Cruiser doing, what I believe, was south to take in the life-giving waters his greatest achievement by vehicle of the wells. That crossing – the first in the Simpson. With his teenage unaided walking crossing of the desert son, Richard, they headed east from – took 24 days. Dalhousie in the footsteps of David Still it wasn’t enough and the following Lindsay’s 1886 expedition. Using his year, he set out on his greatest physical tried and proven navigation method challenge – a walk from Burketown on (way before GPS), Denis went on the Gulf of Carpentaria to Adelaide on to cross the Southern Simpson, the Gulf of St Vincent, via of course, discovering six of the eight Aboriginal the Simpson Desert. His Gulf to Gulf wells found by Lindsay as well as expedition wasn’t without its dramas or “... The following Water was a rare but pleasant surprise year he set out on on the ‘79 trip. his greatest physical challenges, not the least of which was a challenge - a walk pair of stuffed knees which showed up from Burketown ... to before he entered the northern section Adelaide... via.. the of the desert. While many people Simpson Desert.” would have given up, Denis simply changed from doing an unsupported finding two of Lindsay’s blazed crossing to having an airdrop, which trees. A government sponsored meant he needed to carry less food, expedition around the same time had failed to find any of these wells and Denis was later asked to find the remaining two wells, which he did in 1983 when he took a group of archaeologists to all eight wells. Denis had already revisited the wells when, in 1981, he had also discovered another well mentioned, but never visited by Lindsay. In 1981 Denis followed the route of the explorer John McKinley from the ruins of Blanchewater homestead, just off the Strzelecki Track to Lake Hope, Cooper Creek, Lake Massacre and Coongie Lakes before reaching the track network that took him to Birdsville. In 1984 he set out on another ground-breaking trip. This time it was on foot, and again across his beloved Simpson Desert from Alka Seltzer Bore to Birdsville. Using the old Aboriginal wells he had rediscovered 172 Western 4W Driver #107

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and importantly, water. His 2500km trek the creek towards Lake Eyre. Three across the continent took five months days hard consistent paddling brought and after that challenge, both knees him onto the waters of Lake Eyre, one were operated on. of the very few people to have paddled In late 1985 he became the first person the Cooper all the way to the lake. to drive a solar-powered car from That year he received an Order of Darwin to Adelaide and the following Australia medal for his achievements, year he was back leading an expedition followed in 1994 by the Australian to all the wells he had previously Geographic Society’s gold medal, as discovered in the Adventurer of Simpson for the Year. the SA Dept of “(Canoeing down the In early 1994 Environment Cooper) ... was no ‘walk in Denis tracked before heading down Ted Colson’s off prospecting the park’ with ..a number of son, Danny, and for gold for a few years across nights spent sleeping in his with a string of the Outback. swag on top of all the gear camels followed Denis was back in in Danny’s father’s in his canoe.” footsteps from SA when, in mid- Bloods Bore to 1989, the Cooper and its tributaries Purni Bore and then the Approdinna came down in flood. He pushed his Attora Knolls and onto Poeppel Corner. canoe into the flow at the Nappa Crossing ‘Big Red’ they arrived in Merrie crossing and set out for Lake Birdsville, just 14 days after they had Eyre. Confused by the many channels left the western side of the desert. through the huge lignum swamps Then followed a series of record this trip was no ‘walk in the park’ with breaking trips down the Darling, and many channels ending as dead ends Murray Rivers before he was back in and a number of nights spent sleeping the Simpson in 2006, helping support in his swag on top of all the gear in his his daughter and her friends on a canoe. He ended that sojourn charity walk to raise money for at the Birdsville Track, the the Breast Cancer Foundation. flood not reaching Lake Eyre, He was back in the Simpson but the following year and again in 2009, raising a toast even bigger flood oozed down to a departed friend, and the The cart long abandoned, DB crosses the last dune out of the desert on his way to Adelaide from Burketown. 174 Western 4W Driver #107

following year he acted as vehicle was then that I could easily relive, in backup as his son walked across the a most vivid form, my past journeys desert in his footsteps. and scenery from its ever changing Talking with Denis on our recent landscape – I could truly be at one crossing of the desert I had to ask with the spirit of the desert ‘ A lot of him about ‘Big Red’, the great dune people have followed his example and he had named on his double crossing sat on that mighty dune as the sun of the desert in 1977. His reply was rose in the east, or sunk in the west; touched with feeling, ‘I had named it the desert and that dune, is then, at during that first double crossing and its most magical. Today Denis’ lives in in 1980 while sitting on one of its fiery south-east Qld, but his heart – and the domes I was so inspired by the most incredible legacy he created – is in magnificent sunset I had ever seen that the Simpson! I wrote a poem called ‘Big Red’ and for Overlander magazine (August 1982) More info I wrote a story called ‘Three Tracks Across The Simpson’, where I duly Denis has an easy-to-read and noted its position on the map.’ enjoyable book titled, Desert Walker - He continued, ‘Promoted through Outback Adventurers with Denis Bartell, the media, the mystery and romance which tells of his extraordinary life. of a big red sand hill was born and More than anything it is an uplifting over the past 40 years and 70 plus yarn meant not only to entertain but crossings, mostly solo, a ritual formed also to motivate. The DVD, Outback between that dune and me. A sunset Adventures with Denis Bartell, details whenever possible from Big Red was three of his travels across and around something not to be missed for it the Simpson. You can find this and more at: www.desertwalker.com.au Eating dust can be bad v for youvrehicleh’sealth Keep the demon dust out of your engine with a Moonlight filtration system. Custom built here in Western Australia, Moonlight’s stainless steel airboxes seal firmly to keep out the finest dust particles and feature a filter with four times the surface area of the factory filter (VDJ70 series). Contact Kelly orTyrone for the local solution to your air filtration problems. We manufacture snorkels and air boxes for a wide range of 4WDs. PHONE: 0467 224 758 Unit 4, 31 Dellamarta Rd, Wangara, WA 6065 www.moonlightcustomfabrication.com.au Western 4W Driver #107 175

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ECLIPSE CROSS OVER From Neil Dowling People who have trouble pronouncing the name Mitsubishi - c’mon, put your hands up - better start learning to say it correctly because it’s becoming one of the most popular SUV makers in Australia. Western 4W Driver #107 177

or those who have mastered the is considerably bigger inside despite art of putting the “u” and “i” in the sharing the wheelbase. right place - there’s a new model However, the Eclipse Cross has a decent luggage area of 341 litres Fname to nail onto the end of it - (about the same as a VW Golf) with the rear seat in place and the sliding Eclipse Cross. Don’t even attempt this seat mechanism on its most rearward after three or more glasses of red wine. position. It increases to 448 litres with It may be a mouthful (the name, not the seat pushed forward and when the the wine) but the Eclipse Cross is the back seat is folded down, expands to new SUV from that car company. Though it is an all-new mid- 1136 litres. size model, it uses the same Surprisingly, the Eclipse Cross platform as the smaller (in is a really pleasant driving length) ASX and the bigger (in machine, coming with an length) Outlander. all-new 1.5-litre four-cylinder This platform is also shared petrol engine cranking 110kW/250Nm with the outgoing Lancer and driving through a rather sedan and liftback and this is personable continuously-variable the reason it exists. Mitsubishi transmission (CVT) that I usually dislike has no plans for another as much as rockmelon. sedan. It currently has only There are two front-drive versions two - the baby Mirage and the (which we will conveniently ignore) small-car Lancer - and globally, and one all-wheel drive. Mitsubishi - Mitsubishi stopped which by the end of this year will sell making the Lancer seven SUVs/utes and only one car - is last December. knowledgeable about all-wheel drive There is no car to systems so the Eclipse Cross Exceed replace the Lancer model has a decent on-demand system so the Eclipse with a lockable AWD for low speeds. Cross will become There’s also hill descent. the token family The cabin design is more upmarket “sedan”. If you don’t than the Outlander and ASX, with a understand any of this, go back to the second paragraph and have another glass of wine. The vehicle is termed a crossover - a mix of an SUV and a wagon - so it leans more towards being a stylish interpretation of the SUV box. This “coupe” style - a word so ill-used it sounds like it came out of America - is indicated by the sloping roofline and narrowed rear glass. BMW also does it with the X6 and X4 SUVs, and Mercedes has it in the GLC Coupe SUV and CLS sedan. The good news is that young people prefer this racier design, though it crimps some cabin and luggage space. Compare the Eclipse Cross with the Outlander, for example, and the latter 178 Western 4W Driver #107

neat touchpad to fiddle with and the CVT in any brand. locate things on the dash screen Mitsubishi has another, cheaper, (this is not distractive?) and a version of the Eclipse Cross coming comprehensive audio, connectivity towards the end of this year that and ventilation system. would be worth considering if it comes It doesn’t come with satellite with all-wheel drive. The Exceed navigation, and it’s not even an option. specification driven comes with But it comes with a USB port so you 360-degree camera, leather, rear cross- plug in your tablet or mobile phone traffic alert and unintended acceleration and use Google Maps or some similar control and even the entry-level LS app. Tested offroad in Tasmania, the has welcome autonomous emergency Google Map info and visuals were braking and lane-change warning. excellent, up to date (especially with Thanks to the long wheelbase, rear traffic) and simple to operate. It will seat legroom is more than plentiful suck some data from your mobile with the sliding feature giving cabin phone account, though. flexibility for adults or children. In the dirt the Eclipse Cross is Nuts ‘n’ substantially better than the ASX bolts - which suffers from very short Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Exceed suspension travel that introduces some Built: Japan annoying kidney massages - and on par with the Outlander. Price: $38,500 plus costs The engine, however, is more responsive than those available in Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl petrol the Outlander. The only downfall is when things get serious in the dirt and Power/Torque: 110kW/250Nm the CVT begins to lose its ability to efficiently transfer engine power to the Transmission: CVT auto, AWD wheels. Not an unusual aspect of Fuel economy: 7.7L/100km Western 4W Driver #107 179

WEIGHTY ISSUES When is enough enough? Hopefully when you know you’ve reached GVM and not when the weight of an overloaded vehicle threatens to destroy your on-road safety. To better understand his payload, Jeff Pollard got out the scales for a surprising result. 180 Western 4W Driver #107

lanning a trip up the Canning load you carried and if that has Stock Route this year prompted us contributed to your accident. to do a camping trip with a just a Remember too that there is a limit for your roof rack, which you don’t want Ptent to test things out after eight to exceed, even just in the interests of safe handling over dunes and years of towing an off-road camper. on corners. So get those bathroom When we used to go camping around scales out and start weighing. Weigh Darwin we were very minimalist yourself and partner too and no wishful campers and fitted two kids, two thinking. You can get weights for things adults, dog, all our fishing and like bull bar, winch and tow bar from camping gear plus a fridge in the Hilux and a boat on top and didn’t seem to Time to hit the weighbridge and check be too squeezy. Fast forward the suspension. 20 years and either vehicles the suppliers, or check on ebay for have got a lot smaller or we weights. If you are towing a trailer, have more STUFF. No kids don’t forget to add tow ball weight or dog now but there doesn’t too. You may need to remove some seem to be enough room in stuff from the car to the trailer. Once the current Prado, even with you are all loaded up with full water the third row seats removed. and fuel tanks and all your STUFF, go Following our tenting trip over to the nearest weighbridge and check Christmas, I began weighing all the weights including each axle to things in and on the vehicle make sure you are under the limits. and got quite a surprise. We Don’t leave this till you’re heading off were overweight. Some of on a trip. You might need to go back the stuff that normally travels home and repack. GVM, tare weights, in the camper is now in the kerb weights and axle weights can car. I must admit I now carry be found in your vehicle handbook toolbox and recovery gear, or the manufacturer’s website or by tyre changing gear, better doing a web search. Know what each chairs and table than before and a lot more clothes and Western 4W Driver #107 181 bedding than we needed travelling in the Top End. All of this adds up and I tended to forget all the stuff already attached permanently to the car such as bull bar, winch, awning, solar panel, tow bar, extra battery, roof racks, snorkel, and the list goes on. Checking the Kerb weight against the Gross Vehicle Mass, gives me a payload of 668 Kg. When I deduct passengers and all the fixtures mentioned above, it doesn’t leave much for extra water, fuel, food and clothing etcetera. In fact I have had to start culling non essential items to meet the weight limit. And, meeting the weight limit is essential to keeping your insurance cover in event of a claim. One of the things an insurance company may do is check how much

GVM=2998 Kerb weight=2330 Payload=668 Item Weight battery, wiring, charger 22 Awning 12 BBQ 6 Bed and pump 3 Check you don’t exceed maximum roof Bedding 10 rack payload. term means and do the calculations. Box of cooking gear, gas etc. 25 Tare weight includes 10 litres of fuel, whereas Kerb weight is full fuel tank. Box of food 25 Check your tyres while you are at it too for max load rating. Many vehicles we Box of maps, phones, iPad 4 see on outback roads I would guess would be very overweight and that has Bull bar 80 implications for not only insurance, but wear and tear on suspension and Chairs 14 fuel economy too. Lots of vehicles are damaged on outback roads simply Clothing 20 from being overweight. You want to let your tyres down for corrugations or Compressor 7 sand driving, but you can’t go as low as you might like if you are overweight. Fire extinguishers x 2 2 Following is a list of my items and weights. I haven’t included food and Fridge 25 grog yet, so we may be going a bit hungry on the next trip. Gas bottle 3.3 kg full 9 Happy travels. Doesn’t look to be loaded up but it’s Ground mat 6 not far off GVM. Jerry cans diesel 40L 34 Jerry cans water 70L 74 Less 3rd row seats and -42 Maxtrax 8 Passengers 160 Puncture repair kit 1 Recovery gear 12 Roof rack & fittings 12 Shovel 2 Solar panel 8 Table 4 Tent, poles, pegs 7 Toolbox 20 Tow bar 23 Tyre changing gear 10 Winch 25 Total 628 Rear axle 1480 Front axle 1480 Weighbridge total 2960 ** Total on roof rack including awning, roof rack, jerry cans, fuel, shovel, solar panel and Maxtrax is 76 kg. 182 Western 4W Driver #107

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184 Western 4W Driver #107

Words & Pics by Colin Kerr Knowles Cave on the old track between Cook and Nullarbor Station. It’s been there since 1917, but for us it all started a couple of years ago when we stopped off at Cook for a brief 30-minute visit on our Indian Pacific Rail trip across the country between Sydney and Perth. Western 4W Driver #107 185

nce quite a bustling little town to take in more of this intriguing little with a population of around 400, place – as one of the local signs say, Cook, like all of these railway “in the middle of nowhere”! Roll on a couple of years and with a Otowns on the transcontinental quite extensive road trip underway (4WD and off-road caravan) our travel railway line across the Nullarbor, plan included our promised quickly went into decline when modern return to Cook. diesel locomotives (which could travel After making enquiries on road long distances without refuelling) conditions and topping up with fuel, replaced steam and the rail line itself etc. at Border Village and then briefly was upgraded with concrete sleepers. checking out a few of those lovely The need for quite large crews at Bunda Cliff lookouts on the SA side of each of these towns to maintain the the SA/WA border, it was time to turn aged infrastructure had now gone and off the Eyre Highway (signposted 142 Cook’s permanent population at the km east of Border Village) and head time of our visit had reduced to just directly northwards to Cook a handful. 105 km away. During our short stay we quickly Overall this all-gravel outback track walked around parts of the old town (only periodically maintained), was and everywhere we looked this near in quite fair condition with just a few ghost town had history and character. corrugated sections, some minor All too soon however, we were washaways and a good deal of herded back onto the train to continue bulldust. With tyre pressures lowered our journey. in both the Landcruiser and caravan, As we looked back out the train we were able to maintain a steady pace window at this historic centre we knew that one day we’d have to come back 186 Western 4W Driver #107

(25-50 km per hour) for most Class is out forever at the old school. of the trip. A memorial mural for a railway worker Along the way there are remains on the tank stand. several points of interest, all around, the outline of the little including a crossing of the settlement of Cook could be seen from now unmaintained Old many kilometres away on the Eyre Highway, sections of distant horizon. the historic vermin fence, On arrival in town, things looked very old mileage markers, rusty tanks and windmills, and 19 km south of Cook right beside the road (marked with an old tyre) is one of many limestone blowholes found across much of this flat treeless section of the Nullarbor Plain. As we rolled on further northwards with nothing but a flat salt/blue bush plain landscape GET PHONE DOWN TO 9534 6733FOR AN AMAZING RANGE OF 4WD Get Serious! ACCESSORIES AND AUTO PARTS U16 FALCON COMMERCIAL CENTRE, FALCON WA 6210 www.mandurah4x4.com.au Western 4W Driver #107 187

different from our previous General store, post office and repeater visit – there were no people station all in one. to be seen anywhere! This from the crews from quite a few goods indeed, was a real contrast to trains that come through and several last time when the whole place hundred Indian Pacific train passengers was crawling with 250 plus who invade the place for 30 minutes train passengers who were twice a week, they normally don’t see wandering everywhere around many visitors at all. the small village. Yes, this Allan, who is also the town’s self- time the wide main street and proclaimed Mayor with a plaque near everywhere else was totally his front door to ‘prove it’ was happy deserted. As we began looking to tell us some of the town’s history around and considering where and point out a few of the settlement’s we were going to set up the main features. He also showed us caravan for an overnight stay, we spotted a small ‘Manager’s A relief for some, maybe. Residence’ sign. Here we caught up with Allan Sunman and his partner, just two of the town’s four current residents who work on a rotation system to ensure someone is on duty here in the town at all times. This lovely couple made us feel very welcome and explained that apart TRUST YOUR 4WD TO THE SPECIALISTS Est. 1986 ARMADALE 4WD SERVICE CENTRE 7 KEATS RD, ARMADALE PH: 9497 3066 www.armadale4wd.com.au 188 Western 4W Driver #107

a nice, secluded area behind the old school for us to set up camp for our stay. Obviously this also meant that he’d know where we were in town in the unlikely event of an emergency, and we would be well out of the way of any of the train crews and the invasion of Indian Pacific passengers due the following afternoon. Yes, quite intentionally, we planned our return trip here to Cook to coincide with the Indian Pacific calling in – and our plan was to quietly stand and watch the spectacle unfold before our eyes. In the meantime we spent our time quietly wandering around town checking out places of historic interest including the old hospital site, the quaint local school, the sports grounds, the now filled-in swimming pool, cricket ground, tennis and golf grounds and clubhouse, the general store, the old railway station, the police lock-up gaol cells and dunny, and many other now deserted pieces of Cook’s railway history … and what about some of the town’s quite quirky signs – they were a real scream! If you did you’d get their undivided attention. Western 4W Driver #107 189

As the town’s population was declining and the local hospital was under threat of closing, signs appeared (and are still there) chasing customers. The hospital was eventually closed in 1998. Another classic sign is still outside the old general store warning “Any arsehole that steals from this camp will be gut, shot and left for the eagles to feed on”. Going back to our nice secluded campsite in the old school grounds, well, it turned out to be perfect – extremely quiet, except for a few birds in the trees, plenty of sun for our Dunny doubled as the local bank with a shitty interest rate. His ‘n’ Her’s gaol cells. in the train for a couple of days) to solar panels, we could see most of the hurriedly scatter town from our caravan window and like a stirred up were only about 100 metres from the ants nest around ‘Town Centre’! Even the regular goods what we felt by trains passing through Cook were far then, was ‘our’ little enough away and fairly quiet and did town. We spoke to a not noticeably disturb the peace and few as they rushed serenity of the place. Running almost around and all were an hour earlier than expected (but extremely surprised who cares out here) the Indian Pacific at the history and rolled into town next day and, just as interest they were we expected, disgorged almost 300 finding in this little outback centre, and passengers, all eager to get some were equally surprised to find ‘other exercise (after sitting on their backsides visitors’ in this lonely place. After the mandatory 30 minute stop a ‘shrill’ 190 Western 4W Driver #107 from the train’s whistle signalled the passengers to immediately return to their carriages and within minutes the town returned to normal – once again there was not a soul in sight. We had our ‘our town’ back to ourselves. Our one night here in Cook actually turned into two – a restful break on our Nullarbor crossing. On our final morning, we called in and said our goodbyes to the caretaker and headed back south retracing our steps towards

the Eyre Highway. Bore, well and ruins on the Nullarbor Just under 50 km south of Station Track. Cook however, it was time much smaller Ivy Cave however, were to put another deviation the most interesting natural landscape into our travels – on a features along the way and were well track heading diagonally worth checking out. Also a feature out (southeast) towards here is the many wombat holes seen Nullarbor Station. across the countryside – sometimes Our research on this single even encroaching onto the track. lane, quite rough and rocky trail, proved to be spot on and was not much more than a goat track in parts, but ‘doable’ with our off-road caravan taken slowly with care. Apart from keeping alert over the many rough limestone boulder sections, there were plenty of other interesting sights along the way, including rockholes, caves, rusty wrecks, windmills and wells, a couple of old structures, a significant bore and tank (once an important station watering hole), and an old sheep dip structure. The large and quite spectacular Knowles Cave and NORTHERN SUBURBS GO LOCAL!4W DRIVERS PH: 9408 6448 U2A/10 • Suspension/Upgrades PENSACOLA TCE, • Recovery Equipment [email protected] CLARKSON WA 6030 • Specialty Camping Equipment • General Accessories • Fridge/Freezers • 12v Battery Systems • UHF Radio/Navigation • Roof Racks • Bullbars/Side Protection • Rear Wheel Carriers/Towbars • Differential Lockers • Air Compressors and Tyre Accessories • Spotlights Western 4W Driver #107 191

These are the southern hairy nose wombats which must be in prolific numbers across this part of the country. Although this trail (from the Cook Road turn-off), including some short side tracks and a couple of short walks, was only approximately 80 km, it took us nearly 5 hours to complete. All too soon in the distance we could see the outline of Nullarbor Station and Roadhouse and then road trains and other fast moving traffic along the ‘black-top’ Eyre Highway. We were back into civilisation after seeing just two other vehicles on these tracks over the past three days. A couple of years earlier we had travelled the Old Eyre highway between Border Village and Nullarbor Station via Koonalda Homestead and now adding this additional side-track adventure off the black-top was a great adventure. We might just do it all again one day and see what else we can find along the way. Excerpt from Hema’s SA State map. Old utes never die, they just lose a few parts. The track down to Nullarbor Station is in pretty good nick but watch out for the odd wombat hole. 192 Western 4W Driver #107

• There is no fuel or any other services systems flowing through this barren at Cook – fill up and stock up before landscape. leaving Border Village or Nullarbor if • Cook was named after early travelling the other way. Our trip in Australian Prime Minister Sir Joseph total from Border Village to Nullabor Cook. via Cook was just under 400 km. • Telstra mobile phone service/internet is available in the Cook township. • Tracks north of the railway line at • A section of the railway line out here Cook lead to Maralinga Tjadutja is the longest straight railway line in lands and entry is forebidden the world at 478 km. without appropriate permits and • In Cook’s heyday, a special train then only on approved tracks. serviced the town and other railway Phone Permits Office on (08)8625 settlements along the way. It 2946 or email senioradmin@ was known as the Tea and Sugar maralinga.com.au Train. In reality, it was a mobile shopping centre carrying anything • The vast Nullarbor Plain is the from hardware, household goods, a world’s largest limestone karst huge range of food stuffs, fruit and landscape, covering an area of vegetables, even a butcher’s van and 270,000 square kilometres. Out banking facilities. It ceased operation here over 250 caves are recorded, in 1996 after operating for 80 years. some leading into underground river • All water in Cook is brought in by train. Previously underground water from an artesian aquafer was used. Western 4W Driver #107 193

STINGER ALERT The Department of Biodiversity, - avoid touching jellyfish of any species Conservation and Attractions - cover bare skin by wearing a stinger (DBCA) is reminding people to suit, rash shirt or wetsuit to reduce the be aware of the potential presence of risk of being stung Irukandji jellyfish following sightings and reported cases of Irukandji - be able to recognise Irukandji jellyfish - make yourself aware of the signs and Syndrome along the Ningaloo Reef and symptoms of Irukandji Syndrome, and in Exmouth Gulf. - understand what to do in the case of People should: a suspected sting. STINGER -FREE TAGALONGSot sure what to do and where to go in Spring? NAt Campfire Escapes we have the perfect answer with a couple of new destinations in September sure to satisfy your wonderlust. You’ll wonder how you lusted so long without joining our Wildflower tour, this year running from 7th - 9th(all new) and our famous ‘Beyond the Holland track’ on the Queen’s birthday long weekend. From there the fun goes further with our ‘Dads ‘n’ Kids’ weekend in October (think marroning, YUM!, 4w driving and raft racing) followed by our new ‘Between the Capes’ at the end of October, Shutterbuggers in November and a dash down to D’Entrecasteaux national Park in December. Don’t miss out on an excellent adventure with Campfire Escapes from September on. Hit the website for more detail: www.campfireescapes. com.au or call Nick on (08) 9291 8303 or Andrew on 9317 2344 and join us for a weekend to remember. 194 Western 4W Driver #107

from the smaller Goings On species may be A Keesingia gigas found near Exmouth minor and go 2016. Pic: CSIRO unnoticed as nothing more than Species of Irukandji along a minor irritant, the Ningaloo Coast and while stings from Exmouth Gulf the larger Keesingia gigas have resulted A relatively small Irukandji jellyfish in excruciating pain (likely to be Malo bella) has been in some patients reported in Exmouth Gulf, Muiron at the sting site. Islands and in the open ocean west Further signs and of Tantabiddi since March this year. symptoms may not Malo bella has clear cube shaped be immediate and bells (typically the size of a finger generally appear or thumbnail) with one thin trailing between five to 45 tentacle on each of the four corners. minutes after the These jellyfish can be very hard to see initial sting. These in the water. A second and much larger may include (but are not limited to) species, Keesingia gigas, was recorded severe generalised muscle pain along the Ningaloo Coast in 2016 (particularly back pain), headache, and 2017 with isolated reports from nausea, vomiting, anxiety, restlessness, 2018. Keesingia gigas has elongated, breathing difficulties, sweating and clear, cube-shaped bells 10 – 15 cm elevated blood pressure. in diameter and 20 – 40 cm long with one short paddle-like tentacle on each First Aid of the four corners. Both species can cause Irukandji Syndrome. - Follow the principles of DRSABCD (Danger, Response, Send for help, Symptoms and signs of Airways, Breathing, CPR, Defibrillation). Irukandji Syndrome - Liberally douse or spray the area with vinegar for 30 seconds (do not rinse The initial sting from an Irukandji the area with fresh water). jellyfish may vary in intensity. Stings - Transport to hospital. - If symptoms and signs do not develop, it is recommended that the patient should remain out of the water and be monitored in a safe location for at least 45 minutes. Reducing the risk The risk of being stung or the severity of a sting can be reduced by wearing stinger suits or rash shirts made of nylon or lycra, or wetsuits. Any bare skin, especially hands, feet and the face may still be at risk if they are not covered. If you suspect you have seen an Irukandji jellyfish, please do not touch it under any circumstances. Please report any sighting to DBCA’s Parks and Wildlife Service on 9947 8000. Western 4W Driver #107 195

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