E Book 109.

Apparently when Jim Cook called River red gums line Turee Creek in in to Tasmania’s Bruny Island in the Pilbara. 1777, during his third Pacific Ocean expedition that he was fated not to across the eastern states, but it is complete, a sailor collected a branch still identifiable if you know the main of a eucalypt that eventually got to difference between the two tree the British Museum. In what I think is groups – mainly their leaf shapes. a bizarre twist, given that at the time However, along most watercourses both the British and the French were throughout inland Australia you can competing for ownership of the Great find one or another eucalypt beneath South Land, a French botanist Charles which you might be tempted to camp. Louis L’Héritier de Brutelle, working In most of Australia the River Red at the time in London at the British Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) Museum gave the plant collected by lines the banks of the watercourses. the Englishman, the name ‘eucalyptus’ Another strange eucalypt fact that which he got from Greek words that concerns this species is that it is mean ‘well covered.’ This is more than named after the Camaldoli monastery you can say for May Gibbs’ Gumnut near Naples in Italy from where the Babies, who weren’t well-covered at all specimen came that was described except for their caps – but you get the in 1832 by the chief gardener at the idea. L’Héritier was talking about the Botanic Gardens in Naples – an Aussie covering on the gum nut before the tree on holiday in Italy? Talking about flower opens - a distinct feature of French and British rivalry, I must all eucalypts. report that the first eucalypt to be The boundary between the mulgas collected and described and belonging and the eucalypts is not quite so only to Western Australia was the clear when you are travelling inland Yate, (Eucalyptus cornuta) whose Western 4W Driver #109 99

gum nut wears a cap like Noddy - if of trees in eastern Australia closely you remember him - collected near related to the eucalypts that are known Esperance in 1792 by the French by various local names but whose botanist Jacques Labillardiere. A tree, scientific name is ‘Angophora.’ Unless looking very similar to the River Red you really need to know the difference Gum is the ‘Coolabah,’ which lives for a special purpose, Eucalypts, along the rivers and creeks with very Corymbias and Angophoras can all intermittent flows that don’t provide be referred to as ‘Gum Trees.’ All of enough year-round moisture to them provide good shade if they are support a River Red Gum. Both Red big enough, but while a very shady Gums and Coolabahs are very big camp can be made beneath them, you trees and usually have a twisted trunk need to be aware that most big mature and crown. The River Red Gum has gum trees are famous for dropping a smooth bark from the trunk right up to limb or two under certain conditions. the small branches while the Coolabah Considering how big the darn things It can be a risky business propping under river red gums. has rough bark on the lower trunk, but grow, a falling limb the upper part and the branches have will crush anything smooth bark. Both of these eucalypts beneath it when have pretty small ‘gum-nuts’ but it hits the ground, even so, these small seed-carrying and they have structures are useful for professionals been responsible who need to identify exactly which for some deaths species is which. And talking about over the years. The the professionals, there has been a River Red Gum is division made in the eucalypt group especially famous with some being shifted to a group for unexpectedly known as ‘Corymbia’ while the rest dropping limbs; stayed as ‘Eucalyptus’ – (it really only unfortunately, there matters to another eucalypt). For ages is still no clear understanding of what people have recognised a small group causes this. Such a lack of knowledge is inconvenient because it seems to 100 Western 4W Driver #109 be more prevalent during the summer months just when we are looking for a bit of shade and it doesn’t seem to be associated with wind or weather events, so is completely unpredictable. Widespread and extended drought does seem to have made the problem a more frequent occurrence. Trees, like most living things, want to live and do whatever they can to save themselves and shed limbs to retain available moisture in what remains



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of themselves so that overall, the tree Australia by First Fleet settlers who can survive. So, a severe lack of water used their thin and flexible trunks to is one cause of limb drop –you have make ‘wattle and daub’ walls for their been warned! Never camp under big huts). Acacias got their name from a Eucalypts in drought country – or species that grows along the Nile River anywhere else. While Australia can lay in Africa; a few scattered and imported claim to most living eucalypts (New trees of the same variety grow in Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines north Queensland. More than ten have a few), the oldest Eucalyptus years ago someone discovered that fossil leaves, which are about 52 the Australian wattles weren’t closely million years old, have been found in related to the about 100 species known Argentina in South America, where in Africa and a few other spots. As eucalypts no longer grow naturally. there are more than 900 of them in Like stunning Rugby players, fossil Australia that would have had to have eucalypt leaves less than half that age their names changed, the easy way also occur in New Zealand, where they out was to leave the Aussie species are not native today (Go Eagles). This alone and re-name the others. As suggests that they are a Gondwanan you might imagine this caused an species from the time when most of uproar – amongst the non-Australians. the land in the southern hemisphere Fossils that appear to be ancient forms was joined together. of acacia about 20 million years old, If you thought that there were a few have been found in the Paris basin nations and travellers mixed up in in France, (those French again!), in the eucalypt story, wait ‘till you hear Hungary, Switzerland and a few places about the acacias or ‘wattles’ as on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. we call them (after their first use in Seems even worse in ancestral terms The mulga covers a huge part of the WA outback. Western 4W Driver #109 103

than the eucalypts doesn’t it? But let’s leave the botanists to sort that out and just look at acacia trees themselves – although many just grow as shrubs rather than trees. Once again, Western Australia has a huge number of varied species known for their distinctive flowers and their amazingly varied leaf forms. What is not appreciated by 4W drivers is the burnt stumps that seem harder than iron and will stab through a tyre’s sidewall quicker than you can say ’bull-bag. ‘Try to avoid these! It was because acacia wood is so tough that many, if not all, wooden artefacts used by Aboriginal people in some regions were made of acacia wood. Aboriginal people used acacias regularly and daily for a huge range of purposes: seeds provided food, gum and sap gave medicines, and tools like digging sticks, spear barbs, spear shafts, shields, clubs, boomerangs, Nice to camp in, Mulga makes the best firewood but it is also good at taking the wind out of your tyres. spear throwers, clap-sticks used in There are great singing events as well as things like stories amongst firewood, ash to mix with chewing bushmen about tobacco, charcoal for paint, inner-bark the wood being fibres for string and the list goes on. used to replace Sadly, acacias are rarely big enough to various car parts in camp beneath – which would be great emergencies. But, as as they don’t drop their branches! far as I know there is no handbook of tips and procedures that accompanied 104 Western 4W Driver #109 the “Bush Mechanics” TV shows, so you’re on your own mate, but I know you will heed the warnings I have given from my spot here next to the cooler bar. I’m just hoping I’m not under it later on tonight.

WIN A UH 9080 UHF Radio We look forward to receiving the mag from our mates at and more comments like Ms Burtons’ Cheers ‘keeping you connected’ John & Dianne Gustafson Litter Buggers You’ve got it in a nutshell John. I like the new maxim, ‘The standard you G’day Nick, walk past is the standard you accept’. Reading Amanda Burton’s letter has The late Ian Kiernan epitomised that by prompted me to comment that toilet collecting rubbish and urging others to litter is not just a problem, it is all litter do the same. and it is not just in the Kimberley. Now millions of others around the As an aging 4WD nut (now in an ‘off- world who ‘walked past’ his standard road’ caravan) Di and I have travelled are following his example.That’s the the Great Central Road twice, the sort of groundswell we need to turn the Victoria Highway four times and he tide. For every person who stops to pick Nullarbor fifteen or sixteen times and up a piece of rubbish, hopefully, others most roads/tracks in between. We will be inspired to do the same. would have to say that of all the states All the Best, WA is the worst for litter and some of Nick the worst litter-bugs are caravaners. Just like the oceans of this world, the “Click here for more” vastness seems to attract the “she’ll be right mate, it’s only a bit of paper” (or Congratulations John. You’ve can ,etc.) syndrome. Having said that, we stopped for a won the latest UHF Radio ‘cuppa’ at the Gibb River Crossing and encountered a tour group of Japanese from and a 12 eating tour driver - supplied oranges. They were standing around looking for month subscription to somewhere to put the peel when the driver told them to “just throw away”. I Re joycing on of course in my usual dulcet tones suggested that up his shirt or on his the Gibb seat would be best and when we arrived home much later contacted the Hi Nick, company who informed us the driver May I open by stating that I had since sought other employment. unreservedly share your quest for some Nick, despite the promises made by humour around the camp fire. We ‘Leave No Trace’ when they absorbed have a Poets Breakfast here every year. TreadLightly, the message has faded Where those blokes get some of that somewhat. Western 4W Driver #109 105

humour from I beg to follow. It’s done yourself a favour. Get yourself and your without naughty words, or maybe one mob into an aircraft, early AM. Fly over here and there and is profoundly, the Bungles, land, spend the day there blissful humour. The singers and with two of their guides. They will pick guitarists are funny. I have to make sure you up, drive you around to Echidna I’m not drinking when they’re in action. and Cathedral Gorges. They supply Someone might get sprayed! food, water, tea, coffee, combined with Kimberley. We are due to have another some of the most amazing landscapes run, third, on GR Road next year. you’ll ever see in your life. Put you back That will be my third, but there is so on the plane and back to Kununurra, much down that bugger of a road that I just before sundown. It’s worth every can’t get it all at once. I invite myself to penny – for a day in your life you’ll any camp fire. If we can chat for a few never forget. Having done it once it’s on minutes, or get invited to sit down, then our agenda for a repeat performance god knows what happens after that! Or next year. when I get to bed! Probably 2morrow! So – that’s about it brother. But before I I love the families. Dad Mum and the go, remember this – “You live on one kids, first trip, all new. Always send a of the most amazing places on few emails later. this earth”. We have seen some dreadfully Don’t pass it by. Love it while you are damaged cars on this road. One was a young, and tell your mates. new car, purchased in Derby a day or Best regards two earlier, L front wheel completely Murray Joyce buried under the centre of the car, only an hour from Derby. Two fellows and a Strewth Murray, you’ve got more lady. Trip over. energy than the Indian Pacific! We have had many requests, “Have Might have to plan a trip out your way you got a welding machine mate?” for poets breakfast day. Always on the Sorry mate, forgot to put that one in! lookout for some new material and a Got some chewing gum ya can have! good dose of funnies beats a dose of The two recent fatalities were very (insert ailment here) any day. unfortunate. I am a life-member of the On the Gibb River Road, (where I’d RFDS. We do our best to air-lift people really like to be sometime soon) I was out of some difficult places but GRR speaking to a Kununurra tow truck is out of bounds. So, have to be extra operator who spends a lot of time careful! This road is helicopter country. rescuing travellers off the track and he Not many of these around. reckons most of his jobs are hauling Some farms have airstrips for their own out vans or campers that aren’t up to aircraft, but they are unable to cater the task, are towed on hard tyres at too for RFDS aircraft. Be very careful. No high speeds by vehicles in 4wd high place for stupid tricks. If you get it over surfaces that should be treated wrong, then we will all have to eat with a bit more respect. Locking a scones and drink tea for a day, get the vehicle into 4wd on a good straight drift Mate? road and driving harder he says, is Finally, GRR is an amazing place of what causes corrugations and busted beauty, waterfalls, camp sites, hills, running gear. valleys and rivers, unique flora, fauna, Same old story, everyone in a and amazing great people. hurry, Murray. I love them all. Closest I’ve been to Purnululu was At the end of the road, Kununurra, do a thousand feet up in an open door 106 Western 4W Driver #109

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chopper taking pics for Slingair back Mobile Hotspot 27 years ago. And yes I have got a life - mainly ruled by deadlines. G’day Nick, Must fix that. Currently doing a trip to The Cape via Enjoy your trip and we look forward to GCR/PLENTY etc via Cairns to pick up the next instalment. my son. Then back to same to drop him All the Best, off, me onto the south coast of SA. Nick Whilst in the West MacDonnells (Palm Valley and the historic Owen Springs A word from homestead-abt 90kms sw of AS) I came across these ‘mobile hotspots’, I don’t Cathedral Poolpit know if youve come ax them. Turn your wifi on, put your phone in the Hi Nick, red cradle, wait 30 sec and 3g arises. After years of camping at Cathedral Had to havago......works.....to be sure..... Pool in Wittenoom Gorge, I finally to be sure. Sent out data on whatsapp decided it was time to clean up the big to a mate back in WA........in the ‘middle fire pit, as it was spoiling the view of of nowhere.’ I would have to presume what we all know is a fantastic pool. that the NT PWS is progressively Please view my before and after pics installing these in their areas. Best Regards Cheers... Mike Clarke John Skinner Mike, you’ve left me feeling like I inhabit a warm, dark spot somewhere back in time.The good thing is dinosaurs don’t need a lot of this new- fangled technology. That said, there’s plenty out there who will be testing your new discovery with relish I’m sure. Cheers, Nick ‘Onya John.They get a bit big and ugly CAT D8 2U? after a while. It’s not so bad if everyone uses the same spot but judging by the Hi Nick scars behind you, it looks like others With regard to the last issue relating prefer to make their own arrangements. to a photo of Len Beadell’s dozer. It is ‘Before’ pic was a bit ‘how’s-your-father’ definitely a Cat D8 & these are very so we stuck with the ‘after’. rare with hydraulic controls. Most of Cheers, these in those days were cable. Does Nick anyone know what particular model it is? It could be an 8R or a 2U series. Apparently it has been restored by Dick Smith & is in his collection now. Thanks Ray Milich Thanks for the feedback Ray. Many years ago I heard that the dozer was clearing fencelines on a station down Western 4W Driver #109 109

on the Nullarbor. smaller diameter tyres or lower the If we hear any more on this (maybe floor instead of only half lifting the roof. from Connie-Sue) we’ll let you know. Take Care Terry Wilson Cheers, Nick Thanks for your inputTerry.The next part is a great read on Pg 155. Carport Capers Regarding low slung carports, I like my 33” tyres.They give me crucial Hi Nick clearance under the diffs and the one I have read the latest edition and you rafter contact is better than a fuel light have done it again. The mag is always reminding me to top up the tanks to interesting and well written. I have two clear it in future. Now all I have to do is comments to share with you. wait for the Ironman leaf springs to sag For a while the electrical technology a bit, but hell might freeze over etc. etc. seemed to be missing so the Power Cheers, Nick to Burn Part 1 was a great read. I was with TAFE WA for 30 years as Got a question? a lecturer, curriculum manager and Got an opinion? some time writing or editing technical publications. This article not only was Send your letter to: well written, the style and explanation [email protected] was exceptional. I look forward to the next two parts. Everyone’s a winner! The second comment is about your car port. Some people would say get LET’S MEAT AT YOUR CAMPSITE Select from our extensive menu Get all your trip meat from the little and we will: butcher with the big reputation. • Vacuum pack your meat by the meal. • Tag each pack by contents and day. Eg: breakfast - bacon & sausages, day 4. • Freeze for your convenience. 354 MARMION ST. MELVILLE (P0h8o)n9e3/F3a0x 3o8rd6e3rs: 110 Western 4W Driver #109

BEACH BASHED We’ve all seen Ever the opportunists, these fishos enough braved the smell and biteys to get vehicles closer to the action. swallowed Disappointing exposure. by the surf to know we should never underestimate the power of the ocean and here’s a prime example of that power which has decimated the dune front south of White Hills. The weathering has exposed long- buried rubbish and created a seaweed island the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Certainly made a good fishing platform for a couple of adventurous fishermen. Might have been when it had all its arms. Click here for our beach driving video. Western 4W Driver #109 111

K ARARAAND RE-BUSHING THE BUSH 112 Western 4W Driver #109

COLOUR By Nick Underwood There may not be the variety but there’s no doubting the impact a good winter has on the wildflower display in the Midwest or for that matter, a brand new crop for this part of the planet. Cape weed contrast in Dampiera. Western 4W Driver #109 113

Besides the wildflowers which aside, the bush on either side of the have only raised their heads Great Northern Highway was alive with according to the vagaries of the everlasting white, blue and yellow and seasons over the last few years, promising a technicolour weekend. we love the Midwest for the mulga Heading on up the highway past the and the tracks that meander through heavily mined Mt Gibson (soon to be it - not to mention the breakaways and Lake Gibson.) we turned north to cross occasional eminences that rise up from Lake Monger and settled into camp the mulga’s limitless horizon. In keeping with our desire to avoid the road train-clogged highway up to Wubin, we wandered instead northeast via Goomalling, Dowerin - with a lunch break at the delightful Petrador Rocks - before Kalannie and the Goodlands Road at the end of which we slipped back onto the Great Northern Highway well up from Wubin. We had long given up on the wreath leschenaultia display on the Goodlands Road which at one point was prolific enough to have signage announcing its proximity. Being a disturbed earth specialist, the longer the earth remains undisturbed the more diminished the display becomes and even another display along the Wanarra Road which a few years ago was a veritable carpet on the roadside, was reduced to the odd hardy specimen. These plants 114 Western 4W Driver #109

at a delightful spot on its northern up the Yalgoo Road to Thundelarra shore. Here, as is our wont, we cracked Station. Reflecting typical rainfall a tinny or two and got down to patterns up here, this time Thundelarra convivial conversation around the Homestead was quite bereft of colour campfire. This first night’s camp but the place is always worthy of a in the mulga gathered around the good look around. Caretaker Paul, bush telly, to me, epitomises the with a consuming passion for the place 4WD travelling life. The mulga is restoring buildings and creating for us is a second home and the first night’s camp always heavy At home in the Mulga. with the promise of adventure to The oldest remaining farm building follow. Waking up to the familiar in Western Australia. call of the crested bellbird(dit-dit- dididit) we pointed our convoy to accommodation and campsites Warriedar homestead to look over for those who can use the the excellent restoration work station as a base to explore the completed by Track Care WA’s surrounding Karara Rangelands. Rangelands team before heading Unfortunately there’s not a lot of budget available for restoration work and Paul struggles with meagre funding so there’s an open invitation for any handy man or woman to help Paul Western 4W Driver #109 115

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Carpets of colour west of Rothsay. restore Thundelarra to its (dare I say road you can drop into the Fields Find it) former glory. After a guided tour cemetery where headstones hint at the of the buildings we motored down struggles of life on the Goldfields. the Paynes Find Road to Fields Find From there a scenic drive along the where we found a lunch spot well off edge of Lake Monger with a brief the road and in amongst the detritus stretch of the legs out to Tourmaline of gold days gone by. As many would Island brought us back to camp and have done before, here you can an evening of jolly japes and jokes wander amongst the broken bottles, around the campfire. Drive home old tobacco tins and altered earth and day took us along the Perenjori Road quite easily imagine fevered fossikers then north to Rothsay where our working their patch while they hopes of checking out the historic dreamed of how they would live when site were dashed with dire warnings they struck the lode - dreams mostly to proceed no further. Even the very unfulfilled. A short distance down the informative signage at the intersection Western 4W Driver #109 117

Leptosema aphyllum. was gone. Once again it’s Mined over 118 Western 4W Driver #109 Matter. They mined, we don’t matter. Rothsay has had a chequered history of failed attempts to find commercial quantities of the precious stuff going right back into the tail end of the 19th century so I’ll be interested to see how long this one lasts and what condition it’s left in. Turning left at Rothsay we wandered through an everlasting wildflower meadow of blackbutt and acacia where dappled sunlight poked through to light up the carpets of mauves, yellows and whites. Occasionally along this track you’ll find original road markers from long ago, off in the bush and approximating the original track line. Still heading west we cruised by the Damperwah Hills, through the vermin-proof fence and on to the old farm school which has also had the Track Care treatment. Seriously folks, if you feel inspired to give a bit back, volunteering with Track Care WA is a very worthwhile endeavour. You meet some great people with a strong passion for the

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White everlastings were the predominant bush carpet. Pic: John Brown. bush - people who are prepared to get years ago we drove east off their bums and give a lot back to of Perenjori at this time keep tracks accessible into the future. of year to see topsoil Check out the Track Care WA website blowing off a parched for more. land to pile up against With tummies morning tea’d up we fencelines leaving Cockies made for our final stop before bee- little opportunity to lining for home. To set the scene, produce anything like a decent crop off this marginal and degraded land. Fast forward to today and, a good winter notwithstanding, these same paddocks are brimming with acacia and other natives. The ground is stabilised and the air is alive with birds and insects drawn to the lush new bush. The place is completely invigorated and it’s all down to carbon sequestration. 120 Western 4W Driver #109

Carbon sequestration is the sort of title world the planting of trees is, Ahem, that can make the average person’s growing with Government assistance brain hurt, on the face of it, it seems to mainly, but also as an independent have no context at all with the problem initiative by business. So here in it’s solving and consequently leaves Perenjori a mob called Carbon Neutral the efforts of those who practise it have purchased marginal land and pretty well unappreciated among are planting natives to store carbon the populace. and help reverse the decline. This So allow me to elucidate. (It’s for my process is funded by companies with own good.) The problem simply is a conscience who are looking to off- that carbon dioxide (CO²) from our set their CO² emissions and become ever-increasing use of fossil fuels is effectively carbon neutral. wrecking the air we Our mate Martin and his employer, breathe while at the same time the trees we need to soak up CO², store the carbon and release oxygen back into the atmosphere are being chopped down faster than they’re being replaced. So around the A briefing on the carbon sequestration process. Austral Fisheries have taken up the challenge wholeheartedly and show a fine example of how the process works. They have fleets in a number of fisheries including prawns and patagonian toothfish and they have quantified their emissions from every aspect of their business. From catching the bait to catch the fish, sending the fishing boat out and back, storing the catch, processing it, packaging it, flying it to say, New York, through the markets to the restaurant, cooked and onto the diner’s plate, Carbon neutral’s Perenjori property is the ultimate natural storage facility turning this land from an unproductive dustbowl into thriving bushland ready for grazing and beehives. Western 4W Driver #109 121

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every last emission is quantified. With that known quantity of emissions per kilogram of product, they purchase trees planted in Perenjori that are measured for annual growth to confirm the carbon storage value (based on an international standard) matches their emissions output. At the same time the company makes every effort to reduce its fuel usage through best practice thereby reducing its carbon footprint. Why? - simply because they care (and might sell more fish to people who support their ethics). What a great example for others to follow and what better way to conclude our wildflower wandering through the Midwest. As we stood on the hill overlooking vast swathes of re-planted native bush, we felt hope for future generations, that they might enjoy a decent lungful of air and appreciate the part the bush has to play in their quality of life. Excerpt from Hema’s WA State map. Western 4W Driver #109 123



AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR IRTY ENGINE’S HEALTH DIESEL ByAlexGarner It’s Golden, slippery, and propels many of our vehicles into places less travelled – yet that’s often all we choose to know about diesel! There’s a lot to like about this fuel, and also a lot to be aware of. Know your fuel, and you’ll be better prepared to make your engine run longer and stronger. Dirty fuel can wreck a great trip. This happened at Mt Gould after a tankful from 44 gallon drums in the Gascoyne.

iesel comes from crude oil rating – and greater efficiency. Therefore separated in a fractional Cetane could be considered the diesel distillation tower. Heating the equivalent to a petrol octane rating. As emission and efficiency rules get Dcrude oil causes it to vaporise. As tighter over the years, the minimum Cetane rating for diesel fuel has the vapour reverts to liquid at different increased. The Australian standard temperatures it is collected as different requires a minimum Cetane of 46. products (asphalt, kerosene, diesel, BP Ultimate diesel claims typically petrol, avgas etc). The first to revert to 52, Shell diesel extra claims a typical liquid is asphalt when the vapour has cooled to about 400 degrees Celsius. The remaining vapour keeps rising, until it cools around 200 to 350 degrees where diesel is collected. Remaining vapour continues to rise through the tower, separating into different products as it condenses. There are thousands of different hydrocarbons that make diesel fuel what it is, plus a heap of elements added during refinery before it ends up in your tank. This wasn’t always the Since the early 90s One would hope these exorbitant prices don’t include a percentage for sulphur content in diesel contaminants. fuel has reduced from Cetane of 49. As you pass 50, you’re getting diminishing returns; and you 5000 PPM (parts per probably won’t see a Cetane over 55. But minimum Cetane rating isn’t million) to 10. all that’s changed in diesel fuel. The biggest changes began occurring in the case though. It was a pretty dirty fuel early 90’s, with a major concentration that came straight from distillation, on sulphur content reduction. The maybe with some dye added; and introduction of the Euro 1 emission powered big old mechanical injection standard in 1993 saw the maximum diesels putting out more exhaust sulphur content of diesel fuel (the most smoke than power. harmful element) cut from 5000 parts So what makes it go bang? Diesel per million (PPM) to 2000. And again to engines don’t use a spark to ignite 500 PPM with Euro 2 in 1996; then on to the fuel, they are designed to auto Euro 5 with only 10 PPM. ignite the fuel on injection. The high What a reduction! compression inside each cylinder Awesome! You say! This sulphur stuff raises the air temperature to such a point that the atomised diesel fuel ignites spontaneously when injected. How quickly this occurs determines the Cetane rating of your diesel fuel. Slower ignition means a lower Cetane rating. Quicker ignition means a higher 126 Western 4W Driver #109



sounds like the devil’s handiwork! corrosion, and creates an environment Well…yes and no. While it’s not that for bacteria and algae to grow. Even great for our lungs, it does have some if these two things don’t kill your solid lubrication properties for delicate engine, water alone will! Fuel handling injection systems. Something has to processes are usually very tight, so replace this property, and it comes where does it come from? in the form of lubricity enhancers I had a chat with Hugh at Filter Supplies added to the fuel as part of the refining WA who has a HUGE knowledge of process. But that’s not all you’ll find diesel filtration and water ingress. in there. Anti-foaming agents, alpine Would you believe it, some of the additives for cold climates, and a range water found in fuel at the big service of detergents to keep the fuel system stations comes from lack of care. The clean are additives that you’ll find in service port for the dipstick to check various concentrations through many (not all) diesel mixes. Unfortunately, none of these additives combat issues most harmful to a modern diesel engine; water and microbial infestation. Water is the root of all problems here. It causes rust and While most newer servos have raised service ports some older ones can be real water traps. If you’re unsure about fuel quality, avoid re-fuelling while the tanker’s there. 128 Western 4W Driver #109

fuel levels is almost always recessed in the ground. It’s sealed against water ingress, but only if you don’t open it. When the person checking the fuel doesn’t clear water away from that port first, they’re pulling a plug and letting the water drain on in. Condensation is also a major contributor. Air is expelled from the tank as it gets warm and is pulled in as The build-up of water and the diesel With water comes rust and bug that lives on it can create a lot of that can make a meal of a filter-blocking sludge in a fuel tank. steel fuel tank. it cools. Moisture in that air condenses So if you can’t trust that your fuel into water, and settles in the bottom of won’t have an excess of water, the tank along with all the other crud. you need to look at removing it. As the pickup for an underground tank Hugh swears by a second filter sits 150mm off the bottom, you won’t with a water trap - available as a kit he usually be unlucky enough to pump a sells. Of course, this will help remove load into your vehicle. It’s a different any other contaminants that should story when the tanker shows up to make it into your tank; be it rust, silt, resupply the service station though. plant matter or whatever else. What it The delivery tube to fill these won’t help with is separating a diesel/ underground tanks pushes new fuel water emulsion – where the fuel and straight to the bottom where it stirs up water have become bonded. ‘Diesel water and sediment. If you opt to fill Bug’ is capable of bonding emulsified up while the tanker is there, that fresh water to hydrocarbons via its excreta. delivery has stirred water all the way Cladosporium Resinae is the most through your diesel. It can take 4 to prevalent variety of diesel bug. This 8 hours for the undesirables to settle stuff lives right on the interface where below the pickup. Fill up in that period, the water and fuel meet. It lives on the and you probably just copped a few surface of the water, and feeds on the millilitres of water in your tank. fuel – growing into a mass that clogs filters and hoses. There’s really no way of stopping its spread, as it can be transferred in the fuel, or by spreading its microscopic spores through the air. The ideal way to control ‘The Bug’ is to ensure there is no water in the fuel for it to grow on. Western 4W Driver #109 129

So how long will your Diesel fuel with rusty diesel last before water, tank bottom water diesel bug, oxidisation below and agitated and breakdown of the fuel clad above. This, Fuel make it unusable? Well… Doctor says, is what fuel how long is a piece of looks like directly after string? Regular testing is a road tanker fill into an the only way to determine underground tank. the condition of the fuel. Under ideal conditions, more cost effective for in bulk fuel storage tanks them to fix the occasional it’s anywhere from 6 to vehicle whose owner has 12 months. On top of the complained than to spend increased chance of diesel bug on quality additives. Even taking hold in that time, and the if they did, you’d pay a lot ever increasing amount of water more at the pump. By taking from condensation, you also have additives into your own hands, oxidisation of the fuel taking place. The you’re increasing the lubricity to hydrocarbons are reacting with oxygen in healthier levels, slowing oxidisation of the tank, forming gums and reducing the the fuel for longer storage, and helping cetane rating as this reaction occurs. This to keep ‘the bug’ at bay. The Fuel Doctor leads me to the final point, fuel additives. additive deals with water and diesel bug Particularly the ones you can grab off the in the fuel by breaking down particles shelf at an auto store. Why would you small enough and suspending them – so want to put additives in the tank when they can pass through your fuel system you’ve already got them pre-mixed from without causing damage. So there you the pump? For this I had a word to Steve have it, this seemingly basic bottom of Marriott from Fuel Doctors. His product the distillation chain product hides a fair ‘Fuel Doctor’ is one such additive. bit below its oily surface! Know what The main reason is cost cutting. you’re putting in the tank, and enjoy the Suppliers don’t want to be too generous torque and economy that comes with with what they add to your fuel; that owning a diesel. costs money. They assume their fuel will have a very quick turn around and Special thanks to: put only the bare minimum required Hugh Ash of Filter Supplies WA into the diesel. As far as dealing with (www.filtersupplies.com.au) water and diesel bug goes, it’s probably Steve Marriott of Fuel Doctors (www.fueldoctors.com.au) A good filtration system and quality additives combined with topping your tanks up at busy servos should keep you on the long road longer. 130 Western 4W Driver #109

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GAINING WISDOM It’s hard to imagine that in such an without them is a critical element of 4w involving recreation as 4w driving, driver training these days. fatigue could be an issue and on Sticking to the notion that 4w driving rough terrain, for the experienced, is also a lot of fun, Eureka is serious it probably isn’t. But for newbies to about developing skills while managing the game the assault on the senses of to make a day’s driving at the beach or having to assess the way ahead and in the hills a great experience inspiring make quick-fire decisions would take drivers to seek out the aforementioned its toll and could lead to driver fatigue ‘lot of fun’ with confidence. As a backup, quite quickly. Certainly not up there in every participant on a course gets a the glamour stakes when one thinks free app. chock full about learning to 4w drive, driver fatigue of driving tips to is as much a safety issue to WA’s leading take away for future 4w driving trainers, Eureka as wheel reference. placement on a rocky, rutted hillside. In convoy with Eureka Eureka 4WD Training’s head trainer, big you’re not likely to Pete Deas, takes defensive driving and lose them either. fatigue seriously and says when drivers With their bright new suddenly move up from a small bitumen- colours of yellow and bound sedan to a big go-anywhere black, their vehicles 4wd, defensive driving and its many stick out like the facets such as concentration techniques, proverbial. You’ll find emergency braking, stopping distance their new offices in and understanding how to work with Midvale for the same traction aids all come in to play. In fact reason and their turning off traction controls and teaching coffee’s to die for. drivers how to handle circumstances Now don’t be 132 Western 4W Driver #109 fooled into thinking 4wd training is just for newbies to the recreation. Eureka believe you can teach an old dog new tricks - especially if he’s moved up from an old dog of a fourby to a new-fangled, all bells and whistles truck with more extras than a film set. Eureka know these features inside out and can save you a heap of embarrassment out on the track by showing you how to put them to best use. If you know an old dog in a new truck or someone just starting out, send them to Eureka 4WD Training. It’s a move they won’t regret. Call on 08 9461 2300 or hit the website: www.eureka4wd.com.au to learn more, their new offices are at 19 Stanhope Gardens, Midvale 6054.

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ITALIAN DAMPER CLEWED UP Life has been ridiculously busy up here at Melangata especially the with Jo Clews last eight weeks or so with the influx of visitors to witness the ingredients together and as I am pretty amazing wildflower display, check out partial to pumpkin, then of course it only our awesome back yard and stay a seemed logical to use pumpkin soup. night or two with us at either the camp So the next show I did out at Kalgoorlie ground or in the homestead. I put it all together and it was awesome, For our first full season I am very happy it’s definitely going in the next book. with how it’s all gone and am already You will need in the planning process for next year. 2.5 cups of self-raising flour One night I even had a little tear in my 1 400ish gram can of butternut eye and was feeling a tad emotional as pumpkin soup I arrived at the campfire to find one of 100grams of chopped feta our guests playing guitar and singing 3 rashers of finely diced cooked bacon and another playing harmonica and 12 stuffed green olives sliced about 20 guests enjoying the evening. It feels like I have missed something but I commented to my friend that this was nope, that’s it. exactly what I was hoping to achieve, Place flour in a bowl and add the olives big tick off the list. In amongst all this I have been ducking off to still do demos feta and bacon, mix together until all at shows and thinking about my ingredients are combined and coated two week catering job for a bunch in flour. of scientists and volunteers on Make a well in the middle of the dry Dirk Hartog Island. So sadly, ingredients and tip ¾ of the can of soup shock horror my article for the into the well. magazine was the last thing on my With a butter knife cut all ingredients mind. That is until I casually asked together, you may need to use the rest when Mr Ed would like my latest of the soup, until thoroughly combined offering, thinking I might have a and a stiff dough has formed. bit of time up my sleeve, a few hours before heading off overseas Western 4W Driver #109 135 (or technically overseas to DHI). “Before you go” came the reply. Not quite the answer I was hoping for, but as I am a trooper and nothing is too hard then a recipe he will get. Anyway this recipe came from a conversation with a guest at the station. Thanks Larry. He happened to mention that he had an old Italian mate who used a can of tomato soup and some herbs to make his damper instead of using water, milk or beer. Well of course my mind started putting

temperature. This recipe also makes great dumplings to pop on top of a hearty winter stew or savoury scones for something different with the refreshing afternoon Ale. Don’t just stop at these ingredients experiment with some salami, sundried tomatoes, different cheeses and even different soup flavours. Enjoy Tip dough onto a floured surface and shape into a disk, make sure not to knead the dough as it will end up tough. Place the dough disk on a greased or paper lined baking tray and cook for about 25 minutes in an oven of about 200degC or a camp oven of the same Because Vision is Safety Clearview Towing Mirrors are now available with power fold function - with the flick of a switch your Clearview Mirrors will fold in towards the vehicle.* For more information visit www.clearviewaccessories.com.au * Only available on selected models. 136 Western 4W Driver #109

GEAR TO GO CAMPING Big Adventures Tasmania, or the Top End Gulf Country, Great Desert Tracks Fraser Island, the ARE you into historic huts? Southern Forests and other places you Great, because there are clear never knew existed. instructions on how to get to some of There’s a lot of new content, presented those iconic structures in Hema’s latest in an easy-to-read format that not 4WD Adventures Guide. only makes it a great reference on the The huts, some dating back to the early road, but a great Christmas gift for 1900s, were constructed to give cattlemen any seasoned or rookie and forestry workers adventurer. Features protection against the include 100 4WD trips, elements and one of them detailed inset maps featured in The Man from showing the nearest Snowy River. supply points and That one, in Victoria’s High camping areas, and the Country region, is actually tracks are colour-coded a replica, specially built tracks by vehicle type, plus for the movie back in 1981 edge-to-edge mapping, - and rebuilt after it was elevation profiles of tracks destroyed in a bushfire in and the guide has been 2006, and now has a tin, designed for rather than bark roof. easy navigation. However, it’s but one of All you need is your the genuine, original huts fourbie, a spirit of in the new guide, which features 100 adventure, and a copy of new and revised tracks across all the guide. It goes on sale in December regions of Australia. and costs $69.95. One you won’t find in the 420-page volume is Jabba the Hutt. Power Panel Described as a ‘bucket-list adventure guide’ and ‘your ultimate off-road EVERY modern camper, that is, those adventure tool,’ the publication is who have realised you don’t really packed with colour pictures, track need to rub two sticks together to get profiles, items of interest en route - and blisters, have a portable fridge, freezer, it covers 19 regions of our vast land. cooker, light or whatever that needs to If huts are not your thing, you can find be plugged in to do what it’s a load of other items of interest in say, supposed to. That usually means a spaghetti of Western 4W Driver #109 137

extension cords, for which you need to A Big Fan have been a boy scout (or girl guide) to sort out the knots and figure whether PEOPLE like The Rolling Stones, Keith plug A goes into socket B or C. Urban or Monty Python have masses of Now, the company that brought us the them, but mere mortals like us, who go Explorer Aluminium Storage Drawer about our business and pleasure off the System has come up with power beaten track will find them very useful, panels designed especially for said especially in summer. drawer system. MSA 4X4’s anodised We’re talking about fans. aluminium power panels are designed Just out, from Ironman 4x4 is an to easily fit onto the front of a set of attractive fan for your tent - and it drawers, and they come pre-wired with doubles as an LED light. The neat two-tone jobbie will keep you angled sockets so that the plugs of cool in the summer months, blow away whatever accessory you’re connecting, the blowies and it has two speeds. don’t hit your fourbie’s tailgate. An It’s also injection-moulded backing cover kiddie-safe, protects the rear of the switches and with soft wiring from loose items stored under foam blades the drawer wing and other features and it will run include a trio of labelled, illuminated for up to 16 rocker switches, spare switch covers hours in fan for fridge and inverter, a couple of USB mode, or 40 outlets, two cigarette lighter sockets, hours as an illuminated voltage gauge - and a a light. two-year guarantee. The panels cost So how do $225 and you can have a closer look at you recharge them and get more data if you’re of a it after a technical disposition, on MSA’s website. particularly You’ll probably want to have another hot night think about those sticks you’ve been with the carrying around. They’ll never work, fan blowing you know. Unless you’re a Red Indian. constantly? 138 Western 4W Driver #109 There’s a USB recharging point in its tail, as well as a USB output hub.And it comes with a 60cm USB cable. It has a built-in stand so you can plonk it on a benchtop or a spare stool, or just leave it on the floor, you can use its hook to suspend it from wherever you like. How many lumens does it produce? Thought you’d never ask. 100 on bright, 50 on low setting. Looks like a good thing to have at any campsite. There you are, listening to the Stones on your transistor and having the comfort of your tent fan. Bliss.

Loud and Proud a range of channels. If communication is interrupted, all radios within the WELL, what next? group will automatically transfer to Uniden has a new CB radio that will another available channel so that let you stay connected with your co- communication can continue. workers or whoever you’re chatting to, There’s more: It transmits and receives even if you end up in a river, or dam. messages from up to 80 channels They say their new XTRAK including police and fire frequencies. 40 designed to fit into quad The CB radio case has a large LCD bikes and agricultural vehicles display and users can choose from for clear transmission in loud seven backlit colour options and can outdoor environments, like change the display brightness in poor machinery. visibility. Yours for only $399.95. But it’s also an IP67-rated waterproof radio, so its Bunker Down application is virtually boundless. FLYING is a lot safer than driving, With 12/24 and that logic could also apply to the voltage, it will Outback in terms of where you sleep. install in almost Up in the air is safer and more comfy any vehicle. than on the ground, the people at Built and Oztent Bunker say. designed to They have a point, or two. handle Australia’s The coldest I have ever been in my life tough climate, the XTRAK 40 is was trying to kip on the ground in the also dustproof. middle of Oz. Sheesh, it was misery, A compact design allows the radio big-time. to fit neatly into any vehicle and The Oztent Bunker lets you sleep on a features dual speakers in both the steel frame stretcher inside the bunker, heavy-duty speaker microphone and which is weather-protected and has all- the CB radio case, allowing the user around ventilation. to hear communications clearly while A great feature is the superfine insect operating loud equipment. Here’s another useful thing: its instant Western 4W Driver #109 139 replay function records up to three minutes of transmission allowing you to replay the conversation in the event of a missed communication. Smart mic technology enables switching between voice enhancer, instant replay, instant channel or the call tone feature. The voice enhancer provides four audio level settings (normal, bass, midrange and high) naturally enhancing transmissions for super clarity and performance. It’s also a UHF radio and scanner in one and includes Master Scan for groups of users to seamlessly communicate on

mesh windows can be zipped in and out if needed - or replaced if you manage to put a hole through one. If it’s torn, simply unzip it and zip a new one in. Simples, as the TV meerkats say. The bunkers, described as ‘the swag reinvented’ come in two sizes and two materials. The regular is made from Rip-Stop poly-cotton canvas and the XL is of a very heavy-duty Rip-Stop Polyoxford construction, which suggests movies, have a gold tooth or three it’s from a posh Pom university. But, - James Bond hunted a chap with forsooth, that is not the case. The term a Goldfinger and the rare metal is ‘bunker’ is of either 16th century Scots virtually everywhere: medals, fancy or Scandinavian origin and was used in watches and as a global currency Fort WWII for military fortifications, not that Knox is full of it, so are similar places it helped old Adolf, who died in his. But in many a nation. And when Mr Trump today it’s used by the rich and famous, barks at China, the price of gold goes like The Donald, and by campers, such up. The Chinese take him to dinner and as people like you. So, if you want to the price stabilises. For an hour or so, sleep in comfort, way above the creepy then it’s yo-yo time again. Bottom line crawlies, an Oztent Bunker could be the is: you can’t lose with gold. Problem is: way to go. how do you get your hands on some? Answer is: get yourself a Minelab Detecting the SDC 2300. That way you can wander around and find some on the ground, Undetected in riverbeds, but not so much in the urban areas. You generally need to GOLD is wonderful stuff. go for a bit of a stroll in the Outback Virtually every established culture to get lucky. Because the way to do has used it as a symbol of power and it is find it on the surface or less than international demand for it continues 500m undergound. If you want to do inexorably. It’s mainly (about 40per an Alan Bond and buy Kalgoorlie, or cent) used in jewellery, but also dig a huge hole by yourself, it comes in dentistry - all millionaires, well, with way too many hassles. Licences, certainly all those in the Hollywood cyanide, staff, earthmoving equipment, security. It’s all too much. The Minelab 140 Western 4W Driver #109 chaps say their SDC 2300 is a compact high performance mid-range detector perfect for chasing down elusive sub- gram nuggets on land and underwater. It’s compact, light and has easy-to-use controls. and you don’t have to put it together yourself, which is another way of saying it will work just fine as it comes out of the box. It folds down to a very portable 216 x 400mm, so it’s OK as carry-on luggage or on a



backpack and extends to 1500mm when a swag in Africa, they’ll think you’re you’re in working mode. Speaking of mad, because you’ll probably lose your modes, there are two: Normal (1-5 face to a hyena just as you dream of sensitivity range) Salt (1-3 sensitivity) passionately kissing the Bachelorette, so you can go exploring straight from or find the cuddle you’re so enjoying the scrub to the seashore. It runs on a is actually from a python as long as a quartet of 4 C cell batteries, has nine Pilbara ore train. Try swagging in the audio levels, a set of Koss 100 Ohm Canadian forests and, depending on headphones and a built-in speaker. The where and when, chances are you’ll well-proven product is of military grade attract a less than sociable bear, or construction and designed to perform a pack of wolves. Which brings us to in the toughest conditions, yep, even Ironman 4x4’s all-new swags. They’re under water. MPF (Multi Period Fast) different from the norm in that they’re technology includes extremely fast sturdier, waterproof, comfortable Pulse Induction switching between and they’ll keep the wildlife out. Well, Transmit (Tx) and Receive (Rx) detector maybe not the bear or the wolves. signals, thus minimal residual transmit Made of high performance seam-sealed signal is present during the receive Ripstop canvas, with heavy duty zips, cycle, enabling clear sharp detection they offer total protection from insects of very small gold. In other words, you via mesh and lined windows at both can search quickly and efficiently in ends, a waterproof PVC base liner hard-to-reach and remote places to find and a 70mm high density mattress. those elusive gold-bearing clustered So you’ll sleep like the proverbial deposits and, as they say, live happily bambino. The swags come in single or ever after. It’s pretty good fun, too. double style, they’re totally covered, feature lightweight alloy poles and they Swaggit assemble in less than 10 minutes. CAMPING or full-on living in the bush is There’s a mat, internal fine, except when the sun goes down, you’ve had your storage pockets so you can store your damper for dins and it’s keys, mobile phone (which probably time for some shut-eye. won’t work out there anyway) and You roll out that swag your medication, and even an external you’ve been carting pocket for your muddy boots. around ever since Sleep tight. you inherited it from Burke and Wills - or was it Mills and Boon? - and prepare for another battle. Because, as you should know by now, the setting of the sun coincides with the rising of the mosquito, the bushrat, snake, bandicoot, coots that aren’t bandy and sundry other creatures that will, or might, cause you a tad of anxiety. And that’s just in Australia. If you use 142 Western 4W Driver #109

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nvited up to Cooinda Lodge at Kakadu LONE by one of my grandsons who was working there last year, my calender Iwas too full at that time to make it. Keen to get up there this season, I arranged a few weeks mid-year in my schedule, only to find the young bloke had moved on taking with him my chance at reduced accommodation rates. In the end I booked a room for three nights at $637, lots more than I’d expected to pay but I felt that a well-appointed, air-conditioned retreat might be worthwhile for an old bloke up there. Enquiries concerning a route through Aboriginal central desert lands brought the news that no permits were being issued for travel on the South Australian section of the Gunbarrel, the way I originally wanted to go. Having had increasing difficulties obtaining permits in recent years, I decided (the hell with it) to go via the Eyre Highway and return through the Kimberley. I also made the decision to travel alone to allow greater flexibility (most of my usual followers were less than keen on my seeming fixation on bitumen and motels for this trip anyway) and to pre-book a few key stopovers along the way due to my fears of poor weather on the southern route. A few of my mates were worried I’d get myself stuck somewhere so I had to promise not to go “off-track”, a promise I tried hard to keep for the most part. I also carried a borrowed sat-phone just in case. After an easy doddle down to Norseman I followed the Eyre Highway across to the border, my only mistake being to refuel at Madura at $1.98/litre before finding that the Liberty Roadhouse at Mundrabilla was 12 cents/litre cheaper as was Eucla although Border Village was $2.01/litre. (This was back in June, so prices would be way higher now.) I’m sure I could have checked fuel prices on the net before departure and co-ordinated fuel stops for the entire trip a little more economically than just winging it. 144 Western 4W Driver #109

TOUR Wild Trax with Ian Elliot Flinders Range - west side. Western 4W Driver #109 145

On day four past Port Augusta and up in Block Six. I had the whole block to through the twisty and scenic Pichi Richi myself including the use of an enormous Pass to Quorn, it was way earlier in the kitchen, dining and lounge area with a day than I’d expected. I’d intended to full-sized conference room on the second have lunch at Emily’s Bistro, a cafe that floor. I spent the afternoon exploring won my heart when I’d passed through glorious Warren Gorge before Beef with friends a few years ago and they’d Wellington at Emily’s that night topped done their absolute best to provide a fabulous day. Subsequent wanderings us, not only with a magnificent late from this luxury base camp included a lunch, but had shown us around their quick excursion down to Port Augusta fascinating, heritage listed establishment, to replace some camping gear and re- originally the Great Northern Emporium. entering the Flinders Ranges via Horrocks I’d intended asking these friendly folk Pass, Hancocks Lookout and Wilmington. to recommend a place where I could From the latter place Alligator Gorge stay for a couple of nights this trip but, in the Mount Remarkable National since I was so early, I first popped in to Park was accessible before I returned Quorn’s Visitor Centre in the old Railway to Quorn via the Mawson Trail through Station. There, a young lady handed me Richman Gap. Travelling North of Quorn, a comprehensive accommodation list I was blown away by the magnificent for Quorn. When I asked if Emily’s Bistro stone ruins of Kanyaka Station. As if was still going, she assured me that the 1850s homestead with its extensive the Brown family not only continued to outbuildings and cemetery isn’t enough, operate the bistro but had also branched over the hill you find the remains of out by building a spacious conference the station’s vast shearing shed and centre next door with units and rooms men’s quarters. Glorious views were attached. This imposing suite of everywhere when I detoured out to Black buildings, known as the Great Northern Gap on the Heysen Trail just South of Lodge, was opened in November 2017. Wilpena Pound, then, continuing up the After renewing acquaintances with the West side of the Flinders Ranges, there Browns and lunching at Emily’s Bistro, was more fantastic scenery on the way I booked a room in the Great Northern in to Blinman via Parachilna Gorge. My Lodge finding that, for $110 per night, stay at the Blinman Pub corresponded I had an en-suite room, one of nine with the Chef’s pizza night. He does the Kanyaka Homestead ruins.

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