max*d Issue 22

GO YOUR OWN WAY ISSUE 22

TRUE BELIEVERS

Celebrating 10 years of Isuzu UTE Australia with a family that really knows horsepower

NEW MUTANTS

The wild CONCEPT X D-MAX and MU-X

SHELL HOOKS AND HUNDRED-KILO COD

The history of Aussie fishing

THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

Your go-to guide to an off-roading paradise

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CONTENTS

S I H T IN

E U ISS FEATURES

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Inside Line: CONCEPT X The inside story of the astonishing, extra-hulking D-MAX and MU-X concepts.

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Blue Mountains Once thought impenetrable, this 4WD playground on the edge of Australia’s biggest city is waiting for you to explore.

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Waterfalls For a wide, brown land, Australia is home to some incredible waterfalls. Take a trip through the greatest and most beautiful cascades each state has to offer.

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COVER STORY

All in the family On the 10th anniversary of Isuzu UTE’s Australian arrival, we went bush with a family who was there in the beginning—and who still carry the D-MAX flame.

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UP FRONT 06 Readers’ Rides

Be inspired by tales of adventure from Australia’s intrepid D-MAX and MU-X community. Been going your own way? Let us know!

08 News A decade of domestic success for Isuzu UTE Australia, support for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and backing local sports kids.

10 Wishlist In five billion years it’ll swallow the Earth, but for now, the only protection you need against the sun is a well-made shade device.

12 Tech Head

Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control in the new Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X are there to make things easier. Here’s a guide.

MIDDLE GROUND 26 The History of Fishing

Australia has always been an angler’s paradise. Step back in time with The Catch, a new book by fishing historian Anna Clark.

42 Hook, Line & Sinker

The boys continue their lap

of the continent, with a trip to ‘the Tip’—the fishrich waters of Cape York.

44 Refuel Tasmanian kitchen maestro Ben Milbourne elevates your summer with seafood.

47 Flashback The Isuzu VehiCROSS VX-02 roadster concept.

OUTBACK 48 Dealer List

Find your local Isuzu HQ, wherever you are.

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GO YOUR

OWN WAY

OVER A CENTURY OF ISUZU RELIABILITY DRIVES A DECADE OF SUCCESS Over 100 years of product development and reliability have underpinned Isuzu UTE Australia’s decade of success, meaning that Aussie drivers have been able to count on Isuzu UTE vehicles to get them wherever they want to go for over 10 years. Since launching locally in 2008, our products have continuously evolved on the back of customer feedback, resulting in vehicles which are specifically designed for the tough Australian environment. Our ability to deliver honest, reliable products that are not only fit for purpose, but exceed our customers’ expectations, has resulted in more Aussies than ever preparing to go their own way.

Discover more at isuzuute.com.au

WELCOME

WELCOME

to the 22nd edition of max*d magazine!

S

eason’s greetings and welcome to the latest edition of max*d!

Every year at Isuzu UTE Australia is an exciting one, but this year more than ever as we celebrated our 10th birthday here in Australia. October 2018 marked this major milestone for the brand: a decade since our October 2008 inception. Launching locally with the internationally branded D-MAX, IUA took on the ultra-competitive 1-tonne ute market with its powerful and efficient 3.0L common-rail turbo-diesel engine. In doing so, IUA not only cemented its position locally, it established Australia as the biggest export market outside of Thailand.

The Isuzu MU-X joined our range in 2013: a stylish 7-seat SUV that offers a combination of performance, comfort and serious off-road ability. It now leads the way as the number one ute-based SUV in Australia, ahead of major long-term players and currently placing 4th in the SUV-Large segment sales. Looking at D-MAX and MU-X combined, our cumulative sales in 2018 has grown and sees us ahead of well-established brands such as BMW, Audi and Suzuki.

In 2017, we ranked 13th overall and we are on track to retain that 13th position—further solidifying our position as a major brand within Australia. None of this would have been possible without you, our loyal customers.

As you know, our after-sales service is as important to us as our product, and this year our Service Department gave away not one, but two top-of-the-range Isuzu D-MAX LS-Ts as part of its latest service offer to two delighted customers.

We put our brightest and best IUA technicians to the test in our inaugural National Skills Contest held at our Head Office in Brisbane. The competition involved tests of knowledge, practical skill and ability, and encouraged technicians to think outside the ‘gear’ box should an unknown problem have arisen. The winning technicians from this event then held the honour of representing IUA at the International Isuzu LCV I-1 Grand Prix competition, which was held in Bangkok in September. The team achieved an exceptional 5th position overall, with only nine points separating the top five teams—a truly outstanding achievement.

A special mention and congratulations has to also go to Greg Ward from DVG Maddington who achieved the highest score in the entire competition for the theory exam, with a fantastic result of 48 out of a maximum 50 points.

This demonstrates the quality of our after-service team, ensuring that your vehicle is in safe hands when the time comes to have it serviced.

And earlier this year, we supported Brisbane’s ‘MS Brissie

to the Bay’ bike ride not only by providing vehicles to support the event but also with a number of staff participating on the day. This ride exists to raise funds to support the increasing number of people living with multiple sclerosis, and we were delighted to be able to offer our support.

Our I-Venture Club travelled to the picturesque Blue Mountains, where they were able to explore yet another bucket-list destination and put their vehicles through their paces. If you haven’t yet attended an I-Venture trip, make sure you jump on our website and check out where they’re headed next for a truly special off-thebeaten-track experience.

October also saw the relaunch and redevelopment of the Isuzu D-MAX X-TERRAIN. With slick accessories designed specifically for this model, the X-TERRAIN appeals to the discerning ute buyer looking to stand out from the crowd, but who still requires a dependable ute to head off-road.

This was also accompanied by the arrival of an expanded list of genuine accessories, leading to even more choice for our customers. With an extensive range now including driving lamps, bull bars and nudge bars, in addition to tub liners, canopies and the all-new Aero sports bar, our accessories are the perfect way to enhance and personalise your Isuzu, allowing you to truly ‘go your own way’.

So, with all that said, we wish you all the best for a successful 2019 and we look forward to continuing this journey together!

Hiro Kuramoto Managing Director Isuzu UTE Australia max*d

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READERS’ RIDES

READERS’ RIDES

Go your own way, wherever it takes you—then tell us where you’ve been, and win!

ADRIAN FRANCIS LIVES: CALOUNDRA, QLD DRIVES: 2017 MU-X 4X4 LS-T “We’ve been on a lot of journeys, including up to Cooktown, just creating a few memories for the kids.

They’re six and eight—our little girl likes Moana and her brother likes Harry Potter, but apart from that they negotiate the DVD player in the back seat pretty well! We stayed in the middle of the Daintree and Cape Tribulation and pitched chairs on the shore. It was nice to have a vehicle that could get us through. And we’ve been up to Bribie and Moreton, too. We want to go to Tasmania next!”

RON & WENDY GINSBURG LIVES: AITKENVALE, QLD DRIVES: 2017 D-MAX 4X4 LS-M “Wendy and I spent three months this year pretty well just doing The Murray— zigging and zagging, and doing side trips all the way down to Adelaide. Next year we’re going to do a big trip right across the top and really do Western Australia well. In the future, that’s our plan: to just pick an area and explore everywhere we can, meandering around and playing it by ear. This shot was taken in Gunbower National Park north-east of Echuca. We love the D-MAX so much that this is our second one—and just like the first, it will take us anywhere we want to go. We can’t wait to head off again.”

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ANDREW WOLSEY LIVES: LOGAN RESERVE, QLD / DRIVES: 2017 D-MAX 4X4 LS-U “These shots were taken on a trip to Fraser—it was raining quite a bit, but I loved it because it just created absolutely huge mud pools, and that was a lot of fun getting through! We went to Ngkala Rocks, and we must have been 30th in line, with another 50 behind us … and another 50 cars on the other side of Ngkala waiting to get through. There were a few cars that were just getting completely bogged down, buried up to their axles, which was pretty funny when we managed to drop it into low range and cruise through on highway terrain tyres.

Plus, I wanted to get the D-MAX a bit muddy on my first trip. I love getting out with my mates and testing our skills—and our cars!”

LEIGH & TEGAN DAVEY LIVES: MOOROOLBARK, VIC DRIVES: 2017 MU-X 4X4 LS-T “My husband and I love camping, but with work and kids we’d only go once a year. We were always going, ‘When we retire … ‘ and we just realised we were crazy— let’s do it now. So we’ve been on the road for six months now, and we’re in WA. From towing our 2.5-tonne van, cruising Fraser Island or topping Cape York, there is nothing our MU-X can’t do!”

KY WILSON LIVES: MELTON, VIC DRIVES: 2018 D-MAX 4X4 LS-M “I picked up my new D-MAX in May and it had only done 1,300km before I headed out on a 4WD club trip to Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, Uluru and Coober Pedy, just to name a few places. It’d done 9,000km by the time I got back! Now I’m on another trip to Tasmania—we’re up to 14,000km—with my dad, who’s never done the west coast down here. I’ve been 4WDing now for a good eight years and I’ve always been into camping. I just love getting to places where the average Joe can’t get to in a car. Some of the things you can see in Australia with a 4WD are just unbelievable. It just opens your eyes, and the D-MAX just ticks all the boxes—I can’t believe the value.”

SCORE A $100 GIFT CARD FROM OUR MATES AT BCF

Simply send us a high-resolution image and a 100-word blurb, along with your VIN, name, contact details, suburb and model of your D-MAX or MU-X, to maxd@iua.net.au

Featured Readers’ Rides will receive a $100 BCF Gift Card Disclaimer: Non-genuine aftermarket accessories and modifications are not recommended or endorsed by Isuzu UTE Australia. For detailed info on ‘what is’ and ‘what is not’ covered by the Manufacturer’s Warranty please refer to the Warranty and Service Booklet.

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NEWS PUBLISHER Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA MANAGING EDITORS Emma Glynn, Mark Harman EDITOR Ben Smithurst ben.smithurst@edge.agency SUB-EDITORS Paul Rodger and Jiyan Dessens ART DIRECTOR Guy Pendlebury ACCOUNT MANAGER Emma Rogers ADVERTISING SALES Chris Waite chris.waite@edge.agency MANAGING PARTNERS Fergus Stoddart, Richard Parker

Day for Daniel

Spreading the message of child safety and awareness max*d is published on behalf of Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd by

Level 4, 10–14 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone: +61 2 8962 2600 edge.agency

For the sixth consecutive year, Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) proudly supported the Daniel Morcombe Foundation’s annual ‘Day for Daniel’ on Friday, 26th October.

The Foundation’s national day of child safety and protection awareness is held every year on the final Friday of October—with the Foundation encouraging everyone to wear red in honour of Daniel.

Since 2013, IUA has proudly supported the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, not only by participating in fundraising events, but also by providing an Isuzu MU-X LS-T to founders, Bruce and Denise Morcombe. It assists them in getting safely to their sometimes far-flung destinations, enabling them to deliver their safety curriculum to school children across Australia.

Alongside ‘Day for Daniel’, a number of fundraising events are held throughout the year, including the ‘Dance for Daniel’ and ‘Walk for Daniel’.

To find out more, visit danielmorcombe.com.au/day-for-daniel

Disclaimer: The information included in this magazine is intended for interest only. The opinions and views expressed in this magazine are provided in the writers’ personal capacities and are their sole responsibility. Their publication does not imply that they represent the views or opinions of Isuzu UTE Australia or Edge and must neither be regarded as constituting advice on any matter nor be interpreted as such. The reproduction of advertisements in this publication does not in any way imply endorsement by Isuzu UTE Australia or Edge of products or services referred to therein. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. A selection of the images featured in this publication has been sourced from Getty Images and Thinkstock Images. Business Essentials trading as Edge ABN 22 062 493 869.

max*d magazine is proudly printed in Australia using renewable resources.

Hanno Gloss is an FSC Mixed Sources Certified paper, which ensures that all virgin pulp is derived from well-managed forests and controlled sources. It contains elemental chlorine-free bleached pulp and is manufactured by an ISO 14001 certified mill.

SGS-COC-003898

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IUA opens Melbourne Regional Office Isuzu UTE Australia’s 10-Year Anniversary celebration in October was swiftly followed by the opening of our new localised Melbourne Regional Office, which commenced operation in mid-October. After the establishment of the Sydney Regional Office in June 2017, the Melbourne Regional Office is IUA’s second regional expansion, with Head Office still based in Brisbane.

With a growing customer base, IUA needs to keep pace by expanding our team and resources.

We are confident that growth will only escalate over coming years, and the opening of the local Melbourne office marks a significant investment to match that upward curve.

Isuzu UTE Australia is confident that the newly established Melbourne Regional Office will deliver efficient and effective value-added services to all stakeholders, and we will continue to review needs and opportunities in other states to improve our ongoing support to both Dealers and customers.

NEWS

Isuzu UTE celebrates 10 years in Australia A decade of success down under

October 2018 marked a major milestone for Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA), celebrating 10 years since its inception in the domestic arena. Launching locally with the internationally branded D-MAX, IUA took on the ultra-competitive 1-tonne Ute market with its powerful and efficient 3.0L common-rail turbo-diesel engine—and in so doing, not only cemented its position locally, but established Australia as its biggest export market outside of Thailand.

The growth of IUA over a whirlwind decade has been nothing short of remarkable. Achieving a humble 273 sales in 2008 (October–December), sales totalled 10,209 in 2013, illustrating exceptional growth in such a competitive segment over just five years. In April 2017 IUA posted 100,000 cumulative unit sales of

its 1-tonne D-MAX Ute and 7-seat MU-X SUV since arrival, and sales have maintained pace since then. As 2017 drew to a close, IUA had posted nine consecutive years of double-digit growth.

Over 100 years of Isuzu product development and reliability have underpinned IUA’s decade of success, meaning that Aussie drivers have been able to count on Isuzu UTE vehicles to get them where ever they want to go. Since launch, Isuzu products have continuously evolved on the back of customer feedback, resulting in vehicles that are specifically designed for Australia’s tough environment. Our ability to deliver honest, reliable products that are not only fit for purpose, but exceed our customers’ expectations, has resulted in more Aussies than ever preparing to go their own way.

Isuzu UTE supporting stars of the future Local Dealers backing local communities Isuzu UTE Australia’s Local Sports’ Sponsorship Fund has provided financial support to local sporting teams since 2015.

Supported by the IUA Dealer Network, the fund has allowed us to bolster the growth and development of kids’ sport, providing backing for facility upgrades, uniform purchases and equipment.

Over $500,000 has been injected into local communities since launch, and 2018 once again saw numerous Dealers around Australia provide funding to junior football clubs, cricket clubs, basketball clubs and even surf lifesaving clubs. The next generation of sports stars are ready to go their own way!

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM

If you want to keep up with all things Isuzu UTE, make sure you’re following us on our social pages! facebook.com/isuzuute Instagram: @isuzuute_aus max*d

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WISHLIST

MADE IN THE SHADE He’s 150 million kilometres away, but you’ll still need to protect the family from old Mr Sun this summer WORDS GUY MOSEL

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WANDERER TORQUAY BEACH SHELTER

The gang at Wanderer have got this sun shelter thing pretty much worked out. The Torquay is one of their most popular beach tents because it’s easy to set up, high quality, well priced and boasts a UPF 50+ rating.

It’s also made from durable polyester which, like your gran’s slacks, makes it almost indestructible, if occasionally a little stifling. Pro tip: To avoid being the subject of public ridicule, take some time to practice folding it up.

RRP $109, rays.com.au

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OZTRAIL DELUXE 6.0 GAZEBO

At the other end of the scale, this OZtrail pavilion is a heavy-duty solution when you’ve got a battalion of children to keep sun-safe at a park or campsite. At 6m x 3m and 39kg this kit is seriously huge, so thankfully it comes with its own wheeled carry bag. The treated canopy blocks more than 98 per cent of UV rays and it’s also waterproof. It’s not cheap, but you can easily offset the cost by renting it to society garden parties and archeological digs.

RRP $599.95, bcf.com.au

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BYRON BAY BEACH LIFE BEACH SHADE

This stylish semi-tent has more of a 1950s California beach club vibe than most sunshades you’ll find, but it’s still a very effective family option.

It’s super lightweight, relatively easy to set up for a ridge-style tent, and can be adjusted for high and low sun throughout the day. It’s no slouch on UV protection: the canvas is treated with an anti-UV agent, providing 97 per cent protection. Comes in daisy and palm prints if you’re feeling floral. RRP $169, byronbaybeachlife.com.au

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WANDERER HAVANA UMBRELLA

Speaking of flowers and palm trees, Wanderer’s flamboyant Havana umbrella delivers both. The Havana is more retro—aesthetically and practically—than the other options we’ve listed, but for a light, hassle-free, idiot-proof shade option that even the most cack-handed beachgoer can erect, it’s your best option.

Enjoy while puffing a cigar and plotting revolution, or while posting #BestLife as an Instagram ‘Influencer’.

RRP $129, bcf.com.au

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$6999 / $41 PER WEEK CALL NOW 1300 667 868 OR VISIT WWW.MARSCAMPERS.COM.AU VISIT OUR WEB SITE TO FIND YOUR NEAREST STORE OR TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF OUR CAMPER TRAILER EXPERTS

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TECH HEAD 4WD guru Graham Cahill explains

HILL START ASSIST &

HILL DESCENT CONTROL

Whether you’re going up or coming down, your D-MAX or MU-X has your back

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TECH HEAD

Y

ou might be heading home from dropping a couple of Sherpas and half-a-tonne of Bhuja mix at base camp. You could be caked with red dirt, a day’s slog from mobile reception, having the time of your life in the Simpson Desert. Or maybe you just got the gradient specs for the driveway badly wrong. Whatever the case, hills can be some of the most challenging—and, therefore, the most fun—parts of 4WDing.

Your D-MAX or MU-X is built to give you the chance to access some of the world’s most rugged places. Even the steepest, scariest and bumpiest gradients are often conquerable. All it takes is preparation, confidence, training and the desire to ‘go your own way’.

When things get really up-and-down, you can be assured that your Isuzu vehicle is already prepared to help—automatically.

That’s when the Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control features come into their own.

They’re designed to get you where you’re going—and, more importantly, back again—with minimal fuss.

Hill Start Assist engages whenever your D-MAX or MU-X senses that you’ve come to a complete stop on an incline of more than 5.7 degrees.

Stopping on steep hills can be an uncomfortable prospect, especially when visibility is compromised. Unfortunately, the nature of off-roading means it’s an inevitability—at least on occasion.

In these instances, Hill Start Assist can truly be a life-saving feature.

Counterintuitively, when you’ve come to a complete stop, it lets you take your foot from the brake pedal without compromising the position of the car.

Then, when you begin to apply the accelerator once again, it gradually releases the brakes. When it senses that

you have traction and are trying to move forward, it eases off and you’re once again on your way.

The great thing is that Hill Start Assist is just as handy when you’re stopped at a set of traffic lights on a steep road in the wet as it is when you’re halfway up Australia’s steepest gazetted road, the Billy Goat’s Bluff track, in the Victorian High Country.

Hill Descent Control—as the name implies—is designed to get you back down. It operates at the press of a button by utilising the vehicle’s braking system to control each wheel’s speed.

In essence, when you’re on a steep descent and speed is increasing without driver input, Hill Descent Control will apply braking to the necessary wheels to maintain a safe and steady rate of progress. This function can be toggled on and off, on any surface—whether you’re already on a hill or still on the flat—and once you start descending sharply it will kick in.

When engaged, the steady pace that Hill Descent Control sets will remain constant, requiring zero driver input via brake or accelerator. It’s available on all new models—even 4x2—which is just as well if you’ve left all those Sherpas at the top of K2.

Try it first in a controlled environment; you’ll feel the vehicle applying braking pressure as it’s needed, guiding you down.

Note that on surfaces where tyre traction can’t be maintained, or where brakes are compromised, such as slippery mud or ice, then Hill Descent Control will be ineffective and manual control of the vehicle needs to be maintained.

As soon as it senses that you have traction and are trying to move forward, it eases off and you’re once again on your way.

For more 4WD tips and to keep in touch with Isuzu owner events, check out the I-Venture Club website at iventureclub.com.au.

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INSIDE LINE

THE

X

UNCANNY

WORDS STEPHEN CORBY

CONCEPT

Meet the Incredible Hulks of the 4x4 world—the tough-truck Team Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X CONCEPT X vehicles—and their mad genius creator, Wayne Boatwright

T

here are big ideas, and then there is the Team Isuzu D-MAX CONCEPT X—an idea so big it nearly broke the internet, and grew too large to drive on public roads.

Wayne Boatwright is the owner of Team D-MAX, which has been thrilling crowds with its spectacular precision-driving shows for years, and the man behind what he admits was “just a crazy idea” to build a concept car on a gigantic scale.

“The idea was to attract a bit of attention, but it turned out to be a huge

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effort on our part, and one that genuinely cost us a lot more money than we’d ever imagined it would,” Boatwright chuckles.

“By the end of it I wasn’t sure how it would be received, but we’ve been staggered by the coverage, from all around the world—there have been hundreds of articles in 30 different languages. It’s also had massive reach in terms of social media, in the tens of millions, just a tsunami of publicity.

“Car manufacturers know the power of concept cars, but I didn’t appreciate

personally the impact they can have.

And the other difference is that we don’t have clay modellers and 100 people doing design. We’re just a precision driving team that had a crazy idea.”

The whole mad plan was literally started by a joke, when Wayne and his team saw a set of vast 38 x 15.5 R20 Toyo tyres at a 4WD show, and Wayne made an off-hand crack about putting a set on his company car.

Team D-MAX lead driver Jack Monkhouse then insisted his car,

INSIDE LINE

an MU-X, would need a set of the same, and suddenly they were building not one, but two elephantine concept cars.

A bit of web research quickly revealed that no D-MAX had ever rolled out on tyres larger than 35 inches, so the team realised it was attempting something unique. And perhaps implausible.

“Initially I was really worried it was going to be impossible, but we built the whole thing around getting those massive tyres in there, and then it was about how do you get the scale, how do you get it in

proportion?” Boatwright explains.

“So we mucked around with a 3D model and realised we’d need seven inches of suspension lift, so let’s do that, and then how do we get them into the body work, so let’s play with that. And if we’re going to do this, let’s make it look good. And it just got bigger—and better.”

The result is two truly maxed-out Isuzu trucks that look like they might have escaped from the set of a Transformers movie.

At 2.1m high, 2.15m wide and a staggering

5.5m in length, these beasts are far too large for public roads, and would be close to impossible to park anyway.

All of the guards, bull bars, bonnets, brakes, suspension and chassis modifications are in-house, custom work done by Team D-MAX. Combining form and function, the CONCEPT X spec sheet includes front and rear winches and a bespoke suspension package with 60mm remote reservoir shock absorbers. A high-performance four-wheel disc brake package on both vehicles

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INSIDE LINE

delivers the ultimate stopping power and combines six-piston callipers with 390mm full floating rotors at the front and four-piston callipers with 355mm rotors at the rear.

The D-MAX’s full-alloy tray is a work of art, and below it the standard rear leaf spring suspension has been replaced with a custom MU-X style five-link coil spring configuration. With the colossal tyres and another seven inches of suspension lift, the approach and departure angles steepen impressively to 50 and 38 degrees respectively.

While the sheer scale makes the CONCEPT X cars impressive, it’s also the simple fact that they’re genuinely unlike anything else out there.

“The other decision we made early in the piece was that everyone builds adventure tourers, mostly by bolting things on and turning it into a clothes horse for other people’s accessories, but we didn’t want to do that,” Boatwright says.

“We could have built an off-road racer, but there are lots of those, too—it’s been done. And we could have built a rock crawler or an extreme vehicle, but that would require compromises.

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“So we said, let’s forget practicality and just build something really cool that makes a statement and looks fantastic.”

They have undeniably succeeded in that goal, even though it did involve blowing the initial budget “by an unthinkable amount”. (Perhaps they shouldn’t have built two, we suggest, but Boatwright points out that precision drivers love symmetry too much not to.)

As far as what the CONCEPT X is actually like to drive, Boatwright is not sure when he’ll finally get to take to the wheel of his company car.

INSIDE LINE

We said, ‘let’s forget practicality and just build something really cool that makes a statement and looks fantastic’.

“We haven’t had time to do much testing yet, because we had to keep them hidden and secret, so we only took them out for the photo shoot, and once they were revealed things just went crazy and they’ve been on the move constantly, blowing people’s minds all over the place,” he says.

“They did the Deni Ute Muster and then the Bathurst 1000, and they’ve been booked solid since. They’re booked out!

“Plus I reckon we’ve got a bit of a job to convince the authorities that they’re anywhere near roadworthy.”

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COVER STORY

LIKE FATHER,

A decade ago, Calvin Trewin bought one of the first Isuzu D-MAXs to come to Australia. When it came time to upgrade, they kept it in the family

LIKE SON WORDS STEPHEN CORBY / IMAGES NATHAN DUFF

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COVER STORY

C

alvin Trewin describes himself as a “meticulous” man (which is one reason why his son, Rob, was so happy to buy his old D-MAX off him), so when he set out to buy a ute to suit his farming lifestyle he really did the research in frenetic detail.

That was almost a decade, and 222,000km ago and when it came time to get a new workhorse for his cattle and horse farm in Invergordon, Victoria—at least partly so he could sell the old one to his son—Calvin, 50, admits he didn’t need to do quite so much work. He’d already made up his mind to get another D-MAX. Instead, he worried, meticulously, for many moons over whether he should replace his beloved, old-school manual ute with an automatic.

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Isuzu D-MAXs old and new have earned their keep on the Trewin family farm

COVER STORY

Rob is very happy to be inheriting (at a very reasonable price) a proper, manual ute with one ‘very careful owner’.

“I agonised over it for three or four months, I asked everyone who drove each type what they thought, and in the end I went for the auto,” he almost sighs.

His son, Rob, 19, proud owner of P plates (and now the family’s original D-MAX) butts in at this point to lightly mock his father’s dithering. And to point out that, earlier in our discussion, Calvin had spent some time outlining exactly why manual cars are better.

“I went for the auto in the end— because I’ve got a bit of a dicky left knee, and I thought it would be better for resale because everyone wants autos these days,” Calvin says. “Rob will tell you there was a transition period there where I couldn’t hack it, I didn’t feel like I had control of it, but I’ve got

used to it now and I really like it. The modern auto box is very well set up— it works very well.”

Rob chuckles: “Yes, there was a fair bit of anxiety about whether he’d made the right choice, but he’s okay now.”

For his part, Rob is very happy to be inheriting (at a very reasonable price) a proper, manual ute with one “very careful owner”. A car in which he, his brothers and a few of his cousins all learned to drive.

“I probably didn’t sell it for full freight,” Calvin grumbles good naturedly.

“It’s the only manual in the family.

They all wanted to learn to drive a manual, because up here in the country they still love manuals. There’s the common belief that they’re just better for towing things, like horse floats and

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COVER STORY

After more than 220,000km, it’s still got the original brakes, and the clutch is still working well, and considering the fact that we tow with it, that’s pretty amazing.

trailers and stock crates. Engine braking is a big thing for them,” Calvin says.

For Rob, looking to buy a cheap car with a few years on it, an auto was never going to be an option “because automatics weren’t any good back then—they’re all slush boxes”.

The D-MAX Rob was delighted to take the keys for, after the shiny new one arrived in June, has been very carefully looked after, particularly when it comes to the brakes.

“After more than 220,000km, it’s still got the original brakes, and the clutch is still working well, and considering the fact that we tow with it, that’s pretty amazing,” Calvin says, with some pride.

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“I’m not a late braker, and because it has a proper truck engine, you get really great engine braking, so you really don’t have to use the brakes.”

Rob, who’s studying outdoor recreation full time, will be putting some more hard kilometres on the beloved family D-MAX, “mostly for recreational things like camping and fishing, going away with the horses”, but you can tell he’s already looking at Dad’s new vehicle with covetous eyes.

“The new one is definitely more comfortable, it’s longer so there’s more space inside, and they’ve really improved the engine to make it work better with a modern automatic gearbox,” he says.

COVER STORY

There was never any doubt in Calvin’s mind that his new workhorse should be a D-MAX

The Trewin boys plot to get the keys to the new ute off their father

More workhorse than show pony, the faithful D-MAX has seen many kilometres with a 2.5-tonne horse float in tow.

“It’s a lot better in most aspects.” It seems like a passion for the meticulous runs in the family.

Some mild bickering then ensues over whose car is more heavy duty and better for four-wheel driving, and you can tell this is an argument that goes on over the dinner table quite a bit, and will continue to do so for years to come.

So, will Calvin sell the new D-MAX to his son, or one of his three sons, in another decade? Filled with new-car owner’s pride, you can tell it’s just too far off to imagine for the laconic farmer, who gives an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

“Well, we’ll just have to see how we go,” he says, eventually.

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COVER STORY

GLAMOURAND GLITZ Behind the scenes of our cover shoot with a family of horsemen Stunt fishing, or showbiz fishing, it turns out, is a lot like the normal kind— plenty of standing around for not much result.

Calvin Trewin reckons he and his sons—James, 21, Rob, 19 and Tim, 17—have a new appreciation for actors after their photo and video shoot for this month’s cover story, for which they were asked to extend a fishing session, even when out of bait, for a couple of extra shots.

“I guess the big difference between pretending to fish and the real thing is that we didn’t actually bait the hooks,

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but, personally, I caught the same number of fish as I usually do—didn’t make a difference,” Calvin says.

“It was surprised how much work goes into a shoot, and those video guys, they just want you to do things over and over again, which is why we’ve got a different appreciation for actors now.

“It’s funny, the photographer was telling us that people often get quite excited about doing a photo shoot for the first time and he has to let them down easy.

He tells people they should probably bring a book and a chair. And a fishing rod.”

MAXTRAX.COM.AU

OUT OF THE BOX

THE GOLDEN AGE

OF FISHING

A hundred years ago, recreational fishing was in its infancy.

Take a trip through time with angling historian Anna Clark

‘Fishing, a Sketch in Mossman’s Bay’, Port Jackson appeared in The Illustrated Sydney News in 1871

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OUT OF THE BOX

B

y the early twentieth century, festive fishing outings had become commonplace among leisure seekers from the larger Australian cities along the east coast.

Trips departed every weekend from places like Brisbane, Sydney and Newcastle. And you could buy your tickets—for day or overnight trips—from local tackle shops. The only downside was the seasickness (or ‘discharging cargo’ as it was fondly called at the time); not to mention the sharks, which had a nose for fishing carnage and regularly forced rowdy tour groups to up anchor and head to another bombora.

Snapper clubs (or ‘Schnapper’, as the fish were called at the time) chartered whole boats, which regularly steamed out to the various fishing grounds off the coast. Guests lined the gunwales and dropped their lines down below.

‘Goodness knows what the fish thought,’ wondered James Champley in his 1912 description of a snapper party.

Perhaps they ‘thought it was raining squid’. Prizes were doled out for the first fish, the biggest and the most caught on the trip.

‘Goodness knows what the fish thought,’ wondered James Champley in his 1912 description of a snapper party. Perhaps they ‘thought it was raining squid’.

In a way, ‘recreational fishing’ has existed for as long as people have fished: a dead snapper is a dead snapper, whether snared on a shellfish hook 2,000 years ago or hoisted onto a tour boat in 1910.

Who’s to say catching a feed doesn’t generate the same ‘fun’ and ‘rush’ recreational fishers get with catch-andrelease? Or that subsistence fishing can’t also be a form of escapism or meditation?

Teasing out those different forms of

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OUT OF THE BOX

Recreational fishing gear hasn’t always been high-tech—although fewer modern anglers tend to be armed …

fishing isn’t always easy, but a change clearly took place around the turn of the twentieth century in Australia and elsewhere—recreational fishing became an industry.

By 1888, 70 per cent of the non-Indigenous population was Australian born. The ‘nativeborn’ didn’t see Australia as foreign and their fishing matched that local perspective.

By the time sea angler and fishing writer Frederick Aflalo visited Australia in the late nineteenth century, the fishing scene was well and truly established: ‘The favourite sport, bar racing, in the Australian capitals is unquestionably angling.’

What distinguishes the era was the technology available to fishers. Rods could be as low key as a long stick with string on the end. At the fancier end of the market, punters weren’t debating the merits of the latest carbon or fibreglass blank, but

choosing between hickory, whale bone or split cane.

There was no GPS, 4WD or outboard to get fishers to that special spot. They took the ferry or rowed. Or hiked in. Rusting steel hooks were kept in service with endless coatings of vaseline. Soft plastics were at least a century away. And, to compensate for the thick, unresponsive lines, fishers rubbed their fingertips with pumice or sandpaper, which kept them primed to feel the faintest nibble of a timid bream at night. Berley was usually some ghastly homemade concoction, such as that described by Aflalo:

Rods could be as low key as a long stick with string on the end.

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A pungent groundbait composed of bran, condemned tinned salmon, salt herrings, and cheese. The attractions of a conglomeration of these ingredients, as carefully blended as those of a Madras curry, need no eulogy.

They will be readily imagined.

Descriptions of rock fishing similarly set the heart racing. In his account of the Sydney scene, Aflalo noted (with some relish) the hazardous descents and near-misses of these committed anglers: The rock-fishers face the most appalling climbs, scrambling to their favourite grounds over all but perpendicular faces of slippery rock, creeping along ledges a few inches broad, from which a single false step would plunge them among the sharks a hundred feet below.

Those rocks were perilous, but fishers dragged in some spectacular catches from them, even in the middle of the larger urban centres. Blue groper of around 40 to 50 pounds (18 to 23 kilograms) were commonly caught handlining in and around Sydney during the early nineteenth century, while lobsters were hauled up by the dozen near Bondi Beach.

OUT OF THE BOX

Along the entire coast and in the rivers of the inland, anglers pulled up loads of enormous fish. Describing a fishing party to Flat Rock, off Moreton Bay, in 1888, John Cameron wrote in astonishment: It matters not, when the fish are about, whether you have one or ten hooks on your line, you can catch a fish on each hook. It is a wonderful sight to see the deck of a steamer bestrewed with hundreds of these grand fish.

And, in the early twentieth century, Pat Clifford remembered catching great hauls of prawns in the Macleay River in New South Wales, using a chaff bag when he was only five or six years old.

Murray cod commonly tipped the scales at 25 pounds (11 kilograms), but catches over 100 pounds (45 kilograms) weren’t uncommon.

In 1902, three bridge workers reportedly pulled a cod up from the Barwon River, near Walgett, New South Wales, that weighed a whopping 250 pounds (113 kilograms), after they were woken one night by a huge commotion in the water. Apparently, the men fashioned a rig from a large hook and some old fencing wire, baited with a lump of bloody kangaroo meat, before fixing it to a stake on the muddy riverbank.

It’s hard not going green with envy reading fishing accounts from the past.

A party of seven near Caloundra bagged 516 snapper in an hour and a half in the

Take The Bait 30

‘A fishing Eden’, painted by Augustus Earle in the 1820s

1890s; in 1894, the Brisbane Telegraph reported a catch of 1,060 snapper in five hours by a group of eight fishing off the Tweed River; and, in 1905, eight fishers nabbed over 100 snapper just east of Flat Rock in an hour.

But, that bounty couldn’t last with the fishing pressures exerted by a growing population. The writings that reveal so much about Australia’s fishing largesse also heralded deep concerns about changing fish populations and the future of fisheries. Even by the turn of the twentieth century, there was concern about declining stocks for recreational fishers.

‘Originally Port Jackson was an angler’s paradise,’ noted Champley, ‘but the vicinity of a great city, and the accompanying demand for fresh fish, has depleted the once seemingly illimitable supply.’

For modern fishing adventures with the Hook, Line and Sinker boys, head to page 42.

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Hook The Catch This is an edited extract from Anna Clark’s The Catch: The Story of Fishing in Australia, RRP $39.99 www.nla.gov.au

We get you Cover anywhere in Australia.

Plus up to $1500 recovery cover* standard, in case the going gets tough.

Call 1800 CLUB 4X4 for a quote or visit CLUB4X4.COM.AU *This Additional benefit is subject to an excess of $200 which will be applied and this benefit is limited to one (1) claim per policy period. Larger coverage amounts available. Club 4x4 Pty Ltd is an Authorised Representative of the insurer, The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd, AFSL 241436. Any advice provided is general only. Consider the PDS at www.club4x4.com.au

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TRAVELLER

THE

BLUE MOUNTAINS Head into the wild blue yonder without leaving your D-MAX or MU-X. It’s time to get tangled up in the rugged paradise on the doorstep of Australia’s largest city

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WORDS STUART MARTIN

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TRAVELLER

A

more formidable natural barrier is hard to imagine when the Blue Mountains loom into view. So-named for the hue created by light refracting through gum trees’ oily emissions, the range to Sydney’s west presents challenges to those climbing its peaks even today; spare a thought for the intrepid explorers who contemplated it two centuries ago.

The first successful European crossing was completed in 1813, an expedition led by Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth, names that live on in towns and villages across the mountain range.

Now spanned by the Great Western Highway, the trip from the outskirts of Penrith, over Mount Victoria (the highest point in the range) to the plains beyond takes less than 90 minutes, but barely scratches the surface of a magical bush region on either side.

Time taken to explore the vast tracts of eucalypt-studded terrain— in this case to the north of the main highway—is rewarded with tranquil tracks through the scrub, kept quieter by the need for genuine off-road vehicle capability.

Isuzu’s D-MAX utility and its MU-X seven-seater sibling offer the mechanical prowess to get you

along some challenging tracks to stunning lookouts—all you need is the accompanying skill-set.

WHEN TO GO Accessibility is a huge drawcard for the Blue Mountains, with something happening all year round, whether you’re waking up to frosted midwinter windscreens or loathe to leave your air-conditioned cabin during summer. Use common sense during bushfire season, stretching as it does further across the calendar every year. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website offers ample information on camp grounds, walking trails and safety alerts (nationalparks. nsw.gov.au). Local privateers such as Simmo’s Offroad Tours can greatly enhance your experience with encyclopedic knowledge (and a laconic manner) on a variety of self-driving group options (simmosoffroadtours.com). In fact, the I-Venture Club chose the beginning of August to venture out with a group of D-MAX and MU-X owners to experience the thrill of a Blue Mountains adventure.

HOW DO I GET THERE? A three-hour journey from the centre of Sydney puts you in the heart of the Blue Mountains, with max*d

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TRAVELLER the tracks in the national parks easily accessed from a number of locations. Katoomba, Lithgow, Bathurst, Medlow Bath and Wallerawang are just a few options within easy reach of the national parks and reserves.

WHAT TO EXPECT Sandstone, breathtaking vistas, rocky, rutted tracks and never being too far from a Devonshire tea if things become a little uncivilised.

The I-Venture trip through the area began at the elegantly old-fashioned Hydro Majestic Hotel at Medlow Bath, a testament to an era of building things to last, before

LAKSHMI & KIRAN KASARLA The Melbourne, Victoria, couple joined the I-Venture trip through the Blue Mountains in August / 2016 Isuzu MU-X “We’ve done four-wheel driving trips in it, up to Alice Springs, along the beach from Mt Gambier to Robe and a couple around Healesville and Marysville. But this is our first on our own—normally there’s five or six of us. We have two kids, aged eight and 10, and with other close family, we’d normally have the roof box on top as well. This has been a lovely weekend—the kids would have loved it.

“The best part was the lookouts, places that you can’t normally get to unless you have a 4WD. You couldn’t walk that far, the only way is the 4WD! And the food and accommodation is fantastic.

We’ve been inspired to do more trips, boosted our confidence levels and found good camping grounds to 34 somemax*d come back to with the family.”

PETER & JOHN AUBREY abandoning the main highway between Sydney and Lithgow.

Diving off into the dirt, it’s easy to put 500 leisurely kilometres on largely unsealed roads over a three-day, stop-and-smell-thewollemi-pine romp to Bathurst.

Rocky, rutted tracks will give some less-experienced drivers (and their passengers) a few concerns, but you can slip carefully without too much training through the bush of the Gardens of Stone National Park. Following this route, the first of many spectacular views will loom large through the windows as the scrub height subsides on approach to the Lost

The NSW father and son attended their first I-Venture trip through the Blue Mountains in August / 2017 Isuzu D-MAX “This won’t be my last one,” says Peter. “It’s been educational. I did the River Island I-Venture, which opened me up to a lot of the theory and practice of it, then I’ve done a lot of off-roading down on the South Coast. This trip was the next level and far more challenging.

It’s given me more confidence about how far I can push the D-MAX. “David Wilson on the radio was helpful and entertaining. It is good—I’m a lot more confident in what I can do now. I only had two options on gaining confidence in the car. In a 4WD club they jump in a bit harder straight off, whereas doing this, I reckon I’ve learnt more and come out in a better position than a 4WD club. As a novice, that can be a problem.

“I’ve got the confidence now to do more on my own. I’ll give it a go!”

Paul and Kathleen Gollagher and a typically stunning Blue Mountains vista

TRAVELLER

City lookout over Marrangaroo.

Enjoy the panorama of rocky outcrops firing skyward from the bush below, then journey back along Blackfellows Hand Trail, with great dining options such as the quirky village kiosk—once the pub—of Newnes, a town built on shale oil and mining money.

Deep in the valley, surrounded by bush and rocky peaks, you’ll find peaceful relief from all things modern if required. No phone coverage means the only chirps are bird noises from the feathered variety, but the associated uncontactability means you should be prepared to help yourself.

The Aboriginal rock art of Blackfellows Hand Cave provides a solemn meeting spot beneath an imposing rock face. The trails of the Ben Bullen State Forest, easily accessible from Wallerawang, will challenge those who relish slightly trickier terrain, and the scene over Wolgan Gap is truly awesome: a stunning view across a wide, unspoiled valley, epic and ancient.

Sofala provides options for a creek-side pizza stop at the

Tanwarra Lodge, while the banks of the Turon River attract amateur gold panners hoping to strike it rich on the weekend.

Mount Walker and the Marrangaroo National Park provide a variety of trails, including wheellifting rocks and ruts, covered in slippery dirt and dust, although extended river crossings will wash the dust from your belly.

Don’t miss the historic Hampton Halfway Hotel, where a pub lunch rewards those who’ve expanded their off-road skills in one of Australia’s often-overlooked 4WD wonderlands.

Surrounded by bush and rocky peaks, you’ll find peaceful relief from all things modern ...

WHERE TO STAY The Hydro Majestic at Medlow Bath is a grand starting point heading west from Sydney, at the top end of accommodation options.

It has truly astonishing views. The Black Gold Motel at Wallerawang is a handy overnight spot that stays close to the tracks and limits long ‘transport’ legs to get back off the beaten track. For something a little more high-octane, Rydges at Mount Panorama puts motorsport fans right on the famous racetrack.

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THE LIST

AUST

, S A I L RA

THE LIST

BEST

WATERFALLS WORDS GREGOR STRONACH

Mid-nineties popsters TLC may have insisted that you don’t go chasing them, but two-anda-half decades on it’s fair to say they were wrong. Meet our finest cataracts

H

ere’s a state-by-state guide to the very best waterfalls in Australia—from the strangest, to the most

remote, to the most magnificent.

Every one of them is worth bundling the family into in your D-MAX or MU-X for and seeking out.

Just stay well clear of the edge.

Rivers are usually better at recovering from a long drop than we are.

NSW Fitzroy Falls

Where: Morton National Park, Southern NSW / Close to: Kangaroo Valley, NSW Only a couple of hours south of Sydney—and a very painless drive at that—is Morton National Park, a favourite for 4WDers, campers and bushwalking enthusiasts. The crown jewel here is Fitzroy Falls, an 81m cascade at the northern end of the park.

Best for: Seeing a spectacular wonder of nature while exerting as little effort as possible. It’s a two-minute walk to a wheelchairfriendly lookout from the parking lot. Too easy.

Website: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

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THE LIST

NSW Tia Falls

Where: Oxley Wild Rive Close to: 37km from W rs National Park alcha, NSW At the en

d of a 7km stre tch of unsealed road , off the Oxley Highway in th e New Englan d region of NSW , is the Tia Falls .

The drive is pr etty easy—bu t th e walk to the lo okout (and ba ck out) isn’t. It’s a 1.5km round trip on an unkempt path —but the view of the Falls mak es it all worth while.

Best for: Hea ring a 100m+ fa ll that thunders like Thor with a ha ng over if there’s been recent rainfall.

Website: nati onalparks.ns w.gov.au

QLD

Wallaman Falls

Where: Girringun Natio Close to: 50km from In nal Park gham, north Queensla The Wal nd

laman Falls ca n be found in the Girringun National Park , North Queen sland, about a drive from th 50km e town of Ingh am. It’s a pret cruisy drive in ty to the park to the day-use ar a short stroll ea, to the lookou t, an d a slightly longer walk th rough the bush to the top of th Falls themselv e es.

Best for: Seei ng Australia’s tallest single-d waterfall (268 rop metres) and cr ossing it off yo bucket list. ur Website: npsr .qld.gov.au/pa rks/girringun

Natural Bridge

Where: Springbrook National Park Close to: About 50km from the Gold Coast A combination of cave and waterfall, Natural Bridge can be found in the Springbrook National Park, about an hour south-west of the Gold Coast. The waterfall has been formed over thousands of years, entering through the roof of a basalt cave. It’s a family-friendly 1km walk to get there—and at night, the glow-worms light up the roof of the cave.

Best for: One of the most spectacular natural sites in Australia, and well worth adding to the itinerary.

Website: npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/springbrook

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THE LIST

NT Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls Where: Kakadu National Park Close to: 350km from Darwin, NT

WA

Horizontal Falls

Horizontal Falls

Where: Talbot Bay, in the Kimberley, WA Close-ish to: The remote towns of Derby (110km away) and Broome (220km) This one’s unique in that—as the name suggests—these ‘falls’ aren’t actually waterfalls but violent, near-horizontal rapids. As the massive tides rise and fall (a difference of up to 10m), the water builds up on one side of, and is forced to rush through, two narrow bottleneck gaps between natural reservoirs in the McLarty Range at up to a million litres a second. The difference in water level between the sides can reach six metres. This one’s very much a fly-in, get-on-a-boat, experience the Falls and fly out again deal … which makes it extremely pricey, but totally worth it. In 2010, a quartet of international and Australian Red Bull wakeboarders were towed through the tumult at full tilt. All survived!

Best for: Checking out a spot hailed by David Attenborough as “one of the greatest wonders of the natural world”. High praise, indeed.

Website: horizontalfallsadventures.com.au

Mitchell Falls

Where: Pretty much the middle of nowhere, Western Australia Close to: Some of the toughest roads in the country Mitchell Falls in northern WA is a proper adventure destination.

You’ll need to tackle the marvellous Gibb River Road, the turn-off to the Falls and a final section of track, where you’ll spend 3–4 hours to travel a distance of just 85km. But it’s worth it—and not just to give your D-MAX or MU-X a proper workout. A four-tiered, 80m waterfall drop is the prize at the end, which roars like a freight train at times when the water’s rushing through.

Best for: Earning some serious 4WDing cred when you tell the folks back home—this is no picnic or day trip.

Website: kimberleyaustralia.com/mitchell-falls.html

A visit to Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls is all about timing. Inaccessible during the wet season, and pretty much dry during the winter, you can see the falls in all their glory from the air when the water’s really flowing. During the dry season, Jim Jim Falls is a 2km walk—and Twin Falls is a short boat ride away.

Best for: Seeing arguably the best waterfalls the Top End has to offer, in the middle of the greatest national park in the world.

Website: parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu

Gunlom Falls

Where: Kakadu National Park Close to: 350km from Darwin, NT Gunlom Falls holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many Australians—although until you see it, you probably won’t know why. It was one of the iconic locations used in the filming of Crocodile Dundee, and this 30m waterfall empties into a swimming hole that, despite what the movie showed us, is actually entirely free of saltwater crocs. And Paul Hogans.

Best for: Finding tourists to point out what is, and isn’t, a knife; re-living that moment when it became apparent that Paul Hogan was about to leave his marriage for his American co-star.

Website: kakadunationalparkaustralia.com/ gumlon-waterfall-creek.htm

The magnificent Mitchell Falls

Twin Falls

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THE LIST

VIC Wombelano Falls

Where: Kinglake National Park Close to: 65km from Melbourne CBD

TAS Secret Falls

Where: Mt Wellington National Park / Close to: 6km from Hobart CBD The old adage that ‘size doesn’t matter’ rings true with Secret Falls. Only a 15-minute drive from the centre of Hobart, in the Mt Wellington National Park, these beautiful, gentle falls are the perfect destination for a side trip out of town. They offer a nice chance to appreciate something both simple and gently glorious between trips to MONA, various foodie excursions, and pilgrimages to various breweries.

Best for: A pretty, family-friendly experience. A bit like Tassie generally.

What more could you want?

Website: touringtasmania.info/cascade_tracks.htm

SA

This 30m waterfall is one of the most photographed falls in Victoria—which is hardly surprising since it’s just over an hour’s drive from the centre of the Melbourne CBD. There’s a carpark to stash your D-MAX or MU-X, and a 1.5km circuit walk that will take you all the way to the base of the Falls to drink in the beauty of the Garden State.

Best for: An easy day trip with the kids out of the city on the Yarra, or an excuse to head south to see something spellbinding.

Website: parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/ kinglake-national-park

Mackenzie Falls

Where: Grampians National Park Close to: 150km from Ballarat, Victoria For a year-round waterfall experience in Victoria, it’s hard to go past the Mackenzie Falls. It’s the largest waterfall in the state, and it’s relatively easy to get to, with a well-maintained walking track to the bottom of the Falls. And it’s lovely, with water cascading over cliffs into a deep gorge, accompanied by fine plumes of spray. Take your togs by all means, but a word of warning: dip a toe in first—the water is usually glacial.

Best for: Fantasising about having a dip, but thinking again when people getting out look like they’re in the Blue Man Group. Hypothermia isn’t much fun.

Website: visitvictoria.com/regions/grampians

Waterfall Gully

Where: Cleland Conservation Park Close to: 8km east of Adelaide From the wonders of the bight to the only-thebrave temptations of cave diving below the Nullabor, South Australia defies its status as the driest state on the world’s driest continent with some great, wet and wonderful wonders. Except for waterfalls. The Waterfall Gully, a short drive from the Adelaide CBD, is a slightly underwhelming year-round trickle—but it’s easy to find if you’re desperate to see a waterfall in the land of the crow eaters.

Best for: Having to say: “Yes, kids … that’s what we drove here to see … who wants a pie floater? Ooh, is that Christopher Pyne?”

Website: environment.sa.gov.au/parks Mackenzie Falls

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UNSUNG HEROES

CASSANDRA MCLAREN

The Merriwa cattle farmer started the ‘One Day Closer To Rain’ Facebook community with a simple message: you are not alone in drought WORDS MICHAEL BENN

Was the page your idea?

We had our own issues at home— we’ve got a small farm, and we pulled the cattle in to sell them and the kids helped us muster them on the weekend. Emma, our youngest—she’s eight—said, “What’s that truck doing here?”

I said, “Oh, we’re selling the cattle.”

She said, “What, all of them?”

And she just burst into tears. So I wrote a post on my own page about how kids know the cycle of life, but the drought sneaks up on you, and to remember the little ones. I had a big response, and a couple of days later, I decided to start the page.

Were you surprised at how quickly it took off?

Well and truly. We started it on a Thursday morning, between bus runs. The Sunday following I had my first request for a radio interview. And it just kept growing. People were feeling alone and didn’t have any place to share what they were going through.

How dry is it, really?

I grew up in Sydney and I moved to the country 27 years ago, just after the ’80s drought.

It’s never been like this. We have a creek that we drive through to get to our house, and we have seen it stop flowing over the causeway, but we have never seen it reduce to just one or two puddles. We’d normally be running 40 breeders and at this time of the year have 100 head of stock, but we’re down to just 15.

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Are you surprised by people’s resilience?

It’s very humbling and frustrating —all the emotions are involved.

On the one hand you see people going through incredibly tough conditions and soldiering on and refusing to accept assistance.

On the other hand, you see those who’ve seen it coming, been warned, people have tried to help them, and they’re still not prepared. There are those who feel they need to hang on to their stock—which is a consideration.

There’s generations of breeding that come into it. Every farmer has a different situation.

It’s not all misery—there are funny stories on the page, too.

Definitely. People are sharing their daily lives. We laugh with them, we cry with them, we’ve developed friendships. You see the antics some of the animals get up to and it brightens your day. Without hope you don’t have much. A forecast of possible rain; there is this whole emotional rollercoaster of laughter and sadness and tears and hope.

It’s the realisation that we’re not alone, we’re in it together.

And you have a lot of city folk offering moral support.

Very early on we saw what a difference that made—to realise people do care. People say, “I’ve donated, but I want to let you know that we do care and we’re here for you, and we feel frustrated that we can’t do more.”

That goes a long way for mental health, to realise you’re not alone

People are sharing their daily lives.

We laugh with them, we cry with them, we’ve developed friendships.

NAME Cassandra McLaren, whose viral Facebook post lead to the establishment of a thriving online community. Her page provides crucial support to struggling farmers and links to multiple drought relief charities BASED Merriwa, NSW COMMUNITY MEMBERS 30,000+ MORE Search Facebook for ‘One Day Closer To Rain (Drought)’, or facebook.com/ groups/206966 4873305289

when you’re on your farm and your income’s gone. You know, they’re trying not to go into town, they can’t afford the fuel for the trip, they’re suddenly not having coffee with friends even if that was only once a fortnight. So the page has allowed people to network and to be there. We know we have farmers that have contemplated suicide and have said, “If I hadn’t found the page … ”—they fear they would have taken that next step.

But they found what they needed, so they didn’t do that.

Wow. There are some farmers I contact every single day, or weekly, regardless. We just have a Facebook message or a phone text or whatever. Because you know they’re struggling and that might be why you’re not hearing from them. For so many, they just didn’t know where to turn. They didn’t know other people were feeling the same and doing it as tough.

When drought breaks, finally, and the rain’s falling on your face, how does that feel?

The sense of relief is amazing. But what I’ve been through before is nothing compared to now. The anticipation of that moment of realising, not one bit of rainfall but enough, and the season is turning and the outlook is good, is just gonna be the most amazing feeling. I hope it comes and I hope that the kids get to celebrate that moment together. They’re saying we’re in a 130-year drought and we’re in this until at least autumn.

But it’s not the end.

UNSUNG HEROES

You see people going through incredibly tough conditions and just soldiering on and refusing to accept assistance.

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HOOK, LINE & SINKER

JUST

THE TIP Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart—AKA the Hook, Line and Sinker boys—scale mighty Cape York on their D-MAX-powered trip around Australia WORDS ANDREW HART

L

ast year at a high-level planning meeting—held in the glittering penthouse offices of HLS Productions—we decided that in 2018 we wouldn’t really do any planning.

Instead, we’d hitch up the boat, jump into the D-MAX and do a road trip. But not just any road trip: the road trip.

The big one.

The trip would consist of towing our very large trailer boat, a Bar Crusher 780, all around Australia. Broken into two-week stints—jetting home for a spoonful of family time in between—we would drive, stop, fish, film and continue.

For the 2018 season, we’ve travelled from Melbourne to Cape York, producing 13 episodes. And the highlight, for me, was

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the time we spent at Cape York, the northernmost tip of the Australian continent. It was also the perfect shakedown for our new 2018 D-MAX. Hauling our 7.8m boat to the Torres Strait represented something of a challenge. The first option was to make the tow up from Cairns along what is renowned as a very rough red-dirt road—something we weren’t keen on because of the size of the Bar Crusher.

The second option was to drive the boat ourselves. But the distance involved is massive. From Cairns to ‘the Tip’ is around 1000 kilometres. Way too far in a trailer boat with the time constraints we were facing.

We thought perhaps we’d just have to do the Cape without our boat—madness!—

but then we stumbled onto the idea of shipping our boat up by barge. And so we dropped off a brand new D-MAX (we picked up a 2018 LS-T Crew Cab 4x4 model while in town) and our Bar Crusher at the wharf in Cairns. Just a few days later, the whole lot was covered in red dust while it sat and waited for us at the Sea Swift Shipping depot in Seisia.

Indignity for our Bar Crusher, maybe, but an easy hack for anyone else who finds themselves similarly time-poor.

All of this meant that we arrived ready for action but light-on for local knowledge.

Luckily, it didn’t really seem to matter.

This part of the world is perfectly suited to trailer boat fishing.

The ramp at Seisia seems good on most

HOOK,LINE&SINKER Wat Line anch Hook, on 7ma d Sinker local gte. Check for det uides ails.

tides, and we spent the first couple of days doing day trips exploring the area. There was plenty to catch, with tuna schools busting up as far as the eye could see. The first fish to hit the deck was a massive queenfish, well over 1.2m long and the perfect way to start our tropical fishing adventure.

Once we got our confidence up with the local area, we decided to head down the western side of the Cape and camp a couple of nights. The locals told us of a little site on the inside of the Doughboy River mouth, where they said you could drop your swag and not be eaten by a crocodile in the middle of the night. They seemed trustworthy, so that’s what we did.

The 60 nautical mile journey to the Doughboy was fairly smooth. The beauty

of the Cape is you can choose to fish the sheltered side, so although we had wind most days, it was always blowing offshore, which made life easy.

Even better, the further south we travelled from Seisia, the better the fishing got. We didn’t try too hard and we caught all the species you would expect from this part of the world. The tuna schools where so thick we had to drive around them; we had to stop trolling our swimming lures because big Spanish Mackeral would keep hooking up and we simply didn’t have the esky space. Paradise.

Inside the river mouth we caught as many queenfish as we wanted. Barra, jacks and a bunch of other species kept us entertained further up the mangrove-lined waterway.

It was a fisherman’s nirvana.

After filming enough for a couple of episodes of the program, we headed back

The locals told us of a spot where you could drop your swag and not be eaten by a croc in the night.

They seemed trustworthy …

to Seisia where we once again dropped off the boat … but being unable to bear parting with the D-MAX, we decided to drive our new steed back to Cairns.

The 1000km journey along the Development Road took us a day. In parts, this road is terrible. The corrugations are huge, but the D-MAX rolled into Cairns with no issues. All in all, a great way to finish the first series of our Lap of Australia.

Now bring on the NT and WA!

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43

REFUEL

THE TASTE OF

THE SEA Prawn cocktails or tempura abalone?

It’s never an easy choice with Tassie-born chef Ben Milbourne

“M

y food style is simple,” says Ben Milbourne, the MasterChef Australia alumnus whose new Modern Australian restaurant, CharlotteJack, has Devonport buzzing. “Take ingredients and recipes that will bring people together, combine them in a way that is interesting but achievable. Above all cook it because you love it; this is what food is all about.”

A former teacher, Milbourne is Tasmanian through-andthrough, with a passion for his home state that’s as typical of the Apple Isle’s locals as it is deserved. And while he may no longer be as familiar with chalkboards and dusters, Milbourne is just as devoted to education.

He used to use food to teach chemistry. Now he uses it to teach the rest of the world about Tasmania— one cookbook, TV series or restaurant meal at a time.

Milbourne’s first book, Mexican Craving, played to one of the two great strengths he demonstrated on Season 4 of

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the Masterchef TV juggernaut.

His second, Tasmanian Trail, played equally to the other: seafood.

For a boy from the rugged and wild north-west coast, one of four adventurous siblings, the ocean had always called him. “As a child we used to go on family camping trips and we would take out Dad’s boat, go fishing and cook the fish,” he says. “We would go diving for abalone and cook it on the campfire.”

These days, Milbourne is a lot busier—but whenever he gets a chance he can still be found exploring the Tasmanian coastline in his mighty Isuzu MU-X. The more rugged and wild the spot, the better.

Wherever summer finds you, whether it’s braving a dip in the still-bracing waters of Milbourne’s childhood, to the bathwater-warm northern tropics, summer in Australia means seafood.

These two simple recipes hark back to that time. Like Ben’s new restaurant, both display the best qualities of Australian food: freshness, simplicity and—above all— fantastic flavours.

Perfect Prawn Cocktails Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: none!

Serves: 4 Ingredients • 1 celery stick, finely diced • ½ cucumber (seeds removed), finely diced • ¼ cup kewpie mayonnaise • ¼ cup crème fraîche • Pinch of Tasman sea salt • 1 tsp Shima wasabi powder • 200g cooked prawns (tails removed), halved • 2 tsp chives, coarsely chopped • 4–8 cos lettuce leaves, to serve Method Step 1 Combine celery, cucumber, kewpie, crème fraîche, salt and wasabi powder in a bowl. Mix through prawns and chives.

Serve in a lettuce cup.

REFUEL

Tempura Abalone Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Serves: 2–3

Ingredients • 1 abalone, sliced thinly • 1 cup plain flour • ½ cup cornflour • Pinch of Tasman sea salt • ½ cup soda water, cold • ½ cup ice • 500ml canola oil Method Step 1 Using half of the plain flour, lightly coat the abalone.

Step 2 Add the cornflour, remaining plain flour, salt, soda water and ice to a bowl. Mix until it forms a thin batter.

Step 3 Heat oil in a pan to 160–180 degrees. Coat abalone in a thin layer of batter. Place abalone in oil for approximately 45 seconds to a minute. Remove excess oil with paper towel and season with the sea salt.

FIND OUT MORE Visit benmilbourne.com.au for more recipes and cookbooks, as well as links to Ben’s food tours, degustation dinners and his in-demand cooking school.

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45

P 02 9678 9036 E sales@arkcorporation.com

FLASHBACK

2000

VEHICROSS ROADSTER VX-02 CONCEPT “SUV meets Audi TT Roadster!” declared Motor Trend magazine ahead of the debut of the VX-02 concept at the New York Auto Show. “Both sport an open-air design, all-wheel drive, artsy aluminum trim, and aggressive rolling stock. These common traits don’t make the Audi an SUV nor the VX-02 a sports car, the similarities make for interesting debate.

“Think of the VX-02 as an off-roadster.”

The VX-02 combined standard componentry—with its 3.5L 160kW V6 and innovative Torque-on-Demand four-speed auto—with next-level flair. Its chopped windscreen, huge boot space (having jettisoned the rear seats) and interior of carbon fibre and leather were a decidedly daring vision of the future.

While the VX-02 didn’t enter production, it did manage a space-aged cameo as astronaut Gary Sinise’s daily driver (on Earth) in Disney’s 2000 film Mission to Mars.

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47

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