max*d Issue 26

GO YOUR OWN WAY ISSUE 26

SUMMER LOVIN’

When D-MAX met the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest dunes.

DOWNHILL THRILLS

Australia’s 11 greatest mountain bike trails

WRANGLING JERRAWANGALA In search of secret tracks on the NSW South Coast

ANCAP UNVEILED

Inside Australia’s toughest auto safety test

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CARAVANS

WHY CRUSADER

CONTACT US

DEALERS

A new category of caravan that is truly in a class of its own.

Beautifully made, fully featured, compact, strong and weatherproof.

Easy to tow and super easy to use.

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instagram.com/crusadercaravans

facebook.com/crusadercaravanclub

CONTENTS

S I H T IN

E U ISS FEATURES

8

Mat and Chloe on the go A special Readers’ Rides: In Focus with Isuzu UTE ambassadors Mat Rogers and Chloe Maxwell.

18

Wranglin’ Jerrawangala Yalwal’s Monkey Gum track is a legendary 4WD challenge— but the area has many more.

34

Mountain mayhem Australia is blessed with some of the world’s best customcreated mountain bike trails.

This is our definitive best 11.

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SUMMER LOVIN’ Isuzu’s I-Venture Club takes on the largest expanse of shifting sandhills in the Southern Hemisphere at Stockton, NSW— and finds love at first sight.

UP FRONT 06 Readers’ Rides First-hand stories of adventures to remember with Australia’s D-MAX and MU-X community.

10 News The latest news from the front lines of Isuzu UTE Australia.

12 Wishlist Camping on a quiet night is bliss.

But a good lantern will still save your toes from tent peg attack.

14 Tech Head Towing has never been simpler— or safer—than from behind the wheel of the all-new D-MAX.

MIDDLE GROUND 40 Unsung Hero IMPORTANT NOTICE SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE YOUR NEXT EDITION Choose to receive your next copy of max*d digitally or printed and posted to you for FREE. Visit isuzuute.com.au/subscribe to update your preferences

Touched by tragedy, Mike and Gayle Quarmby retreated to the Outback—and sparked a legitimate bush tucker revolution.

42 Hook, Line & Sinker Tasmania’s finest fishing fiends, Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart, make a slightly unhinged decision involving deep snow, fly casting and their MU-X.

44 Refuel What’s wet, slathered over protein and makes barbecues better? Marinades. (And sunscreen, technically.)

OUTBACK 47 Great Isuzu Moments The Bellet MX1600 rocks Tokyo.

48 Dealer List Find your local Isuzu UTE dealer—wherever you are.

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ISUZU D-MAX

REDEFINED SAFETY

MAXIMUM 5-STAR SAFETY ON THE REBORN ISUZU D-MAX. The Isuzu D-MAX has been redefined with a 5-star ANCAP safety rating across the entire range. Thanks to the Isuzu Intelligent Driver Assistance System (IDAS#), including Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control. Plus with 8 airbags you’re in the safest of hands wherever your journey takes you, even when you leave the road behind. The Isuzu D-MAX , GO YOUR OWN WAY! ISUZU D-MAX

#

IDAS features are designed to assist the driver, but should not be relied upon nor used as a substitute for safe driving practices.

WELCOME

WELCOME

to the 26th edition of max*d magazine!

H

ello and welcome to the latest edition of max*d magazine.

First of all, we hope that everyone has been staying well as we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are positively overwhelmed by the strong demand that has been displayed towards the All-New D-MAX and are grateful for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to work towards fulfilling orders as quickly as possible. Secondly, I hope you all had a safe and happy time over the holidays, and have returned refreshed and invigorated for an exciting 2021.

The journey since our last edition of the magazine has certainly been nothing short of eventful, with the highlight being the launch of the highly anticipated All-New Isuzu D-MAX in September 2020. With its introduction came a refreshed and renewed lease for adventure, with thousands of new owners choosing an All-New D-MAX as their vehicle of choice.

Utes have been the best-selling vehicles in Australia for the past few years and the

All-New D-MAX has helped boost their popularity. Since its launch in September 2020, the third-generation D-MAX has found its place as the third top-selling ute in Australia, with an all-time record of 2409 models sold in December 2020 and a market share of 13.6 per cent. And it’s not just here in Australia that the D-MAX is proving popular. Back in Thailand, nearly every second ute sold is a D-MAX, with a commanding market share of 43.9 per cent this calendar year.

Since its debut, the All-New Isuzu D-MAX has earned prodigious praise from media and customers alike. It’s come away as the top choice of ute in numerous comparisons and shootouts published in the Australian press and achieved plenty of accolades, including News Corp’s ‘Ute of the Year’ and The West Australian’s ‘Ute of the Year’.

It has also earned continuous praise and recognition by you, our loyal customers, with D-MAX sales at an all-time high. The famed Isuzu MU-X SUV continues to be very popular among families—so much so that the 420 units of the special edition

Isuzu MU-X ONYX Edition, released back in October, had all but sold out by the end of the year—demonstrating the resilience of a vehicle that has earned a reputation for reliability, capability and versatility.

As seen by the cover, this 26th edition of max*d magazine is packed with adventures, one of which is exploring some lesserknown tracks in and around the infamous Monkey Gum Fire Trail. It’s a 4WDer’s haven and only 200 kilometres south of Sydney.

After a short break from our usual programming due to the pandemic, the I-Venture Club has returned to New South Wales, this time debuting at a new location along the Central Coast—the endless sandy horizons of Stockton Beach.

On page 16, we take you behind the scenes to see how the All-New D-MAX was tested under stringent new 2020 ANCAP testing criteria (and thereby crowned one of the safest vehicles on Australian roads, with its maximum 5-star rating). Towards the back, on page 42, catch up on the latest adventures had by Hook Line & Sinker, before living vicariously through some of the most memorable mountain-biking trails across the country on page 34.

Until next time, I bid you all a safe and happy 2021 and send my gratitude to you once again for your continued support throughout these uncertain times. I hope you enjoy this latest edition of max*d magazine and look forward to seeing how you continue to ‘Go Your Own Way’.

Hiroyasu Sato Managing Director Isuzu UTE Australia maxd@iua.net.au max*d

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READERS’ RIDES

READERS’ RIDES

Where have you set out to go your own way? Let us know—and win!

SHAWN MORRIS LIVES: HERITAGE PARK, QLD DRIVES: 2021 D-MAX 4X4 LS-M “No matter how much I go, I always want to get out more than I can! I love getting away from society, and especially away from cell phone reception, as quickly as possible. I’ve got a few mates with 4WDs and I’d been researching what I wanted for a while, so I waited on the new D-MAX to come out. When I compared it to the competition it was the way to go. I can’t wait to do Cape York, especially— I just need to build up the time off work. Middle of the year, everyone else is in blankets and rugs and you’re still in boardies. It sounds perfect.”

JENNA VAN DER VLIST LIVES: JINDABYNE, NSW DRIVES: 2018 MU-X 4X4 LS-U & 2019 D-MAX 4X4 LS-M “My partner and I have ‘his and hers’ Isuzus. Originally we both had D-MAXs, but he sold his for an MU-X, which is a great fishing truck to fit fly fishing rods in. We’ve been on many trips into the Brindabellas and I love exploring the Snowy Mountains high country. We’ve even fished in the snow! We like it when it’s cold—there are fewer snakes around. Last September the roads were completely covered in white and it was amazing how well the cars handled it. We just love the freedom. It’s something I hadn’t ever experienced before owning a 4WD. I spend eight hours a day at a desk, so at the end of the week I’m stoked to get away!”

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PHOEBE COFFEY LIVES: EAST PERTH, WA / DRIVES: 2019 D-MAX 4X4 LS-U “We purchased our D-MAX earlier this year before leaving for our long-awaited three-month trip around WA with our camper-trailer.

As an inner-city apartment-dwelling family we were brand new to four-wheel driving and towing but knew we wanted a safe, reliable and strong car to take our children on this big adventure! Never once did we regret our purchase. We took it through national parks, on remote beaches, over many kilometres of rocky, corrugated terrain, all throughout the red dirt of the Kimberley and on some of the roughest roads in the state and it didn’t skip a beat! The photo is taken at the beautiful Oakabella campsite just outside of Geraldton.”

JAMIE AND SIOBHAN THORNBERRY LIVES: SEYMOUR, VIC DRIVES: 2014 MU-X 4X4 LS-T “It’s done Cape York, most of the Victorian high country, Little Desert, Big Desert, most of the Snowy—and we’ve just bought a new 24ft caravan as well! We just like to keep going and seeing more of Australia than what you just see at the coast. The MU-X has done nearly 160,000km, of which easily 70,000 were off-road.

I take my wife, Siobhan, and two teenage daughters and our dog—he’s only a little fella. The girls are 15 and 13, but they’re fully into it. They love it! They’ll go, ‘Oh, we’ve been there, can we go somewhere else?’ They’re as enthusiastic about planning the trips as we are!”

JANO VAN DER LINDE LIVES: HOLLAND PARK WEST, VICTORIA DRIVES: 2017 D-MAX 4X4 LS-U “We love just getting out and about­—we do a trip at least once a month. This pic is from our first trip over to Fraser. We stayed at Orchid Beach and explored the north end of the island. We love sand driving—it’s good when it’s soft. I love a challenge and hard sand is just like highway driving! We’re planning an Uluru trip now, which is 3000km—so that’s a major undertaking. I’m an apprentice electrician, so all my tools get lugged around in the D-MAX as well. It’s great to have something I can use for both work and play. Whether we’re mountain biking, camping with a few mates or with my girlfriend, we always have a pretty good time.”

We are giving away 5 x prize packs valued at over $100 thanks to our good friends at Coleman

WIN 1 OF 5 COLEMAN PACKS Featured Readers’ Rides will each receive a Coleman soft esky + portable chair combo

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

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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READERS’ RIDES

Readers’ Rides: In Focus

MAXING OUT Name:

Mat Rogers and Chloe Maxwell

Lives:

Gold Coast, Qld

Drives:

2019 D-MAX and 2019 MU-X

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Former dual international Footy Star, Mat Rogers and Australian multimedia personality Chloe Maxwell have four children, with two—Phoenix and Max— still at home. The couple’s charity, 4 ASD Kids, helps families with kids dealing with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Your day-to-day schedule seems hectic.

C: We’re super busy. We have a very active life, so it helps that all the things we do are made easier by the versatility of our cars.

M: Our daughter, Phoenix, plays for Gold

Coast United in the Womens U/13 National Premier League, so we spend many weekends on the road travelling to and from soccer fields. Our MU-X has become the preferred method of travel for our daughter and her teammates. With seven seats and a screen for the girls to watch a movie on it certainly helps.

But your son, Max, prefers the D-MAX? M: There’s not a day goes by that we aren’t out in our yard working on Max’s gardens.

C: He’s incredibly passionate about his fruit

READERS’ RIDES

I’d have to say that the tray of my D-MAX has seen more dirt than most, but the convenience of it makes it no hassle at all.

and vegetables, which means one thing— constant trips to the nursery for more plants.

M: And more fertiliser. And more soil. And more garden beds. I’d have to say the tray of my D-MAX has seen more bags of dirt than most, but the convenience of it makes it no hassle at all. Summertime is a great time to plant, so we are hard at it.

Do you ever get away on a family break?

C: We love getting out and visiting some of our national parks, like Purling Brook Falls or Mount Barney. It’s food for the soul.

That’s play covered. What about work?

M: That too! Our son, Max, was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder when he was two. That’s what led to us starting our charity, 4 ASD Kids, a decade ago. We’ve just produced a couple of series of a TV show called ‘Maxing Out’, which you can catch on 10 play, where we take three people and push them to their physical limits through a full-distance triathlon.

C: In a roundabout way we wanted to tell the story of our journey with Max—we wanted to show the fear in the beginning,

the small steps taken and belief being built through to overcoming and accomplishing something that wasn’t thought possible.

M: Shooting the show on the Gold Coast, the D-MAX was crucial for ferrying bikes, camera equipment and people to all corners of the coast. COVID-19 got in the way of shooting Season 3 in 2020, but we’ll definitely go again in 2021!

Isuzu UTE Australia is delighted to welcome Mat and Chloe to the family as brand ambassadors. Stay tuned for more. max*d

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NEWS PUBLISHER Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA MANAGING EDITORS Mark Harman, Madelaine Walsh maxd@iua.net.au EDITOR Ben Smithurst ben.smithurst@edge.agency SUB-EDITOR Paul Rodger ART DIRECTOR Guy Pendlebury ACCOUNT MANAGER Daphne Zhang ADVERTISING SALES Nicole Prioste nicole.prioste@edge.agency

Isuzu UTE Australia ‘sales’ into a new era Australian drivers provided unwavering support for the Isuzu D-MAX ute and MU-X SUV throughout a 2020 that was tough for many. Arriving locally in September, the All-New third-generation D-MAX impressed tradies, families and adventurers alike, with 7384 examples finding their way into Aussie garages in only four months. Combined with sales of the second-generation D-MAX, a total of 15,062 D-MAXs were sold—making Isuzu’s ever-reliable go-anywhere machine the country’s fourth-best-selling ute of 2020.

Comfortable and capable, the seven-seat MU-X also continued to impress, with 7049 sales placing it third overall in the Large SUV <$70K segment. With 2021 well underway, Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) is looking forward to welcoming many more new members into the Isuzu family—and continuing to ‘Go Our Own Way’ alongside our loyal owners.

MANAGING PARTNERS Fergus Stoddart, Richard Parker

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

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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All-New D-MAX: Partner Upgrades A number of Isuzu UTE Australia’s key partners—and most enthusiastic supporters—have found their D-MAXs upgraded following the All-New model’s September 2020 launch. They include touring champions Spida and Sheree Everitt from The Great Australian Doorstep, angling ace Mark Berg from Mark Berg’s Fishing Addiction and fellow fishing superstars Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart at Hook, Line & Sinker. Whether it’s towing, boating, caravanning or just travelling their own way, each will bring their D-MAX to your television screens in 2021.

Meanwhile, the founders of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, will be using their new D-MAX to travel to schools across the country. The Morcombes continue to deliver their safety curriculum to honour the memory of their son Daniel, tirelessly driving their child-protection message in one of the safest vehicles on Australian roads.

Isuzu UTE Australia is proud to continue its support of these partners and their journeys and hopes they continue to inspire others to take on journeys of their own.

NEWS

Milestone: 50,000 MU-Xs on Australian roads Debuting in December 2013, the Isuzu MU-X has earned a peerless reputation among Australian drivers as a durable and trusted companion. Exactly seven years later, the MU-X has not only surpassed 50,000 domestic sales, it has earned its place as Australia’s most popular ute-based SUV … for the sixth consecutive year. Favoured for its proven D-MAX underpinnings—bolstered by all the capability, versatility and comfort sought after in a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)—the MU-X remains integral to the Isuzu UTE brand. Its strengths having been recognised through various accolades. And the charismatic SUV continues to grow in standing, striking a chord with families and adventurers looking to ‘Go Their Own Way’. We look forward to seeing the D-MAX’s SUV sibling soar into the future.

And the winner is: the All-New Isuzu D-MAX. Again. And again With a hard-earned reputation for reliability, durability and capability, the Isuzu D-MAX has long been revered by Australians as the top one-tonne ute for work or leisure. Now, these claims have been backed up by some of the country’s most prestigious motoring awards. Over the past few months, the All-New D-MAX has repeatedly climbed to the top in automotive media ‘shootouts’ and wider press comparisons against its rivals, as well as taking out The West Australian’s ‘Ute of the Year’ and News Corp’s ‘Ute of the Year’. With the D-MAX’s popularity going from strength to strength—as shown by the rampant growth of the Isuzu UTE family— we expect to see the D-MAX’s list of achievements continue to grow in 2021.

Spreading the Christmas spirit a little further With many Australian families doing it tough, Isuzu UTE Australia has sought to help those struggling the most with a $100,000 donation shared among three national charities— The Salvation Army, Beyond Blue and Lifeline Australia.

Isuzu hopes that the donation helps to provide some muchneeded support—and joy— to families over the holiday period, as well as to those who face hardship every day.

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

ALL THE LIGHT TOUCHES

Is all your camping done during the endless daylight of the Arctic summer? No? You’ll be needing a lantern.

1

COLEMAN NORTHSTAR DUAL FUEL LANTERN

The first liquid fuel lantern to include electronic ignition, Coleman’s unfussy mini Sun— seriously, it pumps out a vampiredeterring 1138 lumens on ‘High’— runs happily on either unleaded or shellite fuel. (Called ‘Coleman fuel’ by, er, Coleman, shellite is basically a clear flammable liquid hydrocarbon. You can also pick up a tin at Bunnings, Repco, etc.)

This lantern runs for up to 14 hours, reduces wasteful discarded gas canisters or expired batteries and has a fully adjustable light output. Oh, and with a nifty porcelainised ventilator, it’s as unlikely to rust as you are, unless you’re Tony Stark. In which case, you should probably just invent your own lantern. RRP $279.75

colemanaustralia.com.au

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2

4

3

2

1

WORDS MELANIE KOERNER

COLEMAN EASY HANG LITHIUM-ION

Charging via a handy USB port and tipping the scales at just 920 grams, this lithium ionpowered night brightener pumps out a respectable 400 lumens.

It has multiple hanging options— its hook-and-loop handle means it can even be affixed sideways— and a high- and low-function light. Rubber contact points help resist slippage when you stumble out of the tent on a 3am call of nature and trip over the card table. Charge stored in the lamp can also be shared with external USB devices, like smartphones or tablets. If you have kids, you might consider keeping that useful tidbit of knowledge to yourself.

RRP $99.95 colemanaustralia.com.au

3

GOAL ZERO LIGHTHOUSE 400

Solar panels are every sensible camper’s solution to stealing sweet, sweet, free energy from that sucker the Sun, but sometimes you come up short.

This happy little device not only looks like a steampunk martian frog, it also has a hand crank that—when necessary—provides around 10 minutes of light (on the lowest light setting) for every minute of cranking. And with a USB port that can be used to charge a phone, GoPro and more, it brings new meaning to taking power into your own hands. Unlike you after a hike, it features 360-degrees of 400 lumen LED light and 2.5 hours of brightness. Like you after a hike, it has collapsible legs. RRP $129.95

goalzero.com.au

4

COLEMAN 360° SOUND AND LIGHT

Since the dawn of mobile lighting technology, and also the ghetto blaster, fans of brightly illuminated breakdancing have had to carry two devices if they want to bust moves in otherwise darkened alleys, campsites and truck stops. No more! Coleman’s 360° Sound and Light pumps out 400 lumens—and your choice of killer tunes, transmitted via Bluetooth—for up to five hours straight when doing both at once. (With the speakers off, a single charge can last up to 40 hours on ‘low’ light.) It charges and recharges other devices via USB, uses lithium-ion and is IPX4 rated for water resistance.

RRP $119.99 colemanaustralia.com.au

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as r trailer h o t a o b , n than our va Hauling y simpler—or safer— e n never bee 21 Isuzu D-MAX: th 0 2 e h with t hine wing mac o t e t a im t u

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WORDS DAVID WILSON

N

ever before has towing been as easy as it is with the 2021 D-MAX. The new super-beaut super ute is a cut above everything else in its class thanks to a more refined and powerful turbo-diesel engine—and the highest level of standardised safety and convenience equipment seen in a ute.

The D-MAX has always been a willing performer. Isuzu’s truck heritage is a huge advantage when it comes to durability.

The new 4JJ3 iteration of the renowned 3.0-litre engine takes diesel refinement to new levels, being both quieter and more powerful. Gorgeous torque oozes from the drivetrain: 450Nm-worth and governed by a six-speed auto or manual gearbox, recalibrated in the case of the auto to be a sweet shifter. Accordingly, that 4JJ3 stays ‘in the zone’ at all times.

The genuine Isuzu towbar for D-MAX now has the capacity to incorporate a genuine weight distribution hitch (WDH) if and when required.

Like a young Skywalker, the idea of a WDH is about restoring balance to the force. In short, when you load a van or trailer on the back of a vehicle you want both to be sitting level, ideally with the original mass over the front wheels.

That way neither steering nor braking is compromised.

The tow package includes an intelligent wiring loom. It’s so smart that it can detect when a trailer plug is inserted and whether you’ve left the hitch in-situ, preventing the rear parking and proximity sensors alerting you to a problem that doesn’t exist.

Even better, the genuine article can come with a genuine electric brake controller, so whether you’re lugging a large or a light one, if your tow is braked, you’ll be able to stop it. You can dial up its sensitivity from inside the cab with the controller and I can vouch for its effectiveness.

One of the towing world’s challenges is reversing, but Isuzu has that licked, too.

You’ll find ClearView mirrors in the Isuzu accessory range and these beautiful, two-stage extendable mirrors provide a panorama of the world behind. They retain full function for power folding and LED indicators on LS-M, LS-U and X-TERRAIN models, whilst incorporating the Blind-Spot Monitoring (BSM) alert light. Nifty.

BSM is essentially a second pair of eyes in the back of your head, constantly scanning your blind-spot for other motorists. You should, however, disable BSM when towing via the on-board Multi-Information Display in the dash, because some larger trailers may be picked up by the sensors.

It’s also worth flicking off the Lane-Keep Systems, such as Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) and Lane Departure Prevention (LDP).

Around town these systems can keep

your D-MAX safely in the centre of the lane, but when towing you might need a wider turning arc to navigate tighter bends. It can be toggled off via the same process.

When it comes to the driving, say ta-ta to dangerous sway because Isuzu has Trailer Sway Control (TSC), a function allied to the Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).

There’s nothing more harrowing than dropping a wheel into the dirt and having the whole load come unstuck as a dangerous weave takes over, potentially taking you off the road and upside down.

At the first hint of a death-wobble the D-MAX’s lateral, steering and yaw-rate sensors dive in, tickling the brakes and proportioning torque to the wheels, and all the while talking to the trailer, because if you’ve got an ESC-equipped van you’ll restore safe forward passage even faster.

There’s nothing more harrowing than dropping a wheel into the dirt and having the whole load come unstuck as a dangerous weave takes over, potentially taking you off the road. max*d

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INSIDE LINE

BEHIND THE SCENES:

NEW, TOUGHER CRASH TESTS

How the All-New Isuzu D-MAX became the first car to earn a five-star ANCAP safety rating against the toughest criteria to date.

I

nside western Sydney’s Crashlab sits an All-New Isuzu D-MAX. It’s about to undertake a crucial test along its journey towards a five-star safety rating.

If the new model passes here, it’s eligible to move onto the next round­—where advanced crash-avoidance technology is assessed with a robot behind the wheel.

More than 500 cars have scored five-star ANCAP safety ratings over the past three decades, but many people don’t realise that the criteria has become tougher over time.

It was easier to earn a five-star score five or 10 years ago; 2020 marks the latest step change in crash test standards.

Until now, no vehicle in Australia has encountered the severe side impact test the D-MAX is about to face. It’s just one of eight brand-new D-MAXs required for the full battery of tests.

As well as a raft of other assessments,

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new guidelines now measure the level of protection between the two front seat occupants in a severe side impact crash.

To score well, models require centre front-seat airbags—regarded as one of the final advancements in occupant protection.

In a few moments, a 1400kg crash test rig travelling at 60km/h will ram into the D-MAX’s driver’s side. Not far from Eastern Creek Raceway, the Crashlab is silent but for the beeping of camera equipment and the popping of flash bulbs. It’s tense. If this test doesn’t go to plan, it’s not as if they can back up the rig and try again. It’s a first for the engineers, too, who have not done such a test for ANCAP until today.

Eventually engineers and personnel are ushered upstairs to an enclosed glass viewing platform directly above the lane that will drag the sled via a pulley system under the ‘runway’—and just a couple of car lengths away from the target vehicle.

WHAT IS ANCAP? ANCAP—the Australasian New Car Assessment Program—does not have the power to ban cars from sale in Australia … and its star ratings are not a legal requirement.

Yet the not-for-profit organisation has become the default crash test safety authority for government and business fleets, as well as private buyers.

Prior to ANCAP, car buyers had no way of knowing how the crash safety of vehicles compared to others. However, since pioneering crash safety scores in 1993, ANCAP has assessed and built up a catalogue of safety ratings for almost 1000 new and used cars.

INSIDE LINE

If you enter your D-MAX—or, indeed, any car—and the cabin looks like this, you may be a crash test dummy.

Parked side-on to the sled, the D-MAX is still a handsome-looking machine—even with crash test labels dotting its flanks.

It’s about to be a write-off.

Without warning, the entire laboratory goes dark and then it’s as bright as daylight and you can feel the heat off dozens of lamps, even though they’ve only been switched on for a few seconds. Then comes the sled and ‘BANG’! The impact is louder than you could imagine and faster than you expected. There is no slow-motion replay in real life.

An engineer begins sweeping up the debris; others check the dummy and the deflated airbags, peering through the

shattered glass. They first measure the force required to open the side doors, which contributes towards a car’s overall score.

The D-MAX sails through.

Which is why, days later, the tests were taken to the outskirts of the western NSW country town of Orange at a re-purposed airfield that has become a car testing facility. Here the new Isuzu D-MAX nails the next round of testing— crash avoidance technology.

Australia now has robotic cars—and robotic controls—to assess autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems, as well as a car’s ability to detect and avoid cyclists and pedestrians. There’s testing of a model’s

ability to prevent a collision at 50km/h if the driver isn’t paying attention, blind spot warning systems, lane keeping, lane wander prevention technology, and cyclist and pedestrian detection—day and night.

The All-New Isuzu D-MAX performed well in these groundbreaking tests and ANCAP praised the company for fitting every piece of advanced safety technology as standard on every model in the new ute range. No exceptions.

The result makes the 21MY Isuzu D-MAX the first ute globally to be tested against the newer, tougher suite of safety criteria— earning a five-star score that will be tough for others to match.

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17

TRAVELLER

JERRAWANGALA

THE

WRANGLER You may never have heard of this NSW South Coast gem, but it has adventure aplenty in store …

Images: Mark Watson

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WORDS BRENDAN BATTY

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TRAVELLER

A

ustralia has some iconic offroad destinations, the sort of places we’ve all heard of and dream of conquering one day: the Victorian High Country, the Simpson Desert, Cape York’s Old Telegraph Track or maybe Fraser Island. Then there are places like Jerrawangala, which almost no-one has heard of and even fewer are sure of the pronunciation of (FYI, the locals clip the vowel sounds, so it’s Jerra-wngla, rather than Jerra-wan-gala).

Parts state forest, crown land and national park (the borders of which seem so obscure that even the local National Parks officer we spoke to seemed unsure of where their jurisdiction ended), it takes in the narrow strip of bushland between the Princes Highway and Braidwood Road south of Nowra. An extensive network of fire roads, powerline tracks, old logging trails and babbling brooks criss-crosses the bushland as it climbs the escarpment.

So, all in all, it’s the perfect place to explore in a D-MAX itching for some close-tohome adventure. It’s 4WDing that’s as challenging as you’re willing to make it, but close enough to Nowra that you can indulge in a decent café brekky beforehand or hearty pub feed after.

Caffeinated and hollandaised, we pointed the D-MAX to Wandean Road, Wandandian on the Princes Highway edge of the bush. It’s not long before bitumen becomes gravel

There’s a bit of early excitement crossing Gnatilia Creek—not because it’s deep or challenging, but because creek crossings signify that passage from the civilised to the wild.

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TRAVELLER

Jerrawangala

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TRAVELLER

A DIRTY TIP Lower your tyre pressure to around 20-25psi on dirt 4WD tracks to gain traction. If it really gets rough or challenging, lower the pressure down to around 16–20psi to let the tyres wrap around the rocks more readily to create more grip.

Inflate them again using a portable compressor before doing long or fast driving on bitumen. Travel with another vehicle and bring recovery gear—at minimum, a shovel and recovery boards or tracks.

and gravel makes way for dirt. There’s a bit of early excitement crossing Gnatilia Creek—not because it’s deep or challenging, but because creek crossings signify that passage from the civilised to the wild.

Around about here’s a good place to drop some air from your tyres to soften the ride on the increasingly bumpy roads and gain some soon-needed traction.

Wandean Road is the main passage between the Princes Highway and Braidwood Road, and somewhat of a shortcut for the locals who don’t want to drive back into Nowra to head that way. It’s a beautiful route, especially now as nature slowly repairs the intense damage caused by the Black Summer blazes. On a hot, sunny day the new growth is intensely green and the cicadas so loud you have to speak up to be heard. If you’re lucky, you

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We’re faced with a choice—spend half an hour moving a tree ... or take a smaller track over the creek to explore the other side. We should have moved the tree. might spot threatened gang-gang cockatoos (they’re the grey ones with pink heads, but aren’t galahs), lyrebirds or water dragons sunning themselves by a creek.

Take your time and soak it all in before diverting off the road for some more demanding tracks.

Because of the fire damage and a couple of large east coast lows that followed, a lot of the tracks in this area are damaged and many are still closed for repair, so come with an open itinerary. Or follow ours, except for

maybe one metre of it. You’ll see why.

Partway along Wandean Road, we met Perch Hole Road, which is a generous description for this neglected bush track that winds down to Wandandian Creek.

Presumably, it’s a good place to catch Australian Bass, which is reasonably common in the freshwater creeks and rivers in the area. For us, we’d hoped it’d be a nice spot for a relaxing morning tea.

As ever, it pays not to get too far ahead of yourself.

TRAVELLER

At the top of the trail, there’s a short and sharp hill-climb that is the perfect place to ease into some real 4WDing. There’s even a U-turn bay at the top. Drop into low-range and scramble up the loose, rocky trail over fun ruts and little rock steps. Try flicking the rear diff locker on to see the difference it makes to traction. There’s more to come, though, so don’t post to Instagram just yet.

As Perch Hole Road drops into the valley, the road gets rougher until eventually we stop at rock steps to get out of the car and have a closer look, move some rocks and instruct passengers on the best angles for photos.

At one point the road’s been washed down the cutting and rebuilt with rocks— the rutted crossing is so steep the bull bar lightly kissed the ground and the D-MAX balanced on two wheels for a fraction of a second. Whee!

Further down we skirt giant trees felled by fire, but very quickly the track narrows so much we’re reaching out windows to fend branches away from the D-MAX. At a literal and figurative fork in the road, though, we’re faced with a choice—spend half an hour moving a tree from the track to get to a spot I’ve been told about, or take a smaller track over the creek to explore the other side easily.

We should have moved the tree.

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TRAVELLER

For two sweaty, dirty hours we dig dirt, lift wheels and pack rocks, releasing the cement like-grip the stump has on our vehicle, but cementing that camaraderie and mateship that arises from these moments.

Cresting the mound that makes up the bank to the creek, a wheel slips unexpectedly as sand that’s softer than we’d decided while scouting gives way, settling us squarely on the seemingly innocuous tree stump I’d been determined to avoid. Itchingly close the creek, we couldn’t go forward and no amount of low-range and diff-lock took us backwards. Time to break out the shovels, recovery tracks, a high-lift jack and plenty of light-hearted (I hope) blame.

For two sweaty, dirty hours we dig dirt, lift wheels and pack rocks, releasing the cement like-grip the stump has on our vehicle, but cementing that camaraderie and mateship that arises from these moments. The cicadas’ roar rolls like applause as we finally extricate our shop-fresh D-MAX from my blunder.

After finally navigating the ruts, rock steps and gullies back to Wandean Road, the adventure’s not quite over.

As we climb the escarpment, the road passes through The Gap and winds through a giant, ancient rockfall. With cliff on one side, steep, temperate rainforest on the other, lyrebirds scratch for a feed in the undergrowth, and occasionally, rock climbers scale the walls above.

We finished our adventure and trip five clicks down the Braidwood Road at Tianjara Falls, which drop 65m straight down to a shallow rocky pool. A viewing platform edges out over the sheer, perpendicular cliffs and a strategically placed grate offers a view of those same 65m in one frightening direction!

As the sun sets over the sprawling Ettrema Wilderness area, it’s the perfect place to wind down after a full day of rough and ready driving and wonder at what else there is to discover. We drove on only two roads for the entire day— but we’ll be back.

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COVER STORY

’MAX AND SANDY:

A LOVE STORY One was a ute, the other, an endless expanse of dunes.

Theirs was a match made in Stockton—on a deeply romantic Isuzu UTE I-Venture Club jaunt north of Newcastle.

Images: Mark Watson

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WORDS BEN SMITHURST

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COVER STORY

“T

hey’re not much to look at from the outside,” says Bruce Boyle, chopping a leathery hand through the air towards Tin City, a low, spare cluster of 11 post-apocalyptic shacks (“They filmed that one for Mad Max!”). Our D-MAX X-TERRAIN’s dash display says it’s 33°C. Bruce runs Stockton’s 4WD Tag-Along & Passenger Tours; his insider banter is the only thing keeping two-dozen I-Venturers from scrambling back into their climatecontrolled rigs.

“Some of these sheds are pretty flash inside, though,” he continues. “They’ve even got air-con. That one’s got Foxtel.”

Bruce points out a satellite dish bolted, incongruously, to a sheet of Colorbond.

“Although I’m not too sure whether Foxtel knows he’s got Foxtel.”

Everyone laughs. Nicole, too. She’s heard Bruce’s stories a hundred times, but true love runs deep in the dunes. And Stockton is no place to begrudge your husband a giggle.

Tin City is a tiny squatter shanty town, still inhabited, that’s clung on here since the Great Depression. We’re in the 4200-hectare Stockton Bight Sand Dunes, in the Worimi Conservation Lands, just south of Nelson Bay, NSW. And the best bit? It’s that Tin City isnt even the best bit. The Southern Hemisphere’s largest expanse of shifting sandhills is an untamed paradise.

Bruce and Nicole’s is a cinematic love story written in sand, like Antony and

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Bruce has

Tin City: fo

spen

unded durin

g the Great

unes.

ring the d

ade explo

an a dec t more th

Depression.

Cleopatra. Or The English Patient’s Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas. Or Tatooine’s tender Jawa. Swirling and romantic. Gentle and giving. Occasionally gritty. Only with more chat about diff lock.

They know the place backwards.

Today, they’re our guides, seconded to I-Venture Club’s crack team of off-road tutors. The Isuzu crew are here looking for offroad love of the most fun kind: sand driving. In this literally moveable feast, Tin City is just a minor course. A postprandial mignardise; the bite-sized dessert served after the banquet. The cherry on top.

All morning our I-Venture convoy has been gorging on the mini-Sahara’s main attraction—its 32km beachfront stretch of ever-moving dunes. Some of them top 30m, towering above deep, powdery

COVER STORY

Like The English Patient, Nicole and Bruce’s is a cinematic love story written in sand.

Only with more chat about diff lock.

e noun for a herd

What’s the collectiv

of Isuzus?

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COVER STORY

Don’t think of them as guides. Think of them as matchmakers.

Between your D-MAX or MU-X and a sandy new significant other.

troughs. That’s as high as a nine-storey building; some slopes are as steep as 60 degrees. It’s intimidating.

Love is in the air. Or maybe that’s just churned up sand. But it’s intoxicating— if you have the right 4WD ... and around 16PSI of tyre pressure. And some recovery boards aren’t a bad idea, either.

Or, even better, a couple of I-Venture Club gurus with your interests at heart.

In this vast expanse, with groundwater just below the surface, there are even spots of bona fide quicksand. Perhaps it doesn’t quite match Inskip Point, the infamous Sarlacc Pit for unwary offroaders just south of Fraser Island. But Stockton also

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has much less passing traffic. Get stuck here and you’ve got to be prepared to save yourself, or to have assistance at hand.

Also, these dunes move fast. For dunes.

Back in 2014, long-time Tin City resident Alwyn Garland complained to a local reporter that anyone who left for a weekend during a big blow risked returning to find their home buried in sand. “[Southerlies] can cover your place in two days,” he said.

On Stockton’s I-Venture Club experience, drivers covered Stockton’s dunes—or, at least, the sections allowed by the land’s traditional owners—in just one day.

Hence Bruce and Nicole. Their love for

COVER STORY

“Whee

eeee!”

[Long bre

ath.] “

Wheee

eeeeee

ee!”

BRAD AND MEL JACOBS HILLS DISTRICT, NSW

on two ional at driving D-MAXs Paul Goodwin: a profess

the sprawling sandhills runs deep. Only Tin City’s tenuous tenants—and the Worimi, obviously—know the place better.

Bruce explains the Worimi’s off-roading guidelines as our convoy of 12 D-MAX and MU-Xs repeats a meandering, highly technical, football-field-sized midday loop through rollercoastering slopes.

The area’s significance is both cultural and environmental. Stockton features delicate ecosystems and shell middens that date millennia. In the 1980s, Tin City residents discovered the ancient bones of an Indigenous girl that had emerged from the sand. The Worimi’s no-go areas are carefully delineated and rigidly respected.

ision driving team. wheels as part of a prec

Touring Team D-MAX heroes Matty Taylor and Paul Goodwin—both of whom were stuntmen on Mad Max: Fury Road, shot in Namibia—are also in their element.

Having begun the day with a rollicking presentation covering everything from tyre pressure and towing to transmissions and trailer sway, their post-lunch session saw the tutors pitch club members at the steepest inclines of the day.

One after another, with advice tailored to novices and seasoned dune-monkeys alike, the afternoon was capped by an all-out assault on the largest dune yet.

Emotions ran high, but smiles were broad.

Morning’s tension was now excitement.

Brad: “I did an I-Venture trip to the Southern Highlands five years ago and I couldn’t wait to come back— it’s just a sensational day.”

Mel: “He still talks about it, so we had to come back. I just thought: it’s my turn!”

Brad: “And we’ve also bought another Isuzu—the MU-X is our second one, and we have a D-MAX as well. We’ve got a new D-MAX on the way. The sand dunes today have been just so great, so much fun. I love the D-MAX— it just never ever lets you down.”

Mel: “It’s so reliable. So good!

We go to the snow every weekend in winter and we have a 23-foot van we tow around as well. Brad got his first D-MAX in 2015 and I got my MU-X this year. It’s just good to have something that can take extra kids to the snow with us and it can tow as well!”

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COVER STORY

I-Venture experts are on hand at every moment.

True romance!

Sometimes it’s written in the stars. Other times it’s painted across sandhills.

It was see-sawing climax where the horizon appears all at once as the bonnet noses past the tipping point, common-rail diesel powerplant poised and ready, your progress as sure as houses. (Not Tin City houses, proper ones with letterboxes and footings and plumbing.)

Should you visit Stockton?

Yes. And: yes, as soon as possible. Your Isuzu is built to reach wild places. Few of Australia’s are as startling—yet as accessible—as here. Better still if you

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have an old hand to show you around.

Matty Taylor and Paul Goodwin, for example. Or Bruce and Nicole.

Don’t think of them as guides. Think of them as matchmakers. Between your D-MAX or MU-X and a sandy new significant other. You’re the chaperone.

Barry White on the stereo. An endless horizon painted across the windscreen.

A romantic lunch and a crisp Hunter Valley Semillon stowed in the back. Perhaps a couple of servo pies and a lukewarm

Moove chocolate milk. Whatever.

It’s the setting that matters.

“This is my fourth I-Venture trip,” says Peter, who is here from Merimbula with his son, John. “In the past I’ve learned all about getting up and down pretty rough tracks. I did Moreton Island and now I just want to do dunes.

“I love picking up the skills as we go along. I love the D-MAX—I’ve had it for three years—because it just keeps going.

That’s why I bought it!

“And it just loves the dunes.”

True romance! Sometimes it’s written in the stars. Other times it’s painted across sandhills in D-MAX wheel ruts.

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THE LIST

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AUSTRALIA’S BEST MOUNTAIN BIKE TRACKS

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN Our broad continent is a gift for mountain bikers, with wide open spaces to explore along the length and breadth of Australia. Here’s our handy guide to the 11 best spots in the land.

WORDS MIKE BLEWITT

SMITHFIELD MTB PARK SMITHFIELD, TROPICAL NORTH QLD LOCATED RIGHT BEHIND James Cook University, Smithfield Mountain Bike Park is the spiritual home of mountain biking in the tropical north. The trails that weave through rainforest and tropical scrub were etched into the red dirt over decades, with huge investments made for numerous World Cup races and World Championship events, most recently in 2017.

While we don’t recommend launching yourself down the World Championship Downhill course—or attacking the infamous Jacob’s Ladder, Croc Slide or Rodeo Drop—you can follow the trail guides in the carpark to match your ability to each route. The trails follow skiing’s usual green, blue and black trail ratings. If you need some more thrills, the trails are also next door to bungy jumping.

Full trail maps are online: www.parks.des.qld.gov.au

BLUE DERBY TRAILS DERBY, TASMANIA DERBY AND MOUNTAIN biking put life back into this area of Tasmania’s north-east. With a long history of mining and forestry, it’s now ribbons of singletrack through tall timber that keep the wheels of commerce turning in this tiny town.

Thanks to a beautiful setting and smart design, any mountain biker will have a ball on this innovative, interesting network.

Kids and big kids will love the pump track by the river and the lakeside trail suits an easy pedal or a scoot on a balance bike (and adults, yes, that is a floating sauna you can look into). For more adrenalin, book a shuttle to Black Stump, where you can take on iconic trails like Kumma Gutza, Flickity Sticks and many others. You can tackle Blue Derby’s trails at any pace you fancy, but there is no mistaking the fact that this is Australia’s best mountain bike town.

Catch all the trail details online: www.ridebluederby.com.au/trails/derby-trails 34

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THE LIST

THREDBO VALLEY TRAIL

SNOWY MOUNTAINS, NSW

GAP CREEK MTB PARK

Up t Length: o 53 km

MT COOT-THA, QUEENSLAND WITHIN COOEE OF the Brisbane CBD, the Gap Creek trails are popular among city escapees and a host of enthusiastic others in south-east Queensland. Sitting on the side of Mt Coot-tha, Gap Creek’s trails mostly end up in a picnic area, where there are water, toilets, a skills park, picnic tables, covered areas, lots of grass and even a coffee cart. Now that’s civilised.

With trails following the usual grading system, it’s easy to use the maps provided to find your way around. Most trails are two-way, unlike a lot of trail networks, and while riders travelling uphill have right of way in all situations, caution and a ‘G’day’ always ease the way.

Rocket Frog and Dingo are a couple of classic trails that shouldn’t be missed, but remember you do need to climb to earn your descents at Gap Creek, so it’s a great place to take an e-bike. There’s plenty of easy, rolling trails for those who don’t want to push their limits and don’t miss the view across Brisbane and to the Bay from the Mt Coot-tha Lookout.

ONLY RECENTLY FINISHED, this one-of-a-kind trail links three trail areas via one long, descending ribbon.

Starting at Friday Flat in Thredbo Village, the Thredbo Valley Trail (or TVT) has a gradual descent that follows the river all the way to Lake Eucumbene and the trout hatchery.

As the 35km length can seem daunting, it’s common for people to tackle just one or two segments and there are shuttle services that can arrange a drop-off and pick-up. More advanced riders might prefer starting at Lake Crackenback Resort, while families often enjoy the first section, then ride to the Rangers Station and return to Thredbo Village.

Check for details and trail status at: www.thredbo.com.au

The Brisbane City Council website has further details about the trails at Gap Creek: www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/things-to-see-and-do

FALLS CREEK ALPINE RESORT

Len 40kmgth:

AUSTRALIAN ALPS, VICTORIA

+

WITH SO MANY alpine resorts investing in the expanding green season, any visit to the High Country should include a stop at Falls Creek. Not only is the drive up from Mt Beauty or Omeo stunning (both are worth doing), the trails atop the plateau have variety to suit almost anyone you have in tow.

From the easy aqueduct trails and popular routes like Big Fella and Flowtown, most of the resort’s tracks keep you close to the village. This is perfect for testing the waters on a hire bike and the shuttle service can keep you descending trails all day. But if you’re okay with a map, make a plan, pack some essentials and head into the high country. There are some beaut routes that travel to old stock huts and beyond. You can even descend off-road all the way back to Mt Beauty.

If you’re in the High Country, you’d be mad not to stop in at Bright as well. Go for Mystic MTB Park, stay for Bright Brewery.

Get the low down on all the trails at Falls Creek on their website: www.fallscreek.com.au/summer/mtb

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BAY OF FIRES TRAIL

THE LIST

TASMANIA

MAYDENA BIKE PARK

Leng 45kmth:

WHILE ST HELENS itself is building up to 100km of purpose-built mountain bike trail, the Bay of Fires Trail is a true wilderness ride that can introduce you to the variety of Tasmania’s north-east. Starting atop the Blue Tier, the trail is best accessed via a shuttle service, providing plenty of time to be psyched out by riders who have ridden the trail before.

Fear not, the blue-rated trail only gets hard with speed, but you do want to be comfortable riding off-road on a variety of surfaces and gradients.

Starting in sub-alpine beech forest, the trail dips and dives at warp speed for about 10km, at which point you can try to stop grinning and pry your fingers off the handlebars. A cruise through drier forest takes you to sandy trails and rock features, until the coast comes into sight and the trail plummets through berms and over jumps, finally spitting you out at Swimcart Beach.

Make it a perfect ride by booking your shuttles with St Helens MTB Adventures, who will meet you at the beach with fresh oysters, brews and all the finest local produce.

MAYDENA, TASMANIA MAYDENA BIKE PARK is a global gravity park that has landed about an hour out of Hobart. With 820m of vertical terrain in the wild country of Tasmania’s south-west, the tag line for the park—‘Step into the wilderness’—isn’t overstating affairs. While there are multiple trails designed for the world’s best riders, there are also long, winding green-rated trails that make their way from the top of the mountain to the bottom. With a shuttle running to the top of the hill, mid-way and part way up, you can choose where and how you want to ride. Each trail intersection is marked and trail maps are plentiful.

With so many routes, it’s easy to feel isolated, despite being in a mountain bike park that is making the country buzz. Don’t miss the Wilderness Trail if you’re an intermediate rider—it’s truly special.

Get your head around the St Helens trails online: www.sthelensmtbtrails.com.au

STROMLO FOREST PARK

Find out more about Maydena Bike Park: www.maydenabikepark.com

Over 62 trail

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

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IT SHOULD COME as no surprise that the nation’s capital has one of the best mountain bike parks around. The forests around Mt Stromlo featured singletrack that drew mountain bikers from around the country, but when that all went up in smoke, a master plan was created for a proper mountain bike and multisport facility. Stromlo Forest Park has it all and while it hosted a World Cup and World Championships about a decade ago, the park hasn’t stood still.

There are difficult routes like Vapour Trail, which will really put your air time skills to the test, and The Playground, which is suited to working on skills. Oh, and a pump track that now has a café and bar to boot. With showers and toilets also on site and an aquatics centre opening soon, Stromlo is Canberra’s most exciting nonpartisan rollercoaster.

The Stromlo Forest Park site will keep you up to date: www.stromloforestpark.com.au

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THE LIST

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TELEGRAPH STATION TRAILS ALICE SPRINGS, NORTHERN TERRITORY

A VISIT TO Alice Springs should not be done without a mountain bike ride— but don’t worry, you can rent one while there. With a myriad of paths and trails surrounding the town, the best place to start is the Telegraph Station. Grab a coffee, take in the historical sites and then hit the track. Whether you ride along the riverside trail with the kids, or tackle some of the rockier test pieces, you’ll find the beauty of riding in Alice is how the trails flow with the terrain.

While the rocks are sharp, plants are rough and thorny, and the sun is usually hot enough to melt your spine, the trails are a blast to ride, with many being built by passionate locals, who followed animal trails and developed them further. With small undulations and no big hills, it’s easy to slip over a rise, gaze at the Western MacDonnell Ranges and feel a million miles from anywhere. Which you sort of are.

You can find trail maps online: www.alicespringstelegraphstation.com.au

COMPARTMENT 10 TRAILS MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA MADE FAMOUS BY Cape to Cape, one of the biggest mountain bike events in the southern hemisphere, Margaret River is a hot spot not just for surfers, foodies and wine buffs, but also for mountain bikers. The rich red soils around Margaret River township are riddled with singletrack and access roads—the perfect way to work up a thirst for a wine tasting or work off your visit to the fudge factory. The Compartment 10 trails have been built over the past five years with a focus on big berms and big smiles—you’ll be surfing dirt in the forest for hours if you let time get away from you. There’s lots more to ride and drop in to the Rotary Park or Hairy Marron bike café for more details.

Leng th 1 0 (a km : nd m

ore)

Get more information on mountain biking in the region online: www.margaretriver.com/activities/cycling/mountain-biking

MELROSE TRAILS MELROSE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Leng 75kmth:

SOUTH AUSTRALIA IS a bit of a sleeper on the mountain bike scene—until you visit. The City of Churches has a number of mountain bike riding options, but the best may be the multi-day Mawson Trail. The Melrose Trails, of which it is part, traverse private land, but are open to the public. With accommodation options close to hand, the option to be riding from your doorstep is of big appeal for those cyclists who live to ride. For those looking for some fun with the family, you know your transport time from bike to bed will be kept to a minimum—which means a quick return home and zero tantrums if a family member has had enough.

Find out more about Melrose right here: www.melrosemountainbike.com/melrose-mountain-bike-trails 38

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UNSUNG HEROES

THE BUSH TUCKER EVANGELISTS WORDS BEN SMITHURST

Personal tragedy inspired Gayle and Mike Quarmby to work with Outback communities—and bring native Australian grub to the world.

Gayle: “My father was left for three days in a pile of his dead mates on the Somme. He was being put into a mass grave when they realised he was still alive and so he returned to Australia quite badly injured.

He couldn’t return to being a farmer, so he headed out into the desert on camels—as you do.

“He reached the centre in 1932 and he came across a young man who looked at my father’s paintings and was really inspired. That friendship between my dad and Albert— Albert Namatjira—was the foundation of today’s Aboriginal art industry. Albert wasn’t allowed to paint traditionally because of the missionaries.

“Anyway, by the 1950s I was 40

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this little kid running around with the children of Aboriginal artists while they were painting over there under a gum tree with dad. And learning about native bush foods. Going forward to 1999, Mike and I were working in a big commercial propagating nursery in Reedy Creek, South Australia, where we seeded 150,000 trees a day. And our 20-year-old son, Daniel, was killed. Coming back from the funeral, I remembered dad’s words to me: life can kneecap you at any time, but you have to choose to stand up and go on a healing journey. That’s what he did. So we did, too.

“I’d kept contact with my old friends in the desert, so we went back and thought, right, let’s see

There have been so many discovery moments out bush, tasting something totally new that absolutely blew us away!

if we can create an industry that would create jobs for people in the bush. Mike is a horticultural genius, so it took us two minutes to decide we’d do something with bush tucker. A lot of it was disappearing because of feral grasses and overgrazing.

“So we pulled our super and over the next decade we put $1.5 million into setting up the Outback Pride project. We engaged with 3000 Aboriginal people to train them towards a pathway into an industry. At the same time, we had to actually create the industry draw. So we created Outback Pride and Outback Pride Fresh. And we handed our three businesses into Aboriginal ownership two years ago exactly. We’re now in our

seventies, but we’re still doing it, mentoring people. We’re just a little more subdued now.”

Mike: “The biggest misconception about bush food actually comes from The Bush Tucker Man, the 1980s TV show with Lez Hiddens. Lovely bloke!

But it portrayed an image of native foods being ‘bush tucker’—you only ate it when you were starving in the bush and that it tasted like shit! We turned that around.

“I had a lot of experience in propagating hard-to-propagate plants. So we went bush with a botanist friend and Aboriginal elders and travelled hundreds of thousands of kilometres finding the last remaining strands of the

best native food plants.

And then we worked out how to cultivate them.

“As we introduced the program to Indigenous communities, we ascertained what plants were special to their areas and which plants were climatically suitable in each case. Of course, most of those things had never been commercially grown and never been marketed. The public didn’t know what they were! So we set about starting the Outback Pride brand name, which we put into Coles and Woolworths.

“At the end of the day we created a monster—in conjunction with a lot of wonderful celebrity chefs who really promoted it like Kylie Kwong and Peter Gilmore. The

beneficiaries have really been the Aboriginal people in communities where these gardens now are.

“There have been so many discovery moments out bush tasting something totally new that absolutely blew us away.

And then we’d send it off for testing and some of these foods are off the charts in nutritional, even medicinal, properties.

“I’m probably most proud of the edible saltbush that I developed over the years. The wild saltbush out in the bush is virtually inedible—it’s bitter and tiny and tough. But we started to select for palatability and rapid growth and all that sort of thing.

Now it’s probably the most used native food, apart from perhaps lemon Myrtle, in Australia.”

NAME Gayle and Mike Quarmby WHO? Founders of Outback Pride Fresh, pioneering Australian bush food company, built to help bring Indigenous fare to the world.

SEE MORE: Instagram @aussiefoodplants

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D L O C

HOOK, LINE & SINKER

COMFORT

WORDS ANDREW HART

Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart are proud Taswegians—but even the Hook, Line and Sinker boys were hunting for glue to stick the brass monkey’s bits back on during a frigid, trout-seeking sojourn…

T

asmania is famous for lots of great things, such as beautiful seafood, lovely wine and pretty scenery as far as the eye can see.

It’s also famous for being cold in winter.

And this can be a problem when you’re trying to produce a fishing show while being stuck in Tasmania due to, say, a global pandemic.

With only a few more episodes needed to finish our season and our deadline running out, things were getting tight. The winter was long and dark, and while we waited and waited for a break in the weather, things only got worse. In fact, a scan of the charts

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showed that a series of cold fronts were about to hit us and would reportedly bring snow to sea level.

We had a choice to bunker down by the fire or to get out there and film a story chasing one of the other jewels in Tassie’s crown: the trout! Not being particularly clever, we went for Option B: trout fishing in the snow. It’s a uniquely Tasmanian thing, which anglers should try at least once in their lives. Or, at least, that’s what we told ourselves—albeit with a touch more swearing.

With the trout season just starting and the snow just starting to dust the hills

around Launceston, we hitched up our Bar Crusher 670BR to the mighty MU-X and headed into the Big Chill. The destination we chose was Great Lake, which is in the highlands. The forecast was for a little snow for the next 24 hours, before a big dump the next day. We figured we’d get in and out quickly with some snow for atmosphere and a couple of trout for dinner.

Conditions cooled as we made our way up the hill. The MU-X’s outside temperature gauge indicated -4°C. It was actually too cold to snow and the road was becoming very icy. We took it slow and remained in total control as the

HOOK,LINE&SINKER

The eyes on our rods actually froze, meaning every second cast, you had to bang your rod in the water just to get rid of the ice!

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

MU-X felt solid on its tread. We even passed a couple of log trucks that were stuck in the middle of the road unable to move because of ice.

When we arrived at the boat ramp, the temperature on the dash had risen to a balmy -2°C. Any plans we might have had to get the Hawaiian shirts on and bust out the coconut daiquiris quickly stalled when we opened the doors to be greeted by a brisk, 12-knot wind. It was freezing, but we had a job to do. Having donned almost every item of clothing we owned, we put the boat in and headed out.

We’d been casting for fewer than five minutes when it became clear our mission was becoming silly. The eyes on our rods actually froze, meaning every second cast, you had to bang your rod in the water just to get rid of the ice!

We managed to last about an hour before deciding to pull the pin. The trout must have been in bed because we didn’t see one. And as it was now starting to snow, we thought we better get back down the hill before we got stuck.

That night it snowed and snowed and snowed. I only just got home to the coast as roads that never see a glimpse of snow copped a huge dump.

A few days later we decided to finish off the show and visited another lake—Lake Leake. The snow was just starting to melt, but it was still cold, and muddy, too! Once again we towed the big Bar Crusher to the lake with ease before launching.

This time around, however, the trout were waiting for us and they were big!

We both caught some beautiful brown and rainbow trout trolling little lures.

And, with that, we had a rather chilly, but very pretty, episode of trout fishing in Tassie’s winter wonderland in the can!

Here’s to summer!

Hook, Line and Sinker will be back this year on 7mate, after the boys take summer to warm up!

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43

REFUEL

LIQUID LUNCH

RECIPES CATHERINE PROCTOR

Nothing takes your summer barbie to the next level like an out-of-this-world marinade.

A

self-described “huge fan of getting out into the Australian outdoors”, writer, cookery educator and professional caterer Catherine Proctor knows her way around the tightest of kitchens.

Published just before COVID-19 fired a cannonball through most Australians’ international travel plans for the foreseeable future, her Caravan & Campervan Cookbook was a rare spot of joy in an otherwise sedentary time.

Perfectly tailored to a travel-hungry nation’s domestic focus, the book forced Catherine to get creative, adapting “all of her favourite recipes to situations with minimal equipment and in a very confined space”.

“These recipes have certainly been more than triple-tested in a variety of cooking conditions and have remained tried and true favourites,” she says.

Nothing is better than a marinade to create next-level feasts on the fly. For these recipes, she says, “simply combine all ingredients in a screwtop jar or a small bowl and then pour over your chosen meat, chicken or fish”. As a general rule with marinades, red meat and chicken can be marinated for several hours—even overnight—but because fish is much more delicate, be careful not to marinate it for more than 30 minutes.

And don’t get stressed about painstakingly measuring out ingredients.

“You just need a balance of colour and flavour, oil and acid, sweet and sour, soft and crunchy, so you can substitute a lot of the ingredients for what you have on hand in your van,” she says.

“Most herbs can be switched out for other herbs, lemons and limes are interchangeable, and to a certain extent so are the sour ingredients: vinegar, fish sauce, lime and lemon juice.”

Never marinate fish for more than 30 minutes.

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Thai lime and coconut marinade “One of my all-time favourite marinades, the coconut cream keeps the chicken breast moist and tender,” says Catherine.

“Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients... you simply need to throw them all into your stick mixer bowl and combine.”

Ingredients: • 6 spring onions, finely chopped • 3 green chillies, seeded and chopped • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped • 2 tsp grated ginger • ½ bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stalk • 1 lime, zested and juiced • ½ tsp ground cumin • ½ tsp ground turmeric • 1 tsp ground coriander • Salt and pepper • 1 tbsp fish sauce • ½ cup coconut cream (or coconut milk) Method: 1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stick mixer and pulse to combine.

Pour over chicken and marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Greek marinade Perfect for lamb, but also delicious for pork and chicken.

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil • ½ cup fresh lemon juice • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 tbsp dried oregano or rosemary leaves • 2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Teriyaki marinade You can use this Japanese-inspired marinade with beef, chicken or fish.

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped • ¹/3 cup dark soy sauce • 1 tbsp mirin or vinegar • 1 tbsp caster sugar

Smoky barbecue marinade The addition of the smoked paprika gives this marinade its rich smoky flavour.

• ¹/3 cup barbecue sauce • ¹/3 cup maple syrup • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar • 2 tsp smoked paprika • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

READER OFFER! The Caravan & Campervan Cookbook, RRP $39.99. Save 20% at woodslane.com.au using the promo code ‘isuzu’.

AN EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR D-MAX AND MU-X OWNERS TO LEARN THE 4X4 SKILLS TO HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE I-VENTURE CLUB

ISUZU MOMENTS

The Bellett MX1600 rocks the 1969 Tokyo Motor Show

A magical one-off graces the world’s most consistently bonkers auto event

B

orn in Detroit in 1934, Stevens Thompson ‘Tom’ Tjaarda van Starkenburg was trying to irritate his architecture professor when he submitted a car design—and not a building—for his senior thesis. Instead, his sleek drawings of a sports car station wagon won him an internship at legendary Italian design house Carrozzeria Ghia.

So the student, better known as Tom Tjaarda, moved to Europe. And then took his pencils to an even more legendary employer, Pininfarina, where he worked on the Ferrari 365 California and 330 GT. By the late 1960s, Tjaarda was ready to produce a concept so slick and radical—and so unimaginable

through, say, the lens of modern pedestrian impact standards—that there was only one sensible place for it to debut: the often nonsensical Tokyo Motor Show. It’s a forum where production cars have long been outnumbered by breathtaking, and boundary-bursting one-offs.

Tjaarda’s Isuzu MX1600 super sports car would be one of the hits of the 1969 event.

“At that time there was a midengine Ferrari, but if you looked at that car you couldn’t tell where [its] engine was located,” said Tjaarda.

“There was no design clue that let you know where the power was coming from. So I decided that I would do something different. I’ll design the car so that you could tell

where the power was coming from—in the middle of the car.”

A mid-engined, rear-wheel drive two-seater, the MX1600’s only relationship to the production Isuzu Bellett family was sharing a 1.6-litre engine, a 103kW four-pot, with the GT-R. Isuzu—and the crowds— loved it so much that in 1970 Isuzu presented a second concept, the appropriately named MX1600-II. It was basically the same car, but with a tweaked nose.

Shortly afterwards, a presumably frustrated Tjaarda would repurpose his designs to build a still-legendary, improbably linked sibling: the 1970s De Tomaso Pantera.

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