UNSEALED 4X4 ISSUE 019 by UNSEALED 4X4

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OFFICIALLY

AUSTRALIA'S

BIGGEST

JANUARY EDITION

LED WE PUT 10 TOP QUALITY LIGHT BARS HEAD-TO-HEAD

4X4 MAGAZINE!

FIRST LOOK:

LOTUS

CARAVANS

OFF GRID

HOW GOOD IS

YOUR 4X4 INSURANCE?

WHAT'S NEW IN

2016

THE PLENTY

HIGHWAY JEEP WRANGLER

RUBICON DON'T BE THAT GUY

9 ANNOYING

THINGS PEOPLE DO

PAJERO

WHEN CAMPING

GOURMET

CAMP RECIPES

SPORT:

FIRST LOOK

THAT ARE EASY!

ISSUE 019 FREE

BUT NOT

CHEAP

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MAGAZINE

CONTENTS|REVIEWS

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MAGAZINE

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CONTENTS|TRAVEL

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MAGAZINE

CONTENTS|TIPS

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MAGAZINE

CONTENTS|REGULARS

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MAGAZINE

CONTENTS|REGULARS

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I Am the

Amarok Core 4x4. View latest Core 4x4 offers

I think, therefore I Amarok. Tough to its very core, introducing the Volkswagen Amarok Core 4x4. Built on a robust ladder chassis frame and distinguished by high standards of German engineering - with 16” alloys, Pirelli ATR tyres and rear differential lock - it’s the Amarok you’ve been waiting for. Packed with smart technology, clever bi-turbo power, Bluetooth facility, multifunction trip computer and cruise control, the Amarok Core 4x4 combines the best and most solid aspects of a range that led this multi-award winning ute to the rank of Carsales’ ‘Best Tradie Vehicle for 2014’ and 4x4 Australia magazine’s ‘Best in Class’ ute. Available in both manual and 8-speed automatic, the new Core 4x4 is the ute for all forms of work and play. To find out more visit volkswagen-commercial.com.au or your nearest Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle dealer.

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www.volkswagen-commercial.com.au

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D BRAN MODEL NEW

CUB EXPLORER

BEST VALUE OFF-ROAD AUSSIE MADE CAMPER SPECIFICATIONS • Cub’s new Mini Fridge Box which suits an EvaKool 47lt Fridge • Large new stainless steel kitchen with plenty of storage and bench space, including a portable Primus stove • New colours and interior panels • REDARC BC-DC 1225 LV • 100A/H battery • Aussie made heavy-duty 80lt water tank • Internal LED strip light • Alloy wood box mounted on drawbar • Cub’s ever-reliable off-road 6 leaf-spring suspension and construction

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SPECS

$18,990

www.cubcampers.com.au

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THE UNSEALED 4X4 CHARTER

FREE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE MAGAZINES,

NOW AND FOREVER!

So what is Unsealed 4X4 all about? Well, without tooting our own horn we ARE the biggest and best four wheel drive and adventure magazine in Australia. We are a free publication, but the one thing Unsealed 4X4 is not is cheap. Our success can be attributed to one simple fact: we put our readers ﬁrst.

help you with your own adventures. Isn’t that what four wheel drive magazines should be about?

At the end of the day, we are four wheel drivers, not sales professionals. This is why Unsealed 4X4 is an off-road encyclopaedia, and not a product catalogue. It never will be either, as we cap advertising We have fantastic and supportive to a maximum of 30% advertising advertising partners on board, which content per issue (others are over allows us to exist and continue to the 50% mark with fewer pages to offer this magazine to you free of start with). This means more content charge (thanks guys!). Just don’t for for you, without having to spend a one second think that means we can cent. Beauty! be bought – we tell it like it is, and we Lastly, thank you for taking the time always will. to read Unsealed 4X4. This is and We are hands-on and have dirt always will be your four wheel drive under our fingernails, and are magazine, so please let us know only looking to put out a quality where you would improve it or what mag that’s for you guys first and you would like to read more of. Plus foremost. We are also proud of we love hearing from you guys, so our country, and even prouder shoot us an email and show us your that we are 100% Australian made. 4X4 and your adventures. Oh, don’t We strive to inform you, and feel forget to tell your friends! that entertaining you is equally The team at Unsealed 4X4. as important. We spend less time writing preachy and sensationalised articles, with more effort going into finding exciting trips and tips to NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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GEAR NEWS

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Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

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Braking News

Introducing Tow-Pro Elite…now with Active Calibration Choose between 2 types of braking - ‘Automatic’ (Inertia

Introducing Tow-Pro Elite…now with

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What Pat Callinan says

What is Active Calibrati

What is Active Calibration?

installed you are totoroll. n. Once it’s installed youready are ready roll. Read more.... and Sensing) ‘User Controlled’ for off-road. Read more.... ‘Userand Controlled’ for off-road. Elite

Elite

h Active Calibration. Once it’s installed you are r NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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UNSEALED 4X4 I

2017 LAND ROV

SPOTTED IN

LAND ROVER RY SPOTTED The yet-to-be-released Discovery V has been photographed in Germany while undergoing road tests. At least they went out of their way to keep it low key and inconspicuous with that ridiculous ‘black and white kaleidoscope’ vinyl wrap. No chance of anyone noticing anything out of the ordinary there guys…

Rover has retained its overall boxy proportions, albeit with smoothed out corners and a slightly raked rear window which presumably took its cues from the Discovery Sport, the same vehicle being used as the inspiration for this new Disco’s pulled back headlights.

Word around the campfire is that the Discovery is based on the Once we got over the headache same platform as the Range Rover, the anti-camouflage gave us and which we reckon is a great thing. took a closer look at the vehicle, we We put a Range Rover through its were pleased to see that the Land paces off-road last year and came NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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INDUSTRY NEWS

VER DISCOVERY

N GERMANY

R DISCOVERY IN GERMANY away mightily impressed, so that bodes well for the Discovery’s oﬀroad abilities. Good to see that Land Rover isn’t straying too far from its roots, unlike a lot of other 4X4 manufacturers… There are also reports that the body will be riveted and bonded aluminium, which should help out in the weight, handling, performance and fuel economy departments over the current model.

And while we can’t confirm this as of right now, there’s a rumour circulating that the new Disco will be offered with a petrolelectric hybrid drivetrain at some stage to complement the already impressive boosted petrol and diesel powerplants. No doubt the interior will be comfier than a day spa and feature more electric gadgetry than the Starship Enterprise too. We can’t wait to drive it!

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UNSEALED 4X4 I

JEEP JK SC

COM

If there are two things that have gained a heap of popularity in this country over the past couple of decades, it’s Jeeps (particularly since the JK burst onto the scene) and dual-cab utes. No matter where you go in this wide brown land there’s a better than average chance you’ll see one or the other.

decided to combine them with an all new release onto the dualcab market in 2017 – the Jeep JK Scrambler. Details are scarce at this point in time, and there’s no guarantee that Jeep Australia will even import them down here, but we’re sincerely hoping they do. It’s like if a Land Rover Defender 130 was gene-spliced with a Wrangler, and the result is It ﬁnally seems that Fiat-Chrysler strangely pleasing to look at. has cottoned on to this and

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INDUSTRY NEWS

CRAMBLER

MING IN 2017

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19th-23rd January 2016

CARFPA121115

Proud Corporate Partner of

Family Owned Australian Company

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Find

facebo facebo

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20-INCH LE

SHOO

THIS COMPARISON HAS BE JOIN UNSEALED 4X4 AS WE PERFORMING LED LIGHT BA

WORDS BY EVAN SPENCE, PHO

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ED LIGHT BAR

OTOUT

EEN A LONG TIME COMING; E TAKE A LOOK AT THE TOPARS ON THE MARKET TODAY TODAY.

OTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT MASON

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4 x4

SUV

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The Light Emitting Diode was first brought to market in 1963, by a 33 year-old scientist named Nick Holonyak Jnr. Fast forward fortythree years to the futuristic era better known as 2006, and this technology began to gain legs with off-road drivers and racers around the world in the form of LED light bars. Here we are ten years down the track, and it really must be noted that LED light bars have taken over the 4X4 fraternity. I dare you to find a modified four wheel drive that doesn’t have at least one form of LED lighting on it… go on, I dare you!

We now have a lighting solution that draws fewer amps, produces less heat and all things considering should last a heck of a lot longer than the equivalent halogen or HID counterparts. But the few-hundreddollar-question on everyone’s mind is how do you know where to start when it comes to purchasing an LED light bar for your own vehicle? Do you need to spend top-dollar for a strong performer, or is there a bangfor-buck option on the market that could potentially tick many boxes for most four wheel drivers? Well my friends, the good news is you are about to ﬁnd out.

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WHY IS LUX

IMPORTANT?

Lux is the best measurement to gauge the brightness of a beam of light. A lux meter is considered to be the most scientific way of measuring the intensity a beam of light, and then record these findings. Which is exactly why we went out and bought one for this test. Lux readings are also used to calculate the light intensity travelling over distance. For example, a driving light should have a higher lux reading that a household light bulb, which won’t travel large distances, but will offer a good spread (or illumination) which is used to light a room.

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WHAT IS LUMEN?

Lumen (known as luminous ﬂux if you’re smarter than me) is a measurement that takes into account the total amount of output produced by a light. Lumen is not the ideal test of a light in this case though, as it measures the entire light being produced without taking into consideration the quality of beam patterns or how that light output is being utilised. This is why many driving light manufacturers will make tremendous claims regarding their lumen output, without supplying a claimed lux reading. This was also the deciding factor as to why we measured lights on this test in lux as it provided a much better indication into the real-world performance of each light bar.

The private property we tested on had no external light... it was dark!

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keeping you connected

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THE IMPORTANCE OF

COLOUR

TEMPERATURE

You might not know it, but not all light bars will produce the same colour (or temperature) of light when in use. Just by looking at the images of each light bar we tested, you will see subtle diﬀerences in the light beam colour temperature. Some were yellow or gold, others almost blue. Halogen lighting for example would have a lower corrected colour temperature (CCT) than HID or LED lights, as they produce a yellow or gold light. The

whiter the light beam, the higher the CCT will be. Colour temperature is measured in Kelvins, which is why you will notice readings such as 5000K printed on promotional material and packaging when shopping for lights. Choosing the right colour temperature for your requirements is a personal choice, just remember that direct sunlight is approximately 4,800K and make your decision from there. If you prefer a white or blue light, a light bar from the 5,000K to 7,000K range could work well for your needs.

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DISTANCE

Now this is a hot topic, and one that has been discussed around campﬁres all across this wide brown land. What is more important in a forward-facing driving light: distance or spread? Well, the answer really is overall illumination, not just one or the other. You want enough spread to see Skippy hiding on the side of the road or track, but you also need enough distance to see any potential hazards further ahead. The choice is ultimately going to come down to the conditions

SPREAD

you drive the most. If you drive lots of long straight roads then you will want more distance than someone who is only driving tight low-range tracks. If you live in hilly country, more spread will help you to see the edge of the track and any animals or hazards that could present themselves on bends in the road. Use the images from the testing over the next few pages to help better decide what would suit your needs; there really isn’t a one-size-ﬁts-all lighting solution.

WHAT’S

INSIDE?

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These internal seals play a massive part in keeping dust and water out

UNDERSTANDING

IP RATINGS

IP Ratings might seem like some sort of space-age science that is impossible to decipher, but they are actually quite easy to read when you know what to look for. IP Rating stands for Ingress Protection, which is measured against both solids and liquids. The ﬁrst number in the IP rating identiﬁes how protected a light is against dust and other solids and the second number represents

the amount of protection against liquids such as rain or submersion during river crossings. What all this boils down to, is the higher the IP rating, the better the light should be protected against environmental damage. We imagine the IP rating scale will change as technology improves; at the present moment the highest rating is IP69K, which oﬀers total protection from dust ingress and protection from steam jet water cleaning.

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NOTABLE

EXCLUSIONS

We wanted to test as many lights as possible, but unfortunately there were a few companies who did not want to be involved in our testing. Rigid Industries didn’t reply to emails sent to both their American head oﬃce and Australian-based distributer, which is a shame. The same applies for Baja Design

who also did not reply to our correspondence. Great Whites and Vision X straight up declined the invitation to be involved, as did Monster Lights which is why these lights did not make it into this test. Sorry guys, we tried!

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TESTING

making for a straightforward installation.

We decided to test only 20-inch (or as close as possible) LED light bars, as this is the most common size sold in Australia. The reason behind this is a 20-inch light bar will ﬁt between the rails of most bullbars sold on the market,

The first test was to physically fit the light bars to the front of a vehicle (making notes on how hard they were to fit and if a wiring loom was included) then take an image of what the light looks like in a real world stationary position.

METHOD

The LUX output of each light was measured at 1m, 10m and 100m increments with a LUX (or light) meter. Camera settings were ﬁxed at 1 Sec, F8 with an ISO of 1600, for anyone playing along at home. We also measured the spread of light produced

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from 10m in front of the vehicle, then 5m to the side. All stationary testing was conducted over one extremely dark evening on private property in the NSW Snowy Mountains. The temperature of each light was also recorded from the heat sink at the back of the light. As we all know, heat is a major factor when it comes to the longevity of electrical equipment so this needed to be mentioned.

them into a ﬁsh tank to test this IP rating. While switched on, the lights should generate heat. If there were any weak points in the sealing of the light bars, this test would ﬁnd them.

Another point worth mentioning, is that water ingress is a huge killer of anything electrical, which is why all LED light bars have an IP rating which we’ve already mentioned. We decided to switch each LED light bar on and throw

Camera settings were locked oﬀ at 1 Sec, F8 ISO 1600 by our photographer Scott Mason

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AURORA

DOUBLE ROW

SPECS PRICE: $549 IP RATING: IP69K CLAIMED WATTAGE: 200W CLAIMED LUMENS: 11,200 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Side-mounted WIRING LOOM: Supplied NOTES: While not the biggest household name, the light bar from Aurora had an impressive output. The supplied wiring loom was good quality. The beam of light was consistent without cold spots, with a good balance of spread VS distance. Unfortunately, water was found inside the light in our submersion test.

overall Results performance Close range: 52,800 lux Mid range: 1400 lux Long range: 21.63 Lux Spread: 18.28 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 25.3°C Water resistance: FAIL (water was found inside the light) price

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BIG RED

DOUBLE ROW

SPECS PRICE: $259 IP RATING: IP67 CLAIMED WATTAGE: 126W CLAIMED LUMENS: 9800 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Side-mounted WIRING LOOM: Not supplied NOTES: The beam of light was rather concentrated to the middle and quite low in comparison. The output wasn’t as bright as others tested, but overall quality seems good. No loom was supplied which is a black mark against Big Red, and water was present inside the light after our water submersion test.

overall Results performance Close range: 23,000 lux Mid range: 300 lux Long range: 5.19 Lux Spread: 6.31 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 24.5°C

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Water resistance: FAIL (water was present inside the light) price

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DRIVETECH 4x4

SPECS PRICE: $330 IP RATING: IP67 CLAIMED WATTAGE: 120W CLAIMED LUMENS: 8,100 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Adjustable in middle of light WIRING LOOM: Not supplied NOTES: This light strikes a good combination of distance and spread – just look at how powerful that centre beam is. It is also one of the smallest lights tested, making it perfect for those with limited space for mounting an LED light bar. The Drivetech LED light bar also passed our water submersion test with ﬂying colours.

overall Results performance Close range: 67,200 lux Mid range: 1600 lux Long range: 23.71 Lux Spread: 12.78 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 26.0°C Water resistance: pass price

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KORR

SPECS PRICE: $429 IP RATING: IP67 CLAIMED WATTAGE: 120W CLAIMED LUMENS: 10,200 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Side-mounted WIRING LOOM: Not supplied NOTES: Bang for buck, it would be hard to go past this light from Korr Lighting. The beam of light was strong, with some cold spots to the sides of the centre main beam of light being the only let down. Water submersion testing didn’t stress the XDD500 either, with no water entering the light at all.

overall Results performance Close range: 43,200 lux Mid range: 1100 lux Long range: 13.61 Lux Spread: 15.01 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 27.1°C Water resistance: pass price

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WHY SHOULD I BUY A . . . S T E I N BAU E R P E R F O R M A N C E M O D U L E ?

HOW‘S IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER MODULES? WHAT‘S THE PERFORMANCE INCREASE? WHAT DO OUR CUSTOMERS SAY? HOW IS IT INSTALLED?

SEE TESTING RESULTS HISTORY TIMELINE www.steinbauer.com.au

FREECALL

1800 733 159

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LIGHTFORCE

SPECS PRICE: $620 IP RATING: IP69K CLAIMED WATTAGE: 200W CLAIMED LUMENS: 11,200 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Side-mounted WIRING LOOM: Supplied NOTES: From the moment we opened this box, we knew the oﬀering from Lightforce was a serious contender. It just felt well-made. While the beam of light is rather concentrated down the centre, and with less spread than some other lights on test, there are nearly no cold spots produced. Our water submersion test in no way stressed the Lightforce light bar either, which you might expect given it has an IP69K rating.

overall Results performance Close range: 70,400 lux Mid range: 1500 lux Long range: 20.84 Lux Spread: 18.01 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 23.2°C Water resistance: pass price

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NARVA

SPECS PRICE: $1499 IP RATING: IP68 CLAIMED WATTAGE: 200W CLAIMED LUMENS: 18,000 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Adjustable in centre of light WIRING LOOM: Not supplied NOTES: The thing that lets this light down is its price. At nearly three times the cost of other lights on test, the Narva unit lost points in the bang-for-buck stakes. Which is a shame, as it is a solid performer. Water submersion testing caused no issues for it, and look at the amount of spread available combined with the straight-line performance. A great allround combo beam pattern is produced too, which would be very usable on or oﬀ-road.

overall Results performance Close range: 60,200 lux Mid range: 1500 lux Long range: 23.38 Lux Spread: 21.30 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 25.1°C Water resistance: pass price

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RHINO 4X4

SPECS PRICE: $995 IP RATING: IP68 CLAIMED WATTAGE: CLAIMED LUMENS: 10,000 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Side-mounted WIRING LOOM: Supplied NOTES: This would have to be the coolest looking LED light bar… well, ever made! This is a new light for Rhino 4X4, which has been designed for straight-line performance. They have several other options in the range if you are chasing a diﬀerent beam pattern however. Water submersion testing highlighted good sealing from contaminant ingress, and the supplied wiring loom and mounting brackets were a nice touch.

overall Results performance Close range: 21,930 lux Mid range: 700 lux Long range: 7.81 Lux Spread: 1.8 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 25.8°C Water resistance: pass price

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FIND OUT MORE

VIDEOS

FRIDGE SIZING GUIDE • Patented Aussie design lowers fridge up to 290mm • Monster 1500N gas struts to neutralise fridge weight • Safety locking mechanism • Heavy duty slides with right hand lock • Additional travel lock holds fridge securely • 180Kg capacity, 37Kg nett weight • Crash tested and ADR compliant • 36 month warranty on moving parts

Now available Click here to purchase

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STEDI ultimate

SPECS PRICE: $190 IP RATING: IP68 CLAIMED WATTAGE: 120W CLAIMED LUMENS: Not supplied MOUNTING SYSTEM: Side-mounted WIRING LOOM: Supplied NOTES: Condensation had built up in the light just from being left outside overnight, and water was present inside the light after submersion testing. Performance was acceptable, especially when you consider this is the cheapest light on this test, however the beam pattern looks more like individual ﬁngers of light rather than a solid beam. The supplied wiring loom is easy to install and seems to be of decent quality.

overall Results performance Close range: 19,500 lux Mid range: 1600 lux Long range: 28.4 Lux Spread: 18.4 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 26.8°C

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Water resistance: FAIL (water and condensation present inside) price

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WATCH THE FEATURED VIDEO GLEN MORIARTY PRESENTS: THE 2015 TROOPER

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XRAY VISION

SPECS PRICE: $379 IP RATING: IP67 CLAIMED WATTAGE: 100W CLAIMED LUMENS: 900 (raw) MOUNTING SYSTEM: Fixed WIRING LOOM: Not supplied NOTES: The word to describe the performance of the Xray Vision LED light bar is ‘smooth’. The beam of light produced is liquid-smooth and produces an acceptable level of spread vs. distance with minimal cold spots. Submersion testing highlighted issues with water present inside the light however, and it would also be nice to have a loom included (these are available for an additional $65).

overall Results performance Close range: 38,100 lux Mid range: 1100 lux Long range: 14.75 Lux Spread: 16.30 Lux BUILD QUALITY Temperature: 27.5°C

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Water resistance: FAIL (water was present inside the light) price

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ULTRAVISION TORNADO (Prototype tested)

SPECS PRICE: $995 IP RATING: IP68 CLAIMED WATTAGE: 240W CLAIMED LUMENS: 22,800 MOUNTING SYSTEM: Side and centre adjustable WIRING LOOM: Not supplied

FURTHER TESTING REQUIRED

NOTES: We were forced to remove this light from the oﬃcial results, as this unit is a hand-made prototype. We have in writing from Ultravision Australia that the internals will be exactly the same as the production models, however without having one to test, it is not fair to other suppliers to include this light until we get the mass produced units in February. The performance of this light was staggering though and excelled in all areas. We look forward to taking a closer look at the production model when it’s released and we will keep you updated.

overall Results Close range: 86,200 lux Mid range: 2000 lux Long range: 35.6 Lux Spread: 41.8 Lux Temperature: 36.8°C Water resistance: pass NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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Click here to VIEW the overall comparison chart

Click here to see the scientific testing results

So...

who won??

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THE PL

HIGHWA

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LENTY

WAY

THERE’S HEAPS TO SEE AND DO ON THE BOULIA TO ALICE SPRINGS SHORT-CUT. WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY WAYNE ‘NUGGET’ NIELSEN.

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Click here to read the UNSEALED 4X4 REVIEW

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FACT FILE WHERE:

498km from Tobermorey Station just inside NT, from the NT/Qld border to the Stuart Highway, north of Alice Springs.

INFORMATION:

Access from the eastern end is via the Donohue Highway from Boulia or from Mt Isa via the Diamantina Development Road and the Urandangi-Mt Isa Road. From the western end it is a 68km trundle up the Stuart from Alice Springs, and then crack a right.

PERMITS: None

CAMPING:

Plenty of bush camping along the track, or the formal campgrounds at Tobermorey Homestead, Jervois Station and Gemtree.

SUPPLIES AND FACILITIES: Major supplies at Alice Springs, Boulia and Atitjere Community; with limited top-up supplies at Tobermorey and Jervois Homesteads. Fuel also available at all of these locations.

Spectacular sunset at Tobermorey.

TRIP STANDARD:

Medium-diďŹ&#x192;cult due to remote location and varying road conditions. Should only be attempted in reliable vehicles equipped for travel in remote areas. Can be done in a day, but best to allow 2-3 days to have a decent look.

MAPS AND GUIDES: Hema Great Desert Tracks North East.

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL: April to October provides the best temperatures for travel in remote regions.

FUEL:

Petrol

Diesel

Boulia Tobermorey Jervois Atitjere Gemtree Alice Springs

$1.80 $2.55 $2.25 $2.25 $2.25 $1.78

$1.80 $2.40 $2.13 $2.20 $2.17 $1.79

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Kicking off at Tobermorey Homestead just inside the Qld/ NT border and slicing across NT to the Stuart Highway 68km north of Alice Springs, the Plenty Highway rips through some of the country’s most rugged and remote terrain. From Queensland to the Red Centre, 498km of dirt, corrugations and bulldust with the Simpson Desert to the south and the bulk of NT to the north … this track has

‘plenty’ to offer the traveller with a sparkle in their eye. The Plenty was upgraded in the early 1960s on the NT side, from a cattle property track. Getting aboard from the Queensland end is done from either Mt Isa via the Diamantina Development Road and the Urandangi-Mt Isa Road, or from Boulia via the Donohue Highway. Either way it

Turn up the Binns Track to Boxhole Meteorite Crater.

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is Tobermorey Homestead that rolls out the red carpet to weary adventurers. Bigger than most European countries, Tobermorey Station stretches west of the homestead â&#x20AC;&#x201C; taking up 1.5 million acres of prime Mitchell Grass Down country. 9,000 head of cattle receive water (liquid gold in the bush) via bores tapped into artesian basins. The homestead offers excellent camping. Fuel and minor supplies are available. The campsites are green and lush, in stark contrast to the surrounding countryside; and there are excellent amenities for those looking to wash some red dust from behind the ears. Sitting around the campfire we

had front-row seats to a bush butcher shop. A slaughtered beast was brought back to the homestead hung by chains around its rear legs, suspended under the highly-raised bucket of a front-end loader, ready to be cut up into country-size steaks. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see this at your local Woolies! The countryside got flatter and pretty scrubby as we headed west, with only the occasional conical hill or creek causeway giving relief to stretches of corrugations and bulldust. The road is maintained, so the recently graded sections can be quite good; whilst the older sections can be equally rough, pot-holed and corrugated.

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Certainly not a problem for 4X4s and even off-road camper trailers and off-road caravans – as long as a slower pace is used to avoid damage. You can only wonder what the early pioneers went through to name Heartbreak Bore, but it is certainly worth a stop. Several different pump powering options have been trialled (as the old windmill is well past its best). A diesel motor has now been installed, complete with a 20L plastic container hanging from the rafters serving as a bushies’ fuel tank. Stock and a vast array of birds were benefiting from the water being pumped from deep below. Giant termite hills begin to dot the landscape. One had a discarded tyre dumped on top – but undeterred the termites continued their work, encapsulating it into their home. Another, the big daddy, must be around five metres high – towering over us even when standing on the mudguard of the 130.

There are numerous camping options along the Plenty, with excellent bush camping as well as the more formal stops like the 2,750 square kilometre Jervois Station. The station’s camping area has lots of shaded spots, campfire pits, amenities and fuel; whilst Jervois has NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE a surprisingly short history having

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2 3

4 1

It is great to see that not all the windmills have been superseded.

Tobermorey camping area has green grass, shade and amenities

Old-time fuel pump at Jervois.

Fuel is available at Jervois and Tobermorey Stations.

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Daylight on Demand. Now available in two sizes, the ARB Intensity LED light range provides increased mounting flexibility, while continuing to deliver outstanding performance in all conditions.

Highlights • • • •

AR32 – 32 LEDs with 50,000+ hour lifespan AR21 – 21 LEDs with 50,000+ hour lifespan Vibration tested to military specifications Virtually indestructible polycarbonate lens and cover • Dust and waterproof to IP68 rating

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Submersible to 3m Over and under voltage protection Integrated thermal management Engineered in Australia by ARB Built in the USA

SEE ARB INTENSITY LED LIGHTS IN ACTION

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only been taken up in 1960. There are also some very interesting old items on display including parts of a 32-metre-high Europa rocket, the largest launched from Woomera, which landed on the property. North of and parallel to the highway, the Plenty River runs for almost 200km to Low Rock, although it’s generally not visible from the road. The Marshall River, which crosses the highway near Jervois, is a tributary of the Plenty River and runs into the dune country of the Northern Simpson Desert (where it simply dries out in

a series of salt lakes). Not surprising given the area has an average annual rainfall of 289mm and just 37 rainy days per year. As a result, don’t expect the rivers to be full and flowing … but when they are, be aware of road closures and the potential for being stranded. We must have been lucky as recent rain had left some water on the road, which was a change from some of the bulldust sections we had been through. Never a dull moment in the bush. We were also Generally the road is in good nick.

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privy to six wedgetail eagles having a meal on a ’roo carcass. Stealth has never been claimed by Land Rover as a Defender strong point – and only one eagle remained for the photo opportunity as we rolled in as inconspicuously as possible. It is however these chance meetings (that don’t happen in the local supermarket carpark) that make bush touring so much fun. About 80km from Jervois Homestead the countryside changes as the spectacular Harts Range starts to fill the southern skyline. If possible, don’t miss the opportunity to call in to the Atitjere Community where there is an active art and cultural

program with bush plant tours and local art on offer, as well as a store and fuel. A little-known aspect of the area is its links to one of Australia’s first mining rushes. Explorer David Lindsay believed he had discovered much-sought-after rubies in the Hale River in 1886. By mid 1887, 200 hopefuls had flocked into the region looking for the elusive gems; whilst 45km away gold was being discovered in a creek near Paddy’s

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Field Fossicking Area, fire the imagination a bit more. We decided to crack a right into the Plenty River Mica Mining area, which was really interesting. Crossing the Plenty River with its wide, dry and very soft sand was only possible with reduced tyre pressures, and once up the northern bank we followed old tracks until we found an old mica mine. Although not very deep, it was just off the track; and the surrounding ground was There are however a series of just littered with the ‘Mother of significant fossicking areas along Pearl’-like mica. Some of the tracks the Plenty, centred around that showed up on our map are no The Gemtree Roadhouse longer in existence, but there are and camping area. still plenty to follow. Some others, such Next stop was the Boxhole as Mud Tank Meteorite Crater, approx 37km up Zircon the Binns Track. It was discovered Rockhole, leading to the establishment of the Arltunga Goldfield. European buyers were keen as mustard on the deep red gems – but when the market became flooded, questions began to be asked and ultimately the stones were determined to only be high-grade garnets, of significantly lower value than the genuine gems… and it all went down the gurgler in record time.

Mt Riddoch rises ruggedly in the distance.

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in 1937 when Joe Webb, a shearer at Boxhole Station, took geologist Cecil Madigan to check it out. The crater is 170 metres in diameter, with the rim rising 10-17 metres above the crater floor.

interesting sidetrack for the more adventurous. From Gemtree the road becomes a 75km trundle on that boring black bitumen stuff we spend all of our time avoiding … albeit a Development Road consisting of a narrow strip of black with red shoulders, so it is only half as bad.

It is believed to be a mere 5,400 (+/– 1,500) years old. The biggest piece discovered was 82kg … so we were pretty happy not to have been The Plenty is a top track with camping there when it landed. plenty of interesting gear along the On the southern side of the Plenty way, enough corrugations to test the shocks and enough bulldust are a number of fossicking areas. patches to test the door seals. We decided to have a crack at No. 9 Garnet Area loop, which includes Sounds Plenty good to us! a couple of abandoned mines. As we climbed higher into the Harts Range, the track got rougher, the suspension got more and more of a workout and the scenery got more spectacular with Mt Riddoch standing tall. Sadly some of the tracks have been blocked or have disappeared – but it is still an

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2016 ACCESSO

WE FIND OUT WHAT’S IN STO FROM THE INDUSTR

2016 ACCESS AUSTRALIA’S MOST READ 4X4 MAGAZINE

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6ORIES GUIDE

STORE IN 2016 FOR YOUR 4X4 STRY HEAVYWEIGHTS.

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MORE POWER for your SUMMER ADVENTURES! Baintech PowerTop Portable 12V Power 100Ah Gel Battery AC, DC & Solar charging

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2016 is right in front of us and there’s never been a better time to get out there and explore this great country, so we thought we’d put together a guide on what the major players in the aftermarket industry have planned over the next 12 months to help you get your 4X4 ready for the bush. It doesn’t matter

if you’re looking to get that bullbar, replace your old compressor, throw a fridge in the back or completely outﬁt your rig to tackle an aroundOz expedition, chances are you’ll be speaking to these guys along the way. Let’s see what they’ve got cooking over the coming year!

Choosing the right accessories for your next big trip is essential.

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ARB

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ARB

If you’ve been in the oﬀ-road game for more than ﬁve minutes then you’re no doubt already familiar with the industry giant that is ARB. These guys are well known for their massive range of Air Lockers, camping gear, suspension, bar work, lights and interior accessories – it literally is a onestop shop if you’re looking to build your four wheel drive with nothing but high quality gear. Unsurprisingly, 2016 is gearing up to be another massive year for ARB. They’ve recently released their brand new range of Old Man Emu BP-51 bypass shock absorbers which were designed, developed and tested in-house to suit Aussie

ARB Intensity LED driving lights are considered to be some of the best on the market Kaymar rear bars have always been on oﬀer from ARB, and the range will continue to grow

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SIERRA View Black Rhino Alloy Wheels for your vehicle

Click here to view the full range of Black Rhino Hard Alloy Wheels

AVAILABLE FROM:

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1 conditions and allow independent adjustability of both rebound and compression of the shock, resulting in what ARB says are class-leading ride customisation abilities that can be tailored to individual vehicle requirements.

2 solutions to suit any vehicle you can think of. To see the full range of products and to ﬁnd your nearest stockist, click on: www.arb.com.au

Even the newest vehicles on the market are well catered for

As you’d expect, they also oﬀer a massive range of front, rear and side 2 The BP-51 range of bypass shocks bars and roof racks to suit all of the are sure to be popular popular late model and superseded 4X4s. They’re also continuing with 3 If you’re covering big distances, you their distribution of Redarc 12V won’t go wrong parking your backside in a Recaro seat systems and high-end lighting The entire Redarc range is now available at your local store

ARB

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IRONMAN 4X4

pestering them after hours and to stay oﬀ their property, we still can’t This year is not going to be seeing the green muscly guy slowing down, help but be impressed with the amount of gear Ironman 4X4 are with Ironman 4X4 reporting that they’ve got so much on the boil right pumping out. Aside from the stuﬀ they’re releasing mid-year, the range now, some of it is still too secret to of accessories already in production share with us. Come on guys, what for current models is pretty huge. if we say ‘pretty please’? No? Fair From the full complement of bar enough I guess… work available for the latest Ford Despite their warnings to stop Ranger PXII to the sleek looking

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Jeep Cherokee front bars to the comprehensive amount of tow bars, trailer wiring looms, and big tube Deluxe bars for GU Patrols and others, the Ironman 4x4 R&D department have not been sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

To see the full range of products and to ﬁnd your nearest stockist, click on: www.ironman4x4.com

Ironman 4X4 are continuing to develop a stylish range of barwork for new vehicles

There’s bar work available for all the latest dual-cabs, as well as just about every other 4WD out there

The Monster winch range continues to grow

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3” PERFORMANCE EXHAUSTS FOR

4WD TURBO DIESEL VEHICLES Aluminised Mild Steel and 409 Stainless Quality Diesel Specific metal catalytic converters High quality performance mufflers Free flowing exhaust system to help with day to day drivability, fuel efficiency, and towing power Available as a DIY bolt on kit that can be delivered Australia wide Australian made

Scott’s Rods Performance Exhausts manufacture a wide range of performance exhaust kits to suit these vehicles:

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OPPOSITE LOCK It’s going to be a massive year for the second-largest accessories distributor in the country with Opposite Lock gearing up for some massive new releases in the coming months. Given that they’re already distributors for the incredibly popular Harrop E-Lockers and top quality Kingone winches (both of which we’ll be putting through their paces over the 12 months), not to mention their range of bar work (including the popular X-Rox tube bars), things are looking to keep getting bigger and better this year. The guys tell us that they’re about to start producing an entirely new range of fridge/freezers that they reckon are going to take the market

There’s a new range of front bars, scrub rails and side steps for the Triton, NP300 Navara, HiLux and Fortuners available now

Want manual diﬀ-locks without having to hardwire a compressor? E-Lockers are for you

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" YAMAHA ” MEANS MORE ADVENTURE

TOP 5 CHECKS FOR GENERATOR MAINTENANCE

PRODUCT INFO STORE LOCATOR

CHOOSING THE RIGHT GENERATOR

EMAIL US 1300 735 440 FIND US ON FACEBOOK

GENERATOR SAFETY & PROTECTION

www.generatoryamaha.com.au

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1 by storm, as well as bringing out an innovative new way of staying in touch in the bush with their Communication Packs which include a UHF radio, aerial and hand-held unit in a single case. On top of that, word around the campﬁre is that they’ve just done a deal with Darche to start selling their massive range of camping products through Opposite Lock stores. Watch this space as we bring you all the up-to-date products from the OL stable.

2 To see the full range of products and to ﬁnd your nearest stockist, click on: www.oppositelock.com.au

Opposite Lock are also distributing the new range of Frontrunner roof racks and accessories

With so many dual-cab utes released this year, Opposite Lock have been busy designing barwork

They’ve just signed a deal to start selling Darche’s massive range of camping gear

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TJM

TJM started up way back in the 70s manufacturing custom bar work for desert racing Beetles. Since then the Aussie company has grown into a global brand that still manufactures top quality protection equipment as well as selling just about everything you can think of for your four wheel drive. Steel and alloy bull bars, nudge bars, side and rear protection bars, side steps, trade racks, roof racks, TJM recovery equipment,

TJM winches, TJM XGS suspension, Airtec snorkels, TJM Pro Lockers and TJM roof top tents and awnings are all a mainstay of just about every campground in the country, and for good reason.

2016 should continue to see the company grow with their latest range of gear for new vehicles, most recently the NP300 Navara. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also a distributor for the highly regarded X-Ray Vision linear driving

The company has invested no small amount of R&D into new vehicles like the NP300 Navara

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lights that are redeﬁning what’s possible from LED lighting.

To see the full range of products and to ﬁnd your nearest stockist, click on: www.tjm.com.au

The X-Ray Vision LED driving lights are taking the market by storm

The range of suspension and underbody protection is set to grow signiﬁcantly over the next 12 months

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First look:

LOTUS CAR NEW

OFF GRID WE REVEAL THE VERY FIRST ROAD TEST OF THE BRAND-NEW COMPACT OFF-ROADER FROM LOTUS CARAVANS.

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RAVANS

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TWO FEMALE APPRENTICES, ONE 80 YEAR-OLD MECHANIC... WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? TUNE IN TO TERRAINTAMER.TV

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If the Incredible Hulk was reincarnated as an off-road caravan, well then, you’re looking at him. Enter the new Lotus Caravans Off Grid – a dazzlingly bright new 13.5-foot off-road caravan. And yes ladies,

it has a shower. As you probably know, Lotus Caravans has made its name in the hand-made luxury caravan market. With ﬁve to six vans coming out of the Melbourne factory every week,

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LED Off-road Lightbars HID Conversion Kits NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE LED Linear Driving Lights LED Driving Lights HID Driving Lights QH Driving Lights LED Off-road Lightbars HID Conversion Kits LED Linear Driving Lights LED Driving Lights HID Driving Lights QH Driving Lights LED Off-road Lightbars HID Conversion Kits LED Linear Driving Lights LED Driving Lights HID Driving Lights QH Driving Lights LED Off-road Lightbars HID Conversion Kits

Choosing a driving light can be a bit daunting.

So we compiled this video of real world driving footage to demonstrate and compare the performance and beam patterns of Xray Vision quartz halogen, 90W HID, and quad-optic LED driving lights.

Available from:

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and a six-month waiting list for custom vans, Lotus units are in hot demand. Yet for some, the dual-axle Freelander and Trooper models are too large for their tow vehicles; so hence the Oﬀ Grid was born. The trimmed chassis and the move to a single axle has

saved some weight– the model tested sat unladen at just under 1,800kg, and sports a ball weight of just 140kg (well within the 3,000kg capacity of our Amarok). And on the road it was immediately evident that the Oﬀ Grid was a well balanced, easily towed unit.

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Sure, with a full complement of gear on board for a trip it would tow a little diﬀerently … but not markedly so.

The Off Grid is stitched together similarly to its bigger brothers. A galvanised chassis from G&S provides the rigidity, while the latest Series Two Control Rider independent suspension features twin shock absorbers to handle the corrugations. The body is based on a timber frame, which Lotus Caravans says provides the flexibility required for rough terrain. And it’s great to see a couple of meaty Bushranger rated recovery points mounted to the back of the chassis, in case you need to tow the Off Grid out of trouble. Step inside though, and it’s pure luxury. The leather seats are comfortable, and the inner-sprung bed is the same size as the one in the Trooper – however, it has been placed sideways … so you’ll have to climb over your partner if you sleep up front.

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The fit and finish is tasteful, modern and first-class, boasting good-looking graphite and silver finishes throughout. In an effort to fit the shower and toilet into the rear corner, Lotus Caravans has opted to put the stove and fridge outside the van (which,

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in our climate, makes sense). However, this pre-production model had no shelter over the exterior kitchen … a real issue in inclement weather. We’re told that this issue will be solved in the production models, and there is also talk of a slightly longer van to accommodate

more exterior bench space. Sitting astride the kitchen is a thumping big Waeco 80-litre fridge, perfect for those roadside cuppas. A Thule Omni awning is a great addition to the exterior: It’s quick to deploy and provides ample shade.

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win

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click to is celebrating twenty years enter of Manufacturing in Australia. * conditio ns apply * compe tition clo From humble beginnings, the ses 31-01-20 16 company was formed in 1994 and began manufacturing in their own factory in 1996. Twenty years on, ERPS continues to manufacture 95% of their goods in-house. Although a very different product now, with a greatly increased product range, ERPS proudly continues with all aspects of the manufacturing process, from concept to design, testing and manufacturing. While their core business is in protecting cars and 4WDs, systems have been built for a huge variety of equipment, everything from Coca-Cola dispensing machines to Grand Pianos to 200 ton mining trucks. ERPS sells throughout Australia and continues to expand around the Globe.

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If you’re in the mood to enjoy some tunes while you’re outside there are two external speakers for the Fusion stereo unit and another two inside the van if the weather’s not so nice. If that’s the case you’re not short on entertainment options with a 24in television to watch the latest Game of Thrones episode, or if you have kids, endless repeats of the movie Frozen. You can even warm up some popcorn in the 25L microwave.

Even if you’re camped in the tropics you’ll be kept comfy with the Sparrow air-conditioner and the LED lighting throughout ensures visibility will never be an issue, even on the darkest of nights. Powering all this electric gadgetry is a pair of 120A batteries that are kept topped up by a Redarc 30A charger. The van is connected to the tow vehicle via an Anderson plug and there’s also an extra Anderson plug for those who want to run solar panels on the roof.

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As mentioned, the low ball weight makes towing the van a relatively painless affair, and there’s plenty of off-road inclusions for those who want to travel beyond the caravan parks and venture deeper into the bush. The Hitchmaster DO35 coupling makes hitching up and towing over rough terrain a snap and the 2.5T Control Rider coil sprung, independent suspension with twin shocks per wheel means that you’ll be in some seriously tough tracks before you find the limit of the Off Grid’s capabilities. The underbody is even coated with chequerplate for protection and there are front and rear galvanized bumper bars to make sure the panels stay straight.

The rolling stock consists of neverlose-them-in-the-dark pearl green 16in Primal Force alloy rim that are shod with the highly regarded 265/75R16 Mickey Thompson MTZ rubber – a clear indication that these things are designed to get you there (no matter where ‘there’ may be) and back again.

With the massive toolbox on the drawbar and heaps of cupboards inside the van, there’s no shortage of storage space, despite the shorter overall length. All up, if you wanted to get right away for a couple of weeks (or months for that matter) without wanting the hassle or fuel bill associated with a full-size van, the Lotus Caravans Oﬀ Grid could be just the thing you’re after.

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SPECIFICATIONS:

LOTUS CARAVANS OFF GRID

Chassis

6in boxed, hot dipped galvanized chassis

Coupling

Hitchmaster DO35 coupling Primal Force pearl green Alloy rims with 265/75R16in Mickey Thompson MTZ

Rims & Tyres Suspension

2.5 tonne Control Rider independent coil with twin shock absorbers

Electric Brakes 12in electric Living Area

Massive

Water Tank

2 x 95L tanks with ﬁlter

Weight

TBA

Canvas

Canvas? Do people still use that stuﬀ?

Price as tested TBA once in production

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Does your insurance c

your recovery What happens if you find yourself broken down or bogged while on your journey? Depending on where you are recovery can be very expensive and often at your expense. Lucky not all insurers are the same, at Club 4X4 we will cover you for up to $1500* towards your recovery as part of your basic policy. Planning that big trip to the Simpson? For an extra premium you could get up to $30,000# coverage. Another way that Club 4X4 is breaking the insurance mould. Club 4X4, the insurer for 4X4 Enthusiasts.

Benefits

Visit CLUB4X4.COM.AU or call 1800 CLUB 4X4 for a quote *This Additional benefit is subject to an excess of $200 which will be applied and this benefit is limited to one claim per policy period. Vehicle will be recovered to the nearest gazetted road. # This Optional extra must be purchased either when taking out a new policy or on renewal. It cannot be purchased during the policy term. The insurer is The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd, AFSL No. 241436, (Hollard). Club 4X4 Pty Ltd is an authorised representative of Hollard, No. 1235616. Any advice provided is general only and insurance coverage is subject to the policy terms and conditions. Underwriting eligibility criteria applies to insurance applications. You should read the PDS available at www.club4x4.com.au to decide if this product suits your needs.

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REVIEWED: B

DUELER

AFTER 15,000KM ON THE 130, INCLUDING ON THE COUNTRY, SAM GIVES US THE L

WORDS BY SAM PURCELL, PHOTO

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BRIDGESTONE

R MT 674

NE OF THE TOUGHEST DESERT CROSSINGS IN LONG-TERM REPORT ON HIS TYRES.

OGRAPHY BY BRETT HEMMINGS

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My Land Rover Defender, known as Project 130, probably spends the majority of its time in the bush. It does get used as a bit of a packhorse around the oﬃce but the rest of the time is spent touring, mainly on dirt roads and oﬀ-road driving. After 15,000km the Bridgestone Desert Dueler MT 674 are holding up surprisingly well given the pressures I’ve run in them and the terrain they’ve taken me over, but they’re hardly new any more. The trip that really tested the tyres was the Madigan Line tour with its 2,000km of sealed roads, 2,000km of unsealed roads and 1,000km of desert. Bitumen, soft sand, rocks, gibbers, mud, city, town, country, Outback and desert; in these 15,000 kilometres, the tyres have just about seen it all. The 130 is a big 4X4, with a GVM

of 3.5T. Pushing it along is a ﬁvecylinder 2.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine. It makes 91kW at 4,850rpm, and 300NM of torque at 1,950 rpm – not a lot by today’s standards, especially when loaded. This meant that I didn’t have wholesale grunt to depend on for coasting over dunes on the desert crossing. Rather, I had to air my tyres down a long way for ﬂoatation over the sand.

One advantage I have in this regard was the internal beadlocks I have installed. So even with a big load on board, I ran 12psi in my tyres to allow me to cruise over the dunes without ﬂogging my car. On the high-speed dirt sections on each side of the desert, I was running 24psi. The Duelers worked out to be great desert tyres. I didn’t have any ﬂats with them during my time, and they gave me all the grip I needed, when I needed it.

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WEAR

The tyres are showing the wear and tear that is commensurate with hard oﬀ-road work. Tread blocks are all accounted for, but are looking weathered, and there are a couple of small cracks showing up around the crown and shoulder (most noticeably on the rears). This is because I ran the tyres so low, with a big load, for so long, across the Madigan Line. Some could even say my usage borders on abuse, and maybe they’re right. But the tyres still performed well. And most importantly, they didn’t let me down.

NOISE

When they first went on, the tyres were very, very quiet. After 15,000 kilometres, there is a whir that anyone who has run muddies would be familiar with. It’s not loud or intrusive; more of a hum than a drone. I find the noise quite bearable, considering the tread pattern, and how much grip that affords off-road. If you don’t want any noise at all, buy some highway-terrains and don’t go off-road. In other words, the noise (for me) isn’t an issue.

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ON-ROAD

The performance of the tyres on-road has been good. The big girl steers directly and brakes cleanly, with smooth performance through corners. Keep in mind, my Defender gets driven similarly to how Aunty Doris takes the Camry up the road for some social bingo: A race car it is not. I did have to stand on the brakes quite hard a few times to avoid a few kangaroos west of Wanaaring, and the tyres gripped progressively instead of going into instantaneous lock-up. For me, the on-road performance is ﬁne.

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OFF-ROAD

The tyres have been very impressive in muddy and boggy conditions, grabbing well on even the slipperiest of tracks. There was great performance on unsealed roads, as well: I pushed the car hard into corners along Wombeyan Caves road a while ago, and it took a lot for the tyres to start losing lateral grip. When it did, it was smooth and progressive; allowing me to easily handle the car. These tyres smashed the Simpson Desert, along the toughest crossing in the form of the Madigan Line. No ﬂats and no issues, including the 2,000 kilometres of commute either side of the desert. For a real-world test

that is a massive thumbs-up.

If you’re looking for an oﬀ-road biased tyre that will still give an agreeable on-road demeanour, I would recommend that you consider the Bridgestone MT 674. The entire range of sizes comes with light truck construction, which is a big bonus for 4WDing. Prices vary according to size.

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Mitsubishi has had a long and storied history in the off-road scene. The Pajero was one of the first vehicles to marry serious offroad capability with family-friendly dynamics at an affordable price, and today there are many owners who are on their fourth, fifth or even sixth Pajero. They’re rugged, they handle well, and while not ‘up there’ with the very best for off-road performance – the famous ‘Pajero salute’ is well known – they’re more than good enough for everyone bar the

hardcore. Oh, and there’s all those Dakar wins, too.

But the Pajero isn’t the only 4X4 in the Mitsubishi stable. There’s also the Challenger: One of several utebased wagons. Basic, capable and cheap is what these wagon-utes are all about, and the Challenger was no exception. Didn’t matter, as us touring oﬀ-roaders don’t care much for luxury (particularly if it gets in the way of capability), so the Challenger found many a home with those looking for no-frills 4X4 fun.

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But now the Challenger is no more. In its place, all hail the Pajero Sport. The name is similar to the bigger brother – but it’s a different vehicle. There are coils all round, independent suspension at the front; but the rear is a beam axle much beloved of traditionalists. It’s a slightly smaller vehicle (115mm shorter, but the Pajero has a rearmount spare), 60mm narrower and 100mm lower in height. Some overseas variants are seven-seat, but it looks likely we’ll get five seats only as Outlander and Pajero both offer seven. And because none of you lot apparently care about petrol or manual transmissions, our sole option will be turbo-diesel

auto. Mitsubishi says less than 5% of Pajero customers opt for manuals, so why bother?

Towing capacity is 3,100kg, same as the Triton; whereas the Pajero is 3,000kg (but really 2,500kg once you read the towball mass small print). The engine is a 2.4L diesel good for 133kW and 403Nm, and the gearbox is a smart eightspeed unit so you really will get the beneﬁt of all those horses and Newton metres. The Sport payload is a ‘not bad’ 710kg or so. The exact Australian specs and pricing haven’t yet been announced, so this may change.

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I got the chance to drive a Pajero Sport that was ‘close to Aussie spec’ ahead of its local launch, on a recent trip to Japan and the Toyko Motor Show. As usual with these things, the course was a pre-set aﬀair you pretty much could have driven a Commodore around for the most part … but nevertheless a few things became apparent. The gearbox is very good, always in the right cog, and there’s plenty to choose from. The electronic hill descent system is also excellent, it works down to 2km/h and is light years ahead of the older systems. The handling, as far as I could tell around the course, is also above average; and in particular I was impressed with control at speed over large bumps. The car was entirely unloaded mind, but even so it’s a good base to start from. Perhaps the most impressive part was the traction control, which I tested at low speeds over mounds that got the

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vehicle cross-axled up a slight incline. The electronics kicked in pretty much at idle, and braked the wheels in the air immediately – allowing very slow and controlled progress, helped by the rather good throttle calibration. Impressive stuﬀ. There’s also a cross-axle rear diﬀerential lock, which is welcome; but the traction control is so good you won’t need it very often. And you won’t like the fact that you need to be nearly stopped to engage it either

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to see levers ever again, so kiss them goodbye. There’s a terrain selection system similar to Land Rover’s Terrain Response but it doesn’t seem to be as effective – something we’ll need to look at when we get an extended test on Aussie soil. Gears can be changed The transmission is the usual Super by the gearshift lever; or by paddle Select which has a pointless 2WD shifts which don’t rotate with the system, all wheel drive, 4WD with steering wheel (as should be the centre diff lock, and low range with case on off-roaders, good work centre diff lock. The selector is a Mitsubishi). There are recovery dial, not a lever; and we aren’t likely points front and rear, too. – ‘safety reasons’ apparently, but nobody could explain any further. Mitsubishi says that the traction control works on the front axle when the rear locker is engaged, but the terrain didn’t allow us to verify this. Let’s hope so.

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Cargo space is not a major plus point, so those looking for giant interiors will need to still consider the likes of the bigger LC200 or Discovery. About the only irritation was the release point for the full-sized alloy spare located too centrally in the cargo bay – try getting to that with a full load! I hope the aftermarket comes out with a wheel carrier, and that will solve the another problem I noticed which is that the 68L fuel tank is going to be too small (even with a light car at less than two tonnes with a modern engine and gearbox). So with the spare out the way, there will be room for a second fuel tank; and you’re set. The interior is a standard ﬁve-seat setup, with a 40/60 rear split and tumble-forward seats. Nothing special, but one drawback is the second row centre seatbelt point is roof-mounted which will get in the way of cargo barriers and the like. The tailgate is onepiece lift-up.

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The handbrake is electronic, but there is a manual release if needed – via a tool stored next to the jack. The Pajero Sport will be ahead of some of its direct competitors such as the Fortuner and MU-X because it has a lot of active safety such as autonomous emergency braking and forward collision mitigation … in case you get

the brake and accelerator confused. The Everest has some of that too, but I am tipping the Sport will be much less expensive. Overall, I was impressed with the general air of robustness on the Sport, its handling and its oﬀ-road creds. It’s great to see that Australia now has another wagon on the market which is a true oﬀ-road tourer.

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Mitsubishi Pajero SPORT

Specifications

The Australian pricing, trim levels and exact speciﬁcations will be conﬁrmed in December when the vehicle is launched.

Engine Power Torque Transmission Torque split 4WD system Suspension 4 coils Park brake Fuel consumption (combined) Fuel capacity (L) Estimated range (km) Length/width/height (mm) Ground clearance (mm) Turning circle (m) Wading depth (mm) Kerb weight (kg, approx) GVM (kg) Payload (kg) Towing (braked) App/ramp/dep Power/weight (kg per kW) Rear diﬀ lock Terrain management Seats Safety Active safety Camera system (some models)

2.4L 4-cylinder diesel 133kW @ 3,500rpm 430Nm @ 2,500rpm 8-speed auto 40/60 f/r Super Select II IFS, rear beam, 2 x 95L and 1x 62L tanks Electronic 8 68 658 4,785/1,815/1,800 218 11.2 700 2,000 2,710 710 3,100kg 30/23/24 15.0 Standard across the range Yes 5 TBA (expect 5*) BWS, UMS, AEB Surround

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QLD

PEACE, QUIET

WORDS AND P

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T AND CHILD’S PLAY JUST OUT OF BRISBANE.

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I watched from a sand dune as my children played below – the beach quiet and empty, the ocean clear and calm. The bright morning sunlight glowed in their shiny hair. They dug holes, built walls and were peacefully oblivious to anything other than the project at hand. I took a few shots with my camera; the boys laughed and showed me what they had constructed.

TLES MADE I turned to snap a few photos of three 4X4s coming up the beach and

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thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when I realised one was headed right for us. He revved up his engine and gunned it towards the campsite entrance. I screamed and ran towards the boys. We were only a few steps away from the speeding vehicle. The boys jumped up from their sandcastles as the white Prado sped past. The driver did not even pause or look at us as he bounced over the sand. It was too close for comfort. Sandcastle construction was now over. Fortunately, it was our last day on the island.

E OF SAND

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Islands in

the Stream

Often overlooked due to its small size and proximity to Brisbane, Bribie Island is a tiny gem in the northern part of Moreton Bay. It’s the smallest of Moreton’s three islands – a mere 34km long and only 8km at its widest point. The northern section of the island is National Park and 4X4 access only. A bridge connects Bribie to the mainland at Sandstone Point and from there it’s an easy trip with not much in the way besides some sand. I let my tyres down a bit. I had a pair of Maxtrax and a shovel and felt conﬁdent that would be enough.

We visited Bribie the week before the spring school holidays to take advantage of the peace and quiet. On our ﬁrst day we found a cloudless, sunny, 30-degree paradise along a deserted beach. We easily drove up the beach even at high tide. We stopped at the various freshwater lagoons and played in the

dunes. The only major catastrophe that day was a large sea turtle splayed out on the beach that was no longer alive. The rest of the beach was (thankfully) beautiful and uneventful.

I had opted for the Ocean Beach camping area – a long stretch of campsites on the Pacific side of the island. Our site was booked online before we arrived. It was located in the ‘P’ section right beside the toilets, showers and a water tap. It was large enough for my FJ Cruiser, tent, camp chairs, kitchen; and it even came with a fire pit (thank God, fires were permitted). The campground, like the beach, was also empty. The only other inhabitants were some wallabies, which I didn’t expect to find on this strange little island.

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The Rhythm

of Life

My goal on Bribie was to rediscover the natural rhythm of life. Nearing the end of the third school term, the boys were tired and as stressed as primary school kids can be. I was, of course, exhausted. We all needed a break … some time to sit and enjoy nothing but the sound of the ocean, the birds and the roar of my FJ’s engine as she trudged through the soft white sand. And I’m pretty sure there is no problem large enough that can’t be cured by a nice, hot, smoky campﬁre. Bribie was simple, easy and not

too far from home. It was also a great place to really test the new James Baroud rooftop tent, good and proper. On the second day, a couple in a camper trailer showed up and broke our solitude. We watched from the beach as the tow vehicle got stuck in the entrance to the camping area. Another 4X4 came along and snatched it into the campground. A bit dismayed, they turned out to be a quiet elderly couple who probably thought me and my ﬁve- and six-year-olds were incredibly loud – especially when we sang along to Taylor Swift at dinner time.

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RIGHT NOW

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EXTRA GRIP IS WORTH GOLD

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ost 4WD tyre brands make only one all terrain tread either one with a round edge or one with a square edge. Cooper

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Spoils of War and Pumicestone

Passage

Each day at some point after breakfast and a swim in the ocean, we packed up our rooftop tent and headed down the beach to go exploring. The island was small, but at the end of the main beach sat several crumbling WWII fort ruins – the leftovers of Fort Bribie, which my boys found fascinating. I parked the FJ in the general area of several of these ruins and just let them run wild. They couldn’t go inside the massive concrete structures because it was too dangerous,

but they played in the dunes around them pretending to shoot down invaders or the ‘baddie Transformers’ or just ‘mean snakes’ … depending on the day.

From the northern point of the island across Pumicestone Passage, the small town of Caloundra rambles over the point at Bulcock Beach jutting into the Paciﬁc. From here you can get mobile phone reception, at least enough to check your calls and emails. If you follow the track oﬀ the beach and west towards Lighthouse Reach, there is an inland route that leads to Lime Pocket, Mission Point and the most popular campground

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at Poverty Creek. From here, the track leads back to the bitumen and eventually to the bridge at Sandstone Point. Since the small towns of Woorim and Banksia Beach were so close by, we drove back into civilisation each day for supplies: Ice creams, gas bottle reﬁlls, trashy magazines and fun playgrounds. Sitting at a playground in the small town of Woorim, I watched as black clouds rolled in from the west. I checked the radar and, sure enough, huge red splotches were heading right for us. I pondered the situation for a minute: Head back to camp and pack up, avoid the really nasty storms headed our way,

or buckle down and see them through? I opted for the latter and hurried back to camp.

It was our last night on the beach and we decided to watch the frothy storm clouds surge over us until the rain sent us scrambling for the tents. Luckily, the bad stuﬀ moved further south and unleashed its fury on Brisbane instead. It rained all night, making the ladder of the rooftop tent especially tricky. But we stayed high and dry in the James Baroud and woke up to another sunny day. Fortunately, the crowds didn’t show up until the end of the week. By that time we had found our rhythm. Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

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Before

You Go

i Camping in the Ocean Beach i To drive and camp on Bribie campground does not mean Island, you will need to purchase vehicle access and amenities. Most areas do not have toilets or water; you camping permits. It’s $44.70 for a one-week vehicle access must bring your own supplies. The only camping area here pass plus $89.25 to camp for with amenities is ‘P’. Most five nights (one adult and two children). Go to www.nprsr.qld. of the campgrounds along Pumicestone Passage do have gov.au to book online. Bookings are not available on-site. amenities (lots of mozzies and sandflies, too). i Bring recovery gear, especially i Bribie is an easy to moderate if you are towing a camper off-road experience … great for trailer. The sand is soft and beginners, families or those deep. I got by with a pair of like me who just like things Maxtrax, a shovel and a tyre easy and quiet. deflator (but I was lucky).

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Fun Stuff to Do

on Bribie

i Watersports: Surﬁng, boby boarding, swimming on the beach side; and in Pumicestone Passage the water is fairly calm so it’s great for boating and ﬂoating.

i Flora and Fauna: Kangaroos, wallabies, emus, snakes, green tree frogs and dingos wander the island. Pumicestone Passage is a protected marine park providing a habitat for dugongs, turtles and dolphins. Mangrove and eucalypt forests, banksias and heathlands cover the interior.

i Bushwalking: The area north of Fort Bribie is closed to 4X4 traffic and only open to walkers. There is also a short walk to the old lighthouse site at i Fishing: In Pumicestone Lighthouse Reach. Passage you’ll find mangrove i History: Fort Bribie was jack, flathead, bream, constructed from 1939 to 1943 snapper, mulloway, trevally to protect Moreton Bay and and sweetlip. From the Brisbane from the invading beach, fish for dart, whiting Japanese during WWII. The ruins and flathead. of several gun emplacements, bunkers and huts remain.

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What We

Discovered

i It takes about three days for us to detox from using electronic devices.

i Four wheel driving is best done after lunch when the kids are a bit sleepy!

i When it rains, the James i If towing a camper trailer on Baroud rooftop tent stays dry Bribie, bring your recovery gear. – except for the lining around i We collected ﬂowers, bushes, the bottom of the tent where shells, rocks and feathers the seam is (this gets wet and and tried to identify them all soaks into the mattress a little). (since we missed a few days of school).

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OUTBACK GOURMET

MELTING

MOMENTS WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JO CLEWS

Melting moments are delicious, buttery, sweet crumbly biscuits that are just perfect to have with the morning cuppa … and by adding a little lemon juice to the icing sandwiched in the middle, you have a tangy citrus twist on an old favourite. Biscuits are not as diﬃcult to make in a camp oven as you might think. All it takes is quantities, temperatures and timing to get it right. Have a go! You just might surprise yourself.

Biscuit Dough method

Combine dry ingredients together in a bowl, add small pieces of butter to the dry ingredients and rub together with your ﬁngers until all ingredients form a ﬁrm but pliable dough. If dough appears too crumbly, add a couple more spoons of butter

until it all comes together. Roll teaspoon-size amounts into balls and place on a greased (or baking paper lined) baking tray that will fit inside your camp oven. Press dough flat with a fork and bake in a moderate camp oven on a low trivet, with coals scraped to the edges of the lid, for 12 to 15 minutes; then scrape the coals to the centre and cook for another few minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from tray and finish cooking the rest of the dough, making sure you cook an even number to join together.

ICING method

Mix the icing sugar together with enough lemon juice to make a stiﬀ icing mixture to spread on the biscuits.

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MAKES APPROX

15-20 FINISHED BISCUITS.

Tip.

Once the biscuits are cold, sandwich them together with a small amount of icing and dust with icing sugar.

i Low temperature is 120°C-160°C.

Tip. This basic dough can also make Sugar and Spice biscuits by rolling the dough balls in cinnamon sugar and flattening them on the baking tray with a fork; or use it for Jam Drops by making thumb indents in the flattened dough balls and filling them with a small amount of your favourite jam.

i Hot is 190°C-220°C.

Tip. Temperatures are important for baking, so invest in a BBQ temperature gauge to get an accurate temperature reading. Place the gauge in your oven for ﬁve minutes before starting to cook.

i Moderate is 170°C-190°C.

BISCUIT DOUGH i 2 cups of plain ﬂour i 1 cup of butter or margarine i ¾ of a cup of custard powder i ¾ of a cup of icing sugar ICING i 1½ cups icing sugar i Juice of one lemon i Salt to taste

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T BE

ANNOYING

THINGS EVERYBODY

NEEDS TO STOP DOING AT CAMP. WORDS BY EVAN SPENCE.

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CHECK OUT THE

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You all would have heard the saying ‘common sense isn’t so common’. Well unfortunately, when it comes to camping, I would have to agree sometimes. You see, I’m in the bush at least a week per month these days. Between product reviews, new vehicle tests and travel articles, my swag has become my best friend. And while

the vast majority of campers and four wheel drivers are like-minded folk who understand the privilege of land access, there are a few things a minority of campers do that really grind my gears. Here are nine things to keep doing if you no longer want a spot on my Christmas card list.

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DISRESPECTING THE AMENITIES

Toilet, BBQ or picnic amenities are an absolute blessing in the bush. They should be treated in the same way, if not better, than you would treat the facilities in your own house. My theory is to always pay it forward in life. Clean the BBQ plate after you’ve used it, leave a few rolls of toilet paper or some soap in the toilet block and pick up any rubbish you see … yes, even if it’s not yours. Someone has to clean up any mess left behind, and you can bet that any negative information surrounding the conditions of amenities will go straight back to the LEAVING authorities. The same authorities RUBBISH BEHIND that might then suddenly decide Here is another old saying for you: it would be cheaper and easier ‘If you can bring it out with you, to lock up a campsite than to then you can take it home with you maintain it. too’. Is it really that hard to bring a garbage bag or two away with you, If you are lucky enough and take your rubbish home? This to stay in a hut, leave it cleaner than you found it would have to be my biggest pet (unlike these campers). peeve. There is no excuse to litter. Also, when you pull into the closest town to the campsite you have been enjoying, have the courtesy to ask before dumping a week’s worth of rubbish at the local service station. In many cases, the garbage man doesn’t come once a week; nope, a private service will collect the skip bin at a cost. Basically, it’s not fair to expect other people to pay for the disposal of your good time garbage.

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PUTTING CANS IN FIRES

At what point of the evolution process, between caveman dragging their knuckles to the introduction of hybrid vehicles, did we as a society Loud music is acceptable decide it was an acceptable thing to at the Big Red Bash, throw cans into a fire? Seriously, who not the local family decided this is the right thing to do? campground. Most fires will not melt a can – so what you are left with is the charred remains LOUD of a squished piece of aluminium that MUSIC you will still need to pick up at the Most people love the end of your stay. Keep the carton the idea of some nice relaxing cans came in, squash the cans when music around the campfire, you are done consuming the liquid while enjoying the sights and goodness inside, and put them back sounds of a picturesque river into said carton for disposal at a later flowing by (for example). But date. Not the fire. This really couldn’t what sounds good to you could be easier. If you are lucky, you might actually be hell to others around even find a can recycling station on the you. Nobody needs to hear way home to dispose of the rubbish how awesome you are at singing and end up with a dollar-or-so back in Cold Chisel songs at 3.00am … or your pocket for your troubles. Hey, it anytime for that matter. Nor does beats taking cans home for recycling. that family next to you on their

This is what a ﬁreplace should look like the next morning; not a can in sight.

annual holiday appreciate you and your mates blasting gangster rap at full volume non-stop. Consideration of others will go a long way to ensure everybody has a good time. That isn’t to say you should leave your music at home. In fact I always bring an acoustic guitar and a portable speaker unit on my trips. Just don’t imagine that every person camping secretly wishes they were at a bush-doof instead of relaxing; and that you need to play the role of campsite DJ.

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CIRCLE WORK

That moment when you get a group of idiots together, then combine said idiots with truckloads of alcohol. Nine out of ten times (okay, that could be an exaggeration) someone will think it is a bright idea to start showing everyone how unpowerful their old HiLux is, and ‘cut some hoops’. Hey, what you do on private property is your own business – but nobody has the right to rip up land that belongs to everybody. Not to mention the possibility that someone could be walking by and easily get injured, or worse. I once camped next to a group who were drinking all day, and then decided to let loose around the campsite at 2.00am (naturally, with their headlights turned oﬀ). This was moments after my wife had left the tent to use the amenities. Needless to say, once I found her safely there were some words spoken to this group. Pro tip: Early mornings now become a great time to play your music loudly, if you ever camp next to a mob like this. They tend to get the message after a few minutes of Kenny G blasted at Level 11.

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INCONSIDERATE USE OF GENERATORS

I understand the need for generators, but I also feel there is a right and a wrong way to operate one. Nobody wants to hear the distant hum of a gennie all night long. If you do need to top up your batteries, think about doing so midmorning until mid-afternoon. And if possible, try and hide the generator away from other campers (or block it with your vehicle or equipment). Modern generators are becoming quieter and quieter, but that doesn’t mean 10.00pm is an appropriate time to ﬁre yours up so you can watch re-runs of ‘Neighbours’ on the telly someone decided to bring out bush.

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CAMPING TOO CLOSELY

Here I am telling Dex how to cook me breakfast, while he does all the work … don’t be that guy!

If littering is a main peeve in my life, people who pull up right next to my established campsite and start setting up as closely as possible would have to be a very close number two on the ‘WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?’ index. Hey, some campsites receive plenty of traffic – and it is a first-inbest-dressed policy. I get that. But when I am in an empty and expansive area miles from anywhere, and someone decides to start setting up their circus tent right in front of me … well I just KNOWING IT ALL can’t understand the logic! Feel free A helping hand is always welcome, to pop over for a beer and a chat, but nobody wants to be told what I’m always keen to talk to fellow they are doing wrong by a stranger outdoors people. I just don’t want to while they lean their grubby feel like I’m camping in a crowded clothes against your car and eat inner city loft … when in reality your snacks. Camping is all about the reason I head outdoors is to learning, and the experience gained get away from people, work, the from building a sustainable shelter electricity bill, and so on. while duking it out with Mother Nature. Having Mr Know-It-All bark Space can be tight at huge orders about how you are using off-road events; you have to your hammer wrong, or how you expect that. But a weekend bought the wrong brand of fireat a secluded campsite lighters to use with Australian should never look like this. hardwood, just isn’t going to do anything for anyone’s stress levels. My favourite line is: “Don’t tell me, show me.” Feel free to use that one the next time you meet up with Mr Know-It-All. History has proven people like this will either then leave you alone, or elect to make a fool of themselves once asked to prove their actions.

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LAZY PET OWNERS

I love campgrounds where dogs are welcome. A house isn’t a home without a dog, and the same applies with camping as far as I’m concerned. But for goodness sakes, some pet owners really need to take more responsibility for their pets. If the area you are camped in stipulates that dogs need to remain on leashes, keep your dog on a leash. And if your furry friend makes a mess, clean it up. On the other side, don’t forget to look after your pooch while you are away. Ensure it has enough food, water and shelter. Don’t just tie it to a tree and leave it there. Get the dog involved in your activities, and you will have a pet that will sleep for days while having those hilarious running dreams once back at home (dog owners will know what I’m talking about here).

Tell us the thing that most annoys

you about other campers?

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DOES YOUR 4X4

INSURAN Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

REALLY co

IN THE BUSH?

SO YOU’VE INSURED YOUR VEHICLE, TICKED THE ‘WILL BE USED OFF-ROAD’ BOX AND AGREED ON A VALUE – BUT CHANCES ARE YOU’RE NOT AS PROTECTED AS YOU THINK YOU ARE.

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Hydro-locking your engine is the stuﬀ of nightmares, but if you do need a ﬂatbed, recovery insurance is invaluable

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When it comes to insuring your four wheel drive, it’s usually easier just to renew your existing policy with your current company. But recently a few of the vehicles around the office came up against this and decided to do a bit of checking around. Y’see, we do a lot of off-road driving (funny that, working for an off-road mag and all) and if we’re going to suffer a major breakdown or vehicle-related incident, chances are it’s going to be a long way beyond the purview of your regular roadside assistance utes.

Interestingly, we found that while we could get coverage on gazetted roads (yeah right) without any drama, none of the major insurers in the country would offer us any sort of coverage on our camping gear, cameras, fridges or 4X4 accessories. In our case these things often have a higher value than our vehicles, so we went outside the main channels to see if we could find anyone who could help. Eventually we came across a mob called Club 4X4. If you’ve been to any of the major 4WD shows over the past few months you may have already seen these guys around. Don’t get us wrong, we usually find 4X4 insurance as exciting as rushhour traffic, but the way these guys do things is a little different … and we thought it was well worth bringing to your attention. NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Let’s say you want to do a big trip through Australia’s remote areas (like we all do). Call your insurance agent, let them know where you’ll be and what you’re taking with you and see what they say will be covered and where. Chances are if you’re on a non-gazetted road you’re uncovered; and if some lowlife breaks into your vehicle while you’re fuelling up and ﬂogs your camera, laptop, recovery gear or compressor, you’re probably not going to be getting much recompense from your friendly insurance company.

This is exactly the difference between Club 4X4 and the others. Gazetted, non-gazetted, cross-country – you’re covered. They also have what they call a ground-breaking agreed value concept that combines the value of the accessories and modifications on and in the vehicle as well as the value of the vehicle itself. As far as we could see, they’re the only insurance company in the country who offers this level of cover tailored specifically to four wheel drivers – which is pretty exciting, we reckon. Yes, we just used ‘exciting’ in an article about insurance. But still, it’s pretty cool to see we’re finally being catered for …

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Collector’s Items

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Camper trailer owners are catered for too

Everything in this photo is covered under the vehicle’s policy

WHAT ELSE THEY GOT? After a good couple of hours on the phone, we learned a whole lot about what this company oﬀers. And while we’re not exactly up on insurance jargon, we managed to boil it down for you guys. iOﬀ-road Recovery (this is incredibly useful). As part of a standard policy there is up to $1,500 coverage towards the cost of recovering your vehicle. Apparently Club 4X4 is the only place you can get this. And what’s more, larger coverage amounts (up to $30,000) are available.

Australia – even if they’re not in your vehicle at the time. iMulti-policy discount if you insure your camper trailer or slide-on camper once you’ve insured your rig. iGenerous vehicle hire cover. Club 4X4 oﬀers up to $180 a day for 21 days if your 4X4 is stolen, as well as oﬀering your choice of repairer – important for us enthusiasts. Additional coverage following loss or damage is also available

iClub 4X4’s call centre is based in Australia and staﬀed by 4X4 enthusiasts. The policies are underwritten by The Hollard Insurance Company (we iAustralia-wide coverage for your investigated and found they touring gear. Every basic policy underwrite other products like has up to $2,000 coverage for Real Insurance and Woolworths). accidental loss or damage to your personal eﬀects – anywhere in NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?

Obviously this one is tricky to answer as everyone will be diﬀerent and policies depend on dozens of factors. We rang and got a quote on one of our staﬀ GU Patrols. While it was a little more expensive than

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our current coverage, for the extra coverage that was available we though we’d go for it - I guess you get what you pay for. To ﬁnd out more on what they can oﬀer you, click the link to get your quote.

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REALLY C The big thing that sets this mob apart is they include all of your accessories, modiﬁcations, electrical and camping gear as part of the vehicle’s coverage – no other insurance company does this

LONG RANGE FUEL AND WATER TANKS

THE BIG TANK

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UNSEAL

READER

WAYNE’S 40 SERIES LANDCRUISER

Good to see one of the classic ‘Cruisers here, which Wayne tells us he’s had for almost 20 years now and built from the ground up himself. His 40 has been ﬁtted with a small-block Chevy engine and a T700 transmission. Wayne’s also got a soft-top and soft-doors, which can be zipped into halfdoors to give him extra visibility when he’s out on the tracks. After selling his camper a couple

of years ago, Wayne decided to build a custom trailer to get back that lost storage space. The matching paint job and tyres make this addition very enviable indeed…Whoever said you can’t ﬁt four people in a shorty just hasn’t tried. Good work, Wayne!

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LED 4X4

RS’ RIGS DAVE’S GU PATROL

Here we have Dave’s ‘pride and joy’, but to us common folk we’d call it a 2003 GU Patrol powered by a TD42-t. He’s had it since it was new and after 12 years, he’s still ﬁnding more mods to add to his already impressive list. He’s got a Twine shower, dual batteries, and dual fridges for when he’s setting oﬀ longer trips to the High Country or Beachport

to get his wheels on the sand. Dave and his partner’s last trip was a short 23,000km, ﬁvemonth trip up to the Kimberley and through WA passing by the Horizontal Falls, The Pilbara and Coral Coast and as many small towns as possible along the way. Great to see you using your fourby to collect some incredible memories on – and oﬀ – the road.

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UNSEALED 4X4

READERS’ RIGS

GRAHAME’S SUBURU FORESTER Now here’s one you don’t see on the track every day! We’ve got a 2003 Suburu Forester 2.5X that Grahame originally bought to replace his EH Holden Wagon but quickly mutated into his (ﬁrst) project car. It has raised King Springs plus 1in strutspacers from Subie Lift Oz, a front bar, rear bar with spare tyre mount and a bash plate, all

from Subaxtreme. He’s gone for slightly larger tyres with some 225/60R16s. Other additions include Narva Ultima 175 driving lights, a 2x3m awning, roof basket, Rhino Racks and a Rhino Rack shovel mount, and a Uniden UHF mounted on the dash. Grahame says it’s unstoppable on sand due to its light weight and serves him as a great little camping rig, and after reading that list of mods, we can’t say we have a reason to doubt him.

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• 36 x 3W LEDs producing 108 watts of power • Over 60 meter wide beam pattern out to 500 meters (driving configuration) • 912 meters @ 1 LUX (spot) - independently tested • Dual illumination background positioning lights • Hard coated impact & scratch resistant polycarbonate lens • Clear polycarbonate filter included • 5000K colour temperature • 10/36V DC input voltage

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UNSEALED 4X4

READERS’ RIGS EMAIL US HERE

We want to see your four wheel drive in Unsealed 4X4. So much so, that we are going to give you a six-month subscription to the Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures magazine just for sending in a picture of you and your 4X4. Every vehicle we publish will win!

GEORDIE’S JK WRANGLER

Geordie is what you might call a ‘reluctant’ Jeep owner. His wife was adamant that she wanted one and as it turns out, Geordie wouldn’t have it any other way. Their 2011 JK Wrangler has had very little done to it - mostly because it already seems to do just about everything he and his

wife want it to. The mods it has had include a 2in lift kit on the suspension and an ARB bullbar, rearbar and rear-wheel carrier. Geordie says he’s even had some Toyota drivers say they’d prefer to drive his wife’s Jeep, and by the looks of it, he’s got an enviable vehicle on his hands – well, at least his wife does.

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MYTHS

UNKED

THINGS YOU THOUGHT

WERE TRUE,

BUT ARE ALL LIES.

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If you hang around the oﬀ-road scene for long enough, you’ll hear a lot of opinion and conjecture on what works and what doesn’t regarding 4X4s. A lot of folks are damn sure that their way is the only way to get stuﬀ done, but the thing is, they’re not always

exactly right.

We thought we’d put together a list of eight common campﬁre statements that a lot of people accept as true, but are about as factually accurate as the sun rising in the west.

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Street Navigation

Hema 4WD Navigation

iGO NextGen mapping is so easy to use and looks fantastic! And with complimentary map updates for 1 year, you know you're getting the latest maps with your device!

Now you have the option of adding Topographical Mapping with Hema's entire collection of 4WD and Touring maps. So you have everything you need for your off-road adventures!

Watch our video to find out more!

Vehicle Compatibility

Watch our video to find out more!

Want to see what the Z-N720 will look like in your vehicle? Click on the links below.

Isuzu DMAX / MUX

Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series

Nissan Patrol

Toyota Landcruiser 100 Series

Ford Ranger

Toyota Landcruiser 200 Series

Toyota Prado 120 Series

Toyota Hilux

Toyota Prado 150 Series GXL

Volkswagen Amarok

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FRONT AUTO LOCKERS RESULT IN NO STEERING

Auto lockers work when they’re under load, or in other words, when you’re depressing the accelerator pedal. By Auto lockers have long been accelerating into a corner a favourite among the budget and coasting through it, you conscious, however there’s a bit allow the diﬀ to operate as it’s of a stigma surrounding them meant to (usually with the clank that they rob you of your steering and bang that goes with auto ability when negotiating tight lockers) and you can negotiate tracks. While it is true to a degree, even the tightest tracks without it can be gotten around with a having to back up and try again. slight alteration to driving style.

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The Name in the Outback Touring Market

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IFS IS NO GOOD OFF-ROAD

When you’re talking rock crawling, sure, IFS is more diﬃcult to make work over a solid front axle. The truth of the matter is though, for most of us, crawling takes up very little of the time we spend in the bush. When driving over corrugations or high speed dirt sections, IFS is generally a lot comﬁer and even if you do manage to lift a wheel when navigating a particularly hairy section of track, modern traction control or a good old fashioned front locker will solve all of your problems. IFS is the way of the future, and even competition-level four wheel drives are embracing its many advantages. Move with the times and realise that IFS is much better than a solid axle in most situations.

vistarv.com.au

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ALLOY RADIATORS RUN COOLER THAN COPPER ONES

This one comes down to thermal efficiency. Put simply, for equalsized radiators - one made from alloy, the other from copper - the copper one will disperse heat better and allow your engine to run cooler. Of course, you could always fit a larger surface area aftermarket alloy radiator which will result in better cooling, but again, that’s because the larger size makes it more thermally efficient, not because alloy is better than copper.

COLDER THERMOSTATS EQUAL MORE POWER

This one is an old trick, but the myth still seems to be prevalent on modern motors. By running a colder thermostat (that is, it opens more quickly as the engine warms up) your motor will make more power. The theory is that a cooler engine runs more eﬃciently and can make more power, but the truth is that every engine is designed to warm up to an optimum operating temperature before the thermostat opens. There’s a whole bunch of good reasons the factory engineers designed it this way, and messing with your engine’s operating temperature is usually a recipe for disaster.

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MYTHS 5

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TALLER SUSPENSION RESULTS IN MORE TRAVEL

Longer springs and shock absorbers means there’s more room for your wheels to travel up and down within the guards right? Er, not exactly, no. On a leaf-sprung rig, taller leaves are actually stiffer than flat ones and will decrease your suspension’s ability to move. On coil-sprung 4X4s the travel is determined only up to a point by the length of the coils and shocks. The rest of the available articulation comes down to the geometry of the trailing and control arms. If your suspension arm bushes are binding, the travel will be severely limited and the bush-life radically decreased. A 2-3in lift is more than enough for anyone who’s not a competition driver, and will easily allow you to fit taller tyres without unnecessarily raising your centre of gravity.

WIRE WINCH CABLE IS STRONGER

You can kinda see the logic here. A spiralled wire cable would seem a lot stronger than some superlightweight synthetic rope right? Actually, synthetic rope is just as strong, if not stronger than the much more dangerous wire cable. I won’t pretend to understand the science behind it but some chemical engineer who’s way smarter than I am has put in the hard yards and made it happen. When you consider that synthetic rope takes a whole lot of danger out of winch recoveries, there’s really very little reason not to be running it I reckon.

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AWD IS THE SAME THING AS 4WD

This is usually rolled out by those who drive All-Wheel Drive SUVs (not that there’s anything wrong with that). In the real world, AWD may function in a similar fashion to 4WD, but unless you can lock the centre diﬀ it’ll never do the job nearly as well when the going gets rough. Sorry all you Forester guys, but there’s just no getting around that fact.

AWD vehicles have an open centre diff (just like full-time 4WD vehicles like Range Rovers and LandCruisers), but they are unable to lock this centre-diff (whereas Rangies and ‘Cruisers can). What does this mean in the real world? Just like with unlocked diffs everywhere, the rotational force put out by the engine-gearbox-transfer case will follow the path of least resistance, so despite having an AWD badge on your tailgate, there’s a good chance that when you’re in the rough stuff, you’re actually going to be getting drive to your front or back axle only.

MUD TERRAIN TYRES ARE BETTER OFF-ROAD

This may have been true twenty years ago, but tyre technology has come a hell of a long way in that time and these days All-Terrain tyres are pretty hard to beat as all-rounders. Even if you’re chasing something a little more aggressive, you can still latch onto some AT/ MT hybrid tyres to get highway smoothness and excellent wear characteristics but still plenty of traction when the going gets slippery. It’s a great time to be a four wheel driver – the options are limitless!

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WHA

WHEN

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AT TO DO

N IT RAINS 10 WAYS TO KEEP THE KIDS ENTERTAINED WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE CLOUDS TO CLEAR. WORDS BY CHRISTINA WILES ROGERS.

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When the rain sets in, your perfectly planned camping trip can turn into a disaster in a matter of moments. But cloudy days and wet weather can’t completely ruin your holiday if you plan for such drawbacks and learn to accept the unpredictability of the weather. Plus, surprisingly, you can have fun in the rain! Here are 10 tips for rainy day success.

Pack rain gear

When packing, tell yourself that you won’t actually need it. But in reality, ponchos are great; and if it’s cold, make sure you bring something warm and waterproof (I have found that even rubbish bags will do). That way, you can still go outside and not be drenched. If it’s raining oﬀ and on, or anything besides a downpour, you can still do heaps in the rain – it’s just water!

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Bring shelter

We have a rooftop tent, so hiding in there while it rains isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an option. Pack a second tent large enough for play only; or use an awning or gazebo to shelter under. Camper trailers and caravans are made for rain. Camping always requires disaster planning to a certain degree, so be sure and come prepared.

EN IT RAIN Talk to the experts. Call us today on 03 9464 7727

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Dancing in the rain

Opt for rainy day craziness and put on your togs. My kids love to run around in the rain and splash in puddles. If it’s warm enough, let them go nuts. Turn your tarp into a slippery slide!

Pull out the iPad

Electronic devices will save your bacon. I don’t like to let my kids play on them if it’s sunny out; but when it’s pouring, sometimes you don’t have any other option.

Hit the toy bag

I make my kids pack a toy bag on each trip … with Lego, board games, packs of cards, colouring books, craft, water guns and other toys they enjoy playing with. I make it their responsibility. It’s the ﬁrst thing they do when I tell them we’re going camping!

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Old-fashioned fun

Games like Charades, I Spy, Hide and Seek, Chinese Whispers, Duck, Duck Goose and talent shows are all great ways to get the family together and spend quality time having fun.

Run for the hills

Story time

My kids love a good yarn. Books on tape (via a great app called Audible) are not only awesome for driving time, but can be used when it’s wet as well. Books are great too – hit the local library and see what you can discover there to pass the time.

If it’s set in and going to rain for days, sometimes it’s better to just give up. Check the local weather and don’t be afraid to move your camp elsewhere. If you’re in the middle of a storm on the beach, it may well be conﬁned to the coast and the hinterland will still be sunny – so go exploring!

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Make friends

Chances are if you’re trying to ﬁgure out what to do in the bad weather, so are your neighbours. Get together and form a rainy day tribe. Your kids will be entertained by the other kids, and it’s always good to have adults to commiserate with.

Go 4WDing!

Water makes tracks heaps more interesting … more puddles to splash through, mud on the tyres, partial visibility; what more could you want? It goes without saying that we’re not advocating tearing up tracks here though. Always tread lightly!

Any great tips for camping in the rain? Let us know what works for your clan! Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

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THE EDITOR

YOU DR

Dex. It seems to me that a lot of four wheel drivers are pretty brand loyal. Cries of “You never would have got stuck if you drove a Patrol, mate;” and “My Prado goes everywhere the big boys do!” are commonly heard around campfires all over the country. And you know what? It’s not a bad thing at all to be proud of what you drive and the modifications you’ve made to your steed. But to be honest, I do think it’s kinda stupid to think your particular 4X4 is better than anyone else’s … and worse, to constantly remind everyone of the fact. I mean, I’m really glad your 4X4 is the best at everything and all; but I can’t say I really care. As someone who’s owned and modified at least one of the big five brands, as well as a couple of the more obscure ones, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You ready? Here it comes: They’re all good. Y’see, driving off-road is always a compromise. What works well for you may not suit the next person

WHA

nearly as well. Believe me, if all I’m ever trying to navigate are tight, overgrown, rocky tracks then I would drive rings around Patrols and ’Cruisers in a little Suzuki Sierra or Jimny, and revel in the nimble handling and tiny wheelbase while those bigger vehicles scratched up their paintwork and had to perform 30-point turns at every bend in the track. Likewise if I’m only ever going to drive on the beach I’d get a lightweight, high-revving petrolengined fourby that would make dune driving a blast – rather than trying to lug a smoky old diesel through the soft stuff. Corrugations? A nice long wheelbase and compliant springs and quality shocks … you get the idea. Of course, we all drive lots of different terrains all over the country. One size is never going to fit all. Yes, Nissan’s drivetrain strength is legendary; but their ride quality and NVH levels are miles behind Toyota or any European brand. Yep, LandCruisers and HiLuxes are chock-full of Toyota

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R’S COLUMN

RIVE A

HAT?

reliability – but I can write you a litany of problems I’ve had with them in the past. For sure, dual-cabs are possibly among the most versatile vehicles you can get, but they can’t carry much (and if you try to, enjoy your bent chassis).

had ‘read online once’ that they were rubbish. I’d simply compliment whatever they were driving and continue up the track, usually while they tried to work out how to winch themselves where I’d just idled up.

Brand loyalty may have had its place 30 years ago; but let’s be honest, The point is, it doesn’t matter what when truly comparing apples with you drive. At all. apples, all 4X4s are pretty bloody All that matters is you work out what good these days. I wonder what you want from your rig, choose the all those people with ‘so-and-so one that ticks the most boxes (for recovery vehicle’ stickers think you) and modify it accordingly until when they’re being snatched out of you’re happy. Get out there and use a mudhole by a ‘so-and-so’? I don’t it. I can’t tell you how much grief know about you, but the whole thing I used to cop driving my old Land just seems silly. Get your hand oﬀ it Rover Discovery (which incidentally is and go for a drive. still one of the most reliable vehicles Dex. I’ve ever owned) from people who

WHAT DO YOU GUYS RECKON, IS BRAND LOYALTY A GOOD OR BAD THING? Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

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10BUYIN

CHEAP

SUCK

THIS ISSUE W TAKING A LOOK ACTUALLY GOES WITH BUDGET AND WHY IT’S FRIENDLY O HIP POCK

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NG P

WE’RE K AT WHAT ES WRONG T GEAR, S NOT SO ON THE KET.

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It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to realise the 4X4 accessory landscape has changed dramatically in the last 10 years thanks, in no small part, to wave after wave of budget oriented gear. It’s eﬀectively drawn the line in the sand. Those on the budget side shouting from the rooftops that the only diﬀerence is a price tag, or that you’re paying for the brand name. Those on the expensive side convincing themselves that every extra dollar they spend somehow translates into a better item. As with most things in life the truth often ends up landing somewhere in the middle. We thought we should shine the spotlight on cheap gear and

how it often doesn’t represent the bargain it’s claimed to be. Before the expensive crowd puff their chests out too far it’s important to note that when we talk about cheap it’s irrelevant of price tag, more along the lines of quality. After all, if Ferrari started re-badging Hyundais and charging $250K for them they’re not going to get any better. It all ultimately rests on the shoulders of the savvy buyer. In some situations, budget gear is where the smart money goes, in others, you really do get what you pay for. We’re by no means telling anyone to go out and buy a $300 tyre deflator. But if 90% of tyre deflators are $50-$60 and one pops up for $5 you’ve gotta wonder why…

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Let’s Go Jayco!

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Visit whatsupdownunder.com.au/letsgojayco for full terms and conditions.

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Snatch straps

before the stitching. The logic is, if the strap is the strongest link As our recent snatch strap it won’t have enough give in it to comparison shows, not actually stretch and function as all straps are created equal. a snatch strap. In cheaper straps And while it’s one of the rare it’s often the stitching which purchases where you actually do gives way ﬁrst. This means two get a better product the more things, either the stitching just you spend it’s important to know isn’t up to scratch, or that the what actually does go wrong strap material is too tough and with the cheaper gear. Although doesn’t really function like it’s it may seem counter-intuitive intended to, either one isn’t a the strap material should fail good option. NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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Winches

a complete failure of a brake system sending a 105 Series How many pages do we LandCruiser flying back down the have for this article again? rock ledge it was climbing. For the It’s easy to point to numerous job they do, a low-mount winch is failures in cheaper winches. Poor incredibly small. There’s no room waterproofing, cheap electronics to over-engineer components and poor material construction so poor construction and design all plague the lower end of the always shows through, no matter market. But undoubtedly the how many free light bars they worst flaw we’ve ever seen come with. from a budget winch has been NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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LED Lighting

Look, we all know that cheap light bars don’t perform anything like the high end gear, but for the majority of four-wheel drivers it’s still more light than they’ll ever need. The real issues aﬀecting most buyers is simply the build quality and poor design. The most obvious is dropping an LED due to

overheating, component failure, or even water ingress due to a poor housing design. An often overlooked ﬂaw is the actual mounting system themselves. We’ve even seen lights designed with smooth faces on both the light and the mount, meaning even the smallest corrugations would see the light pointing skyward; at least they’re cheap right?

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Barwork

If you’re getting shot at would you pick up the best bulletproof vest money can buy, or would you grab the vest that comes with a free UHF? Bullbars aren’t just designed to give you a handy spot to mount your driving lights and antenna. They see serious loads through winching, recoveries, and in some cases animal strikes, your life literally depends on them.

The harsh truth is companies ordering their barwork oﬀ Alibaba aren’t getting gear that’s been designed to meet Australian Standards, let alone the forces seen in a serious situation. Cheap steel, undersized material, and poor design can cause bullbars to crumple when impacted, rust through the thin powder coat and buckle when winching. No thanks.

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Swags/tents

If there’s one thing that grinds my gears with cheap swags, it’s the crappy poles most of them seem to come with. They might look the part, but you know it’s not long until they let you down and ruin your whole weekend. They’re

often made of inferior materials making them less ﬂexible and more likely to snap. Combine that with low GSM canvas and you’re left with a tent or swag that’ll be cold in winter, hot in summer, full of holes, and saggier than a simile I’m not allowed to make if I want to continue working here.

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Sleeping bags

The trick to staying warm is creating air gaps. Air is horrendously ineﬃcient at transferring heat (which is why air cooled engines are dying out). So by creating an air gap you can keep something insulated without adding any weight. Most sleeping bags work on this principal with two layers of material and a gap between them. The gap is

normally stuffed with material to keep the gap there, but the principal still stands. Cheap sleeping bags keep this stuffing in place by sewing little squares into the two layers. The problem with this is it creates a path for heat transfer to soak through, and your body temperature to soak out. Higher end gear uses internal baffling, keeps the stuffing in place without creating the thermal weak spots.

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Tyres

It’s important we state right now when we’re talking cheap tyres we don’t mean anyone who isn’t an advertiser, we’re talking about the bargain basement eBay tyres that are starting to pop up with an assortment of letters on the side where there should be a brand name. There’s only so much money you can save in raw materials. When the tyre you’re looking at costs half the price of the name brands you’ve got to ask how. Unfortunately, the answer is often the design and construction. Inferior design can lead to performance issues like poor handling in wet, lack of grip in mud, excessive drone, and poor tyre wear. Cheap construction is where things get deadly with the potential for tyres to delaminate sending you sideways into traﬃc with nothing more than the eBay complaints department to try and get your money back.

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High-lift jacks

Using a high-lift jack is an inherently dangerous task at the best of times. They’ve got narrow footings and lift a whole heap of weight precariously on the end of a thin shaft. Things

get even worse when the jack doesn’t work smoothly. In cheaper versions the lifting mechanism can jam or become stiﬀ, normally at the worst possible time. The I-beam can also bend causing the jack to be even less stable and jam the lifting mechanism as it cycles.

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Tyre deflatorS

We touched on tyre construction and the dangers of running pressures too low last issue. So it should come as no surprise one of these tips directly relates to running tyres too low. Cheap gauges are manufactured with cheap

tolerances. They’re simply not accurate enough to give you a true reading accurate to 1psi. The poor tolerances and construction means over time they can become even less accurate, so even if you had it dialled in from the start there’s no telling what pressures they’ll be reading 12 months later. Not a good way to save $30.

Read our tyre deflator

comparison here

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Exhausts

exhausts for a 2.5L 4 cylinder Mitubishi Triton as they are for a Exhausts are a tricky 4.5L V8 twin-turbo LandCruiser? thing to get right. Pretend for a second that both Even a 0.25in change in pipe those vehicles need the exact diameter can not only affect same specifications for maximum how much power your engine power and driveability, or that makes, but where in the rev they both sound best with that range it makes it. And that’s not size exhaust, it’d take a special even going into the concerns of kind of mental gymnastics to emissions and droning. think that every single 4X4 on the So we have to ask. Why are there market works best with those companies offering the same size specs. Cheap exhausts simply don’t work the best that they can. NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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To many oﬀ-roaders the Jeep brand remains a mystery. There seems to be a divide between those that love them and those that dislike them in equal measure. Whatever side of the fence you ﬁnd yourself on, it has to be agreed that the popular US marque produces some very rugged and relatively unchanged designs, particularly in the Wrangler and Rubicon. It also cannot be denied that on the back of such a strong US following there is every piece of aftermarket kit imaginable

in order to customise your Jeep to your speciﬁc needs. They’re essentially a blank canvas that you can build just about anything out of, from an all-round touring rig to a lifted and locked monster… or, as the owner of this particular Wrangler Rubicon has done, a little from column A, and a little from column B. Regardless of whether you love or loathe the ‘Jeep thing’, it’s hard to argue with the fact that this is one well setup touring weapon. Let’s take a look at how it came together…

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Mark reckons the Pentastar V6 is a great motor that returns plenty of power and reasonable fuel economy

THE OWNER Meet Mark Sorenson. He works in an abattoir and is one of the most passionate 4X4 tourers out there. He loves nothing more than to travel our most beautiful outback destinations, no matter how much blacktop he has to hit to get there, and has built up his Rubicon JK to suit his requirements and destinations just perfectly. So, why Jeep and what mods has he carried out in order to travel solo with no limits? Mark actually purchased the very ďŹ rst of the new generation 3.6L

Pentastar powered Rubicons in Australia. In fact he had trouble registering it, as the VIN was not recognized on the Aussie system! Just as one may like Nissan, one may like Toyota and one may like Land Rover or any number of available well-built 4X4s Mark has a childhood passion for the old Jeep. Knowing it was only to be the base of a reliable and capable build he soon embarked on a journey of strengthening and improving, not unlike what any other four-wheel driver would do.

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THE 4x4 When it comes to Jeep Wranglers, the pick of the bunch is undoubtedly the Rubicon models. Named after the famous Rubicon Trail in the States, these things are one of the most capable outof-the-box four-wheel drives on the planet – there’s a good reason they’re the most popular 4X4 in the land of fully automatic handguns and gallon milkshakes. Apart from the Rubicon stickers, they look

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If you’re serious about your oﬀ-road driving, the Rubicon is a great base to build from

identical to other Wranglers, but, as they say, the devil is in the details…or should that be differentials? The Rubicons come from the factory with front and rear Dana 44 diffs, which are exponentially beefier than the usual units. They also feature electric lockers, and 4.1 gearing, making them just about perfect for off-road use straight out of the gates. The ‘Rubies’ also have much

lower transfer case gearing, rock sliders, removable doors and 32in muddies, all from stock – they’re practically begging you to take them into the rough stuﬀ. But even with all this capability available with a turn of a key, it wasn’t enough for Mark. While the Jeep engineers had done an admirable job, things just weren’t up to his own standards, so he took matters into his own hands…

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THE modifications The factory suspension was quickly binned and replaced with an AEV 3.5in Premium lift complimented with Bilstein shocks and Offroad Evolution lower control arms. Rear airbags were installed along with a very notable and Mark-designed airflow valve proportioning system to enable cross-flow of air in the

The exhaust tip is all the proof needed to know this Jeep actually gets used oﬀ-road. Note the ARB diﬀ cover

The rear cab is still a work in progress, although it’s already pretty well sorted with an Outback roller drawer and Ironman 4X4 fridge

The swaybar quick-disconnects oﬀer a lot more wheel travel at the pull of a pin

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4 rear air bags to improve rear end flex – and hence improved ground-tyre contact. Having owned many 4X4s in the past Mark knew the importance of protecting the underbelly so EVO lower control arm skid plates and full belly protection kit was next on the list along with ARB differential front covers. The factory rolling stock was replaced with 315/70/17 Pro Comp tyres mounted to Savegre alloy rims. According to him a much more reliable and suitable style of tyre for driving the tougher tracks. With the adjustment to ride height Mark was aware the steering was going to be affected so he installed an AEV high steer modification kit, taking the stress off driveline and steering components. A separate Pro Comp front driveshaft was also added

The Jeep interior is fairly utilitarian, but the leather seats offer plenty of comfort over longer hauls

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Built for exploring everything from the High Country to the Cape in comfort and, let’s face it, style

for strength and correction of pinion angles. Like any other vehicle, for every one modiﬁcation you have to make three more before it works. With the modiﬁcation list

already sounding the alarm of cash registers (don’t we all know it!) it was without hesitation the factory rear axles were replaced with Pro Comp chromoly items mated up to the tough factory front and rear diﬀerential

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lockers, Mark has at times had to put some serious lean on the driveline towing his camper out of some very wet and slippery campsites in the Victorian High Country and up the Cape and has experienced no mechanical

issues whatsoever. As mentioned, there is no denying the fact that Jeep has got some of the setup right for serious oďŹ&#x20AC;-road driving right from the factory. The barwork

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is particularly notable. Mark opted for the factory optioned Mopar bullbar, rock sliders and rear bar. Now these are some serious pieces of equipment capable of handling the most serious knocks. Next on the list of many is lighting - or turning night into day. A Baja 52in lightbar dominates the rooﬂine. Fitted on a Rugged Ridge mount it throws out enough light to tackle tracks with conﬁdence when he

arrives late into a campsite, which is often the case, as he regularly spends hours in any particularly beautiful scenic place along the way taking in our natural landscapes. Enjoying our remote places has taught Mark how to travel comfortably and safely. With this in mind the interior copped a 300W Inverter has been installed along with 12V USB and cig lighter type ports

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The AEV suspension has no shortage of ﬂex – and that’s with the swaybar still connected

throughout the cabin to suit off-road navigation, phone and charging devices. An 80 channel UHF is fitted along with dual battery monitoring and multiple Anderson plugs. The rear cabin is still a work in progress but is currently decked out with Outback rear drawers, portable fire extinguisher and multiple 12V outlets and light switches along with a fridge and slide.

It is comforting to know that no matter what you drive there are dedicated individuals out there that create their own ‘Nirvana’ no matter what platform they start with. That is the beauty of oﬀ-roading, we all share the same common interest and passion. Next time you cross paths with a Jeep owner make sure to wave and say G’day, we are all the same at the end of the day, only with diﬀerent tools!

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4X4 BOX

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4X4 BOX OFFICE

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ROAD AND TR

GOT A TRACK UPDATE FOR US? If you see or hear of any road or track closures due to weather or restricted vehicle access, get in touch with us so we can let the rest of the four wheel drive community know. editor@unsealed4x4.com.au

VICTORIAN HIGH COUNTRY

It looks as though now is a great time to visit the High Country with no serious rain and the tracks looking to be in generally good condition overall. The only closure that we’ve heard about is Haunted Stream over the Wentworth side of the High Country but everything else remains open. If you’re planning a trip down this way, things are looking pretty good. As always though, the High Country weather can turn in the blink of an eye so make sure you check the weather reports before you head out.

WHAT’S HA

IN YOUR NECK O

TASMANIA

We spoke to Zac from North West Off Road in Spreyton to get the latest on the Tassie track conditions. “The tracks are starting to dry up after some recent rains,” he tells us. “The ArthurPieman tracks remain closed until further notice but apart from that everything else is open. As usual, it’s a good idea to take care on the Balfour and the more difficult tracks on the West Coast, but there’s nothing that most four wheel drives can’t handle. My pick of the destinations to get to in Tassie this summer is the Arthur River area, which I reckon offers some of the best camping and scenery in the country.”

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RACK REPORT

APPENING

OF THE WOODS? FRASER ISLAND

For those planning on taking the tinny onto the island, the Another favourite summer Ungowa boat ramp is closed to destination, Fraser Island has all vehicles and pedestrians until had a bit of rain lately but there’s further notice. Keep in mind still plenty to see and do up this that, as with any beach driving, way. The Moon Point to Happy conditions change daily with Valley road is closed west of the tides – exposed coffee rock, the Bullock road intersection eroded beaches and washed up and the Southern road south of debris should all be looked Buff Creek, including the access out for when driving either point to Buff Creek and Garrys side of the tide. Anchorage, is also off limits.

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