About Me and Why I Started 4x4 Tips.com
My first 4x4 adventure was in 2003 when I crossed the Atacama Desert from Chile to Bolivia. That was an unforgettable trip, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. The combination of the stark beauty of the desert and the freedom and sense of adventure offered by a 4x4 really struck a chord with me.
The Atacama Desert, Bolivia.
Not a good place to have tire trouble.
Who said Landcruisers were tough? Busted front shock mount on our 80 series,
held together with some leather strap. It worked. Kind of.
After that first trip I wanted to do a lot more of that sort of thing, buy my own 4wd in Australia and explore the Outback. But I had a problem. I was working a minimum of 60 hours a week in my job, and often more than 80 hours a week. And I went for a few years without taking any annual leave, and when I did take some, I didn't take any more than 2 weeks a year. (The annual leave thing was kind of my fault, because I was the boss. I guess I was a workaholic.)
I kept at that job for a few years because I had worked hard to get where I was, but by early 2011 I wasn't enjoying it like I used to. I realised that there were many things I wanted to do in life, but the longer I stayed in my job, the longer it would be before I could do all these "other things". After working for the same company for 13 years I quit my job and decided to take a year off work.
The first thing I wanted to do was go on a 4x4 adventure in the Australian Outback. I bought a 4x4, a process that I found pretty easy because I've been interested in performance cars and bikes all my life and I'm fairly mechanically minded. I purchased a second hand Nissan Patrol that you will see in various photos on this site. I might write a separate page about the Patrol at some point.
The next thing I had to do was plan my trip and acquire everything I needed for it. I love planning and I'm a compulsive researcher. One thing I didn't find easy was working out what I needed to take. Recovery gear, tools, spare parts, 4x4 accessories, camping equipment - the list was huge. I went to a few 4x4 accessory stores and explained the sort of trip I was doing and then the salesperson proceeded to show me half the store and said I needed it all! Well, I didn't buy everything they said I needed, I spent a lot of time researching and thinking about things, and then bought what I thought I needed.
As it turned out I did a pretty good job of fitting out my 4x4 as on my trip I was never short of anything, and there are only one or two items which I haven't used and don't think I'll need in the future.
My "big trip" started in March 2011 on the Tweed Coast (Northern New South Wales) and took me through western Queensland (Winton, Longreach, Windorah) to Innamincka, South Australia. From there I had originally planned to go north through the corner country to Birdsville, detour into the Simpson Desert and then down the Birdsville track to Marree. There had been massive rainfall over much of the Outback in early 2011 due to Tropical Cyclone Yasi, which crossed the Queensland coast and then proceed right across Australia, dumping massive amounts of rain as it went. This was both a good and bad for me. The flooded rivers and creeks meant I couldn't get to some of the places I wanted to (Birdsville and the Simpson Desert in particular), but on the up side the deserts were the greenest they've been in decades. Many people have never seen what the Australian Outback looks like after so much rain.
The Cooper Creek over the causeway at Innamincka. It was over 100 metres wide and
several metres deep. This is the road from Innamincka to Birdsville.
Bogged on the Bore Track, near Cameron Corner (where the borders of Queensland,
South Australia and New South Wales intersect.) The clay was incredibly sticky
and almost impossible to dig, but I got out easily by using my Maxtrax.
I changed my plans and headed south to the Flinders Ranges, which was fantastic. If you're after beautiful scenery and great off-roading that's not too far from a capital city, I highly recommend the Flinders Ranges area.
Exploring a gorge in the Flinders Ranges
From there I went north to Maree, up the Oodnadatta track to Oodnadatta, then across to Coober Pedy.
I wasn't able to drive the Birdsville Track but I was able to fly over it. This is the
punt that ferries cars over the flooded section. It was not operating at the time.
Lake Eyre at about 80% full. The pink colour is caused by the presence of
beta-Carotene, which is generated by algae.
From Coober Pedy I took the Anne Beadell Highway across the Great Victoria Desert to Laverton, Western Australia. The Anne Beadell Highway is not really a highway, in fact it barely qualifies as a track in some places! It was made by Len Beadell and the famous Gunbarrel Road Construction Party in the 1950s and 60s. Len named many of the roads/tracks he made after his family (Anne was his wife) and had a habit of calling them highways. Len Beadell is regarded by many as the last true Australian explorer.
The Anne Beadell Hwy was, without doubt, the most memorable and enjoyable part of that trip. It's 1300km from Coober Pedy to Laverton, with only 1 fuel/supply stop at Ilkurlka. I didn't come across any other vehicles along the way. From the Coober Pedy end you pass through the Tallaringa Conservation Park, the Woomera Prohibited Area (part of the Woomera Rocket Range), Maralinga (where atomic bombs were tested in the 1950s - still slightly radioactive), The Mamungari Conservation Park, the SA/WA state border and the Spinifex Native Title Area.
That's me, near the SA/WA border, Great Victoria Desert.
The terrain is mostly permanent sand dunes, but there as also some sections of corrugated dirt tracks (the roughest I've ever experienced), sandy creek beds, and a few rocky/washed out sections. The driving is not super difficult but you have to keep your wits about you, because any help is a long way away.
The scenery is very varied, from spinifex dunes to clay pans to mallee scrub. Kangaroos and emus are almost non-existent due to the lack of water. There are plenty of reptiles, birds and camels however. I think it's the combination of everything; the off-road driving, the remoteness, the flora and fauna and the sense of adventure that made me enjoy it so much. I also felt very privileged to see a part of Australia that very few people get to see.
I saw some interesting wildlife along the way. This is a Thorny Devil (Moloch).
After that trip I realised I knew a bit about 4x4s and off-road driving. When I was planning it, I was looking for a good resource about 4x4 tips and techniques, which accessories were needed, how to plan a big 4x4 adventure etc.. But all the websites I found were either just trying to sell their products, or only had superficial information. That's why I started 4x4tips.com
I decided to base myself in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Kalgoorlie is known as the Golden City due to the large amount of gold mining in the area. With a population of 30,000 it is also the largest city in the Australian Outback. I was planning to head up north through the Pilbara and Kimberley, as I had a friend who lived in Port Hedland. But then he quit his job and moved back to Brisbane, so I scratched that idea for now. I'm sure I'll head up to the Kimberley in the future.
I recently took up the hobby of gold prospecting, which I really enjoy. It involves walking around the bush with a metal detector until you find some gold. When you do it is very exciting! The places I go are a long way out of town (and top secret!) and require some off-road driving (sometimes very rough) to get to. I generally camp out for 3 or 4 days at a time.
When I'm not out prospecting I divide my time between renovating my house, and planning my next big 4x4 adventure. As I write this in August 2011, that will be a trip to the Red Centre (Northern Territory). You'll be able to read about it elsewhere on this site.
I hope you find 4x4tips.com to be a useful resource. If you have any feedback or comments, please click on "Contact Me" on the navigation menu at the top left of any page. I'd love to hear from you.
Regards,
Joel
