Trip Report: A Rant & A Rave...

It was the perfect start to the week. The Hema map was folded open, Memory-Map (an Android GPS app) was loaded with the NSW topographical 25K map and a website loaded highlighting GPS tracks in the area zoned for the upcoming weekend 4x4 trip.

It's winter in the Southern Hemisphere so the enthusiasm by the extended group to head into remote areas camping was rather limited which resulted in only two vehicles (a Jeep Rubicon & a Land Cruiser Prado) departing Friday evening for a remote camping spot in the Jenolan State Forest.

This was to be our third trip to Jenolan having first found the camping spot back in 2012 and again in 2013.

A message to all those who love bushcamping... remember those who follow!

Trip Report: Fraser Island 2014

Known as the worlds largest sand island, Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia is one of Australia's iconic 4wd destinations... It's a destination for the whole family with enough activities to keep everyone entertained.
Here's an update on my newbie experience of Fraser Island...

Pajero & Prado at the Maheno Wreck

Trip Report - Abercrombie River National Park

Held together with Duct Tape, the 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser 60-series, fitted with the 4.0L diesel engine, had clocked over 700,000km.

Toyota Land Cruiser 60-Series

Its leaf suspension flexed as it kept pace with a new Jeep Rubicon mounted on 35” mud terrain tyres as we traced fire Trails around NSW Central tablelands Abercrombie River National Park.  Gazetted in 1994, this park protects the largest intact patch of open forest in the area and offered us an exciting weekend away traveling the steep fire trails and exploring the various campsites.

Trip Report: Family Long Weekend

"It always rains on the Easter weekend in Australia" stated a friend of mine as we discussed the various options for the long weekend. Traffic chaos was guaranteed if we opted for the rural campsites along the NSW coast line, so we decided on a route heading inland towards the Blue Mountains, in particular, the Newnes State Forest bordering the Wollemi National Park.

There are not many roads left in Australia that the Google Street car has not visited and I wanted to make sure we evaded those roads and followed alternative routes inland.
4x4 Earth Australia was my starting point. The website allows people to upload and download GPS routes across the country. I spent a few hours searching all the tracks until I had successfully downloaded a few that intersected my journey to the remote campsite. The route I opted for covered unsealed roads, fire tracks and potentially a few minor tracks linking the various fire roads.

Dust on the Dashboard - a micro-overland adventure

Gibraltar Rocks Fire Trail

Dust on the Dashboard - The phrase I use when the travel conditions have met my craving for a sense of adventure.  This past weekend fulfilled that craving for a micro-overland adventure.

Alastair Humphreys coined the term microadventures, which I think sums up short overland adventures nicely:

They may be small but microadventures can still be challenging and rewarding. Each one is designed to inspire others to set their own challenges, challenges which may be short but which grasp the spirit of adventure.
This is the goal of my microadventures.