This "Mum's Taxi" could be your next expedition 4wd...

It might be a well known "mum's taxi" but have you considered the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado as your expedition vehicle?

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado D-4D

We all know about the Land Cruiser Troopy, the popular 80-Series but what about the 120-Series as a vehicle option for overland travel?
Stacked within the ranks of the Land Cruiser naming standards, the 120-Series is typically known as the Prado (or in the UK, the LC3).

The 120-Series entered the vehicle market in 2003 replacing the six year old 90-Series (known as the Colorado in the UK). Upon initial release, it was fitted with the same 3.0L diesel engine as its predecessor however many drivers claimed it was underpowered which potentially contributed to Toyota to replacing it with the 3.0L D-4D common rail diesel matched to a 6-speed manual or 5-speed automatic gearbox.

The Land Cruiser brand personifies reliability, durability and the Toyota 'sameness'.  The vehicles all seem to have that similiar driving style... that of comfort, and driveability. The brand attracts loyal follows who actively defend their vehicle decision especially against Land Rover fanatics.

You Create Your World... Sydney Overland Meetup report

Sydney Overland Meetup (March 2015)

The Sydney Overland Meetup took place on Saturday 14th March 2015 with guest speakers Gareth and Kirsty from Aussie Overlanders and hosted by Expedition Centre.

We drove from Sydney to London via Africa...

In 2013, Gareth and Kirsty departed Sydney in their 1989 Land Cruiser Troopy.  After a neat 585 days on the road, the couple arrived back in Sydney having traveled across three continents. This past weekend was our turn to hear their stories, share their passion for overland adventure travel and to meet past, current and future overlanders.

Sydney Overland Meetup - March 2015

Sydney Overland Meetup: 14th March 2015

Google Search: Aussie Overlanders

Looking for some travel inspiration?  Feel like sharing the overland travel passion?
On the 14th March 2015, Gareth and Kirsty (Aussie Overlanders) will be sharing their travel stories covering three continents and two oceans!



The Plan:

12:30pm to 1:30pm: BBQ (Traditional South African Boerewors Rolls)

1:30pm to 3pm: Aussie Overlanders

3pm to 4pm: General Catchup
Join us from 12:30pm at the Expedition Centre
Venue:
Expedition Centre
69 Anderson Rd, Mortdale NSW 2222





 Hosted by Daniel & Martin

Please Bring:

Chairs & Drinks

10years ago today... memories from BigSky Adventures

Ten years ago, my wife and I climbed aboard our blue Land Rover Defender 200Tdi and headed South from the UK towards Cape Town on an overland adventure called 'BigSky Adventures'.

Although the finer granular details of our trans-continental overland travels have faded into memory, there are moments which have kept that year alive throughout the last ten years.

Here are a few thoughts from these last ten years...

My trans-Africa trip was a dream come true and a dream that is cherished today.

I had made the decision to complete a trans-Africa trip back in 1994 - eleven years before I actually departed.  Time dragged towards the departure date, with moments of pure excitement and nervous planning yet in comparison, these last ten years have vanished.  I fully acknowledge that the planning phase is as important as the actual travel.

Planning extends the travels as the dreams are expanded, the journey researched and the excitement shared.

The internet was young in 2005 and was a struggle to publish content compared to the social media options today. BigSky Adventures was my way of sharing the journey.

2014 Africa Overland Statistics - The chosen vehicle: Toyota or Land Rover?

Africa Overland Websites

Land Rover might have dominated the last decade of independent overland adventure travel but Toyota is bouncing back...
The Toyota Land Cruiser has succeeded for the 2nd year as the most popular Africa overland vehicle of choice for trans-Africa trips departing in 2014.

In this blog post I highlight the two primary vehicles for overland travel, the average travel time in Africa and the average age of the overland vehicle in 2014.

I have been recording vehicle choice for the last five years based on websites listed on The Africa Overland Network.  A quick comment on the website and the impact of Facebook.  Facebook has eroded the need to host a blog or website detailing overland adventure travel however a few overlanders have managed to successfully balance published content (website blog) and social interaction (Facebook) whilst traveling.  I fully recognise that many travelers don't blog, speak different languages or simply don't know about The Africa Overland Network.  However, this is still the most reliable website to provide these statistics.

Interested in the previous years statistics?  2010 (LR) | 2011 (Toyota) | 2012 (LR) | 2013 (Toyota).

Roll on 2014...

2014 Overland & 4x4 Forum Statistics

Four years ago I started collecting overland and 4x4 vehicle-based forum statistics.

Overland Internet Forums & Magazines

I was interesting in tracking the number of registered users, threads and posts on the forums and providing a comparison on the top websites.

The challenge for 2014?  Could the popular forums keep the growth momentum up and were the thread counts increasing?
What about the magazines?  Are they challenging the forums for content or are web users divided between the content creators (forum users) and content consumers (magazine & facebook subscribers)?

Here is an overview of the previous years: 2012 | 2013 | 2014

A few websites stand out in 2014 which include ADV Rider, Expedition Portal, Horizons Unlimited and Prado point.  A detailed list of all the websites (forums & magazines) are at the end of the blog post.

2014 to 2015

Tractor Tractor - the final destination: Antartica

Google Search: Manon Ossevoort

Nine years ago (2005) Manon Ossevoort departed The Netherlands heading South for Africa.
Her mode of transport was not a classic expedition prepared Land Rover or a Land Cruiser Troopy, rather a Tractor!

This vehicle has certainly been one of the most unusual overland vehicles yet to complete a Trans-Africa trip - yet her overland travels were not complete... Manon was aiming for the Antartic.

Africa overland with a tractor!

Finally on December 9th, 2014, she reached her destination driving a Massey-Ferguson tractor.

Manon Ossevoort - Daily Mail UK Photo

Congratulations Manon on achieving a dream and persevering to achieve it!

Additional Reading:
Tractor Tractor

Daily Mail UK Link

Product Review: LED Flexible Strip Light

Do you hard-wire your LED light solution to your 4wd overland tourer or do you prefer the flexibility to move the LED strip around the vehicle for the optimum brightness in the right places?

I have LED light strips that are static (permanently wired) at the rear of my vehicle but don't have any lighting under the awning or in the roof top tent. I recently had an open discussion with Daniel from Expedition Center to discuss my challenge and attempt to find the right lighting solution, within my budget to meet my needs, which included external vehicle lighting, possible tent interior and brightness controls.

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

Lizzybus.com arrive home...

After five years of overland adventures, David & Jayne (Lizzybus.com ; @lizzybus1) have arrived back in England having driven around the world.  Press coverage of their return has been fantastic with a number of newspapers reporting on their arrival home.

Birmingham Mail posted an interesting article with a neat photo album.

Birmingham Mail Article & Photos

BBC Midlands posted the following interview on Facebook:

Post by BBC Midlands Today.

Be sure to follow Lizzybus on Twitter: Tweets by @lizzybus1