february 2014 tlccv magazine

Overland CruiseringOverland Cruisering

INSIDE> Aberfeldy Adventure Trip Report

> Part 2. Madigan Line Trip Report

> Oxfam Christmas tree delivery

> Omeo New Year Trip Report

> Mirimbah Magic Trip Report

Registered by Australia Post PublicationNo. PP339119/00013 $5.00 February 2014

Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia (Victoria) Inc. A0005442c

194 Grange Rd, Fairfield, Victoria 3078Ph: (03) 9497 3899 Fax: (03) 9497 3155

email: [email protected]: www.guest4wd.com.au

Guest 4WD service centre has been established since 1961 with extensive expeoperating 4WD tours to some of Australia’s roughest and remotest areas. As well as general servicingand vehicle modifications, we pride ourselves on pre-trip preparation and suspension modifications toensure customers have a trouble free 4WD adventure.

Services• 4WD service and tuning• Pre-trip inspection and advice• Suspension modifi cation and kits• Transmission and diff repair• Pre-purchase inspection• Clutch and brake repair• 4WD tyres and wheel alignment• Dual and triple battery kits• Turbo & intercooler kits

Products• Engel & Waeco 12 volt fridge freezers• Piranha off road distributors• ARB accessories• TJM accessories• Kaymar step bars and wheel carriers• Black widow storage systems• Cooper and BF Goodrich Tyres• Roof Racks• Rhino Racks• Long range fuel tanks• Electronic parking aids• Tyre repair kits• T-Van Camper trailer hire• Air compressors• 4WD maps and books• Shower units - hot and cold• Optima batteries• Lightforce, IPF, Cibie & Hella lights• HID head and drive lights• Recovery kits• 4WD tours• Safari snorkels• GME UHF radio and antennae• GPS and EPIRB• In car TV/DVD and Sat navigation

With decades and millions of kilometresof 4WD experience, we only stock thebest quality accessories in our new

showroom - at the best prices.

Extensiveshowroom

Overland Cruisering 1

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER CLUB OF AUSTRALIA(VICTORIA) INC. A0005442CABN87301244383

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER CLUB OF AUSTRALIA(VICTORIA) INC. A0005442CABN87301244383

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4

V O L U M E 4 1 N o . 1C O N T E N T S

General Meetings: 7:30pm onthe 3rd Tuesday of each month at Mulgrave Country ClubWellington Road (corner JellsRoad), Wheelers HillMelways Ref 80 H1

Geelong Meetings: 7.30pm the1st Tuesday of each month &2nd Tuesday each November atthe Supper Room, GeelongWest Town Hall, 153 PakingtonSt. 3218. (Mel. 451 J2)

ENQUIRIES: Membership & General to:The SecretaryToyota Land Cruiser ClubPO Box 363, HAWTHORN 3122

Website:http:www.tlccv.com.au

MEMBERSHIP DETAILSJoining Fee: $280.00Membership: $145.00

REINSTATEMENT OF PASTMEMBERSIf a member rejoins the Clubwithin 5 years, a joining fee isnot applicable.If a member rejoins the Clubafter 5 years, they are requiredto pay the joining fee and under-take the Club’s DriverAwareness course.

RECOGNISED CLUB RADIOCHANNEL: 15 UHF

YARCK PROPERTYOur property is a registeredLand for Wildlife property and no inference is drawn in thepublication that the sign or registration has any other meaning.

Life Members: Graeme Wilson,John Whitney (Dec), Don Honey,Bill Dower, Alan Winch, BarrieMcCarthy, Harold Ross, SandraTanner, Brian Stewart, CharlesNorman, Ashley (Dec) & JudithWilliams, John Turbill, GarryCooper, Jan Chivers & KenHildebrand Honorary Members: Ross McClure,Clive Blakely, Reece DeJong Club Auditor: Chris Rumble

The opinions expressed in the articlesappearing in this magazine are notnecessarily those of the Editor or theToyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia(Victoria) Inc. The Editor reserves theright to delete where necessary anysection of any article, which has beensent for publication in the magazine.Acceptance of advertisements does not necessarily imply endorsement ofproducts or associated companies orindividuals by the Toyota Land CruiserClub of Australia (Victoria) Inc.

Club Information 1

Committee 2013-2014 2

President’s Report 3

2014 Cruiserkhana Update 3

Over the Next Hill 5

Yarck Bushfire Plan 8

Calendar/Coming Events 9

News from Toyota 11

Christmas Party 15

Aberfeldy Adventure Trip Report 19

Mirimbah Magic Trip Report 22

Oxfam Christmas Tree Deliveries 25

Omeo Trip Report 27

Part 2 Madigan Line Trip Report 29

Latest ARB Products 28

TLCCV Business Directory 32

V O L U M E 4 2 . N o . 6

Overland CruiseringOverland Cruisering

INSIDE> Aberfeldy Adventure Trip Report

> Part 2. Madigan Line Trip Report

> Oxfam Christmas tree delivery

> Omeo New Year Trip Report

> Mirimbah Magic Trip Report

Registered by Australia Post PublicationNo. PP339119/00013 $5.00 February 2014

Toyota Land Cruiser Club of Australia (Victoria) Inc. A0005442c

Main photo Aberfeldy Adventure

2 Overland Cruisering

MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTIONSAll articles, trip reports and other contributions are welcome for inclusion inthe magazine. They must be in thehands of the Editor by the first of themonth.Please send them to:The Editor, Overland Cruisering, PO Box 1778, Geelong 3220

or email: [email protected]

Members’ name and membership number must accompany all articlesand/or contributions.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES• Please submit articles as Worddocuments with no formatting.(No fancy formats as it will only have to beremoved in preparing for publication).In particular DO NOT embed pictures inyour documents

• Images (photos) should besupplied as seperate JPEG files.The higher resolution the better. As a guideimages should be of 300 pixel per inch withimage files around 1-5MB fine.• If you have multiple images, please burn toa CD and post to Editor rather than trying to email numerous images.• Articles can be posted with normal photos.They will be scanned and returned to theauthor if a self-addressed envelope isprovided.

TRADING POST• Note: if selling a vehicle in the TradingPost it is a Motor Car Trader Regulation(1988-22(4) legal requirement that a cashprice, registration number or engine numberare supplied.

ADVERTISING A TRIP• Note: All trips must be approved by theTrip Convenor before they can be gazettedin Overland Cruisering.

All contributions MUST BE received bythe 1st of the month.

ADVERTISERSPlease support those companies that adver-tise in our magazine. Let them know yousaw their advert in Overland Cruisering.

PresidentIan Ross [email protected]

Vice PresidentEric Bishop [email protected]

SecretarySandra Tanner [email protected]

Assistant Secretary Alan [email protected]

TreasurerMatt Parrott

[email protected]

Assistant Treasurer Adriano Denni [email protected]

CommitteeLiz Mills

[email protected]

CommitteeRussell Edwards

[email protected]

Magazine EditorSandra Tanner:

[email protected]

AdvertisingSandra Tanner

[email protected]

Activities CoordinatorIan Ross [email protected]

Driver TrainingJohn MIlls: [email protected]* Driver Training Course bookings* Awareness Course certificates

Yarck ManagementBrian Stewart [email protected]

Magazine DistributionRussell & Lesley Edwards

[email protected]

Trip ConvenorTony Middleditch

[email protected]

* Register a Member’s trip* Assistance in trip preparation

Technical [email protected]

TrainingEric Bishop [email protected]• Club training courses co-ordinator

Special [email protected]

• Shows & special event co-ordinator

Membership Barbara Bryant [email protected]* Membership renewals, name badges,contact detail changes

Librarian [email protected]* Borrow DVDs & books* Contributions to the Library

FWDV DelegateTony Bryant

Webmaster

[email protected]

[email protected] Miles

Excursion Visits [email protected]

Marketing/Public Relations Coordinator

Brian Tanner [email protected]

Emergency Response Coordinator

Bruce Fullard [email protected]

Raffles & SupperGabi & Grace Azzam & Karen Wade

Club ShopGraham Cahill [email protected]

Sergeant-At-ArmsRussell Edwards [email protected]

Social CoordinatorHelen & Rebecca [email protected]* Book for participation in social events

Visitor GreetersCarol & Greg Edmunds

[email protected]

GEELONG BRANCHPresidentMatt McPhee [email protected]

Vice PresidentMatt Lilley

SecretaryJennie Harvie [email protected]

SocialJudith Williams

2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4C O M M I T T E E

A R E Y O U R M E M B E R S H I P D E TA I L S C U R R E N T ?If you have recently moved, please notify Barbara Bryant – Membership Officer – and provide your new address, telephone number(s) and (if altered) your email

address as soon as possible. Please also remember to remove the Club sticker if you change or sell your four-wheel drive.


P R E S I D E N T ’ S R E P O R T I P SR E P O R T

Hi all,I sincerely hope that you all had alovely Christmas and took the oppor-

tunity to get away as I certainly did! Theweather of late has been particularly warmand we now all need to be extremelyvigilant about fires and/or emergencybrushfire plans just in case. Pleaseremember, DO NOT go to Yarck if it is atotal fire ban day.Although I have been away there has beena lot going on in the club. Cruiserkana isgetting on with the running of this nowfamous club event. I hear that they nowhave 60 entrants, which is their maximumquota, but assistance is still required. Andthe prize pool sounds incredible!Unfortunately, Jenny Johnson hasdecided to resign from the position of Clubmerchandise sales, so we need someoneto take over that position. We also requiresomeone to take over Special Events.There is a lot to be gained from yourinvolvement in the Club, and you will get tomeet so many other members.

Graham Cahill who runs our Club Shop isdesperately looking for helpers at Clubmeetings. If you can held him out, pleasedon’t hesitate to approach Graham at ameeting or send him an email.For those who missed out on the TerrainTamer visit, there is going to be a visit toARB in Kilsyth. It is on excursions such asthese that we are able to learn so verymuch.I would like to give a special mention toDulcie Watts who has taken on the role ofcoordinator for the West Gippsland Relic,Mining & Heritage Protection projects. Attonight’s meeting Rudi Paoletti will be com-ing along to have a short chat to us to fill usall in in as to what it is about. Please pro-vide your assistance to Dulcie and thegroup with this special project.I also hear that congratulations are in orderto Tony & Barbara Bryant who are now theproud grandparents of a healthy baby boy.I would like to thank Vice President, Ericfor stepping in and chairing the JanuaryGeneral meeting and the Executive

Committee meeting whilst I have beenaway. It seems that the work for thecommittee never ceases even withChristmas.Let's try and keep Tony Middleditch busythis year with plenty of trips to be run, andon that issue please make sure that if youare running a trip, you must get all of thedetails to Tony for approval, otherwise clubinsurance may not cover the participants.Last minute or private trips (some of whichare advertised on Facebook) may not becovered by the Association insurance. Ifyou are in doubt please ask Trip Convenor,Tony.it is great news to note that the Geelongbranch has gained momentum with afurther two new members. Keep up thegood work guys.Well that's all for this month, stay safeand enjoy this warm spell that we areexperiencing!Ian Ross (1409)PRESIDENT

This intrepid band of Club members havebeen slaving away since the 2013Cruiserkhana to bring you and the widerfour-wheel drive community a bigger andbetter Cruiserkhana for 2014. With month-ly meetings and a huge workload, this isno easy task, but it’s also a lot of fun.The event not only brings four-wheel driv-ers from all over the state together butshowcases the Club and the Yarck proper-ty in the wider community.This year the event is held from 21st to23rd March with the introduction of a newnight event and an increased role for navi-gators and the introduction of a new com-petition area to decrease traffic conges-tion.At the time of writing, entries were filling

fast and will have closed by the time ofmagazine publication, but we need all thehelp we can get for marshalling and cater-ing. Please contact any of the organisersor email tlccv@cruiserkhana with youroffer of help or phone 0418 120 374. Freecamping and entry and a nominal cost forthe meal. Get to know other Club mem-bers and have a great weekend.Angela Di Lallo (225) on behalf of theCruiserkhana sub committee

CRUISERKHANA MERCHANDISEE

All Cruiserkhana merchandise will be onsale at General meetings or can be pur-chased by separate arrangement.

Classy breathable Polo shirts and T-shirts at $35 each ($30 for kids sizes), hats at$18 and fantastic jackets at $50. Limited stocks ready to sell. Now is the time to get ready for Cruiserkhana 2014.Special: A discount of $5 off per item if you put your name down as a marshal. ALSOThe official video of the 2013 Cruiserkhana can be purchased (needs to be pre-ordered) for $10 and $15 if posted. Further information can be obtained from Angela at [email protected]

2 0 1 4 C R U I S E R K H A N AU P D AT E

C O M E A N D S U P P O RT C R U I S E R K H A N A


Members Please Note: All guests attending TLCCV trips must take out Temporary Membership. This includes children of members 18 years of age and older. If you have any queries contact our Trip Convenor, Tony Middleditch at [email protected]. All applications and payments for Temporary Membership MUST be received by the Membership Officer NO LATER than 14 days prior to the trip.Facebook: Any trips advertised on Facebook that have not been approved by the Trip Convenor will not be recognised as an official Club trip and therefore not be covered by the Club insurance.Seasonal Road Closures: Contact Parks Victoria on www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1process_content.cfm?main=9&page=2.

MARCHDate:Meeting Place:Time:Limit:Standard:Fuel:Radio:Equipment:

Overnight:Details:

Trip Leader:

DAVIES HIGH PLAINS ADVENTURESaturday 8th - Monday 10th March, 2014 (Labour Day weekend)Corryong or Khancoban (TBA)Saturday 8:30 am8 vehiclesMedium to hard - depending on weather conditionsFull tank from Corryong / KhancobanUHF (initially channel 15)Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.Caravan Park on Friday night (fees apply). Saturday & Sunday night bush camping.Situated in the far NE of Victoria, we will take in the views from Mt Pinnibar to Mt Kosciuszko. We will cross the mighty Murray River before climbing up onto Davies Plain. We will visit Davies Hut & camp on the picturesque Buckwong or Limestone Creek.Note: No trailers, no dogs, no cats, no firearms permitted on this trip.Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : [email protected]

APRIL SANDS OF WYPERFELD & VIC/SA BORDER TRACK - Trip full, waiting list onlyDate: Friday 18th - Monday 21st April, 2014 (Easter weekend)Meeting Place: Lake HindmarshTime: Friday 8:30 amLimit: 8 vehiclesStandard: Medium - depending on weather conditions.Fuel: 145Lt capacity - full tank from Horsham - refueling at Pinnaroo if required.Radio: UHF (initially channel 15)Equipment: Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre

inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.Overnight: Thursday - Lake Hindmarsh CP (fees apply) - bush camping Friday, Saturday & Sunday night.Details: Travel through the sandy Wyperfeld National Park via Lake Albacutya, circling the Big Desert via Ross Springs. We

will then travel through the ‘Disputed Country’ before crossing into SA & headingn down the Vic/SA Border Track.We will experience the border sand dunes & some interesting bog holes before finishing in Nhill.Note: No trailers, no dogs, no cats, no firearms permitted on this trip.

Trip Leader: Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : [email protected]

APRIL AVON RIVER ADVENTURE - Trip full, waiting list onlyDate: Friday 25th - Sunday 27th April, 2014 (Anzac long weekend)Meeting Place: Huggetts Lane, near Heyfield.Time: Friday 8:30 amLimit: 8 vehiclesStandard: Medium to hard - depending on weather conditions.Fuel: Full tank from HeyfieldRadio: UHF (initially channel 15)Equipment: Basic recovery gear including snatch strap, closed recovery points on front & back, shovel, air compressor for tyre

inflation, genuine off road tyres with at least 50% tread including spare tyre.Overnight: Bush camping - pit toilets Thursday night - no facilities on Friday & Saturday night.Details: 4WD the Avon River to the edge of the Avon Wilderness, camping on the river’s edge. For those that wish to MTB

with Heidi some interesting terrain to ride on Friday morning. The Avon River will be refreshing at the end of the day

C O M I N G T R I P SC A L E N D A R

INFORMATION FOR TRIPLEADERS• Trip leaders please note thatunder the Constitution, membersmay not take part in any clubactivities involving four-wheeldriving unless they have com-pleted the Driver Awareness

Course (Theory & Practical) andhave filled in an Indemnity Form.• The Club Insurance Policystates that only Club Trips thatare gazetted in the ClubMagazine and the Club websiteare covered by the Club PublicLiability Policy.

• All Club Trips gazetted in theClub Magazine must include atelephone number (or mobile)and/or an email address for thepurpose of booking on a trip.• Members please note that tele-phone calls should not be madelater than 8:30 pm.

Club trips are for club membersonly. Non members are not afforded insurance coverage bythe club and may jeopardise ourcoverage. If you have anyqueries they may be raised withour Trip Coordinator, Tony Middleditch.

YOU’RE IN SAFE HANDS.

TERRAIN TAMER parts are proudly designed and developed in Melbourne by a team with decades of engineering experience.They are produced in partnership with the world’s leading manufacturers, such as this modified input gear for the LandCruiser that we manufacture in Japan. Talk fluent 4WD with us on 1300 888 444 or visit terraintamer.com

Saturday will see us heading west to take in the spectacular views from Ben Cruachan & McMillans Lookout thenheading down to camp on Macalister River. Sunday we will climb up to Mt Useful before exiting the tracks nearWalhalla.

Trip Leader: Laurie & Heidi Miles. Email : [email protected]

MAY VISIT TO WANDARRAH - (Nissan Club property approx 200 kms from Melbourne)Date: Friday 2nd - Sunday 4th May, 2014Meeting Place: BP Servo, cnr Sands Rd and Princes Freeway, Longwarry.Time: Friday 2nd: 6:45 pm for 7:00 pm departure.Limit: 10 vehiclesStandard: Medium - weather dependantFuel: Full tanks from home.Radio: 15 UHFEquipment: Vehicle in sound mechanical condition. Basic recovery gear.Overnight: Camping at the Nissan Club property for two nigthts, which can accommodate tents, camper trailers, caravans.Details: Leave the BP servo under the guidance of a Nissan Club leader, arrive Wandarrah & settle in. Day trip for Saturday,

lunch on the track, arriving back for happy hour. Sunday: short trip, lunch on the track, return to Wandarrah forpack-up and early afternoon leave for home. All members need to bring own food and drink for the weekend.Wandarrah has hot showers & toilets, but NO DRINKING WATER.

Trip Leader: Garry Cooper. Mobile: 0418 543 008. Email: [email protected]

C A L E N D A R



BUSHFIRE PLAN AT YARCKThe Toyota Land Cruiser Club does notrecommend a “Stay and Defend” plan.Infrastructure on the property can bereplaced.FIRE DANGER PERIOD [November –May]It is members’ responsibility to listen toradio news reports each evening during theFire Danger Period for advice on the possi-bility of fires. Also be up to date with anydeclaration of Total Fire Ban Days.Yarck is in the NORTH CENTRAL FIREBAN DISTRICT - 149 Rennies Lane,GOBURIt is recommended that members leave theproperty the day before a declared TotalFire Ban day or very early in the morning ofa Total Fire Ban dayMembers should not go to the propertyduring any Total Fire Ban day.EVACUATION• Those present will select one person fromtheir number to take charge,• The issue of evacuation during an emer-gency must be addressed early in the plan-ning.• Evacuation can be extremely dangerousunless it takes place well in advance of thefire hazard entering the general area of thecamp. Roads may be blocked with fallentimber and visibility reduced by thicksmoke.• Increased pressures on emergency serv-ices may make it difficult for them to renderassistance.• Evacuation should only be done via the

main access track to Rennies Lane andthe Gobur –Yarck Road.REFUGE• There are NO bushfire proof shelters onthe property.• If a fire incident occurs and memberscannot leave the property, then the Hutcould possibly be used as a “safer place” toprovide protection from radiant heat. Itshould be made as fire safe as is practical.• Wet towels to be placed under doors toprevent embers entering.• There is running water inside; there areknapsacks and fire extinguishers.Other equipment to have on hand shouldinclude.• A battery operated am/fm radio and P2 fil-ter masks.• UHF radios left on – mobile phones –torches – first aid kits – drinking fluids.• Clothing - it is advisable to have longtrousers, long sleeved shirt and sturdyfootwear. Gloves and hat are also useful.The wearing of shorts, dresses, thongs orany synthetic fabrics is totally unsuitable.• Be prepared for smoke and embers thatmay enter the building. After the fire fronthas passed check outside and extinguishany burning embers or fires around the hut.• All vehicles should be parked on bareground, facing towards the exit with alldoors and windows closed and keys in theignition. DO NOT BLOCK OFF ANYACCESS TRACKS.ALARM. A distinctive alarm signal shouldbe used, a simple manual device such asthe triangle hanging in the tree outside the

hut or the electronic device near the radiosin the hut.PANIC. This is something that can well bedone without. Anyone showing signs ofpanic should be kept under some form ofsupervision, and provided with reassur-ance and prevented from doing anythingrash.COMMUNICATION and CONTACTSPhone: 1800 240 667 for Bushfire infor-mation.000 only to report a fire.Alexandra Fire Station

Phone 0357721855Yarck Fire Captain

Phone 0357734334.Mobile: 0439 656 913.

ABC radio AM band 774Local Radio Station (Alexandra) UGFM106.9 (an official emergency broadcaster)GPS coordinates of the Yarck Hilton are:Lat LongLat = South – 37 deg 2 min 54 secLong = East – 145 deg 35 min 11 secUTMZone 55HEasting – 374295Northing - 5898825Websites www.abc.net.au\emergency

www.cfa.vic.gov.au

A Bushfire Survival Kit is located on thenotice board behind the hut door.It is available for members to read andreturn it.

B U S H F I R E P L A NYA R C K

E X C U R S I O N S

Factory Tour of ARBWednesday 19th MarchA unique opportunity to see how thewide range of ARB protection equip-ment and accessories are designedand manufactured. This is a reallyinteresting tour, that is limited to just25 members.Meet at ARBs Kilsyth NationalHeadquarters on Wednesday evening19th March at 7.30pm.12-14 Garden Street, Kilsyth 3137

To book your spot email RussellEdwards at:[email protected]

H E L P W A N T E D

CAN YOU HELP?Club Shop urgently requires somemembers to assist with sales at theGeneral Meetings each month.If you can spare some time in assisting,please do not hesitate to speak toGraham at the General Meeting andoffer some assistance.It would be greatly appreciated.

eNews – Are you receivingyour copy of TLCCVWeekend Wrap?Make sure you include your email addresson your membership renewal form.Alternatively you can send an email to theMembership Officer (Barb) at [email protected] with your updateddetails.Weekend Wrap is produced by LaurieMiles (1058) and Garry Cooper (1219).Items for Weekend Wrap can be sent [email protected]

February 20th – 23rd Jamieson to Walhalla – theinteresting way!

February 22nd Rock ‘N Roll Night at YarckFebruary 22nd & 23rd Maintenance & Construction

weekendMarch 1st & 2nd DA Practical weekendMarch 8th – 10th Davies High Plains AdventureMarch 11th Yarck Management and DA TheoryMarch 15th & 16th Maintenance & Construction C/K

set-upMarch 22nd & 23rd Cruiserkhana 2014March 28th – 30th DA Practical weekendApril 8th Yarck Management and DA TheoryApril 18th – 21st Sands of Wyperfeld & Vic/SA Border

TrackApril 18th Good Friday – EasterApril 26th & 27th DA Practical weekendApril 25th – 27th Avon River AdventureMay 2nd – 4th Visit to Wandarrah (Nissan FWD

Club property)May 13th Yarck Management and DA TheoryMay * RIOS Brazilian Theatre Restaurant,

Richmond – Expressions of InterestMay 24th & 25th Maintenance & Construction

weekendMay 30th & 31st DA Practical weekend

June 10th Yarck Management and DA TheoryJune 14th Lower Plenty Hotel Pub NightJune 21st & 22nd Maintenance & Construction

weekendJune 28th & 29th DA Practical weekendJuly 8th Yarck Management and DA TheoryJuly 26th Christmas in July lunch at

Fergussons Winery, Yarra ValleyJuly 26th & 27th DA Practical weekendAugust 9th Chocolate Indulgence TourAugust 12th Yarck Management and DA TheoryAugust 30th & 31st DA Practical weekendSeptember 9th Yarck Management and DA TheorySeptember *Blues Train Evening – Expressions

of InterestSeptember 27th & 28th DA Practical weekendOctober 14th Yarck Management and DA TheoryOctober 25th Halloween Night at YarckNovember 1st & 2nd DA Practical weekendNovember 11th Yarck Management and DA TheoryNovember 15th Living Legends (home of retired

champion racehorses), GreenvalePicnic and Tour

November 29th & 30th DA Practical weekend

C O M I N G T R I P SC A L E N D A R

Prior to booking or setting any dates for an event, please check with theActivity Coordinator who will ensure that there are no clashes. Please email to the Activity Coordinator the proposed date, time, venueand overview of the event.

FORTHCOMING SHOW & TELL’SMARCH

Revive & ServiveMy name is James Azzam and I will beyour guest speaker for the month of March.My question to you is: “are you First Aidready?” I encourage you all to look throughyour First Aid kit, see what is missing andwhat has expired, and you will most likelybe shocked by what you find.I will be talking to you about Outback FirstAid and treatment of common injurieswhen you are far away from any help. I willgive you some First Aid tips and show yousome life-saving tools. Everyone has the

ability to make a difference. On the day Iwill have a sale of First Aid products. Youmay like to bring along your First Aid kit toreplenish any missing items. I look forwardto meeting you all soon.This will be a very informative presentation.Don’t miss the chance to refresh your skillsor learn something new.

The 10th Australian 4WD Gathering will beheld at Dungog NSW in April, 2014.Registration fee is Adults $85, childrenunder 16 $25. Powered sites $60. Twomeals are included.Members interested in attending andtravelling in convoy should contact JohnTurbill who will be running a trip from 14thApril to 4th May.For details email John on [email protected] details on the gathering - includingregistration forms - visit www.4wdgather-ing.org.au

1. RIOS BRAZILIAN THEATRERESTAURANT, RICHMOND – MAY 2014RIOS is a Brazilian carnival restaurant withan exciting evening of food, entertainmentand dancing. $20 deposit per seat isrequired at the time of booking. When def-inite numbers are known, a booking will bemade for a Saturday evening in May 2014.For further information see: www.rios-melbourne.com.

2. BLUES TRAIN EVENING – SEPTEM-BER 2014Blues Train Evening consists of a meal atthe historic Queenscliff Railway Station fol-lowed by a musical journey on a movingsteam train. Full payment is required attime of booking. When definite numbersare known, a booking will be made for aSaturday evening in September 2014.Discounts apply for group bookings of 20or more. For further information see:www.thebluestrain.com.au

We need sufficient numbers to makethese events happen. Please registeryour interest as soon as possible bycontacting us:

Email [email protected]

In Person: at Club meeting in February.

CLOSE TUESDAY 18TH February 2014 FOR THE FOLLOWING EVENTS

E X P R E S S I O N S O F I N T E R E S TS O C I A L

S H O W A N D T E L L F W D G AT H E R I N G


L AT E S T F R O M T O Y O TAN E W S

Improved driving comfort and safetyheadline improvements to the nextgeneration Kluger, which arrives inlocal showrooms in March.Toyota engineers have including a newdouble-wishbone rear suspensionsystem, which they claim will provide amore dynamic driving experience.The platform, suspension and electricpower steering have been fine-tuned in

unison to ensure the seven-seat Klugerhugs the road more precisely and com-municates more directly to the driver.The result is improved handling andtraction, particularly on rough surfacesand when cornering, adding to ridecomfort and safety.The layout of the rear suspension alsoensures more cabin space, particularlyin the third row and cargo areas, withshock absorbers placed relatively lowand coil springs located under the floor.An increase in mounting rigidity for themore conventional front MacPhersonstrut suspension also contributes toimproved steering response and driver

pleasure.Every third-generation Kluger will havea comprehensive array of safetyequipment including seven airbags, areversing camera, vehicle stability andtraction control, brake assist, electronicbrake-force distribution, hill-start assistcontrol and four-wheel disc brakes.Top-of-the-line versions will feature apre-collision system with dynamic radar

cruise control, lane departure alert andautomatic high beam headlights.Toyota Australia's executive directorsales and marketing Tony Cramb saidthe new Kluger underscored Toyota'scommitment to greater driver enjoy-ment."New Kluger is the latest vehicle toembrace Toyota's commitment to pro-ducing vehicles with progressivestyling, a more refined interior and withhandling and ride comfort that rekindlethe fun of driving," Mr Cramb said.Kluger will be available in two-wheeldrive and all-wheel drive with the latterincorporating Dynamic Torque Control

to aid driving dynamics.Dynamic Torque Control continuallymonitors and controls torque transferbetween the front and rear wheels viaan electro-magnetically controlledcoupling in the rear differential.It enables up to half the available torqueto be directed to the rear wheels to pro-mote sure-footed traction. The systemautomatically engages front-wheel driveunder normal driving conditions to helpimprove fuel consumption.Built in Toyota's Indiana plant in theUnited States, new Kluger will bepowered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine driventhrough a new six-speed electronicallycontrolled automatic transmission thathelps improve fuel economy.


N E W T O Y O TA K L U G E R I M P R O V E S S A F E T YN E W T O Y O TA K L U G E R I M P R O V E S S A F E T Y

N E W Y E A R H I L U XAustralia's favourite ute Toyota HiLux hasmarked the new year in style by recordingits 800,000th sale in this country.When fireworks erupted to welcome2014, Toyota's figures showed HiLux hadclicked over to 799,738 sales since thenameplate was introduced to Australia in1971.HiLux has been Australia's leading com-mercial vehicle for the past 16 years in arow and the top-selling four-wheel drivevehicle for the past nine.It is the only ute to have topped themonthly national sales charts - a feat itachieved twice last year - which helped itclaim overall third place in 2013 with39,931 sales.More than 440,000 HiLux 4x4 variantshave been bought locally since 1980while the 4x2 total is close to 360,000vehicles.

Toyota's HiLux has notched up itsninth straight year as Australia'sbest-selling four-wheel drive

(4WD) vehicle, according to nationalsales figures.The tough workhorse led the way in 2013with customers buying 29,344 HiLux 4WDvariants, more than 7,500 sales ahead ofits nearest rival.In doing so, HiLux established a newAustralian record for 4WD sales in a singleyear, eclipsing the previous mark it set in2012.HiLux began its run as Australia's best-selling 4WD in 2005 and has justcompleted its 16th consecutive year as thecountry's most prolific seller among allcommercial vehicles, including SUVs.Last year, HiLux 4WD and 2WD deliveriestotalled 39,931 combined, making HiLuxthe third biggest-selling vehicle on the localmarket.It has topped Australia's monthly salescharts on 13 occasions, including twice lastyear. It is the only vehicle of its type to haveachieved that distinction.The popularity of HiLux in 2013 was asignificant factor in total Australian sales oflight-commercial vehicles (LCVs) passing200,000 for the first time.

The final tally was a record 204,566vehicles, an increase of 3.5 per cent.Toyota remained the dominant LCV marketleader with 56,938 sales, outselling thecombined totals of its two nearest rivals.

HiLux 4x2 was the best-selling vehicle in itssegment with 10,587 sales - more than4,500 ahead of any other vehicle.


T O Y O T A H I L U X : N I N E Y E A R SA U S T R A L I A ' S B E S T- S E L L I N G 4 W D


The global chief engineer for allToyota LandCruiser vehicles hasurged Australian owners to

provide their input for the company'sfuture 4WD models.Japan-based Sadayoshi Koyari, who hasvisited Australia more than 20 times, metover 200 LandCruiser owners to discusstheir passion for the renowned off-roadfamily of vehicles.The special event, organised by the ToyotaLandCruiser Club of Australia (TLCC),brought together owners of LandCruisersproduced over more than 40 years.Owners, including representatives ofLandCruiser clubs across Australia, droveto the event at a club property nearCanberra in everything from the iconicFJ40 to the current 200 series, 70 seriesand Prado."Toyota's chief engineers are always tryingto listen to the customer's voice as muchas possible," Mr Koyari said."A key part of my visit is to gather feedback

for the future from end-users and to reflecttheir requirements in improvements wemake," he said."Customers have so much experience tocontribute because they use their vehiclesevery day - whether it's driving their familyaround the city, going to work on construc-tion sites, or heading off-road to remotelocations."It was great to drive with them over somerough terrain, listening to their advice onhow Toyota can make the LandCruiserfamily even better.

"There were some great ideas that we willdefinitely evaluate - and I look forward toreceiving even more suggestions fromAustralian customers on future trips."TLCC (Sydney) president Andrew Boydsaid his club's members and all thoseattending regarded the global LandCruiserchief engineer as part of their extendedfamily."We live and breathe LandCruiser, so it'samazing that we can meet Koyari-san andshare our ideas with the man who canmake things happen," Mr Boyd said."Listening to the customer has alwaysbeen a great Toyota strength. It's not just amarketing slogan; this event shows it reallyhappens."Mr Koyari is a 28-year Toyota veteran whohas been chief engineer for theLandCruiser 200 series, 70 series andLexus LX since 2007. In 2010, he addedPrado and Lexus GX to his portfolio.

G L O B A L L A N D C R U I S E R C H I E F S E E K S A U S S I E I N P U T

H I L U X I N D A K A R Toyota's HiLux has again achievedsuccess at the world's most punish-ing motorsport competition, the

Dakar Rally.The toughness of HiLux, its drivers andteam was put to the test over 9200 kilome-tres and 13 days of rugged SouthAmerican terrain.Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dirk vonZitzewitz piloted their HiLux to victory in the13th and 14th (final) stages, achieving aclass victory for the event and earningthem fourth place overall in the car category.Their HiLux, which competed in the Petrol4x4 Improved Cross-Country class, is

modified from standard with a five-litre V8engine.The bespoke unit produces 310kW and500Nm of torque at a relaxed enginespeed of just 2000rpm - useful when nego-tiating sand dunes and water crossings.The HiLux also has numerous suspension,body, interior and driveline modificationsover the standard vehicle, as well as a newaddition for 2014 - a custom air condition-ing system to help the drivers remainfocused at critical moments.Placing second and third in the same classwere two more Toyotas.



Toyota has enhanced the creden-tials of its best-selling HiLux work-horse by decking out popular

Double Cab variants with new safetyand convenience technologies.HiLux now offers customers 11 DoubleCabs in an extensive range that spans 22variants.The latest updates to the Double Cabs areparticularly significant because all 4x4HiLux variants now attract the maximumfive-star ANCAP safety rating.A new five-speed automatic transmissionimproves fuel economy and emissions on4x4 turbo-diesel HiLux by more than sixper cent to 8.7 litres/100km and 230grams/km.HiLux Double Cabs also benefit from ahost of other improvements, including newdisplay audio systems and fresh interiorcolours and materials.Top-of-the-line SR5 versions gain areversing camera and a satellite navigationsystem with SUNA_ Live Traffic updates asstandard - all viewed on the display audioscreen.The updates follow another podiumposition for HiLux in 2013 as the third best-selling vehicle of any type in Australia.It has topped the monthly national salescharts on many occasions, including Mayand June last year - a feat never achievedby any other commercial vehicle.HiLux has been the country's best-sellingfour-wheel drive vehicle since 2005 andnumber one in commercial-vehicle salessince 1998, taking the mantle fromLandCruiser.Australians have embraced HiLux, buyingmore than 800,000 since the first modelarrived in 1971.

The five-star safety rating for 4x4 HiLux isachieved with enhancements including thestandard fitment of stability and tractioncontrol, brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution. Stability control waspreviously a $1,500 option on the 4x4 mid-range SR grade.A front passenger seat-belt reminder isalso part of the package on 4x4 vehiclesand, for Double Cabs, a three-point seat-belt for the centre-rear seating position.The display audios feature a 6.1-inchscreen, auxiliary and USB inputs, iPod andBluetooth connectivity, plus audio controlswitches on the steering wheel hub.For HiLux SR and SR5, the steering-wheelcontrols operate a multi-information display(MID), telephone and voice recognition.The MID, viewed on a liquid crystal display,shows current and average fuel economy,average vehicle speed, cruising range, out-side temperature, a compass and time.This feature is new to SR, as are theOptitron dials for speed, engine revs andfuel tank/coolant temperature.Retail sales of the upgraded Double Cabsbegan in mid-January, joining the similarlyequipped Single and Extra Cabs that

began arriving late last year.As part of the changes, HiLux 4X4 SR5Extra Cab was upgraded to a 17" alloywheel (from 15" alloy). SR 4x4 variantshave gained a 225/70 17-inch all-terraintyre.Double and Extra Cab versions are distin-guished by a black interior while SingleCab's cabin features black and grey tones.Price changes with the expanded featurelist are limited to between 1.2 and justunder 3.0 percent. The entry price for theHiLux range remains from $18,990, with4x2 Double Cabs now priced from $27,490and 4x4 Double Cabs from $40,990.Leather-accented seats are newly offeredas a $1,500+ option on 4x4 SR5 turbo-diesel Double Cab pick-ups, and includespower adjustment for the driver's seat.The full HiLux range retains its three bodystyles, three equipment levels, threeengines and three transmissions drivingeither the rear or all four wheels.All SR5 variants are pick-ups, while mid-range SR and rugged Workmate gradesare also available in cab-chassis specifica-tion.In addition to the 11 Double Cabs there aresix Single Cabs and five Extra Cabs, withthe total of 22 variants split evenly between4x2 and 4x4.The five Workmate variants are exclusiveto the 4x2 range. There are 12 SR variants- five 4x2 and seven 4x4. Four of the fiveSR5 variants are 4x4 equipped.Fourteen models in the range are fittedwith the most popular HiLux engine - the126kW/343Nm common-rail diesel withelectronic direct injection and a variable-vane turbocharger.Three diesel variants gain the fuel-econo-my benefit of a five-speed automatic trans-mission in lieu of the previous four-speedunit.The remaining 11 diesels are mated toa five-speed manual gearbox.Customers wanting the 175kW/376Nm V6petrol engine can choose from four vehi-cles - three Double Cabs and an ExtraCab, all with a five-speed automatic trans-mission.A further four vehicles are fitted with a116kW/240Nm 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrolengine - Workmate Double and SingleCabs with either a five-speed manual orfour-speed automatic.Every new HiLux is covered by the capped-price Toyota Service Advantage at a maxi-mum of $170 per service.


T O Y O TA M E A N S B U S I N E S S W I T HH I L U X U P D AT E S

NEW DOUBLE CAB PRICES - H ILUX 4X4CAB-CHASSIS3.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel SR manual $40,990 + $500PICK-UP3.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel SR manual $42,490 + $5003.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel SR auto $45,240 + $750 3.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel SR5 manual $51,740 + $750 3.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel SR5 auto $54,490 + $1,0004.0-litre V6 petrol SR5 automatic $54,490 + $1,000Options:Premium paint - all grades: $550 (no change)Air-conditioning - Workmate, SR: $2,051 including fit fee (no change)Leather-accented seats - 4x4 SR5 turbo-diesel Double Cab pick-ups: $1,500 (new)


2 0 1 3 T L C C V F A M I LY C H R I S T M A S P A R T YS O C I A L

[email protected]

Some of the action at the Christmas Party. Photos by John Nazloomian

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Crossing the Aberfeldy & climbingTrigg Track: With our 4WD packed for agreat weekend, my grandson & I headedfor the Rawson Caravan Park. After set-ting up our tent, other convoy memberssoon joined us. No sooner had we set up,than the heavens opened up and treatedus with a big downpour, so our safe optionwas to head for the Rawson Bistro fordinner (great meal) and to pay our campfees – the boys ate free, as the Bistro hada special deal on Friday night’s.After an enjoyable meal and some banter

back at the Park we settled in for agood sleep in readiness for the next day’sactivities.Early Saturday morning (8:00 am), Heidiventured off on her solo MTB expeditionwith the hope that our convoy would catchup to her just before lunch time. At 9:00am our trip leader, Laurie left the Park withseven enthusiastic participants in towincluding Gerry Gee our “professional”photographer and Michael as tail endCharlie.We headed down the Tyers-Walhalla Road

turning left onto the Cooper’s Creek Roadand stopping at the old Coopers CreekPub where we “aired down” before cross-ing the Thomson River to visit the relics ofthe old Coopers Creek Copper Mine. Theyoung ones, Lennex, Tom, Oliver & Archerwere itching to be let loose and this was anideal spot for the boys to release someenergy. With some energy consumed, weheaded back across the Thomson Riverand watched other 4WDs driving throughthe river as we enjoyed a relaxing morningtea break.

A B E R F E L D Y A D V E N T U R E - D E C E M B E R , 2 0 1 3T R I P S

Trip Leaders:Laurie & Heidi Miles Zebra 80 Series TD

Convoy: Gerard Jarvis Gerry Gee 80 Series PetrolAndrew Bock & Tina Stefanos Bocky 105 Series TDAndrew Broome AB 200 Series TDAaron, Oliver (7), & Archer (4) Hester

plus Peter & Tom (8) Forrest OB1 Prado TDNorman Lingwood LC 100 Series DieselReg Schlipalius & Lennex Clappers (8) Drifter 100 Series TDMichael Schuettke Michael 100 Series TD



We continued north on the Coopers CreekRoad and joined the Walhalla Road, thenjust past the bridge over the ThomsonRiver we turned left onto the Mormon TownTrack. This track is quite steep, but wasfairly easy in the dry. At the top of the track,we drove through areas of bushfireregrowth and areas of minimal regrowthwhere the dead sticks of mountain ashwere the only highlight on the horizon.Every now and then there were gullieswhere the fire had not penetrated andthese were prolific with small trees and treeferns, which was wonderful considering thedesolation on some of the hills.We followed the Mormon Town Track to theintersection with the Walhalla-Woods PointRoad where we found Heidi & MTB waitingto be picked up. Her fitness amazed us aswe had driven some quite steep hills.It was just a short drive to our lunch spot onthe Aberfeldy River. Again the boys werein their element – Lennex & Tom wentswimming and skimmed stones on thewater whilst eating their lunches whileOliver & Archer did some fossicking alongthe river bank – this also appeared to be agreat fishing spot.After lunch we headed further north beforeturning onto Trigg Track and the anticipa-tion of the twelve switchbacks. As wedrove down the steep hill towards theAberfeldy River we could see the otherside of the Trigg Track snaking its way upthe hill. We crossed the Aberfeldy Riverthen tackled the climb and the twelveswitchbacks. To do five or seven pointturns at each switchback on the side of asteep hill needs full concentration, butneedless to say we all made it without anyissues. Whilst negotiating the switchbacks,Gerry also found time to stop and takesome great pics.At the top of Trigg Track we turned left ontoOne Spec Track and headed north beforeturning left onto Williamson Spur Track. Ournext challenge was to descend S (Steep)track. There were many detours as weheaded down this steep track having toavoid fallen trees. All drivers took seriouslythe skill required to make the detours with-out body damage to their vehicles. At thebottom of S Track, we turned onto DonnellyCreek Track, heading for O’Tooles camp-ground for happy hour and our overnightcampsite. O’Tooles is a great campgroundand can be readily accessed by 2WD off

the Donnelly’s Creek Track. Happy hourwas enjoyed by all especially the boys whohad a paddock of space to explore.After dinner, a chat around the campfireand a roundup of the boys, we all hit thesack – a great day of 4WDing.Reg Schlipalius (1825)

Climbing from O’Tooles & many othergreat tracks: After steady rain andaccompanying thunder overnight, theprospect of wet tracks promised to addan extra level of excitement to ourplanned day's travel on the tracks aroundAberfeldy.

Upon leaving our campsite at O'Toole'sFlat, this notion was quickly dispelled aswe commenced our ascent on White StarTrack with plumes of dust that were raised.The rain overnight was not sufficient topenetrate more than a mere millimetre intothe track surface.Over the next seven hours until the trip'send at the picnic ground at the ThomsonDam, we progressively and uneventfully,travelled the following tracks: White Star,Mt Useful Spur Road, McGuire, Toomstar,Toombon, Jorgensens, Donnelly CreekRoad, Flats Track, Spur Track, One Speckand finally Fultons Creek Track, beforeemerging onto Thomson Valley Road. I'mhappy to report that all the tracks were ingood condition, presumably having beengraded since the January, 2013 bushfire.The only factor stopping them attaining anexcellent rating were the number of smalldetours around trees fallen onto the trackssince this event.The ease of travel for the day was a disap-pointment for a number of our group whowould have liked more drama and at leasta recovery or two. This was not to be. Eventhe steep descent to and the equally steepascent from McGuires Creek on ToomstarTrack was taken with ease. We heard sto-ries from our trip leader of their 5 hourrecovery of 7 vehicles on Toomstar Trackon a previous trip. Of course, the track wasa little wetter on that trip.The biggest challenge for the day was the"double black" rock steps on Flats Trackjust before the intersection with WilliamsonTrack. Trip leader Laurie suggested it wasonly for six "diff locked vehicles" in thegroup with the other two to take the alter-nate track around this obstacle. It did notpresent a problem for the former vehiclesbut Aaron in OB1, an “unlocked" Prado TD,was up for a challenge and keen to try itwith mate Peter navigating and their threeboys in the rear seat cheering them along.The Prado did the climb with minimum has-sle or tyre spin - so much so that the groupof onlookers at the top questioned that

Aaron must have had some type of tractionassistance on board the Prado –wrong!.....just good driving technique andjudicious use of application of the left footbrake and right foot accelerator to minimizetyre spin...well done Aaron.It was interesting travelling the Aberfeldyarea and viewing the recovery after theJanuary fires earlier in the year.Without thetree canopy and dense undergrowth theviews especially down the valleys andgorges were spectacular. It was very easyto look around and see across the valleys

and the tracks we were to travel and otheradjoining tracks in the area. Usually theforest would have hidden these. It was astark contrast to view the fire blackenedtrees with their lush new growth of differentgreens, and the forest floor covering ofwildflowers in their varying colours......white, yellow, pink, red and mauve (sorry Idon't know their botanical names)).On the south side of Mt Useful under theMountain Ash ghost gums, there was pro-fuse new fern growth from the multitude oftree ferns (Dicksonia Antartica).Throughout the trip it was great to see theenjoyment the four youngsters (Lennex,Oliver, Archer & Tom) all under 10 gainedfrom the trip. During our breaks and at ourcampsites they had no trouble amusingthemselves in the natural environmentwithout the need for any of our modern dayamusements i.e. computer games, DVDs,Nintendos, playground equipment, etc(oops.......the latter is topical given the dis-cussion at a recent club meeting re thedevelopment of the area outside the Hiltonat Yarck).Many thanks to our trip leaders, Heidi &Laurie. This weekend’s outing was one ofthe most professional, better organisedand led 4WD outings that I've participatedin over the past 35-odd years that I'veowned 4WDs, and that includes paid taga-long trips as well. Thanks again Laurie &Heidi. Also thanks to the rest of our groupwho helped make this such an enjoyableouting.Andrew Browne (2664)



OziExplorer, Mt Stirling & Craigs Hut:Having camped at Buttercup Creek Fridaynight the majority of the group woke to thesounds of a running stream and thepromise of a day filled with fantasticweather.After breakfast Butlers & Toxic arrived tocomplete our convoy.Laurie & Heidi gave us two options: joinHeidi on the MTB and ride up to Mt Stirling,or listen to an information session withLaurie on OziExplorer, SPOT, SatelliteCommunications and HF Radio.Gerry was the only person brave enough toattempt to keep up with Heidi and togetherthey left camp, heading for Howqua Gaphut then up to the summit of Mt Stirling.Those of us, perhaps a little less eager forthe physical challenge, directed ourattention to Laurie who delivered a veryinformative presentation which was wellreceived by both the group and the blackhelicopter who buzzed over us severaltimes checking for fires.After our OziExplorer session and a spot ofmorning tea, we loaded up and headed toHowqua Gap hut where we met up forlunch with the MTB team. There was arumour going around the convoy thatmaybe one of the MTB party had caughtthe shuttle bus from Mirimbah to the top ofMt Buller. However it remains just that, arumour (and full credit for the effort put inby the two people on MTB’s too).

After lunch, we continued up to the top ofMt Stirling where we saw snow….. albeitless than a square meter but snownonetheless! After a short walk to thesummit, we continued on to Craigs Hut forthe views and photos.It was time to head back for camp enjoyingthe drive along the Circuit Road as we

went. After arriving at camp we enjoyedhappy hour around the fire and reflectedon the day’s events. The conversationscontinued as the night sky came out in allits brilliance including a few shooting starsto cap off what was a fantastic day.Matthew Lilley (2598)

Lake William Hovel, Pineapple Flat & MtNo. 3: Our convoy woke to anotherbeautiful blue sky, although I had woken upseveral times in the night and mistaken thenearby rushing Buttercup Creek for rain.After breakfast and a partial pack-up bymost people, we were on the road by 9:00am. Not long after we had left ButtercupCreek Road, we had our first stop of theday at Tomohawk Hut.

Trip Leaders: Laurie & Heidi Miles Zebra 80 Series TDParticipants: Gerard Jarvis Gerry Gee 80 Series Petrol

Michael & Michelle Butler Butlers Prado 150 Series TDGordon Chessum Toxic Troopy DieselMonica & Phil Coleman Coleman 200 Series TDAndreas & Erica Faulwetter Chintags 100 Series Petrol/GasMatthew Lilley Halfy 80 Series Petrol/GasTrajco Villarov Trajco 200 Series TDLaurie & Linda Wilson Wilson HiLux Diesel

M I R I M B A H M A G I C(Laurie & Heidi ’s 75th TLCCV Club t r ip)

T R I P S

We all got out and had a look around - myyoungest son was even very excited to finda large huntsman inside.Travelling along the Buckland Spur Track,we found many puddles to drive through tokeep the kids entertained. At one stage wecame to an overhanging bridge and myErica (my co-driver) had to get out andmake sure there was enough clearance forour 4WD and rooftop tent above.We soon started the decline and could seefantastic views of Lake William Hovellahead. After an enjoyable drive down areasonably steep and rocky track, withgreat views of the surrounding mountains,we stopped on the shore of Lake WilliamHovell for morning tea. The surface of thelake was a sparkling blue on this perfectsummer morning.Just below the weir wall we crossed theKing River and began our ascent up ontothe Wobonga Plateau Track. Similar to thetrip down, this was a pleasant drive up withsome steep and sometimes rocky sections.The next part of the drive was probably ourhighlight as we drove along the ridgeline ofthe mountain and had magical views of thesurrounding alps. Erica was a bit nervousat one stage as one particularly narrowsection of the ridgeline had a sheer dropon either side.Mt Cobbler was our constant companion inthe distance along this section of the trip.Although we always seemed to be travel-ling in the same direction, every time MtCobbler came back into sight, we seemedto be looking at it from a different angle.We made our way down to Pineapple Flatfor lunch by the river, however my kidsdecided to eat in the car because of the

flies. I finally bribed the kids out of the carwith icy poles, plus showing them wherewe would soon be driving through the KingRiver again.Once we had crossed the river again, weproceeded to Westons track where webegan the ascent to Mt No 3. This wasapparently a relatively new road and sowas a new experience for everyone. Bythis time of the afternoon it was gettingquite overcast and we were getting slightlyconcerned about our luggage which wassitting exposed to the elements back atcamp.At the top of Mt No 3 we threaded throughthe bare ghost gums and were rewardedwith views back towards Lake Eildon andthe Paps. We then zig-zagged our way

down again to Carters Road and weresoon back at camp. After a final pack-upand farewell, we all made our way backhome.Overall, we had a fantastic first trip with theclub. What a great way to spend a week-end; meeting friendly new people (I shouldalso mention that my high school librarianwas one of the other participants - what acoincidence!), enjoying some great4WDing, perfect weather and magicalscenery.Thanks again to Laurie & Heidi for aninformative and well run trip and congratu-lations for reaching your 75th trip.Andreas Faulwetter (2625)


SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!• As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind- every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.~ JohnGlenn• America is the only country where a significant proportion of thepopulation believes that professional wrestling is real but themoon landing was faked.~ David Letterman• I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. God dammit, I'm abillionaire.~ Howard Hughes• After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box.~Italian proverb• Men are like linoleum floors. Lay 'em right and you can walk allover them for thirty years.~ Betsy Salkind• The only reason they say 'Women and children first' is to test thestrength of the lifeboats.~ Jean Kerr• When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new caror a new wife.~ Prince Philip• A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for meat kickboxing.~ Emo Philips.

• Wood burns faster when you have to cut and chop it yourself.~Harrison Ford• The best cure for sea sickness, is to sit under a tree.~ SpikeMilligan• Lawyers believe a man is innocent until proven broke.~ RobinHall?• Kill one man and you're a murderer, kill a million and you're aconqueror.~ Jean Rostand.• Having more money doesn't make you happier. I have 50 milliondollars but I was just as happy as when I had 48 million.~ ArnoldSchwarzenegger.• We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the othersare here for, I have no idea.~ WH Auden• The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs toanyone.?~ George Roberts?• If God had intended us to fly he would have made it easier toget to the airport.~ Jonathan Winters


O X F A M C H R I S T M A S T R E E D E L I V E R I E ST R I P S

Saturday Deliveries: Garry Cooper andBernie O’Reilly, Tony Blair and PeterBurchall, Kevin Rogers, Harold & GlendaRoss, Judith Theobald and Keren Walton,Andrew Browne, Tony & Barbara Bryant,Neil Chambers, Andrew Poon and JennyStephenson.Sunday Deliveries: Slawko & Rebecca,Gunther Scheffel and Robert Karkut, Davidand Dennis Manz, Alan & Gail McMeekin

Note: Eight questions were asked of eachdeliverer.1. The name of your co-driver/navigator2. How many trees you delivered?3. Where you delivered to?4. How long did it take?5. Comments from people good and bad, ifany?6. Any funny instances along the way?7. How many times you did a “U” turn?8. Did you get lost?Their responses are as follows:

Hi Garry, was good fun again like last year.My passenger was hung over RobertKarkut, he enjoyed his recovery from a bignight out. We delivered 16 Christmas treesmainly in the Yarraville area. Only took usabout 2.5 hours to finish. All recipientswere very friendly and their kids megaexcited. Did not get lost thanks to ourclever Tom Tom GPS. We celebratedtogether with Slawko and Rebecca in aMoonee Ponds Café after the job wasdone. We’ll do it again next year,.Gunther Scheffel (2465)

Hi Garry as usual – 2nd time for Guntherand I – we had a great rewarding morningmeeting up with truly thankful and appre-ciative customers when delivering theirChristmas trees.The best part is the excitement of the chil-dren running to their front door or lookingout of their windows (even the adults) whenknocking on their doors and handing overtheir Christmas trees – truly a cheerfulexperience.Gunther and I spent the first half hourunloading a semi-trailer load of Christmastrees with a bunch of eager volunteerssorting them out into three piles from small,medium to large.After the speedy delivery run of 16

Christmas trees (that’s all that could besqueezed safely into the back of the V8Ute) to Footscray, Yarraville and Seddonareas, we caught up with another twoTLCCV helpers (Rebecca and Slawko) atMoonee Ponds shopping strip for a bigbreakfast and coffee to finish the morningoff.The organizer said that once people give ita go, they generally come back – that’s sotrue because it is so well organized and atruly great experience to be part of.Gunther and I are looking forward to nextyear’s run.Robert Karkut (2148)

Hi Garry, driver was Peter Burchall and Iwas navigator. We were supposed todeliver 17 trees, but only delivered 16 assomeone could not count, when the elasticbands were put on. Fortunately when wereturned to Blackburn there was still adelivery to be made to the area in questionso the missed address was placed in theirbundle. We delivered to Abbotsford, CliftonHill and North Fitzroy.It was 2 hours from Blackburn toBlackburn, but actual delivery was lessthan 1 hour from arrival in the actual area.All the people we found at home were verycomplementary.No real funny instances although we didcome across another lot of people

delivering the trees parked on the side ofthe road in the area havingbreakfast/brunch chowing down on ham-burgers.We only did 2 U-turns, which were neces-sary to get to our next destination theshortest way. Garry, with me navigating,you don’t expect us to get lost, do you?It’s always a good experience and if youstart early, you finish early and have therest of the day free to do other things.Tony Blair (2307)

Hi Garry, just me and my trusty GPS deliv-ering 18 trees in South Melbourne, Albertand Middle Park areas. Yes, U-turns I hada few, road works and one way streets alladded to the mix of a fun morning, Thankyou for organizing it Garry, and the loan ofyour trailer.Neil Chambers (2523)

Hi Garry, Dennis Manz as navigator,loader, unloader. Only delivered 14 treesthis year in the Coburg/Brunswick area.We helped unload the semi from 7:15 amthen loaded our trees and were finisheddelivering by 9:35 am - even had time tograb a coffee.Great comments from several who came tothe door. One young family invited us intotheir lounge to position the tree and see thejoy of their 2-year old.

We found two Gordon Streets in the area,but phoned the client who gave us direc-tions. No U-turns this time, but time toenjoy each person’s front gardens, veran-das and buckets of water. Cannot remem-ber if we got lost!!David Manz (2269)

All went well, organization really great,delivery slips on track.No co-driver – solo.17 trees. Chelsea Heights to Frankston.Arrived Blackburn at 7:00 am, last deliveryin Frankston at 10:00 am.All happy, no negative comments. Nofunny instances along the way.Delivery slips all in order, run really stream-lined, one U-turn only to retrace steps butonly 1.2 km.Did not get lost. iPad GPS Navigator sys-tem better than wife or co-driver/navigator,no arguments.Will do again next year, very enjoyable andsatisfying especially as Oxfam had goodprofit margin.Andrew Browne

Hi Garry, The name of your co-driver/navigator? NilHow many trees you delivered? 18Where you delivered to? East Kew, Kewand Hawthorn East (close to where I live)How long did it take? Approx. 6 hrs home– home.Comments from people good and bad ifany? Maybe 1/3 recipients home, com-ments mostly good.Any funny instances along the way? MyGPS had a migraine – glad I had aMelways. Lost some of the decorationswithin 1km of home.How many times you did a “U” turn? Lots– the worst was in a very narrow street withlots of parked cars – not easy with a trailer.Did you get lost? Only a few times andtemporarily.Kevin Rogers (2536)

Hi Garry, my friend, Keren Walton and Ihave delivered Christmas trees for Oxfamfor the past 5 or 6 years now I think. Weenjoy doing it and find it especially reward-ing when we hear excited little childrenstampeding through the house in their rushto get to the front door to take delivery ofthe tree. We delivered 17 trees this year to

North Fitzroy, Brunswick, Thornbury andPreston and didn’t get lost once, thanks tothe skill of my navigator. However, we didhave to do a couple of U-turns and a littlereversing, but only because of deliveries indead-end streets on the Merri CreekReserve. Fortunately we were able to doso without too much angst (phew!!) The

whole process from the time I collected mynavigator took about 5 hours, however aswe set off at 6:30 am that did include abreak for a catch-up chat and a deliciouscooked breakfast in a lovely little café enroute. Of course we sat at a kerbside tablewhere we could keep a close eye on ourimportant trailer-load of trees. In all theyears we have been doing this, we havenever experienced any negative feedback,only appreciation and positive commentsfrom adults and children alike. It really is agreat way to start the build-up to the festiveseason. We thoroughly recommend theexperience. Kind regards-Judith Theobald (2139)

Hi Garry, left home 7:00 am for the CarltonNorth depot. The journey didn’t take long –not much traffic at that time on a Sunday.Our Prado was decorated with green andgold tinsel which turned a few heads as wedrove along. Slawko assisted with unload-ing trees from semi-trailer and placedthem, according to size on small, mediumand large stacks. While he was doing this,Rebecca greeted Brian Moran andreceived allocation of delivery slips andOxfam cards to hand to customers ondelivery. She tallied up how many trees ofeach size were required. Our area coveredMelway maps 17 and 29.

Trees delivered? 15 (2 small, 9 medium, 4large)Delivered to? Fawkner, Coburg North,Pascoe Vale, Brunswick, Ascot Vale andFlemington.How Long? Left depot 9:00 am and deliv-ered last tree at 11:00 am.Comments from customers? “Thank youfor volunteering to deliver the trees.” “Weappreciate you giving up your Sunday to dothis for Oxfam.” “Oxfam and your four-wheel drive Club are doing a great job, wecan’t thank you enough.”Funny? Delivered a tree to a mum and her3-year old daughter. They had nothing toput the tree in so we suggested she usethe bucket that was in the front garden andput some soil in it. The little girl wanted togo outside with mummy, but mummy saidshe couldn’t go out as she had no knickerson. Her daughter promptly lifted up her topand said: “Yes, I have mummy!”How many U-turns? There were fourstreets that ran both left and right when wecame to the intersection so it was a guess

as to which way the house numbers went.You wouldn’t believe it but each time wepulled the wrong rein.Did we get lost? This was our fifth yeardoing deliveries and have worked out asystem which eliminates the risk of gettinglost or going back to an area we havealready been.Garry, thanks again for all your efforts onbehalf of our Club in organizing this annu-al event. We thoroughly enjoyed the expe-rience and look forward to repeating theexercise in a little under twelve monthstime.Slawko and Rebecca (2270)


O M E O - 2 9 t h D E C 2 0 1 3 t o 2 n d J A N 2 0 1 4T R I P S

Trip Leader: Adam, Olivia, Amelia, Owen & Angus TakacsParticipants: Peter, Karen, Jayden & Sasha Crump

Michael Winand and Elaine LeishmanAlan & Gail McMeekinMichael & Michelle ButlerIan Wells, Susan, Conner & Lachlan GriffinSteve, Tom & Jacqueline de Mamiel

On Sunday 29th December, we leftMelbourne heading to Omeo. Westayed at the Golden Age Hotel in

Omeo.Early on Monday morning we met sometrip members who had also stayed inOmeo. At 9:00 am we had the trip brief-ing before driving about 45 minutes tocamp. Once we arrived at the site we setup camp and set about having a goodtime swimming in the river, relaxing andfishing.The next morning was warm – perfect forswimming and boogie boarding down theriver. So that is what we did.


That night was New Year’s Eve so we hada big cook-up. People brought port, goatand there was also beef and lamb. Weroasted the meat and the veggies – pota-toes, pumpkin, peas and beans. Othersbrought garnishes like gravy, apple sauceand tzatsiki. An amazing fruitcake withcustard and cream concluded the feast.The kids were lighting sparklers, blowingup glow-in-the-dark balloons and crackingglow sticks. I didn’t quite make it to mid-night!On New Year’s Day, after a lazy start, we allwent to the Blue Duck Inn for lunch. Theyhad a tasty menu that I’m sure everyoneenjoyed.The trip concluded the following morning.Everyone packed up, said goodbye and –just like that – a great time was over.Everyone found the trip relaxing and fun.Good job Adam – it was a great trip.By Jacqueline de Mamiel (age 9) (2416)


After dinner, and general discussionon national politics, it was decidedunanimously that with this site being

fairly open we needed to establish a toilet-ing system. Nicki cleverly placed a whiteflag on a stick to indicate use of territory forprivate business. However, at next morn-ing's toilet time the majority of males in thegroup thought they would be smart bygoing elsewhere and then were surprisedto see a sea of meerkats periscoping in alldirections. Why can’t they follow a simplerule?20 August: We broke camp at 8.29, andslowly continued our journey north. Wewere still some 33km from the Madigan.When the rest of us stopped for morningtea – supplemented with Nicki's fruitcake –Don continued slowly on ahead. On reach-ing the Madigan Line, Don and Ken spentsome time underneath the truck investigat-ing the possibility of a repair, but this wasnot possible as an essential componenthad gone missing. Don made phone callsand discovered that the part was availablein Brisbane and could be freighted toBirdsville for when we arrived. As the carwas still driveable, we would continue on,albeit slowly.We proceeded to Camp 9 where we tookthe obligatory photos. By Camp 9 camelsunder Madigan's party, led by Bejah, werein poor condition and we could relate to the

situation. We reached Camp 10 where wewere surprised to find that two weeksbefore a group with T-vans had precededus. They were probably responsible forscalloping the track rather badly in places.In virtually the next swale after Camp 10was Camp 11 – where a change of vegeta-tion saw Madigan's camels salivating andexcited at the prospect of a feed. We tooka lay day here to allow the camels the lux-ury of putting on a little more condition.However, we proceeded on a further 10kmto the best camp of the trip, with gidgees(trees) as the main feature and a sunsetand full moon rise that provided a wonder-ful photo opportunity.Around the camp fire we enjoyed gluhweinand chocolate as part of our fundraising forthe Flying Docs. We were looking forwardto a lay day tomorrow to prepare for a com-munal feast and the big push to Birdsville.21 August: No meerkat sightings. Weenjoyed a day of relaxation as hadMadigan at Camp 11. Some walkers wentnorth of the campsite bird spotting. Theysaw what they thought were honeyeatersand wood swallows. Spinifex was removedfrom under vehicles. A private screening ofvehicle retrievals was held at Ken and Di's.There were no tyres to repair as no furtherpunctures had been experienced. It was aday at leisure, taking stock and reading upon further travels.

In the evening, we enjoyed a communalmeal of roast lamb and beef, roast veggieswith entrée, and hot steam puddings withcream, thanks, to Di.22 August: We broke camp at 9am. Whilethe boys drove a few 100 metres north tosee Madigan’s Claypan, the girls walkedahead to check tracks and scat. Theyfound evidence of small marsupials, din-goes and lizards. And while camel tracksabound, actual camels were as elusive asthe bunyip.We proceeded on over high sand ridges inthe morning and lesser ones in the after-noon. Visited Camps 12, 13 and 14 inswales sparsely vegetated because ofrecent fires.We reached Camp 15 on the Hay RiverTrack by late afternoon. This area was lessaffected by fire, with Mallee trees abound-ing along with considerable dead canegrass. We made camp a few hundredmetres south of the Camp 15 marker, andspent an enjoyable evening sitting arounda small fire.23 August: We departed at 9am to anoth-er magnificent day on the Madigan Line,spotting a large raptor nest unoccupied aswere many others down the track. Nickifound no indigenous tracks but spotted alarge angry introduced species with armsfolded and hole dug, in a meerkat momentat morning tea time.

P A R T 2 . M A D I G A N L I N E - A U G U S T 2 0 1 3T R I P S

Camp 25 Birdsville Pub


Camp 14

We continued down the Hay River Track toCamp 16 and the blaze tree. The road wasrough in patches with quartz outcrops. AtCamp 16, we left the Hay River Track andheaded east on a mogully track with somechallenging dunes. Vegetation was sparsein the fire affected swales. We followed thetracks of a dingo adult and cub, and acamel that eventually lead to the sighting ofa herd of camels. The dunes were closetogether until we crossed into Queenslandwhere the swales became wider. At Camp17 we had a pleasant lunch amongst thegidgee trees.We continued now in a south easterlydirection – on the way undertaking a fruit-less search for Mudloo Well. Two solitarymale camels were sighted before wereached a suitable campsite on a gidgeeflat a little way before Camp 18.The fire was prepared by the women whilemost men, except Alby, sat about nibblingand enjoying beer o’clock.24 August: Early risers noted dingo andpup tracks around our campsite. We brokecamp at 9.20 Queensland time. On ourway out we drove over the previous night'sfire which had received a good raking bythe women of the camp. Once on track, weproceeded across dunes, passed Camp18. We were finding an increasing numberof gidgee trees in the swales except atCamp 19 which was sparse of vegetation.Having departed the Simpson DesertNational Park, we entered Adria DownsStation, travelling south east acrossswales, dunes, saltpans and claypans.Sea Heath- Frankenia and Groundsellwere identified in this region. At morningtea there was much discussion of newlyidentified scat and whether it was horse ordonkey. We were convinced it was donkeybut wild horses were later spotted - glossybig specimens. We crossed the remains ofthe rabbit proof fence, and ultimatelyreached Camp 20 at Kuddaree Waterhole.There was a lot less water here than whenseveral of us were here last year.Carcasses of dead cattle were also lyingaround. It was a sad yet beautiful sight asthis was our first sighting of surface waterin more than 10 days. We saw a dingo,water birds, a murder of crows and aperegrine falcon.We headed south via Camp 21 to the ruinsof Annandale Homestead beside a verydry Eyre Creek. It was here that we made

camp for the night.25 August: As Birdsville was being visitedby a Variety Bash Group today, we decidedto remain a second night at Annandalerather than compete for camping space atthe Caravan Park. We had a peacefulmorning, burnt toast, slept in, some of uswashed. Harry nursed sore body partsfollowing a spectacular leap, two half turnsand a double pike over the rusty trailerreturning from an undercover mission.Karma effected. David sniffed out the plot.Tables turned. All forgiven.We visited the Annandale ruins and locat-ed the graves of the station’s children whodied early in the 20th century. Don told usthe tragic story of how a mother left alonefor weeks with the men out mustering andfood running out became depressed; andhow she poisoned her two children andwas later found wandering in the desert.Madigan visited the abandoned home-stead in 1939 and was surprised to find noroof but a houseful of furniture. The furni-ture has now gone but the station yardsand various items of machinery remainalong with many other relics of interest.Julie spotted a broken green oval bottombottle, once containing eucalyptus oil.We explored the locality for birdlife andfound pigeons and swallows but no colour-ful budgies as Madigan had done. Very dryconditions, brilliant near full moon forseveral days. No wind.26 August: We had an easy drive intoBirdsville on our last day, visiting a memo-rial to Charles Sturt who came looking forthe Inland Sea in 1845 – as well as Camp22 – on our way. We were unable to visitCamps 23 and 24 as access is not normal-ly permitted by the station owner.Everyone got up and over Big Red, withAlby, Harry and Alan driving over the hard

climb. Everyone enjoyed the same view ofthe lagoon on the other side, as Madiganhad done, describing the reflection of thetrees and the grazing stock.We completed our trip with a meal in theBirdsville Pub, particularly noting the Camp25 marker above the door between the twobars.Overall, the Madigan track was easier thanexpected with only one minor tyre problem.Don did break his front suspension but stillmanaged to drive out to have his vehiclerepaired in Birdsville before heading home.The trip out to Geosurvey Hill was the mostchallenging. The campsites along the waywere attractive and all characterised by thepresence of dingo and small reptile tracks.A few camels were sighted but not as manyas we expected. Bird life was sparse butwild flowers abundant. The temperaturewas in the mid-twenties. Apart from ourfirst day, there was little or no wind. Mostdays were sunny and clear. This was a fab-ulous experience, much of it due to Don’sextensive research, Nicki and Sue’s knowl-edge of flora and fauna, Harry’s imperson-ation of a camel, and in part – it must besaid – to Kenny G’s terrible jokes. Lastly,several fundraising nights were enjoyed byall: pancakes, gluhwein, cheese and cham-pers organised by Nicki and Sue and rais-ing $366 for the RFDS.

P.S. The distance travelled from MtDare to Birdsville was – on average – 870km, there being a variation in this figure of+/- 30km between vehicles due to differ-ences in actual route driven, tyre diame-ters, air pressure, wheel slip in sand, etc.Fuel consumption – on average – for thediesel vehicles was 20.9lt/100km (4.8km/lt)and for the sole petrol vehicle 25.5lt/100km(3.9km/lt). Fuel usage varied +/- 2lt/100kmfrom vehicle to vehicle because of vehicledifferences (ie turbo fitment,automatic/manual gearbox, number ofgears), as well as the variations in distancetravelled, and – dare it be said – drivingstyle.Tyre pressures used were typically 25-30psi, higher than normal for sand travel,but not to the extent of making hill climbsdifficult. Most of our failures in hill climbswere due to poor gear or range selectionbefore the climb, or simply because wetook it too casually while enjoying the jour-ney. The trip was nowhere near as difficultas we originally thought it might be. Tyreproblems were negligible.

Group at Geosurveys Hill


Camp 22

Practicality was top of mind for the ARBengineering team when developingARB’s new full extension fridge slide.This new product allows 35L and 47LARB Fridge Freezers to be pulled out100% for easy access.The ARB full extension fridge slide, whichalso features an additional storage areabehind the fridge, can be locked into placewhen fully extended, allowing easy accesseven when the vehicle is on an extremeangle. Dual locking positions allow for lock-ing into place during travelling, whileadjustable anti-vibration pads reduce rat-tles on off road adventures.Additional storage space is incorporatedinto the design with an accessory tray

which is located between the back of thefridge slide and the fridge. This is ideal forstoring items such as automotive batteries,water tanks, jerry cans or tool boxes.For even more convenience, the full exten-sion fridge slide can be installed on eitherthe passenger or driver’s side and has aflat base for easy mounting. A solid steelconstruction incorporating laser cut mount-ing points allows for the easy fitment of anoptional ARB Fridge Freezer tie down kit,ARB cambuckle tie down strap and ARBbattery clamp kit.Built tough, the fridge slide has a maximumload of 120kg, with 80kg on the main trayand 40kg on the accessories tray. Built tolast, a durable e-coat finish with zinc pre-

coating and zinc plated hardware makesthis fridge slide a long lasting and reliableaddition to any four wheel drive.The ARB full extension fridge slide will alsosuit any similar sized chest fridges. Formore information or to find your closestARB stockist, head to www.arb.com.au.


P R O D U C T S

A R B F U L L E X T E N S I O N F R I D G E S L I D E

COMING EVENTA factory tour of ARB isplanned for 19th March2014.Details in this magazine.Limited places available.

Get the kids started early in the greatoutdoors with the all new Fourby andAriel SkyDome swags. With spaciousand comfortable sleeping quarters, theswags offer an excellent camping optionfor families with young adventurers whowant to experience all the excitement oftheir very own swag.At three-quarters the full length of the orig-inal SkyDome swag, the children’s versionmeasures 750mmW x 1800mmL and isideal for children up to 12 years. Theswags are available in either Fourby blueor Ariel purple, with a print of the popularcharacters on the side and foot windowawning for extra appeal.Exceptional in wet conditions, the swagfeatures a heavy duty 820gsm PVC basewith welded seams for waterproofing. A

heavy duty 450gsm water and rot proofedcanvas top further protects the swag, whilealso providing heat reflection in warmerconditions. A waterproof base extends75mm up the side of the swag to preventwater leakage from the ground, while arain gutter is incorporated into the mainentry door to inhibit water ingress.With a comfortable 62mm corrugatedfoam mattress, the kids are sure to nod offquickly after those long days exploring,with the cover machine washable for extraconvenience. YKK zips and fitted nylonmosquito net feature on all doors and win-dows, keeping those pesky creepycrawlies out, while four internal pocketsplus mount hooks mean that the kids havea place for all the important knick-knackslike drink bottles and torches.

The freestanding design of the SkyDomeallows for set up on most flat surfaces likesand, rock, concrete or the backyard,while the aluminium bows create a domeshape, helping to eliminate the enclosedfeeling of a traditional swag and allowingthe kids to move around more freely.Reflective guy ropes and pegs are alsoincluded with the swag for use inunfavourable weather conditions.

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M&Ms on lay-by.6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to acarpeted area.7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told thechildren shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bringpillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twentychildren obliged.8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he begancrying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'security was called.9.. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used itas a mirror while he picked his nose.10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department,he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudlyhumming the ' Mission Impossible' theme.12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonnalook' by using different sizes of funnels.13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsedthrough, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!' 14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loudspeaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'STHOSE VOICES AGAIN!' And last, but not least:15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waiteda while, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.' One of the clerks passed out.

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