December 2012

PO Box 655, South Perth, WA 6951

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I just wanted to say how lovely it was to be at the December club meeting. After being on the road for 6 months, it was great to be able to catch up with all the members again, you all feel like an extend-ed family. We were really thrilled to see so many new members, well done Michael and everyone else for getting the club 'noticed' and putting in the effort to actual-ly get “New Bums” on seats. Now I just need to pull my own weight and get to know them.

I was beginning to feel settled, and maybe stay around a bit longer. We could join in more club outings, then our guest speaker, Nick Underwood, started to share his love of the desert and especially the Pilbara, and that was it, my heart did a 180 and I can't wait to get back out there! At one point I think there was a bit of con-cern about running out of food as we had such a large attendance, but there must have been a bit of the loaves and fishes thing going on, because there were a few

little doggie bags accompanying people home. A big well done must be said for whoever made the Rocky Road moun-tain. Who is the person with such creative talent? Next time Malcolm is terrifying me as we ascend or descend some impos-sible slope I will try to remember that cre-ation in the hope it will distract me. Looking forward to the Fonty's pool camp and the next meeting in February.

From the Secretary’s Desk

A Happy Christmas to all, a Prosperous New Year for those

who have to work and a relaxing year for those who don’t.

Enjoy the time you have with your families and friends, they are

precious. We wish you good health, safe and happy driving

and lots of enjoyment in the club during 2013.

John and Rosalie King

4wd negotiates Rocky road complete with winch line & dampner! Brilliant.

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Correction:

The excellent August POTY entry was taken by

Wendy L. and not Bridget M. The photo shown

below was shot on the Kimberley trip earlier this year. Well done Wendy.

Bridget doesn’t miss out as one of her photos is the

March entrant. Winner announced at

AGM in March.

AUGUST POTY by WENDY L.

CLUB SHOP

OPEN! Gents and ladies

Cooltex polo shirts $35 each, Caps at $15 each

Tick removers at $5 each

IN STOCK Buy at the club meet-

ings or go to the member website. “Get out John, they’re not for you!” Some boys never

grow up! MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

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This was the 7th Annual visit to Big Valley by the club and the trip continues to be pop-ular with club members. Some of the more fortunate members were able to travel to Margaret River in the week leading to the official start of the trip. The trip officially commenced on Friday November 16 and finished Monday November 19. Roger, Jan, Karen and I arrived a few days early in order to make things ready for the weekend. This included pre-tripping the tracks and locations for Saturday’s day trips. Peter Belcher and Kingstons helped Roger pre-trip his plan, while the Vasiles followed the Archers to pre-trip the alternate run. 18 cars (39 people) were expected, after a few late withdrawals, and we managed to fill most of the reserved section of Big Valley with an assortment of caravans and tents. The last to arrive on Friday were Rick and Nancy who managed very efficiently to get their caravan set up just in time for the 7:00 o’clock dinner. This year the Lamb on a spit was considerably larger than previous years and along with the accompaniment of assorted salads made for a very enjoyable start to the weekend. The size of the lamb meant getting it on the spit at 11:00am allowing it to rotate over the fire for 7 hours. There was barely enough stomach space (some of us more than others) to fit in the de-serts but we all managed to make room. With a fine contribution of deserts from Neil the cake supply kept us going for the whole weekend. Roger’s nine pin golf course was set up once again through the fields of the valley. Throughout the weekend most members had a go at the course, some doing questiona-bly very well and others doing too honestly poor. The results of which have been kept tightly secured until the December meeting. On Saturday, those that wished to go for a drive formed in line behind either Roger and Jan, for a country site seeing tour, or the alternate trip was with Martin and Karen for a casual day at the beach. Some elected to have a more relaxing day around camp.

Roger’s Trip

Nine cars left Big Valley camp site on the morning of 17th November 2012 on a 140 kms grade 2 run through the Blackwood forest

November 16 to 19, 2012

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The first section of the trip was through farmland well stocked with ripening vines and with well filled reservoirs. It was concluded that the wine growers of the region should have a very productive season. We were soon off the bitumen and into the forested vegetation. The vari-ous twist and turns of the forest tracks soon tested the skills of our trip leader and navigator Jan. A few incorrect turns were soon on the trip sheet; however with the able assistance of the Kingston’s we were very soon back on track with little disruption to the following convoy. Our tracks followed various fence lines until eventually we passed over our first cross-ing of the Blackwood River. Fortunately the water levels were low and caused no prob-lems to the intrepid explorers. A morning drinks stop was made at the crossing, with a convenient long drop toilet being in the near vicinity. Soon on our way again we were onto the gravel tracks with the resultant dust clouds causing some discomfort to our participants. However our intrepid tail end Charlie team of Jeff and Maxine proved more than capable of keeping the convoy in good con-tact with the trip leader throughout the various forest sections. Lunch break was taken at another river crossing beneath a newly constructed bridge. The location was at a section of the river where tragically two children lost their lives in 2006, a river crossing accident when their car was swept away. The new bridge construction was we considered as a result of this terrible accident..

(Continued on page 11)

John K,

Michael G,

Pasc and Sam

V prepare for

battle.

Sam and Pasc preparing the feast.

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A GOLD PROSPECTING WEEKEND.

Expressions of interest wanted: When: 27th April to 29th April 2013.

Where: Goldfields Region.

Convoy: 12 Vehicles

Who: Members only. Bring: Campers, Swags, Tents. (Possibility of access for small caravans may be decided at a later date). Camp fire cooking utensils.

Equipment: Metal detectors available for hire - Reeds Prospecting Supplies. All vehicles should carry the necessary Recovery & repair equip.

To register your interest please contact trip leader

Roger Freegard / John Stampallia Via website

See website for more info on

ALL CLUB TRIPS

Easter trip to Bridgetown

staying in Bridgetown Caravan Park

Arriving Thursday March 28th 2013 - Departing Monday April 1st 2013

Powered sites $25 per night for two persons.

Ten powered sites have been booked – all adjacent to the river and near to each other. The site has good camp kitchen facilities and

ablutions amenities nearby to our sites.

Lots to do in and around Bridgetown – canoeing and swimming in the Black-wood River. There are Heritage sites, Parks and Trails; Forest and Bush walks; wineries and cudgeries; plentiful eating out and pubs/hotels. Bridgetown is a

character town full of interesting buildings and a variety of craft and collectors shops. All this within easy walking distance from the caravan park.

There will be an Easter Sunday Market, and we will endeavour to participate in a club Easter Egg hunt and Easter quiz. There will be opportunity to participate

in a local scenic drive in this attractive area.

Further details via website

BOOK NOW

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After a quick swim by the Nicol.family followed by a robust good natured discussion of marron, olives and reptile near misses, we were soon on the road again through the forestry to our next destination of Canebrake Pool. Our arrival was tempered somewhat by the large number of vehicles in the small park-ing area of the Pool; however to the credit of our group we found a place to settle and enjoyed another natural break. Soon on the road again we passed along a track that provided a few harder driving chal-lenges, water, narrow access and water rutted passages. All negotiated with little prob-lems we were soon back on the bitumen and on our way back to camp. We thank the participants for their enthusiastic participation and patience shown to the trip leader on this day.

Roger Martin’s Trip As an alternative to the bush explorer trip, Martin and Karen lead a group of 6 vehicles for a shorter run to the beach location called Joey’s Nose. Joey’s Nose is located north of the Margaret River mouth and is accessed by an off-road track at the end of Kilarnup Road, off Caves Road. The track down to Joey’s Nose is mostly sand and limestone with some areas that may prove slightly challenging depending on seasonal changes. The final decent onto the beach is quite steep with wheel rut holes well established to cause some passenger dis-comfort. The beach at that location is not too soft, but advisable for tyre pressures to be down to prevent strain on the vehicle’s engine. Lower tyre pressures are well advised for the climb out of the beach and the ascent back to the bitumen. As soon as we found a suitable location on the beach awnings were erected and the group spent a very enjoyable morning relaxing, swimming and eating lunch. Some of the crew took the opportunity to explore further tracks in the area, this being their first

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visit to this beach area. Being a Saturday, there were several other parties on the beach, but these mainly con-sisted of surfers taking advantage of the reef breaks, whereas our party preferred the sheltered and calmer end of the bay. The bay is very popular with locals because of its close proximity to the town, and when DEC took over the area from the council over a year ago and attempted to close vehicle access to the beach, there was some protest by the community. We have visited Joey’s nose regularly over the 6 years we have been running the Big Valley trip and it has seen no ill-effects resulting from vehicle access. So fortunately, common sense prevailed and the log barriers have since been removed. Saturday Evening With an incident free trip day all returned to camp in the afternoon in time for a happy hour or three. This was followed by a totally unnecessary dinner, but what else do you do when camping? At 8:00pm everyone gathered in the camp kitchen for a quiz night. Questions were pre-pared and delivered by Peter Belcher who had tried very hard to make the questions more colonial than British. Adjudicators Jan and Denise ensured that cheating was kept to a minimum. Watching from the sidelines, with 2 year old Alexis on my lap, I noticed that this year’s game was a lot tamer than previous years. That was either due to good game control management or the more vocal objectors were absent or perhaps won the game for a change? The only event planned for Sunday was a lunch at the Woody Nook Winery. Having been well looked after by the people at Woody Nook last year, it was a pleasure to re-turn there this year. And once again, the hospitality, service and food were very good. After lunch, some headed back to Perth and the remainder returned to camp. But not before making the compulsory stop at the Chocolate Factory and other tourist traps. Thanks to Kevin and Shelly at Big Valley for accommodating our club and being such wonderful hosts during our stay. Their attentive, friendly and relaxed attitude is what makes the location such a pleasant place to stay. Thanks to Roger and Jan for doing the trip planning and organizing this year. Everyone

had a wonderful time. Martin

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Sunday Dec 9th proved to be a marvellous warm day. A great way to spend it - working on your 4bie with club mates! Certainly one of the best places to do it is MEDICAR Automotive Solutions in Bibra Lake. George and his wife Margaret made us all extremely welcome, donating their time, work area, tools, 4 hoists & 4wd shop exclusively to our membership. George’s decades of expe-rience was most welcome and his advise sought on in many areas. George, the busiest person by far on the day, didn't stop rushing from one job to the next - well except for an excellent snag BBQ put on and provided by Piers M. Work carried out included oil, bearing and brake pad changes. Lights fitted, and a new ARB compressor installed in the engine compartment of a club members (who shall remain nameless) Pajero. Everyone agreed the day was a fantastic success and a HUGE thank you to George, Margaret and Piers for their generosity! If you need some work done on your car or stock up on some 4wd parts, CALL GEORGE OR MARGARET at MEDICAR—94342211

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Visitors Day November 25th 2012

Sunday morning, dawned as a beautiful clear day, much to the pleasant surprise of the Visitors Day Trip and Team Leaders.

After the fierce storms of the night before, and a weather forecast of possible similar weather for the Sunday morning, a planned drive from

Seabird to Wilbinga with a group of prospective members was shaping up to be even

more spectacular than planned. The weather however, showed some compassion and the fine conditions enhanced the most spectacular views of our glorious Western Aus-

tralian coastline as we travelled south from Seabird.

Following the clubs appearance at the 4WD Show earlier in the month, a large number

of interested people had registered for a special visitors day trip with the club. There were so many people wanting to come along that the club had to impose a limit to the

number of vehicles that could participate and initiate a waiting list for the trip. The planned group consisted of 24 visitor vehicles (15 of which were actually Mitsubishi)

and 8 member vehicles.

Following a brief welcome and trip briefing by the Clubs’ Trip Co-ordinator Michael

Gilbert, Team Leaders “Black” John, “Blue” Peter, “Green” Martin, “Red” Richard K and “Yellow” Richard K’n, briefed their designated teams regarding convoy procedure, use

of uhf radios, emergency procedures, and then the group set off from the start of the

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10th Light Horse Memorial Trail to Seabird

for the start of the trip proper.

The first “organised activity” for this trip was the reduction of tyre pressures before

entering the sand track on the edge of

town. A pre-trip assessment had been car-ried out on the previous Thursday to de-

termine a route with some challenges and provide alternatives if they were required.

This assessment determined how low the tyre pressures would have to go to in

order to facilitate an easier trip for drivers

and their vehicles and also provide as much protection as possible for the tracks

with such a large group. For some of the visitors it was a new experience to actually

let their tyres down at all let alone to the

required 12-psi pressure. It certainly helped to calm a few visitor nerves to see

more experienced drivers happily listening to the air chorus of tyres deflating.

Even at this early part of the trip, visitors

were beginning to understand the benefit

of going on such a trip in the company of an organised and experienced club.

Conversations conducted over the cacophony of “tyre tunes” include handy

tips about driving technique with lower

tyre pressures, and how to minimise damage to the tracks by not powering on

when momentum has been lost, switching off traction systems that impede sand

driving, and also making sure that every-

one had a shovel in a handy position!

Would you believe it, even before the first team of vehicles were all on the sand

there was a call on the uhf to stop and back up. The very first vehicle we encoun-

tered travelling in the opposite direction

was a very large tractor. No issue about the size of the convoy, he clearly had a

much bigger vehicle! This first section of the trip followed a scenic route along the

dune area and for the most part was

leisurely and undemanding. By the time the group arrived at the first area that

might present a challenge for those with little 4WD experience everyone had set-

tled into a disciplined convoy routine and

an appreciation of the beautiful scenic views. This first ascent stage, with a level

approach and a right hand turn to the base, allowed the whole convoy to

observe each of the preceding vehicles’ progress up the hill. Most of the drivers

managed this part on the first attempt,

while just a few required a little coaching from team leaders. It was actually benefi-

cial for most drivers to see one vehicle fail at the first attempt but succeed at the

second one after receiving advice to get

tyre pressures down even further. Some immediate track repairs were carried out

during this stage, a clear demonstration that shovels are not solely for digging out

a bogged vehicle.

With an increase in confidence among

those with less experience, the convoy continued towards our planned lunch stop

at Guilderton. At this time one should always remember the quote from Robbie

Burns “The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men. Gang aft agley“. Our second ascent proved to be much

more of a challenge than originally planned. With a couple of the earlier vehi-

cles requiring more than one attempt, and the need to occasionally carry out track

improvements, and a vehicle in the middle

of the convoy getting bogged, it became necessary to bring the rest of the vehicles

through on an alternative track. By the time the bogged vehicle was extricated

and holes filled in, the convoy had re-

formed on the other side of the hill and we all drove into Guilderton and managed

to squeeze the whole group into a very pleasant area next to the river.

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With the pleasant sunshine, kids

having fun in the river, and conver-sations about the trip so far and

what was ahead, lunch was a very social experience in the 4WD club

environment for all on the trip. It

was initially anticipated that some of the drivers new to this activity

might have experienced enough of a challenge for the day and here

was an opportunity to call an end to their trip and depart with pride and

vehicle intact. It was a very

pleasant surprise to find that everyone had had such a good time

so far that they were eager to tack-le the second stage.

After the later than planned lunch break, the convoy re-inflated tyres

to road pressures as we were going to travel back down the bitumen to

enter the Wilbinga area for some more sand driving.

Leaving the bitumen just south of Barragoon Rd, and entering the first

area large enough to allow us all to form up, it was time to reduce tyre

pressures again. This time there

was no discussion or hesitation from anyone. The first 10kms into

Wilbinga was an easy and scenic drive, and while it required a degree

of concentration from the driver it

did not cause any problems for any-one. Amazing how the confidence

levels had increased after the morn-ing drive.

The approach to the Wilbinga

“Bowl” provided an interesting sec-

tion of twists and turns with some softer sand bits. Once at the Bowl,

MG assembled all the groups to-gether, debussed the convoy, and

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John H’s “Black Ops Group” gave an im-

promptu demonstration of soft sand driv-ing. It was a very impressive display of

vehicle and driver capability, and perhaps with a smaller convoy and more time

available several other drivers would have

been willing to give the “Bowl” a bit of a go. Certainly argues well for a full trip list

on the next club outing to Wilbinga.

The convoy headed out of the Bowl and moved on southwards through the sandy

tracks towards the Wilbinga Rd exit. With

the afternoon almost over MG had one

more special event to entertain the group, and it turned out to be a fitting “pièce de résistance” for the whole day out. One Tree Hill ! I f there is one sand hill on the

entire continent that MG has a passion for,

this is it! As a 4WD challenge it is a beau-ty. With some skill and heaps of patience

the whole convoy was shoehorned into the small clear area at the base of the hill.

On the pre-trip the previous Thursday it was envisaged that the well travelled

Gilbert Triton would head up and over One

All Members are welcome to attend

A Night Out at the

Eat Greek Restaurant

Smorgasbord all you can eat with entertainment

Saturday 23 February 2013 at 7pm

110 Riverside Road, East Fremantle

Cost ? $45.00 per person. Not including tea and coffee

Fully licenced with table service

RSVP to

Roger and Jan Freegard ( website for contact details)

Payment direct to club account

BSB 306 089 number 2840244 on or before 16th February

and email to Jan advising you have made the payment

which confirms you are coming. When making payment include

details, i.e. Eat Greek and your surname.

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Got something

to sell? Send the details to

editor@mitsubishi4wd.org.au It’s free for members! Or

put it on the forum.

Tree Hill as a closing scene for the day. On

this day however, Black Johns’ Special Ops group decided they were up for the chal-

lenge. With the Triton up and over first, followed by a couple of Landcruisers, and

then the Patrols, Richard “Red Hat” K could

not resist the challenge and up and over he went. The whole audience was well enter-

tained, particularly by the resilience of those who did not quite make it the first time. The

last vehicle to make it over was however, the clear winner of the “Crowd Favourite

Award”, it was non other than Mark H in a

very shiny, new looking Ford Ranger!!! Well done Mark

From the spectacular One Tree Hill, it was a

short drive out on the Wilbinga Rd exit to-

wards the bitumen. At the designated Air-Up point, Club President, and Green Team

Leader, Martin gathered the whole crowd together and after thanking the organising

team for a splendid event, delivered a spe-cial invitation to all our visitors to come

along to the next club meeting on Dec 5th. It

was quite an extraordinary experience to see the visitors change from a group of

almost complete strangers to a convoy of new friends and satisfied 4Wdrivers within

the space of a single day. Only time will tell

how much of a success this event, including the presence at the 4WD Show, will be for

the club but the enthusiasm generated from this Visitor Day argues well for the future

of the Club.

Peter Cole Blue Team

Leader Excellent trip

notes! Thanks Pete!

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Benefits of Membership

Traveling safely in a group with expe-rienced trip leaders.

Opportunity to explore the beauty of remote and unique places in Australia.

Family activities including camping, sightseeing trips and other social events.

Driver education, promoting awareness of correct four-wheel driving tech-niques.

Accessing the collective 4WD knowledge of other Club members. Gain invaluable technical info on your vehicle and trip prepara-tion tips.

Monthly club magazine mailed to members. Club members only website, trip details, image library, trading post, forum and latest news.

Club shop and library at regular monthly meetings.

Discounts for members at selected out-lets.

Why Join? You will have the opportunity to develop new skills and to learn more about your 4wd. Traveling with the Club will allow you to undertake trips which you may not be confident of undertaking alone. The club organizes a range of activities for its members including driver skills training both for novices and more experienced drivers, social functions, regular monthly

day trips, week end and extended trips.

Tell Me About The Club The Club currently has approximately 67 members consisting of singles, couples and families. We are a family oriented club which promotes safe and sensible four wheel driving and the enjoyment of our natural environment. The members are very friendly and love participating in four wheel drive trips and the various so-cial outings that are organized during the year.

Where & when are the Club meetings held? On the first Wednesday of each month (except for January) at 7.30pm Manning Senior Citizens Centre Cnr Ley Street & Downey Drive Manning WA 6152 Do I need to be an accomplished 4 wheel driver to join the Club? No, the Club caters for all experience lev-els. We have a Training Officer who runs training days during the year and the Club trips are also graded according to their degree of difficulty. New members/visitors are provided assistance and coaching, if necessary, while on Club trips.

For more info feel free to contact David Jones membership@mitsubishi4wd.org.au Or visit: mitsubishi4wd.org.au

Visitor

Information

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Do I need a Mitsubishi 4WD to join the Club? We welcome all brands of 4WD's however Mitsubishi Pajeros are driven by approximately 60% of members. Other members drive Toyota Land Cruisers, Nissan Patrols, Land Rovers and other makes of 4WD's. As we mostly drive larger 4WDs with dual range, the majority of our trips aren't suited to "soft road-ers" as low range 4WD is considered necessary.

When does the Club run outings? The Club usually has at least one organized 4wd trip on the last Sunday of each month. These out-ings are run by individu-al members and overseen by the Trip Co-ordinator. Events are varied and in-clude day events, camp-ing weekends and long distance trips over several weeks.

What do I need to do to join the Club? New members are always welcome at the Club. You will need to attend at least 2 club meetings and par-ticipate in 2 club outings before nominating to join. This gives you a chance to see if our club suits you as well giving us a chance to get to know you.

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Our Club Proudly Supported By

CLUB CALENDAR

DATE DESTINATION DETAILS

Dec 26—Jan 6 Fonty’s Pool See club website

Jan 26 Evening at McBeg See club website

Feb 23 Eat Greek See Flyer in mag

March 28 - April 7 Nanga Bay Resort Contact Glen Bignell

March 28 - Aril 1 Bridgetown Camp See Flyer inside

April 25– 28 Northcliffe Explorer See Flyer inside

April 26 - 29 Goldfields Camping See Flyer inide

See website

For more info.

CLUB MEETINGS 7.30pm. FIRST WED OF EVERY MONTH (except Jan) WE LOVE VISITORS