We’reOutward Bound

May 2013

We service all makes and models!• Replace engine oil and filter

• Check fluid levels and condition

• Check engine, battery and drive belts

• Check engine coolant level

• Check engine concentration

• Inspect fuel filter

• Inspect tyres and rims

• Check brake pads/lining for wear

• Check brake pedal free-play

• Check vehicle lighting

• Full Safety Check and

Comprehensive Report

* not included as a log book service

125

We service all makes and models!• Replace engine oil and filter

• Check fluid levels and condition;

brake master cylinder, clutch master cylinder,

power steering, transmission (Auto/Manual)

• Check engine, battery and drive belts

• Check engine concentration

• Inspect fuel filter for leaks

• Check brake pads/lining for wear

• Inspect air cleaner element

• Inspect tyres and rims for wear,

damage and pressure

• Check engine coolant level

• Check brake pedal free-play

• Check vehicle lighting

• Windscreen washer additive

• Full Safety Check and

Comprehensive Report

* not included as a log book service

189

Valid Until 31st Dec 2013

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In this edition

President’s ReportBy Peter Cole

From the Secretary’s Deskby John King

Plumridge Lakes Trip - August 2013Tony Weldon

Trip Report - Prospectingby Roger Freegrad

Trip Report - Northcliffe Explorerby Peter Cole

News Behind the MeetingBy Judith Brinkey

Trip Report - Shark Bayby Glen Bignell

New Multi-Media System

Trip Report - Wilbingaby Peter Knox

OziExplorer Training Dayby Peter Cole

POTY Award Nomination

Contents

Contents

This photo: Zuytdorp Cliffs, Steep PointPhotographer : Glen Bignell

Cover photo: Wilbinga tripPhotographer : Peter Knox

Presidents ReportMay 2013

For those members and visitors who attended our May meeting it would be very evident from Glenn’s Nanga Bay Trip Report that we are in desperate need of a higher quality overhead projector !! We were vividly reminded of the great beauty to be seen in our northern regions, with rich red dust, blue ocean and white sands, but sadly no purple fairies. Almost every picture that Glenn presented was prefaced with the words “ the colours had to be seen to be believed and are nothing like the colours in the picture on the screen”. All we could see on the screen was the yellow ocean, green sky other obscure coloured features. Time for an update of equipment perhaps.

The really good news is that we are almost at the point where new equipment will be installed. The Club has purchased a new projector and it is planned to install this in the premises before the June meeting. The new equipment represents a significant investment of Club funds and should facilitate a great improvement to our trip reports and training programmes. The quality of the pictures being taken on trips by members is of a very high standard and this new equipment should allow us to enjoy that quality at our meetings and not just through browsing the pictures on-line at our website.

Trip reporters, training presenters and guest speakers should all be able to put on their visual presentations and have a very high quality image to work with. The challenge will then be to ensure the standard of the verbal report matches the quality of the image on our screen ! Perhaps we are going to need some media preparation training !!!

We have also recently made some investments in training equipment. Up to now whenever we have engaged in driver training the club has relied on the generosity of our training officers to use their private equipment during demonstrations. As we all know, most recovery gear has a limited life, and to date the replacement cost of the equipment used on training days has been borne by individual members. Richard King has started the process of obtaining equipment, paid for by the club, that will be used exclusively by members for training purposes. As our training programmes progress, replacement of faulty, worn or broken equipment will be at the Club’s cost and not of individual members. In line with this approach, the Management Committee has also approved funds to enable Richard to plan for some practical fire training using extinguishers purchased for that event. If any members want to see their membership fees go up in smoke watch out for that training night !!!

Peter ColePresident

By the time you read this, another meeting of the committee of management will have been held on May 15. I encourage you to read the minutes of these meet-ings, as that is where decisions regarding the affairs of the club are made. Any member is welcome to attend a committee meeting.

I still have a few Entertainment Books for sale, so don’t assume you have missed out, send me a message by email or phone and I will see that you get a book with-out delay.

Thanks to those members who have been on the supper roster since some changes were made over the last couple of months. Unfortunately some mem-bers forget to arrange a replacement and this puts pressure on others to step up and assist. However, the work always seems to get done and supper always happens.

Another reminder. Make sure when attending a meeting that your vehicle is locked and the security of any property left inside is assured. We always need to be on guard.

Enjoy your membership and drive safely.

John KingSecretary

 From the Secretary’s Desk

Mitsubishi 4WD Owners Clubof WesternAustralia Inc.

PO Box 655South Perth WA 6951

Meetings:1st Wed of each month except JanuaryManning Senior Citizens Centre3 Downey DriveManning

www.mitsubishi4wd.org.auemail: secretary@mitsub-ishi4wd.org.auPublication issues:-editor@mitsubishi4wd.org.au

President:Peter ColeVice President:Peter BelcherSecretary:John KingTreasurer:Bridget McPherson

Editor:Martin ArcherWebMaster:Michael GilbertTrip Coordinator:Guy LehmannTraining Officer:Richard KingMembership Officer:David JonesInsurance/Propoerty:Glen BignellWA 4WD Assoc.Delegate:Keith ParkerSocial Chairperson:Denise Belcher

PLUMRIDGE LAKES We have been missing the outback. Having in the past run Club trips to Gibb River Road & Kim-berleys, the Gunbarrel Hwy., the Anne Beadell Hwy., Simpson Desert, Rudall River and east of Es-perance on the Telegraph Track, and been on another Club’s trip down the Canning Stock Route, it is now time for another one. This time it is a shorter 13/14 day trip to the Plumridge Lakes and Lake Rason. These places are historically and geographically interesting and have some unique botanical features. And they are 4WD territory! Date approx 10 August to 22th. Dates subject to participants’ requests.Distance about 3000km.Flexibility lots. We can decide on which other areas to go to such as Fraser Range, Menzies and Lake Ballard (to see the sculptures) &c. Participants’ choices will considered when planning.Early starts not at all likely! This is to be a relaxing and enjoyable trip, no pressure.Camper trailers ok if strong off road type. Caravans only if you are prepared to pick up the pieces.Tracks probable corrrrugations but the photos I’ve seen look like most places are slow but easy driving.Difficulty should be level 2 at max. unless very wet. We hope to explore Dr Hicks’ Range which might be more challenging. Plumridge and Rason Lakes are about 300km north east of Kalgoorlie. We’ll travel out on the Hyden-Norseman Road and Eyre Hwy to Cocklebiddy and then head to Rawlinna. Leaving there, we will drive north on one of Len Beadell’s roads, the Connie Sue, for about 140k’s when we turn north west. After exploring the two lakes and possibly Dr Hicks’ Range, we’ll end up at Laverton and probably a hot shower at the caravan park. Then it is home via Kookynie, Niagara Dam, Lake Ballard and whatever members would like to see. DEC have asked if we could do a track report and also check their signs for damage. There is still a lot of flexibility in planning the trip and the input of participants will be welcomed. I have a spreadsheet of the distances and proposed schedule and can email this to you. By the way, permits to enter Aboriginal lands are not required. Some useful websites are:-www.exploroz.com/TrekNotes/WDeserts/Connie_Sue_Hwy.aspxwww.exploroz.com/UserTreks/1283/WA+Plumridge_Lake_Nature_Reserve__Lake_Rason.aspx#rqc_tabs=0http://blog.junebrown.info/2011/08/end-of-connie-sue-rawlinna.htmlwww.panoramio.com/user/5442248/tags/Plumridge%20lakeswww.street-directory.com.au/wa/plumridge-lakes/connie-sue-road We need a minimum of 3 vehicles and a maximum of 7 including us.If you are interested, please let me know asap as I would like to have definite numbers by the first week in June. Tony Weldon Asst. Environment Officer 0438 9381 48 odyssey@tpg.com.auPrivate Information

Members Only

After an early start from Perth, we eventually formed our main convoy of seven cars and proceeded to Southern Cross to meet up with John Stamps and Tony and Stella.We all headed off to Bullfinch, a town abandoned after the gold mine closed. There were still a few people in residence with the Hotel up for sale, and the only visible sign that the swimming pool existed was a battered sign at the entrance to the site. Sadly the whole area was reduced to a pile of rubble, a sad reflection from the glory days of active mine production. Continuing out of town we drove on good dirt tracks towards Golden Valley. On the way we came upon Don who was a regular prospector from SC. He very kindly showed us how he pan’s for gold and also how his vibrating bellows separation unit worked. Locky tried his hand at panning for gold and found that coordination of hand and eye was a lot harder than he thought. He was given a small slither of gold for his efforts. (The only gold we saw in the whole weekend.) Don came prospecting regularly for a day or a two at a time and slept in the back of his UTE.

Further up the valley we stopped for some lunch and John took us to an empty mine shaft complete with kangaroo skeletons. From there we explored an ancient battery and its derelict Settlers cottage which was originally well built with stone walls and insulation of wood between them. By now the afternoon was going on so we made our way to the camping spot already occupied by John’s friend Will who was a regular week end prospector.

Prospecting TripApril 2013

By Roger Freegard

Once we were all set up with camp fire burning away we enjoyed Happy Hour and a small drink or two.Next day dawned bright and sunny and everyone started to sort out their prospecting gear. Help was there in the form of John and Will, so we were all soon sorted and off we went around the area near camp. Gradually we all drifted back to sit under a tree for morning coffee with tales of finding wire, bullet cases, and nails, alas no gold yet. We drifted off throughout the afternoon, but still no gold! However a good evening was had by all beside the well stocked camp fire.Next day we decided to go to the next tenement that Martin had logged into his Oz Explorer. This was about a 20 minute drive through some picturesque bush. We

parked under the trees near a dry river bed and all went off in different directions, again full of hope. Alas this area did not even produce any nails, wire or bullet cases, so we went back to camp for lunch. Over the two days in camp we did side trips to the Mt. Jackson homestead which was derelict, however there were some foodstuffs left in a cupboard for weary travellers. Also a visit to a dam nearby which showed signs of horses, cows and other animals coming there for a regular drink.

The prospecting trip although being non productive in gold nugget discoveries, proved to be enjoyable due to the new experience had by all. Craig and Sam are we all believe converts to the new hobby and will no doubt be spending many great weekends away trying to discover that first elusive golden nugget. Wendy has discovered her new skills in wielding a pick axe for hours on end and excavating vast areas of virgin landscape.Lessons learnt from these few days away are that planning of your prospecting sites is so important, Visiting the Department of mines and ensuring the areas you intend to prospect are “Pending Sites” Ensure the coordinates for the tenement are logged into your navigation system as we were twice visited by the owner of the adjacent tenements to ensure we clearly understood where we were to prospect.We would like to thank John Stampalija for his valuable input into this enjoyable trip, proving that buddying up for trips does make it just that much easier on time and effort for the people involved..

NORTHCLIFFE EXPLORER APRIL 25TH – 28TH 2013

TRIP LEADERS – BOB & BRIDGET McPHERSONAuthor: Peter Cole

This adventurous south coast trip was advertised as including splendid scenery, beach runs, historical buildings and a relaxed bush setting. Our trip leaders certainly met our expectations in those departments, and they included some interesting and valuable vehicle training sessions, sightings of rare bush fauna, controllable weather settings and even examples of magnificent non-electronic navigation techniques!!

Originally planned to start on Anzac day, Thursday April 25th, half the group arrived at the Round-Tuit Eco Caravan Park on the 24th. This allowed for a very easy start for Bob and Bridget, John and Lyn Byworth, Rob and Julie Nankiville , and Peter Cole on Thursday morning. Most of the morning was taken up by inspections of caravan and vehicle set-ups. There were lots of new gadgets to inspect, and even a technical demonstration of why Rob and Julie needed a new starter battery in the Triton. I’m not supposed to mention here that Rob also had a faulty multimeter that showed his flat battery voltage as over 14V, so I won’t.

As the afternoon progressed the rest of the trip participants rolled up and formed up around “our end” of the park. On Wednesday all the caravanners had arrived, so on Thursday the camper trailers of Peter & Lyn Fry, Stephen Kalyniuk, and the multiple tents of Michael and Marion Gilbert were set up. At sometime during the afternoon we were wondering what set-up Eddie and Robbyn Chalk would arrive with. Well we were all wrong, they trumped us all as they had acquired the luxurious cabin at the top end of the park.

Wednesday night’s campfire had been a little disappointing as most of the local bush wood we collected was quite wet – literally. It was obvious with all the greenery around in the forest that Northcliffe has not been short of rain!! Even the efforts of our trip pyro Julie did little to raise the flames above a sedate sizzle. Oh how we longed for the chainsaw experts from last years Kadji trip to provide firewood. We resorted to asking our park manager for some extra firewood and this allowed us to get a better fire going on Thursday night.

The trip proper started after a sedate breakfast on Friday morning and a gathering at the local bakery for a trip briefing. It was while we were listening to Bob’s dulcet tones that we were privileged to see and hear the magnificent southern custardius tarticus unrealisticus in all its glory – see pic 1. We are not sure how many custard tarts Stephen actually purchased at the bakery but he seemed to have fresh one at every stop!

Following a route Bridget had selected for the beautiful scenery, we headed off south from town onto Boorara Rd towards the first stop of the day at Fish Creek. With the fine weather it was a very relaxing drive through a variety of farmland and woodlands until crossing Chesapeake Rd where we halted to air down for the softer sand tracks ahead.

Fish Creek was a very scenic but windswept location, with evidence of the rehabilitation work being undertaken by DEC and of the serious erosion of the coastline that actually threatens the hut itself. See pic 2From the Fish Creek location is was planned to drive through to West Cliff Point and drive along the beach for a distance to head off towards Moore’s Hut. Due to the unusually high tide at the beach entry point it was decided to turn around and head back along Fish Creek Track to reach Moores Track . At this point there was a good deal of radio chatter about the location of the alternate route and what everyone’s gps was showing, however Bridget trumped us all by announcing she could see the track in her Roads and Tracks atlas !

Lunch was taken at a very crowded Moores Track campsite, it is obviously very popular with locals who were happy for us to squeeze up and have a chat. Lunchtime conversations on club trips are always educational, and this was no exception. One topic was organ donation and Stephen K, between custard tarts, regaled us with a wonderful insight into the relationship between brain activity, organ donations and corneal transplants.

The return trip was back along the sandy tracks and onto the scenic Boorara Rd, up to Northcliffe and back to base after doing a little over 130kms, all in time for a hot shower, tasty tucker and another evening around our small damp campfire – see pic 3. Note here the guy with short legs (on his chair), that’s Eddie. Someone told him if he behaved himself on the next trip he might be allowed to sit at the same level as the grown-ups around the campfire!

We don’t how he did it, but Bob must have some important contacts in the weather bureau, only after the very last person had left the campfire did the rain start. While not particularly heavy rain, it was constant during the night but Bob managed to have it ease off to a very light drizzle at dawn. By the time we assembled at the town café for the start of the day’s trip the rain had eased off and the sun was emerging. We were also treated to another appearance of the magnificent southern custardius tarticus unrealisticus.

On the agenda for the day was a visit west of the

town to the area of Callcup Hill, with a small diversion to view a historic shack that Bob and Bridget had discovered on their pre-trip at Easter. They had been treated to morning tea by the shack owners and given a brief history of what was originally a small hut from the Gloucester Tree. See pic 3 .Sadly the owners were not there to provide us all with refreshments, but we did sight the magnificent southern custardius tarticus unrealisticus again – see pic 4When we arrived at the top of the infamous Callcup Hill , the sun was shining, a fresh breeze was blowing off the Southern Ocean and we had the hill to ourselves for a short time. Not everyone wanted to play today so some of the vehicles were parked up the top out of the traffic while the “sandpit mob” aired down to manage the very soft sand. See pic 5Our mob headed off down the hill just as several other drivers arrived to share the track. Obviously Bob had not managed to obtain an “exclusive sand hill pass” so uhf became very useful to direct traffic.

Rob had decided to leave the triton at the top and eased Lyn out of the passenger seat in the Fry challenger so he could experience the hill. Peter and John had opted to act as cameramen, and Lyn and Julie were more than happy to watch from the dunes. Everone else headed off down the hill to the very end, which seemed sooooo farrr away. First back up was Peter in his challenger, or at least partly back up. He tried a different line and got stuck not too far from the top. So with more air out of the tyres and a lot of reversing he made it to the top on a less adventurous line. While the adjustments were being made, Eddie and Robyn eased smoothly past in the Isuzu taking a surer path with a cheeky toot to the bogged duo. Michael and Marion followed on their first ascent, the Gilberts are always playing in the sand, so they had a couple of rides. Bob and Bridget made it to the top after some minor adjustments to tyre pressures, and Stephen cruised up in his challenger to show them all how easy it was!!

With the sandpit getting busier as the day wore on, we assembled at the top and attempted a graceful exit from the hill. Stephen had some difficulty manoeuvring towards the exit and decided to air down some more as the top exit was very soft sand, and then he discovered a suspicious air leak! It was decided that he needed to make a tyre change right where he was near the exit as there would not be too many spots he could pull up on the track out. What a wonderful opportunity to use some of the gadgets we had brought along! With Rob wanting to use his new exhaust jack we all assembled around the car and with all the aplomb of a well oiled F1 pit crew we had the leaking tyre off and the spare on in it’s place all within oooh lets say a pretty reasonable long lunch break. Sadly for Stephen the problem was not just a tyre but a damaged alloy rim from the rocks on the lower stage of the hill. Wise choice though to take the time here and not wait to see what happened on the drive back.

Our “pit crew training” session meant we had a later return to Northcliffe than planned

so lunch was somewhere in mid-afternoon. Somehow though this did not have any detrimental effect on appetites as everyone piled into the Northcliffe hotel for Saturday dinner. The rest of the evening was taken up by a trip review around a well-stoked campfire with lots of thanks and praise for our intrepid expedition leaders Bob and Bridget. Perhaps the best news to come out of the campfire was the announcement that the trip

could be on the trip calendar for next year as well.

Sunday was the pack up and leave day. With people having different priorities to catch up with back home we staged a staggered pack up and somewhat damp departure

from the Round-Tuit CP. There were loads of photographs taken so the trip report at the June meeting should be very entertaining and there may even be some video of Callcup Hill to watch.

News behind the MeetingMay 1, 2013

By Judith Brinkley

In usual form President Peter opened the meeting, introduced and welcomed 40 members and 8 visitors. It is reas-suring that the direction we are taking is definitely bringing visitors regularly each month.Paid up members were able to collect their membership cards for the coming year and the President reminded those remaining that unpaid fees are now overdue.

Trip reports commenced with photos from Michael Gilbert's Wilbinga Beach and Dunes Trip. Visitors had the oppor-tunity to drive some of the difficult parts of the dunes and sand while others watched and experienced the relaxed environment of a beach picnic far from any crowds and without having to lug eskies from distant carparks.

There seems to be a problem with the projected slideshow images. Is it a glitch that is repairable by our techies? The poor colours of the photos, the lack of red hues, definitely detract from the quality and interest in really good im-ages provided by trip leaders.

Roger Freegard wasn't present and his Goldfields trip report 25 - 28 April was to be deferred until Caren Archer volunteered an ‘off the cuff’ report that... all the gold was generously left in the ground for others to find, but that everyone enjoyed the Anzac weekend away. Photos will soon be found on the

web of us rigged out in metal detec-tor harness, grubbers over shoulders, big bags to carry the gold, hats, long sleeves, water bottles, playing frisbees with gold panning discs (actually they were frisbees & may have worked....if we'd found a skerrick of anything to practice on) .

Glenn Bignell gave a run down on his Easter Nanga Brook Shark Bay trip– 28 March to 7 April..the group with him appreciated very informative historical, marine, and geological input each day. It's such an engrossing area of W.A. Zuytdorpf cliffs, ship wrecks ..Dutch guilders found at base of cliffs.. a monument to a fishing capt who sur-vived for 2weeks and floated back safe to Dirk Hartog Island in his large 'ship's esky', stromatolites and Francois Peron N.Pk. An amazing area of W.A. and so much more accessible to us all through safe experienced company.

Upcoming events are all on the web calendar

Environmental officer Stephen Kalynuik spoke of DEC being renamed shortly to Dept of Parks and Wildlife.He announced Wungong is set for 19th May. Meeting at usual time & place (see calendar) and jobs will be div-vied amongst the members who arrive. Please advise Stephen of those intend-ing to help. He needs to plan equip-ment etc.

Proposed is general cleanup in some park areas.. need gloves ..other equip-ment to be provided.To drag some logs (need some chains) to block off illegal access points.To weed the ripped runway...by now we should be able to rest in the shade of some of the trees we've planted. Then after lunch we will drive to old homestead site.

Stephen also reiterated that any attend-ance at environment days counts to-wards Visitors' member nomination trip

attendance requirements.

A second environment date is 2nd week in July at Wungong to plant more trees at the homestead site where DEC have

been actively continuing with the work we began last year clearing the cotton bush.

DEC have also asked through Ste-phen if our club is interested to adopt an area immediately behind Karakin, the planned work over a period is to plant and maintain 1000's of trees.Stephen is investigating the possibility of the club receiving a ‘carbon nuetral’ rating in light of the work planed.

DEC don't have a track we can adopt

but advised that the Federal Gov. may have.

Craig Perry's Moore Riverbed Mean-dering has been cancelled. Conditions

change... hence the sensible practice of pretripping or use of local knowledge. Craig thought not too many would enjoy spending 4 hours being winched from quicksand with water running through the floor of the car. An alternative has been arranged for those interested. Below the Powerlines - meet 9.30 at Lakes Road-house intend being home by 3.

Bruce's Warriedar Homestead trip is hap-pening June long weekend..open to visi-tors and caravans..and Woo Hoo..there is a flushing toilet at the homestead. The trip was half filled on the night. 12 vehicles allowed for. Warriedar is on the road to Ninghan turnoff, only we turn left instead of right.

End of June an Avon Valley day trip. Guy Lehmann is hoping to get DEC to allow us to unlock some gates so we can picnic beside the river.

An August trip with Tony and Stella is planned for Plumridge Lakes. It's 12 -14 days with dates flexible so Tony will ar-range dates that suit members if they let him know when they'd like to go but must RSVP by 1st week June so he can plan. Up to 7 vehicles.

John King's annual Wildflower Show..sorry...'trip'...is on again – 18 to 28 September And for next year to plan..Lorella Springs – May/June 2014 – Rick and Sue Irvine

Member forumTroy held a small garage sale $20 jerry cans from his round Oz trip...all sold. Is everyone aware that 4WD items can be sold on Club nights.? Monthly Raffle was conducted by John Byworth without Lyn's assis-tance as she's recovering from an accident and is wished a quick recov-ery. Entertainment books again for sale see Secretary John.

Meeting closed at 8.30. A record? but still a complete and concise meeting.Once again lights had to be turned off to get us motivated to go home.

Remember:Committee meeting- Wednesday 15 May 2013 at 7.00pmClub Members Meeting – Wednes-day 5 June 2013 at 7.30pm

Shark Bay27/3/13 to 7/4/13 (Easter)

by Glenn Bignell

Participants: Glenn Bignell (Trip Leader), Michael Gilbert, Guy Lehman, David and Tracy Jones, Peter and Deearne Fisher, Malcolm and Trish Harrison, Richard and Helen Kingston, John and Laura Holbrook - 8 vehicles in total.

Day 1 Wednesday night - Glenn and Michael met at Lake Indoon prematurely – had to get out of the city – a full moon was beckoning an early departure for the next adventure.

Day 2 Thursday - as arranged all parties arrived at Lake Indoon 300kms North of Perth – anticipating an early departure to Nanga Bay Resort (Nanga) to beat the Easter Traffic. Early arrivals took advantage of the situation and had a walk around the lake and visited Stockyard Gully also. On arrival back at camp Glenn noticed his rear left brake drum was very hot and so investigated the cause. The rear brake shoe friction material had parted company with the metal brake shoe – bummer Glenn. As it turned out Malcolm had a drill and bits, David had some pop rivets, Malcolm had a pop rivet gun and Richard had some metal bonding glue – hard to believe! Before long

the friction material was riveted and glued back in place – problem solved – thanks guys. A spare set of shoes was arranged for pickup in Geraldton – well done AutoOne.

Day 3 Friday - 07:00 departure to Nanga Bay Resort in Shark Bay, Glenn picked up his brake shoes as arranged and all fueled up for the next leg of the trip. Lunch was at Billabong Roadhouse. Arrived at Nanga by 14:00, booked in and set up camp – relax and happy hour at 16:30. For the record and in the interest of saving lots of ink, happy hour is a daily ritual and not to be missed by anyone. John and Laura arrived just in time!

Day 4 Saturday - Lazy day, investigate local area and congregate at the local beach for a swim, walks, lunch and book reading. The plan for the oncoming week was then set in stone for all to ponder.

Day 5 Easter Sunday – ‘Easter Kingston Bunny’ arrived during the night and shared Easter treats with all – also Easter buns in abundance took us all by surprise – thanks Deearne and Guy. At 09:30 we headed off to the ‘Ocean Park’ for a guided tour of the sea world exhibits – turtles, clown fish, lion fish, a sea snake, rock fish, sharks, squids to name but a few – this was an interesting and informative tour. Tracey organized a group discount for us all – thanks Tracey. On to the Denham Bakery (yes – a John King must do destination) to spend our previous discount – yum! Next destination was the Peron Homestead to see the DEC shearing shed displays and hot artesian bore swimming tub. On to Little Lagoon for lunch, swimming at the Lagoon open mouth to the ocean – crispy clear water with a strong incoming current – very refreshing. The group split up to make their own way back to camp, walk

around Denham, visit the beaches, Eagle Bluff walk and Shell Beach. 16:30…. You know…

Day 6 Monday - The Iconic ‘Steep Point’ was on the agenda for today. As Michael had been there before he kindly offered to be trip leader for the day – big THANKS Michael. 07:00 all eight vehicles left Nanga in anticipation of another great adventure. We were not let down, some bitumen, limestone road then tyres down and over the sand hills to the beach front. The beach and South

Passage were pristine – white sand, crystal clear blue water – a perfect spot for lunch. After lunch we pushed on to the “Steep Point – the most Westerly Point of Australia” sign – a group photo, walk to the coastal cliff and watched turtles and whale sharks frolicking. We then headed off south along the Zuytdorp Cliffs and eventually back to our original track in, but not before the only flat tyre for the trip occurred – thanks Richard for taking the pressure off Glenn. All fixed and back on the road again. We did not return to camp until 20:00 – a 394km round trip. A great day! Did we mention two vehicles had problems getting over a sand dune track?

Yes, overconfidence and tyres too hard, Glenn and John had three bites and got there eventually much to the onlookers delight.

Day 7 Tuesday - a lazy day was planned after yesterday’s trek – a free for all day. Glenn, Guy and Michael headed off to Monkey Mia, as did Peter and Deearne sometime afterwards, coffee, lunch and walks were in order for the day. Richard and Helen drove into Denham to find the local tyre repair shop - thankfully the flat

tyre was due to very fine powdery sand in the bead due to the acute side angles of the tracks along the Zuytdorp Cliffs – all fixed and back on the road again.

Day 8 Wednesday - An overnight stay was planned at Cape Peron National Park. Caravans, camper trailers and tents were left at Nanga and alternative ‘overnight’

accommodation was brought along including swags, small tents and a roof top tent. Malcolm and Trish stayed at Nanga as they planned to visit the cape in the next coming week. Michael again volunteered to run this trip as he recently visited the Cape – thanks again. We visited South Gregories, Gregories, Bottle Bay (set up camp) and then onto Cape Peron North and walked to Skipjack Point. This is where red sandhills meet white sand and blue water – such a stunning contrast in colour. Ask Peter about the hot sand one day – he literally had to ‘hot foot’ it up a sand hill much to onlookers

entertainment. Sundowner was on the beach at Bottle Bay and back to camp for BBQ dinner, drinks and a 23:00 turn in.

Day 9 Thursday – Wake up, pack up and ‘do your own thing and see you back at Nanga’ day. Glenn and Michael headed back to the beach for lunch, swim and snorkeling and visited Herald Bight on the way out of the Park then fuelled up at Denham and Nanga by 16:00. The others visited Big Lagoon – walked the bays and also arrived back at Nanga around 16:00. Temperatures of 40 degrees were recorded on the way out of the Park. Nanga was 33 degrees – nice to be back at camp again.Tonight was ‘Redneck’ theme party night. Everyone dressed up and by 17:00 the quiet of the park was transformed to the sound of bands like Lynard Skynyrd and Kentucky Headhunters – YeeHaaa! Guests were Orville and EllyMay Harrison, BillyBob and Tacky Jones, Richard and Helen Capper, Benny Hill Lehman, Jack Daniels Bignell, Hookear and Brolly Fisher and HillBilly Gilbert. Sumptuous food was produced, baked beans and potato gem casserole (with frankfarts of course), fish finger dippers and ‘Tick Tock’ biscuits for desert. Only the best

for us! A fun night was had by all.

Day 10 Friday – John and Laura headed for Kalbarri whilst the rest of us visited

Hamelin Pool Stromatolites and the Telegraph Museum. We organized a guided tour of the museum - a very interesting part of Australian history. 12:45 back at camp and everyone started pre-packing for the homeward bound trip tomorrow. Malcolm and Trish went fishing and became bogged whilst traversing a salt lake – only one wheel went down but a timely lesson for all of us. Day 11 Saturday – 08:30 we all headed off for Geraldton except for

Michael who headed for Gnarloo Station and Malcolm and Trish who headed for Cape Peron. A rest stop at Northampton and then it was arranged to all meet at Ellendale Pool south of Geraldton for our last overnight stay before heading home. Places visited were Geraldton, Greenough Historic Village and Hampton Arms Hotel before eventually arriving at Ellendale Pool at 16:00. Campsites were setup, walks, dinner and eventually bedtime.

Day 12 – Sunday – Everyone was up bright and early and headed for home. Hamburgers at Jurien Bay, a walk along the new jetty and eventually pointed the cars for home.Another great trip with great people and great destinations – Thankyou all for you company.

Glenn Bignell.

New Multi-Media SystemYou may have noticed in recent times that there have been a number of problems with presentations on the screen at the club meetings. These problems have occured through faulty and incompatible computer and sound equipment. These issues have now been solved, thanks to the efforts of our own computer geeks and technical peo-ple. The ‘fix-it’ team of Paul Ryan (computer systems guru), Rob Nankerville (software superman), Michael Gilbert (Inspector Gadget), Tony Weldon (microphone magician) and Richard King (special sparky) got together to compile a workable system specifi-cally tailored for our club’s needs.

The June meeting will be the first test of the new system and given the talent of the assembly team there should be no more hiccups.

Thanks to the team for your valuable time and special skills.

Rob, ensuring all thecomponents talk to each other and run smoothly.

Richard and his team from NRK Electrical installing the new projector equipment.

Wilbinga21st April 2013

Trip Leader : Michael GilbertAuthor : Peter and Margaret Knox

We all congregated at the 10th Light Horse rendezvous on Wanneroo Road at 8:45am. The trip began with our leader Michael’s instruction regarding the days events. Margaret volunteered as photographer and Craig was nominated Tail End Charlie. Thirteen of us in all set off in convoy, mostly Pajeros and Tritons with a Toyota Prado, Craig’s Nissan Patrol and my Land Rover Discovery, the only odd ones out.Weather conditions were overcast with the odd sprinkle of rain. We drove for about half an hour and eventually left the black top, onto a dirt road where we collected to air down the tyres. 12lbs is pretty low but made a huge difference to the places we could go. Troy explains, “Its the additional length of tyre that is in contact with the ground. Not just the width of the tyre”Michael allocated club members to the inexperienced and we set off for the first obstacle. The hills were in parts challenging with some of the ruts bottoming out the suspension and generally shaking up the occupants and contents. Robs canopy storage area will need to be repacked for sure.Mornos were consumed around 11:30. It was there that I received directions from our trip leader that I had ‘volunteered’ to prepare the trip notes. Many tracks were passes of varying difficulties as we followed our leader. We eventually ended in a wide Sand Bowl where we were challenged to drive up. All were successful in the challenge although the sand was very soft in parts.

We then drove down to the beach for lunch. A couple of passing cars were going too fast for comfort, one nearly coming to grief just past our group as his front wheel dug in to the soft sand and nearly rolled the car.After finishing lunch we left the beach and after more track challenges, Troy left the group to meet his work commitments. he rest of us headed toward One Tree Hill. Only Craig in his Nissan was brave enough to try these impossible hill climbs and was beaten by the heavy ruts created by many unsuccessful past attempts.A group of youngsters in a Toyota (not with our group) also tried the hills a couple of times unsuccessfully and then decided to make their own track around the side of the hill. This inconsiderate and environmentally unfriendly act was pointed out to them by Craig on their return only to be met with an alcohol fuelled belligerent response. It was pointed out to them our permission to enter this area is governed by the Shire and abuse of the area could see it closed to the Public. In the end the youngsters moved on. Let’s hope that common sense helps them decide where to go next time.Soon after this we ended the day and headed home. Our last stop was to put air back in our tyres and say a few thanks and farewells. Thanks to our trip leader Michael Gilbert for organizing a great day. We are looking for the next trip in the sand.

Peter and Margaret Knox

Training 2013We propose to have OziExplorer training for members in June and July

- JUNE -

§Possibly two Wednesday evenings , §Carrying on from the novice training in January.§How to configure Oziexplorer on a computer/laptop§Planning and pre-trip operation§Waypoints and Track files§Use of gps in vehicle

Pre-requisite:Members will need to know how to switch on a computer and open up OziExplorer !

- JULY -vOne evening onlyvSpecifically for Ozi AndroidvMembers may need to have a tablet with OziAndroid already

installed

We will need to ascertain interest from members and their level of capability to finalise details for

each session. Please contact Peter Cole or email

president@mitsubishi4wd.org.au to register.

Last month’s entry to the Photograph of the Year Award.

CONDITIONS FOR ENTRY TO THE POTY AWARD

Photographs must be taken during a club tripUpload the photographs to the club’s internet dropbox. (See instructions on the club’s web site (Members Area)Alternatively, send the photos direct to editor@mitsubishi4wd.org.auYou do not need to nominate a photograph, the editor will chose from all those submittedThe more photos you upload, the better chance for selectionTo be chosen for the POTY entry, the photograph needs to be;• In the theme of ‘We’re Outward Bound’• The subject must be a participant in a club trip• The subject must not show any activity that contravenes our club code of conduct• Photographs must be submitted prior to the 15th of each month

Good Luck.Martin Archer Editor 0428 952782

Logging Track Trip: Judith Brinkley

Proudly sponsored by

May30th Weekend Trip Warriedar Station Bruce Brinkley

June30th Day Trip Avon Valley Guy Lehmann

July28th Day Trip Dryandra Woodlands TBA

August

10th 2 Weeks Plumridge Lakes (See flyer inside)Tony and Stella Weldon

17th 2 Day Trip Toodyay Craig Perry

September

18th 10 days Wildflower Country John King

November

8th 4 days Perth 4WD and Adventure Show Perth

15th 4 days Big Valley Margaret River Martin and Roger

CLUB CALENDARFor more details go to the club web site or view flyers inside this edition