SsangYong 4WD Club of Australia Inc.

NEWSLETTER No. 6

November 2011

OUR 2011 COMMITTEE

President: Marco Kuipers South Australia Marco

Vice President: Dave Heal Western Australia Qute

Secretary: Robert Kelly New South Wales rjk

Treasurer: Darren Read New South Wales kiwidread

Trip Coordinator: Darren Read New South Wales kiwidread

Member Representative: Graeme Mellor South Australia Grumpy

Member Representative: Jim Bakker Queensland JimB

Member Representative: VACANT

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

These are held bi-monthly throughout the year. The next meeting is scheduled for 13 December.

Minutes will be circulated to Club members for their information.

If you want to obtain more information about the Club, contact any committee member by means of

our Forum. We recommend that new readers first register as a forum member. Forum membership

is free. To become a club member, a completed application form and payment must be received by

the Secretary.

Club events will be run by regional groups listed on the Forum. Members from other regions or

states visiting any region will be very welcome to join the locals on a trip. Posting details of your

intended visit may well be reason enough for a special trip to show you around. We are that

welcoming.

NEW MEMBERS

Owners of SsangYong vehicles are welcome to come on one trip as a visitor to try us out, but are

required to obey the instructions of the trip leader at all times. If you then join the Club, your

membership fees covers affiliation, PL insurance and the cost of running our Forum. Even if you are

not keen on driving your SsangYong in the dirt – as it was designed to do, your support of the

Forum’s running costs by joining is worth it to you, for the handy tips provided by other members to

help keep your SsangYong performing on road or off.

TRIP CALENDAR

1. Newnes Area NSW. Start at Zig Zag Railway 24 & 25 September. Completed, see trip report.

2. O’Reillys Resort Qld. Completed, see trip report.

3. High Country Vic. Date: t.b.a. Contact Jason Bult

4. St. Albans NSW. Date: 27th November, Regional combined Forum & Club Gathering.

PRESIDENT:

Marco Kuipers

VICE PRESIDENT:

Dave Heal

When I can, I will add technical articles as another new feature of our

Newsletters. Here is the second part of my driving tips item.

Safe(r) On-Road Driving Tips.

Welcome to Part 2 of my tips for Safer On-Road driving.

Of course, these tips, combined with some others that we’ll look at after this series, will make you a

safer Off Road driver too!

As a Reminder, there are 4 basic things that YOU can do to make yourself safer on the road.

1) Use your Vision effectively

2) Drive to the conditions

3) Have a safe following distance

4) Use the S.A.F.E. method of cornering

Do NOT get confused between Legal and Safe Driving! Just because you are driving Legally does NOT

mean you are driving safely! Conversely, just because you are driving Illegally does NOT mean you

are driving unsafely, however if you are driving Illegally, you’ll get booked at some stage…

I’ll address Tip 2 in this edition of our club’s newsletter. The last 2 tips will be covered in future

editions.

1) Drive to the conditions.

How many times have you seen the ubiquitous Commodore/Falcon/etc adorned with a P Plate

suddenly gain about 300 horsepower as soon as it rains? Are you guilty of the same thing but to a

lesser extent? If conditions deteriorate (light/traction/traffic), do you adjust your speed to the new

conditions?

Why should we slow down when conditions deteriorate? Because they make driving more

hazardous! Always remember, Speed does not kill but INAPPROPRIATE Speed DOES KILL!

We are driving along a highway at 110 km/H (or 100 if that’s your State’s limit), we’re travelling west

late in the afternoon and, suddenly, we get a sun shower. Besides turning the wipers on, what else

do you change?

Do you adjust your speed? Do you check your mirrors before adjusting your speed? Do you adjust

the sunvisor? Do you use the washers if your screen is excessively dirty?

All of these things are important in that situation.

Why do we need to slow down? A wet and greasy (especially if it hasn’t rained for a while) road

reduces your traction. Reduced traction means you are closer to the limit of adhesion in braking,

accelerating and turning. In any situation, but especially in low grip situations, you need to be

smooth with your inputs to the vehicle. Smooth transitions from one state to another (cruising to

braking, going straight to turning) limits your chances of exceeding the available grip. It is also easier

on the mechanical bits of your car.

Why are roads more slippery when it first rains after a dry spell than when it has been raining for a

while? Oil and rubber get squashed into the road surface by the vehicles travelling over it. The first

rains lift this oil/rubber residue (remembering that oil is lighter than water and floats on it) out of

the bitumen which means you are driving on it rather than the actual bitumen. In those few minutes

(or longer if the rain is quite light) after the road gets wet until there is enough water to wash this

gunk away, you may find you feel like you are driving on ice. Added to this, many 4WD tyres do not

offer very good wet traction on bitumen and your 4WD is relatively heavy. Put all this together and

you have a recipe for disaster unless you change some things that you are doing.

Why do we need to check our mirrors? To make sure it is safe to do whatever we have decided to

do. It’s no good standing on the brakes if the guy behind is just going to ram you… We’d then need

to look at other options. This will be explored more fully in the next instalment.

Why adjust the sunvisor? To shield our eyes from the glare that comes off a wet road and/or the

other vehicles around us. If you get flashed by a very bright light (sunlight reflected off a wet road), it

will take your eyes a couple of seconds to re-adjust to the ambient light. This is, of course, a very

dangerous time. It is equivalent to driving with your eyes closed which is something none of us

would contemplate.

Why use your washers if it is raining? After a dry spell, there is a build-up of dust/dirt/oil/rubber

residue on your screen and your wiper blades. Add bugs and tree sap to this mix and, unless the

rainfall is moderate, those first 2 or 3 sweeps of the wiper can actually leave you with less vision!

Keep some washer additive in your washer bottle and use it to clear your screen more quickly.

On that point, how are your wiper blades? I remember when they used to last for about 3 years.

Today’s wiper blades are lucky to last 6 months before they go hard and do not effectively clear the

rain off your windscreen. Buy good ones and change them at the first sign of wear or hardness…

Good wiper blades are typically 1½ times the cost of the cheapies but last about 3 to 4 times as long.

The cheapies are a false economy…

Another trap is coming around a corner and finding gravel spread over the bitumen where someone

has cut the corner. Drive to the conditions (and how far you can see ahead) and it shouldn’t be a

problem for you (save for some nasty little paint chips from the rocks). This is where S.A.F.E.

cornering comes into it. We’ll discuss what that means in a later edition.

Can you see as far ahead of your vehicle at night as you can during the day? Can you see as far to the

sides? In general, of course, the answer is no. So, should we travel at the same speed at night as we

do during the day? Of course not!

SECRETARY’S REPORT:

Committee Minutes have not been sent out for the last two meetings. I have to apologise

for this and hope that this has not left you feeling ignored. It’s a case of other urgent

priorities, most of which have now been met.

Incoming documents: bank statements, membership applications. Our financial position

which is not exactly flush with money has been considered in Committee. The first outcome

is a revised membership renewal arrangement which is now posted on the Forum, and a

campaign for more members to help keep our Club and the Forum going.

Rob Kelly

EDITOR’S REPORT: This Newsletter has several trip reports, which provide more information

for our members on the pleasures of doing trips together. Our Vice President Dave Heal, has

included the second article on driving tips. To compliment Dave’s article, this edition includes codes

of practice published by four Wheel Drive Australia for off road driving, on road driving and camping.

These are for everyone’s reference, not just affiliated club members.

The trips are getting under way and the reports will show you what you are missing. If you

would like runs in your area, why not propose one and invite the club members to join you?

You will find reports from NSW & Qld in this edition.

Finally, please send trip reports and photos to me by the Forum’s PM service or by e-mail.

Rob Kelly

TREASURER:

Members of the Committee have been given a detailed report up to the end of September.

Results are summarised for distribution to members in the Committee minutes.

MEMBER PROFILE

NAME: Christine Gilmore

LOCATION: Abermain – Hunter Valley NSW

AGE: The question you should never ask a lady – just turned 60 last week

JOB: Self employed book keeper workaholic

VEHICLE: 2004 Musso Sports 290S & 2005 SsangYong Chairman 600CMS

MODIFICATIONS: Now this is a bit problematical and deserves a little explanation for

those who don’t know me. The vehicle was purchased by my late husband Bill Pritchard

(billqce) for his viticultural business as his work ute, and modifications were mostly done

with this in mind till we discovered the joys of bush driving and caravanning, then more

work was done. When Bill passed away nearly 3 years ago I decided after much thought to

keep the Musso, even though, having the Chairman, I did not need the Musso on a daily

basis. My thoughts were that with all the extra work done on it (and Bill loved it so much), it

would be a shame to sell it, and lose the value of the extras. So, the things I can think of that

were done are: Suspension lift & air bags under the rear: nudge bar; TJM canopy & a drawer

fit out in the tray; diesel/gas conversion by GasTek; mags; electric brakes for van; CD player;

2nd battery hooked up to an Anderson plug in the front (to jump start tractors etc) and in the

rear canopy for the Bushman fridge, also 12v lights run off that for the van; tow bar; driving

lights; and one of the few Musso’s with a snorkel fitted. As to costs - ????. Considerable I’d

guess!!

WHAT 4WD EXPERIENCE DID YOU HAVE :-

I’ve owned several 4wd’s over the years from about the early 80’s including an old

Landcruiser, a Nissan Patrol, and the most luxurious, a Ford Explorer, but mostly for pulling

a horse float than any recreational 4WD’ing. Prior to that time the best vehicle for towing

was an F100 ute – and about the most useless in wet & slippery conditions! I’ve also owned

a lot of tractors over the years, and lived in some places with fairly difficult access tracks –

I’ve been known to drive a tractor several K’s to the main road to pick my son up from the

school bus – or ride a horse if all else failed! Bill & I had done quite a lot of 4WD’ing in the

Musso before he became ill, but I was mostly the passenger. At the Lostock Dam National

Meet I went alone, determined to have a go at doing the 4WD’ing myself, in the company of

other vehicles for safety. A big thank you to Grant (JAFO) who volunteered to come as my

passenger and was so helpful but never critical, and gave me a lot of confidence. The

mateship shown to me by all has been marvellous.

HOW MUCH 4WD’ING HAVE YOU DONE IN IT:-

Now that I think about it – quite a lot – not very long trips mostly, but I’ve seen some

interesting country. I am more of a bush loving sightseeing type than someone who wants

to do challenging 4WD’ing. The Musso has been to all 3 National Meets so far – the Flinders

Ranges trip, Lostock Dam (local to me) and the one this year in the Grampians, with a

homebound trip via the Great Ocean Road, up the east coast of Vict to Bega and over the

Snowy Mountains. We’ve been all over the local area here – there are a lot of trips in the

Watagans, Mt Yengo area to the south, and towards Barrington & Gloucester Tops in the

north. Last New Year’s Eve was spent at Coolah Tops, and we’ve been to the Pilliga Scrub,

Coonabarabran, Narrabri, Mt Kaputar (spectacular views & the largest areas of Boronia

flowering I’ve ever seen), Nundle, Walcha and across to the coast via forestry trails to Blue

Knob and down through Comboyne to Port Macquarie. We’ve done some exploring based at

Sandy Hollow, and through to Rylstone & Kandos, The Gardens of Stone National Park,

including Glen Davis, Glen Alice & Newnes. The waratahs were flowering throughout the

Blue Mountains recently – a great sight to see in the wild.

WILL YOU SELL THE VEHICLE FOR ANOTHER:-

Not in the foreseeable future – I love the Chairman’s comfort to drive to work, and for town

driving, and have no desire to drive a little car. I cannot see replacing the Musso in the near

future as it’s going well and giving me a lot of fun.

WHAT GOT YOU INTO RECREATIONAL 4WD’ING

When Bill originally ordered the Musso he ordered a 2WD, but somehow the order got

mixed up and a 4WD arrived – after some negotiations with the Dealer he accepted the

4WD. A love of the bush and having a country background made it a natural enjoyment to

be able to go into more inaccessible areas and “poke around” a bit!

Being a member of the SsangYong 4WD Club has given me the chance to meet some great

people, even though we do not see each other very often, and make some friendships that I

am sure will be lifelong. I was originally the Treasurer of the Club and have recently resigned

due to some health problems that may lead to me not being reliable enough for the

position. I am, at the moment, reasonably well and hope to be able to take part in future

trips and Meets. I cannot emphasize enough the welcome and friendship one would be

given should you decide to join us on outings.

SEARCHING FOR NEWS FROM MEMBERS

At an earlier committee meeting Dave, as Vice President, was asked if he could provide regular

technical articles on topics from his broad knowledge and experience and it has commenced in this

edition. Apart from the mechanical side of things he also has other tips to offer us as well.

A great advantage of being a club member is that within our group, most of us have special skills and

experiences which we can all share. The Club’s a store of knowledge from our members will always

be greater than any individual has on their own. Club members are encouraged to write on topics

where they can offer others some of their expertise and experiences gained during their travels.

TRIP REPORTS

Hunter Valley NSW

Starvation Lane & Sunset Lane

2nd September.

Well I am back in civilised territory at last, I met up with and had the pleasure of staying with our

distinguished Club Secretary and his lovely wife Jacqui over the past two days. whilst there, Rob took

me out and showed me a couple of his local haunts which were quite a tasty drive.

Starting out from Aberglasslyn we traversed country lanes and roads through the Hunter Valley and

surrounds to an area behind the Singleton region, here we turned off the hard black top onto what

started as a gentle and soothing gravel road, with Rob calling over the UHF he hoped we found some

moisture soon or it would be more like a daily commute than a 4wd trek.

Well his wishes were soon granted with a few damp patches appearing, then a bog hole appeared

with 3 possible ways through, both of us decided that the easy route would be the best route as

there was quite a lot of water sitting in the paddocks either side of the road, Rob was first in the Rex,

only to come unstuck about 1/2 to 3/4's way through, just not quite enough grunt and the Rex hung

up on the skid plate,

after a bit of ham acrobatic display which I unfortunately missed, the old fella stood up staggering

knee deep in clay and brown murky water, with the both of us laughing and trying to attach a strap,

it was a good start to a fun day.

I gently dragged the Rex out of its watery predicament and Rob proceeded to give it a bit more

punch and slopped straight through followed by myself, but this was only first of the watery

predicaments to be tackled, unbeknown to either of us there were a few spots that required water

wings be fitted. a tad further down the track it was my turn to sink in shame and get bogged, but as

usual the Actyon Sports did the job with much more of a splash than the Rex, I decided to take the

centre run at one bog hole after the Rex again succumbed to the clay mud and a gentle tug free.

The only issue was that the hole I decided to take was deeper and the base was quite soft, after

coming to a stand I attempted to shuffle free with a good gain made but only to be wasted when I

tried to get through again with a tad more momentum, this time I ended up stuck and with water up

to the bottom of the doors I clambered out of the drivers window to go attach the strap for the Rex

to bring me back to a drier dignity, this is when I noticed that the floor of the passengers side had a

browny movement and slushing sound coming from it, as the Rex slowly pulled me from my watery

resting place the water drained out of the body drains leaving the inside of the truck with a brown

greasy clay silt resting all over it and anything that was on the floor.

Now that was the downfall of the ego right there, not only had I bogged, I had also drowned the

carpets.....after this we both proceeded around the chicken track to the other side of the hole, which

ended up being one of the last wet spots for the day aside from one or two minor ones to come.

After the bog hole the Actyon was stuck in 4WL which was not such a bad thing as the track then

degraded into some quite deep crevices and gullies as well as some technically challenging step ups

and rock climbs, all of which both vehicles managed without a challenge.

However, the bog hole and the drowning was the start of the long 4WD Low Range drive back to

Robs place, after we had followed the track for some distance more with the step ups and rock

ledges and not to mention the inevitable tree roots, it was back onto the hard stuff and a long 4WD

Low Range drive back to Robs place.....yep I did say 4WD Low Range driving it was for 40 odd clicks

along the New England Highway and it definitely is not what I call fun, but, when you can't get out of

4WD Low Range you have to do it.

After getting home to Robs it was a case of get under the truck and check and clean all connections

and check security of the wires, on the way home the battery light also decided to come on so this

was another issue to deal with, after moving the truck onto the ramps and finding no obvious cause

for the problem it was decided that a good de mudding would be a good starting point and it was at

this stage it was found that the house battery had failed, hrrrmmmmm after sitting on the charger

for a few minutes and cranking the truck over guess what, she went straight back into high range,

low volts prevented the solenoid and transfer case motor from changing the range selectors in the

box. Well it was now off to Battery World where after $214 and a new battery all appeared

reasonable.

The alt not charging was the next issue to tackle, so back to Robs again and hose out the alt and a

generous spray with brake clean to dry it out, still no ergs being produced tough, in the end it was

back to Battery World again on Sat only to find no auto leckies work Sat mornings in the Hunter

region, but I must admit that Bob from Battery World at Maitland did try all the tricks he knew to get

things running again, including a good old whack with a tappometer, which did get the ergs running

for a couple of metres, so off back to Robs and hook up the trailer and down to Sydney I went

running on battery only. I made it because that is where I am now writing this diatribe.

I must admit I was a tad worried about the Rex seeing some of the terrain we encountered, but after

watching it being massaged over rock lips and through narrow tree gaps and through bog holes I am

very impressed, the articulation of the Rex is also very impressive, the Actyon Sports also did well

however the clearance is still an issue, Rob assures me he didn't bottom out much at all but the

Actyon was constantly bottoming out, even though there is a 40mm lift fitted and a set of 32" rubber

it still could do with a few more mil of body clearance.... the bash plate certainly saved my bacon,

with the 6mm alloy checker showing a couple of nice christening marks and a quite significant

deformation along the trailing edge.

Over the next few days I will put together a couple of videos from this trip and upload them onto our

Club’s Facebook page for all to see, anyone wanting to go for a drive along the track get in touch

with Rob I am sure he would be keen to take you for a run.

Graeme Mellor (Grumpy)

Newnes, Wolgan Valley NSW Camping Trip 24/25 Sept.

We met at the Zig Zag Railway Station off the Bells Line of Road, Clarence, at 10.00am where Grant,

our trip organiser, introduced us to his wife Yvonne, daughter Sylvia, son Ryan, then a local friend

Robert, his wife Lisa and daughters Jayde & Stacey. Robert knew the area we were going through

very well and for his expertise, we were all very appreciative. New Club members Darren & Tracey

Tonkin, were welcomed to their first trip with us.Ken Rouvray and me, Rob Kelly had come minus

our wives who had other commitments. Robert outlined the route across the Newnes State Forest

which was to be mostly along Blackfellows Hand Trail to a main road and then down into the Wolgan

Valley to our camp site.

First stop was for firewood cutting and in no time we had loaded Grant’s partly empty trailer with

high quality wood for our weekend campfire. Blackfellows hand can be a challenge when it is wet,

but for us, it was dry and dusty.

At the end of the trail we threw a right turn onto the blacktop and shortly after, turned left on the

Wolgan Valley Way, stopping at the top of the canyon for a few photos. Travel down into the valley

was uneventful, but through spectacular scenery. We passed the old Newnes Hotel which was

relocated a decade ago by biker clubs, but sadly, it is no longer a pub, having started a new life as a

local museum. Following Robert our leader, we passed a number of great looking camping areas

along the riverside. As we got further along the valley Robert warned us to put in our hubs and

turned a tight right hander down the bank and across the creek. Only one minor hitch in doing the

creek crossing, which had a base of coarse loose sand, then a hard left hander while still in the sand

to the track leading to the camping area which was lightly populated with 4WDs and their tents. We

picked a good spot and unloaded our firewood before setting up our own camps. The late morning

was spent chatting, getting to know each other better and looking at our rigs.

Darren’s Musso Sports had an innovative canopy which he had built himself and it was very

professionally done. Lunch was next and Darren had adapted two single burner stoves which can be

bought for next to nothing. He had made a BBQ plate which covered the two burners neatly. Their

BBQ lunch smelt great, while I sat and ate my refrigerated bread rolls which Jacqui packed before I

left home. They were tasty enough, but that aroma from the BBQ.....

After lunch we drove up towards the ruins of the COR Oil shale refinery and walked through the

massive ruins.

It was an impressive failure, employing 10,000 workers but only surviving from 1911 to 1915. The

further we walked the more we became impressed with the skill of the bricklayers, as most of the

ruins were built with bricks and mortar. It all sits there in various stages of collapse with the bush

reclaiming the site.

We passed our fair share of wildlife too. As well as disturbing the occasional kangaroo camp, it was

also black snake country. On the way back, Ken & I were chatting and walking along when he let out

a roar and kicked me in the shin. It was unexpected but understandable, as he had just about

stepped on a big black snake. It slithered away over a mound of earth and bricks.

Back at camp and Ken who had come for the day trip only, made his farewell and returned home to

Menai, as he and his good wife were travelling out west the next day to visit family. For the rest of

us, it was time to start up the campfire. Everyone said that they enjoyed their evening meal and the

repartee afterwards around the campfire.

While we were talking around the fire we were visited by an enterprising Possum with her joey on

her back. She checked us out for snacks and sat under our chairs enjoying some warmth from our

fire. Later on it smelt like rain was approaching so we all hit the tents; and just in time too. This set

us up for a pleasant night’s sleep and conveniently stopped when we arose Sunday morning. After

breakfast, we jawed a bit until late morning and decided to strike camp together. Once loaded, our

little convoy moved out of the valley and followed the road to Lidsdale where we said our farewells

and went our separate ways to Penrith, Parkes and Aberglasslyn. Thanks for putting on a great

weekend Grant.

Rob Kelly

Excursion to O’Reilly’s on the Lamington Plateau Qld.

23/10/11

By Jim Bakker

By prearrangement our Secretary Rob Kelly and his good wife Jacqui visited us here at

Miami yesterday, arriving about 10.30am. After having morning tea, the four of us set out

from our place at about 11.30 driving via Nerang and then the Coomera Gorge Rd to

Canungra, to take a left turn in Canungra township to drive the 35 kms via, in places a

narrow bitumen road, to arrive at O’Reilly’s about 12.40 pm.

The car park was not as busy as we expected for a Sunday and we found two adjacent

parking spots, parked the cars and walked up towards the guest house . The bird life was

quite spectacular with Regent and Satin Bowerbirds in abundance as well as several Brush

Turkeys. After taking a few photos of the bird life we returned to the vehicles and

proceeded back down the road for 3 kms till we cane to the Duck Creek Rd turn off. This

road is really a narrow gravel track which for the first Km or so passes through thick rain

forest. Because of the recent rain the ruts were filled with water but were no real hindrance

to our progress.

After leaving the rain forest, the country turns to open forest with an abundance of grass

trees. The track has been closed for a couple of months prior to our going so there were

some deep ruts in it but I would consider it easy to moderate four wheel driving.

We pulled off the track along the way and sat and consumed our lunch in comfort as I had

remembered to bring enough camping chairs to sit on for all of us. Whilst there at least

another ten 4x4’s came passed, Nissans, Toyotas but our two vehicles were the only

SsangYongs on the day. Along the track there are several diversion tracks which provide a

bit more challenging four wheel driving if you desire, with lots of wash outs and exposed

tree roots

We descended to the valley floor using first to fourth gear low range for most of the way,

thus alleviating the use of our brakes.

Rob was following me all the way and made the comment how easily the Rexton seemed to

run over the terrain managing to keep all four wheels in contact with the ground. We

stopped at some spectacular lookout points along the way and took some photos.

When we finally reached the end of the descent we drove through a beautiful green valley

fording several small creek crossings which appeared as if they would really run in heavy

rain. Eventually we arrived at a gate with a donation box where you can leave a donation to

assist in the upkeep of the track, as part of it runs through private property.

We were then back on a tarred road and proceeded through the Kerry Valley back to

Beaudesert. As Rob was returning to Brisbane and I was going back to the Gold Coast we

said our Good byes and returned home after a pleasant day out

Jim & Trish Bakker (JimB)

Codes of Conduct

OFF ROAD DRIVING

1. Obey the laws and regulations for Recreational Vehicles that apply to public lands. 2. Respect the cultural, heritage and environmental values of public/private land, by obeying restrictions that may apply. 3. Respect our flora and fauna. Stop and look, but never disturb. 4. Keep to formed vehicle tracks.

5. Keep the environment clean. Carry your own, and any other, rubbish out. 6. Keep your vehicle mechanically sound and clean to reduce the environmental impact. 7. Adopt minimal impact camping and driving practices. 8. Seek permission before driving on private land. Do not disturb livestock or watering points, leave gates as found. 9. Take adequate water, food, fuel, basic spares and a first aid kit on trips. In remote areas travel with another vehicle

and have Royal Flying Doctor Service, or equivalent emergency contact by radio or satellite. 10. Plan ahead and lodge trip details with a responsible person. 11. Enjoy your recreation and respect the rights of others. 12. Support four-wheel drive touring as a legitimate family activity. 13. Consider joining an affiliated four-wheel drive Club.

ON ROAD DRIVING

1. Obey all the laws and regulations that apply to vehicles on public and private roads.

2. Respect the rights of others to use and share the road space – acknowledge that your vehicle may be wider and

higher than others, so keep as far left of the road as possible so as to allow a following driver some oncoming line of

sight before fully committing his vehicle to the opposite side of the road.

3. Keep a safe distance between vehicles – acknowledge that increased weight and tyre choice can affect braking

distance.

4. When following a smaller vehicle, increase the distance so that its mirrors have adequate vision beyond the larger

vehicle.

5. Break up convoys into groups of no more than 5 vehicles with larger separation between groups.

6. Leave overtaking space between groups – be aware of overtaking vehicles and their requirements when moving

through the group.

7. Take care when cornering – acknowledge that increased weight combined with a raised centre of gravity can affect

vehicle handling.

8. Take care when reversing - check blind spots and ensure that no one has walked behind your vehicle before you

reverse. If necessary get out of the vehicle to make sure the area behind is clear.

9. Be aware of vision limitations and be particularly observant near children to avoid accidents.

10. Ensure your vehicle complies with relevant State legislation in relation to roadworthiness and modifications.

11. Keep your vehicle clean and in good mechanical condition to reduce the environmental impact.

12. Make others aware that your four-wheel drive is a legitimate choice of lifestyle or family vehicle.

13. Consider joining an affiliated four-wheel drive Club.

CAMPING

Four Wheel Drive Australia supports dispersed vehicle based camping. Campers stopping in unspoilt areas are responsible for

the next camper¡¦s enjoyable stay. This is achieved by those who have been there before you, having left nothing but footprints

when they have departed. Upon departure, leave the area as if no one had been there and in the same or better condition than

previously. Ensure that the area you are visiting is not so sensitive that your presence will leave a permanent impact.

1. Dispersed camping is recommended so as not to compact the ground surface and inhibit vegetation growth or

regrowth.

2. Use huts where provided only under the advertised conditions of use - many are for emergency shelter only. Use

established campsites. When on a camping trip campers must be self reliant and carry your own tent or swag.

3. Do not dig trenches or gutters around tents or swags.

4. Locate your camp out from the drop zone of suspect trees and in particular keep clear of eucalypts which may shed

branches at any time.

5. Camp on elevated land and avoid at all times dry river beds, which are extremely dangerous as flash flooding can

and does occur.

6. Camp at least 30m from any natural waterhole, creek or river in such a way that you do not prevent native fauna and

station stock from gaining access to water.

7. Do not camp within a 500m radius of a dam or constructed stock watering point.

8. Do not camp within a 100m of any building unless specific permission has been granted.

Fires

9. Always check for fire restrictions with local authorities and comply with their regulations.

10. A Total Fire Ban is applicable to all types of fuel other than electricity, so be prepared.

11. Do not create a new fireplace where one already exists.

12. If a fire pit needs to be dug, try to remove the topsoil as a sod and place to one side. When the fire has been

extinguished and is not to be used again, replace the sod over the cold ashes.

13. Keep the area surrounding any open fire be clear of vegetation for a radius of 4m, or as required by the local

authority.

14. Spare firewood is to be kept a minimum of 3m from a fire.

15. Do not use stones in the construction of a fireplace as they are prone to explode from the heat of the fire sending

dangerous fragments in all directions.

16. Use only dead fallen timber for fuel if permitted.

17. Campers are not to cut standing trees as these are a key part of the environment.

18. Never burn treated timber in a fire.

19. Suitable alternative fuels are heat beads, shellite, gas and unleaded petrol used in appropriate cookers.

20. Never leave a fire burning unattended.

21. Campfires should not exceed one metre in diameter and 0.5m in height.

22. Separate cooking fires may be permitted if fuel is in abundance but should be kept to as few as possible. Set a time

at which combustible rubbish, food etc, may be reduced in the fire.

23. Do not place plastic/foam/metal objects in a campfire.

24. When decamping, ensure that the fire is completely extinguished as residual hot ashes present a fire hazard and are

likely to cause injury to foraging animals.

25. Dispose of cold ashes around plants as these will liberate nutrients in the soil.

Washing

26. Do not wash anything using soaps or detergents in streams and lakes.

27. Wash points should not be located within 50m of any creek, stream, river or waterhole to prevent contamination of

such waters.

28. Care must also be taken to ensure that a wash point is not located over a watercourse that feeds into the water

supply.

29. When disposing of waste water spread it across the ground to enable natural filtration.

30. Do not use waste water to feed the root systems of native flora as the residue contained within the water could be

harmful.

Rubbish

31. Adopt the practice of Leave no Trace camping.

32. Take out what you bring in and dispose of rubbish in designated rubbish bins or dumps.

33. Carry suitable containers in which to store rubbish and re-use where possible.

34. Avoid carrying high rubbish potential items such as bottles, cans and plastics, and remove unnecessary packaging

prior to departure on trips.

35. Do not bury rubbish as it may be dug up and scattered by native animals.

36. Dispose of plastics in disposal facilities provided or take it home with you for approved disposal.

37. Nappies and sanitary napkins must not be disposed of in composting or deep pit toilets but should be packed safely

and taken out to an approved disposal point.

Toilets

38. Use properly constructed toilets where provided.

39. Self dug toilets should be not less than 100m distant from campsites and water courses or water holes.

40. Individual toilet holes should be as deep as practicable to prevent excavation by fauna.

41. Do not attempt to burn toilet paper in toilet holes. Bushfires have been started by this practice.

42. Fill in hole with removed soil and compact as much as possible.

43. Chemical toilets should be used in those areas where the ground surface prevents digging adequate toilet holes or

the soil is of a type that is not suited to such a purpose. They should also be used in those areas which have a

sensitive environment and ecology which is easily disrupted. Waste from chemical toilets should be disposed of at

authorised sewerage points.

Environmentally sustainable vehicle based camping is a shared responsibility.

Produced by Four Wheel Drive Australia in the interest of promoting responsible camping