IT’S not until you’re saddled up in the passenger seat of a car steered by Team D-Max that you really appreciate the insane talent these guys have.

At the recent MY18 D-Max and MU-X launch, the team had its convoy on hand to give the media contingency a lesson on how to drift around a wet figure-eight, and how to attack a makeshift motorkhana course. And, despite the crazy manoeuvres these D-Maxes are asked to do, they are fairly standard, other than a few minor modifications: roll cages, race seats, hydraulic handbrakes, Detroit locker diffs, stiffer shock absorbers and louder exhausts.

“The D-Maxes we use in the performances get absolutely hammered,” Team D-Max Director, Wayne Boatwright, said. “They’re jumped and bumped and driven on two wheels day-in day-out and never let us down in terms of performance and reliability. In my opinion they are genuinely the toughest things on the market.”

Ramp-to-ramp jumps and precision driving – where a few millimetres separate the side mirrors – is all in a day’s work. The team also has the ‘Iron Summit’, where they drive an MU-X up and down a ramp with an incredible 100 per cent gradient (45 degrees).

However, the hardest skill to master, according to Team D-Max lead driver Jack Monkhouse, is driving a D-Max on two wheels.

“Driving on two wheels is one of the weirdest things you can do in a car. It’s crazy – you turn left to go right and right to go left, so being able to drive on two-wheels in a standard D-MAX with a car load of passengers is great fun,” Monkhouse said. “And the passenger reactions are always priceless. Most people are amazed at how much of an angle we are on.”

The elite team of drivers are recruited by invitation only, with the majority of today’s team earning their stripes in the rally industry via Motorkhana and Autocross events.

The team is on the road for a good portion of the year, wowing millions of people at city and regional shows throughout Australia. Visit www.teamdmax.com.au to find out where you can catch them next.

You really don’t expect to turn up to a campground that has been recently deluged with rain to the extent that the 4X4 tracks have been wiped out.

This feature was originally published in 4×4 Australia’s August 2011 issue

You especially don’t expect the walking tracks to become, almost, very long lap pools. But hey, if you’ve got this far, you may as well enjoy the experience!

We knew too well there’d been rain recently, but still figured the stopover in Bundjalung National Park, just south of Ballina, would be worth a couple of days; we could cope with keeping the transfer case stick in the 2WD position – there’s more to getting out and about than just the 4X4ing, eh!

The ocean was as rough as guts with high seas, choppy white water and rather daunting reminders of how powerful nature can be with massive tree trunks washed ashore. The freshwater run-off turned the ocean (almost) the same tea-coloured hue as the inland freshwater lakes that the area is well known for, so there was no point throwing in a line or attempting to swim offshore – just not worth the risk!

Rather, with boots being taken off for each lap pool we encountered on the walking tracks, we set off from Black Rocks camping area to see as much as possible of the Emu Loop (about 2km) and Jerusalem Creek (about 8km) walking tracks, as well as flopping about in the tea-tree stained Jerusalem Creek.

Oh, and if you’ve got little kids, this creek makes for a tops place to teach them to swim.

Supposedly, there are rare coastal emus on the aptly-named Emu Loop walk but instead we spotted well-fed goannas and giant man-eating bull ants, as well as the expected paperbark (melaleuca) trees within the swampy areas that line the creek banks.

The well-preserved wartime bunker is a remnant of target practice, where the Royal Australian Air Force trained before being sent overseas to battle. One can only assume that they dropped live bombs in the area, but without an enemy shooting back. That shelter would have been ideal had we been there during the thick of the downpour!

At the far end of the Emu Loop walk, continuing along the creek, you’ll spot a multitude of wing-flapping, feather-breasted friends that we had no idea of the type… except knowing they were definitely not the elusive coastal emu! Birdwatchers will love the place, where supposedly many varieties migrate to roost, breed and rest before their long flight home. Perhaps those emus had flown the coop!

At the end of this walk, you have the option of returning along the (normally) sandy beach or backtracking among all those birds. As much of the coast had been washed away, exposing tall cliffs of unstable crumbling Coffee rock, we retreated the safe way and went in search for more (well, any) damn emus!

There’s a floating pontoon on the creek that makes a brilliant spot for lunch and impromptu swimming lessons for toddlers. It was my saving grace as I’d been boasting to all about the sand driving, surfing and … emu spotting we’d be doing!

That pontoon became our resting place for many hours, plus return visits the next day with dangling feet, duck diving, dog paddling, exploration and tall-story-telling keeping our family giggling and wondering who’d spilt all the tea into the tannin-coloured water.

At other times, when the weather is kinder, you are permitted to drive onto Ten Mile Beach (to the south) between Shark Bay and Black Rocks camping area, which is a small section of a 17,000ha hidden stretch of heathlands with pockets of rainforest, lagoons and coastal beauty. The northern extremes of the park end at the southern banks of the Evans River, over which is the township of Evans Head.

If you’ve got a canoe, be sure to take it as there is plenty to explore among the inland waterways. There are other places within this park to spend time: the day-use areas up near Evans Head, which is a good spot for whale watching atop the cliffs (during the season), and the campground down south at Woody Head offers better amenities and is easily accessible by caravans. However, if it’s the freshwater access you want, Black Rocks camping area is the place to be.

Storm damaged or not, emus or not, Bundjalung NP definitely worth a short stopover to ponder life away from the hustle and bustle.

Travel Planner

GETTING THERE Heading north from Sydney, just after the turn-off to Yamba, is Iluka Road to the east that takes you to the southern end of the national park. Access to Black Rocks campground is further north on the Pacific Highway, at The Gaps Road, which winds its way back south for about 15km south to the coast at Jerusalem Creek and the camp spots.

WHEN TO GO Access is year round, but some activities are weather dependent.

FOUR-WHEEL DRIVING There’s little four-wheel driving in this park except for one section of the beach, but do check for storm damage which closes the beach to traffic. As of June, the access point at Black Rocks campground is closed due to storm damage. Vehicle beach access is only at Shark Bay to the south.

FACILITIES Self registration for camping at Black Rocks, which offers pit toilets and sites for tents, camper trailers and vans. BYO water and firewood; first-in, first-served for campsites.

SUPPLIES Evans Head (at the northern end of the park), Iluka (at the south), and Ballina provide all you could wish for food and drink-wise.

ACTIVITIES Beach-driving, bushwalking, swimming, canoeing, birdwatching

CONTACTS NPWS North Coast Regional Office at Grafton, phone 02 6641 1500 or NPWS Northern Rivers Regional Office at Alstonville, phone 02 6627 0200 or Woody Head campground on 02 6646 6134.

THE UTV/ATV/Side-by-Side/SxS/SSV (whatever it’s called this month) market in Australia is slowly evolving.

Hampered by draconian laws and regulations that restrict this style of vehicle to private properties and off-road parks, it has failed to expand as it has in the USA, where they are common in most places you’ll find 4×4 vehicles.

The obvious solution is a system of restricted registration that would allow UTVs to be operated in state forests, national parks and other places where enthusiasts want to get to remote and rugged areas.

The Victorian High Country is a classic area to use, as an example. Covering state forests and national parks, it is used by recreational hunters and fishermen as well as four-wheel drivers and campers, but it’s only accessible on foot, horseback or by road-registered 4x4s and dirt bikes. A recreational registration system for UTVs would allow users to trailer their UTV to a spot at the base of the Alps, unload and then explore at their leisure.

UTVs have less of an impact on tracks than many 4x4s, as they are lighter, more capable and would allow better access to places that are restricted by rough and narrow tracks. Our Nissan Patrol got scratched to buggery on a recent High Country trip on regular tracks, something you wouldn’t be so worried about in a UTV.

Rather than being popular with recreational users, the UTV market in Australia has been limited to agricultural, rural and industrial users who have private land accessible. There are also the SxS racers competing in multiple series across the country, as well as a handful of rec users with access to private land.

As such, the UTVs available here tend to be more focused towards two styles: rural/industrial and sports/competition. In between lays the recreational market, which is huge in the USA but stymied here in Australia.

Recreational UTVs are a cross between the rural and sports models, often giving up load space for more passengers, having more compliant suspension, and offering a huge range of accessories to tailer them to the end user’s needs.

Enter Yamaha’s Wolverine X4. The Japanese brand has taken its successful two-seater Wolverine of the past and made it more rec-friendly, with seating for four, a higher performance 847cc engine and a huge range of accessories. The X4 is designed to get people and gear to hard-to-access places, be they on a farm, the beach, the lake, up in the mountains, or in the snow.

It’s a true 4×4 vehicle with selectable two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive high and low range. The rear axle is permanently locked as there is no differential in it, while the front axle utilises an LSD, which can be manually locked by the driver when needed.

It’s a system that proved more than capable on the steep and muddy slopes on a wet day in Queenstown, New Zealand. In fact, the X4 never really wanted for traction, even when the throttle was pegged through sloshy mud or on steep, wet climbs. As the day got wetter we locked the front diff and the Wolverine continued to climb, descend and traverse any terrain we pointed it at without question.

A key feature of the X4 is the new engine. It’s a new 847cc parallel twin, which benefits from fly-by-wire throttle control for added smoothness and a 270-degree firing crankshaft which delivers more torque than the 360-degree firing crank which is more common in such configured mills. Just like the traction the engine was never left wanting; even on the steepest hills, full throttle was never needed.

The engine is mated to a constantly variable transmission (CVT) for able power delivery, ensuring the big twin is always in its meaty torque band. A unique feature of Yamaha’s Ultramatic CVT is the way it delivers off-throttle engine braking when descending hills.

Where CVTs from other manufacturers require you to apply throttle when descending to achieve any form of engine brake retardation, the Ultramatic lets you leave your foot right off the throttle – and hovering over the brake, if you like – and gives good deceleration through engine braking for controlled descents.

Just as innovative as the driveline package is the seating. The old Wolverine was a two-seater, but it had a handy cargo tray behind the seats. The X4 comes as a four-seater, making it more of a people mover than a load lugger. Those rear seats are almost the same as the front buckets, so the back seat passengers are just as comfortable as those up front. All four seats have lap/sash safety belts.

The difference with the rear seats in the X4 is that if you still want or need some cargo space, they easily fold and slide forward to give you that extra room. They could be easily unbolted if you wanted a more permanent solution for cargo space; the cargo bed has a 71kg load capacity, but remove those back seats and it should leave you with a bit more.

Helping to carry the load in the back, be it passengers or cargo, are the new self-levelling coil-over shocks. The more load you put on them the more they firm up and retain the ride height. I rode on the back seat (185cm tall, 115kg) and was surprised by the space and comfort there. The suspension never bottomed out over the biggest of bumps and maintained its composure whatever terrain it was pointed at.

It’s that suspension composure that helps make the X4 so much fun and safe to drive. It never feels tippy or top heavy, and it’s controlled and capable in all conditions. The biggest revelation came when taken for a ride with one of the owners of Queenstown’s Off Road Adventures, whose stunning property we were sampling the X4 on.

The team at Off Road Adventures has been running quad bike and motorcycle tours in the hills around Queenstown for almost 30 years and they know the terrain and the machinery. They use the older Wolverines themselves, and Lachie didn’t hold back when presented with his first opportunity to try out the X4.

He launched the Wolverine X4 down the hills, accelerating when we would have been using the engine braking; taking off over humps and braking hard into ruts before getting on the gas again. Straight away he commented on the extra power of the new engine and the added stability of the new chassis and suspension. He pushed it to the limits and showed what it was really capable of. Who knows how much faster he would be with some more time behind the wheel.

The Wolverine is fun, functional and ready to go anywhere. There is a massive range of Yamaha accessories available for it, with everything from towing kits and stereo systems to a fully enclosed cabin with doors and a windshield, so you can customise it to suit your needs whatever they may be.

The Wolverine X4 is available now from Yamaha for $23,990.

2018 WOLVERINE X4 SE SPECS: Engine: 847cc Parallel twin, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC Bore x Stroke: 82mm x 80.2mm Compression ratio: 10.5:1 Lubrication system: Dry sump Fuel system: Mikuni fuel injection Ignition system: TCI Starter system: Electric Transmission system: Auto Drive system: On-Command 2WD, 4WD, 4WD with diff-lock Final transmission: Shaft Front suspension: Independent Rear suspension: Independent Front brake: Hydraulic Rear brake: Shaft-mounted parking brake Front tyres: MAXXIS MU75, AT26 x 8-12 Rear tyres: MAXXIS MU76, AT26 x 10-12 Overall L/W/H: 3100mm/1519mm/1960mm Wheelbase: 2100mm Min. ground clearance: 273mm Min. turning radius: 4.5m Wet weight: 754kg Fuel capacity: 35L Oil capacity: 4.4L Steering System: Electric assist rack and pinion steering Cargo capacity: 71kg Towing capacity: 900kg Warranty: Three-year factory extended Colour: Matte Silver

Available from: www.yamaha-motor.com.au RRP: $23,990 WE SAY: Fun, functional transport for work and play.

HOLDEN Special Vehicles (HSV) was founded in 1987 as a joint venture between Holden and Scottish racing driver and race-team owner, the late Tom Walkinshaw. Better known for its expertise in tweaking Commodore V8s, HSV has now turned its hand to Holden’s bestseller, the Colorado ute.

You might think that being an HSV the SportsCat would run a tuned engine, but the 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel, essentially a VM Motori design, is stock and claims an unchanged 147kW and 500Nm.

HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN AN HSV SPORTSCAT+

Still, these are healthy numbers among the current crop of dual-cab utes, with the Colorado’s 500Nm bettered only by the Volkswagen Amarok V6’s 550Nm. The Colorado’s two gearboxes – a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic – are also unchanged.

HSV may have left the powertrain alone, but engineers seriously tinkered with the chassis to improve the Colorado both on and off the road. Starting with a Colorado Z71 as the donor car, the upgrades start with 18×10-inch alloys with a 15mm off-set (for a 30mm wider track) carrying Cooper Zeon LTZ Pro 285/60 all-terrains, which give a 20mm increase in ride height over the stock 265/60R18s.

New and stiffer front springs then provide an additional 25mm of lift, obviously for more clearance but to bring a more neutral stance compared to the nose-down/bum-up look of a standard Colorado. The rear springs remain stock, while MTV dampers are fitted all ’round.

To cope with the inevitable extra load passed back to the chassis via the bigger and heavier wheel and tyre package and the 30mm wider track, HSV engineers have braced the spring/damper strut top mounts. The standard pressed-steel top mounts for the front struts are welded to the chassis rails behind the struts but are effectively open at the front. What HSV has done is brace the front of the strut top mount back to the chassis via a steel tube looped up and around the strut, which helps eliminate chassis flex in this critical area and thus achieve better suspension control.

From there the upgrades are model specific. The SportsCat+ adds 362mm front brake rotors, in place of the standard 300mm rotors, and four-spot AP Racing calipers. The SportsCat+ gets a rear swaybar that automatically decouples when low-range is engaged.

As standard, the Colorado, like most dual-cabs, doesn’t have a swaybar. SportsCat+ buyers can also option high-performance SupaShock dampers complete with gas-charged remote reservoirs, as fitted to our SportsCat+.

How does it all work? Well, in two words, very nicely.

Generally when you lift a vehicle and add taller off-road-oriented tyres the on-road dynamics go backwards, but not here; the SportsCat+ feels planted and confident on the road, and the faster you drive it the better it feels. The high-speed steering and front suspension control on bumpy roads, even corrugated dirt, is particularly impressive. HSV has also retuned the electronic stability control, and that it’s not intrusive at all on loose dirt is proof it works.

The up-spec front brake package on the SportsCat+ works a treat. The pedal pressure is noticeably higher than stock, but the feel and the retardation is much improved and adds to the high-speed confidence the SportsCat offers. It’s better off-road than a stock Colorado, too, simply because of the extra clearance and the tough Cooper Zeon LTZs – you can’t beat clearance and tyre confidence off-road.

However, less suspension flex up front is an off-road negative, given that even a stock Colorado could do with more suspension travel to be competitive with the best of dual cabs in that regard.

The SportsCat gets its own distinctive styling with a bonnet bulge, new front fascia complete with prominent red recovery hooks, and a quick-removal hard tonneau with top-mounted load rails. And, as the SportsCat is based on a Z71, both models come loaded with luxury and safety kit. From there, options include a tub liner and an adjustable load restraint bar in the tub.

Does the SportsCat need more? A rear locker wouldn’t go astray to make it more effective off-road, and some would argue the HSV name deserves a power upgrade, something HSV says isn’t on the cards at present. This wouldn’t be hard to achieve via a third-party supplier, an ECU upgrade and a less-restrictive exhaust system.

Power upgrade aside, what you do get is a distinctive-looking dual cab with an aggressive stance that’s better than a stock Colorado off-road and more of a driver’s car on-road.

Models and Equipment

THE SportsCat comes with both a six-speed manual and a six speed automatic in two models: the SportsCat and the $6K more expensive SportsCat+, with its racing brakes and decoupling rear swaybar.

Standard equipment on both models includes leather with electric adjust and heating for the front sports seats, embedded sat-nav, auto headlights and wipers, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a rear-view camera.

Safety kit runs to seven airbags, tyre pressure monitoring, lane-departure warning and forward-collision alert. Other equipment includes LED DRLs and tail-lights, two bright red front recovery hooks and a lockable hard tonneau. Options include a tub liner and adjustable load restraints. The SportsCat comes in four colours: white, black, grey and red.

HSV Colorado Sportscat+ Prices* Sportscat (MT): $60,790 Sportscat (AT): $62,990 Sportscat+ (MT): $66,790 Sportscat+ (AT): $68,990 Supashock dampers option (Sportscat+ only): $3600 *Prices do not include on-road costs

2018 HSV COLORADO SPORTSCAT+ SPECS Engine: 2.8-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel Max Power: 147kW at 3500rpm Max Torque: 500Nm at 2000rpm Gearbox: Six-speed automatic 4×4 System: Dual-range part-time Crawl Ratio: 36.4:1 Construction: Separate-chassis Front Suspension: Independent/coil springs Rear Suspension: Live axle/leaf springs Wheel/Tyre Spec: 285/60R18 Unladen Weight: 2274kg GVM: 3150kg Payload: 876kg Towing Capacity: 3500kg GCM: 6300kg Fuel Tank Capacity: 76 litres ADR Fuel Claim: 8.7L/100km Test Fuel Use: 12.2L/100km

Departure angle: 24˚ Rampover angle: 27˚ Approach angle: 32˚ Wading depth: 600mm Ground clearance: 251mm

Though better known as a spread, friends from overseas claim that Vegemite have a wide range of uses in cooking.

This article was first published in 4×4 Australia’s February 2011 issue.

This savoury vegemite mince recipe combines the iconic ingredient of any Australian kitchen cupboard with another Australian staple, beef, to create a gravy that will be a wonderful addition to pasta, mashed potato, or even turned into a Shepherds pie.

This recipe serves 4.

INGREDIENTS: – 2 tblspn oil – 1-2 onions, finely chopped – 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped – 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional) – 1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced – 500g beef mince – 1 tspn paprika powder (optional) – 2 beef stock cubes – 2 tblspn gravy powder – ¾ cup water – more if needed – 1 tblspn Vegemite – ¼ cup boiling water – 1 cup frozen peas (optional) – Salt, pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan or your camp oven over a medium heat. Sauté the onions, carrot and garlic for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until softened.

Add the mince and cook until browned. Add paprika, stock cubes, gravy powder and ¾ cup water, and stir to combine.

Combine Vegemite and hot water in a small cup. Add to the mince and mix well. Season to taste.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, adding the peas towards the end. Add more water if the mixture gets too thick.

Serve up on toast, over pasta or mashed potato, or you could turn it into a Shepherds pie.

Viv’s hint: you could add other vegetables, such as corn, celery, etc.

INDIA’S Mahindra Pik-Up comes to the blossoming dual-cab market with a pretty price tag – about $30K for the best-dressed model – so it’s a valid proposition as a work (farm) truck.

A 103kW/330Nm turbocharged 2.2-litre diesel – the same engine found in the 4×4 single-cab we drove a couple of months back – is mated to a six-speed manual transmission, with an automatic shifter slated for next year.

The Pik-Up utilises an Eaton self-locking rear diff and electronic traction control, which remains active when the diff is activated.

Road-test editor, Fraser Stronach, recently took the dual-cab Pik-Up over some dusty trails – you can watch the action in the above video.

“Unladen ride is a little bit rough and bumpy as you’d expect, but generally there’s nothing wrong with the road manners whatsoever,” Fraser says in the video.

Even with a 1000kg load on board – 850kg in the tray, combined with driver and passenger – the Mahindra steered and handled competently, and it got up the hills without a fuss.

“The thing off-road works there too,” Fraser adds. “What it is, it’s fantastic for the money … it’s very hard to criticise … I think Mahindra has hit the thing on the head here. It’s a winner.”

Read about the all-new Mahindra Pik-Up in our comprehensive review which will be in the upcoming June issue of 4X4 Australia.

NEW bumpers are nothing new when it comes to jazzing up the look of a car that’s been on sale for a while, but the one added to Mazda’s BT-50 has a distinctive local flavour. That’s because it was designed and conceived in Australia, predominantly for the Australian market.

It’s an unusual move and one that came about due to model cycles and a lack of planned visual changes. With no prospect of a styling refresh coming from the brand’s design studios in Japan – the big news for Mazda is an upcoming BT-50 replacement being developed as part of a joint venture with Isuzu – Mazda Australia executives decided something was required to update the look and keep the car fresh at a time when so many utes are being replaced or upgraded.

“We went to Japan to ask what they had coming for BT-50 and it turned out there wasn’t much,” said Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak. “The BT-50 is an important model for us and we knew we had some other updates coming, so we decided to look at what else could be done from a visual perspective.”

Doak denies the more muscular look was done in response to a lukewarm reception to the look of the BT; whereas Mazda has been on a styling high in recent years, the BT-50’s smiley face was never one of those hits, and age hasn’t helped it.

“This was more a case of ‘hey, we’ve had one update … design moves on, taste moves on’. It’s really just keeping it fresh and modern.”

The new look incorporates a darkened trapezoidal lower section designed to lower the visual centre of gravity and create a more muscular look. There’s also a new grille insert with wider spacings. The bumpers are produced in Thailand by a local division of an Australian parts supplier, EGR. Despite the changed look, they are constructed using the same plastics and paint to ensure consistency with other parts already fitted to the car.

However, due to contractual issues the bumpers are not fitted on the joint venture Ford/Mazda production line in Thailand, an assembly facility that also produces the Ford Ranger. So, Mazda ships them to Australia and fits them before they leave the ports to be trucked off to dealerships for sale.

An enormous effort went into making sure the new bumpers were up to the same quality standards as the original, and it started with using as much of the original design as possible. All the brackets and clips are the same, simplifying the task of fitting the new bumper.

Mazda Australia even went to the efforts of positioning the badge and fog lights in exactly the same place, so it wouldn’t impact things such as pedestrian safety. With the same profile, it meant the car didn’t have to be crash tested as part of its homologation.

To verify the work and ensure the bumper would still be in place years later, Mazda engaged EGR to undergo testing at the Anglesea proving ground, south of Melbourne. Four days of testing on punishing rough roads and off-road tracks designed to twist the chassis were all about putting the bumper through what the average punter would put it through in two lifetimes of driving – double what most manufacturers test to.

The result hasn’t transformed the BT-50, but it has refreshed the front-end look to give it a visual kick in the twilight of its life.

BACK IN THE MIND OF BUYERS

DESPITE the learnings and effort that went into the BT-50’s new front bumper, Mazda Australia says similar changes are unlikely for future Mazdas.

“This was a unique set of circumstances and we can’t see that every happening again,” said Doak, referencing the shorter model cycles of passenger cars and SUVs.

The BT-50 was relatively old – having first arrived in 2011 – and in line with other commercial vehicles has a longer shelf life than all other Mazdas. It also didn’t benefit from the same level of design tweaks to its twin-under-the-skin, the Ford Ranger. So Mazda was facing the prospect of selling an ageing car in a market segment that’s more active and dynamic than ever.

Of course, beneath the minor cosmetic update there’s not a whole lot different to before; same 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel, same basic suspension architecture and same body panels.

To many, though, a revised look is all it takes to pop the car back on the consideration list.

2018 Mazda BT-50 4×4 pricing

The Otway Ranges offer an almost unrivalled camping experience for the whole family, with tall forests, cascading waterfalls and lush rainforests dominating the area, all framed by one of Victoria’s main tourist attractions, the Great Ocean Road.

This feature was originally published in 4×4 Australia’s April 2011 issue

Amalgamated in 2005, the Great Otway National Park extends along the state’s southern coastline, comprised of the former Otway NP and Angahooke-Lorne, Carlisle and Melba Gully state parks, as well as areas of state forest. Scattered along its length, patches of the Otway Forest Park cater for four-wheel drivers, trail-bike riders and horse riders. Other activities include camping, fishing, diving, scenic touring, photography, bushwalking, and mountain biking.

There are several suggested touring routes throughout the park, including the Otways Drive, part of the new 4WD Adventure series, a collaborative effort by Parks Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and Four Wheel Drive Victoria.

The track sets out from Anglesea, meandering through coastal heath before delving into cool temperate rainforests and fern gullies, stopping at a number of popular waterfalls. The tour continues to Cape Otway and Apollo Bay via Maits Rest, a spectacular rainforest walk, then back to Anglesea via the Great Ocean Road.

In comparison, ExplorOz.com details a shorter, one-way route departing from Aireys Inlet, traversing some seasonally closed tracks and finishing in the town of Forrest. With all the areas of interest documented on the Parks Victoria website, it’s just as easy to make up your own route from a mix of unsealed roads and easy 4X4 tracks, depending on what you want to see.

Our favourite points of interest in the area include the Alcoa open-cut mine on Coal Mine Road in the Anglesea Heath Reserve; Lake Elizabeth, with walks to the lake and beyond; the forests and gullies of Mt Sabine Road; and Gentle Annie Track – a good 4X4 option.

Another one, Big Hill Track, runs off the Deans Marsh-Lorne road (C151), near the intersection of Mt Sabine Rd. Ominously named, Big Hill Track won’t raise the pulse too much, but still offers an interesting drive, running along the ridge before dropping to Loutit Bay, the site of numerous shipwrecks.

Wildflower enthusiasts should head to any of the Anglesea locations: the Anglesea Bushland Reserve (Elizabeth Street); the O’Donohue Rd walk in Great Otway NP; Edna Bowman Reserve (cnr Evans and Purnell streets); and the Anglesea Flora Reserve Lookout (cnr Great Ocean Rd and Harvey St).

Our visit in early September rewarded us with an array of orchids, including the spider, waxlip, donkey, nodding greenhood and tall greenhood. Other wildflowers include the love creeper, egg and bacon, running postman, common heath, early nancy, dusty miller and the fringe lily.

The Otway Forest Park permits campfires, with facilities at Stevensons Falls and Dandos campgrounds, however a number of last season’s wildfires were caused by improperly extinguished campfires, so ensure fires are fully extinguished before you retire at night or break camp in the morning. All it takes is a gust of wind and a spark.

As traditional and enjoyable as they are, the only location where campfires were allowed in the national park campgrounds was at Lake Elizabeth, although this was under review at the time of writing. (However, there are campfire facilities at most picnic areas in the vicinity.)

The Otways are a popular holiday destination, so the peak periods of Christmas and long weekends are best avoided, unless you enjoy the close proximity of thousands of others.

From combing the rugged coastline, to exploring the network of 4X4 tracks and unsealed forest roads, the Otways has something for everyone – all within a stone’s throw of Melbourne.

Travel Planner

WHERE The eastern Otway Ranges are 120km west of Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road. The best time to travel is from November to May, when the tracks are open. Check with Parks Victoria for track closures before travelling.

CAMPING Great Otway National Park: Hammonds and Big Hill camping areas are suitable for camper trailers (toilets, no fires); Lake Elizabeth (toilets, fires) and Allenvale Mill site (toilets, no fires) are both walk- in tent sites.

Otway Forest Park: Stevensons Falls and Dandos are suitable for camper trailers (toilets, picnic tables, fire pits, and bushwalks). No camping fees for all locations.

If hot showers and kids activities are high on the agenda, book into any of the commercial caravan parks along the coast.

CONTACTS AND INFORMATION Parks Victoria, Apollo Bay Office, 03 5237 2507. Lorne Visitor Information Centre, 03 5289 1152.

THE first DVD of the three-part 4X4 Adventure Series will be free with the May 2018 issue of 4X4 Australia.

1

In the debut episode we travel the steep and challenging tracks of the Vic High Country in search of the region’s historic huts, including Lovicks Hut, Bluff Hut, Bindaree Hut and Craigs Hut. Led by intrepid explorer Ron Moon, we also chew the fat with some local cattlemen.

It doesn’t end there, with the May 2018 issue also packing a mighty four-wheelin’ punch. Two custom rigs – a Ford Ranger and a Ram 2500 – headline the shebang, plus we buckle-down in HSV’s Colorado SportsCat.

We steer a Compass Trailhawk to see whether it’s worthy of the Trail-Rated badge, and we put three big-name wagons against each other: 200 Series, Discovery TD6 and Patrol Y62.

Our comprehensive guide to Cape York also kicks off this month, as we steer you through the region’s southern section.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE?

• Holden 1 Tonner – the build continues
• Patrol Ti-L & LC79 shed updates
• The rich mining history of Washpool NP, NSW
• An iconic American trail: Sierra Trek
• Roof-top tent buyers’ guide
• A heap of product tests, and Deano’s monthly rant

Our timing was perfect. The lakes were brimming with water from late spring rains and the algae that gives the shallow lakes their colour had been hard at work turning the waters to varying hues of pink.

This feature was originally published in 4×4 Australia’s May 2011 issue

Recent rains had transformed the surrounding sandy plains and dunes into a rich tapestry of green, and the occasional bunch of flowers added striking contrast to the scene. There are four lakes that make up Pink Lakes: Hardy, Becking, Kenyon and the biggest, Lake Crosbie.

Pioneer graziers came here in the 1860s with their sheep and cattle and in 1916 the first salt was harvested from the lakes. A small town and a school grew up on the edge of Lake Crosbie, and the work was hard and tough on men and machines, as the rusting remains of some of the machinery on the edge of the lake can testify.

Salt harvesting continued until 1979, when the area around the lakes was declared a state park. In 1991, this relatively small park was incorporated into the then-proclaimed Murray-Sunset NP which, at 633,000ha, is Victoria’s second biggest national park.

While there are about 600 species of plants within the park, salt-tolerant species dominate the area close to the lakes. Mallee woodlands cover most of the dunes away from the lake shores, while pleasant pine and buloke woodlands are found in more fertile pockets throughout the mallee scrub. Over 70 species of plants found here are considered significant and these include Victoria’s largest flower, the Murray lily, the restricted silver emu-bush and the blue-leafed mallee.

The park is also home to a number of threatened animal species, including a small carnivorous marsupial the size of a mouse, the paucident planigale; the slender yellow and green regent parrot; and the Millewa skink. Other notable birds found in the area include the shy mallee fowl, the delightful and raucous pink cockatoo, the smaller white-browed tree creepers and beautiful mallee emu-wrens. Grey kangaroos are common, while red kangaroos can be spotted on the more open plains, especially further north in the park.

There are several pleasant spots to camp within the park that are close to the lakes, while walking trails take you along the edge of all four lakes. Interpretative signs along these walks help you get more from your visit as you pass through different types of vegetation or along the old historic tramways and mine sites.

A number of 4X4 tracks radiate from near here to all parts of the surrounding park, and it’s a pleasant return day trip north through the park to Mt Crozier, Mopoke Hut and on to Rocket Lake. From here you can return on different tracks south to your camp, or exit the park to the north or to the east. Other tracks in the region will keep you entertained for days.

What more could you ask for – a good spot to camp, pleasant natural surroundings, historic sites, wildlife, walking trails and some interesting 4X4 tracks. We’ll be going back!

Travel Planner

WHEN TO GO Autumn to late spring is best. Summers can be hot and very dry.

TRIP STANDARD Access to Pink Lakes from Linga on the Mallee Hwy to the south is via a good dirt road. North from the lakes into the heart of the Murray-Sunset NP is 4X4 country with soft, sandy tracks.

PERMITS, ACCESS AND CAMPING No permits are required to travel and camp in the Murray-Sunset NP, of which Pink Lakes is part. The tracks and roads in the national park can be closed after rain – for the latest road closures, call 13 1963 or visit parkweb.vic.gov.au.

There are a number of camping sites around Pink Lakes. The Lake Crosbie camping area has toilets, gas barbecues, fireplaces and picnic tables. Ensure you carry enough water, food and fuel for your entire stay in the park.

ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES The closest supply point to Pink Lakes is Murrayville, which is about 70km west on the Mallee Hwy. Ouyen, 90km to the east on the Calder Hwy, offers a wider choice of supplies, fuel and accommodation. Heading north through the park, Cullulleraine, on the Sturt Hwy, has a basic range of supplies and facilities for travellers.

INFORMATION, MAPS AND GUIDES The best map is Meridian Productions’ Victoria’s Deserts 4WD Map and Touring Guide. Best book is Mallee Tracks, by J Nickolls and A Angel.