THEY may be made in Japan, but we like to think Australia is the spiritual home of the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Australians buy thousands of them, keep them on the road for decades, and log up millions of kilometres in the everlasting workhorses from Toyota. As such, you might think if there was going to be a museum dedicated purely to Land Cruiser vehicles, it should be in Australia.

Readers might be surprised to learn that such a museum does exist, but it’s not on our fair shores. It’s not even in Japan, or in a country where the iconic vehicle has the popularity it has here. The best collection of Land Cruisers we’ve come across is in a private collection in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

We say private collection, because all of the 70-odd vehicles in the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum are owned by Greg Miller, who, as part of the Miller family, has a long history in the automotive industry in the USA and currently owns and operates a Toyota dealership in California. But Greg’s family harks back to Utah, and that’s where he houses his collection.

Thankfully, the museum is open to the public on most days and caters to groups who can be guided around the collection by one of the knowledgeable curators. On the day 4X4 Australia dropped in, Cruiser Dan was staying back to facilitate our visit.

With more than 35 years working in the Toyota parts business at Miller-owned dealerships, Dan knows the history of all the vehicles in the collection. He pointed out that while most of the Cruisers housed in the museum are owned by Greg, there is one that isn’t. That’s an LC FJ40 owned by Greg’s brother.

We knew we found the right place when we spotted the BJ74 Land Cruiser parked out the front of the nondescript warehouse just off the interstate. That vehicle is Dan’s own daily driver and is considered rare in the USA, where the 70 Series was never sold.

Step inside the museum and it’s a Cruiser enthusiast’s dream garage. Almost every model of Land Cruiser is represented here, from early FJ25s up to 100 Series, FJ Cruiser and VDJ79s.

There are 40 Series in every colour, oddball mini-Cruisers, a Prado or two, a rare PX10, a Mega Cruiser, and a few rock-crawler-style modified 40s. Cruisers from the USA, Japan, South America, Australia and elsewhere can be found among the collection, and there’s even a VDJ78 Troopy that has been driven on all seven continents as part of the Expeditions 7 trip.

Roothy’s 40-series Toyota, Milo, suffers metal fatigue

While a mid-wheelbase 73 used as an outside broadcast vehicle (for television) in Japan, is a time capsule preserved as it was the day it finished work.

Notably absent was a late model 200 Series and a soft-top Bundera; although, the collection is always growing. In fact, a Toyota BJT had just been purchased by Greg and was about to be shipped from Australia to Utah shortly after we photographed it in Adelaide.

Whether you’re a Land Cruiser fan or not, or whether you prefer 4x4s or classic cars, the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum should definitely be on your to-do list if you’re visiting the USA. Utah is also the home of the off road-Mecca, Moab, and there are other great 4×4 areas closer to the museum to explore to make this visit a 4×4 trip to remember.

The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum is at 470 West 600 South in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

For more details, or to make sure it’s open if you’re planning a visit, go to: www.landcruiserhm.com

SOME folk start four-wheel driving because of work, the need to tow something heavy, or because a mate shares the inspiration.

Others, like Gavin Gillett, are born and bred to the short stick.

A third-generation Pilbara miner, Gavin grew up travelling across barely formed bush tracks, and he believes 4WDing isn’t a “thing you do”, it’s how you get from A to B. His family were exploring Karijini gorges long before the tourist invasion brought safe steps and sturdy handrails.

According to Gavin, when you scrambled up the rock face, you clung for dear life to spiky spinifex as your feet desperately sought a toehold among the loose rocks. You needed to be fully self-sufficient, with plenty of water and supplies in case you broke down on a dusty, corrugated track and had to wait for someone else to drive past.

And that was just for a shopping trip into Karratha WA, which required four hours on dirt before reaching any of the unnaturally smooth black stuff.

Some people might have grown up and embraced the comforts of city life, but Gavin wasn’t just bitten by the 4WD bug, he’s got thousands of the critters wheeling through his bloodstream.

Paying homage to the Toyota FJ Cruiser

“My favourite part of 4WDing is that the landscape is so unique in Australia. It doesn’t matter in what direction I point the Cruiser, I know there is something world class in front of me,” he said.

From chasing bats through huge flood drains in his uncle’s ’79 Suzuki Jimny when he could barely see over the steering wheel and touch the pedals, Gavin’s driven plenty of fourbies. However, purchasing his own was a huge deal, because it was a long time before he could afford one.

In 2011, Toyota’s magnificent marketing machine hooked Gavin with its 30 minute infomercial ‘one way in, one way out’, with one of the first 50 FJ Cruisers in the country.

 “The white roof and shady interior would help keep the vehicle cool in the harsh Australian Outback. With vinyl floors, standard diff lock and the proven Prado drive components for $20,000 less than a new Prado, it was the reliable touring vehicle I could afford and I didn’t even mind that it was so ugly.

It was going to get me everywhere I wanted to go and back again, and that’s all that mattered,” Gavin confessed. “With the FJ being so ugly it wasn’t long before we formed our own 4WD club so people would hang out with us.”

The FJ Cruiser club became a big part of Gavin’s life.

“I’m very proud of my 4WD club. I was there at the beginning when there were just 30 of us, and today there are more than 6000 people in the club from all over the world. I’m very honoured to be one of the people that runs Australia’s fifth largest – and by far most active – 4WD club.

Despite the endless ribbing I get for selling my FJ, we have created something special with this club, and I always appreciate the fantastic work done by the guys and girls that run the FJCC with me and the times we spend together out on the tracks.”

Gavin still misses the FJ, especially for its short wheelbase. It was the ultimate weapon, tackling steep, rocky terrain out the back of Collie and Brunswick after heavy rain. But it was time to trade up to a bigger vehicle for remote long-distance touring.

“The 2014 200 Series Land Cruiser VX was simply the best 4WD money could buy. Right out of the box she’s got more power than most people will ever need, enough space for long range touring supplies, and room around the chassis for big water, fuel and air tanks,” he said.

“Sometimes I really miss my FJ, but all I have to do is listen to that twin-turbo V8 and I’m smiling. The big diesel is an absolute pleasure to drive – power, torque and 10.9L/100km economy on the open road. What more could you want?”

Gavin is probably not the first Toyota owner to have been taken by surprise by the capability of the traction control system. “It’s amazing if you know how and when to use it. Sand, mud, steep ascents and descents are all made easy and safe with the amazing traction control on these things, and it makes diff locks almost redundant,” he explained.

Which is a bit of a shame, as Gavin had the brand new 200 Series trucked straight to TJM for a whack of modifications including largely unnecessary TJM Pro diff locks front and rear. Yep, they’ve proven handy once or twice, but being so rarely called upon means Gavin could have spent that money elsewhere.

Other mods have repeatedly proven their worth. Having removed the underslung spare tyre, Gavin replaced the 45-litre auxiliary tank with a goliath 170-litre dam to take total capacity to 265 litres. Even fully loaded for touring, Gavin easily gets 1600km at highway touring speed, and careful driving can result in up to 1800km – as Gavin said: “Not bad for a vehicle that’s right on its upgraded GVM of 3800kg.”

FJ Summit Event Colorado

Gavin doesn’t mind admitting he’s now too lazy to change gears. “You can prevent a gear change or hold a gear just as easily in a 200 as you can in a manual, but the auto comes into its own when you need to quickly change that gear on the fly because you’re about to get bogged.”

In addition to the standard breather mods, Gavin fitted a Torque Converter Lockup Kit. “This one mod really transformed the on-road performance and gave me another 200km of range by simply forcing the car to use sixth gear properly.”

Gavin appreciated all the work that went into the first fit-out and thanked Luke at TJM for first-class, no-stress service that ultimately got things sorted, but he had problems with the suspension mods.

“When I first picked up my car from the workshop in Perth I knew something was wrong. The car was lower than stock ride height. Normally they just do the calculations and your vehicle has a two-inch lift after all the gear has been put on, but it seemed like the weight hadn’t been successfully factored into the suspension upgrade. Because I had to drive the car north, the workshop sent the correct springs to be installed in Karratha by an affiliate.”

Gavin originally fitted Tough Dog 9 stage adjustable shocks, but the design of the adjuster meant it was rapidly chewed away by off-road rocks and gravel. After plenty of research, he switched to ARB’s BP-51s and is happy to sing their praises.

Another lesson learned was tyre choice. “I’m not sure if it was me or the Pilbara, but something asked far too much of my 17-inch Cooper ST-Maxx,” Gavin said.

Supercharged Toyota FJ Cruiser: Custom 4×4

After seven punctures in less than 10,000km, he decided the extra-deep tread on the Coopers was achieved through using a thinner carcass, meaning relatively insignificant objects pushed between the chunky lugs would result in a puncture.

After about 30,000km, the Coopers seemed to come good, and Gavin wondered if “the sun needed to bake them hard – like when the old cockies used to leave tyres in a paddock for a year before putting them on the old Cruisers”.

He did switch them out, along with the black steel 17-inch rims he’d fitted to replace the original alloys. At 50kg or so each, the tyre and rim combo was a bit heavy, especially when dealing with punctures.

He’s happy with his BF Goodrich KM2 Mud Terrains. “I’ve done more than 30,000km without a single puncture and they still look like new.”

He fitted Boss Adventure rims, which met all the load limit requirements of the heavy Cruiser and, like Gavin, we reckon those false bead locks look pretty good.

Another noteworthy accessory on this well-kitted rig is the Rigid Industry rock lights. Gavin loves night driving, and these light up the wheel arch like daylight so that you and your spotter can easily see what’s under your wheels.

All of the modifications helped Gavin achieve his major bucket-list goal: a solo trip along the Gibb River Road and Canning Stock Route in July. The trip has been two years in the planning and should take about a month.

Gavin plans to video the entire length of both tracks – a perfect adventure to share with his young son in years to come and ensure the lad is keen to follow Dad’s wheel tracks.

Gavin’s love for his Cruiser and his family is best summed up with a few parting words, “With big V8 diesels going out of fashion in the 4WD world, this 200 Series will be something I hand down to my son someday.”

SCONES are a favourite with camp cooks. They are quick to prepare and bake and are ideally suited to the camp oven.

Served straight out of the oven with jam and cream, they make a yummy mid-morning treat. I came across this recipe some time ago and, with the sweetness of dates and added flavour of orange and golden syrup, it’s a nice change from the standard scone. They’re delicious when served with butter or topped with golden syrup.

INGREDIENTS

Makes: 16 scones

• 2½ cups of pitted dates – chopped
• 1 cup of boiling water
• ¾ cup of fresh cream
• 3 tbsp of golden syrup
• 2 eggs – lightly beaten
• 1 orange – juice and finely grated zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3½ cups of self-raising flour
• ¼ cup of milk – to glaze

DIRECTIONS

Prep time: 15 mins (approx.)

Cooking: 20 mins (approx.)

• Preheat oven or camp oven to 200°C.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Place the chopped dates into a bowl and pour in the boiling water. Set aside and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain.
• Heat cream and golden syrup until lukewarm (not too hot or you’ll cook the eggs).
• Add the beaten eggs, orange zest, juice and vanilla, and whisk to combine.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
• Add the drained dates and cream mixture to the well. Mix with a knife until it forms soft dough (don’t overwork the dough).
• Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat to form a 2.5 to 3cm-thick round shape.
• Use a round cookie cutter, or cut the dough into about 16 squares.
• Place the scones onto the prepared baking tray about 1cm apart and glaze with milk.
• Bake for 15-18 mins or until golden and well-risen (timing will depend on the thickness of your scones).
• If using your camp stove, place the scones in a lightly greased ovenproof dish (enamel dish or foil tray) and make sure you place the baking tray on a trivet and have coals top and bottom. Baking time will depend on the heat of the coals.
• Serve warm and moist with topping of your choice (butter, cream, golden syrup, apricot jam or marmalade).

VIV’S HINTS

• You could replace cream with yoghurt, buttermilk, or a mix of cream and yoghurt.
• If you don’t like dates, use sultanas.
• To make the perfect scone: work the dough as little as possible or you will make it heavy; the fresher the flour, the better the scone; sift all the dry ingredients to aerate the flour; mix with a knife or a plastic scraper in a large mixing bowl; using buttermilk, sour milk (milk and vinegar), or sour cream helps lighten the mixture; and position the scones close together (just touching) so they rise upwards, not outwards.

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

The Country Women’s Association (CWA) has some classic, old-fashioned recipes. You’ll find some wonderful recipes to try here: https://au.pinterest.com/cwarecipes/

THE 200 Series Land Cruiser is the benchmark all other 4WDs are compared to.

Vote for the Ford F250 Black Ops tourer to win the 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year

It’s incredibly capable, pulls like a freight train, and is comfortable enough the Queen of England would probably eye one off if she ever had to live out of a car. The V8 twin-turbo diesel makes bulk-torque, and when given the Super Tourer treatment is arguably one of the toughest 4WDs on the market.

So what the hell do you do when it isn’t enough? As Simon stood in his driveway, eyeing off his very own Super Tourer with a calendar full of trips and a fist full of catalogues for off-road caravans, it was a question he had to ask himself. The answer was every red-blooded American’s wet dream: a beast of an F250, pushing out bulk power, with huge tyres and enough off-road goodies to knock the LC200 off its throne.

The 20 feet of American freedom you’re currently ogling is no standard F250, either. It’s a limited edition Black Ops model, something pieced together by American aftermarket manufacturer Tuscany Motor Co in Elkhart, Indiana, just a few hours’ drive from Detroit. While a stock F250 is nothing to turn your nose up at, the Black Ops edition options up a 6in lift with 20in rims and 37in tyres, twin steering dampers, a black-on-black-on-black colour scheme with customised leather trim inside, a heap of carbon-fibre, dual scoop bonnet, and a train plough of a bullbar up front from Road Armor.

“We bought it when the Aussie dollar was good,” Simon told us. “They have a much better towing ability than a 200. We have a caravan we could tow with our 200, but when you want to overtake some idiot doing 80km/h, the extra power is great.”

Despite coming reasonably decked out in stock form, Simon wasn’t planning on doing stock stuff. “We do a lot of touring,” he said. “This year we’re doing Tassie in September to October, then off doing the Kimberley and the whole West Coast the year after. We do a lot of weekends to Moreton and a lot of remote camping.”

Like most projects, things started to snow-ball pretty quickly. After a phone call to Rebecca and Luke at Outback Customs in Caboolture, a plan was set that’d see the F250 turn into a steroid-infused version of Simon’s own Super Tourer. The centre point is the huge Outback Customs tray set-up, and it’s probably the largest they’ve ever built. Like most of their builds, it starts with a trick heavy duty steel tray with an aggressive departure angle and plenty of storage.

Due to the sheer size of the F250, they were also able to squeeze in a few extra lockable boxes in front of the rear axle in that iconic Outback Customs style. There’s also a ¾ length trundle tray underneath for extra storage, not that it needs it.

Up top is where things get a little wild. There are two Jackoff canopies, both independent of each other so that Simon can run with either box on there, or he can run a completely flat tray for hauling his Polaris RZR. The front canopy is broken into driver and passenger compartments, and on the passenger side is an MSA drop-down fridge slide and a full 12V kit-out. Twin lithium batteries help keep things running, with a whole host of Redarc gear making it work.

A Redarc battery management system keeps an eye on electrical levels, while a Redarc 1500W invertor and isolator gives Simon full control. A gas-powered hot water system has also been shoehorned into the box, with a 12V pump providing a constant flow to the rear-mounted tap and 60L tank under the tray.

The driver’s side holds a series of roll-out drawers for storing camping goodies and a Weber Q BBQ, while both sides boast extensive sealing for dust- and waterproofing. The rear box has laser-cut panels on either side, so it’s perfect as a dog box or wet storage area and it can easily be hosed out. It’ll also house two full-size spares on the back or a single spare and outboard motor, depending on the adventure. The roof-rack system is also interchangeable, with Simon swapping between a motorised boat loader and a James Baroud roof-top tent when the caravan stays at home.

4×4 buyers’ guide: Custom canopies

With a canopy larger than most apartments and a boat loaded on the roof, the stock suspension was never going to cut it. Outback Customs came to the rescue again, with a trick Ride-Rite air suspension arrangement for the rear. It runs a standalone compressor with a digital gauge inside, allowing Simon to adjust the ride height depending on the weight with a flick of a wrist. It’s backed up with huge King coil-overs up front and King shocks in the rear, both sporting reserve reservoirs for improved performance in corrugations.

“The old Rancho’s were rubbish off-road,” Simon said. “We put the Kings in and it was like sitting in an arm chair.”

The stock 20in wheels also got binned, in their place now reside a set of 18s to give the Super Tourer a taller sidewall to help smooth out corrugations even more. The huge guards help swallow the tyres, making the 37in MTZs look almost normal.

Despite coming blacked-out and with stout barwork straight from Tuscany Motor Co, Simon added a few touches here and there to the outside of the big rig. The front bar now sports a Baja Designs slim-line LED light bar, while the flanks are wearing Outback Customs rock sliders. The whole truck was wrapped in-house with a matte-black vinyl wrap to match the powdercoated textured black tray.

Simon will admit when the trip calls for hardcore rock-crawling through torn up tracks, he’ll grab the keys to the Super Tourer LC200. However, when remote touring or hauling a small house to the far corners of Australia is the order of the day, it’s hard to go past one of the most capable tow tugs money can buy.

THE SCORPION

NESTLED between the chassis rails of Simon’s F250 is, hands down, one of the most powerful engines you’ll find in any passenger 4×4… ever. The 6.7L Powerstroke diesel is an absolute beast of a donk, putting out 440hp (328kW) and 1166Nm. Simon’s F250 is punching out even more again, with an aggressive tune thanks to the Bully Dog control unit. The exact figures are unknown as it hasn’t been on a dyno, but Simon tells us it’ll light up the rear tyres at 80km/h. Not bad for a truck tipping the scales at five tonnes.

The drain-pipe-sized 4in exhaust has something to do with that, but the real trick is the ‘Scorpion’ turbo set-up. To push the Powerstroke to such lofty numbers, Ford Engineers strapped a huge turbo between the two cylinder heads and essentially flipped the heads around.

Fresh air sucks in from where the exhaust would normally be, and exhaust pumps out through what would usually be the air intake. The design means the engine can run one huge turbo, rather than two smaller turbos or a complicated piping set-up. The results are an ungodly amount of power that sees US-based F250s legally towing weights more than double the usual 3500kg Aussie limit.

DON’T let the cooler months stop you from hitting some bog trails in your 4×4. Here’s some aftermarket kit that’ll encourage you to get off the couch and into the bush!

New 4×4 gear: Waeco portable fridge, Dometic reversing camera, Ironman bullbar

THUNDER AUTO DRY BAG

KEEP all of your important gear water-free when exploring wet areas, be it caving, kayaking or just taking a dip in the ocean near some dubious-looking people who’d nick your wallet from your shoe given the chance.

Thunder’s Dry Bag is made from heavy duty PVC and features welded seams and a folding lock system to keep it water-tight. With 35 litres of storage, it won’t be a burden to lug around on your next adventure.

Website: www.thunderauto.com.au RRP: $29.99

NAVMAN DRIVE DUO SUV

THE Navman Drive Duo SUV is the adventurer’s ultimate wingman. It combines a 6in GPS and dashcam and is jam-packed with features including 4WD off-road routing, lifetime maps, live traffic updates, Lonely Planet’s travel guides, and the Zomato restaurant guide.

The MiVue dashcam features include a new adjustable neck, Super 2K Full HD recording, ADAS features, G shock sensor and an optional rear dashcam.

Website: www.navman.com.au RRP: $479

BAJA DESIGNS S2 SPORT LED

LED lighting is all the rave, and Baja Designs has released the compact S2 Sport to sit alongside its S2 Pro auxiliary lighting system. The lightweight package is designed to reside in spaces on a 4×4 where standard lights struggle to fit.

The lights have a very low amperage draw, making them ideal for applications which have limited electrical output (ATVs, for example). Head online for a full list of specs and features.

Website: www.bajadesigns.com RRP: From $109.95

LONG RANGE AUTOMOTIVE 125L EVEREST FUEL TANK

RECKON the Everest’s factory 80-litre tank isn’t big enough? Long Range Automotive has launched a 125-litre replacement tank for the UA Ford Everest, which will take you the distance to many of Australia’s hard-to-reach destinations.

The new tank retains the original’s ground clearance, and it’s again mid-mounted. The Aussie-made tank is manufactured from 2mm aluminised steel, and is etch-primed and finished in silver hammertone enamel.

Website: www.longrangeautomotive.com.au RRP: $1700 (fitted)

THE Cape York Peninsula is a wilderness region that defies imagination.

It’s not all about wrecking the fourbie by dropping it off the Gunshot Creek bank, or being the first to ‘conquer’ the Telly Track after the Wet. No, the Cape is more than that.

It has some of the best river and sea fishing, amazing photo opportunities, the best bird watching, the largest tract of lowland rainforest in Australia, and the longest parabolic sand dunes in the world.

The Jardine River is the largest perennial stream in Queensland, while just to the north the Kennedy-Escape Rivers Aggregation has the largest mangrove tidal forests in the Sunshine State. The Jardine National Park is the wettest place in Australia, having more streams born from bountiful springs than anywhere else in the country.

This is the region that also has the world’s only ‘Wet Desert’, as the Jardine Brothers named it during their epic cattle drove from Rockhampton to Somerset, via the west coast, in 1864. The wet season caught up to them on the Mitchell River, where they fought off hostile natives protecting their country.

Past the Wenlock River they struck sandy heartland country and heavy rain, yet 10 minutes after a downpour there was not enough to drink for the stock, hence they named it the Wet Desert. Yet the historical significance isn’t found in the Heathland Reserve name – which is a common scrub environment found on the east coast and across to Western Australia.

How to prepare your 4×4 for a trip to Cape York

While three weeks is enough for anyone living north of Townsville to have a great time on the Cape, travellers residing in Melbourne, or farther afield, need to add at least a week or more to cover the extra travel time to Mareeba or Cooktown to stock up, check the vehicle, and have a break for a day. Let’s have a closer look at what this region has to offer.

FISHING

ARGUABLY, the most common recreation on the Cape is fishing – and why not? You can catch a barramundi, trap tasty mud crabs and cherabin, or take a charter out of Port Douglas or Cooktown to fish the waters of the Great Barrier Reef for the whole gamut of tropical fishes. Bait fishing, either with live or dead bait, is highly favoured and, of course, cheap.

Lure fishing with both soft and hard bodies is hugely popular. Problem is: most southern-based anglers are under-gunned for hard-fighting tropical fishes. You need at least 100 metres of 20-pound braid line and a solid spin or baitcasting reel and rod combo to handle a 60cm barra when fishing in snags.

The choice of lures is extremely important, as tropical fish are tough and smash lures. Buy your lures in the north; there are plenty of tackle shops manned by people who live and breathe fishing. They will give you all the expert advice needed to make the trip a success story.

You can buy tackle at southern prices or cheaper in Atherton, Cairns, Cooktown, Weipa and New Mapoon. They only stock lures and colours that work on the local fish and will provide all the information needed to catch a feed in a freshwater stream, beach or in the sea.

Consider budgeting for a day barra-fishing trip from Cooktown, Weipa or Bamaga. It will teach you about the local fishing scene and the dangers of fishing in crocodile country.

Amaroks to The Cape

Something to think about is that Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw and Aurukun have campsites for visiting anglers. Cost is $35 per night per vehicle. You don’t get much as far as site comforts are concerned, but it gets you right into the heart of the best fishing country on the west coast.

A tinnie or a trailer boat is almost a must for successful river fishing. However, with roads maintained to a high standard, this is no problem, apart from having to launch directly from muddy tidal banks in most areas.

Both Cooktown and Seisia have some of the best land-based fishing platforms anywhere on their wharves. There is excellent fishing from all Cape beaches – especially near stream mouths – with barramundi, cod, northern flathead, whiting, trevally and queenfish being targeted.

The same applies to estuaries – if you can get to them, as most are fringed by mangroves and deep mud.

Australia’s best off-road destinations

In brackish and fresh water you can trap cherabin with an opera house trap, and they are much tastier than other prawns. You can boil muddies in saltwater, or toss them on campfire coals.

CROCODILES

MOST people never see a crocodile when on the Cape. Take a river cruise on the Daintree or Endeavour Rivers and get real close, but stay well away from the water and keep kids and dogs away. Observe and heed the warning signs, including of box jellyfish, late in the season.

It’s easy to get stung as many fishers do when wading, dragging or casting bait nets, because unseen tentacles are caught in the mesh.

Camp and stay well away from water when on beaches and river banks. Always check the water when fishing or boarding tinnies for crocodiles which may have taken up an ambush position under the boat.

On the Coleman River camps at Pormpuraaw, there is no choice but to camp on a narrow grassy strip between the tidal river and the tidal flats, sometimes only metres away from the steep slippery bank.

BIRDWATCHING

WITH more than half the number of our 800-odd species of birds calling the Cape home, it stands to reason that birdwatching is a big attraction here. There are species inhabiting these parts that you won’t find anywhere else.

The Iron Range National Park, which has Australia’s largest tract of lowland rainforest, is amazing for its variety of bird species.

5 things I don’t head bush without

Chili Beach is another great spot, especially when myriad shining starlings roost for the night on the little island. There are also many waders flitting back and forth on the water fringes when they feed at low tide. Take a drive at the turn of the tide from high to low and head south to Chili Creek.

It has great birding en route and good fishing at the mouth. It’s also an amazing scenic drive that takes in much of the coconut-palm-fringed beach.

BEACHES

OKAY, the Cape’s beaches mightn’t be safe for swimming, but they are absolutely stunning. It all starts north of Cairns along the Daintree Coast to Cooktown. Elim Beach at Hopevale and its coloured sands is not to be missed on a venture north. Campsites are cheap and, with walks, beach drives and excellent fishing, Elim Beach is a great family spot.

To the north, across the Morgan River, is some 20km of hard beach that ends at Cape Flattery. It’s accessed from the Starcke Track before Mount Webb National Park. The track is not marked and, depending on the duration of the wet season, it can be awfully damp.

Air the tyres down to 16/18psi and, more importantly, check the tide chart as you don’t want to be caught in a rising tide. It’s an awesome feeling to look across the Coral Sea towards Elim Beach and Cape Bedford before plunging down on the dune track to the beach.

There are campsites on the Morgan River and beautiful wind-protected Connie Beach on the northern end of Cape Flattery. A track turns off the beach about 2km before the sand-mine loading jetty.

The Starcke Track is maintained as far as the Starcke River. There is a boat ramp and a campground with no facilities near the mouth. Freshwater is available from two dams on the way in.

The Cape Melville National Park, Ninian Bay, and Bathurst Bay, have beach campsites. It’s wild country, with even rougher tracks that offer great fishing and total adventure escapes. Oddly, they are not that popular with Cape visitors, though locals love them to death because of the fishing.

Further north is Port Stewart, which is reached via the Running Creek track near Olive Vale Station, and from the PDR, via the Port Stewart Road, south of Coen. Most beaches are not accessible by vehicles.

Encounters with outback wildlife

Across the Jardine River the Nanthau Beach Track, south of Somerset, is a great spot for fishing and remote camping – provided the southeast tradewind isn’t blowing hard. This track is also called the Five Beaches Track. It’s a fairly easy drive, though, again, air the tyre pressures down.

The west coast beaches are accessible at several spots between Loyalty Beach and the Tip, and at Mutee Heads. Unlike the east coast, the west coast has wind protection for about 2km from shore before the wind ‘touches’ down. It provides a calm strip along most western beaches.

The Vrilya Point track has been closed by the traditional owners.

Pennefather River estuary, north of Weipa, is very popular with anglers. Beach access north of Aurukun is in limbo at the moment due to mining in the region. To the south, the 8km long beach between the Chapman River and Mungkan Creek at Pormpuraaw has full access. If you need a place to park up, there are camp sites at the mouth of both estuaries.

There are, of course, many other options. The most underutilised parks on the Cape are the separate grounds within Oyala Thumotang National Park, formerly known as Mungkan Kandju. The Coen section is bound by the Coen and Archer Rivers.

The Burke Developmental road, Queensland

There are plenty of campsites and, with very few visitors, this park is the remote Cape escape you may be searching for. The Archer section is on the Archer River, and there are waterholes and billabongs to explore as well as top fishing and camping to be had.

Further south is Rinyirru National Park (Lakefield), with eight rivers emptying their bowels into Princess Charlotte Bay. All have long tidal reaches and deep permanent pools upstream, backed by numerous billabongs and lagoons. Rinyirru is certainly a place you could call home.

WWII HISTORY

THE JACKY Jacky airfields at Bamaga, Horn Island and Iron Range were strategic bases in the defence of Australia, where Japanese war planes bombed the military installation. Evidence of those dangerous days remains with the remnants of pill boxes, earth banks where planes were parked, and planes that were shot down. It’s well worth the effort to go and see.

THE TORRES STRAIT

PEDDELL’s Ferry Services and John Carlton Cape York Adventures operate day cruises to Thursday and Horn Islands, and no Cape visit is complete without visiting these historic places.

Here you will learn about the early Tip settlements, the Russian Invasion fear and the resultant Green Hill Ford, WWI and WWII defences, the bombings of Horn Island, the Indigenous Torres Strait Garrison, the pearl industry, and much more. The trip is very informative and scenic and well worth budgeting for. The Torres Strait people are very different in culture compared to mainland people.

ATV/UTVs

QUAD and side-by-sides aren’t allowed in Queensland national parks and reserves. Elsewhere on the Cape, they are restricted to private lands, non-park beaches and Indigenous land, provided permission has been granted. There are no restrictions on the Telly or Frenchman’s Tracks as far as I am aware, though take care when riding on remote tracks and beaches.

FOSSICKING

VISIT the Queensland Natural Resources site for fossicking areas on the Cape, permits, camping and permission. There are historic sites with the remains of machinery, buildings and diggings that give an insight to yesteryear on what true pioneering was all about.

TIP OFF

VISIT the various Cape websites for birdwatching, camping, fishing, fossicking, hunting and relevant information. Fly the Cape with Google Earth for hidden tracks, but most of all, do your own research and don’t rely on Facebook Cape ‘experts’. There is much more to it than merely getting to the Tip.

FACT BOX

National Park Information and Camping permits:

Phone: 13 QGOV (13 74 68) to book using a credit card. Camping permits can also be obtained at NP offices at Cairns, Cooktown, Coen, the Atherton Visitors Information Centre, Cooktown’s Lure Shop and Moreton Telegraph Station. Self-servicing facilities are at some ranger bases – credit card only.

Emergencies: Dial 000 or 112 with a digital phone or satellite phone. Carry a Personal Location Beacon (PLB). Fossicking: www.dnrm.qld.gov.au Road Conditions: www.131940.qld.gov.au or www.cook.qld.gov.au Waste Disposal Sites: www.lawmac.org.au Quarantine: www.daf.qld.gov.au/quarantine

THE NEW Land Rover Discovery has been awarded a five-star safety rating from independent vehicle safety authority, ANCAP.

The fifth-generation Disco received the full five stars thanks to sufficient scores on each of the four main safety disciplines: adult occupant protection (90%), child occupant protection (80%), pedestrian protection (75%) and safety assist (73%).

2017 Land Rover Discovery owes much to Range Rover

“Crash test dummy readings indicated good levels of protection of all critical body regions in the side impact test as well as the more severe side pole test. Protection of the knees and femurs for both the driver and passenger in the frontal offset test was also good,” said ANCAP’s chief executive officer, Mr James Goodwin.

“The Discovery is fitted as standard with all three grades of autonomous emergency braking – City, Interurban and Vulnerable Road User – and all performed well during testing.”

The new Disco boasts a plethora of safety features and driver assist technologies including head-protecting curtain airbags for all rows, a manual speed limiter, an emergency stop signal, and a forward-facing stereo camera which underpins Land Rover’s AEB tech.

Adaptive Cruise Control, available on select models, features Advanced Emergency Brake Assist. While other driver assistance systems include adaptive LED headlamps, a driver condition monitor, 360-degree HD surround camera system, lane keep assist and park assist.

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“[The] Discovery has always been a much-loved member of the family and a pioneer of cutting-edge technology. Safety and capability have been at the core of the Discovery DNA – they are fundamental priorities and key motivators for our engineering,” said Nick Rogers, executive director of product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover.

Electronic Traction Control is the gift that keeps on giving

“We have a history of introducing new safety technologies, such as Anti-Lock Brakes fitted to an SUV for the first time in 1989, so it’s only right [the] new Discovery continues to lead the way with new safety-focused technologies that meet and exceed global safety standards, such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Pedestrian Detection. Our priority is to protect both the occupants of our cars and other road users, providing peace of mind for our customers.”

The new Disco will launch locally on August 1, and it will be priced from $65,960 (TD4 S). Stay tuned for our first drive of the new Disco, which will feature in the September 2017 issue of 4X4 Australia – in stores August 3.

AN average weekend in the bush usually consists of a diet of meat and beer.

To keep this traditional campsite cuisine fresh and chilled, many rely on a 12-volt fridge, and to keep that running at its best you need a means of charging it – both on the road and when at camp.

Even those prepared for bush adventure are stuffed if their 12-volt system runs out of juice – and warm beer and spoiled steak is no-one’s idea of a good time.

Working out the best 12-volt option for my small camper trailer took time, as I wanted to ensure the single battery mounted in the trailer was up to the job.

I wanted only one battery due to space and weight considerations, so an 110amp AGM battery was chosen. To maximise the battery’s performance, I paired it with a Projecta 25amp Intelli-Charge DC/Solar charger.

Piranha Off Road products: The dual battery experts

In layman’s terms, a modern vehicle’s alternator will only charge up to about 80 per cent of the battery’s capacity, and it does this slowly over time. The IDC25 is compatible with regular alternators, as well as with the latest smart-charging alternators.

To make the most of things, the DC/solar charger acts like a smart charger by supplying all available power from the alternator and/or solar panels to rapidly boost a battery to maximum charge. I could have gone with the straight DC/DC, but I wanted the flexibility of the MPPT solar regulator to maximise solar-generated power.

Redarc Battery Management System

Installing the charger wasn’t overly difficult and took a leisurely three hours. The Projecta comes with almost everything you need for installation, but you’ll need about 50 fuses and extra-heavy-duty cables if you need to lengthen any cables – with a trailer I have the issue of voltage drop, as the battery is 8-10 metres away from the alternator.

All the cables/wires on the unit are clearly labelled, while solid joiners, heat shrinks and cable ties are supplied to ensure the finished job is neat.

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Once all connected, the unit has series of lights that indicate when it’s charging, how it’s sourcing its power, and the type of battery being used. It works with GEL, AGM, wet cell and calcium batteries, and it immediately detected that mine was an AGM. When fully charged, the battery light turns blue.

The unit has a number of features including an operating temperature up to 80°C, spark-free protection (if it’s not connected properly, it won’t charge), over and under voltage protection, and over temperature protection.

AVAILABLE FROM: www.projecta.com.au

RRP: $419 (approx.)

CAR companies pay big bucks to Hollywood film types to have their latest cars appear on celluloid, but the one that caught our attention was on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Insta account .

The image, which appeared last week, shows The Rock leaving the stunning 2004 Ford Bronco Concept, while shooting for his upcoming film Rampage.

Ford will reintroduce the Bronco brand in 2020 after it was last used back in 1996. The new Bronco will be based on the T6 Ford Ranger/Ford Everest platform and could be coming to Australia along with the next Ranger ute and Everest wagon updates.

No doubt Ford pulled the Bronco Concept out of mothballs to spark interest in its ‘new’ model, and judging by the comments on Instagram it has worked, with fans asking where and when they can get a Bronco like that.

We’d love to see the next Bronco look something like the concept, which was a compact three-door like the 1966 original but appeared like it was milled from a solid block of alloy. However, we’re guessing it will be bigger – possibly a four-door – and look more like the 2019 Expedition.

Ford Bronco and Ranger confirmed for USA

We can only hope Ford does the iconic nameplate proud with whatever it serves up and delivers a true off-road capable wagon.

Dubbed the 3008 DKR Maxi, it replaces the 3008 DKR that has won the famous off-road race for the last two years.

The Maxi tag comes from the extra size of the car, which has been widened some 200mm to improve the buggy’s handling and high speed stability. The extra width comes in the length of the suspension arms and driveshafts – also giving longer wheel travel.

The 3008 DKR Maxi will make its debut at the 2017 Silk Way Rally (which goes from Russia to China, in July) in the hands of nine-time World Rally champion and 2017 Dakar runner-up Sebastien Loeb.

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He will be joined by team-mates Stephane Peterhansel and last year’s Silk Way Rally winner Cyril Despres, who will be driving the current specification of Peugeot 3008 DKR buggies. The Dakar Dream Team will be complete come the start of the 2018 Dakar when Carlos Sainz re-joins them. Then, they are all expected to be running the new Maxi buggy.

Peugeot has threatened to pull out of cross-country rallies such as the Dakar if proposed new rules, which will penalise the two-wheel-drive-style buggies, come in to effect.

Peugeot team principal Bruno Famin said earlier this year: “If the concept presented by the cross-country commission is adopted by world council and adopted by Dakar, we are out. We only start [Dakar] if we have a chance to win.”

The proposed changes would benefit more conventional-looking 4WD cars such as the Mini and Toyota teams, while buggies such as the Pugs, which have little or no resemblance to a production vehicle, will lose out.

Axial Bomber RR10: product test

The unveiling of the new Peugeot racer is an encouraging sign that the team is still developing and looking for its next win.

The 2018 Dakar starts on January 6 in Lima, Peru, and finishes two weeks later in Cordoba, Argentina, after covering some of the harshest off-road terrain on the planet.

The Razor’s Edge: Polaris RZR 1000 Championship

The Dakar is considered to be the pinnacle of off-road racing and draws teams from around the world. The only Australian to have won the Dakar is Toby Price, who conquered it on his KTM motorcycle back in 2016.

Price had to retire from the 2017 Dakar following a fall that broke his leg, but he is looking to return and take back the crown in 2018.