4X4 Australia

In 2018, the British off-road icon will celebrate 70 years of off-road touring, exploration and its many decades of aid work – not to mention continuing to produce (and expand) its range of four-wheel drives.

For any and all Landy-files keen to celebrate this moment, Cooma, New South Wales, is the location of the big bash.

Jointly run and supported by Land Rover Owners Club Australia, Victoria Land Rover Owners Club, Range Rover Club NSW, Land Rover Australia, Snowy Hydro, Snowy Monaro Regional Council, Cooma Monaro Historic Automobile Club, Inc., and the town of Cooma itself, the event will run through the Easter long weekend, March 30 to April 2, 2018.

The four days will be packed with things to do, with registration and check-in opening on Thursday, March 29, between 3pm and 8pm (at the Cooma Car Club, Bolaro Street Cooma).

From Day 2 to Day 4 there will be activities available, including self-guided and guided trips, a Grand Display of all entered vehicles (Land Rovers only, of course), a swap meet, LRA vehicles to check out, and a gala dinner and awards night on the Sunday, before a big final farewell brekky on the Easter Monday from 7.30am.

For more info, check out: www.landrover70thcooma.com

Everything you need to know about 4×4 Australia competitions.

Win $10,000 worth of Ironman Gear!

Win an MSA 4×4 Explorer Aluminium Storage Drawer System

4X4 Christmas Gear Giveaway

Custom 4×4 of the Year

4X4 Sherpa Steed 17,000lb Winch Giveaway

Win a Toyota Hilux

Win the Ultimate Adventures Package

Win the Outback Challenge 2014 DVD

Win 1 of 10 4X4 Australia Packs!

Win a $5000 Ironman 4×4 voucher

PATRIOT Campers’ Justin Montesalvo knows how to get your attention.

Vote for the Patriot Campers’ 6×6 LC79 to win 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year

A raft of top-notch camper trailers – and then the Super Tourer 4×4 builds – has seen the hard-working Queenslander and his team garner loads of respect in the four-wheel drive touring world.

And, as you can see with this off-road work-of-art, Patriot Campers ain’t slowing down. This 6×6 Land Cruiser 79 stole the recent Melbourne 4X4 Show.

The build is epic and started with the team stripping out the back end of a brand-new LC79 ute and then effectively cutting off the back end of it. The reason for this was the fitment of a complete JMACX 6×6 system to replace the standard rear axle/leaf spring setup.

The JMACX replacement entailed new rails mounting the coil spring suspension and trailing arms, but with this vehicle actually using height-adjustable (up to 100mm), self-levelling Airbag Man airbags (in lieu of coils) and prototype TJM remote reservoir shocks. Both diffs are also JMACX jobbies; the rear keeps the factory Toyota locker, the front is a Detroit soft-locker.

Justin was keen to go bigger than the 35-inch tyres that the JMACX setup usually features, by fitting 37-inch Mickey Thompson MTZs and +35 offset ROH wheels, and then – just because that wasn’t enough – he worked with Marks 4WD Adaptors to fit a set of its portal hubs to each axle.

These hubs give the Super Tourer an additional 150mm under-diff clearance and – due to their gear reduction – help compensate for the larger rolling stock. It’s a lot of weight to carry around, but GSL Fabrications came to the party and Justin gave them free rein to up the grunt from the TDV8.

The result: Fitment of GSL’s 100% kit that, as you may guess, signifies a 100 per cent increase in torque.

This LC79’s tray and canopy setup is a new Super Tourer design chock-full of storage; flip-up covers on each side allow access to the fridge/freezer and the canopy also features slide-out drawers, as well as fuel filler covers and space on the tray for two of those oversized 37s.

On top of the canopy you’ll find a solar panel. There are more storage compartments under the rear sills, plus a full-width slide-out drawer under the tray’s rear end.

Barwork is courtesy of TJM, with the front bar including an integrated TJM Torq 12,000lb winch. The interior is full leather, with the essentials (such as Hema HX-1 and UHF radio) and the trim/colour matching perfectly with the exterior and reflecting the quality of this entire build that goes above factory-spec level in terms of fit and finish – and desirability.

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED.

Congratulations to Leonard O, NSW, who has won a MSA 4X4 Explorer Aluminium Storage Double Drawer System, valued at $ 2,499.

THANKS to our friends at MSA 4X4 Accessories, we’re giving away an Explorer Aluminium Double Drawer System valued at up to $2899.

MSA 4×4 claims its Explorer Aluminium Storage Drawer System is Australia’s most advanced 4WD storage system ever. Similar in size to most other drawer units on the market, the Explorer expertly maximises its storage space so that no inch is wasted.

Thanks to Pro-Glide technology, each drawer can handle up to 250kg. Other features include an open-stay block to hold a drawer open on steep inclines; the MSA 4X4-designed handle lock system for maximum security; and an LED strip light flush-mounted to the inside of the drawer.

The Explorer Aluminium Double Drawer System is compatible with MSA 4X4 drop slides, fridge slides and fridge barriers. The ADR-compliant system comes with a lifetime guarantee.

For your chance to win the set-up, simply fill in your details below. Good luck!

LAST month I had a good old rattle catching up on the progress we made with Milo2.

But how come not much happened in the months before that? Right, here goes. It all started with an invitation to a wedding. Mark and Shay, friends of ours through the off-roading fraternity, were getting married after 25 years of thinking about it – at least I know I’m not the only one who can dodge a deadline… Naturally, my wife Karen was hanging out to go.

Girls love weddings and, to be honest, I figured this one would be a beauty from a bloke’s point of view. Anything that sounds like a party in Darwin is always going to be good! Mark is known to most people as eMDee, the didgeridoo player who’s wowed audiences around the world.

He’s an interesting bloke and his travels within the Aboriginal communities up north always fascinate me. I’ve got a lot of mates there, too, so every way we looked at it, we were going to go. But there were other demands – as always, work was getting in the way of life.

After almost 18 months of not shooting any fresh DVDs, there was a whole lot of pent-up demand. I’d spent a good part of that break catching up on Milo maintenance – after 20 years of constant abuse with a string of patch-ups, there’s still a truckload to go – but the business side of things demanded something be shot pretty soon.

Dirty Work: Roothy talks turbo and diesel

So the dilemma was to fly to Darwin and have a week off, or go shooting footage? Maybe I shouldn’t have said that in front of the wife because she, dead-keen to get to this wedding no matter what, jumped straight in with ‘why not do both’? That grew into ‘let’s take Milo to Darwin and film the whole trip’.

And, seeing as we’d be up there in the truck, we figured we’d get Mark and Shay and the local 4WD mob to come out and show us a few tracks? Bingo, an idea was formed. I love my little truck and the thought of driving some big miles didn’t bother me the slightest.

What did bother me was taking the wife, who’d never been farther than Stradbroke Island in Milo. That was when the kids were little and the old girl was still a petrol-powered Troopcarrier with floor mats and a tiny exhaust. If you haven’t had a close look at Milo in recent years, let me explain.

Driving on more than 750,000km of the worst roads in Australia has taken its toll. The little 13BT diesel is loud and throbbing – I wear ear muffs at highway speeds – and with a turbo next to the firewall it heats up the cabin, too.

There are holes in the floor to let the water out, and the only comfort feature left are a set of Black Duck seat covers and flaps that let air blow around your feet. None of this bothers me because, like Editor Matt, I cut my teeth riding motorcycles around this wonderful country of ours.

Custom Nissan Patrol GQ
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Just keeping the rain off your melon – well, some of it, she leaks a bit – a windscreen in front of your face and a seat you can move around on makes pulling 1000km days in Milo infinitely more comfortable than doing the same on a bareknuckle trail bike.

Maybe there was a selfish tinge of ‘it’ll serve the wife right to get a dose of how hard I work to make a living’. I’ve been on the road almost half of the child-raising years she’s spent at home dealing with nappies, dance classes and footy training, and more than once it’s been a competition to see who’s worn out the most when a trip’s done.

The worst thing is, sometimes a really tough bush trip can look like a never-ending round of pub meals and beer when the receipts are being tallied. It gets worse when the photographer sends his shots over and the mud and dust you remember eating is transformed into magnificent views and wonderful places.

Yes, I did have a habit of whingeing a lot when I got home; usually I’d be tired and sick of looking after myself. It’s a bloke thing. Maybe it’d be good to share it after all those years of doing it on my own. Anyway, I knew if we were filming we’d need a camera car for the team, so she could always bail out and travel in air-conditioned comfort.

Toyota LandCruiser 80 Series
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So, plans were made. Westpoint and Jeep came good with a Grand Cherokee which, with its leather, air-con and cruise control, underlined what a primitive little earth-moving machine Milo was.

My mate Simon wanted to bring his 61 Sahara, so before the sun came up on a cold Brisbane morning our little convoy climbed over the Toowoomba Ranges and headed due west. Talk about adventure bound! How did she go? Do you mean the truck or the wife? Same time, same channel folks. I’ll let you know next month.

MORE opinions

But boy, did we have some adventures. So much so, when we got back we had a huge task of just cutting down the footage – we still finished with two DVDs instead of one.

I guess the big question is ‘will Karen want to go on more trips in Milo?’ I still don’t know, but I’ll let you know when she’s talking to me again…

MODIFYING a four-wheel drive can be a tricky business.

Vote for the Toyota N80 Hilux to win 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year

Go too crazy with a big lift, huge tyres and other ‘radical’ mods, and you suddenly have a rig that goes against a 4×4’s DNA and is totally impractical.

That’s one thing Joe Emmerton wanted to avoid when building up his N80 Hilux. For Joe, his modified tourer had to be tough and practical – he’s a mad-keen fisho and hunter, so the Hilux needed to get to some remote places to pursue his hobbies.

After opting for the top-end SR5 and ticking the colour-coding and premo interior, Joe set to work on tweaking the Toyota for its future work.

The standard Hilux front struts were tossed in favour of a schmick four-inch lift setup – Bilstein monotube dampers and a set of custom-rate H&R coil springs from Heasman Steering and Suspension – and added more height via a 50mm bodylift from VMN. All this gave the Hilux a ride height 150mm higher than stock.

To rein in binding CV joints due to the big lift, Joe fitted a diff-drop setup from Phat Bars and heavy-duty adjustable arms from CalOffroad that combined with an adjustable OME-style ball joint to bring the front-end geometry back closer to spec. The suspension had re-arched rear springs, Bilstein remote reservoir 5160 dampers, and Snake Racing extended shackles for a four-inch lift at the back.

Toyota Hilux Tonka Concept

“On dirt roads and corrugations, having the remote res in the rear keeps it consistent and doesn’t fade,” Joe reckons.

The final touch was a set of 305/65R17 Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ mud terrains with 17-inch Dynamic D-Hole steel wheels in a -30 offset.

Other sensible modifications include a Locker Anytime module, which allows Joe to engage the rear locker in high or low range, as well as rear-wheel drive, ideal for slippery boat ramps.

Up front is an AFN4X4 hoopless bullbar fitted with a Runva 11XP 11,000lb winch, underbelly Phat Bars bash plates and a set of angled rock sliders, with the stock rear bumper lifted 100mm via Dowtech lift brackets.

The Hilux tray is fitted with a cool Rhino-Rack low-profile tray-mount rack system, with a Howling Moon rooftop tent.

Momentum is upped thanks to a four-inch Fabulous Fabrications snorkel and three-inch exhaust from Arclite Engineering. Just Autos (QLD) tweaked the donk for 50 per cent more torque, improving fuel consumption as well.

The interior reflects Joe’s practicality, with just a GME UHF and Engel fridge fitted.

Sensible improvements aimed at the owner’s needs make this one of the smartest modified rigs we’ve seen.

STRUGGLING for gift ideas this holiday season? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

OPPOSITE LOCK 65L FRIDGE/FREEZER Oppy Lock has boosted its fridge/freezer range with the addition of this 65-litre single-door unit. Featuring a tough stainless steel cabinet with 60mm high-density polyurethane foam insulation, this fridge is built for outback touring. The stainless steel latches, handles and hinges ensure reliable and durable service. The fridge can be powered via 12V, 24V and 240V, and includes three low-battery voltage cutout settings.

Its 66W Snomaster compressor ensures smooth running and a low current draw of 2.5A (low speed) and 5A on high speed. The temp range is -22°C to 10°C and it comes with a five-year compressor warranty and two-year Aus-wide parts warranty. Also included are a wireless temp/battery monitor and a transit bag. Inside the fridge is an LED light – plus, it also has an open-lid alarm. Website: www.oppositelock.com.au RRP: $1549

TOUR DE OZ Overlanding means just that for today’s off-road tourers, but for four intrepid adventurers just prior to the turn of the last century, it meant jumping on a bicycle to become the first to circumnavigate Australia using human power on two wheels. What started as a grand overland adventure for West Australian cyclist Arthur Richardson, whose aim was to be the first to complete this 18,507km epic feat, soon turned into a race against a trio of eastern seaboard riders.

Melbourne-based Kiwi brothers Frank and Alex White and Brisbane-based Aussie Donald Mackay were aiming for the same goal, but following a counter-clockwise route. The ensuing ‘race’ saw the four riders ride over and through some of Australia’s toughest country. A cracking read of a time when ‘overlanding’ was bloody wild stuff. Website: www.harpercollins.com.au RRP: $30

EVAKOOL RV18 FRIDGE/FREEZER For those with minimal spare space in their 4WD, this new compact fridge/freezer from Evakool is perfect. With space for 16 375ml cans or a mix of drinks and food (including a dairy shelf), the RV18 is ideal for those on road trips or overnight camping adventures. The slim design (230mm width) means it can be fitted between passengers in the second row.

The RV18 features an Evakool CK15 compressor and can be run as a fridge or as a freezer, with an operating temperature range of 10°C and -18°C. The unit is light in weight (a paltry 8.7kg), has an impact-resistant polypropylene cabinet and lid, an internal LED light, digital control panel, and can be operated via 12V, 24V or through 240V mains (using an adaptor). The RV18 comes with a two-year warranty. Website: evakool.com RRP: $549

PROJECTA SMART CONTROLLER Projecta has just released a new range of compact automatic four-stage Smart Solar Charge Controllers. These units deliver a four-stage charging process and enable users to alter settings and charging profiles to suit their particular power management requirements, such as the battery type used (Wet, AGM or Gel).

The models – SC220, SC245, SC260 – all offer similar features (including two 5V 2.4A USB ports), with the biggest difference being the amp capacity each can handle from the solar panels they are connected to.For example, the SC220 is designed for use with 20amp solar panels, hence the ‘20’ in the model number. The units are all EMC-approved, offer digital LCD screens and are equipped with a low-voltage disconnect function for battery protection. Website: www.projecta.com.au

MSA 4X4 DASH ORGANISER Designed to mould to any dash shape, MSA 4×4’s dash organiser design has been upgraded. Ensuring all your at-hand travel essentials can be easily accessed, the organiser now features five pockets for small items (think sunnies, mobile phones, etc.) and a large pocket for your map. Objects are secured via elastic straps to ensure they don’t fall out negotiating bumpy terrain, and the unit is secured to your dash (or dash mat) using Velcro and adhesive strips.

The organiser’s unique ability to mould to the dash is due to the internal flexible aluminium strip, with the overall manufacturing quality what you’d expect from this Aussie company. The dash organiser measures 185mm long by 365mm wide, making it an easy fit to all 4×4 dashboards. Website: www.msa4x4.com.au RRP: $69.95

TERRAIN TAMER WATER PUMP These tough new replacement water pumps feature a one-piece casting for robustness, with each unit precision-machined for excellent sealing and to eliminate the potential for leaks. This top-notch engineering also means a proper fit to your rig. The Terrain Tamer water pump range features heavy-duty bearings, ceramic seals and nitrile O-rings for maximum durability and longevity.

Plus, these features also assist a regulated flow, with each unit tested to ISO/TS16949:2009 quality standards for optimum safety and reliable performance. This new range from Terrain Tamer is constantly expanding and currently offers water pumps for popular Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda and Mitsubishi 4WDs. Website: www.terraintamer.com

No dreams are out of reach – just ask the team at American Vehicle Specialists (AVS) and you can go beyond the norm and end up behind the wheel of something like this uber-tough Toyota TRD Tundra.

Vote for the Toyota TRD Tundra to win 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year

Yep, we know – Aussies are unfortunately not given the chance to buy these big rigs through local Toyota dealers, but AVS can sort out a right-hand drive version that looks and performs no different from the ones that trundle around US tracks. They can even go one almighty big step further and tweak the standard rig to produce something like this.

This Tundra is a one-off project from AVS and sports a raft of mods, not the least being the supercharged 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine. In stock form the Tundra’s ‘regular’ 284kW-543Nm 5.7-litre V8 is impressive, but AVS thought a bit more stonk was necessary, fitting a Magnuson supercharger (courtesy of VCM Performance), pushing power to 410kW and torque to a heady 745Nm.

Custom Toyota Tundra Platinum Edition

A TRD twin stainless steel exhaust system lets you know all about it, too.

Not wanting to stop there, AVS set to work on the body itself. This matte black bruiser is 230mm wider than the stock Tundra, courtesy of a set of FiberwerX replacement guards. AVS then widened the wheel track by 120mm via fitment of a long-travel suspension setup that pretty much ditched all the stock gear.

Pro Comp 2.75-inch body internal bypass coilover dampers (which up the ride height by four inches) sport external reservoirs and work with replacement cast alloy upper and lower control arms, with more robust ball joints enabling a huge 350mm of wheel travel up front. Additional work on the front end includes extended CV shafts and tie-rod extensions.

The rear end copped a similar working over; a Pro Comp kit lifts it by four inches, with additional leaf springs and longer shackles, combining with a 2.5-inch damper, behind the height gain. AVS filled those huge guards with a set of 35-inch Toyo Open Country M/Ts, wrapped around XD Monster 20×9 alloy wheels.

US-based Rock Slide Engineering were the go-to for the Tundra barwork; the heavy-duty plate aluminium front bar houses an Ironman 4×4 12,000lb winch and it has provision for LED lighting in the centre and at either wing.

Speaking of lighting up, a replacement Rigid Industries grille sports a 20-inch Rigid Industries E-Series light bar in the centre and D-Series LEDs on each wing. Replacement front headlights and rear tail-lights are courtesy of Spyder Auto.

Oh, and the schmick paint-job? Rob at RK Restorations waved his spray can over the big Toyota and the matte black wrap was applied by Exotic Graphics. It seems we’re back in black, indeed…

A SUNRISE coloured the sky fiery orange behind Hinchinbrook Island, accentuating the silhouette of the steep mountains of Australia’s largest island national park.

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

It was the start of another beautiful day in the friendly town of Cardwell, the gateway to Hinchinbrook Island. After our epic adventure through the Gulf Savannah from Borroloola in the Northern Territory to Georgetown in Queensland, it was a dramatic change in scenery.

From vast and dry savannah woodlands to lush tropical rainforest and beautiful beaches; it is easy to figure out why this part of Australia is called the Great Green Way. Our starting point was Cardwell, the first port to be settled in north Queensland.

The town’s history is preserved in the post office and telegraph station, which was built in 1870 and includes the old courthouse and gaol. You can make a number of day trips from Cardwell. An outing to Murray Falls is definitely not to be missed.

Camping: the good and the bad

The roads are sealed, apart from the last 5km, and it is an enjoyable 45-minute drive past sugarcane fields and farms. The 300-metre river boardwalk takes you to two viewing platforms from which you can see the picturesque 30m drop.

There is a beautiful and shady campground close to the falls with easy access for camper trailers and caravans. Facilities include toilets, barbecues, picnic tables and taps as well as rubbish bins. This campground is packed over Christmas and Easter, when everyone wants to be close to the river to stay cool during the hot and humid wet season.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the Murray Falls campground and so did the kookaburras, because one of them managed to steal one of the kids’ peanut butter sandwiches! There used to be an adventurous day trip to Blencoe Falls, but recently the road to the falls was closed, with vehicle access now limited to the road out of Mt Garnet along the Savannah Way.

You can go to Hinchinbrook Island and try the Thorsborne Trail for an adventure of a different kind – a 32km walking trek that traverses the island’s east coast. To minimise human impact, only 40 people (in groups of up to six) are allowed on the track at any given time.

The trail is recommended for fit and experienced bushwalkers who are self-sufficient. A minimum of four days and three nights is required. On your way back to Cardwell, take the turn-off to Edmund Kennedy National Park. This park has tropical rainforest running right down to the beach.

Three kilometres of good walking tracks meander through mangroves, coastal rainforest, open forests and woodlands. As inviting as the water might look, crocodiles and box jellyfish make swimming unsafe. The park is named after explorer Edmund Kennedy, who was part of three explorations.

During his last journey to Cape York, he was speared by a group of hostile Aborigines. His Aboriginal guide, Jacky Jacky, held Kennedy in his arms until he died. Their supply ship was waiting for them only 36km away.

Every first Monday in May there is a Coral Sea Battle commemoration with dignitaries from the US and Australia attending to pay tribute to those who took part in the air and sea battle 800km off the coast. The Allied victory helped ensure the safety of Australia.

Make sure you head out on the Cardwell Forest Drive to visit Cardwell lookout. This 6km trip has short sections of unsealed road and you can choose to only visit the viewing platform with commanding views of Cardwell and the coastline.

If you don’t mind a steep climb, it is well worth doing the bushwalk to the other three lookouts, Hinchinbrook Channel, Hinchinbrook Island and Rockingham Bay. The views are phenomenal. The 26km Cardwell Forest Drive heads inland and takes you to Attie Creek, Dead Horse Creek and Spa Pool.

After the wet season these creeks flow and make for beautiful swimming spots, but during the dry there is hardly any water; it was also a bit of a challenge to find Attie and Dead Horse creeks due to a lack of signs.

There are plenty of other tracks along the drive that call for further exploration if you fancy some adventure; take care with navigation to avoid becoming lost. If you want a refreshing swim only 7km from Cardwell, drive out to Five Mile Swimming Hole and you will not be disappointed.

Even during the dry there is plenty of water in the creek and it’s so clear you can see the bottom. There are toilets and barbecues for a family picnic lunch, but camping is not allowed. Did I mention the fishing? Just about any kind of fishing experience is available, and the inland boat ramps make access easy.

Cardwell has a reputation for mud crab and the Hinchinbrook Channel is a fisherman’s haven with mangrove-lined creeks and inlets sheltering all kinds of sea creatures. If you are fortunate, like we were, you might even spot a dugong.

Port Hinchinbrook has a world-class marina at the southern end of town with waterfront dining and accommodation, and is also the place to go for boat trips to Hinchinbrook Island and the Great Barrier Reef. After the hustle and bustle of Cardwell we decided to seek solitude in the tropical rainforest of Broadwater State Forest.

Coming from Cardwell there is a turn-off 3km south of Ingham and from there it is 46km to the campground, with only the last 16km unsealed. It is an interesting drive that takes you past cane fields and at the right time of year you will see the cane trains and the impressive harvesters.

Suddenly, you leave the cane fields and find yourself driving through pine plantations with pockets of rainforest. There are lots of interesting-looking off-road tracks, but unfortunately they are all closed to the public, most likely because the pine plantations are privately owned.

As you get closer to the campground at Broadwater, there is more rainforest and a number of one-lane concrete causeways with sparkling water flowing in the creek. The campground is simply beautiful; a tropical rainforest retreat for campers, with flush toilets, cold showers, taps, picnic tables, barbecues, fireplaces and a place to get rid of your rubbish.

The birdlife is amazing, and nearby Broadwater Creek is a great place for swimming. The sites are spacious and give lots of shade and privacy. It is a fantastic place for kids, with ample space to run around in and ride a bike. After setting up the camper trailer we spotted our first goanna, which hid from us by climbing a tree.

The bush turkeys ran around everywhere, but were wild enough that they stayed away from our tent. Kookaburras perched on a branch overlooking our tent just in case we dropped some food. The kids also spotted a couple of wallabies and Chris almost put his tripod on top of a long copper-coloured snake that was curled up under tree roots close to the creek.

From there, we made a day trip to the World Heritage-listed Wallaman Falls, Australia’s longest permanent sheer-drop waterfall, spilling 305m into a sparkling rock pool. The 55km drive (one way) is sealed most of the way, with good gravel for the last 10km. Most travellers make the 51km trip from Ingham.

The road to Wallaman Falls is very steep and windy with stunning views of the surrounding countryside; towing a caravan is not recommended. A breathtaking sight, the falls can be viewed through a rainbow-fringed cloud of early morning mist or, for a different viewpoint, a strenuous 4km return track leads to their base.

If you don’t want to make the trip down, you can walk 300m to the lookout over the Herbert River valley, which is well worth it. There is also a campground 2km from the lookout, but it only caters for walk-in camping. Facilities include toilets, cold showers, taps, picnic tables and barbecues.

The absence of rubbish bins is a reminder to take your trash out with you. From Wallaman Falls, you can drive to Mt Fox, a dormant volcano in Girringun NP, 75km south-west of Ingham. Having erupted violently, the volcanic crater is a spectacle atop the mountain, but it is a climb only for the very fit.

MORE Queensland

There are no set tracks and experienced walkers can manage the 2km hike to the top and back in around 90 minutes. The well-formed crater is about 10m deep and covered with sparse grasses and stunted trees.

Back at Broadwater campground, we enjoyed a campfire (bring your own wood), which the kids thought was fantastic. The sky was clear, the rainforest was alive with nightlife and we simply sat there and marvelled at the beauty of the place.

Our trip started with a majestic sunrise overlooking Hinchinbrook Island and finished with a campfire under a star-filled sky in the rainforest at Broadwater. The area between Ingham and Cardwell truly is nature’s adventure playground.

THE ANCIENT FORESTS

The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area covers 900,000 hectares and is renowned for the spectacular rainforests that cloak its rugged mountain ranges and sweep down to white sandy beaches and coral reefs. They are the oldest continually surviving rainforests on earth.

The breathtaking, rugged landscape of mountain peaks, deep gorges, fast-flowing rivers and waterfalls is a hotspot for biodiversity and home to many rare and endemic plant and animal species. The Wet Tropics received the highest possible heritage honours when it was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988.

This area contains the largest tract of remaining rainforest in Australia. While the Wet Tropics cover only one thousandth of the Australian landmass, it contains a third of the nation’s marsupials, three-fifths of our butterflies, a fifth of our birds, a third of our frogs, a quarter of our reptiles, two-thirds of our bats and two-fifths of our plant species.

TRAVEL PLANNER

WHERE Cardwell is 160km north of Townsville, in far north Queensland. Ingham is 50km south of Cardwell, along the Bruce Highway.

CAMPING There are four caravan parks in Cardwell and one in Ingham. Bush camping is possible at Murray Falls, Wallaman Falls and Broadwater campground. These campsites must be pre-booked by phoning 13 13 04 or visiting qld.gov.au/camping. Camping fees apply ($5 pp/night). Park facilities include toilets, cold showers, taps, picnic tables, barbecues, rubbish bins. Dogs and generators are not permitted.

WHAT TO TAKE If you intend to go bush camping, bring a shower tent and drinking water.

SUPPLIES AND FACILITIES Cardwell and Ingham have large supermarkets and the main services.

TRIP STANDARD All the main roads are sealed, apart from the last sections to Murray Falls (5km), Broadwater campground (16km) and Wallaman Falls (5km). Murray Falls and Broadwater are suitable for caravans; Wallaman Falls is suitable for camper trailers, but caravans are not recommended.

MAPS AND GUIDES Hema’s North Queensland regional map (or similar). In addition, the Cardwell Reef and Rainforest Information Centre has plenty of maps and leaflets to help you find your way around.

RESTRICTIONS AND PERMITS Permits are required for bush camping at Murray Falls, Wallaman Falls and Broadwater. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service prefers you to book online before your trip. There is no separate charge for visiting a national park in Queensland.

TIME, patience and exemplary engineering can be a brilliant combo, with this Coyote V8-powered Ford Ranger a perfect example.

Vote for the Ford Ranger Coyote V8 to win 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year

When you look at this Ranger today you wouldn’t think a couple of years ago it contained a freshly-blown engine, with the owner battling to get any recompense before deciding, instead, to go the full monty and fit a supercharged Ford ‘Coyote’ V8.

“Let’s put a V8 in it” were the words spoken to Gary Coleman of Diesel Leaders when the Ranger first lobbed in the company’s workshop. This was followed by “I want it to look factory-spec too”.

What followed was close to a year – and approximately 300 man-hours of work – before the Ranger’s heart transplant was complete.

VIDEO: Hear this supercharged, V8-engined Ranger howl

The actual fitment of the new bent-eight heart was, surprisingly, relatively straightforward, with only a trimmed radiator mount, newly fabricated engine bay mounts and re-using the engine and gearbox mounts required to drop the engine in. The engine is physically big (albeit light), so there was next to no wiggle room left in the engine bay.

“You can’t lift it up, or lower it, or move it forward or move it back,” Gary said. “It has to sit in the exact spot that it’s in. Move it down, you can’t get the exhaust on, move it up it hits the firewall, move it back the head hits the firewall…” You get the picture.

This juggling act sorted, the next was marrying a Falcon six-speed transmission to the Ranger transfer case – a job few engineering companies were keen to take on, until Rage Engineering came on board. This took a few months and involved digitising the gearbox and then machining a back housing to fit the Ranger’s output shaft into the Falcon gearbox.

A custom exhaust followed – again, a finicky, fine-tolerance job to ensure it ran from the engine to the rear without fouling anything – along with some reshaping of under-bonnet elements (including the air box) and shifting of components. The original Ranger radiator stayed – it is larger than the Falcon equivalent.

This Ranger is a monster by any account (the V8 puts out 344kW on the dyno) but is still able to head out bush. Heavy-duty springs matched with Bilstein dampers combine with chunky 35×12.50R20LT Nitro Grappler M/T tyres (fitted to KMC Wheels XD820 satin-black rims) to keep the Ranger high off terra firma.

Further underbody mods include a massive Rhino 4×4 aluminium bash plate and rock sliders.

The front bar is a Rhino 4×4 Evolution 3D winch jobbie, which looks factory-fit and is a mix of 3mm and 5mm steel. Two rated recovery points, wheel arch flares and an F150 Raptor grille finish off an awesome engineering feat.