Bonz (Vic) replied:

depends what recovery gear you have, the x5 would bog down in the soft sand, but a bigger rescue vehicle and a couple of snatchies should make for a fun tripLaterally Literal
Seriously Cerebral

baza replied:

Was there about 5 weeks ago. The beaches were very soft, I wouldn't attempt driving the beach sections on your own unless there are some fresh tracks that you have a good look at first. You will have no problems in the dunes behind the beach, but expect some light scratching from the scrub (maybe not so good on an X5). Great area.

Outnabout David (SA) replied:

I always stay off the beaches at Robe because one bay will be fine the other will swallow you hole. The best bet if you want sand driving is to go on down to Nora Crienna go through the gate which is OK to do but drive slowly or you will upset the shack owners. Go down to stinky bay beach ( you will know you have the right one) From the end of there you enter the sandhill area which will take you all the way to Beachport. Much better driving as you have a choice of beach, first row of dunes or miles of dunes. Make sure you take your bearings because after a few hours of play you can get lost and dis -orientatedWe have so little time to enjoy our land

Member - Rick (S.A.) replied:

Phil

Have a look at 4wd_out_of_adelaide website. Search it.
Search this ExplorOz site.

In Little Dip Conservation Park:
Long Gully & Stoney Rise have good facilities including dunnies. Stoney Rise campsite is very sheltered. Old Man Salt Lake & The Gums are more basic campsites.

X5 may also have clearance issues as well as owners being more sensitive to scratches.

Some beaches could be no go areas following high tides & near gale force winds.

CheersRick (S.A.) - ' It is better to travel hopefully than arrive'

Brendon replied:

Great 4X4 driving and heaps of fun. Safe with a bit of care and knowledge about driving in heavy sand. Torture for the unprepared, and take it slow. Been going there for over 30 years and pulled people out of some pretty bad spots. Most beaches are driveable, some are pretty challenging. Keep tyre pressures down, we normally run 15-18PSI until in trouble, then drop a bit more. Snatch strap and good length extension a must. If you take care, most of the scrub is fairly harmless but will lightly scratch, especially dark colored cars. Polish will fix most of it. Bigger cars are more of a problem. Sand drifts can change things overnight, especially after a typical Robe wind. Wind is normal for Robe! Flag is a good idea to let others see you. Seen a few close calls; head-on over blind crests. If your mate doesn't mind a few light scratches on his X5, give it a go. You can always pull him out. There are enough easy sections that he will have a ball anyway. Have fun.

Willem replied:

Some serious soft sand......drive along the base line of the dunes. I dropped my pressures down to 15 psi on splits, selected third low and cruised the beaches. Did a solo trip and did not get bogged...but then again....I had a good run. All tracks had been obliterated by the previous night's wind and there were a few serious dune blowouts which had to be driven with care. Beachport has some good dunes to play on. Have fun...and you will scratch you vehicle!!
Cheers,Willem

Always going somewhere

Rhubarb replied:

Something to keep in mind about the X5 is the low profile tyres. From reports I have read they struggle in soft sand as they don't get the floatation that your average 4WD tyre will when you drop the pressure.

Drifter007 replied:

Phil

I was at Robe / Beachport myself 2 weeks ago (solo) very high tides on many of the steep beaches but if you pick your time you can drive them, need to drop tyres to 15 PSI on the softer sand.

Many of the the tracks had virgin sand drifts, so be prepared to get out and explore on foot before blindly driving over dunes.

I have not posted picks from my latest trip but have a look at this page in the meantime.

www.members.austarmetro.com.au/~colinjon/trips.htm

Regards
Drifter...

Truckster (Vic) replied:

I was there yesterday for the long weekend.. SOFT SAND at the moment on the beaches...

Very capable 4wds were getting stuck, including Patrols, cruisers, Rangies on 35 ATs the lot. X5 would be a joke IMHO.

Some of the ruts on the back tracks, and hills off the beach were soft, young bloke in a GQ shorty with BFG ATs couldnt getover until he finally let his tires down to 12psi... then cruised over...

An X5 would be nice to drive there on the tar in, but leave it in the caravan park.

Phil P replied:

Thanks for the feedback, the X5 driver can't make it so at this stage it's 2 Patrols & a Disco.