caravans and 2 wheel drives in the bush--what the.....

What ?? a 2WD Landcruiser .......... Ha Ha..
Like most I travelled many places I prob. shouldn't have in a 2WD long before I ever owned a 4WD (over 30 years ago now)
Amazing these days with all the gear we carry - & capable 4WD vehicles - Ah but we need them to get to these places now ..... Don't we ? Depends on how extreme you want to go. Prob not in most cases.
How I miss the simple early travelling I did in a Datsun 180B - Great experiences & adventure - No extra spares, fuel - Bare min of water. - What were we thinking ?
But getting older now & do like the modern comforts I now have
Happy Travelling !
Cheers,

I travelled through country now described as 4WD adventure country in an FB Holden before I bought my first Landcruiser (FJ40). In the Shorty I was on a remote track in the Flinders and came across a Combi happily camped up, no 4WD for them. Now some think they need at least a 2 inch lift and massive wheels to travel a gravel road. I was amazed at the wank value of the clowns who thought they were heroes for getting to Birdsville (not via the Simpson). I reckon most are victims of the current rash of 4WD magazines and TV shows. My grumpy old man rant!!!

G'day,
I remember my early travels in the bush using a 1967 Morris mini cooper until I got it stuck so bad even the 4wd that came to rescue me got bogged as well! Let me tell you it was a long walk on a dark night in the bush to get assistance.
A few dollars later & the use of a tractor to extract us both inspired me to get a 4WD instead.
Got me a new Suzuki LJ80 that I kitted out & travelled the high country & outback for many years. Also pulled out a 2wd F100 from the Howqua river one day. He definitely should NOT have been there.
Owned a variety of 4wd's since & only use a 2wd car for work.

That reminds me. company cars can go anywhere a 4wd will won't they? :-)

Cheers
Stu

Generally speaking it is more often than not ground clearance that is the issue. Older cars had lots more than todays cars. And those old hippy vans had plenty. The old utes too could get to heaps of places.

I've travelled a lot of tracks in a old Commodore - in years gone by. Now I need a Cruiser (but it isn't lifted!)

I well recall crossing a creek somewhere in/near Kakadu and the missus got out and walked across to take photos and when I got to the other side realized she hadn't closed the door properly and we had a bit of water in her foot well. The good old days!

In my late teens & through my 20's I had an old VW Beetle. Front & rear cut off, big wheels on the back (Baja Bug style & street registered). I had that beetle for 14yrs. There was not a single part of Fraser, Moreton or Straddie which that vehicle didn't visit.

It also spent a fair bit of time out west of Brisbane as well. I recall I was following a track in the bush one day. Very thck undergrowth. I came across a guy on a trail bike & he was absolutely blown away that I was able to drive a car into that particular location.

The ranger on Straddie at the time used to get annoyed with me because he'd have to get out of his 4x4 & walk up into where ever I was camped. His 4x4 was not able to get up / in where I could.. :)

I was restricted by deep water. About 1.4m deep was it's limit. At that depth I was looking through the top 50mm of the windscreen & sitting in waist deep water inside the car... :)

Back then I had absolutely no problem putting my VW up against any (street legal) 4x4 in any off road situation. I would come out on top 90% of the time....

I used to do Fraser in a 1971 VW Squareback Type 3. Got up into Happy Valley when no Subie could.

Only got bogged at the Eurong petrol pump where 4x4s had chopped up the sand , and was able to get out with the help of a half dozen pensioner ladies on a bus trip!

The greatest lesson I learned was trying to get up the dune immediately south of Eli creek near where the toilets are now. More overhang than an FJ40 and the roofrack flew over the bonnet and daughter over the front seats. I was then "in irons" and couldn't get out of my own tracks until I progressively dropped pressures down to 6PSI.
I learned a lot more about sand driving that day than youngsters these days with lifted and locked 4x4s..
Regards Philip A

On the Gunbarrel in 2007 I was near the Gary Hwy junction when I came across a bloke in a late 80's model Camry sedan. He had a queen size mattress roped to the roof (Yes I mean roped directly to the roof...no roof-rack). He had the rear windows wound down a bit and had run the rope right through the vehicle. Same with the front only tied it from inside so he could release it to get the door open. Only 20 litres of extra fuel on board.

He was heading to Brisbane from Perth and these two "Highways", the Gunbarrel and Gary, looked to be the shortest route. We couldn't convince him to turn around but he elected to continue along the Gunbarrel to Warburton and head along the Great Central instead of the Gary.

I often wonder just where he made it to ;-)

Cheers Mick

And then there are all those 4wd in the city that have never seen dirt, or towed in their lives.

Came across a Honda Civic that got stuck going DOWN a track heading towards the river at Tom Groggin...just before the turn off to the Tom Groggin station property..

GPS said it was a road ?? his elderly mother didn't look impressed.....foreign looking person who probably had no idea...

His only option was to go into the station and ask to get over the river and back onto the tar ??

But after coming down the same track, he did pretty good until the last hill...

Last year I was walking the Larapinta Trail and walked into Hugh Gorge (80km west of Alice). World Expeditions used to bitch about how rough that road was with their Troopies, NT Parks claimed it was High clearance 4WD only. Lo' and behold there was a 20 year old Tarago.

Love these stories

Dad had a HQ Kingswood when I was growing up and it went everywhere. When the "4WD only" signs started popping up in the 80s, well, that was just a challenge to the old man.

Mum does tell the story about when he never came back from fishing at Gull Rock in Albany one time though. The old MKI Cortina didn't make it back up the boggy 4WD track that time. She called the cops and when she told them he'd gone fishing, possibly at Gull Rock, they knew exactly where to start looking. Found him and the dog walking home...

I remember visiting Moonee Flats on the Barringtons, we asked the local Postmaster for another way back to Gloucester, he told us directions for a road back. Off we went, whilst climbing this track we passed a Patrol 4WD going down, the look on his face was priceless, seeing a Toyota Corolla sedan doing what he spent thousands on.

RAFLMAO

In about 1995 I arrived at Kalumbaroo in a '92 Falcon wagon.
At the time the track from Drysdale Station to the north was muddy with numerous flooded sections.
Boy, did I get some grumpy looks from guys with huge investments in tricked-up 4WD's, thinking "how the hell did that guy get here?"
I had raised the car a bit (~20mm) with spring work, but that was it for mods.
Careful driving based on experience was the trick.
Also there were 2 cars (both Falcon wagons) so we could help each other if needed.

I have been there a couple of times since in my 100 series - not as much fun or challenge.

my old dad passed away a bit over a year ago.

i have pictures of him going across the cooper creek towing a camper in his wb ute.

that old ute did 2 trips aound the country including the gibb river rd.
melbourne to birdsvile and back thru the flinders ranges and half way up the cape ( he never did explain why he turned around)

as a kid we travelled all over in many holden utes , mainly his company cars.

in the family album there is a picture of a company ute, an fb holden half way up what is now the wellington river walking track into lake tarli karng. they had to stop because they burnt the clutch out on the steep climbs

maybe we just expect a bit more these days

Did most of Central Australia with my Dad back in the 60's in a Peugeot 403. Never let us down.

Am I the only one with any pics?
All posted here before though :(

Stuart Highway, 1967.

West of Coward Springs, 1970.

North of Mulga Park, 1974.

Stuart Highway, 1974.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Have told the true story on here before , Wife's job entailed her to travel from Muttaburra to Boulia on a regular basis , had a little Kia Reo , all of 2" ground clearance but fitted with a UHF and spotlights , would phone after refuelling Winton and always call into the Middleton pub [ 1/2 way Winton to Boulia ] for a soft drink and let the publican know she was on the road again , simple and safe measure incase of accident as she would phone home at the expected time after arrival in Boulia , if no phone call easy to work out which section of road to begin searching , pre or post Middleton after the 1 phone call to the pub ,,,, any how this particular trip pulls up to the pub next to a swag of lifted and heavily out fitted Patrols and Landcruisers , as she is getting out of the Kia she hears a womans voice " Tell me again dear why we had to spend all the extra money on the car to do a trip to Mt Isa "…...

Having done about 7 Endevour Car Rallies many years back, we took 2wd vehicles to places i see many people concerned about taking their modern 4wds and offroad vans to today. Some of the private properties we drove on had some fun tracks to drive, getting the 2wd vehicles over the sand dune at Haddon Corner was pretty good fun, as was going all way to the tip on the Old Developmental road atleast 15 years ago. It's amazing where you can take a 2wd vehicle when you really want to, and also when you don't care to much about what happens to it...lol