TNT Lost box and Fraser Island
Submitted: Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 at 19:37
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Mark Taylor
For those of you who have read my sad lament re the lost storage drawer that TNT were bringing me from Drifta...
Well TNT promised to ring me last Friday night (the 13th). So.. here I am at Lake Mackenzie yesterday (Wednesday) and of all things i get a message on my phone to call the TNT driver re the box. You see the problem was that the delivery driver did not have an up to date street directory and could not find my street. I live in a house that was the first in the street and named after the street by the original owner... in 1890!
It should get delivered Friday the 20th.
Fraser..
well the QPWS report said firm and rough tracks. We took the softrader this time and ended up at Kingfisher Bay. The Tuscon is lifted to the height of a standard Pajero.. and this time we didn't get far. So we rented a hilux dual cab with a 2 inch lift and boy did it struggle on the inland tracks. Came across a Pajero with a lot of under tray damage and a Grand Cherokee that was really struggling.
The King Fisher people told us it hadn't rained for 5 weeks. I wonder if the rangers who propare the reports actually drive over the tracks before posting the updates on the website?
Cheers
mark T
Reply By: Willem - Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 at 20:56
Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 at 20:56
Re Fraser
In 1995 we trekked around Fraser and had a good time driving an old FJ55 Cruiser
Tour operators had been using some of the inland tracks and were the cause of a huge sand bog hole. You copuld see the huge tyre marks. Travellers in a Suzuki became stuck there and I was able to winch them out.
On leaving Fraser I went to the Rangers Office to voice my opinion of the track conditions and was told in no uncertain way that it was NOT the tour operators but hoons and others who were degrading the tracks.
I was insensed and left with a parting shot saying if they got off their collective arses and went out there to see for themselves they would realise what I am talking about.
Looks like not much has changed in 11 years.
Cheers
AnswerID:
199909
Follow Up By: Mark Taylor - Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 at 21:29
Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 at 21:29
Yes.. we followed right behind a tour bus going back to King Fisher and the way it was chewing up the track was incredible. Although they have big wide tyres, I still reckon they would have a much bigger footprint pressure than a regular 4x4.
It is simply their wheel diameter and low gearing that gets them through.
They also tend to get a little cheesed off if someone gets stuck in front of them.. help the stuck ones off the track and out of their way... and then get going again.
Cheers
Mark T
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Reply By: Member - extfilm (NSW) - Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 03:19
Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 03:19
What are u talking about..... Didn't u Know the tour operators own Fraser Island "GET IN THEIR WAY AND YOU WILL BE RUN OVER LIKE HORSES OVER A JOCKEY...." But hey, when they roll a bus on the
central station track they expect everybody to jump and get them back on the road........ "NOT FROM ME"....... More importantly is make sure the passengers are ok....... Don't worry about the bus..... They wouldn't give u time of day and they are just waiting their time untilll it will only be tour operators on Fraser. Don't think it will be in our life time But I can garentee in the next 100 years only tour operators will be taking tours through some of our most pristine wildernesses...... LOOK AT TASMANIA.............
AnswerID:
199947
Reply By: Jeffc - Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 07:23
Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 07:23
Just got back from Fraser with my Jackaroo and yes all the inland sand is very soft. Went with a mate who owned a Xtrail. Tried to get to
Lake Allom with them. BIG mistake. The Xtrail does not have the ground clearance and tried to refashion the road. Basically towed it up to Knifeblade sandblow went to
lake Allom and towed it back down. That was the last trip inland for the Xtrail. Did however see a Xtrail up at Lake Mackenzie. Te smell that came out of the clutch or transfer case(not sure which) was unhealthy.
Drove up to Orchard Beach and it was like Talcum Powder.
The petrol Jackaroo had no problems. The deep soft sand does certainly put a big stop to the soft roaders.
Jeff
AnswerID:
199952
Follow Up By: Mark Taylor - Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 08:12
Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 08:12
Yes, I saw an X trail being snatched out.. ground clearance is an issue.. but with sand so soft even our lifted Hilux was bull dozing the track in a lot of
places.
I guess my original point is that the Fraser Island reports are far from accurate as far as track conditions go.
When I first went to Fraser in 1974 in my Land Rover, on the inland tracks we didn't even use Low Range. These buses really stuff things up.
Cheers
MT
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Reply By: Chucky - Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 11:14
Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 11:14
I won't dream of taking a 4wd without low range to fraser. I have seen people getting stuck on
the beach getting onto teh ferry. And the AWD's would struggle to get almost anywhere.
It also voids the car warrenty.
AnswerID:
199999
Follow Up By: Mark Taylor - Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 11:54
Friday, Oct 20, 2006 at 11:54
It all depends on conditions and also the skill of the driver.
I have been driving on Fraser since I was 20 in a variety of 4Wds and of late softroaders. Thats 34 years of sand driving experience. Right now, the conditions anywhere off
the beach at Fraser are definetly a "real 4wd only" place to be.
However, in the past I have taken my soft roader all over the island without getting stuck once. In fact on my previous trip we snatched out a troop carrier full of back packers.
Even on this last trip I came across a Honda CRV and a BMW X5 that had no problems getting on and off the barge and up
the beach. But the inland tracks...
well that's another story.
Like I said, before the tour buses started on the inland tracks, we used to drive Land Rovers around there in hi range 4wd. In those days there were even Kombi vans on
the beach.
But again, no rain for 5 weeks and the sand is like a bowl of sugar.
Cheers
MT
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