Creb Track

Yes I agree with the above. I lived worked and played 4X4 in this area many a time (Always carried chains in this area). It all boils down to the rain, get none and you will be fine, no harder than a lot of hill climb areas. The problem is forcast can be for fine and you get half way through and it rains. Many a person has got stuck in there for a couple of days or more. A ex work mate off mine lives in Ayton and heads out to rescue these persons time and again. He is a logger with and ex Army 4 x 4 truck and mud chains.

So in short fine and dry, no problems. Rain then you will be in a sticky situation that you may or may not be able to get out of for a while - carry some chains will give you some piece of mind.

Put a couple of photos of the Creb Track in my Gallery if you want to have a look. Regards Tony.

No they turned around only part way in. They would have had no chance in hell getting through.

In their latest DVD, they do actually take the van all of the way through as well as crossing the Jardine. They now have two Cape York DVD's.
Cheers Cheiffy

Ok, my apologies then Alan.

I've seen the others dvd's and think while they are a good laugh for some it gives the wrong impression. Not only to those travelling (if they can do it so can I) but they really are that environmentally conscience.

You don't get a van of that size into the places they go without doing some damage.

Still think the normal person would have no hope in getting through the CREB in a van like they have. But sadly people will try and make it difficult for others.

I agree the Gall Family is being very selfish in what they do. What they did can be done at the right time of year, but it is vandalisim to all that follow. The idea is to enjoy the drive and do as little damage as possible. This can not be done towing large vans through these remote areas. Obviously they do not care if these tracks are closed due to the damage they do. Regards Tony.

Hi again,
I,m not clear on how the Gall family could be considered selfish or vandals.
I can't say that I noticed any more track or enviriomental damage done due to their passing through.
I have seen far more damage done by so called responsible members of our 4wd community as part of organized tours,club activities etc.
I would say that I personally would not tow a van where they do ,however do find their DVD's entertaining.
A wet season would do far more track damage via erosion than they ever could as evidenced by the considerable changes in the tracks they travelled over given there was a two year break between trips.
To single the Gall family out for this type of critism is unfair in my opinion.
Regards Alan.

Agree with Alan

Alan,

I've also watched the dvd's and yes in part they are entertaining. I'm sure they use the trips for R&D as well. Dragging a 2-3 tonne van in those areas would likely do more damage than most or any vehicles. Whether or not less than a group as per your suggestion is debable, however take your point. However "if the Gall family can do it so can I" it sets a precedent that all can follow. That's regardless of support or any safety measures put in place. They do have a responsibility if promoting their vans can go anywhere. What do you think would happen to access if all of a sudden there was a stream of large vans being dragged through the CREB or up the cape or into May Town?

Luke, I'm afraid with a member tag like that it's unlikely anyone would take much notice of your support. What do you think your mother or sister etc would think? It's actually not funny but a tad insulting.

Alan. Fair enough, I will take back those words they are a bit harsh, but I will add Irresponsible in its place,I have watched their videos as well, they are somewhat entertaining but I also see a lot of track damage in the process. I am of the breed of 4x4 drivers that enjoy what we do and try to do it with as little impact Ias we can. To do this you avoid wheelspin as much as you can, this is also paromount for correct 4x4 operation, you can not achieve that towing a van through the creb track. Ive worked on these dirt roads for years, no wheel spin and surface remains hard, spin the wheels you dig it up for further erosion, this is a fact and cannot be argued against (Im talking about this red soil country not bulldust country). If they want they can set up their own 4x4 track somewhere on their land to show where their vans can go. What is the point of towing a van down the Creb Track? Of course you can tow a van any where you want but this is not a place a van needs to be for any reason. We need to show the public we are responsible in our approach to offroad so in the future these areas will not be closed down on us, as many areas already have. Regards Tony

Hello again,
I actually do agree with most of the saliant points raised in this discussion. To be honest if I had my way I would love to see all tyres such as simex, boggers etc banned on all vehicles other than dedicated comp cars. I further would restrict lift kits though legislation to a max of 2 inch.
My reasoning is that by running lockers, huge tyres and high lifts that to find anything remotely challenging the enviroment suffers due to enormous bog holes, track erosion etc.
I only have to go into the hills around Brunswick in WA in winter to see first hand evidence of this degredation.
Ive been 4wding since I got my licence in 1980 and we used to have a lot of fun with open diff cruisers and patrols etc with mostly 10 r's as tyre sizes. Just about anything was a challenge then. I,m sure our passing left much less of a footprint.
As far as the Gall families trips go I stand by my previous comments that to single them out is unfair and further would think that most people would not take their own 100k plus caravans through the same areas due to potential damage/breakdowns. I doubt most could afford the repairs later.
Enough of my rant.
Regards Alan.