To the girls out there.

Member Loris G is another female owner/driver that I have met. She drives an fire truck red Troopy :)

Cheers Kev

Hi Twinkles,

We girls sometimes let our men have it a bit too much their way and let them have all the fun! When travelling John and I tend to share the driving and change over every couple of hours pretty much regardless of driving conditions. We have both done our 4WD club's excellent driver training courses. Indeed our club has a few female instructors.

There are good reasons for women being able to share the driving, and indeed being familiar with at least basic vehicle operation and maintenance. There is always the (hopefully slight) possibility of an accident or sudden incapacity when travelling, so any problem is compounded if there is not at least a back-up driver. Also when we understand what both the driver and vehicle is capable of we can relax more as passengers and enjoy the trip without worrying needlessly.

That said, driving and camping throughout our magnificent country is just plain good fun so I agree that its a shame more women dont insist on spending time behind the wheel. Perhaps more fellas might encourage their partners to give it a go.

Cheers,

Val

Theres a couple of sheila's on here with beards !



Cheers

Some of the 4wd clubs cater for the ladies, by offering their own 4wd training days so they don't get intimidated by the testosterone in the air.

I found them to often be more level headed and "teachable" than men. These days, our desert trips are usually couples and most of the ladies share the bush driving.

My wife had driven the old lux with camper on back coming back from scrub a few times, even thou she hated the hilux's steering she still did it. She loves the prado better being auto, more direct steering she can just plant the foot and go, she has driven on stockton a few times and now we have a little one drives it a lot more as she doesnt have to bend down to get bubs in and out, mmmm seems more and more these days Im left driving her Toyota buz box. She wont do any of the real hard stuff thou, she gets a bit concerned when the front wheel/s lift LOL love the look on her face but only once has she ever got out and walked it so no so bad. She still likes her car thou for the shopping centres. WHG

Yep i will gloat,
Won a couple of short course rallies with female Navy also. 4 Great Endeavour Rallies, official and up front as Zero car. Some of the photos in our profile are me in action. Last year I had the backup of a Nissan with 4 Sheila's the one at the helm was a QLD rock climbing champion. Were out there, its just when out together as a family he seams to have all the fun, im back seat crowed controller. John is very quick to point out my dints.
Sharon

Swmbo is out at the moment, but that is her Paj I am snatching out of a alpine bog. LOLBut our son put in in their.
We where up at West Kunderung a couple of years ago, and she was nagging me to do the raspberry fire trail. I really wanted to go fishing, anyway off we go pretty soon the track is barely wider then the vehicle with sheer drop off of hundreds of feet.
Now I admit I am scared of heights and I was feeling uneasy. Half way up it flattens off a bit on a ridge and she says can you stop for a second. Thinking she was needing a tiolet stop(not surprisinglol) I stop and she jumps out and bolts back down the track. I had to go another 6ks or so before I could turn arround. Coming back I could not find her, but finally caught her near the bottom.
This track starts at 180m and finishes over 1000m.
Sal likes 4wding but now cannot cope with heights.
Cheers Pete

Ill put my hand up!!!!

Ive owned (and yes in my name, me the main driver and me the smasherer in the bush) a 1994 soozie, 1989 4runner, 1994 80 series, 2006 navara and now a 2001 pootrol, and proud to say that I can park the buggers anywhere thanks to the practise in the bush!!

Great to hear about all about the girl drivers. I don't have to share my driving with anyone. I love the rough stuff and tow an off road camper (see my profile). Heading back to Dargo again this weekend.

Hi Twinkles
We are out there and we love getting out and about the wide brown land. I've got a rodeo 4x4 ute and carry a slide on camper. Been around most of Oz but there's plenty more to do. I have a small group of female friends who enjoy getting out in the bush as much as I do but they don't necessarily join 4x4 clubs and the like.

cheers

Linda

We own a landcruiser and I drive it as much as my hubby. When we go bush towing our little van, we take turns. I have always felt that the ladies who let their hubbys do all the towing could be setting themselves up for trouble if by some chance hubby is unable to drive home. My mums hubby had a seizure in Broome which left her stranded up there with their van. We Hubby and I drorve up there with our van and he towed Mums van back and I towed ours. This great country of ours is too big to leave this sort of thing to chance.

We have had his and hers 4x4s for most of our married life 33yrs .... hers has been two Subarus, 1x 4runner, 1 Surf, 1 hilux, 1 Landcruiser tray, now..... she has two: Musso and F350 4x4.

Until your post, I hadn't really thought about it much! Meanwhile, I've only had four 4x4 vehicles!

G'day Twinkles

I'll put my hand up too!! Can never understand women who don't drive the vehicle or tow their van, it's just crazy as you never know when their DH gets crook or has an accident (heaven forbid) and they are stuck!! I've seen it happen many times in my travels and quite often they need to wait for another family member to fly from their home to wherever, just to drive the lady home when with a bit of forethought/planning/training she is more than capable of doing it herself. ;-)

For those ladies who say their husband is a bad passenger and gives too many orders....when he starts, just stop the car and show him the door. He'll never do it again....LOL!!

If I didn't drive the LandCruiser or tow the camper trailer many years ago I would be one of those women stuck at home after the sudden and untimely death of my husband, but instead I have done more solo camping than we did as a family, also due to kids now having their own lives too.

I really, really want to do the CSR and had been planning for a 2009 trip but something else has got in the way and it's on the backburner once more. Would be fun to do an all-female CSR trip in 2010...anyone interested?

Bronwyn ;-)

Well the Hilux Dualcab is mine and the 79 series Cruizer Ute is his. But when we're going out as a family etc he does the driving. When it comes to seriously steep off road stuff I'd rather be on my downhill mountain bike, so the car just gets me to the bike trails!