Category: Opinion

After a trip out on the weekend to my favourite 4WD location, I was shocked by the amount of rubbish that could be seen throughout the area. Despite the very fine efforts of locals and other bush users on clean up days, there were more and more dumped vehicles, bottles, lolly wrappers and torn off 4WD parts - all stuff that could have easily been removed by the people who left them there in the first place.

And someone must have had a corker of a headache the next day, judging by the amount of bottles that I saw.

It both frustrates and angers me to see the efforts of so many responsible 4WDers go to waste. Clean Up Days prepared by Clubs and Groups such as the Suzuki 4WD Club, Appin Bushland Users Group and even Port Stephens Council are organised to assist 4WDers and prevent track closures. To blatantly ignore those efforts with the attitude “I come to clean up days, so I can leave that bottle there” is only going to further tarnish the already media-bashed reputation the 4WD community possesses.

It’s pretty easy to make sure you don’t “forget” your rubbish. Rubbish bags now come on a roll, very convenient for storage in the glove box and cardboard boxes also make a great temporary rubbish bin in the back of the wagon. It’s also amazingly easy to do your bit and pick up any rubbish you see, even if it isn’t yours.

Unfortunately, all the dumped rubbish does is fuel the greenies and their perception of 4WDers as beer-swelling, rubbish dumping hoons. It’s a guaranteed one way ticket to track closures.

Come on everyone! Didn’t your mother ever teach you to clean up after yourself?

~ Jess

Category: Opinion

Being female in a male oriented recreation isn’t always easy. There’s always the opinion of “This is a man’s sport, you have no place here!” and of course the comments, “Show us your…” well, you get the idea. It’s easy to see why so many women get discouraged from attending events, or even getting behind the wheel and giving it a good go for themselves.

I remember the first time I was “thrown” behind the wheel. I was petrified. Completely and utterly petrified, I didn’t know what I was doing, I had no idea what the car was doing...I thought I was going to die. Meanwhile, my mum sitting in the passenger seat couldn’t stop laughing at my girly squeals and flailing hands.

Two years later and here I am working at the Australian 4WD Action office... fancy that, eh? In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve noticed more and more men complaining about their missus who won’t go camping with them. Often it’s about being prevented from going or even being asked to sell their beloved fourby as the wife hates it.

But at the same time, we get bundles of emails from women who steal hubby’s 4WD Action mags before he can read them, as well as plenty of men complaining that their wife has been bitten by the 4WD bug and now they can’t get a drive in anywhere.

That brings me to what I really want to know from you guys. How do you feel about the Minister for War and Finances driving your pride and joy? What advice do you have for others who want to encourage their partners to get more involved in 4WDing and camping?

Jess



Jess is our Production Editor and will hopefully be a regular contributor to our Soapbox Blog section!

It’s going to happen sooner or later the more you push your vehicle’s limits off the beaten track. Out of the blue you could be left scratching your head and severely out of pocket - I’m talking about ‘oops moments’.

The last thing we want is to see our pride and joy looking like it has just done a hot lap down the Gaza Strip, although we accept some damage is part of the 4WD game. My ‘oops moment’ was on a night drive at one of my local 4WD tracks. Let’s just reinforce how important checking the depth of muddy water is before you plow in bonnet first!

Checkout the pictures below, of a US Jeep owner after he was 4WDing on New Years Day. Had this branch came through the firewall of the Jeep by a few more inches it could have been disastrous! I'm sure the fellas will know what i mean here. Talk about an ‘oops moment’…








Let us know of your oops moment(s), make sure you include your email address because we are giving the best response a limited edition Michelle’s Sacs Recovery Bag!

Cape York has to be one of the most iconic 4WD destinations in the country and something we all have to cross off the ‘to do’ list at least once or twice. If you've been up there recently, you will notice a lot more tarmac and graded roads on the way to the tip.


Don’t be fooled into thinking that the roads up to the Cape are anything like a suburban highway, because they’re not! There are enough corrugations to shake your drivetrain into a thousand parts, enough bulldust to turn your 4WD into a big, orange dust-bunny and in the wet season, it becomes almost impossible to traverse.


Locals say the main roads are constantly getting graded and widened to make it easier for the big mining trucks from Weipa to head south, and predict that more and more of the roads will become tarmac.


Do you think graders should stay away from the roads up to the Cape so they remain as challenging and off limits to the family sedan crew? Or is it a good thing to allow more tourism to flow north regardless?