Feature by Michael Sean Walters
There’s nothing quite as exciting as powering up a rocky escarpment in a 4WD.
Conquering nature with skill, determination and confidence. Conversely, there’s nothing worse than getting it wrong – embarrassment, expense, and potential injury. That’s why a group of fledgling Isuzu 4WD-ers from around the country recently convened in Western Australia to shore up their skills as part of Isuzu’s iVenture Club. The three-day event was a combination of tutorial and adventure that explored the state’s stunning Kalbarri region, with one overriding goal – to help participants get the most out of their Isuzu 4WD.
Let me state upfront, my 4WD experience is limited. Oh! Who am I kidding!? It’s non-existent! So, I was the perfect candidate to tag along to see whether novices could be taught.
Embarking early on a Friday morning from the cosmopolitan seaside city of Geraldton, 400 km north of Perth, our convoy of 14 Isuzus headed north towards the historic town of Northampton with a brief stop at the nearby Lynton Convict Hiring Depot, before marvelling at the logic-defying pink water of Hutt Lagoon.
Sticking it to the sand
With every beach in Western Australia (bar metro areas) offering the opportunity for 4WD adventuring, learning how best to tackle sand driving was first on our list of challenges.
Tyre pressures reduced, we drove onto the beach just outside Port Gregory, the slip, slide and glide of the Isuzu over the soft sand feeling far too fluid at first. But cautiousness quickly gave way to exhilaration as we sped up the coast, the waves of the wild ocean cracking to the left, the taste of salt spray in the wind as it whistled by. Gripping the steering wheel perhaps a bit too tightly, my focus was staying in the grooves made by the vehicle in front, being careful not to get too close. I panicked slightly when I came out of them, but relief returned with realignment and the realisation that the 4WD actually wants to stick to the tracks.
But then that’s what this experience was all about – gaining confidence.
That damn dune!
The convoy turned slightly inland winding through scenic dunes before it came time to attempt our first technical task – mounting a steep sand dune. Our fearless leader, David Wilson, Isuzu’s straight-talking teacher, demonstrated how easy this was to do. Then, first Isuzu off the rank, it was my turn. My heart pounding, the CB radio crackling with David’s instruction and encouragement from atop the dune, I pointed the nose of my Isuzu upwards and accelerated skyward before grounding to a disappointing halt barely three-quarters up the dune.
I was stuck. It seems racing up dunes is not a game for the hesitant. It’s either all in or you’re not going anywhere at all. I tried to get out but only dug myself in deeper. Embarrassment threatened to take hold, but I realised on this trip, every mistake is an opportunity to learn, not only for myself but for everyone else looking on and listening in. I rolled back down the hill, steadied myself, and with something to prove this time, pressed the pedal to the metal and drove it like I stole it, powering up the hill and lifting off the accelerator just as I successfully crested the dune. A sense of relief, a flood of exhilaration.
Now it was my turn to observe those who followed in my tracks – and in fact, it wasn’t long before new tracks had to be made. Each successive cresting resulted in cheers. Our teambuilding had begun.
Back to the beach
Our next challenge: softer sand – deeper and albeit tricker – at a narrow point where the dunes sloped into the sea. Speed was needed but so was control to ensure the Isuzu didn’t flip into the grasping waves.
We finished up the day with more dunes to practice on. Racing up one side, speeding down the other. I soon realised how forgiving the Isuzu 4WD was (in sand at least) and how often, with an established track in front, they could almost drive themselves.
Returning to the road. Tires re-inflated to a bitumen-safe pressure, and it was off to Kalbarri for the night.
Testing the sand driving near Port Gregory
Sights to be seen
Our second and third days were spent exploring the magnificent Murchison House Station but not before visiting a few of the coastal gorges just outside the Kalbarri township, as well as enjoying the wit and wisdom of Kalbarri’s morning pelican feeders whose presentation left adults laughing and wide-eyed children delighted when tasked with throwing fish to the patient pelicans. We even managed a short scenic hike to Nature’s Window in Kalbarri National Park, where we were given a photographic tutorial to help improve our camera skills.
Open from April to October, a 4WD is necessary to explore the station and access its established tracks that are maintained to facilitate station management. We were there just for the day, but most people camp for a few days on average.
Kalbarri National Park
Jump up country
After collecting a map at the station office and deflating our tyres again, we pushed into the bush, magnificent golden wattle surrounding us on all sides, sweeping the sides of the vehicle like brushes in a carwash, and leaving us dusted in blooms.
On of our first ports of call was Castle Rock, a towering dune with sweeping views along the Murchison River from deep in Kalbarri National Park to its ocean mouth. It was one of those special places you could sit for hours lost in contemplation of the beauty of nature laid out before you.
But we were here to learn, and the focus while on the station was ‘jump up’ country and tackling rocky ascents; learning as a driver how to best choose your line of attack when clambering over big boulders as well as discovering just how powerful your vehicle was idling in low gear. It wanted to climb, I just had to make sure it had the space and traction to do so.
Boulders and bogs
Lunchtimes also brought their own lessons, when on one day a vehicle was purposely bogged in the sand in order to demonstrate how best to recover it without necessarily resorting to Maxtrax.
Finally, our last afternoon saw one of the more difficult descents. Steep, narrow, the path snaking down a limestone escarpment. It seemed simple enough when observed from afar but had my heart pounding during the execution. But by now, the culmination of three days tutorial came into play – go slow, chose my path, trust the vehicle – and I reached the bottom a far more assured 4WD-er as a result.