South Australian 4wd AdventuresIntro:
Our new Home!:
Our new Dog:
Motorbike:
Our Car:
Why this car:
Robe beach run:
Googs Track:
Yorke Peninsula:
Simpson Desert:
Tasmania:
Telowie Forest (Flinders Ranges):
The Coorong:
Warraweena (Flinders Ranges):
Argadells (Flinders Ranges):
Willow Springs (Flinders Ranges):
Horseshoe Range (Flinders Ranges):
Intro:
My wife and I have always wanted to buy a 4wd. I spent 11 years in the Army so lived in the Defenders (yes they are as uncomfortable as you read) but they are tough and versatile and adaptable for military use (battery bays etc). My wife is a country girl so when I dragged her down to the city to live it was only a matter of time before we bought a 4wd and packed the tent.
Our vehicle is a 1996 GQ RX 2.8TD Nissan Patrol. Now before you laugh at the size just remember that living in a diesel world will never be fast anyway! The economy that we have got out of this vehicle has been fantastic. Driving the Robe beach run, Googs Track, Flinders or the Simpson Desert etc has always given us great range. The standard 95 litre tank takes the car a long way. The torque is still good and drives the same whether driving around town or fully laden. It makes a driving holiday a cheap option. Average fuel mileage is 12-13km's / litre around town and approx 10 - 11kms / litre on the highway.
Our car:
Model: 1996 GQ RX 2.8 TD Nissan Patrol LWBFuel: 95 litres Diesel
Lights: a. upgraded 100/80 headlights (standard lights were a joke)
b. IPF 900XS for general driving (these stay on all the time), recently purchased. I have recently removed the Cibie Oscars as I was very dissapointed with them. The IPF 900XS have only a 65 watt globe but put out a very impressive light. Obviously not as good as the lightforce mentioned below due to the sheer size of the lightforce but I think for value for money the IPF are very good.
c. Lightforce XGT 240's (x2) mounted on top of the bull bar. These are our pride and joy. The light that they put out are unbelievable. I highly recommened these BUT they are quite directional so if you are looking for spread beams then these are not for you. Lightforce only offer a "combo" cover which offers a half spread pattern. As the light is so powerful this still works quite well though, and still offers a much better spread than the dedicated spread lights from Cibie or IPF. I now run one XGT Lightforce as a spread and one as a spot. The spot of the Lightforce is incredibly strong and lights up the road for miles. These are only on for bush trips.
Colour: White
Wheels: 16" steel rims (1 standard set and 1 sunraysia set)
We have two sets. One for driving around town (Desert Duelers) and Cooper ST's for the front and ST-C on the rear for bush bashing. With 10ply on the Coopers they are an incredibly strong tyre. Only time will tell though on how they survive compared to other tyres but going by chat groups etc they should last a long time.
We did suffer some chipping on the rear two ST's on the Birdsville trip due to the load we were carrying. Cooper replaced these in warranty and supplied ST-C which are 'anti-chip'. The rubber is a softer compound so chipping should be less. Since then I have done a fair bit of driving in the Flinders and the tyres are holding up well.Tinting: Would not have a car without it! Makes a huge difference with cooling and sunburn! Great to have when using the a/c and having a fridge in the back.
Accessories: All the standard stuff which no-one should go bush without. Big Red air Compressor, Tyre Deflators, Air bag jack, two snatch straps (with decent shackles!), spare oil (diffs, engine), spare belts and filters, puncture repair kit, tyre changing gear, after market jack to lift a fully load vehicle, roof rack, Waeco fridge, etc etc.
Suspension: XGS suspension from TJM. Had a look at the Old Man Emu from ARB which seemed just as good but it came down to a price issue. With upgraded coils (raised) and shockers the car rides very well. Of all the upgrades done, this is the best value for money. Money spent on suspension will save in repairs in the long run. After just returning from the Simpson Desert I mentioned to the wife that the car is still riding like new.
Snorkel: Safari from ARB. Great insurance for your car when doing creek crossings. Also good for the "air ram" affect that everyone talks about to get fresh cool air which diesel's love. Don't laugh but I have put a black stocking over the top (read about this is a magazine). Whilst it still lets the air in, it stops bugs etc clogging up the air filter. On our last trip the air filter was stuffed after 20 days on the road because of bugs etc.
Side rails: Kingsley side rails for effective body protection.
Wheel arches: We have put aftermarket flexible rubber protection on the wheel arches. Not the most attractive part of the car to look at, but very effective. With the wheel arches and the side rails, the body is fully protected from flying rocks etc.
Fridge: After much research we went for the Waeco fridge. Heaps of owners in chat groups have nothing but praise (as for the Engel also). The main selling point for us was the tough plastic body of the Waeco. The Engels are metal and if exposed to salt etc do rust (especially the hinges). Won't see many Engels on boats for example! Reversable flip lid is also a good idea. They are also easier to pack.
The Waeco brand go higher as the size increases. The Engels go higher and wider, making them harder to pack in the car once you start looking at the 40 litre and above sizes. On average the Waeco is $300 less for the equilivant fridge because you are not paying for the "Engel" brand name.
Another selling point was the good comments about the warranty provided. I have found this first hand after coming back from the Simpson Desert. Some dust had got under the control panel and was playing up with the temp button. I rang Waeco and within minutes I had a contact in Adelaide. Took it around there and got fixed. No questions asked! That's the way it should be!
My wife's dad has installed our fridge slide into the back which works great. Have not put this onto a false floor or otherwise the fridge is too high and we would need a step to see inside it! Photos of this are on the "Simpson Desert" link.Duel Batteries: You bet! Runs fridge, lighting and backup to main. Fitted by ARB.
Roof Rack: Had 4 bars connected and one long cage which runs the length of the car. This enables us to remove all the light bulky gear from within the car and move it up top. The 4 bars does enable me to carry more weight (in particular a spare tyre) over very corrugated roads and feel safe that the weight is being shared more so than if two or three bars were installed.
Dream List: Extended fuel tank, after market seating (from wreckers like a commodore, pajero etc)
Why this car?:
I don't want to get into which car is better. If anyone is new to 4wd'ing and looking on the internet for advice (maybe that's why your on this page!) you will be very confused by everyones bias advice on their own car. I will try and keep this simple.
There are only a few serious off roaders.By serious I mean rigid axles (front and rear), ground clearance, and a body which is meant to last (not built for comfort like a Pajero). There are a few of these but the big names are the Patrol, Landcruiser, Defenders, Wrangler etc.
Mechanically, the GQ is very reliable. It uses a heavy duty separate steel chassis, a simple part-time four-wheel drivetrain and rigid axles with coil springs. I believe the coil springs was the last "update" in the GQ range before this model was superseeded by the GU model. Nicer ride and greater wheel travel are the obvious advantages of this. The next step down would be the Pajero, Hilux, Rodeo etc.
We went out looking with open eyes. We researched the internet for common faults with certain models etc. Didn't take long to find out that no car is perfect. To cut a long story short it came down to the Landcruiser and Patrol. The reason why we went for the Patrol was simply for the following reasons.
1. The Landcruiser is a better built car when it comes down to dashboard fittings, seat comfort etc. This shows in the price of these new compared to a Patrol and flows down into the second hand market.
2. The Landcruiser and Patrol are as tough as each other. Anyone who disagrees is just bias and not looking at the numbers. For us it came down to price. We could live with a dashboard which may squeak a bit (our doesn't though!) or door sills which leak a bit of dust (which ours does). We saved $8,000 to $10,000 for an equilivant Landcruiser with same year and mileage.
3. Landrover Defenders are tough BUT parts are expensive and reliability of parts is shocking. Now I know that Land Rover readers will abuse me for this, but just spend 1 hr on the internet and find the unbias research if you don't believe me. The Army Defenders are always in getting fixed but we didn't think of it much (or care) as the tax payer was paying for it. When it's your own wallet, then it's a different story.
Jeep's also have a bad name for reliability on parts also. They always get bagged in the 4x4 mags as well. The latest model didn't get past the first day of testing as they went thru a pubble of water and the air intake was below the front light. Sucked up water and seized the engine. They can't be serious about their vehicle's going off road when they design a car with an air intake that low!!4. The SWB in the patrol is very short. Great for ramp over angle, crap for storage. I want to camp in style (Waeco fridge for the beer and fresh food for example) so storage was important to us.
5. The colour may sound insignificant but it does matter. Ours is white for one simple reason. It does not show the scratches. We have some quite serious scratches running the whole length of the car from tight tracks which can hardly be seen. Imagine that on black or red! Nothing a polish won't fix ready for the next trip.
6. It had to be a diesel. Petrol is banned in many outback towns (petrol sniffing) so diesel is the only fuel available if wanting to go into the "never never". And it's cheaper to run. Petrol is fine if you find one with extra tanks (or gas). The life span of diesel engines was also attractive to us. If we are going to spend lots of money on a car (which we have now done), we want it to be in the family for a long time.
Yorke Peninsula:
Yorke Peninsula was the very first trip away. The handbrake (wife) was working so I went away myself. At this stage the car was "as bought". No tint, spotties, upgraded suspension etc. Hardly slept for three nights to catch some squid for the
missus with no luck. Even the locals weren't catching them (which made me feel a bit better about it).
Have been there a couple more times now. Nice views close to Adelaide, but don't expect any real four wheel driving though.
Robe Beach Run:
The Robe Beach run was the first trip we did in our "new" car. My mate from work and his wife had done it before in their Landcruiser so they led the way. This trip is highly recommened. Great fishing along the Coorong (though my fishing rod did not work and didn't catch any fish!). Heaps of sheltered camping spots along the beach behind the dunes (almost one every 200 metres). Great driving with some challenges with soft sand. If you are reading this and never done soft sand driving then I have only 4 words. LET DOWN YOUR TYRES. People who don't will get wheel spin and bog. In the process they chew up the dune and make big indentations which make it harder for everyone else.
Googs Track:
This track runs North of Ceduna in South Australia and comes out at the Railway line which links Perth and Adelaide. From there we did the Gawler Rangers. We then split as our travelling companions had to go back home for a wedding and we headed off to the Mid North of the Flinders.
1. This is the LWB Defender, purpose built for the military. Very capable off road but slow when fully loaded!
Finally arriving at Googs Lake for the first camp site. That canvas bag on the back of the car on the spare wheel is a rubbish bag. Great to keep bad smells (and ants) out of your car during the hot days of travelling. Typical country side on Googs Track. There was only a couple of dunes where we had trouble. We carried a fair bit of gear including 80 litres of diesel in jerry cans (when I win the lotto I will get an extended fuel tank).
Firewood, recovery gear, fridge and food soon fills up and weighs down the car. Tyres were lowered to approx 22 psi. Though I could have gone lower, carrying the extra weight in the car was the limitation as I didn't want the wheels to come off the rims!This is at the end where we meet up with the railway. Middle of nowhere.
Some quick advice:
We found that normal firewood obviously burns very quickly. As there is no wood in this terrain we took some manufactured wood which looks like logs from the hardware store. They store easy (come in a box) and burn for a long time and gave good coals. Below are some pic's from the Gawler Ranges and the Flinders which was part of this trip.
2. Pacing myself! When it all get's too hard, sit down, have a beer and relax!
Dream List:
Tanami Desert: done this about 10 years ago but would love to do it again. I have been told though that because of the mining company it has been graded and is quite an easy track now.
Kakadu: (lived in Darwin for 2 years but didn't have a 4wd then). Only went where the Army told me to go!
Gulf of Carpentaria: Spent 6 weeks bush bashing around Boroloola etc and loved it. Love to go back there again.
Tasmania: Been there twice before but not with a 4wd.
Cape York: Been there before for 4 weeks around Bamaga etc but love to do it as a tourist (not work).
Flinders: Been going there for years and still only seen a fraction of it!
