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Thought I would share my experience from the Great Divide Tours Driver Training course my wife and I participated in on the weekend just gone (7-8/03/09). It was held at Vic Widman's dedicated training facility near Braidwood NSW. It was 240 acres of fun 
Saturday we left home in Sydney at 6.00am and arrived in Golburn at just after 8.00am at the meeting point for 8.30am. On the way down the temp display on the dash was reading 9 degrees and we were wondering what we were getting ourselves in for :shock:
The meeting point at Golburn
Nice and clean before the fun begins.
After arriving and having morning tea and being sorted into our two groups (7 in Group 1, our group and 8 in vehicles in Group 2) we went out for our first exercise Stall Recovery
Uphill
Downhill
After lunch was a Rocky Creek Crossing
Steep Ascent and Descent Exercises. What was great about this was being able to first try the descent with just using the brake and then using DAC.
Side Slopes, Rock Steps and Log Crossings, Traversing Erosion Mounds etc
Then set up camp
After dinner we had a talk in the training room about vehicle set up like fitting accessories like suspension, bullbars, lights dual batteries and the like
The next day we were up for Brekkie at 7.00am and another day playing in the bush
Mud Driving on the skid pan
Log Bridge exercise with your partner giving directions :roll:
Entering/Exiting washouts, bog holes etc and practise on the 4WD test track
There was a snatch and airbag demonstration and the fun part sand driving
All in all it was fun 2 days and even the wife enjoyed it. You always felt safe and in control with the guidance from Vic and John but some of Vic's jokes need work :lol: :lol:
Myself and the wife got a lot out of it and are keen for the advanced course but first we need to put into practice what we learnt and then build on from there.
I highly recommend anyone doing this course (or any other Registered Training organisation's) if you are a beginner like us. There was more to what I have posted here but this will give you the general idea.
Saturday we left home in Sydney at 6.00am and arrived in Golburn at just after 8.00am at the meeting point for 8.30am. On the way down the temp display on the dash was reading 9 degrees and we were wondering what we were getting ourselves in for :shock:
The meeting point at Golburn
Nice and clean before the fun begins.
After arriving and having morning tea and being sorted into our two groups (7 in Group 1, our group and 8 in vehicles in Group 2) we went out for our first exercise Stall Recovery
Uphill
Downhill
After lunch was a Rocky Creek Crossing
Steep Ascent and Descent Exercises. What was great about this was being able to first try the descent with just using the brake and then using DAC.
Side Slopes, Rock Steps and Log Crossings, Traversing Erosion Mounds etc
Then set up camp
After dinner we had a talk in the training room about vehicle set up like fitting accessories like suspension, bullbars, lights dual batteries and the like
The next day we were up for Brekkie at 7.00am and another day playing in the bush
Mud Driving on the skid pan
Log Bridge exercise with your partner giving directions :roll:
Entering/Exiting washouts, bog holes etc and practise on the 4WD test track
There was a snatch and airbag demonstration and the fun part sand driving
All in all it was fun 2 days and even the wife enjoyed it. You always felt safe and in control with the guidance from Vic and John but some of Vic's jokes need work :lol: :lol:
Myself and the wife got a lot out of it and are keen for the advanced course but first we need to put into practice what we learnt and then build on from there.
I highly recommend anyone doing this course (or any other Registered Training organisation's) if you are a beginner like us. There was more to what I have posted here but this will give you the general idea.
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