WA - Nanga 4WD Heritage Circuit

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Yeah ... I rearranged the left front mudguard. It's now got a much more artistic effect happening. Slipped a little bit sideways in a hole and stopped against something that weighed more than the Prado - like the planet's surface ops:

Cheers
Chippy

[mototrim Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mototrim]

Ouch! Panel beater job or not that bad? I liked the technic used by holdings one`s shirt while the other one retrieves. Gota have a lota trust that your mate wont let go!

[Justo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Justo]

Absolutly! Hey justo how do you find the traction control in the soft sand?

I like it, but I've bellied it out a couple of times on some really soft stuff with still too much tyre pressure and it gets a bit defeated then.. but doesn't matter what you've got once you are sittin on the belly..!! A bit of extra lift has helped a lot with that issue though, we hit some pretty soft stuff on the run and with a heavy foot and some momentum we had no hassles at all. Overall I love the traction control, would rather have it than the LSD. :lol:

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Justo's traction on the sand was fun to watch - we were both down around 18's, low range and beetling along at 25 - 30 km/hr. We hit a few really soft bits that had the tail slide towards the ocean (I wish I had some photos but I couldn't afford to stop) - only by keeping the right foot into it and driving south - while the nose was going south east and the arse was pointing north west - were we able to stay up on top.

One section was particularly soft and I backed off as Justo started to slide towards the ocean - big mistake - I went down almost straight away - and spent a minute or so rocking backwards and forwards until I had enough of a home made road to lauch an assault - there was no turning around and Justo's "loud pedal" approach had got him through.

Nah .. no serious damage ... just gonna spend a little time tomorrow to straighten it out. I find if I take the mud guard off and lay it flat, pour a kettle of boiling water on it, and clamp the bent bit between two bits of wood it returns to its original shape quite nicely.

That "grab the shirt" pic is a funny one. Jay has reached out to grab my shirt - and I still don't know whether it was to help me or save himself - but barely a second after the pic was taken he lost his footing and slid between my legs straight into the puddle :shock: ops: :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[Justo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Justo]

:lol: That was one of the humorous moments of the day I have to admit.. :lol: 8) next time he should pack his snorkel.. :P

[mototrim Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mototrim]

Justo it sounds like im going to need some driving tips from you and the other traction control guys before i head out.

Chippy that makes that photo even funnier i can see it happening in slow motion.That`s a neat trick with the boiling water i think you might have to change your name to Macgiver off the show with the same name. :lol:

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Just wait 'til you see what I can do with a pen knife, a box of matches and some cloudy ammonia :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

I reckon it's well worth heading out on a PP trip with some of these guys. It's the best learning program I've been involved with in a long time.

Cheers
Chippy (mentor to McGyver)

[fishnut Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close fishnut]

Great work fellas. Thanks for the photos and report.

When we head down there we usually end up camping in Lane Poole - dogs can stay there with us. But that was BP (Before Prado :lol: ), so now we can go play a bit more hard core. Time to book a weekend into the diary, but if it's still wet, going solo is probably not the best idea (especially without a winch).

You said you left at 10. I assume that's from down your way? What time did you get back? It's a long haul. And even longer for those that live in the middle of Perth :wink: or even further north.

And, final question - you reckon it's a plan for the 20th??

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

It's 60 Kms from my place - so not far at all. That's why we had coffee, morning tea, and left later - didn't want the day to finish too early. We took our time on the beach, then took our time playing in the mud all around the circuit, and we were out just after 4pm. The circuit is a 53 Km drive but there's all sorts to explore - it's nicer to take your time.

There's also a heap of wild site camps off on side tracks. Some of them were right on the bank of the river and really beautiful, secluded, sites. It's worth a drive through just to check out the accomodation.

The plan for the 20th is to head out the back of Harvey and play in some rock climbs, descents and muddy bits. The tracks would have been drying out quite nicely - until today - my rain guage showed 26 mm of rain last night and I haven't checked today's drop. We'll find out how it looks this coming weekend so we can make a day that is still fun for everyone. As soon as it's finalised I'll post an itinerary on the "Southern Sojourn" thread. At the moment it's a case of catering to a wide range of experience and abilities - and making sure we have ample parking for 16+ vehicles when we stop for lunch

Cheers
Chippy

[mototrim Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mototrim]

Chippy,
Dont know if everyone would be interested but there is a place in Dwellingup called Icy Creek and you can only get access from the ranger.
It has a outside camp kitchen proper toilet and HOT showers. It also has a rotunder with drop sides and fire in the middle.There are also 2-3 cabins that sleep 6 i think all with BBQ out front but no electricity.Depending on how many people you have, it can be booked exclusve but even if you have to share with another group theres no problem.
I dont know if it is still available to the public but if you want i will make some enquires.This place has a track leading up a hill just outside the gate that takes you to the track that your talking about (i think) which runs along the Murray and then loops back to Icy Creek.
The ranger has maps of the track which he will supply.I have stayed there a couple of times 3-4 years ago and its fantastic for large groups.

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Yep - that's the one. We went past a track leading to Icy Creek - didn't go in and have a look but it's exactly the place you're thinking about.

There's a lot more out there in the way of tracks and could make a really interesting group weekender.

Cheers
Chippy

[mototrim Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mototrim]

The place is ideal for tents and camper trailors or caravans and if you dont have any of these the shacks sleep about 6 people so .I will contact the ranger tommorow to see if its still open and how busy it is.Hopefully i will have my rig by the time its avaliable.

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Sounds good to me ... we'll be in

Cheers
Chippy

[Justo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Justo]

I'll be keen...sounds like a great weekender to me. 8)

[leachy_9 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close leachy_9]

I'd be keen.

Leachy