TRAVEL

You need to go off-roading in WA

WORDS BY EVAN SPENCE, IMAGES BY ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA 

5 reasons

It’s safe to say this trip had a few challenges. Starting with our flight from Sydney, which was suddenly cancelled, resulting in the team from Isuzu having to pull out all the stops, and organise another flight to Perth with 35 minutes to spare. This then meant that some of the other media outlets had lost their luggage, but again that was easy to sort out.

Several people were unlucky enough to find a few ticks on them after a lunch stop which had a few people scratching like mad for a few days, and to top things off, a fellow journalist on the trip took a nasty fall and sadly broke her leg while in an extremely remote location. And why am I telling you all this, aren’t I supposed to be selling the dream? Well, it makes for one hell of a yarn. But it also highlights that things can go wrong, and the importance of travelling with such an experienced team as that from the Isuzu I-Venture Club.

Nothing was a problem, there were only solutions. It’s safe to say I’ll never forget my first trip to Western Australia, and while it was more eventful that we’d hoped for, I’m here to assure you WA is somewhere every four-wheel driver needs to visit, no matter how far away it is for you. Let me explain why I’ll certainly be back to WA on another Coral Coast adventure.

A tale of ticks, cancelled flights, a broken leg and some of the most stunning four-wheel driving in Australia with Isuzu’s I-Venture Club.

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zenith
inspire
1. THE COASTLINE

If this looks like you are standing on the edge of the continent, well, it’s kind of because you are. The coastline surrounding Kalbarri is nothing short of stunning, and a much better option than karaoke at the local pub, but that’s still worth checking out. Anyway, just a few short moments’ drive out of the sleepy coastal town of Kalbarri, you will find some of the most amazing, well kept, easy to access lookouts that you need to visit.

There’s something so humbling about looking at the power of the ocean in this part of the world. Be sure to catch the daily pelican feeding, which is a laugh, and you simply have to make the easy drive out to Nature’s Window, preferably early in the morning to catch the best light.

“In terms of safety, vision and looks, it’s hard to go past Clearview Powerfold Mirrors.”
Pat Callinan

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2. THE ATTRACTIONS

Normally on a trip, I like to rack up as many kilometres as possible or spend as much time as possible in a location I love. I’m not really one for stopping at tourist attractions, unless they sell bacon/egg rolls, local ales or tacky stubby holders. But we’re on a different pace this trip, stopping regularly to learn about the history of the area, and see an amazing array of attractions. One of the first stops from Geraldton, was the HMAS Sydney Memorial, which is sobering to say the least. If you haven’t read up on this tragic event, I suggest you do so. This was the highest loss of Australian life in our history, and a stunning memorial has been created for us all to pay respect. There were many other stops of this nature, and I am genuinely blown away with the calibre and variety of the attractions we saw in Western Australia. Speaking of… 

3. THE PINK LAKE

Nope, this isn’t an over edited image, this, my friends, is the Pink Lake in Gregory, also known as Hutt Lagoon, and it’s pretty easy to see how it scored its name. It’s pink. But it’s also absolutely stunning, and somewhere you have to stop in for a look around grab a few photos. The reason this lake is pink, is to do with a high presence of algae, Dunaliella Salina. So, while that doesn’t sound too inviting, it’s something you’ll never forget seeing with your own eyes. Best time of day to visit the Pink Lake is early morning, or in the afternoon. It’s absolutely worth stopping in and grabbing a photo, before heading into the sand dunes and 4WD tracks around Half Way Bay Coast, oh… what a good time to lead into…

4. THE SAND DRIVING

I love sand driving, sadly there aren’t too many places you can explore the dunes in your 4WD in my native NSW, so the opportunity to have a drive on some scenic and challenging sand dunes around Half Way Bay was is too good to pass up. Here, we experienced something I’ve only seen once before, quick sand. Fortunately, nobody was caught out, but it’s a weird feeling seeing the ground jiggle like a post-Christmas day feed belly. The coastline, and dunes here are simply stunning, each turn you make looks like something from a post card. There’s a wonderful caravan park in town too, perfect for setting up base camp, and heading off for an explore in the dunes. There are also dedicated camping areas with decent facilities, so you have plenty of options.

5. THE PRIVATE PROPERTIES

On this particular trip, we spent a considerable amount of time at a wonderful private property called Murchison House Station. And when I say considerable amount of time, you need time here as there is 350,000 acres to explore. The diversity of landscape is nothing short of breathtaking, from rugged red dirt tracks, to sand to over 60km of Indian Ocean shoreline to explore. I’ve never been to one location that changes so dramatically and so quickly. I will 100% be back to explore this property further. Great four-wheel driving, amazing camping and 150 years of history making it one of the oldest pastoral stations in Western Australia. The property is open to the public from April to October, and if you have an interest in 4WDing, camping, wildlife and history, you need to put this one on your list. Check out more of the property here.

SPECIAL THANKS
A huge shout out to the team from IUA and the Isuzu I-Venture Club for hosting us on this amazing WA adventure. I’ve yet to see a more organised machine, or such an enthusiastic 4X4 club. If you own an Isuzu, or are thinking of buying one, do yourself a favour and check out the Isuzu I-Venture Club.

TRAVEL

You need to go off-roading in WA

WORDS BY EVAN SPENCE, IMAGES BY ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA 

5 reasons

A tale of ticks, cancelled flights, a broken leg and some of the most stunning four-wheel driving in Australia with Isuzu’s I-Venture Club.

It’s safe to say this trip had a few challenges. Starting with our flight from Sydney, which was suddenly cancelled, resulting in the team from Isuzu having to pull out all the stops, and organise another flight to Perth with 35 minutes to spare. This then meant that some of the other media outlets had lost their luggage, but again that was easy to sort out.

Several people were unlucky enough to find a few ticks on them after a lunch stop which had a few people scratching like mad for a few days, and to top things off, a fellow journalist on the trip took a nasty fall and sadly broke her leg while in an extremely remote location. And why am I telling you all this, aren’t I supposed to be selling the dream? Well, it makes for one hell of a yarn. But it also highlights that things can go wrong, and the importance of travelling with such an experienced team as that from the Isuzu I-Venture Club.

Nothing was a problem, there were only solutions. It’s safe to say I’ll never forget my first trip to Western Australia, and while it was more eventful that we’d hoped for, I’m here to assure you WA is somewhere every four-wheel driver needs to visit, no matter how far away it is for you. Let me explain why I’ll certainly be back to WA on another Coral Coast adventure.

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

If this looks like you are standing on the edge of the continent, well, it’s kind of because you are. The coastline surrounding Kalbarri is nothing short of stunning, and a much better option than karaoke at the local pub, but that’s still worth checking out. Anyway, just a few short moments’ drive out of the sleepy coastal town of Kalbarri, you will find some of the most amazing, well kept, easy to access lookouts that you need to visit.

There’s something so humbling about looking at the power of the ocean in this part of the world. Be sure to catch the daily pelican feeding, which is a laugh, and you simply have to make the easy drive out to Nature’s Window, preferably early in the morning to catch the best light.

1. THE COASTLINE

“In terms of safety, vision and looks, it’s hard to go past Clearview Powerfold Mirrors.”
Pat Callinan

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Normally on a trip, I like to rack up as many kilometres as possible or spend as much time as possible in a location I love. I’m not really one for stopping at tourist attractions, unless they sell bacon/egg rolls, local ales or tacky stubby holders. But we’re on a different pace this trip, stopping regularly to learn about the history of the area, and see an amazing array of attractions. One of the first stops from Geraldton, was the HMAS Sydney Memorial, which is sobering to say the least. If you haven’t read up on this tragic event, I suggest you do so. This was the highest loss of Australian life in our history, and a stunning memorial has been created for us all to pay respect. There were many other stops of this nature, and I am genuinely blown away with the calibre and variety of the attractions we saw in Western Australia. Speaking of… 

2. THE ATTRACTIONS

Nope, this isn’t an over edited image, this, my friends, is the Pink Lake in Gregory, also known as Hutt Lagoon, and it’s pretty easy to see how it scored its name. It’s pink. But it’s also absolutely stunning, and somewhere you have to stop in for a look around grab a few photos. The reason this lake is pink, is to do with a high presence of algae, Dunaliella Salina. So, while that doesn’t sound too inviting, it’s something you’ll never forget seeing with your own eyes. Best time of day to visit the Pink Lake is early morning, or in the afternoon. It’s absolutely worth stopping in and grabbing a photo, before heading into the sand dunes and 4WD tracks around Half Way Bay Coast, oh… what a good time to lead into…

3. THE PINK LAKE

I love sand driving, sadly there aren’t too many places you can explore the dunes in your 4WD in my native NSW, so the opportunity to have a drive on some scenic and challenging sand dunes around Half Way Bay was is too good to pass up. Here, we experienced something I’ve only seen once before, quick sand. Fortunately, nobody was caught out, but it’s a weird feeling seeing the ground jiggle like a post-Christmas day feed belly. The coastline, and dunes here are simply stunning, each turn you make looks like something from a post card. There’s a wonderful caravan park in town too, perfect for setting up base camp, and heading off for an explore in the dunes. There are also dedicated camping areas with decent facilities, so you have plenty of options.

4. THE SAND DRIVING

On this particular trip, we spent a considerable amount of time at a wonderful private property called Murchison House Station. And when I say considerable amount of time, you need time here as there is 350,000 acres to explore. The diversity of landscape is nothing short of breathtaking, from rugged red dirt tracks, to sand to over 60km of Indian Ocean shoreline to explore. I’ve never been to one location that changes so dramatically and so quickly. I will 100% be back to explore this property further. Great four-wheel driving, amazing camping and 150 years of history making it one of the oldest pastoral stations in Western Australia. The property is open to the public from April to October, and if you have an interest in 4WDing, camping, wildlife and history, you need to put this one on your list. Check out more of the property here.

5. THE PRIVATE PROPERTIES

SPECIAL THANKS
A huge shout out to the team from IUA and the Isuzu I-Venture Club for hosting us on this amazing WA adventure. I’ve yet to see a more organised machine, or such an enthusiastic 4X4 club. If you own an Isuzu, or are thinking of buying one, do yourself a favour and check out the Isuzu I-Venture Club.

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