TOUR INFORMATION

First of all, thank you for showing an interest in participating in this 4WD tour which has the objective of again raising funds to help Northcott (previously known as the NSW Society for Crippled Children). We have raised over $800,000 to date.
These funds will be used to fund Northcott’s Equipment Loan Pool.

For over 80 years, Northcott has provided services to people with disabilities, their families and carers.

Northcott currently offers 43 different services to over 13,000 individuals and their families across NSW.

Northcott’s Equipment Loan Pool increases independence and enhances the opportunities of individuals with a disability by supplying wheelchairs and other mobility equipment.

Every participating vehicle is asked to make a donation of $1000 to Northcott – this includes the organisers’ vehicles and group leaders’/other support vehicles. Every cent that you donate is going directly to Northcott and is TAX DEDUCTABLE. All organising and running costs of the Tour are being borne by sponsors and the tour organisers.

As we are conducting two tours in 2019, we are offering a $500 discount to anyone who does both tours.

If you decide that you would like to participate, please complete the Booking Form and Terms and Conditions on the homepage of the website and submit electronically.

Once your booking is confirmed, we will send you more details about the trip itself. You will also receive a request to submit your deposit donation of $200 which is due upon confirmation of your place on the Tour. This balance of your donation ($800) is payable 2 months before the Tour start date..

THE ORGANISERS OF THE 4WD FOR WHEELCHAIRS TOUR RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REFUSE A BOOKING APPLICATION AT THEIR SOLE DISCRETION.

HOW THE TOURS WILL WORK

TOUR 1 – VICTORIAN HIGH COUNTRY – APRIL 28 TO May 3, 2019

There will be up to 5 groups of up to 10 vehicles. Each group will have experienced four wheel drivers in lead and tail-end support vehicles.

The tour will start and finish in Harrietville VIC

The tour will commence with registration, introductions and pre-trip briefing at 3.30 pm on Sunday 28 April 2019 and end on the afternoon of Friday 3 May 2019. Drive 4 Life will host a dinner for all participants at the Snowline Hotel in Harrietville on the Friday evening.

Most days you will leave camp by 8.30 am and as no one likes to have to set up camp in the dark, your group leader’s objective is to have you arrive at your next campsite by about 4.00 pm.

You will need to be self-sufficient for all camping and cooking gear, food and drinks. We suggest that you take either gas or spirit stoves for cooking as firewood is scarce – and in some places non-existent. There is tank water available in some places.

You must have a car fridge. Ice coolers are not permitted as there are few places to replenish ice .

You will cover between 450 and 500 kilometres over the 5 days. You will be touring in an area bounded by the Dargo High Plains Road in the east, Licola in the south, Mt Buffalo in the west and the Great Alpine Road in the north.

Whatever you do……….

DON’T FORGET YOUR CAMERAS AND BINOCULARS

WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE?

The tracks in the VHC are notorious for punctures to vehicles who are not running a minimum of ALL-TERRAIN tyres. It is for this reason that all-terrain tyres are mandatory and any vehicle presenting with less than A/T tyres will not be permitted to join the tour and their donation will be refunded.

The various tracks  are very dusty (hopefully) – it’s better than being muddy, trust me! To this end, another mandatory requirement is a fitted, 5 watt UHF radio with external aerial as there will be quite long separation between vehicles on occasions. Handheld radios just cannot handle the distances.

IS MY VEHICLE SUITABLE AND DO I NEED ANY EXPERIENCE?

Provided that your vehicle has high and low range transmission and has a minimum of “all-terrain” tyres it will be quite capable of handling the tracks you will encounter.

ALL-TERRAIN TYRES ARE A NON-NEGOTIABLE PREREQUISITE FOR THIS TOUR.

As far as experience is concerned, it is not really necessary. However you will need to be confident enough to keep up with the vehicle in front. The Group Leaders will maintain a speed which will allow timely arrival at the next destination whilst taking into consideration road/track conditions.

TOUR 2 – BROKEN HILL TO BROKEN HILL VIA FLINDERS RANGES, CORNER COUNTRY AND TIBOOBURRA.

THIS TOUR IS OPEN TO BOTH 4WD AND AWD VEHICLES WHICH HAVE ALL-TERRAIN TYRES AND A 5 WATT UHF RADIO WITH EXTERNAL AERIAL.

The tour will start and finish in Broken Hill.

The tour will commence with registration, introductions and pre-trip briefing at 3.30 pm on Sunday 1 September 2019 and end on the afternoon of Sunday 8 September 2019. Drive 4 Life will host a dinner for all participants in Broken Hill on the Sunday evening.

Most days you will leave camp by 8.30 am and as no one likes to have to set up camp in the dark, your group leader’s objective is to have you arrive at your next campsite by about 4.00 pm.

You will need to be self-sufficient for all camping and cooking gear, food and drinks. We suggest that you take either gas or spirit stoves for cooking as firewood is scarce – and in some places non-existent. There is tank water available in some places.

You must have a car fridge. Ice coolers are not permitted as there are few places to replenish ice .

We will be touring in the Flinders Ranges area, doing “Skytrek” (Google it), Blinman, Arkaroola, Leigh Creek, “Talc Alf”, Lyndhurst, Maree, Strezlecki Track, Cameron’s Corner, Tibooburra and then to Broken Hill.

You will cover between 2100 and 2300 kilometres over the 8 days dependent on which route your Group Leader takes. You will find that with time out for morning tea, lunch, photo opportunities and the like, you will be driving for about 6 hours a day.

Whatever you do……….

DON’T FORGET YOUR CAMERAS AND BINOCULARS

WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE?

Whilst the majority of the driving will be on formed roads there will be some driving on rocky and sandy tracks. It is for this reason that all-terrain tyres are mandatory and any vehicle presenting with less than A/T tyres will not be permitted to join the tour and their donation will be refunded.

The various tracks  are very dusty (hopefully) – it’s better than being muddy, trust me! To this end, another mandatory requirement is a fitted, 5 watt UHF radio with external aerial as there will be quite long separation between vehicles on occasions. Handheld radios just cannot handle the distances.

IS MY VEHICLE SUITABLE AND DO I NEED ANY EXPERIENCE?

Provided that your vehicle has a minimum of “all-terrain” tyres it will be quite capable of handling the tracks you will encounter.
ALL-TERRAIN TYRES ARE A NON-NEGOTIABLE PREREQUISITE FOR THIS TOUR.

As far as experience is concerned, it is not really necessary. However you will need to be confident enough to keep up with the vehicle in front. The Group Leaders will maintain a speed which will allow timely arrival at the next destination whilst taking into consideration road/track conditions.

CAN I BRING MY TRAILER?

Genuine, heavy duty, off-road trailers are acceptable. Light duty or standard road trailers are not acceptable as they may succumb to the corrugation vibrations.

THE ORGANISERS OF THE 4WD FOR WHEELCHAIRS TOUR RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REFUSE A BOOKING APPLICATION AT THEIR SOLE DISCRETION.

THIS TOUR IS ALSO OPEN TO AWD VEHICLES WITH ALL-TERRAIN TYRES AND A FITTED 5 WATT UHF RADIO WITH EXTERNAL AERIAL.

BOTH TOURS

WHAT SPECIAL THINGS DO I NEED?
Let’s deal with the “MUST HAVES” first:
• UHF 2 way radio for communication between vehicles so that you can be advised (and advise) of everything from potential hazards to items of interest that may not be immediately obvious. The radio must be fitted and have 5 watts of power and have an external aerial. We have found on previous dusty trips that small 1 or 2 watt radios and even some 5 watters without an external aerial do not have enough “grunt” to handle the distance between vehicles.
• First Aid Kit: Again, you don’t need something expensive. Most 4WD shops (see below) stock good, reasonably priced kits.
• “ALL-TERRAIN” type tyres as a minimum.
• 20 litres of water for each two people in a vehicle. You can either carry one 20 L can, two 10 L cans or four 5 L cans. The smaller containers are easier to pack – use plastic containers not metal.
• Snatch Strap – used to pull a vehicle out of or over a section of track where traction is difficult. The people at the 4WD store (see below) will explain the operating principle of a snatch strap.
• “D” or Bow shackles are used to attach the snatch strap to the vehicle. You need TWO and they must be rated at least 3.25 tonnes. You can tell if they are rated by the pins being painted and by the rated tonnage cast on the side of the shackle itself.
• Recovery points front and rear are the points where you attach the snatch strap or winch cable. Do not rely on the shipping “tie-down” loops fitted to most new 4WD’s. Your 4WD shop will advise on suitability of existing points. After-market recovery points are not expensive and should be fitted by a reputable 4WD shop.
• A full vehicle check (and service) – having told the servicing company that you are going on long road trip to the Kimberley.

Now for the “RECOMMENDED ITEMS”:
• Cargo Barrier – Recommended to be fitted to “station wagon” type vehicles as this prevents loose items in the back from flying forward under emergency braking situations and steep downhill sections.
• Fire Extinguisher – a small 1 Kg unit– available from good 4WD shops.
• Spare drive belts for fan/alternator/power steer/air-con etc.
• Spare radiator hoses (top and bottom).
• Tyre Pressure Gauge – you will be lowering your tyre pressures when you go off-road.
• 12 Volt Electric Tyre Pump (Compressor) – if you already have one, bring it along. But don’t go out and buy one – especially not a cheap one.
• If you must use a roof rack, keep the weight below 75 kilos. It is a good idea to put light items like clothes and bedding (inside truly waterproof and dustproof containers) on the rack and heavy items like water containers as low as possible inside the vehicle. One exception – if you are carrying a gas bottle, it should be securely strapped inside the roof rack.
ALL ITEMS, BOTH INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND ON THE ROOF RACK MUST BE SECURELY TIED DOWN.

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AND RADIO EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS

ARB Corporation have again agreed to be the PRINCIPAL SPONSOR and we would therefore ask that you utilise ARB outlets and licensed ARB stockists as you will find them most reputable and able to supply all the equipment and services listed above.

Listed below are the ARB Company stores – some of them do have vehicle servicing facilities. Ring and check.

VICTORIA

ACT

Canberra
188-190 Gladstone Street
Fyshwick ACT 2609
Tel: (02) 6280 7475

NEW SOUTH WALES

QUEENSLAND

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Perth
66 Collingwood Street
Osborne Park WA 6017
Tel: (08) 9244 3553

NORTHERN TERRITORY
Darwin
64 Raphael Road
Winnellie NT 0820
Tel: (08) 8947 2262

TASMANIA
Launceston
48 Holbrook Street
Invermay TAS 7248
Tel: (03) 6331 4190

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

GENERAL
• Cargo Barrier.
• Fire Extinguisher, mounted in cab.
• Spares – Fan/Aircon belts, radiator hoses etc.
• Tools you can actually use.
• Tyre Pressure Gauge.
• If Roof Rack used, keep weight below 75kg.
• All items inside & outside to be tied down.
• Vehicles must have one recovery point at Front and Rear

CAMPING GEAR

• Tent/swags/sleeping bags/pillows
• Chairs/Table etc.
• Minimum 20 litres of water per two people
• Bucket (to fill water containers)
• Wash-up dish
• Car Fridge
• Gas/Fuel Stove, fuel & Utensils
• Small Shovel.
• Toilet Paper.
• 5 Plastic Rubbish Bags
• Camp Light
• Torch
• Suitable clothing for temperatures in the 6 to 30 degree Celsius range. We did this tour in 2010 and it rained! so bring wet weather gear.

• All Food & Beverages for duration.
• Sunscreen
• Insect Repellent