Those of you who think a job like this might get easier every time you do it are not well acquainted with me. I have a predilection, maybe an illness, for making things more complicated than they need to be. We could have just assembled a bunch of campers in a paddock and had our way with them, but I wanted to put them through their paces, on a journey through southeast Queensland that fairly replicated the kind of work a real offroad camper will be asked to do on the average trip away.
This entailed a 3am start on the first day to make sunrise on the beach just north of Noosa, 60km of beach driving to make it to Double Island Point, and then up the Freshwater track to Rainbow Beach in the dark. Throw in one of the first hot days of the season, a few guys stuck in the sand along the way and some serious dehydration and you’ve got Day One.
We woke up, less than refreshed and were on the road with the sun again on the way to LandCruiser Mountain Park, a few hours south and west, which means the boonies! But what a trip. We cut through Old Yabba Creek Road and the Kingham station, some of the most beautiful rolling countryside around, with creek crossings, stags and plenty of cattle competing for the road with our convoy, about 500m long standing still. As bloody great at LMP is, this is a great example of the journey being better than the destination. We rolled into LMP around lunch time, ensconced up at the Billabong campground, and set about exploring the park, running the trailers up some gruelling terrain along the way. Photographer Ellen and the camera boys from Your4x4, Kris and Liam, had their hands full trying to capture everything for the mag and DVD you now hold in your hands. Unfortunately, I had to drive my 76 Series over all those gnarly obstacles myself, having a good time instead of working in the office! By the time the sun set on us again, we were ready for a roaring fire, a few XXXXs and some campfire cooking. I made the crew hobo packs, which they took to like hungry, well, hobos.
The next morning we started early again, exploring a little further around the park, finding those tracks that would really challenge the best offroad campers at their limits. And throughout all of this chaos, the judges were spending plenty of time looking over every camper in detail, crawling in, on and under them to help in the decision-making process. When it was all said and done, me and the other three judges sat down to nut out the winners. I figured it would take us 45 minutes or so. Nearly four hours later, we emerged from deliberation haggard men, but haggard men with a list of winners.
Needless to say, the sun set again, and we announced the winners around the campfire. I got a little teary-eyed and hoarse, but I swear it was the smoke. I’m just starting to grow the hair back on my shins now!
- Carlisle Rogers, issue 35, Camper Trailer Australia
