2009-11

November 2009

SUBARU 4WD NEWS

Meetings of

THE SUBARU 4WD CLUB of WESTERN AUSTRALIA INC.

are normally held at

7.30pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the

Wembley Community Centre (Joan Watters Building) 40 Alexander Street, WEMBLEY W.A.

Subaru 4WD Web Site: http://www.subaru4wdclubwa.asn.au

SUBARU 4WD CLUB of WESTERN AUSTRALIA INC

P.O. BOX 434, SOUTH PERTH, W.A. 6951

SUBARU 4WD CLUB NEWS

2009 COMMITTEE

(Home Phone)

PRESIDENT: John Cahill 0439 922 338

[email protected]

SECRETARY: Robert Griffiths 9250-6270 [email protected]

TREASURER: Tony Richards 9386-7705 [email protected]

SOCIAL ORGANISER: Keith Wilcox 9344-6830

TRIPS CO-ORDINATOR: Josan Moss 9341-1446

EDITOR: Jim Wilcox 9306-8222 [email protected]

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: David Peck 9275-5617

Keith Low 9459-3358

Wendy Griffiths 9250-6270

Tom Minto 9382-4678

Ian Johnson 9448-5419

MERCHANDISE: Tony Richards 9386-7705

WEB MASTER: Karl Boeing 9341-5087 [email protected]

4WD ASSOC DELEGATE: Tony Richards 9386-7705

M’SHIP CO-ORDINATOR: Keith Low 9459-3358 [email protected]

PROPERTY OFFICER: Geoff Hayden 9447-5698

Club member of the year 2009: Tony Richards

LIFE MEMBERS

Fred Offer, Keith Anderson, Jonel Householder, Ray Stewart,

Ian Johnson, Peter Andruszkiw and Ron Caunce.

SUBARU 4WD CLUB of W.A. INC

Presidents Report November Well wasn’t the Annual Dinner good fun out at the Freemason’s Hotel in Beverley. We had a really good turn out with 45 people in attendance for the meal. It was a nice warm night with most people staying in the hotel (or nearby) and hence able to imbibe a little more than normal. As an added treat for the dinner David Peck managed to arrange gliding trips at the Beverley gliding club as well..

This year Tony Richards was voted Club Member of the year in recognition of his constant good humour, participation and willingness to serve the club and its members. Well done and well deserved. Our next award was for the Trip Leader of the year which this year was a double act awarded to Simon and Anne Newton for their excellent efforts leading what turned out to be the Trip of the Year – the Simpson Desert trip. Recognising that the long trips will frequently take the top awards, the committee added awards to cover the many other activities through the year. Consequently, the Weekend Trip of the Year went to the D’Entrecasteaux National Park trip at Easter this year lead by Keith Low, the Day Trip of the year went to Julimar Conservation Park trip in May, lead by Tony Richards, the Social trip of the year went to the Fremantle Tunnels trip under the Fremantle Gaol lead by Keith Wilcox and the trip report of the year went to the Simpson Desert Trip penned by Keith Low.

On top of the main awards there were numerous silly awards to commemorate humorous moments , perseverance, skill on the trips through the year. The Simpson travellers by virtue of the length of the trip produced the most awards, however standout most spoken of and photographed award was for the Subamarine award to Dane Hayden for probing new puddle depths in his very newly roadworthy L series on the Mundaring Power Lines trip.

All these good times and good company have been organised through the diligent service of the members of the club executive committee, who, as we proceed to our Annual General Meeting next month, I thank sincerely for your efforts throughout the year.

This year four club officers will have completed their two year term. They are Treasurer, Secretary, Editor and Social Organiser.


TRIP CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT November

Please consider whether you can provide some of your time to provide these invaluable services to our club. Many committee members have been on the committee year in/year out moving between positions as needed and some have requested a rest from committee duties if possible. Without these positions filled we do not have a functioning club. So see what you can do to help continue the 30 year tradition of a fine club.

We now have a roster of members to cover the club stand at the 4WD show this year. Those on the stand will need to pick up their passes at the AGM. For those club members who are just planning a visit to the show there is a good qty of $10.00 discount vouchers that will be available at the AGM as well.

And in case it has slipped memory, it is time to renew your membership. This is the first magazine for the 2009/10 membership year so, if you have not done so already please renew your membership using the renewal form supplied last month.

Cheers, John Cahill

Being the tail end Charlie time of year, the trips are more of the social kind. Is it time to give the car a rest? From the attendance sheet it looks like Jim’s “hangar” would have been busy last Sunday for fiddles and nibbles!

And it only seems a few weeks ago that we had 25 cars at Lancelin, and now it is back on the calendar for next month! This is always hugely popular with visitors and new members.

Quite often members go away for a few days between Christmas and New Year and get together with fellow members for an informal trip (no trip leading etc). If you are thinking of going away camping somewhere this year and are happy to open it up to members to join you, then let us know and we can mention it in the December magazine, or send an email around nearer the time.


As you can see below we have next year’s trip planning well underway. I look forward to my second year as Trip Coordinator with the new committee. Here is the latest event list so you can plan well ahead:

Sun 22nd Nov – Lancelin sand dunes – Peter Andruszkiw, see promo

Sat 5th Dec – Christmas Party Light Show at Rob and Wendy Griffiths’ home, see promo

Sun 10th Jan – Beach Trip, Myalup – Peter Andruszkiw. (Note this trip has been brought forward a week from last month’s mag which showed Sunday 17th.)

Sat 23rd – Tue 26th Jan – Extended long weekend – TRIP LEADER NEEDED – Possibly Lucky Bay (the one near Geraldton). As Tuesday is the Public Holiday, this is an opportunity to have a long weekend if you manage to get Monday off work, so put it in your diary and book Monday off!

Following trips are subject to confirmation, but pencil in your diary anyway:

Sat 13th Feb –Karakamia Wildlife Park, Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Subject to confirmation, we hope to book a twilight walking tour to see some of our native nocturnal animals in action.

LWE -Sat Feb 27th, Sun/Mon 1st March -Carey Brook Camp near Pemberton, TRIP LEADER NEEDED

Sat/Sun Mar 20th/21st - Gingin Observatory, camping overnight at new campsite nearby.

Good Friday April 2nd – Sun 11th, , Take Another Bight! – Simon Newton is planning a trip across the Nullarbor, then south and west along the old telegraph track, back through Esperance. You will enjoy some magnificent scenery. We are hoping to combine this 9 day trip with a shorter version for those who can only go for the Easter weekend.

See you out there...Josan

This November meeting is the AGM so

please come along and support YOUR

club.


TRIP PROMOTIONS / INFORMATION

Christmas Light Show Christmas Light Show Christmas Light Show Christmas Light Show –––– Saturday 5 December Saturday 5 December Saturday 5 December Saturday 5 December

The’re back! Bigger and brighter than before. The’re back! Bigger and brighter than before. The’re back! Bigger and brighter than before. The’re back! Bigger and brighter than before.

Robert and Wendy have been busy again synchronising thousands of lights to music for their Christmas Light Show.

Santa will be collecting donations on behalf of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Put your name down on the list or contact Robert and Wendy for direc-tions. Flyers will be available at the Club meetings.

Date: Saturday 5 December.

Venue: Robert & Wendy’s Place.

6 Bohemia Court, HELENA VALLEY6048

Time: From 6pm – lights start around 8pm

Bring: All your BBQ meats, deserts & Drinks.

Robert & Wendy will provide nibbles & salads.

Contact: Robert & Wendy on 92506270 or 0411 249 933.

[email protected].


TAKE ANOTHER BIGHT.

Easter plus. Friday April 2nd to Sunday 11th 2010.

The plan is a continuation of a trip some years ago cut short by bad weather and the wheels falling off! Hopefully this time nei-ther will occur.

We will leave on Good Friday and travel to Caiguna on the Nul-larbor, then south to the cliffs on the Bight. We will then travel west along the old overland telegraph line and the beaches to Esperance.

Spectacular scenery, the huge cliffs on the Bight, Toolina Cove, 100mt high Bilbunya Dunes and the magnificent bays and beaches of Cape Arid and Le Grande National Parks.

Total distance is around 2250km with over 500 on Bush Tracks and Beaches. Bush camping all the way.

Some old and not so old historical sites such as Baxter Cliffs, Rossiter Bay, Torsion Bar Hill and Slightly Damp Camp.

Register your interest now by emailing

[email protected] for the selection criteria and additional information sheet.

Trip Leader

Simon Newton.

Open to Offers – Subaru “Ugly” 4WD “Green Ant”. Rod Brown, a former member living in Dunsborough has to part with his beloved Subaru. This is a rare vehicle and it would be nice if it could go to a caring home.

1976 (so called) “Ugly” 4wd wagon in original candy apple green.

Gearbox “MY” 1800 4 speed 4wd.

Engine 1600cc pushrod + hydraulic lifters (no tappets to adjust).

Please give Rod a call if you are interested 0427 568 045.

(Ian Johnson can give some tech assistance 0419 936 566).


Lancelin Sand Dunes ~ Sunday 22 November

This is a trip for all members in all model 4WD Subarus (except unlifted Libertys or Imprezas). Outbacks have had a few front clear-ance problems in the past, so if these owners have any concerns please contact the trip leader. Also it pays to remove the plastic splash tray under the engine if it has not already been replaced with a sump guard. Prospective, new and existing members are all invited to learn the capabilities of their vehicle and their driving ability.

We split into groups depending on experience and start off easy, pro-gressing to something more challenging. It is a fun day in a safe area with experienced members who will give you advice on all facets of driving on sand including tyre pressures, choosing the right gear ra-tios and how to get out after getting stuck in the sand.

Date: Sunday 22 November.

Trip leader: Peter Andruszkiw – 9440 4075 (H)

Time: 8.15am for an 8.30am departure. Do not be late.

Where to meet: Light horse memorial trail car park on Wanneroo Road, approx 4km north of Joondalup drive inter-section.

Bring: Lunch, drinks, snacks, tyre pump, tyre pressure gauge, hat, sunscreen and camera.

Fuel: Full tank


Fiddles and Nibbles Sunday November 1st Are there any jobs that you would like to do on your car and maybe need a bit of guidance to achieve them?

Well this is the idea of the day. It allows you to get in there and tackle projects that you otherwise may not do.

I have a fairly well equipped workshop with a hoist which will allow the tackling of most jobs.

If you will require quite a bit of help, or a large project, please organise this beforehand so that I have an idea of what resources are required.

No jobs? just come for lunch or a chat.

B.Y.O. everything, BBQ supplied if required to cook on.

Time: 9am on

Address: 218 Lakelands Drive, Gnangara (corner Sydney Road)

Someone did help! Many thanks to W K Motors, Subaru’s agent in Port Hedland for sending me a wheel cap to re-place the one I lost on the Simpson trip.

Keith Wilcox


TRIP & SOCIAL REPORTS

Saturday 26 September. Lochada

We all woke after a cold night to clear skies and bright sunshine. After a hearty breakfast, John Cahill walked us through the list of jobs to be done around the Boiada Camp. Around 9.30 the Subaroosters split up into two groups. Ian & Nina lead group one to tackle the removal of fencing along Steve’s Track, Group two remained in camp to set about the many repair and cleaning jobs.

Robert and Keith made a good job of nailing down loose boards in the shed and strengthening the big table in the kitchen. John Taylor work-ing around camp spotted and rescued a gecko which had been dis-turbed by all the activity. Jo was kept busy picking up wire, glass and general rubbish that was strewn around camp. Wendy and John Cahill were on wheel barrow and shovel duty – clearing out the fire pit and rebuilding it. As the morning passed the blazing sun beat down relent-lessly on the hard working mobs. We also noticed the steady stream of general public with their heavies, camper vans, trailers and even a couple of standard road cars roll into camp.

Just before lunch Quentin came back with a couple of ute loads of pine posts from the fence removal crew. Ian, Nina, Josan & Quentin had managed to remove over 800m of fence.

We all congregated in the shade of the shed for lunch. Then after making some improvements to the new fire pit it was time for well earned rest. People wandered off to do their own thing. Josan and Wendy went bush on the trail of the Major Mitchell’s which had been spotted flying around camp. They were lucky enough to get quite close to a ‘flock’ of 4 and also spotted a red capped robin.

The new and improved fire pit was tested out that night and seemed to fit the requirements of all the bush chefs.

Wendy


Paruna wildlife Conservation Park is up O’Brien Road, a road I had never been on before till recently, in North Gidgegannup along the southern bank of the Avon, between Walyunga National Park and the Avon River National park. It has been bought by the Australian Conservation Society to act as a wildlife corridor between the two parks. And what a beautiful place it turned out to be! Josan man-aged to get everybody starting early on a Sunday morning on a trip that called for exercise. There were 8 of us there to start including Dave Peck and his two children, Ian and Nina, Tony Richards, Josan and myself.

The entire park is fenced in with a well maintained high fence to keep all the feral animals out of the park and has a pin lock to get in. there are two large loop tracks in a sort of stretched figure of 8 shape that enable various lengths of walk to be undertaken without

going back on tracks very much.

The whole area was lush with plenty of green grass, wildflow-ers, water flowing in the streams. To start we proceeded down-hill passed some full dams and along the streams down towards the Avon. As we went out we got a magnificent view across and east along the river valley with plenty of water still flowing along the bottom about 150m below. As we went further around the hill the water got closer and closer as we crossed the various steams and tracks until we were only about 30m above the water level. It had been a nice easy walk down but needed a bit more effort to get

Paruna Walk Report, 11th October, 2009


up. We walked up the valley taking nu-merous pictures of the wildflowers which were still in many cases still only starting to come out. There were perfect spider orchids in a number of places ably spotted by eagle eye Ian Johnson who has the uncanny ability to spot the most camou-flaged flower, insect or formation.

We also spotted some beautifully formed Zamia palm flowers which I had not looked at closely before.

After climbing back up the hill and walking along one of the numerous streams we came to the branch point around for the shortened walk back which Dave and off sprung needed to take to get back in time for a bbq and study.

The rest of the party proceed to head west along the spur track to-wards the other loop. As we headed east we noted that the track seemed to becoming more and more unclear as we need to scan for markers to walk along. We eventually found the correct track, to our chagrin, as we saw it going all the way down, down, down …. again towards the river. However it was certainly worth it in the end as we found a perfect lunch stop with a little used picnic table, next to a water-fall and stream with plenty of tree cover to keep the sun off! Idyllic!


After lunch we continued the journey out to the west around the hill till we came to the western most look out.

As we were going we came across some native wildlife that seemed completely unperturbed by our pres-ence including a beautifully attired Robin Red Breast who just let me get closer and closer to see him in full array. Having completed the walk out we came back on the upper loop passed a crumbling look-out dedi-cated by a crumbling politician with a similar long view north, west and east along the valley.

By this time we were well past the enthusiasm stage and proceeded to make our way back to the car park and toilets, a lot more urgently for this one than others. All in all we had about a 6 hour walk, over 12km

and up and down 150metres, two or three times. - just a training walk for Nina who was about to start on the Bibbul-mum track the follow-ing week. It was an excellent trip and well worth more visits. Thank you Josan for persevering in your efforts to get us out of the cars!

John Cahill


CLUB CALENDAR

November 2009

S M T W T F S Sun 1st: Fiddles and Nibbles:

see page 10

Tue 3rd Committee Meeting

Tue 10 Annual general meeting

13,14,15th 4WD show

22nd Lancelin see page 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30

December 2009

S M T W T F S Tues 1 Committee Meeting

Sat 5th: Xmas party and light show

See page 6

Tue 8 General Meeting

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

January 2010

S M T W T F S Tues 5 Committee Meeting

Tues 12 General Meeting

Sun 10th Beach trip

LWE trip 23-26th Lucky bay??

31 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30


Potential members are most welcome to come along on any Club activities before joining. Please phone the Trip Leader for further information.

Register with the trip leader if you are wanting to join a trip or social. Also contact the trip leader if you have to cancel, as we don’t want to wait for someone who does not turn up!

Some trips are ideas only and may be subject to change. Some of the later trips need trip leaders – volunteers please.

SCHOOL AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

School Holidays: Dec 17-Feb 1, Apr 2-19, July 3-19, Sept 25-Oct 11

Public holidays: Dec 25,26,28 Jan 1,26 March 1 April 2,5,26 June 7

February 2010

S M T W T F S Tue 2 Committee Meeting


Sat 13th: Karakamia wildlife park

Sat 27 to March 1 Carey Brook

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28

March 2010

S M T W T F S Tue 2 Committee Meeting


Sat 20, Sun 21 Gingin observatory 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31


Anne Beadell/Simpson Desert/Flinders Ranges Day 17 (Monday 15 June) 2009

Up at 5.40 – packed, ready to go at 7.15. However, a couple of Jon’s tyres were just a little too low and he had to put air in them. Away we go? No, not quite. Now Jon’s car won’t start. Simon sprayed “Start ya bastard” into Jon’s carbie and the engine fired. Good stuff! Finally away at 7.30.

A couple of dunes out of camp and Jon was again having trouble with car - this time it was the clutch again. He was only able to get first or second. He pushed on.

We arrived at Goonamillera Crossing on Eyre Creek at about 8.15. Simon and Keith Low waded the creek to check the depth. Looked good - below knee depth. Shallower than we thought it might be.

Jim and Joy were the first to cross – no prob-lems. Then Simon and the rest of us. All across without any drama at all. A bit of an anti-climax!

Then south to the QAA line using the original by-pass. We arrived at the end of the by-pass at about 9.30 and then turned back west, as we wanted to see the QAA crossing of the Eyre which was closed. We didn't have far to go before we hit water and stopped for morning tea. The crossing did not look good and we im-mediately understood why it was closed and traffic was being diverted to the northern crossing. And we weren’t even sure that we were at the main QAA crossing!

After morning tea was completed , we headed off east along the QAA


line towards “Big Red” and Birdsville.

We reached “Big Red” without too much trouble, at about 11.00.

At that point, Jon and Val decided to take the “detour” which, accord-ing to Jon and Val, proved to be more challenging than Big Red itself. They got stuck on the dune and had to have a couple of goes at it!

Simon lead the way up Big Red, but ended up needing a second go at it, which saw him up and over easily. All other Subarus then followed suit, also managing to get over easily. Some cars even went over a second time as second drivers had a go. Both Jeanette and Joy got over.

When we had finished play-ing, we headed to-wards the detour crossing to meet back up with Jon and Val. There was an information bay just near that point. At the bay, we met Jenny who had travelled alone from Devonport in her Outback. She was having a great time.

Then Jon and Val ar-rived and we all headed east to Birds-ville on a gravel road. No more sand. No more sand dunes. We had done it. We had all safely crossed the Simpson! A sense of accomplishment was starting to set in,


tinged with a bit of sadness, as this leg of the trip was almost done.

We arrived at Birdsville at 12.35, passing what appeared to be a new sub-division on the way in. Our first act on reaching Birdsville was not to kiss the ground, but to stand in front of the Birdsville Hotel for a group photo.

That done, it was lunch time. So we headed off to the new bakery for lunch – sausage rolls and a drink. After that, a quick stop at the Mobil petrol station (opposite the hotel) for fuel and then on to the Caravan Park.

Once at camp, the tent went up quickly and almost came down just as quickly as a strong wind was blowing. Showers were the next order of business, followed by our washing. It was soon all out on the line.

We met at the pub for dinner at 6.00. And we all had a very enjoyable evening, with lots of laughter and chatting, particularly with the Prado guys.

The minimum temp that night was 7.5 degrees.

Anne Beadell/Simpson Desert/Flinders Ranges Day 18 (Tuesday 16 June) 2009

We had a late breakfast at 8.00am after hot showers. Then packed up. We were meeting at the Birdsville Working Museum for the 9.00am tour, lead by John Menzies, who owned the Museum. It was a fascinating 50 minute tour. His collection of memorabilia and “stuff” is truly incredible.

It includes butter churns, hand irons, washing machines, tea cans, floor polish, cereal, toy cars, radios, engines, pumps, horse coaches, a number of mules and much, much more! And, by the way, it is all for sale!

After the tour, we had morning tea at the bakery – rabbit pie and a cap-puccino. Then a last look around town, including at the boiling artesian water flowing to the surface, and we were away and on to our next des-


tination, Mungerannie Station.

A short distance out of town, we stopped at the Burke and Wills tree near the race course. Also at the site were small corrals for race horses and camping spots for riders and others.

The Birdsville Track was a highway compared to the Anne Beadell and the Simpson. It was a wide, graded, gravel road, although still surrounded by lots of nothingness. It also had its fair share of stones and rocky patches. Almost none of it was

fenced. Nonetheless, we were able to make good time.

There were a few points of interest along the way, including a memorial to Charles Sturt and the Page family grave where five members of the Page family are buried, close to where they died when their car broke down in 1963.

From there we went past old Clifton Hills Station - not much left. Then through some water on the road, which was part of Bungmurloo Soakage, fed by an Artesian spring. Strange to see water over the road.

Then on we went, ever further south, past Mt Gason, Lake Howitt, Mitta Mitta Bore and Gypsum Cliff. We arrived at Mungerannie at 3.35pm and immediately filled up with petrol @ $1.60 a litre.

“Mungerannie” comprised the hotel and outbuildings and a nearby Arte-sian wetland. That’s all there was. We checked in and found ourselves a

camp site and established camp. Behind us was the wet-land with a variety of flora and fauna in residence.

After that, a dip in the Artesian hot pool sounded like just the ticket. It was great. The tem-perature was just about right. We must have stayed in the pool for about 20 minutes. And then, as if that wasn’t enough hot water for one day, we had


hot showers to wash off.

Dinner was at the hotel. My choice from the menu was Chile Con Carne, which was very tasty, thank you. We stayed on in the pub after dinner, as a tourist group was there and the publican had put on a DVD movie, “Back of Beyond”, which was about the legendary Birdsville mail man Tom Kruse and life around Birdsville in the mid-1900s.

To bed at a reasonable hour, al-though not quite as early as usual.

Tony Richards

FOR SALE Engel Car Fridge 12/240 volt 15lt. Older model but works well.

Has Travel Bag.

$200. PH. Simon 94505953.


Wandoo Wander – Sunday 13 September

The lead up weather had been wet, and the forecast for the day wasn’t great, but seven vehicles full of people who were brighter than the weather turned up for the day trip through the jarrah and wandoo for-ests between Perth and York. As usual these days, the vehicle inven-tory was dominated by Foresters, but included Matt’s ‘Jaffa’, his bright orange, raised, Liberty – it was certainly a standout in this company.

After most had taken the opportunity to grab a coffee or fresh bread roll from the nearby shops, and Matt and his mate had put a can of baked beans on the engine to warm up in transit, we headed off along the Brookton Highway. First stop was the Mt Dale lookout, a 17 km side trip off the highway, where we had morning tea. Whilst it was still cloudy and a little threatening, the view from the lookout to the west

gave us some cause for optimism about the weather. Plan A had been to continue di-rectly east from Mt Dale but the wet weather meant DEC wouldn’t give us a permit to travel on the roads through the Disease Risk Area, so we had to drive back to the highway.

A brief stop at Christmas Tree Well showed why it was given its name – it would be a spectacular spot in the lead up to Christmas (almost as bright as Rob & Wendy’s lights!). The well was pretty full, and ‘well’ guarded to prevent tragedy for animal or human, and the nearby water point for fire suppression was equally full, more signs of the good winter rains.

We continued east, transitioning from the jarrah forest into the wandoo that was to be the focus of the day. Soon after turning off the highway we arrived at the old, abandoned Jaya mill site where we had a quick


look around. There were some interesting relics of its for-mer life but it gets a lot of use and was unfortu-nately a bit rub-bished up.

Here we made a general direc-tional change to start driving to the north through the

eastern wandoo forests, much of them part of the Wandoo National Park. Both ordinary and powder-bark wandoo were dominant in differ-ent localities and the woodland had its usual understated beauty. It soon became apparent, though, that a lot of the wildflowers still thought it was July or August, based on the weather, and had not yet

begun to show themselves fully.

However, when we stopped for lunch there were a few around, including a magnificent spider orchid that Keith W found hiding in the ash bed of a burnt-out stag that had fallen about 50 metres off the road. Another stop a bit further north had several small scarlet spiders for us to admire. A little later we drove along adja-cent to the Darkin River where there were more signs of the good winter rains. On his recce the week before, Tony had had to rescue a group who had parked off the road around here whilst looking for wildflowers.


Wandoo country is renowned for being very tricky (or sticky) and it pays to stay on the hard surface.

Shortly after, we stopped at Mt Talbot where, as is usually the case, the granite outcropping fostered a variety of wildflow-ers, including more beautiful cowslip or-chids, leschenaultia, kennedia and hovea amongst others. From there we drove north along Catch-ment Road which formed the boundary

between the wandoo woodland on the one side and the beautiful green farming country to the east. Our final stop was at Mt Observa-tion where we said our goodbyes, headed down to the nearby Great Southern Highway and drove home.

It had been a great day and, whilst threatening early, the weather had been good to us. The late season meant the wildflowers weren’t at their best but we still saw quite a few beautiful specimens, and the wandoo woodland was, as always, very attractive. I had only been back from British Columbia for a few days and this was a gentle re-minder to me that we also have beautiful country to explore and enjoy (and far fewer bears!!)

I’d like to thank Tony personally for stepping into the breach, when I suddenly disappeared to BC at short notice, for planning and running such a great trip.

Keith Low


WHAT IS ELECTROLYSIS?

Electrolysis is the result of either a chemical reaction and / or electricity flowing through your cooling system and causing an electrochemical charge across the aluminium. This results in rapid corrosion and se-vere damage to the components in your cooling system including dis-coloration, pitting, flaking, and pinholes. Most common in late model vehicles, hot rods and street rods, electrolysis will usually occur if there is a defective or missing ground on one of the numerous potential elec-trical sources.

HOW CAN I TEST FOR ELECTROLYSIS?

To test if your cooling system has been affected by electrolysis, you will need to test the voltage in your cooling system. The first step is to con-nect the negative lead of a volt/ohm meter to the battery ground. Then, carefully insert the positive lead of the volt/ohm meter into the coolant inside the radiator without contacting the filler neck. If the result is more than 0.10 V, this indicates that there is an electrical current flowing through the system. Continue to check the voltage between the coolant and (1) the engine (2) the frame by touching the negative lead to each respectively. Repeat test with the positive lead touching the radiator instead of the coolant.

A simple and usually effective way to try and determine the faulty elec-trical source is to conduct this test with the engine running and all vehi-cle accessories on. Have a friend or co-worker systematically switch on and off components of the car as you monitor the meter (in some in-stances, fuses need to be removed in order to switch the accessory off. You may also want to test with the ignition off). If voltage drops when disconnecting an electrical circuit, that circuit represents a likely electri-cal source.

WAYS TO PREVENT ELECTROLYSIS:

Unfortunately, only the careful monitoring and proper maintenance of your cooling and electrical system can really prevent electrolysis from destroying your system. ALWAYS make sure the radiator is not used as a ground and that all components are functioning properly. Periodi-cally test your system and check for any discoloration or pinholes – es-pecially around the tube-to-header joints and tubes near the centre of the core by the electric fan mounts.

Courtesy of Carl Carey


THE SUBARU 4WD CLUB OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INC.

Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 13 October 2009

At Joan Watters Centre, Wembley

Meeting Opened: 19:37

In Attendance: As per attendance book.

Apologies: Roz Carey

Visitors:

Previous Minutes: Approved as per magazine copy (Dave Peck, Carl Carey)

Business Arising: Nil.

Correspondence in:

• Work plans for Lochada from Reg

• Expo statement & invoice $185

• Royal Flying doctors campaign leaflets

• Network news mag

• Mag - Victoria Subaru 4wd club - Sep

• Mag - Twin Diffs

• Mag - Bull Sheet Subaru 4wd South Australia

• Statement Westpac $3634.58

• Lewana cottages information leaflets

For sale Liberty 2wd wagon, White

Very reliable, Serviced

230,000 kms ±

Ideal for town car, student etc.

$2500

Contact Guy: 0417 180 915


• Invoice Town of Cambridge $50

Memberships - Simon/Anne Newton, Chris/Elaine Lewis, David Combe - all with cheques

Correspondence out:

• Application renewal 4wd asn.

• Paperwork to allow EFT payments from Subaru.

• Greg Kitson Lochada regarding work

Reg Summary of work done at Lochada

Treasurer’s Report – Accepted – Business Arising? Reconciled Bank Balance (@31/9/09): $2,858.61 Add Petty Cash: $ 26.00 TOTAL FUNDS AVAILABLE $2,884.61

Accounts paid since month end: Nil Accounts payable: Received/Receivable:

$30 Donation whilst at Lochada camp from grateful camper

Merchandise: Britax 30 LED cordless work light – raffle? – YES Polo shirts without pocket = $23.00; with pocket = $27.00 (medium and large only). Jackets = $35.00 and beanies = $11.00. Do stocktake?

Membership: 51 Ordinary + 2 Social + 7 Life = 60 memberships.

Note that membership after 1/2 year mark have been rolled forward into next year.

4WD Association – Tony attended the September meeting: a) Stuart Harrison from DEC addressed the meeting. [Stuart is son of Bob & Dianne Harrison, who are Club members] Stuart is the Co-ordinator of the Recreation and Trails Unit of DEC based at Kensington and he came along to the meeting to inform delegates what is happening within the Unit and what the goals are for the future. Stuart has had previous experience with the Bibbulmun Track, Munda Biddi Track and then on to Mountain Bike Tracks, Trail bike Tracks and 4WD Activities The Recreation and Trails unit is a specialist unit working for continuity for the 27,000,000 hectares of land they are involved with. They are involved with TrackCare, Bush Walkers, Canoeing, Horse Groups, Trail bike riders,


Mountain Bike riders and 4wders. They want open communications with all groups + are endeavouring to man-age all groups needs correctly and aligned. Info from the ORV Trails study has been received and approaches will be made to integrate local governments involved with the areas. The Department of Water is the topic of an enquiry re areas of water catch-ment and section 13 Stuart to email the Association with a copy of section 13 as previously un-available when Mark tried to obtain. Contact information for the Recreation and Trails unit is [email protected] or phone number 9334 0265 if any clubs need info. b) Asked to send the Club logo to Steve Low for the Club plaque that will be on display at Kaarakin. c) PR – still doing the 6PR programme. Southside yesterday – live, in studio, interview closer to the 4WD show. d) National 4WD Council – nothing really happening. e) CSR signs – the Association will support – put in new signs – tell people to take heir rubbish out. f) Graeme Marks (Association Treasurer) gave out Exhibitor Kits to Clubs participating in the 4WD Show. Association is paying for marquee (15m x 3m) – cost $1,089.00. g) A laptop for the Treasurer still being investigated. h) Environmental Officers meeting on Thursday 15/10 at Kaarakin.

Magazine

John did this months as Jim away, Jim back - as always please have copy in by last Thursday of month. Agreed to get 20 extra copies for month during 4wd show.

Trips / Social:

AGM - All set for this weekend

End of Nov - Lancelin trip - Peter to lead, this is our annual trip, usually very popular (17 vehicles last year) highly recommended for beginner to expert.

December - Robert & Wendys Xmas party - lights and sound - see leaflets at back of hall.

As per usual over the Christmas period, we may have some impromptu non-club specific trips, as people decide to go away.

Jan 17th (10th!) - Beach Trip. destination TBA Peter has volunteered to lead. This trip to be moved to the 10th to split trip from Lucky Bay LWE

Feb Sat 13 - Karakamia wildlife park

Simon's Suggested Easter Trip 2Apr - 7th


THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT

NECESSARILY THOSE HELD BY

THE SUBARU 4WD CLUB OF W.A. INC.

Please send articles to the Editor by the Thursday before the end of the month (earlier is better). Email: [email protected] in Word format or plain text;

Subaru 4WD Club WA Website: http://www.subaru4wdclubwa.asn.au

Gliding this weekend is now full

Time for meal this weekend is 7pm Drinks @ 6

Fiddles/Nibbles - see mag

March - Gingin Observatory

Lochada trip - big thanks to all that came, and good to see the location being enjoyed.

Paruna walk last week, enjoyed by all, although some (Tony) described it as tough.

General Business:

Carl - Website, no trip reports for 09 have been put online. - need more feed back. Feedback in general is needed. Carl has some notes he provided with some ideas.

(Via Keith W) Margaret Gorman (ex mem 89-98) seeking a Liberty manual. Suggested try pitstop book shop in City.

4WD show: Attendance at 4wd show discussed, 4WD ass. providing at no cost tent, we're allocated 3x3m space. Runs Fri-Sun. . Suggest taking 1 (or 2) PC's to have slide show. Will not take projector. Pin boards to be used as dividers. . Volunteers needed to cover the 3 days, need min. 2 people on at any one time. Several volunteers noted. John has details.

Voting for club membership awards needed tonight - last chance, please vote.

Dawn: Son has a 160 Acre property @ Northcliffe. Happy for club to come and drive all over it - will also soon have a 20x20 shed/toilets/showers etc. Josan has address details.

Meeting Closed: 20:12

2009-11

Documents

year tony richards

year lead

trip report

social trip

day trip

trip leader

weekend trip

simpson desert trip