- The Springs 4×4 Park
- Meeting the Crew
- Getting Comfortable on the Test Track
- Following the Convoy
- Testing the Capabilities of Our 4WDs
- An Impromptu Recovery
- Wrapping Up
- Experience it Yourself
If you’ve purchased a four-wheel drive from Motorama in the past seven years, you have no doubt heard of or have been invited to attend one of our 4x4xMORE Tag-Along Tours.
The initiative was brought about when we started to notice customers trading in their 4x4s without ever having taken them off-road. The reasons given were often that they either didn’t know how or didn’t have anyone with whom to go. For some, joining a tag-along tour can still seem like somewhat of a leap if you are new to four-wheel driving and unsure what to expect from a 4x4xMORE trip.
Recently, one of our own team members was in this position, so we’ve asked them to offer some insight into their experience as a first-timer on a 4x4xMORE Tag-Along Tour and explain some of the things you can expect from a day trip with our crew.
The Springs 4×4 Park
This trip was to The Springs 4×4 Park – about twenty minutes outside Warwick, about a two-hour drive from Brisbane. The trip was split into two days depending on your level of experience and the gear installed on your vehicle. The first day is aimed at beginners and designed to cater to any stock standard 4×4. Being a novice with a completely stock 2021 Toyota Fortuner, we registered for this day.
We booked our spot about two weeks beforehand then, in the days leading up to the event, we were sent information regarding arrival time, things we should bring, and directions to The Springs. On the day, we were up early as the tour was to commence at 9:30am to make the most of the day. When we arrived we were warmly greeted by trip leaders, Peter, Rachel and Graham who immediately got us preparing for our day ahead by having us deflate our tyres to a pressure better suited for traction off-road. This was our first learning experience of the day as we didn’t bring our own pressure gauge. The team had all the necessary gear on hand and Rachel was making the rounds with her gauge to ensure everyone was at the right pressure.
Meeting the Crew
Once all the cars had arrived, the leaders pulled everyone together to run through the day’s plan. The leaders covered several items including the reasoning behind lowering our tyre pressures, as well as general convoy etiquette. We had a great range of 4×4’s signed on for this trip with about twenty customer vehicles and at least one from every manufacturer sold at Motorama. There were plenty of Mitsubishi Tritons, a couple of Jeep Wranglers, plus a few more unique 4x4s such as a 90 Series Toyota Prado, a short-wheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero and even a weeks-old Next Gen Ford Ranger.
We were introduced to the owner of The Springs 4×4 Park, Lucas, who would be leading our tour. For those who didn’t have their own UHF radio installed in their vehicle (which was most of us), the team provided us with handheld radios for the day to ensure we could all stay in contact and follow the leaders’ instructions. The Springs 4×4 Park spreads over more than 700 acres of beautiful bushland in The Granite Belt. There are loads of tracks with five varying levels of difficulty ranging from easy to extreme – we’d be staying on the easy and moderate tracks.
The agenda for the day would start with a few rounds of the 4×4 test track to get used to driving our vehicles off-road. It was a great chance to experiment with our high-range and low-range four-wheel drive settings. Then we’d venture into the main section of the park, following the trip leaders around the main track while detouring here and there to experience different types of terrain.
Getting Comfortable on the Test Track
As we started on the test track, Peter, Rachel and Graham set up at different points to guide us over the various obstacles, providing all kinds of advice like where to place our wheels and how much momentum we should maintain to scale the obstacles successfully. With their guidance, we were able to put our vehicles on some thrilling angles without worry that we’d damage them. In one section of moguls, we were aiming to get in a position that would lift our front-left and rear-right wheels off the ground to allow our 4x4s to engage their traction control features. This would send power to the wheels on the ground allowing us to pull out of these situations. It was great fun watching everyone test out their vehicles and, after a few runs, many owners jumped out of their vehicles to chat with their fellow trip attendees about their 4×4 and experiences.
Following the Convoy
Everyone was now a little more comfortable, so our trip leaders led the pack up the main track to the central campsite, while Rachel and Peter took up the rear of the convoy so no one got lost. The first terrain we hit was a few shallow creek crossings followed by a nice, steep drive up the first big hill known as ‘Love Hill’. As we traversed these creeks, the trip leaders provided guidance on the appropriate way to do so to avoid damaging the terrain or our vehicle. The hill ascent consisted of loose dirt and gravel which meant it was a great opportunity to engage our rear diff lock (if one was fitted to our vehicle). After slowly crawling up Love Hill, we reached the summit and were greeted with a spectacular view across the region. We pulled up to take some photos and mingle with our fellow attendees for a few minutes before jumping back in our vehicles to make the descent down the other side.
Testing the Capabilities of Our 4WDs
Our descent offered another opportunity to test the capabilities of our 4x4s. The trip leaders encouraged us to engage low-range four-wheel drive and keep our vehicles in first gear, which would use engine braking and the ratio of the gear train to help us maintain a slow speed as we descended without having to rely too heavily on our brakes. Those who had vehicles equipped with Downhill Assist Control were also encouraged to flick this on for even more descent support.
The next few sections of the park we explored were made up of some narrow tracks scored with deep ruts and plenty of mud from recent rainfall. The idea here was to practice the correct placement of our wheels to maintain traction and avoid getting caught in deep ruts that may cause us to bottom out. The team leaders were exceptional guides, pulling their own vehicles over when approaching washouts and other obstacles to assist the rest of us through smoothly.
An Impromptu Recovery
Safe to say, it wasn’t long until we experienced our first bogging with one of our attendees lacking momentum as they navigated a deep section of ruts which resulted in the vehicle coming to rest on its underbelly. If we weren’t with the 4x4xMORE crew, this may have been a more serious predicament, however, it turned out to be a fun and educational impromptu workshop for those who had not witnessed a vehicle recovery before. We all gathered around while Rachel and Graham showed the breadth of their skills and knowledge as they ran through the process of positioning their recovery vehicle, securing the winch, and guiding the stuck driver on what was about to happen. The vehicle was out of trouble in no time and the rest of us got to enjoy the show.
It wasn’t long after that we experienced another minor speed bump – this time with a vehicle getting a spontaneous flat tyre. It was great to see the team, including many other trip attendees, join in to help get the vehicle back up and running. Changing a flat tyre on uneven terrain requires a little bit more thought in terms of safety. Graham and Peter communicated this well as they ran us through some extra precautions to be mindful of during the process. We were on our way again in no time and continued to explore the park.
Wrapping Up
Before we knew it, it was early afternoon and it was time to wrap up the trip. We were all feeling a bit more confident in our skills and happy to get some off-road time under our belts. We found our way back to the entrance, returned our handheld radios and reinflated our tyres before hitting the road back home.
Overall, it was great to experience driving our own vehicle in the setting for which it was intended, albeit without the stress of worrying if we’d get stuck with no way of getting out. It was a great opportunity to use all the off-road features & buttons available in our vehicle and, within a few hours, we gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from our trip leaders.
Experience it Yourself
If you’re a Motorama customer and this sounds like something you like to be a part of, make sure to join our Facebook group and keep an eye on any upcoming trips that are planned. Motorama 4x4xMORE generally hosts a tag-along tour about once a month depending on locations and weather and varies trips between the bush and the beach.
For more information, check out the link below to see what trips are planned in the coming weeks. Most 4x4xMORE trips have limited spaces available, so don’t delay your registration!
Keyword: A First Timer's Experience with Motorama 4x4xMORE