MT TAMBORINE/CANUNGRA

15 SEPTEMBER 1996

I always like a hard trip and this looked like a good one. I could not really afford to take my beast, and Doug was itching to get the RX out on a hard trip and that was all that had to be said. I went with Doug, along with his girlfriend Michelle and her sister Sharon.

Getting close to the meeting place we heard someone on the CB, we could make out Simone M's voice, but could not make out the other voice. We said hello and found out that we were in front of them. We got to the meeting place in good time with Royce J, Jeff & Sue K, Camo, Ralph C, Blair P already waiting, and it wasn't long before the others were there, they were Ron P and daughter, Kate, Simone M in her car as she could not stay all day, Martin G, Dale C, David M and Troy K.

We left Coomera somewhere near 9.00am and wasnl long before we were in the bush. Because I was a free agent Camo asked me to go in his car because he was by himself? I could have made him beg, but thought better of it. It bought back lots of memories as my first Suba was also and old ugly, the same as Cameron's, but mine was Monza Red with flared guards and Ford XA GT bonnet scoops and dark windows, and what a good time we had.

The track to Mt Tamborine was rated as medium, well that was last time, since last time the Club went over this track there are more exposed rocks and the washouts are deeper and longer. The cars with diff locks had no trouble (of course). At morning tea we stopped at a creek where we all had a chat. Simone M was heard saying 'I wish I had my Brumby'. She was having a bit of trouble keeping her wheels on the ground. After morning tea the going got a bit harder, after crossing the creek you had to get up a small rock face which doesn't sound too hard but on crossing the creek your tyres got wet which is fine if you are the first one or two across, after that the rock starts to get wet, then you have to take a different line - yeh, lots of fun.

The first two cars over were fine (both had diff locks) next was Jeff and Sue in the Brumby with Sue driving. First go the car slipped sideways towards a big hole at the edge of an even bigger drop off, but after a back up and a different line, Sue was starting to show Jeff up. She had a smile on her face as she came up the hill. While waiting near the top of the hill, we heard a lot of wheel spinning and lots of revs, you guessed it, ft was Simone having trouble, the noise came and went as she had a couple of goes, then the noise stopped. We could not see what was going on down there so we started down, as we did the hand held in Royce's hand sounded, Simone had tried too hard and a bit too fast and had bent the radius rod. Martin and Dale stayed back and fixed it, so Simone could get home, while the rest of us went on to Mt Tamborine, then down the range to Canungra. Just outside Canungra is an old quarry, this is where we had lunch and spent the rest of the day, as there is a lot of tracks through the bush and around the old quarry. Cameron was the first to make the dust fly then had a go at some of the tracks up the sides of the quarry and got up all but one which was impassable.

After lunch, Martin, Dale, Martin's friend Marty who had bought his motor bike, and I think it was Dale's work mate in a Hilux all turned up as we were going around some of the tracks. We were in a small gully with steep sides and sandy soil and those without diff locks or LSD's were having a bit of trouble. The rest of the day was much of the same, all tried their best with only a couple of tows, at one spot a bad noise came out of Jeff's Brumby, we thought a rear drive shaft had gone, after another go and more noise it was then thought it might be the gearbox. Jeff checked that he was in 4WD and tried again still no go, then like a bolt of lightning he remembered that the 4WD position on the new 5 speed was different than the old one, once put in the right position everything was fine. On ya Jeff! The best part of the day was when the Nissan Patrol Club thought we were mad for going where we went as they weren't game enough, that made my day. We all had a good day and apart from Simone no one else broke anything. We said our goodbyes and left Martin, Dale and friends to play. Thanks Royce for a great day.

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