Tag Archives: 4X4

Grenadier build – Starlink bracket

12 volt, 4X4, Aussie made, Australia, , , , ,

The Doc needs Starlink for The Kimberley trip in 2026 – many bookings can only be made online and with poor mobile coverage, so Starlink will be his only option. How things have changed since his last trip there.

The Doc bought the Smart Touring Systems Starlink MIni Mount bracket (key lockable) here. It was an easy install, less than 5 minutes. It was mounted onto the Rhino Pioneer Platform using four M8 bolts with Nord-Lock washers, torqued to 16Nm.

The Doc is waiting for some narrow split tubing so he can protect the Starlink cable and it will be plugged into a rooftop outlet (front passenger side outlet).

The Doc will also have the option to run a power cable from my 125Ah Lithium Battery Box if the power drain is too much when camping. He can also plug it into the Vista RV van. Viva Cristo Rey:\.


Amazing Pilbara images P&S – Part 2

4X4, Australia, desert, Landscape, Pilbara, river/creeks, States, Textures, trees, WA,

Part 2 of the Point & Shoot images from places like Munjina Lookout Road, Albert Tognolini Lookout, Karajini NP Visitor Centre, Warlu Way, Kalamina Gorge Trail, Hamersley Gorge Road, the Roebourne – Wittenoom Road at Chichester, Deep Reach Picnic Area on the Barrimirndi Trail,  Panorama Lookout at Roebourne, Python Pool Trail at Millstream, Miliyanha Campground at Kanjenjie, Snappy Gum Drive and the Tom Price-Karratha Road. Lots of panoramas this time around.

How does The Doc know these names years later? All his images have GPS co-ordinates put into them, plus he adds keywords. However another source is using those GPS co-ordinates to Reverse GeoCode the images, this process puts location data into the photo. The Doc just copied some of that information from the images into the blog post.

Viva Cristo Rey.

Grenadier build – sealed snorkel

4X4, Aussie made, Australia, , ,

The Doc just paid for the final work on Wally, being:

  1. install the diff breather kit;
  2. add rear airbags for towing the van (Poly Air, the ones also used on the van); and
  3. a bolt on a sealed snorkel. It is a bolt on job, no cutting. GrenX’s final development of the diesel airbox is now complete. Rohan confirmed to me last Friday at the 4WD and Adventure Show.

The Doc has some DIY things to do, but GrenX will do the final work. The Doc needs to book the trip to Melbourne. The Doc organized the final work with GrenX at the Sydney 4WD and Adventure show.

Watching the Grenadiers do water crossings up at Cape York in the Canny Outdoor video was the final prompt.

Derby mud flats

4X4, Artesian Range, Australia, AWC, camera, Charnley River, Charnley River - Artesian Range, coastal, Derby, Kimberley, Kimberley, Landscape, landscape, sand, Textures, Uncategorised, WA, WA, , , ,

The massive tidal changes in King Sound reveals extensive mud flats across the southern part of the Sound, around Derby.

Derby township itself is surrounded by mud flats which The Doc drove on several times (being careful not to break through the dried surface). These mud flats are not fully tidal every day, probably only on King tides. However, anytime The Doc felt the surface get soft he headed back to drier parts.

After taking off, in the helicopter, the first place we see is the big house, the Derby Prison. The Prison inmates look after the graves at the nearby Leper Colony, aka the old Bungarun Leprosarium, just north of Derby (Blog report here). The Doc drove up to Bungarun using the mud flats, not the road.

The mud flats reveal one of nature’s fractals, the repeating patterns you see when water is draining away on the mud flats (what The Doc calls the recurring tree pattern). To be precise “Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales.” If you look carefully, you will see the same pattern repeating itself. Admittedly it is more obvious in the helicopter where you better appreciate the scale of these fractals.

There is endless variety in the mud flats, including their shapes, colour and textures. While they are many images, the total was culled hard to give a good cross section.

The Doc finds the mud flats fascinating. Enjoy.

The Buccaneer Archipelago, with a little of Yampi Sound thrown in

4X4, Australia, Broome, camera, Kimberley, Landscape, Plant, rock, sand, seascape, Textures, trees, Uncategorised, WA, WA, , , ,

Below is a satellite image of Derby, King Sound (that great big “harbour”) and on its northern edge a group of Islands known as the Buccaneer Archipelago. The Derby mud flats are obvious on the southern edge of King Sound, near the Derby township. Towards the top right is the Walcott Inlet, which leads into Charnley River and its gorge, yesterdays spectacular post.

The helicopter trip continues. Here is small selection of images from the Buccaneer Archipelago. Wikipedia states “The archipelago, covering over 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) is located at the head of King Sound and is composed of about 800 islands found between King Sound and Collier Bay near Yampi Sound.”

Yampi Sound also has a major Army training base inland from the Sound itself. The images towards the middle with a burn off taking place, from memory, is part of Yampi training grounds. Often Yampi is boring open grasslands. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy helps the Army conserve part of the training grounds set aside for conservation along the coast.

The massive tidal flows are obvious in several images, with the disturbed water during a tidal change.

To see a larger image click on a thumbnail.

Charnley River Gorge, Artesian Range, The Kimberley

4X4, Artesian Range, Australia, AWC, camera, Charnley River, Charnley River - Artesian Range, Derby, Derby, Kimberley, Kimberley, Landscape, landscape, mountains, Plant, river/creeks, rock, Textures, trees, Uncategorised, WA, , ,

When posting some Kimberley images recently The Doc realised he has not posted images from his 2-day helicopter trip out of Derby in 2015 (better late than never!) – except 2 or 3 images.

Starting with Day 2, here are images from flying along the Charnley River Gorge, Artesian Range, The Kimberley, Western Australia. It was a thrill of a lifetime, breathtakingly beautiful place. We had permission from Australian Wildlife Conservancy to do the trip over their property and land. With both the pilot and the passenger being AWC supporters helps!

The Artesian Range is the only part of Australia that has not suffered any mammal extinctions since European settlement, but the cane toads got into the area in the last few years. So that may change.

Where the river bed is a muddy light grey, the river is tidal. The clearer water is beyond the tidal zone and is fresh water coming down the river.

We landed and took pictures of Aboriginal art, which had some very rare figures. The Doc may post one or two later.

Make sure you click on the image to see the full size slide show.

Grenadier button pusher

4X4, Australia, Uncategorised, , ,

The Doc always turns off the Stop/Start function on the Grenadier. This must be done each time you start the car, unless you get the Grenadier USA Button Pusher which does that for you. One of the most useful accessories fitted. Starting is so much easier, much more than The Doc was expecting. Expensive but worth every cent for the time saved. The Doc bought red, the fastest colour. 😉

Yelarbon Silos – Outback Queensland

4X4, Australia, Landscape, Qld, Uncategorised, , , , ,

On the first day heading back to home, The Doc passed through Yelarbon located on the Cunningham Highway heading towards Goondiwindi on the New South Wales and Queensland borders. The Doc was actually staying on the NSW side at Bogabilla. The Doc stayed a few nights at Bogabilla visiting the Goondiwindi Botanic Gardens, showcasing the plant communities of the Upper Darling Basin

Yelarbon is a rail terminal with grain silos, which are all gussied up. It was a quick break to take a few images. Looking back The Doc should have used a tilt shift lens to capture the silos.

The Yelarbon Silos are part of the extraordinary Australian Silo Art Trail.

Buckaroola Station – Outback Queensland

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, Landscape, landscape, Plant, Qld, rock, Textures, trees, Uncategorised, , , , ,

The Doc’s friend Steve Young got special permission to visit Buckaroola Station. These images are from the second visit, as The Doc forgot to put his memory card into his camera during the first visit! Buckaroola Station is westward out of Eromanga along the Cooper Developmental Road and is not open to the public.