8.30am the team from Going 4WD meet the boys from Team Mud Rhino at Pakenham for the start of a relaxing day of HARDCORE 4wding in the Noojee - Neerim area. With five trucks and three bodies on our team, we quickly pick our rides for the day and with the intros over we head out to the bush.

This convoy is made up mainly with Nissan GQ Patrols, two beig shortys one wagon and a cut down Ford Mavrick and a Toyota Hilux Dual Cab. All but one are running Simex tyres.



With the black top now behind us its time for the guys to air down the tyres and make our way to the warm up area. As with any pre excersie, a warm up is a must.

Warm up complete we head back onto the dirt roads heading East - North and then West with a left turn on to a very narrow old track following a boundary fence, turning left down a hill and round a bend we're confronted by a smallish fallen tree which had come to rest against another tree resulting in the convoy being stopped. With one Bow Saw in the convoy, we cut the tree and cleared the track proceeding along a ridge line where the Mavrick took the wrong line and de-beading his left front tyre.

Scotty hooked up his winch in a double pull but the only thing that moved was the Hilux as it was being pulled closer to the Mav. Turning the front wheels slightly right enabled the Hilux to slide into the bank of a little rut enabling the Mav to be pulled out of a deepish rut so the tyre could be changed.

Continuing down the track we come to a gully with what looks like a very steep climb up the bank of the creek so we out and check the track and decide which lines everyone will take. After chatting about the crossing the Mav goes in first trying the right side a couple of times then the left. After a few goes decides to let the Hilux come down. The Hilux tries the right side then tries the left. He gets his front wheels up and over the top and grounds his front diff into the bank leaving no traction in thefront. Two goes at winching and the Hilux is stuck hard so out comes the shovel to shift the dirt from the diff and then another go at winching this time with success.

Next up is the black shorty which goes immediately for the right side and gets his front wheels up to the top before backing down and having a second attempt this time with the front wheels up and over the bank and ground his diff too. Winch already being wound out and connected off to the right, Dwayne (sniper) brings his LWB wagon down into the creek and noses up to the bank so his cable can be hooked up to Peter via a snatch block. Peter's winch cable snaps while the Mav has another go at the left side and he gets hooked up. So we now have two trucks stuck on the bank and one in the creek.

Scotty in the Hilux is dead ahead with a double line pull on the Patrol while the cable from Dwaynes (sniper) truck is via the snatch block. Both vehicles start reeling in and its not long before the black Patrol is on the other side with Scotty. The Hilux repositons himself and both the Hilux and the LWB wagon hook their cables upto the Mav and pull him up too.

Dwayne was next and used his winch only and had very little problem getting out of the creek.Evan in the white shorty Patrol was last in and had afew tries at the right side before going over to the left and on his second go got his fronts over the bank then had to winch up. All up it took well over an hour to get the five trucks through the creek.

From the creek we head up the track making a right turn into some deepish ruts going up hill with another right turn following the track a little before turning right again onto another uphill track that has deep tree root steps with a chicken track.

The black shorty is first to have a crack at the old track but struggles even with 35" Simex the going is very difficult with these large steps. Evan comes up the chicken track and with both winches, Peter was able to to to the top of that section and drive off. Dwayne (sniper) has a go and during one of his attempts, manages to go left and kiss Evansright front guard.

WThe others opted to use the chicken track after numerous tries then we headed for another track with deep ruts and a couple of deep holes in it. The black shorty picked a good line straddling the ruts and holes while the Mav had no trouble finding the hole.The others all picked good lines and sailed trhough will the Mav went back for another go and a slightly better line and made it up to the others.With that everybody did a U turn and come down the chicken track that we came in on.

The track came to an intersection with a track going up hill again with a rut being hip deep that the trucks would have negotiate first. Only two vehicles were going up.... Evan in his shorty and Scotty in the Hilux.

Evan was first followed by Scotty and both cleared the rut with Andrew and Peter spotting for them. The next section of this track is a large boulder and both vehicles got their front wheels over the top while the rear tyres spun on the rock face. Both had to use their winch to get over the rock while the rest of the convoy took the chicken track to the top of the hill.

The last track of the day saw Peter, Andrew & Dwayne tackle another boulder with the black shorty getting on two wheels before deciding to winch over the rock. Andrew took a different line (wrong line again) and rearranged his grille and park light.

After reversing back, Andrew in the Mav, took the same line as Peter and needed to be winched over the rock. Dwayne has earnt himself the new nick name of Sniper as he was driving past a camerman, his rear tyre shot a stone into the cameramans back right between his shoulder blades. Sniper was next to tackle the rock and to everyones amazement had no troubles driving to the top of the hill.

The vehicle which had the least problems was the LWB almost stock Patrol wagon of Dwayne except for a little kiss to Evans truck. Scottys Hilux worked over time winching other vehicles and Peter broke his winch cable and was able to splice it together on the track. Apart from using the winch, Evans shorty also had the least problems. Andrew wins the title of most problems for the day from de-beading a tyre, taking alot of wrong lines, using the BFG muddies trhough to rearranging his grille and parklight (tongue in cheek). All in all everyone had a fantastic day out.

UNLEASH THE RHINO