This is the story of Thomas the Landcruiser and his adventures to Cape York and the top of Australia. Thomas only got to go because the new import Luxury Turbo Diesel Hilux Surf was held up at the docks and a last-minute replacement was needed. Thomas was definitely not a Luxury Turbo Diesel Surf; Thomas was a 60 Series '84 Landcruiser, but he did have air-conditioning, and did belong to Dad, so was borrowed with many stern warnings about correct treatment.
He got his name on the first day going up a steep range - I think I can, I think I can....
The trip was organized months before - but due to many problems got confirmed only the morning we left. Thomas was picked up the night before, packed and prepared for a decent trip, ie filled up with diesel and had an extra spare thrown in the back.
Then we set off to meet his partners.
The Vehicles
Three vehicles were going: Thomas, Nicole and Elle. Thomas we have already introduced. Nicole was another 60 Series cruiser heading up from Brisbane, but unlike Thomas, Nicole actually looked the part. The turbo diesel made up for the normal highway sluggishness - plus there were taller springs, new shocks, steering dampers, roof racks, Mud Terrains, triple spare tyres.
Thomas was starting to look a rather sad and saggy in comparison.
Thomas had none of these flash bits and rested on Mr. Toyota's original springs, possibly his original shocks, and standard skinny tyres on split rims. But he did have air-conditioing, Nicole's being out of action. Nicole was owned and driven by Daniel and his father, Dennis, who would also split the driving with my wife, Ellen. (Keeping up with all of those names, are we?)
The idea was straight bolt for Cairns - the three drivers swapping the chore - and without me taking a turn at the wheel - Mr. Plod having decided that I had accumulated more license points than I possessed... Much to her disgust, Ellen would drive Thomas - we taught her to double-clutch and heel-and-toe with the dodgy handbrake. I think driving a Turbo EXA at 16 psi has spoilt her as she spent most of the time complaining about the lack of go and the horrible gearbox. Turned out the gearbox was a bit hard to shift owing to Thomas blowing a clutch cylinder seal and losing all the fluid every couple of hours.
I still haven't heard the end of it; I blamed it on her driving!
Cairns was reached in a straight 18-hour drive, swapping drivers occasionally and topping up with clutch fluid regularly.
In Cairns we met up with the third vehicle, Elle, a shiny '91 model 80 Series Cruiser. Elle was everything the missing Surf was supposed to have been, just bigger. Elle had nice new BF Goodridge AT's, coil springs, full-time 4WD, long-range tanks and a custom roof rack. Our guide, The Great White Hunter, who used to do professional 4WD tours of Cape York and knew all the best spots to visit, drove Elle - a vehicle truly befitting his status.
All this was starting to make Thomas look very sad indeed. Especially combined with his breaking down... before even seeing the dirt. Some time was spent in Cairns replacing Thomas's faulty clutch cylinder and hopes were that this was going to be his only problem on the trip. Final supplies picked up, we departed Cairns and headed north.
As soon as the dirt was encountered, Great White Hunter advised lowering tyre pressures to stop the corrugations destroying the suspension and the cars. Down from 70 psi to 38 for Thomas's skinnies, and 30 for the others. This made a huge difference, significantly reducing the effect of the corrugations and improving ride. Vehicles have been known to shear wheel studs on some of the roads on the Cape by a combination of high speed and high tyre pressures - the corrugations have to be seen to be believed. First camp was a welcome relief after 26+ hours in a car, and a night with no sleep.
The Route
We would be taking the Old Telegraph track north, a more direct route than the newer bypass, and infinitely more interesting. A map shows the Telegraph as only about a quarter of the entire trip north from Cairns, but it makes up 90 percent of the worthwhile stuff. If you decide to do the trip, avoid the bypass road.
Next camp north was at the Archer River, reached after about 6 hours of driving north. It's a really nice spot to camp in the dry season. In the wet season the camp spot in the riverbed can be 30 metres under water, so it's not so good then... All of the water from the Archer River is crystal clear and quite drinkable. There are few things more relaxing than every night camping on a different crystal clear flowing river or creek in the middle of nowhere.
North from the Archer brings you to the start of the Telegraph Track. This is no longer the primary route north and is bypassed due to the rough terrain and crossings. The bypass should be avoided at all costs due to it being boring, ugly, rough, ugly, corrugated, ugly, badly maintained, corrugated - you get the drift. The Telegraph track on the other hand is more of an adventure, covering beautiful terrain and quite a few challenges. It consists of two sections, the South and North. The south is the bit everyone going to the cape with a 4WD does, the north is more of a challenge. Both are worthwhile highly recommended and quite practical with a couple of capable vehicles (sorry Daewoo and Hyundai owners - they don't cut it.)
Sure enough, the Telegraph Track threw out its first challenge quickly enough: a creek crossing with a steep muddy exit. The depth was OK, but the exit would be a challenge. Nicole was elected to go first as she had mud tyres and plenty of power (Mike Vine in Brisbane does magic with a Turbo). This was where things started to get interesting and we learnt a few lessons. Nicole got two-thirds of the way up before making a funny grinding noise and sliding back. Four attempts to get out of the creek later and we decided to rethink this. The first thing we learnt was a shovel is the best tool to have when off-road. Five minutes with a couple of shovels to fill in the ruts and any holes and Nicole came up and out easily, with no funny noises. Thomas was next, and with Ellen driving, did it flawlessly. Elle came through, as modern technology and coil spring wheel travel would make you expect - no worries. The funny noise in Nicole was forgotten and surprised comments made about how easily Thomas had managed with skinny tyres, no clearance and no power.
Maybe Thomas wouldn't disgrace himself being hauled out of everything after all...
It was only an hour up the road when Nicole was stuck again, this time bypassing a nasty looking stump in the road, and slipping into a mud hole. A snatch strap is the best thing invented for extricating a stuck vehicle, and quickly had things moving again, but it was beginning to show that having all the tricky 4WD bits wasn't everything. The bog hole had also touched the exhaust and broke the pipe just under the passenger seat. Being a diesel, heat wasn't a big worry, but the rest of the trip was to the sweet sound of a big turbo spooling through a 2.5-inch dump pipe! The design of the aftermarket system on the older diesels had no need for a wastegate - with boost limited by fuel - so the turbo spooled all the time.
Nicole's next trick was later the same day, when after she had gone ahead we found her and her crew in the middle of the road, looking rather unhappy. Turns out Nicole had pulled a nasty trick and broken the front spring hanger off the chassis. This meant the shackle at the rear of the spring had gone to its limit and the wheel was touching the bodywork. Various options were tried before an old fallen-down fence came to the rescue. A couple of star pickets and some wire later and she was back on the road, limping but drivable. The tyre pressure in that corner's Dunlop M/T was reduced further (to about 20 psi) and fingers crossed about the health of the sidewall. Bush engineering at its best. Camp was only a couple of kilometres away and we got there with no problems.
Thomas still hadn't faulted and was starting to gain a little respect from his high-class peers. Maybe looks and flash aftermarket bits aren't everything.
There are many creek and river crossing on the Telegraph Track. Many have holes, rocks, or unusual bottoms. ALL must be walked first. Dick Smith sells a hand-held 40 channel UHF radio that is worth its weight in gold. For just $99 it runs on 3AA batteries that last for ages (we haven't changed them yet) and allows the person walking the creek to direct the cars though. Intakes can be a problem on water crossings but Mr Toyota has built an excellent intake on the Landcruisers. Although none of the three had a snorkel, not a drop got as far as the filter. A tarp was run across the front of the radiator on some of the deeper crossings to slow water entering the engine bay, but the intake is under the guard and doesn't have a worry.
The decision was made to bypass Gunshot creek - a famous crossing - due to Nicole's damaged condition, and no one having a winch. Gunshot was basically a vertical nosedive that Great White Hunter had done a couple of years back and didn't recommend with a bullbar fitted. Instead we piked, went around and got some pics from the other side, then jumped over the bypass road to the North Telegraph. The decision was made to do the North Telegraph track despite Nicole's condition, as the Bypass road was corrugated and longer.
Fruit Bat Falls
Fruit Bat Falls is as far as many tour companies go on the North Telegraph track, but this is only the start and it is worth doing the entire north section. There are some excellent spots further up to see and camp at. The road was of course going to be a challenge, giving Thomas the chance to prove that he could do anything.
We got to another muddy creek crossing with a steep exit. With Ellen still driving, I said, "Give it a bootfull to get up the other side!" Well, the dip before the exit was unexpected and on the way out Thomas's bullbar went virtually straight into the bank, taking about 20kg of mud with us. Before this, I didn't know you could use a 'Cruiser as a grader... Again, skinny tyres and all, Thomas came through, no snatch strap required.
The three vehicles went about half way up the North Telegraph before jumping off onto the Bypass due to Nicole's damaged condition. This reduced the distance to the crossing at the Jardine River. The ferry costs $80, most of which is a Land Access Fee charged by the traditional owners of Cape York that allows you onto their land. The Jardine is crossable by 4WD in the dry season at its lowest, but there is a high risk of getting stuck and crocodiles are also a problem. The last person taken by a croc was the local ferry driver who chose to swim out to the ferry rather than waiting. Personally I wouldn't bother crossing the Jardine again...
Next came Bamaga, Seisa and Punsand Bay. Punsand Bay is a beautiful spot just south of the Tip to camp and relax. We borrowed a welder and lightly patched Nicole, the star pickets having done an admirable job handling four days over some of the roughest roads in Australia. Further patching was later done in Seisa for an exorbitant amount, but it would get her home. Punsand Bay was also where immaculate Elle suffered her first mishap. After getting all the way North without damage, Great White Hunter touched a tree and bent the bumper whilst parking. Everyone has a bad day occasionally.
The tip of Australia was impressive and good for photos, but it's a long way to come just for that. There are some nice tracks north of the Jardine, and a lot of places with historical significance, as well as the opportunity for some beach driving. The sand would be a change from the rough tracks covered so far. Thomas as usual crawled unimpressively through the sand, but had no worries. Nicole got bogged, with that same grinding noise. A father investigation revealed that the front wheels were losing drive when most required. It appeared the selector in the transfer case was worn and didn't hold it in 4WD effectively enough. Normally it was fine, but a maximum load when needed most, it would slip and go back to 2WD. Nicole was becoming less impressive, but was still getting there.
Heading south from the Jardine again we went straight into the North Telegraph, determined to cover the bit we missed on the way up. First stop, Nolan's - sometimes known as Hilux Creek due to the number of Hilux Diesels killed here... The intake on a Hilux is directly behind the headlight, and tends to suck up water on crossing like this. Water and diesel engines don't mix.
Nolan's had a log bridge, but it was too dodgy to risk and we persuaded Great White Hunter to take his pride and joy, Elle, through the water first. This water was again crystal clear, but deep, and flowing. It was well over a metre in the middle and that could be a problem, as we didn't have snorkels. There was also the possibility of the car floating and losing traction; this could be disastrous. The preparation for the crossing took a couple of hours - the cars were tarped, the crossing walked, electrical and expensive gear put on top, and recovery procedures set up.
Great White Hunter would cross in Elle first, with a long snatch strap already tied onto the rear to pull him back in case of mishap. Once across, he could then pull the others through if there was a problem. Cameras were set up and Great White Hunter went for it. Water was well over the bonnet, but there wasn't a worry, and Elle came though fine. (The video later showed the back lift and drift downstream about a foot!)
Getting out of the crossing, however, was another story. The exit consisted of a steep eroded ramp with deep mud and some water at the bottom. It was only a metre high, but with two tonnes of 'Cruiser, a metre is as bad as a mile. Two hours was wasted stuffing around with ropes and BIG tie down straps, placing branches under wheels etc. We even had a winching pulley and a big rope to go back across the crossing so one of the other 4WD's could help pull.
But Elle still wouldn't climb up the ramp out of the water.
At this point there was considerable swearing about not having a winch. After a rethink, it looked like earthworks were going to be the best option and 20 minutes of shovelling reduced the angle of the exit and firmed up the mud at the bottom. Sure enough, Great White Hunter bought Elle out easily. Lesson: a shovel is still the best tool to get out of a tough spot. It only took three hours to get the first car through.
The interesting thing was Elle had a limited slip rear diff, which should have given more traction with both rear wheels. The reality was that it made practically no difference, with the only one rear spinning at a time. Limited slip doesn't really work in mud. Elle then snatched the other two cars up the exit without a worry, each crossing with water over the bonnet and no snorkel. Still no water got to the air filter, and it too has a water trap - very impressive effort on behalf of Toyota's design team.
Log bridges were the order of the day before another perfect campsite. Nicole got bogged again in sand the next day, but some improvisation with a snatch strap got her out a difficult spot. The low cost 30-metre tow/snatch strap from Super Cheap is highly recommended as it allows the cars to be separated and get onto firmer ground. Thomas came though without a worry as usual.
Finally it was Elle's turn for a problem. A muddy section of track and a misplaced wheel dropped the newer 'Cruiser into the mud. Stuck fast and with muddy water coming in under the door and onto his carpet, Great White Hunter needed help. A quick snatch backwards was required to return them to dry ground, before an alternative route was found.
Thomas? He was still coming on strong!
After getting bogged, Elle's final stunt was to refuse to lock-in the centre diff, resulting in her staying in Full Time 4WD. In the 'Cruiser there is a centre diff that gets locked to go off-road, and unlocked on the bitumen. This was no longer locking and would happily deliver all the power to any individual wheel, and none to the other three. Luckily this didn't result in any problems, but earlier in the trip it could have been disastrous. 4WD at the press of a button is not all it's cracked up to be; it can be impossible to engage when you really need it.
The final campsite was again the Archer River - and with it, the opportunity at the roadhouse to sample the famous Archer Burger. It's recommended. From there it was a straight 32-hour run to Brisbane.
I highly recommend this trip and am happy to make some comments on what we found really matters off road. Some of this will run contrary to popular belief and what the 4WD shops preach, but we saw it all in action.
- Stiff tall suspension gives less traction, saggy is good, even if it looks sad.
- Lift kits unbalance the car; clearance is not everything if it can't climb hills.
- Skinny tyres can work very well; most of the tracks were made by them.
- Low tyre pressures help a lot with traction and ride, but risk sidewalls. We had no problems with tyres though.
- Dunlop Mud Terrains are an excellent tyre for off-road and are impossible to kill.
- Shiny metallic paintwork scratches, take a white car if you have the option.
- Snorkels are often unnecessary - if it's that deep, you're floating anyway!
- Winches would be nice, but a snatch strap is more useful (if you are travelling in convoy, anyway).
- Long-range fuel tanks are worth it.
- Bullbars and towbars reduce clearance and can overload suspension.
- The $99 handheld Uniden UHF radio is worth buying
- Unusual things break off road, and significantly it's generally the add ons, not the OEM stuff
If you decide to go to the Cape it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, but take your time. It takes about two weeks, and spend more time getting there and back that you do up there.
And Thomas? Well, he showed that there was a lot more to him than his doubting borrowers first thought....
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