IT’S like a body massage on wheels and one of the rockiest four-wheel drive tracks we’ve ever been on, not to mention the slowest. We’re rocked and jolted all the way to the top, barely eight kilometres return to reach the summit, which we can see from the station down below, but it takes us more than an hour. Crawling in low range, over shale and red rock, it’s a climb more suited to billy goats. But it gives the D-Max a good workout, and at the top the view is spectacular. A bonus is picking up some hard-to-find 3G Telstra reception.
We’re at Mount Ive Station in the Gawler Ranges, located 200km west of Port Augusta and 500km from Adelaide. It’s remote and far from anywhere, so sporadic phone reception is welcome. We’ve just spent a couple of nights camped within the Gawler Ranges National Park at Yandinga Campground, a great base to explore the park by four-wheel drive. One of the best tracks is the LP track where you’ll find plenty of interesting sites including the important Pondanna Outstation, a relic of early station life. Many years ago, Pondanna was the first site to supply hay throughout this region.
The Gawlers are full of history. It’s a place of ancient ranges, deep gullies, seasonal waterfalls and rocky gorges. It may not be as popular or well-travelled as the Flinders Ranges, but its remote location is perhaps its biggest appeal. Proclaimed a National Park in 2002, the landscape is renowned for its wildlife and geological formations, like the pillars and organ pipes. But there’s so much more to the Gawlers that gets under your skin, in the best possible way.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MAXXIS CUSTOM OF THE YEAR
MAXXIS CUSTOM 4X4 OF THE YEAR IS BACK, AND YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN BY VOTING FOR YOUR FAVE 4X4. GET ON IT!
ONE WITH THE LOT
THE VERSATILITY OF THE NINJA WOODFIRE ELECTRIC BBQ GRILL & SMOKER PUTS IT IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN FOR COOKING ON THE ROAD
LONELY HIGHWAY
A DRIVE ALONG THE NYANGUMARTA HIGHWAY IS AN ISOLATED AND SELF-SUFFICIENT JOURNEY THAT WILL TEST BOTH YOU AND YOUR 4X4 AS YOU CROSS THE GREAT SANDY DESERT
THE SOFT PARADE
BRIDGESTONE HAS LAUNCHED A NEW ALL-TERRAIN TYRE IT SAYS OFFERS BETTER RIDE AND HANDLING THAN TRADITIONAL HEAVY-DUTY A/T TYRES
WEIGHING HII IT UP
OUR FORD EVEREST HAS ITS TOUGH DOG SUSPENSION FITTED, INCLUDING A GVM UPGRADE. NOW WE CAN'T WAIT TO DRIVE IT!
BIG MIDDY
THE GWM CANNON ALPHA HYBRID OFFERS A STUNNING ALTERNATIVE IN THE 4X4 UTE MARKET
WORKING BEE
HOW DOES THE NEW MITSUBISHI TRITON COMPARE TO THE POPULAR ISUZU D-MAX? WE PAIRED UP THE NEW D-MAX X-RIDER WITH THE TRITON IN GLX+ GUISE TO FIND OUT
ROCK 'N' ROLL RANGER
LIMITED-EDITION TREMOR TAKES THE 4-CYLINDER RANGER UP THE RICHTER SCALE WITH MORE PURPOSE.
GMC YUKON HERE IN 2025
NEW YUKON REVEALED IN NORTH AMERICA AND IS COMING DOWN UNDER
2024 FORD EVEREST TREMOR REVEALED
FORD REVEALS ADVENTURE-BORN EVEREST TREMOR BOASTING OFF-ROAD-READY SUSPENSION SET-UP