Last day of the year and off to Fosters beach. I was really looking forward to this part of the trip since missing out on the Doubtful Island section earlier in the week.

Whilst spending some time in Bremer, I'd taken the liberty to get some insider information from a few locals on 4WD access issues in the area. The feedback I was getting was the entry point via Dillon Bay to the Western side of Fosters Beach was closed to the public, reason being is that this track to Fosters ran through a property and the property owner was now charging for access. Entry to Dillon Bay was still ok though.

There are holiday makers in the area and I can understand why the property owner would close these tracks in such a fashion as it would keep the yahoo element out and only attract the more serious - responsible fisherman and 4WDriver. But after getting to the other end, it wasn't the property owner that stopped us in our tracks, the track was pretty much flooded into a lake, impossible to pass and I mean impossible. If any readers do decide to go and have a look, please respect the property owners wishes and drive with extreme care and caution as there are people that walk these tracks during the holiday season.

No point in deflating on Dillon Bay beach, the sand was pretty hard under foot and we had a limestone outcrop hill to climb. In previous years this hill has been rather nasty. I decided to send MacGyver and Wizard up first and radio back a report on the difficulty level of the hill. MacGyver and Wizard got up there with relative ease and reported back that the hill was doable for all vehicles in the party.

So as not to make it too difficult to lighter vehicles, I radioed up to MacGyver, now strategically positioned half way up the hill on hand held UHF there to assist any one that had trouble getting up to the summit, I sent the lightest vehicle up first then the heavier vehicles one after another, it worked a treat and I hope everyone appreciated the help getting up and positioned at the top.

Next stop was Stream Beach - lunchtime ;-) Pluto went off on a GPS navigation exercise on his own, MacGyver up front this time with me at tail end. Waypoints all set to Stream Beach which made getting there a piece of cake, I had the laptop running on moving map with DiscoverAus... too easy!

Heading down to Stream Beach is just incredible, always love this part of the trip. Got to the bottom and there was a group of 4WD's already down on the beach at the fresh water stream. MacGyver radioed back on entry to the beach and suggested we head to the other end of the beach, no worries.

A few of us were keen to drop a line in and pleaded to have some time to fish. Basically gave them about 45 minutes, though that 45 minutes quickly turned into about an hour and a half, it was a perfect spot to just chill out... R&R.

Had a couple of Nissan Patrol GQ's come down the beach, not part of our party and ask, 'is this Fosters Beach?', obviously very lost. After having a chat with them I'd learnt they were previous members of Rockingham 4WD club. To find Fosters from this end without waypoints - GPS over the dunes is a bit of a challenge if you hadn't done it before. We made an offer for them to join us but we never saw them again, even on Fosters later in the afternoon.

Jerry caught himself a fish, nice one but no one could really recognise what it was, some of us even had the fish book out making comparisons. Ended up being a crappy eating fish - Buff Bream. Yeah I know, we are not really serious fisherman, but hey? We try ;-).

Steve with Jerry's fish - Buff Bream

We all aired down tyres and headed out up the mighty hill with me leading the convoy out and MacGyver at the tail, Pluto was now back with us after his circumnavigation of the area using his new GPS setup. As I was approaching the top, Bronky gets straight onto the radio and saying that he blew a rear tyre. Not a very nice spot to be in about a quarter of the way up this hill and splitting a side wall part...

Bronky's Toyo Tyres, incredibly thin in the side wall.

There were at least 5 vehicles at the top and waiting for a few more to arrive. The moving map facility on the laptop connected to the GPS was going a little haywire, the computer curser jumping all over the screen, so I said to myself... bugger this, I'll get the entry point on the dunes by memory - PGMNAT - 'Pure Grey Matter Navigational Assistance Technology'  whilst all other reliable GPS systems were rebooting themselves. So off we went leaving MacGyver and Pluto (and others) with Bronky changing the tyre on the SWB Pajero in a very interesting situation. I understand the vehicle fell off the bottle jack and they eventually opted to get the clubs exhaust jack a happening, which apparently worked a treat. 

Heading off with the other party with Tazzy now my tail end, my PGMNAT failed me and somehow, don't know how, we ended up behind the other group still on the hill away from were we should have been, unbelievable. It was the GPS that alerted me to the fact we were heading back the way we came as all GPS systems we now back online and functioning in the green.

I'd quickly mapped a track onto the dunes whilst still moving as I was determined to get onto them dunes before the other party did... in an attempt to save some embarrassment - red faces ;-) We got there still with five minutes to spare, you beauty ;-)

On entering the dunes, the new M/T Bridgestone's again lived up to ALL expectations and some more, they were simply brilliant. After comparing the tracks of the entry to the dunes from the other vehicles, there was a very significant difference in the track being carved out of the sand as each vehicle made their way onto the dunes. The Bridgestone's literally floated over the soft dry sand where the others seem to bite into the soft stuff looking for moist sand to bite on. So far I haven't been able to fault these awesome tyres.

Taking a few happy snaps there on the dunes and helping Bruno get his beloved Nissan Pathfinder up the first dunes and others just taking a look round, Craig ends up see-sawing the Mitsubishi Challenger on a small razer-back. Over-ramp not quite good enough hey Craig? ;-) A simple snatch off the top by Tazzy and Craig was free.

About 2-3psi out of Bruno's H/T tyres on the Pathfinder was the difference in getting up the dune and not getting there.

So onward the convoy travelled through these dunes looking for an exit point onto Fosters beach. In previous years, navigation was always accomplished by PGMNAT, and it made for some very interesting terrain crossings over the dunes. But alas we have GPS now and it certainly made life incredibly easy picking up the track to Fosters Beach off the dunes.

For safety reasons, I'd thought it better to take point over the dunes as these dunes can be particularly dangerous and being that I have crossed them at least eight times now, it would be best for me to navigate a route through them. There are some huge drop off's that can be camouflaged in the mid day sun, so no real shadows on the dunes to indicate these rather nasty drop off's. Still, it didn't stop me from finding a nice route through the dunes to test the abilities of most of the vehicles behind me.

A fair amount of limestone cat rock to negotiate and with Bronky with no spare now, the decent over the cat rock was very tentative. Once on the beach we turned left to the Eastern headland on Fosters beach, it always seems protected from the wind at this end. Jerry, Bruno and Steve out with the fishing gear again, though they really needed to fish further down the beach off the rocks to get anything decent.

Young Brandon out with the skimming board, where does he get his energy? If only it could be bottles :-) The rest of us just enjoying the moment and someone else judging it to be beer o'clock. It was just fantastic to chill out with great friends and families.

MacGyver and I with Jonsey coming up the rear when for a drive to the end of the beach to make sure we could get out via the other track on the Western side of the beach. Its amazing how steadier a 4WD vehicle can drive over sand in 2WD, though momentum must be gained before shifting out of 4WD. For the light hearted, keep the vehicle in 4WD at low speeds, this technique of 2WD should only be practiced by experienced 4WDrivers with manual free wheeling hubs as speed along the each is the key. Jonsey didn't have a choice as his 80' series is full time 4WD, but disengaging the diff lock did help stop the front of the vehicle drifting around.

MacGyver threw up the gauntlet for the run back to the group along the beach. I really needed to stick with Jonesy as he only just got his licence and the 80' was purchased about a month ago, so I threw in the towel and allowed MacGyver take line honours. Still reckon I could have taken him ;-) Onya Macca! Macca was on full throttle, I was about two thirds to three quarters throttle with still plenty to work with. We were both in 2WD.

Once we returned, everyone had already packed up and were starting to head out, so no time for the engines to cool down, we were off back down the beach again. Found the exit again and we all got off the beach with relative ease and up over the hills. MacGyver now leading with me as tail end. Requested MacGyver to find a clearing to air up and within about half a minute, MacGyver radio's back about some depth thing. The whole convoy pulled up and out on foot heading up to the lead vehicle only to see the 4WD track leading into what only can be described as a lake. Pluto and MacGyver found a path around the first section of the lake with minimum impact on the environment and came back only to inform us that the second section required oars and not a front diff. Some of us already airing up hopeful of a crossing. It wasn't to be, we had to turn around and go back the way be came. Unfortunately It was now going to be a late one back to camp. Oh well, as they say on the big one... it happens. I ended up being in the lead back onto the beach.

Heading up the dunes off the beach, quite a way up the 60' made light work of it. Wizard, Jonsey and Tazzy right behind me, a few others reporting high engine temperatures on the ascent on the UHF.

Stopped in a fairly good clearing to air up once passed the main body of dunes and whilst airing up, I mapped the best possible route - shortest possible distance - to Dillon Bay Rd via GPS, ended up being pretty much the same route Pluto mapped that morning when the rest of us were at Stream Beach. Again travelling though the private property with the greatest of care.

Once back onto Dillon Bay Rd, I pulled over to allow MacGyver take point, only because his air conditioner was in repairs back in Perth. Too uncomfortable for Estelle and the girls to head back to camp biting dust, the rest of us with air conditioners on and on recycle.

Some fatigue setting in as I overshot Swamp Rd heading back to camp and ya get that too! I guess that's one advantage of travelling in convoy, the lads keep you alert. Bruno kept going into Bremer for more supplies.

Got back to camp and settled in for a great evening. Gary the CALM ranger dropped in to see the New Year in with us and helped Jerry rescue his ignition key from one very locked Kia Sorrento. What a champion, onya Gary ;-)

A few issues with new Station owners early in the evening, but they ended up retiring to the homestead leaving us all alone to do what we came down for, see the New Year is as a great bunch of friends.

A few of the lads doing an all nighter, catching up on shut eye during the day on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.

Happy New Year :-)