gettin' salted

[Mr Keen 0]

hi allnext weekend i am taking my newly acquired fourbie (rocky 2.8d) down to salt creek or 42 mile for its maiden adventure, just hope i can get some sleep before then!i am not the sort to ask for info on how to catch the silver ghost so please do not provide any. i get much more satisfaction in figuring things out for myself and fishing is no exception.what i will ask is for advice on is what not to do, particularly in the realm of the beach's dynamics and the driving aspect. i dont wanna reap rewards from others hard yards ie. secrets and tips, but if i can save myself from heartache by learning from others mistakes it would be great.failing that just wish me good luck!cheers from the keenest of keen, Mr Keen

[benny 1]

keep ya baits in the gutters, deep or shallow, it doesnt matter mulloway will feed in both, have fresh baits out and be patient, the only thing I cant reccommend doing is being impatient and pulling the pin early, mullies are pretty easy to catch ya just need patience.

[Ranger 48]

Check the tides carefully to ensure you don't get stuck on the low and drown ya fourby, or have a huge high tide leave you stuck somewhere, or drown ya fourby. (These large tides normally arrive in spring though).Deflate ya tyres (around 18psi), no matter how hard the sand is where you enter the beach, because you may well hit soft spots further up.No sharp turns in soft sand. Build up momentum and keep it up to prevent the vehicle bogging down in the soft stuff.Be prepared to do a bit of digging (so carry a shovel), and have a second vehicle with you for safety.These things are GOLD in the sand: http://www.bushranger.com.au/sandtrack.php

[Surf_94 1]

A reminder to all that the southern end of the coorong park will be closed from 6pm sunday 18th until the 23rd. That includes 28 mile right up to tee tree crossing, so there is no access to the old coorong road for next week. Information can be seen on the parks site under "parks, tracks and trail closures." Let's hope they don't get too cheeky and start the annual beach closure early this year. (or should I say "earlier") Heading down myself this weekend, only thing I can suggest apart from all that has been suggested is go in via tee tree and ease yourself into the 4x4 driving. Good luck, have fun.

[Mr Keen 0]

cheers guysthere is a 2.5m outer harbor tide that weekend but i plan on being firmly camped for the evening high, does anyone know the tide time difference from outer harbor or a comparable location?unfortunately i have only about a half hour of experience on soft sand, was hoping for more before a salt creek run, but we do have a second vehicle with us with a reasonably experienced driver in it. is 42 mile a better option for the less experienced? is teatree crossing dry still?i may be going fishing but my main objective is to be pulling into my driveway on sunday arvo with my bro after having fished 90 mile beach and had no major stresses since leaving work friday avro. i still have a week of thinking about it to get through yet!keen

[brenton 637]

Ranger was spot on,give it heaps as momentum is your friend, don't get too low on the beach without it as soft sand and an incline is your worst enemy.I reckon you can go a bit lower with the tyre pressure though. cheers brenton

[Ranger 48]

Brenton IS correct! You can take the tyres down to 14-15psi, but I suggested a little higher as you are still new to this and I dont want you to roll a tyre off the rim.42 mile would be my own prefered entry point, and a call to the Salt Creek roadhouse will tell you if Tea Tree is wet or exposed. I don't like driving Tea Tree myself, coz that water is 7 times saltier than sea water, and I don't want it on my vehicle.

[thefunkychicken 0]

I personally let my tyres down a fair bit, aiming for 12 to 16psi depending on the conditions.It's just like everything else: you don't get anything else for free! The more you let them down means the more traction you get BUT it becomes much, much easier to roll a tyre off the rim or break a bead if you get a bit of a bounce up by accident. Both of these things will stop you dead in your tracks.A common misconception when letting down tyres is looking for them to "balloon" out sideways (ie- get wider). They do this a bit but this is not what gives you most of your added traction; it's more due to the flat spot at the bottom of the tyre getting longer under your vehicle as you let the tyre down.With a lighter 4WD that's not carrying much of a load you may be able to get away with 18psi but you still then have the ability to go right down to 10psi if you really get in the poo.If you don't have a pump with you you can happily drive for a short while at slower speeds back to somewhere you can pump them up. However, I've found a good quality tyre pressure guage and one of the many available 12volt compressors to be my most valued possessions in my 4wd.Silly as it sounds: keep your momentum up but drive as slow as practicable. Excess speed does little more than tear up the surface for others, spray salty crap all through the underneath of your vehicle and stress the hell out of your sidewalls not to mention the rest of the car.Good luck with it. Have fun. Show us some pictures when you get back.Cheers. Tight lines & Soft tyres.

[Mr Keen 0]

The Rocky came with an under-bonnet compressor so i got that covered and in the sand I appreciate the value of momentum already, still have lots to learn though and that can best be done with experience.I am so stoked to be finally getting there in my own 4x4 that i can think of little else, it has consumed me almost to the point of impotence. Better be extra careful with the laser at work this week too. Again, thanks for the tips fellaskeen

[Ranger 48]

Ahhh, YES, the Rocky! Now I remember!Don't worry, that lil thing'll fly right over the top where all the heavy Landcruisers and Patrols bog down in the sand!I was working as a herpetologist on a conservation survey down south of the state in a swampy area (Gum Lagoon Conservation Park), where I spent most of my time digging a government troopy out of the mud. Meanwhile an ornithologist in his little Suzuki was zipping around all over the place with narry a problem, just flying straight over all the areas we got stuck in! :S

[Mr Keen 0]

The beach down at morgans was stopping some of the bigger models last weekend and the Rocky treated it like an unsealed graded road!! I was blown away with the ease which I scooted along. Having said that it does weigh 2000kg.

[Guest B@K]

Adding a little to all the above top advice, the one thing that sticks with me in my early rural days, "The only difference between a two wheel drive and a four wheel drive is - a four wheel drive will get you further in the **** than a two wheel drive."Think about it!. I know it helped me a lot working pastoral country.Anyway, enjoy your new 'toy' and happy fishing.CheersBrian.

[Dubs The Tackle Man 0]

Hey mate I used to live up that way spent alot of time on the beach.Ranger hit the nail on the head the first time with tyre pressure run them at 18psi so if you get stuck you've still got a bit to play with there. Your tread pattern wont change much letting your tyres down to 20psi anything after that you can see a big difference.Another reason for letting yoour tyres down b4 the beach is to preserve the track there is nothing worse than being the next bloke to drive through the track after some1 has been through there with fully inflated tyres it chews the sand up big time.42 mile crossing is fairly straight forward a bit of a hill but nothing to worry about, pick a camp site that is higher than the water some places through there have inter tidal flows that flow behind the dunes, have been caught out b4 Stop in and see Adam at the heart if the coorong servo (salt creek) he will know how the tracks are and if there is any water over t tree.Ranger was right about taking a shovel 2 would make that a high priority on the list, your hands arnt as good and you'll be there for ages.Stick to the tracks that every1 else has followed and you ahould be alright slow and steady wins the race.Best times to see the gutters are as the sun is coming up up untill lunch as the sun is behind you not as glary.Hope we all have helped enjoy your trip Gr8t place to go.Dubs

[Mr Keen 0]

cheers guysYou may have heard a sobbing noise on sunday morning, that was me, coming to the realization that the trip was a no go.Two reasons:1. The missus wrote her car off on the weekend. She and the kid are shaken but thankfully unharmed, her beloved first car is not though.Towing fees alone chewed up my diesel money.2. Having not owned the fourbie very long it is what I consider reasonably under-prepared. No towing points, UHF, good jerry can and several other items that help make a stint like salt creek hassle free.I will get there and when I do I will be able to relax and enjoy myself knowing that I am safe from becoming the under-prepared and ill-equipped newbie in trouble that could have been my fate had I gone this weekend.sad but still keen

[Dubs The Tackle Man 0]

spewing atleast the family is safe

[thefunkychicken 0]

Discretion is the better part of valour.

[Ranger 48]

Mr Keen wrote:

You may have heard a sobbing noise on sunday morning, that was me, coming to the realization that the trip was a no go.

HTFU Rocky! Glad to hear the wife is ok too! Forget the car, it's only metal, people are what';s important!

[vb4me 1]

Not a nice thing to happen at all Mr Keen. Glad the family is unharmed though. At least you realised you were under prepared before you started your journey so that is one small plus for you. Good luck on the next planned assualt on salt creek.