Hi Everyone!

Yep, we’ve actually got to the stage of doing Newsletter 2 for August. It only seems a short while ago since we sent out the last one. However, even in 5 weeks things are still changing here and that gives me something to tell you about!

Firstly, we have at long last got a website up and running! The web address is:

Both Toni and I expect you’ll find it useful and hope you’ll add it to your "favourites". Our intention is to keep it reasonably proactive and therefore change pages as things occur. This makes it a more interesting site for you and gives me something to do as I sit here all day just sun baking and beer swilling! If you have some interesting stories, trips or pictures then please send them to me at info@thesprings4x4.com.au After extensive editing, hopefully for nudity, language and crudity etc… we’ll add them on. Any clubs that would like to place a link on the site please let me know and we’ll sort something out! I am now a huge technical guru of websites, (this is my first!), and I’ll try to attempt anything..

So..what have we got planned for the coming months?

Aug 26th Curry & Wind Night

Sept 2/3^rd Fathers Day weekend

Oct 28/29^th Halloween

Sat evening: Be your partners’ best friend the following day! Themed Indian night. Try hot, medium or cool spicey food from the Orient. Our resident cheffette, (Toni) is a dab hand at Curry and all the accompaniments.

Sunday morning: Feel the wind at the Campsite!

Firstly, as a reminder to all Dads. Fathers Day is on the weekend. This is great news for all Dads as this gives you a prime excuse to go camping and four wheel driving! So what have we got planned?

Fri night: Set up and volunteer night drive to more extreme areas of the Park

Sat morning – set up and relax

Sat arvo – Sausage sizzle and 6 a side knockout cricket, Mum & Kids Vs Dads (Note to Kiwis - Aussie underarm allowed!). The winners partake of Beer, wine & soft drink hamper basket.

Sat evening: Campfire yarns and Surf and Turf at the Stables with great raffle prizes provided by ARB and Repco.

Sunday morning: headache

Fancy dress at the Stables Ghoul Cavern. Prizes for the scariest kid and adult. Halloween feast at the Stables with kids Halloween games.

We have plenty of more ideas for fun and games at the Springs 4x4 so watch the next newsletter for more detail. Bookings are required for all of the above and will be taken on a first come first served basis. As you all know, places are limited here on the Park…so ring early!

The 29^th July was our first Christmas in July night. We had a large group from the Gold Coast 4x4 Club who had booked to be our inaugural guests. After sitting around perhaps one of the largest campfires we have had and watching the Xmas lights and tree, dinner was served! Everybody filled up on roast and delicious deserts all waiting for the treat of the night! Santa! I must admit I think he was perhaps the best looking and thinnest Santa I have ever seen, (however, I may be biased!), but the kids seemed to have a ball. Lollies were given by Santa to the kids, followed by a Ho Ho! and off I go!

We enjoyed hosting the night and feedback from the Club was very positive. A big thankyou to the Gold Coast Club for being our first Xmas guests!

Having destroyed my old Navara ute, (it has the most wobbly wheels on the planet). Steadily changed the shape of my wife’s Pajero, (I now call it "Her Car"!); the side panels look like a corro roof and the sills have better looking crevasses than Everest! So what do I do? After much thought, ie less than 1 second, I give the Pajero back to Toni and invest in a recovery and track making vehicle! Great idea, a new toy for me! Welcome the Landcruiser ute! Indestructable I thought! Three CV joints, two shafts, a dent and two hires of a trailer to get it into Warwick later. What have I learnt? I have now realized that diff locks and a heavy right foot are not the way to go! The car has been into ARB and has been fitted out with all the gear and now is very capable. For all those "4WD motorheads" this is what’s fitted:

2 inch bodylift, 2 inch suspension lift, ARB front and rear lockers, ARB dual battery system, ARB bull bar, 12000lb Warn winch, 2xIPF XS front spots, 4xIPF 900 bar spots, twin stack exhaust, safari snorkel, Maxxis 33" muddies plus too many to mention ARB accessory goodies for winching and jacking.

                             Before                                                               After

There is now a compressor at the entrance to the Park, for use of all those keen four wheel drivers who deflate their tyres so as to be able to get up every track. If you do not have your own air gauge then ask at the Office and you can use ours!

Finally, a big thank you to all our guests who have supported us over the Winter months. Watching you scrape ice and frost off your cars and tents has been a revelation to us! There are still lots of people who like camping in the cold! With the coming of Spring we hope to see more people coming out of hibernation!

Hope to see you soon…..

Keep on trackin!

Best Wishes

Iain, Toni and Jordan

Tel: 07 4685 2558

Email: info@thesprings4x4.com.au