John Forrest NP clean up – getting around Red Hill

As a conservation area, Red Hill as part of John Forrest National Park is usually off limits to 4WD’s. As much as we are all saddened by the closures of such awesome 4WDing locations, it is also very easy to acknowledge why DBCA does gate off so many areas. The selfishness of a few to many, too tight in the hip pocket to pay a fee at the adjacent Red Hill Waste Management Facility, who dump rubbish in the National Park instead. Reason enough to be installing gates (everywhere).

Thanks to some determined negotiating between club president Richard C and DBCA, access to Red Hill was granted for our club to enter the area and remove as much rubbish as we could. In the end, a ten cubic metre skip bin was filled to the brim in about three hours.

In order to “find” rubbish, we did of course have to explore the Red Hill area. Getting up and down the hill proved challenging in places, the gallery below an insight into some of the tracks traversed on our rubbish seeking quest.

The images above are just a sample of what was encountered. For some of us, self included, we were towing loaded trailers on tracks we ordinarily wouldn’t tow anything along at all.

Another thing the images above highlight is the different levels of flex between IFS and live axle vehicles. My Triton doesn’t flex much at all, this lack of flex offset by having front and rear lockers that ensure tyres on the ground have torque to keep the vehicle moving. Simon’s ex-Australian Army Perentie Land Rover on coil springs, flexes superbly, and Gary’s 80 series isn’t too bad either. The 76 Series wagon isn’t IFS, but it flexes so poorly it wheel lifts high just like the Triton. Ivo’s FRP top, being mid wheel base on leaf springs, is rather stiff too.

After a solid few hours of picking up rubbish, and driving around, we all set up in the first area cleared for a BBQ lunch.

Thanks to everyone who showed up to help, and thanks again to Richard C for his liaising with DBCA that made this day possible. Sean F