THE CRUISER

Yep, its a passion. The vehicle is a 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser GXL. They are one of the most competent 4 wheel drives ever made. It's safe and takes us to where we want to go in comfort. The Cruiser has reawakened my pleasure in mechanics. As cars have gotten more complex they have become less friendly for home mechanics so the Cruiser is a real joy. High enough to get under and get the gearbox out and an engine not overly complicated to work on. I also completed a TAFE Diesel Engine trouble-shooters course which gave me an insight into diesel engines and their injection systems.

The vehicle is a work in progress but is pretty well equipped to go most places and is rigidly maintained so it will get us there and back.

THE FISHING

Another great passion but one that is hard to get out and do as much as I would like due to the difficulties with work and weather. Its also something Marianna and I both love to do and we have enjoyed getting away to FN Qld on a couple of occasions.

I have nearly enough rods to cover most situations and have a number of Live Fibre rods, including surf, 15-24kg overhead, 8-10kg spin, 6kg spin, 2 kg spin, a Loomis 665 custom bait caster, a Shimano 3 piece bait caster and a few different reels like a Shimano Calcutta 400, TLD 15 a few Abu Garcia's, a few Shimano Symetres and a couple of Alvey's.

I have been lucky to go to the Swains Reef for a week each of the last three years. This year (2003) was planned to go to Samurez Reef but I have had to withdraw due to my likely deployment to East Timor with the UN Civilian Policing Contingent.

2004 is already planned to go back up Cape York but concentrating on fishing some of the more out of the way areas.

THE HUNTING

I sometimes wonder whether I'm a red neck or not. With passions for 4wheel drives, fishing and hunting.

I have been involved in hunting and shooting sports since a kid. Like most kids an old air rifle was the first thing, and many a sparrow met its match.

My first real rifle was a Remington 700 BDL 25/06, which I should have kept. Probably the best one gun solution for Australian hunting (except for the really big stuff).

I now have a reasonable collection of rifles, including calibres like 375 H&H (BRNO 602), 35 Whelen (custom Mauser), .308w, 7mm Shooting Times Westerner (custom Ruger No 1 V), 25/06 (Ruger 77 VT), 257 Roberts (custom Mauser), 22/250 Rem (Parker Hale), 222 Rem (custom Remington 700 BDL Varmint), two shotguns ( Browning), more 22LR's (like Remington, Sportco & Brno Mod 2) than I care to think about and of course an air rifle.

I enjoy reloading my own ammunition, including shotshell.

I would like to eventually get a nice BRNO ZG47 in a classic calibre like 7x57 or 270w, however something will have to make way for it first.

Hunting gets you out of the City and into the bush and is another great reason to own a 4 wheel drive and camping gear. I normally hunt feral pigs around Miles, however have been lucky to get onto a heap of places and hoep to go up the Gulf this year.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is another passion (and why I can't be a red neck). I use Minolta cameras and own a Dynax 700si, Dynax 9000 and about 7 various lenses. Landscape photography is what I enjoy the most and I have been lucky enough to be able to combine this with our travel around Australia.

My biggest flaw is not having the patience to wait for "the" moment. However I did wait about and hour for a clown to move off the top of a waterfall once. I also have some trouble picking the right place to cut down on the camera gear I carry in. I neglected to carry in the full bag to the Mitchell Plateau where the filters and lenses would have been invaluable on what turned out to be an easy walk, then carried it in to Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu rock hopping over huge boulders and nearly spilling the lot several times, only to find you would need a 14mm lens to get it a decent shot.

I have also dabbled in dark room work and enjoy printing monochrome and the associated techniques. I hope to set up the darkroom properly after we have our new house.

THE CAMPING

Camping in Australia is an absolute joy. Once you get away from the hordes there are some absolutely great places to recharge the batteries. We have a Southern Cross Ultimate 13x10 touring tent and an Off road camper trailer so we can go on a real off-road adventure travelling light or on a touring holiday where manoeuvrability and overall vehicle weight is not a major issue.

In my opinion the secret in camping is plenty of shade, a comfy seat and a decent shower at least every couple of days. The rest will fall into place around those basics.

Sundown NP near Stanthorpe besides offering some reasonable 4 wheel driving is basically empty outside public holiday periods and with camping near the river is fantastic.

Lakefield NP is also great. We were lucky enough to spend a week at Midway camp and did not see a sole in the area for that time. The diverse wildlife and peaceful surrounds are to be experienced.

Simpson Desert. So much to see and an experience unparallelled in our opinion. Anyone who thinks a desert is empty has not been to the Simpson. It is one of the greatest places in Australia and we will be back there.