[benbsb29]

Located about 80 kms from the Brisbane CBD is the smallest of the 3 sand islands surrounding Queensland’s coastline. With its beautiful beaches, as well as accessibility to the mainland via the bridge, Bribie island is a popular getaway spot for locals as well as visitors.



Those who have been following my write-ups would remember the first time I visited this island, and chose to explore it via the 4x4 track. High on both adrenaline as well as foolishness, a friend and I attempted this in a Subaru XV AWD, a car which was built for a different purpose, as we now know too well. Needless to say, this was a lesson in what not to attempt when unprepared. Come to think of it, we didn’t air down, no recovery gear, and absolutely no idea of what we had embarked upon.

The details from that adventure are documented in this post. Don't miss this lesson on what NOT to do when you decide to go offroading.
Trip to Bribie Island (The Brisbane Chronicles EDIT : Team-BHP Meet/Drive)

[benbsb29]

Fasttrack to a few years later, and I now had my own 4WD - one more suited to challenges such as these. However, the events from the last attempt, as well as inexperience meant that as much as Bribie was calling, I had to say no. Challenges are meant to be overcome, and inexperience can always be fixed. With that thought in my head, I decided this was something I had to do. No point having a 4WD if you don’t put it through its paces.

I asked around at work, and a colleague who lives nearby was happy to tag along in his Ford Ranger, just in case I got stuck.

A date was set, and while we counted down the days, I went about building up on my recovery gear. I added an air compressor, tyre gauge, as well as recovery gear including tow rope, shackles, spade etc.

To drive your 4WD on these beaches, you need to apply for a permit online, which involves details of the vehicle as well as driver. This is important as there are rangers who would check these permits at times. Once the permit is obtained, you can print and attach it to the left bottom corner of the windshield or even get a sticker from the information office before you get to the beach.

My daughter joined me on the day, and was quite excited with the prospect of off-roading. My colleague was accompanied by his brother who brought along their fatbikes so they could ride on the sand,

First stop was to air down the tyres.



As they say, inexperience shows, and in the process of airing down, I nearly lost the tyre valve on one of the tyres. My friend was quick to help plug it and recover the valve, else the story could have been quite different. Once done, I slotted the car into 4H, and we were off.

[benbsb29]

As much as I was inexperienced on the soft sand, I knew the basics of off-roading, Steady throttle, and choosing the right tracks on the sand meant I was doing quite well.



My friend in his Ranger ahead of us told us he kept checking his rearview mirror, and was happy to see us always right behind.





The inland track is quite long, and the sand is quite soft in some places. Occasionally, you find a vehicle stuck, but usually there were people and cars around to help. Reminded me of the experience from my first trip on the sand.



A bit of tossing, turning, sliding and wincing.. but I never completely reduced throttle pressure. Just when I thought we would be bogged, the tyres dug in, clawed out some traction, and we moved forward. After what seemed like an eternity, we saw the first glimpse of the beach.

Here’s a short video I had made then:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzBwR6pGOGU

Once we got to the beach, it was relatively smooth. Driving along the more compact sand, it was almost like driving on tarmac.

[benbsb29]

Some snaps from the time at the beach:





War ruins of the bunkers from the World War







When returning, we took a different route, skipping the inland 4WD track. This one is a shorter 4WD track, and you exit onto Woorim beach, which is where all the non 4x4 folks congregate.



Route of our trip. You can see the distance covered on the inland track, as well as the straightforward run along the beach on the return.



Before we got back to the road, it was time to air up. From here, my friend bade farewell, while we continued towards home, to find a place to pressure wash the car after the beach trip.

What was most important was the fact that we had conquered that challenge - one that had dented our pride, and cost both us, as well as those who rescued us a fair bit of time.



Bribie Island 4WDing – check!

[benbsb29]

TIME TO DO IT AGAIN !!



As they say, you do it once, and you want to do it again. That kinda sums up my thoughts as far as visiting Bribie Island goes. It was therefore inevitable that I visit there again. The next two times were without any backup recovery vehicle. I was counting on my experience as well as basic recovery gear to get me out of trouble if I did end up getting stuck. Worst case, I request the support of a fellow off-roader.

Some pics from the following trips:

Airing down

The scene here feels like a Mitsubishi owners group meet. However, this was truly unintentional. Just goes to show the popularity of the Japanese brand in Australia, and more so in the 4WDing circles.



Congregation at the beach being a public holiday



Wildlife on the beach - large lizards



Time for sandcastles - Game of Thrones?



Beside one of the lagoons



Quite a crowded day at the beach



Made acquaintance with these families originally from New Zealand. I spent a good amount of time enjoying their hospitality while my daughter played with their kids.




World War bunkers

[benbsb29]

On the second instance, we actually got stopped for checking by the rangers along the beach. They made sure we weren't speeding, looked for a valid permit and then waved us on.







Do note that when driving along the beach, all regular road rules apply, including speed limits indicated along the beach.

Some more pics from the last couple of trips:





A wild turkey along the beach



Posing before the war bunker



After spending a good amount of time on the beach, we decided to return, so as to avoid getting caught in the tide.







Paddle-boarding with friends



Moving away from the crowds - Solitude



From one Pajero to another - mutual respect!







Blue skies, golden sand.. heavenly!



Making our way back to town limits



Airing up, back to road tyre pressures



Thanks for reading, and looking forward to the next trip.

[benbsb29]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[Thermodynamics]

Crisp photo log, Thanks for sharing snaps of Australia.

Do you advice any suggestions/precautions while driving on beach sand. What is the extent of deflation needed, any thumb rules on that ?

[deepfreak15]

Nice pictures and does look like a ton of fun!

[arjithin]

Thanks for sharing Benny, looks like a very beautiful place, and completely free from plastic waste. Its time for you to now look for some larger off-roading adventures !

[Nitish.arnold]

Originally Posted by arjithin

completely free from plastic waste

That's the one thing that caught my eye too,
No litter, cleanliness everywhere.

@Benbsp29, a great thread, eagerly waiting for your next adventure.

p.s. These "GODZILLA" lizards are there in my sector too, in Greater Noida, Imagine my agony (I am afraid of reptiles)

[basilmabraham]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Bribie Island 4WDing – check!

Nice one Benny. Any plans to drive South during school holidays?

[fine69]

There just isn't a better country to own a 4x4 in than Australia!

Great to see you have fun with a capable vehicle. Have you added sand ladders to your recovery gear? With decent 4 wheeling experience and sand ladders you could easily do trails like this yourself (that is of course when you just can't get a second vehicle to accompany you).

I, in fact, went dune bashing in the Thar desert on my own with just sand ladders and shovel. You'd be surprised that in those 2 days of dune bashing, I got stuck 3 times and one time it was super hard to get out but sand ladders and shovel turned out to be perfect for solo 4 wheeling.

When can we see the Fraser Island travelogue though?

[scwagh]

Thanks for sharing a glimpse of your wonderful day at the beach! The soft sand approach road to the beach was particularly very interesting. Must be so much fun to work up your way to the beach. Loved the Pajero clicks, unstoppable

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

Crisp photo log, Thanks for sharing snaps of Australia.

Do you advice any suggestions/precautions while driving on beach sand. What is the extent of deflation needed, any thumb rules on that ?

Thanks Thermodynamics.

The rule of thumb i follow is to deflate the tyres to about 20-25 psi. Too low means you run the risk of ripping the tyres off the wheel when taking turns. If you do get stuck, and cannot free yourself without the help of another vehicle or any other aids, carefully drop the psi even further, somewhere around 15 psi or so. Make sure you only drive straight at this point to get yourself out.

Besides dropping the tyre pressures, the other step i perform is to turn off the ASC. In most cars this turns back on when you restart the car after turning it off. If you are still engaging in sand driving, don't forget to disable it till completed.

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Nice pictures and does look like a ton of fun!

Thanks deepfreak. It was indeed a whole lot of fun. It was a bit daunting initially, and there are times when you just feel the traction is about to give way, leaving you beached. Then magic happens, and you are off.

Originally Posted by arjithin

Thanks for sharing Benny, looks like a very beautiful place, and completely free from plastic waste. Its time for you to now look for some larger off-roading adventures !

Thanks for the kind words, Arijit. Bribie Island is indeed an awesome place.
From what i have seen, most people take great pride in leaving their surroundings cleaner than when they got there, and such public spaces are no different. As far as waste goes, we carry it back, and i even try to segregate the recyclable stuff prior to disposing.

We go offroad quite often, however nothing hardcore as this is my primary vehicle doing all sort of duties including the school runs, grocery shopping, weekend endeavours, and highway munching.

Beach runs are cool, as there is lower risk of damaging the vehicle provided basic caution is exercised. The wash on return, including the underbody, however is critical.