Jeep Club, Day trip, Scenic Rim, near Beaudesert					file=	JeepClubs.htm
Introduction
Having just bought a Jeep Wrangler 2 door Sport, I
discovered  2 local Jeep owners clubs :-
a) Sunshine Coast Jeep club
b) Brisbane Jeep club
These clubs are for Jeep enthusiasts, and organise
various trips and functions for Jeep owners in Brisbane
and the Sunshine Coast.
They both have very active Web Forums, which keep
members well informed of what is going on.
The members Jeeps range from stock standard models
to highly modified vehicles which can master incredibly					Meeting at Hungry Jacks, B'desert
steep and rocky slopes and difficult terrain.
Some of these make the highly modified factory "Rubicon" models look tame in comparison !
Both clubs proudly claim  they always bring back ever member and vehicle from their trips, including
cars that have become immobile from rollovers or trail damage or breakdowns.
I went to test this thesis with the Brisbane Jeep club, on a day trip to the Scenic Rim adventure park.
This park is located about 30 km south of Beaudesert, and is similar (but more difficult !) than many
other 4WD parks on private property in Australia. The trails range from medium difficulty to absolutely
INSANE, at least to beginners. As a minimum, you would need a Heavy Duty 4WD with low range
and good off road tyres. The clubs "minimum" KIT requirements to do this trip include :-
	a) A two way UHF radio, for communications, instructions and calls for help !
	b) Tow hooks on vehicle, front and rear.
	c) At least a Snatch strap + shackles. (most serious members have winches)
	d) Fire extinguisher and 1st aid kit.
	e) Recovery gear, including axe, spade and MaxTrax is recommended.
Having kitted myself with all the above (except for a winch) I fronted up at 7.30 am at the meeting
place at Hungry Jacks, Beaudesert, for a kit inspection and briefing. All vehicles were inspected for
the above and UHF radios were set to channel 15. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my 1 watt
Uniden hand-held UHF performed. In very hilly country, while in convoy, radio messages were loud
and clear, within convoy range, say about .5 to 1 km. Only problem was the radio ran out of battery
charge after about 3 hours. Could have been old batteries from shop, but easy fixed in future by
having a Cigarette charger in the vehicle.
Meeting & briefing @ Hungry Jacks, Beaudesert. Only 20-25 cars were allowed into the 4WD Park
From the meeting place, we headed South about 30km to the Scenic Rim adventure Park. Most of us
had pre-registered and paid our $45 Park use fee, at the previous club meeting, to avoid delays.
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At the Park, we had to sign in, on entry,  and sign out, on exit.The trip leader explained that beginners
could avoid the so called HARD sections, but his interpretation of easy, medium and hard, was often
questionable ?? I suppose the experienced guys, with highly modified cars, can get a bit "blasé".
Signing in at Park entry, $45 per day.					Easy mild track, leading into Park
I was surprised at how good the UHF radio reception and transmission was, in the hilly terrain.
Mind you, the convoy was never more then about 1km spread out, but I always thought UHF was more
or less "line of sight". Also, being in an enclosed air-conditioned car made reception much better then
in an open Beach Buggy, copping wind roar at anything over 30 kph.
1st difficult hill. Club members were spread out					View from the top, many large loose rocks
at intervals, guiding the cars around rocks and					and logs on the track. The members
bad sections. Many had to make numerous					guiding the cars were very helpful in
attempts, after sliding backwards.					placing our front wheels.
Getting to the top, very slowly in Low range,					Heading on to next section....woops.
low gear. Very easy to slide sideways into					This was where the highly modified cars
trees and large rocks at the side of the track.					skipped over LARGE boulders and ruts.
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Top of an INSANE section, only the best					How does this guy get out ?  Body on the
drivers and cars tried this section. They still					rocks and wheels behind rocks. I guess he
needed observers to guide their wheels,					had diff locks and whatever. He drove out
going forwards and backwards. Me, an old					with a fair bit of guidance, back and forth.
experienced trail bike rider, 20 odd years ago,
was amazed at what they could do ?
					Look at this guy ? He nearly rolled over
					here, but got out OK ???
At this stage, the batteries of my Camera gave up the ghost. I could see this coming, so I avoided
taking videos at this section. To make matters worse, the batteries of my UHF also failed ??
This was a brand new unit, just purchased, so the batteries must have gone down on the shelf.
Will buy a cigarette lighter charger, for future use, and take 3 spare re-chargeable batteries.
After a short lunch break, the club headed for a creek, to do some more insanity. Since my camera
and UHF were un-useable, I decided to head off home, as I had started  at 4am, to get to the meeting
point, Beaudesert by 7.30 am. Will be better prepared for future trips.
Conclusions		I have come to the conclusion that my new Jeep, is more capable
than the driver. The arthritic aches and pains, failing eyesight and willingness to take risks have all
contributed to a change of attitude. I guess I am more willing to do longer touring trips, than the
riskier difficult trails, which require strength and mobility to get out of trouble. This concept has
finally become a reality, sadly !
Some photos taken by others, boys playing in the CREEK !!
					<-----This guy could just about climb trees.
					He is also the club president, and does many
					rescues of some of the more "standard" jeeps
					during club trips. Some of the other younger
					guys were just as capable.
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