Sarge98
Forum Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2013
- Messages
- 282
- Location
- Perth Hills
- Car Year
- 2001
- Car Model
- Forester Limited
- Transmission
- Auto
Ahhhh, if only they knew what the forester was capable of!
...
Just got back from a sweet weekend down south exploring the forests of Warren National Park down in Western Australia's Southwest.
The adventure started when we came across a towtruck which had somehow become stuck in mud on the side of the road. Turns out he pulled over to make a phonecall and because of all the rain the southwest has had recently, he just sank. He had a winch on the back but we offered the help of a snatch which eventually got him out.
We eventually pulled up in Pemberton before 3 and headed for the visitor information centre to get some local maps of the area. As we bought a parks pass, we discussed our plans of fishing and 4WD'ing and got some good tips from the locals. Turns out a cop who had been listening in, took some interest in our plans and we got talking to him outside. When we mentioned driving onto Yeagarup Dunes, he asked what car we would be taking. As we pointed out the Subaru (looking like its been professionally lowered!) he cracked a big smile. 'Nah, that thing will never make it up the first hill let alone across the dunes mate'. He kindly advised us of the fee we would have to pay if we had to call out a towtruck - $2400 depending on his mood apparently!! Bit of a downer for us! He could see we were still keen to have some fun and hit some tracks so he suggested some good places to explore which wouldn't involve a towtruck!
We picked up some supplies for the next couple days, re-fueled the car then drove out to Ritter Road, which leads into the WNP. This would eventually lead to those 'tamer tracks'. As we followed the directions the cop had given to a good campsite by the river, we came across a sign pointing up a beautiful sandy track, which read 'Yeagarup Lake'. Another sign read, “4WD access only” and advised airing down before proceeding – boy that got me excited! Because of all the recent rain in the area, it’s done a great job of compacting what is usually soft sand. Bearing this in mind, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to know what was down the track so off we went!
The track was pretty narrow but we had no troubles at all so we kept going. Before we knew it we were at the base of Yeagarup Dunes, staring at the first hill climb!! :lol: Also got a surprise seeing three 4WD’s there too, one of which belonged to a friend. We got talking and before too long, a bet was made that the forester wouldn’t make it up – they gave it a 30% chance... It was too late too heed the words of the policeman and with all thoughts of having to call out the towtruck gone, tyre pressures dropped to 16, we hopped in the subi and gunned it up the hill! Turned out to be great fun and we had no problems getting up the dune!! Pretty thrilled we made it up after having so many doubters haha!
https://youtu.be/Wwg9sm2OhcU
https://youtu.be/RX0poIXI73k
After making it up the first dune with hardly any trouble, we decided to carry on all the way to the ocean and so left our mates in their big 4WD’s at the bottom of the hill.
Gotta say, if you ever get the chance to visit these dunes take it!! It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before. You feel isolated, nothing like Lancelin dunes, and watching the sunset over the ocean and dunes was pretty spectacular, something I won’t forget. We nearly made it all the way to the ocean, but decided against going down one of the last descents, as I didn’t know if we’d make it back up. In hindsight, it was a good decision, but all I think about now is could we have made it!
Looking up at the descent we decided against
and the view
Driving back over the dunes to camp at sunset, couldn't resist getting some photos
Airing back up for the trip to Augusta to watch the dockers play!
The storm we were met with in Augusta
...
Just got back from a sweet weekend down south exploring the forests of Warren National Park down in Western Australia's Southwest.
The adventure started when we came across a towtruck which had somehow become stuck in mud on the side of the road. Turns out he pulled over to make a phonecall and because of all the rain the southwest has had recently, he just sank. He had a winch on the back but we offered the help of a snatch which eventually got him out.
We eventually pulled up in Pemberton before 3 and headed for the visitor information centre to get some local maps of the area. As we bought a parks pass, we discussed our plans of fishing and 4WD'ing and got some good tips from the locals. Turns out a cop who had been listening in, took some interest in our plans and we got talking to him outside. When we mentioned driving onto Yeagarup Dunes, he asked what car we would be taking. As we pointed out the Subaru (looking like its been professionally lowered!) he cracked a big smile. 'Nah, that thing will never make it up the first hill let alone across the dunes mate'. He kindly advised us of the fee we would have to pay if we had to call out a towtruck - $2400 depending on his mood apparently!! Bit of a downer for us! He could see we were still keen to have some fun and hit some tracks so he suggested some good places to explore which wouldn't involve a towtruck!
We picked up some supplies for the next couple days, re-fueled the car then drove out to Ritter Road, which leads into the WNP. This would eventually lead to those 'tamer tracks'. As we followed the directions the cop had given to a good campsite by the river, we came across a sign pointing up a beautiful sandy track, which read 'Yeagarup Lake'. Another sign read, “4WD access only” and advised airing down before proceeding – boy that got me excited! Because of all the recent rain in the area, it’s done a great job of compacting what is usually soft sand. Bearing this in mind, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to know what was down the track so off we went!
The track was pretty narrow but we had no troubles at all so we kept going. Before we knew it we were at the base of Yeagarup Dunes, staring at the first hill climb!! :lol: Also got a surprise seeing three 4WD’s there too, one of which belonged to a friend. We got talking and before too long, a bet was made that the forester wouldn’t make it up – they gave it a 30% chance... It was too late too heed the words of the policeman and with all thoughts of having to call out the towtruck gone, tyre pressures dropped to 16, we hopped in the subi and gunned it up the hill! Turned out to be great fun and we had no problems getting up the dune!! Pretty thrilled we made it up after having so many doubters haha!
https://youtu.be/Wwg9sm2OhcU
https://youtu.be/RX0poIXI73k
After making it up the first dune with hardly any trouble, we decided to carry on all the way to the ocean and so left our mates in their big 4WD’s at the bottom of the hill.
Gotta say, if you ever get the chance to visit these dunes take it!! It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before. You feel isolated, nothing like Lancelin dunes, and watching the sunset over the ocean and dunes was pretty spectacular, something I won’t forget. We nearly made it all the way to the ocean, but decided against going down one of the last descents, as I didn’t know if we’d make it back up. In hindsight, it was a good decision, but all I think about now is could we have made it!
Looking up at the descent we decided against
and the view
Driving back over the dunes to camp at sunset, couldn't resist getting some photos
Airing back up for the trip to Augusta to watch the dockers play!
The storm we were met with in Augusta
I'm gonna play with padding out the far edge of the mount with some tape to make it a more snug fit
