Snapped kingpins on the front swivel hub, then a rock garden nobody drives clean. Shaun Whale, Graham Cahill and Jock McDonald take on Monkey Gum Fire Trail and Wombat Flats west of Nowra, NSW.

The boys are back together on the NSW South Coast a year after the fires came through, putting a few visitor dollars into the little towns and finding out what successive seasons of fire and rain have done to the tracks. Along for the weekender are Pete in a 3.0L GU Patrol, Mike in a 76 Series LandCruiser that barely flexes, and Sam in a freshly rebuilt 80 Series on 37s. Jock McDonald has the HiLux, Shaun Whale is up front in Sooty the 80 Series, and Graham Cahill is in a near-stock D-Max with 4,000km on the clock. What used to be a simple fire road is a washout, and what used to be an easy creek crossing is now a wall every rig in the convoy has to be dragged up: static strap rigged high in a tree to flatten the pull, the strap looped back on itself for extra length, and a full spool left on the drum.

Then Shauno finds a "shortcut". It drops the convoy into an undercut bog hole with vertical walls front and rear, and Jock is the only bloke to drive out of it under his own steam. Late in the day the kingpin studs let go on Sooty's front end and the swivel hub comes apart in the rocks, fixed trackside with a rebuild kit out of Sam's Spares Box stash and the spare steering knuckle Jock carries in the HiLux. After that it's the rock steps at Wombat Flats and Dusty's Track, rock packing, sliders and underbody protection earning their keep, and a bonus line up top that stands rigs on three wheels. Camp is a private farm stay on the Corang River between Nerriga and Braidwood, where a portable fire pit cooks beer can burgers built out of beef mince, sausage mince, egg, mushrooms, jalapeño and a few bird's eye chillies the boys were never told about.

Day two is Monkey Gum: a river crossing at the bottom, then a long climb up the side of the mountain and a run of off-camber ruts that put wheels in the air all the way up. The 76 gets within an inch of its tipping point, Sam's 80 Series ends up on an angle nobody likes, and the last rock garden offers three separate lines with nothing easy about any of them. Careful throttle work, front and rear lockers, an economy throttle mode on Pete's Patrol and a lot of spotting sort it out, but not before a roof rack ends up in a tree. Right at the top is a lookout over the whole Yalwal valley, a compact Mits Alloy canopy full of camp gear, and a cold one waiting at the Nerriga pub.

🔧 The one spare part you always carry in your 4WD: ____
📍 The rut or rock step that has stood your 4WD on three wheels: ____

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
2:25 Washed-out access tracks at Yalwal
5:57 Winch wall on the way to Monkey Gum
12:22 Bogged on the shortcut
18:49 Broken front swivel hub
21:45 Rock steps at Wombat Flats
24:44 Wheel lift on the rock step
26:29 Camp at Corang River farm stay
28:29 Beer can burgers at camp
38:24 Start of Monkey Gum Fire Trail
39:47 Off-camber ruts and wheel lifts
45:54 Rock garden on Monkey Gum
57:35 Lookout over Yalwal
1:03:15 Bloopers

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Our Essential Trip Gear:
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Oil: https://rego2oil.castrol.com/en_au/au...

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Shaun, Graham, Jock & Jesse — formerly with 4WD Action — have been delivering Australia's best off-road content for 20+ years. From epic builds and 4x4 tips to Fraser Island, The Kimberley, Colorado and the Simpson Desert. Whether you're in a fully built LandCruiser or just starting out with a HiLux or Ranger — we've got you covered.

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