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Hi Everyone

I've owned my gen 3 outback for about 6 months or so, and would like to go for a beach run up around Rainbow/Teewah beach for some sand experience this weekend.

Planned itinerary would be something like driving up to Tewantin and getting on the beach at the 1st or 3rd cutting, driving up and using the freshwater road to get off the beach at the northern end, and then heading south, taking the Cooloola Way back to Kin Kin, and Brisbane.

A friend of mine has just bought a suzuki grand vitara is keen to go too as a companion vehicle for some sand experience. Combined, we have had many camping trips on fraser/rainbow beach, but never as drivers.

My biggest concern is the condition of the Freshwater Road - the official word from the epa is that it is extremely rough and is for high clearance vehicles only, but I have turned up a few trip reports saying that the road is 'easy' compared to what it used to be. I'm not worried about a few scrapes on the front scoop, but don't fancy bellying out all the time...

Does anyone have any serious warnings about avoiding this in a stock outback (with sump guard)? I just posted a link to a youtube vid showing my model outback up to the sills in sand up that area, which has me a little concerned. Any advice (I know about tire pressures, momentum etc) or comments welcome, and if anyone else wants to join us they can!

Cheers,

Red Beard

Last time i did freshwater track was at the start of december. It was as easy as it always is. few soft spots but apart from that its fine.

you have another car with you, take a shovel and a snatch strap and you wont have any issues. worst case you turn around, wait for the next low tide and go home via the beach

you will probably find though the softest bit you do on the whole weekend will be the 1st cutting

Ah, cheers for the reply.

That's reassuring to hear. Hopefully I don't cause too much of a nuisance for other travelers if I do get stuck, but I have the recovery gear ready to go.

I'll have a good idea of the outback's capabilities when I first get onto the beach by the sounds of it, before I even have to venture on the track!

I have got some pics of Inskip Point & surrounding area, taken the long weekend just gone I will post them up when I get home tonight to show you what the conditions are like.........

That would be very much appreciated Xtreme_RX! Its been about 10 years since I've been up there last, and what little I do remember would be rather out of date

Bahh, Work never ends for some......
Any way here are some pics:-

My camp site.....


Looking up toward the tip of Inskip Point..


SS Dorrigo Beach exit...


Again looking up toward the tip of Inskip Point..


Rainbow Beach access closed!!!!!!!!!!!!


Mudlow Rocks are TOTALY impassable....

I would love to go up there with you this weekend, BUT thats not possible as I have some family things on this weekend, and most of the Suby club will be at the moter show saturday, so it mite be just the two of you, have fun and take some pics.

Thanks alot for the pics! Nice campsite, and very nice looking subi - it looks very at home on the sand.

Looks like there's still plenty of beach there around low tide - maybe not compared to what it usually is like though...

I'll be posting a few pics, and maybe a bit of a trip report too. Might help anyone else who is unsure about stock vehicle capabilities.

Anyone else is still welcome to join us, if they're not motorshowing. Probably leaving Narangba around 7am-ish on Saturday morning. Will organise a meet up point at the BP on the highway with anyone who wants to/can make it!

G'day

Thanks for the tips everyone, it turned out to be a great day for a burn up the beach. It did rain pretty hard on the way up, and for about 10min whilst on the beach, but apart from that it was fine. The extra moisture in the sand helped no doubt.

Beach access at the 1st cutting. We both aired down to 20psi and made it onto the beach with no issues. It was the deepest sand for the trip, and the outback was more than scraping. Felt very light on the wheels, but made it through no problems.


Plenty of exposed rocks in places, but usually enough room to avoid them on the low side. Once or twice I took the high side to avoid the waves though.


Not sure what happened here. I'm guessing they came down a track from the campsites and went down the vertical bank of the sand dune. Front was pretty bad, but damage isn't consistent with a rollover.


Rain rain rain...


Also did a bit of exploring around the campsites, and the soft tracks behind the dunes. Again, no problems in the stock height outback. The vitara did do a couple of sections I wasn't game to attempt, but then the drop-offs down to the beach aren't good if you have long overhangs...

Made it to Double Island Point. The front bar tended to fill up with sand, but didn't seem to have any negative effects on the car. The rims also caught alot of sand, severely affecting my wheel balance (real bad even at 40).


Not much in the way of action shots, but for any others thinking of going up there for a play in the sand, I highly recommend it. I had no problems getting off the beach at the freshwater road. That was easier than getting onto the beach at the other end! (Unknown vehicle in shot)



After the beach, we came back down Cooloola Way. Was a fun drive, with a few slippery clay sections but otherwise just a rough dirt road. Dropped in at Harry's Hut for a swim, then back home.


Had to get at least 1 action shot for the day though!


Cheers!

Nice action shot!

damn looks like the area has copped a flogging since christmas

It does look way different to Christmas, that recent bout of bad weather sure changed it. Looks like you had a good day for it.

I always told ya there was rocks that pop their head out now and then down that end of the beach Mooty, I am betting that 4runner hit them at night time like lots and lots of others have in the past.

Come to think of it, the damage does look like hitting the rocks at speed.

It was a great day for it - both drivers were relatively new to offroading/sand, so a nice intro day. I found that the lower part of my front bar filled up with sand very quickly, but didn't seem to affect cooling. In places the suzuki got the benifit of freshly graded tracks

The large amount of sand that built up inside the rims caused massive balance issues though (even at 40). Some nice puddles on the freshwater track soon fixed that

your front bar issue can be fixed wiht a lift or a bullbar

and the wheel balance thing happens to everyone.. bigger 4x4's included

Looks like you had a great day up the beach.
I had the same front bar issue before the 2in lift was done now not so much of a issue.

I have looked into the scorpion kit before, but haven't found a price for fitment. I reckon it'd be the way to go though.

But, given that I am about to move to outback qld (Roma) for full time work, a subaxtreme front bar might be the go. Will have to keep track of the trading post...

I think theres a subaxtreme bar on ebay at the moment for a gen3 outback
$600

Hey Coops

I've been watching that one for a while now. The seller doesn't want to organise the courier/post for it though. As I'm moving to western Queensland this weekend to start my job (as a graduate), timing for organising that stuff myself just isn't ideal.

Cheers for the heads up though!

Awesome action shot, The colours are all pretty cool as well... A photo for the competition I think

I'll find ya a link

Edit:
hmmm, I forgot the last heat had finished > showthread.php?t=7933
Keep that pic for a future comp though!