Western Australia » Australian Car Advice

Land Rover’s 60th Anniversary Cross Australia – Second Leg

September 13th, 2008 28 Comments

Alice Springs to El Questro – 1702 kilometres

Words - Anthony Crawford, Photography – Mark Watson & Anthony Crawford

When I heard about this epic journey by chance, I threw my hand up and yelled “I’m there”. Well, wouldn’t you?

God knows what’s going to happen with my workload over the six days that I will be absent from the office. But then, that’s not something you think about when opportunities like these come up.

I’d like to call myself a fair-dinkum Aussie but this was going to be my first trip into proper ‘Outback OZ’. It’s absolutely shameful that I’ve driven cars all over the world but never once gone walkabout in my own backyard.

I urge all of you who are planning to eat snails in Paris or gnocchi in Rome, to pack up the family and head north, to one of the most incredible places on earth, outback Australia.

Colleague Paul Maric and the guys who had just completed the relatively short but tough going first leg from Birdsville to the Alice, said to pack for cold nights and hot days. Like any weather report, from any source, they’re only ever half right.

The vastness of this huge continent is magnified tenfold, when you’re on cruise control at 11,000 metres. Bone dry stretches of dead flat land, as far as the eye can see. It’s an absolute frontier, much the same way as Alaska is to the US.

It just looked hot down there. T-shirt weather for sure, maybe even shorts, I thought.

When the plane hit the deck at Alice Springs airport and the rear door opened up – it must have been all of 12 to 14 degrees, with a stiff breeze. The T-shirt thing wasn’t going to cut it here in the outback, not on this particular day, anyway.

There were only four of us who had signed up for this journey across the Tanami, so I figured there was no chance of being left behind in some secluded gorge or worse still, Wolfe Creek with a madman.

The itinerary supplied by the Land Rover PR department stated there would be four nights at various camp sites along the way, and that the single man G4 tents would be erected and waiting for us, after each day’s driving. To think I actually believed that!

I wanted to believe it too. Those torturous nights camping in the bush near Singleton during school cadet camps in water logged, one-man tents had put me right off the camping scene from that moment on. Hotel rooms, a stocked up bar fridge and spa bath is where I’m at these days.

Lunch was back at Voyages Alice Springs Resort where I was keen to try some crocodile, any way I could get it. No such luck, but fresh Barramundi spring rolls, hit the spot nicely.

Although we were not due to get under way until the following day, we saddled up in the Land Rover convoy (two highly visible G4 prepped Discovery TDV6, one Freelander 2, one Range Rover Sport TDV6, one Range Rover Vogue TDV8, one Defender 110 and one Defender 130 crew-cab with tray, and headed out to attack the sand dunes south of Alice Springs.

I was a little slow off the mark when we were told to grab a vehicle and ended up behind the wheel of Land Rover’s baby, the Freelander 2 with Camel Trophy guru and leading Land Rover dealer, big John Ayer, riding shotgun.

John has Land Rover running through his blood. He has been a dealer in Melbourne since 1972 and has vast four-wheel drive experience with his Camel Trophy expeditions to outback Australia, Madagascar, Sulawesi, Siberia, Guyana and too many other godforsaken places to list. He’s a regular Indiana Jones, just as handsome but not quite as slim as Harrison Ford, so I was in good hands.

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Road toll report: WA the worst

July 16th, 2008 32 Comments

For the third year in a row, Western Australia has claimed the title of the worst state in Australia for road deaths per capita.

Yesterday, a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau showed that in the last financial year there were 10.4 road deaths per 100,000 West Australians. Respectively, next worst region was Tasmania, with 8.3 deaths per 100,000. Queensland had 7.9 deaths per 100,000, South Australia 6.8, Victoria 6.3, New South Wales 5.7 and the ACT had just 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people.

2008 Perth Motor Show

April 23rd, 2008 40 Comments

The 2008 Perth Motor Show opened yesterday, with the usual gang of carmakers filling out the Perth Exhibition Centre on the bank of the Swan River.

Australian importer Ateco’s brands were missing from the show, instead preferring to allow dealer Barbagallos to supply its own cars from the stables of Alfa Romeo, Citroen and Fiat.

Also supplied by Barbagallos were an Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster, Lotus Exige, Maserati GranTurismo, Ferrari F430, and Range Rover Vogue.

In general the quality of the stands was decent, the only exception being the spartan Volvo display, which looked, frankly, stark.

Nissan’s halo car, the GT-R, was on display officially in Perth for the first time, as was the Proton Satria R3. We took a look inside the R3 (below), however we were told that the interior is still not production spec. The Recaro seats will not feature in the final product, and neither will the Momo wheel (airbags are missing).

Notably absent also, was Mercedes and BMW, who again preferred to place dealer cars outside the entrance in a static display. Given the amount of money in WA at the moment, these are glaring omissions.

Ford’s new FG range was on display; the crowd’s interest evident by the amount of traffic on the stand. Touching, feeling, exploring; deals were being done on the stand. FPV’s colour combination wall was also of interest.

Holden also proudly showed off its concept Coupe60, with CarAdvice being allowed to get up close and personal. If the quality in the showcar filtered down to production versions, Australian manufacturing would have a guaranteed future. Holden’s new SportWagon was also shown in Calais guise, with the new boot area able to be tested. Although not the same as the VZ wagon in size, there’s still plenty of space. Offshoot HSV also showcased its W427 at the side.

Volkswagen’s new Touareg R50 and Passat R36 garnered many looks, as did the new Tiguan SUV. Even up-and-comers Skoda had a quality variety on display, with Hyundai’s flashy sidewall lightbox competing opposite for attention.

Disappointingly, RAC’s ESP simulator was on the blink, and the amount of deep-tissue massage stalls outside the entrance was staggering.

Mitsubishi’s new Lancer Ralliart was placed on a rotating platform, as was the soon-to-be-launched Evo X. Trying something different, Mitsu spruced up 5 cars with a Panther treatment, consisting of chrome wheels and silver stripes and decals, to gauge interest from younger buyers, and those who want something “different”.

The Lexus stand carried an air of dignified opulence, with the new LX570 and LS600hl on display. Opposite was one of the more interesting attractions, with a dark red LS600hl demonstrating its self-parking capability.

CanAm also showed its Spyder for the first time in WA, with many people gathering just to see what all the fuss is about.

Subaru also made a big splash with its Impreza STI, which many people were saying, will really heat up the war between itself, and the forthcoming Evo X.

While the Perth show won’t be anything like its Eastern States counterparts in the near future, it is still the place to open and shut doors, and tyre-kick for petrol-heads in Western Australia.

- Karl Peskett

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2008 Easter road toll

March 25th, 2008 24 Comments

This year’s Easter road toll has hit 21 and going by the latest police reports, it might go even higher.

So far Queensland has had the worst record with seven deaths, Western Australia has hit five, Victoria is currently sitting at four, Tasmania is three and the Northern Territory and South Australia have each recorded one. Amazingly, there has been no deaths on New South Wales or ACT roads.

Despite the massive increase (and intensely advertised) number of speed cameras and police on QLD roads, the sunshine state has once again, recorded the worst toll for the nation.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has blamed speeding motorists, saying her government will review its road safety campaign with the potential for tougher penalties. QLD police have also expressed that they are at “wits end” with motorists’ behaviour.

“As a result of the continued speeding on our roads, and as a result of the continued drink driving on our roads, I’ll be talking with the Queensland Police Service and the minister for transport (John Mickel) about what else we can look at.” Premier Bligh said.

Unfortunately for Premier Bligh, she has missed the point. Last year QLD launched campaign 300, aimed at reducing the road toll below 300 for 2007. The operation involved substantially more speed cameras and RBTs.

The result? Not only did it fail, the road toll actually increased by almost 7 per cent (337 in 2006). The extra speed cameras have so far proven to be nothing more than a successful revenue-raising scheme.

What tends to concern us though, is that Premier Bligh has not even bothered to account for how the seven deaths occurred, opting to instead blame speeding without hesitation or merit.

Saturday saw a male pedestrian hit and killed by a vehicle at Craignish, north-west of Hervey Bay. That was followed by the deaths of a six-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy when the car they were in left the road, rolled and hit a tree at Murphys Creek, north of Toowoomba.

A teenager died when his motorcycle left the road and slammed into a tree. An elderly man died after a two car collision in the Brisbane suburb of Mansfield while a man in his 50s died when his motorbike collided with a cow about 10km outside Boulia, in the state’s west.

So, two motorcycle deaths, one caused by a cow, one pedestrian, two deaths in one car due to driver error and dark roads (Police did not blame speed as the primary cause), but it gets better, because according to QLD police the elderly man’s death could have been caused by a pre-existing medical condition!

What gets the blame? Speeding! Remember folks, if you can’t blame anyone else, blame speeding! At least that makes money.

When we said massive increase in speed cameras, we weren’t exaggerating, 14,731 QLD drivers were issued with speeding tickets during this holiday period, nearly twice as many as Easter in 2007. Almost 500 were caught drink driving.

What more can we say? Twice as many speeders caught, yet the road toll is higher? Perhaps, just perhaps, it’s not speeding?

Perhaps Premier Bligh should look into advanced driver training for all, compulsory re-licensing for older drivers, separate licenses for 4WD and high performance cars and focus the speed cameras on blackspots, not on straight roads.

Moving on from QLD, NSW Police issued just under 5000 speeding tickets, about 1/3 of QLD’s count, despite the state having a higher number of registered drivers. The number of speeding tickets also didn’t affect the state’s roads remaining fatality free.

Lotus Exige NSW Police Car

It’s worth noting, however, that despite the minimal speeding tickets, 6780 NSW motorists were charged with other driving offence ranging from reckless driving, using a mobile phone while driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

The motorist which topped the state’s idiot list was a 23-year-old disqualified driver, who passed a speed camera at 160km/h coming off the Anzac Bridge.

Moving to Victoria, a mother and daughter were killed when their car slammed into the side of a passenger train today in yet another level crossing disaster for the state.

Police have confirmed that the vehicle was a four-wheel drive and the incident occurred at an unprotected country level crossing at Moriac, near Winchelsea (picture below).

The second worst state was Western Australia with 5 deaths. An eight-year-old and a 21-year-old died when the Holden Commodore sedan they were in turned in front of a Holden Rodeo - the Rodeo had right of way.

Despite wearing seatbelts, the 21-year-old woman and the eight-year-old boy were thrown from the Commodore and died of their injuries.

On Friday a woman was killed when her car slammed into a tree on the South-West Highway, 30km north of Walpole. Another women died in the State’s north, after she was thrown from her car as it rolled on a bend. Police believe she was not wearing a seatbelt at the time.

Going by the WA Police’s own press releases, excessive speed was not the primary factor in these deaths.

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These unfortunate souls that have perished on Australian roads this Easter period, have perished in vain. The State governments continue to deny the need for better driver training, while insisting, without merit, that excessive speed is the primary and root cause of the majority of accidents.

All we can ask is that you consider the facts and figures before blindly swallowing the Speed Kills propaganda. Sticking to 60km/h in a 60 zone does not guarantee your safety. If you want to improve your driving ability and lower your chances of being in a car accident, book yourself into an advanced driving course, it may just save your life.

Alborz Fallah

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All Italian Car Day

February 26th, 2008 6 Comments

Photos and words by: Tom Jakovjlevic

Talk to your average person in the street, and the word Italy conjures up images of good food, even better wine, brilliant coffee and gorgeous countryside. Maybe even a little bit of soccer if you are so inclined.

Turn your attention to those with octane in their vanes and the word Italy conjures up much more passion – Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lancia, Ducatti just to name a few of the exotic brands that come from the land that almost fittingly is shaped like a boot. Just the thing for punching the throttle to hear some of the glorious sounds these cars produce.

Perth is a very, very long way from Italy. Regardless, the passion flows freely, and on the 24th of February owners and fans of all things automotive and Italian gathered at the Bentley Technology Park for the All Italian Car Day.

From 1930’s Fiats to 2008 Alfa Romeos there was something to suit everyone’s taste. Unsurprisingly, Red was the dominant colour, and it seemed to congregate in heavy numbers in the Ferrari area. From the classic 3 series to the current F430, everything screamed class. There were also a couple of special “Ferrari” models which drew a seemingly large amount of attention….

The Fiat 500 is a classic in its own right, and nestled in the corner was a small group. It’s great to look at one of these and then a modern small car and see how far we have come.

For those interested in something a little sportier, there was some rally brilliance on display in the form of the Lancia Stratos and HF Intergrale, which shaped the way for turbo four wheel drive dominance in the world of rallying.

If four wheels is two too many for your, then there was also a selection of bikes on display. There was a number of Ducatti’s - the yellow 996 tickled my fancy just nicely. The classic Ducatti 1098s was worth the price of entry alone and seemed to draw a crowd.

Speaking of entry, all funds raised went to charity, so the organisers must be congratulated for not only sharing the passion for all things Italian but for helping out those less fortunate.

Once you had enough of looking at vast selection of cars and bikes (if that is at all possible!) You could turn back to those other things Italy is famous for. A nice café latte, sausage sizzle with Italian sausage, pasta lunch or some choice Italian wines were all available and added flavour, quite literally to the day.

As always, with cars come passions, and with passions come biases. So I’ll throw mine in. Personal favourites for the day – The black Lancia HF Intergrale with [DELTONA] plates. I would own it in a heartbeat. The limited Maserati Shamal. Twin turbo V8, 6 speed manual and 369 produced ever make it in exclusive beast.

Last, and certainly not least, and definitely a little weird considering the metal right in front of me, but the video playing in the lunch area showing the development of the Lamborghini Diablo had me smiling for a good hour afterwards. Something just that little exciting about watching a super car being belted along the back roads of Italy in the rain. That sound. That glorious sound. Did I mention the sound?

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Satellite speed-limiter system starts trials

January 9th, 2008 39 Comments

The transport authorities’ obsession with the speeding has taken aa step further. The Victorian Government will soon begin testing a device that can electronically slow a car using satellite technology.

The project is dubbed AISAI, Australasian Intelligent Speed Adaptation Initiative, and will be the first of its kind in Australia.

The first guinea pigs will be Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, a former Victorian coroner plus other Victorian Government ministers and an estimated 45 other participants.

According to the Herald Sun, all state and territory governments as well as New Zealand have been in talks to introduce the system for some time. Depending on results, the project will move to NSW and Western Australia later this year.

The system will cost anywhere between $700 and $2000 per vehicle to install and it is expected to find its way into government fleet cars first.

So how does it work? It’s not that different to your every satellite navigation - only that it interfaces with your car’s electronic systems. It knows where you are and it has a database of all speed limits on Australia roads.

Firstly it works out how fast you’re going by taking an average reading of your changing position divided by time -it then runs the speed past the database to see if you’re breaking the speed limit - then begins the pain.

There are three levels of operation:

Level one will simply give you an annoying audible warning when you go over the speed limit,
Level two starts to cut power to the engine to slow you down by force - but can be overridden or ignored,
Level three is like level two only that the system now overrules you, and won’t allow the car to speed regardless of what colourful words you will use against it.

Queensland transport, which despite a massive surge in speed cameras failed miserably in reducing the state’s road toll last year, has already come out and said the system can reduce serious accidents by an enormous 20 per cent.

But wait, it gets better. The Herald Sun also quoted in its original report that an unnamed Victorian government website has gone even one step further, suggesting that almost 60 per cent of road fatalities can be cut if the system was fitted to all cars.

Previously we would say that the state governments are looking for the cheap way out to fix the road toll epidemic, but this is no cheap option. With the estimated cost of $700-$2000, the money would be far better spent introducing mandatory advanced driver training classes to improve driving skills and reiterating the road rules.

No doubt that if the trial are successful, the system will find its way to everyday cars, perhaps being a mandatory fitting for repeat speeding offenders.

So what do you think? Would you allow your car to be fitted with a big brother style speed limiter?

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Petrol to hit $1.50 per litre

January 3rd, 2008 76 Comments

In what may be an ominous sign of things to come, petrol prices are set to hit a record $1.50 litre mean average within the next week.

Oil prices again hit the $100USD per barrel mark last night driving the pump price up as demand continues to outstrip supply.

The current pump average in Sydney is $1.44 whilst outer suburbs are already paying $1.50. Melbourne is paying well in to the $1.40 mark in what may soon become the norm considering political tensions in oil producing nations and heavy demand from new industrial giants like China and India.

2007 road toll figures

January 1st, 2008 35 Comments

Update: Figures corrected & Tasmania included

With another year over the national road authorities have began reviewing the road toll to examine if their tactics have proven successful. As a nation, Australia’s 2007 road toll was has increased by 11 over last year’s 1605. The bush saw a steady climb in deaths on regional and outback roads.

1616 people lost their lives on Australian roads this year with New South Wales topping the table with 445 deaths.

Queensland, which has spent considerable amounts of money (campaign 300) increasing speed cameras, police presence and RBTs, saw its death toll hit 360 - 60 more than the transport authorised had aimed for and the second-highest in the country. It was also the state’s worst record since 1997.

Victoria came in third with 333 deaths including 13 in the last 10 days of the year - the second lowest road toll for the state. Western Australia came in fourth after suffering a surge in rural deaths. The state recorded 235 deaths, a 14 per cent increase over 2006 (200).

Queensland Police Recruits Toyota Aurion

South Australia had 125, coming in fifth place. The Northern Territory saw its road toll rise almost 25 per cent, with 57 deaths this year. Tasmania suffered 47 deaths and 14 lives were lost in on ACT roads, up one from 2006.

Despite the highest road toll in the country, NSW’s 2007 record was the best for the state since 1980 (per capita).

“This is the fifth consecutive year the road toll has reduced despite a steady increase in traffic on our roads. Motorists deserve credit for heeding the road safety messages.” NSW Premier Morris Iemma said.

Queensland authorities on the other hand have a lot to answer for. The highly publicised campaign 300 has failed miserably in bringing the road toll below 300.

Unfortunately, not only has it failed, but the road toll has increased by almost 7 per cent (337 in 2006). The extra speed cameras have proven to be nothing more than a successful revenue-raising scheme.

Victorians should expect a drink-driving blitz throughout this year with statistics showing a 16 per cent increase in fatalities involving drivers under the influence.

Our friends at Vic Roads were kind enough to ends us a table of the fatality rate per million population (based on population figures in 2004).

	Population	2007 road toll (p)	Fatality Rate per million population
ACT	324,100	14	43.2
NSW	6,720,800	445	66.2
Vic	4,963,000	333	67.1
SA	1,532,700	125	81.6
Qld	3,888,100	360	92.6
Tas	482,200	47	97.5
WA	1,978,100	235	118.8
NT	199,800	57	285.3
Total	20,088,800	1616	80.4

The data shows the ACT is by far the safest state in the country with NSW and Victoria battling it out for 2nd and 3rd. South Australia comes in fourth with Queensland and Tasmania fifth and sixth. Western Australia comes in second last, but the Northern Territory has taken the cake again this year with over 6x the fatality rate of the ACT.

Despite calls from major motoring groups, government authorities continue to deny the benefits of driver training.

Tell us what you think is the best way to reduce the road toll?

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