To become a member of TLCA and receive a subscription to Toyota Trails please visit our ecommerce store and click on "membership." Your questions about membership can be answered by sending an email to membership@tlca.org. For story submissions please contact the editor@tlca.org.   The Official Publication of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association. Since 1976 and Still Going Strong. LATEST ONLINE FEATURE: THREE DAYS ON FRASER ISLAND by Maxwell Balmain photos: (top) The relentless surf rolling onto Fraser Island’s beautiful shoreline. (below left) Living out the Land Cruiser dream. It had been a long, hot (and sandy) drive from Brisbane to the sandy beaches of Fraser Island, Australia. We stopped the Cruiser to watch the action on the steep curving hill that stretched away from the beach. Two vehicles were stuck in the deep sand. We could hear the sounds of screaming engines and spinning tires mixed with shouted advice and laughter. We inched forward to join a couple of fishermen watching this group of tourists struggling in the sand. Obviously locals, these men had skin deeply weathered by years in the Australian sun. We watched the group as they set about getting a tow strap ready. One of the rigs looked like a sturdy 4x4, while the other was some sort of local station wagon. Night was approaching and we had a ways to go before reaching our campsite. Figuring that there was enough room to get by the group, I leaned out to the fishermen to make sure. “Do you think I can make it by them?” I asked. One flashed a warm smile (that looked like it had not seen any dental work in decades), walked over and kicked one of the squishy tires under our Cruiser. “Ya got enough air out of the tires. No worries mate, just keep her in low and keep ya revs up!” I then asked how long it would take to get to the campsite north of Ngkala Rocks. His buddy, whose leathery face was also sporting a wide grin, replied, “Well, yer got about 30 minutes of glorious soft-track and then yer’s up in God’s country….” Not sure if I should be more worried than reassured with this information, I decided to go for it. I backed up almost into the surf behind us, popped the Cruiser into first (low range) and looked over at my wife Sherri. “You ready?” A reassuring smile and we set off, waving at the fishermen as we passed by. I slipped into second before hitting the hill, wondering if I was in the right gear (I didn’t even want to think about shifting in the middle of this climb). The diesel engine started to howl as we passed the group of tourists on our right. Really into the thick sand now, I gave the Cruiser a lot more throttle as we slithered upwards, violently shifting from side to side through deep ruts in the soft sand. About halfway up I knew the Troopie was going to make it, even though the engine was protesting wildly. I recognized and welcomed the feeling that our Land Cruiser was indeed going to get us up another extremely steep hill. Once on top we looked back down the hill to the wild beach stretching endlessly below. The fisherman was right: we were in God’s country. I had been planning this adventure for months. Navigating the soft trails of Fraser Island in a Land Cruiser for three days would be the final chapter of a four-week trip to Australia. Fraser Island is a giant sand mass that stretches over 120 kilometers along the southern coast of Queensland. Located at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. Now protected, Fraser sports a wild ecological stew of woodlands, swamps, mangroves, rainforests, rivers and beautiful pristine lakes. There are a couple of small resorts for the pampered set but all other visitors camp on the grassy dunes above the beach or in campsites inside the rainforest areas. There are no roads and standard cars are prohibited from entering the island. You enter via a short barge trip from the mainland and you must drive a capable 4x4 vehicle. I had made all the arrangements for this trip via email and phone before leaving Seattle, opting for one of the major rental outfits and reserving one of their “Bushranger” rigs. I wanted to have a real “Cruiser experience.” I also wanted something unavailable to drive in the States. The Bushranger sounded perfect: a new 78 Series Land Cruiser Troopie that came custom fitted for rigorous Aussie travel. Five speed manual transmission, diesel engine, power steering and air conditioning are standard issue with these Cruisers. The custom package included dual batteries, extra long range fuel tank, fresh water tank (with pump), 12v/240v electric fridge, 2 burner cooker, 12v lighting, gas, cooking utensils, solar shower, bedding, etc., all tucked away in a clever roll-out drawer system. A large Eezi Awn tent with a fold down ladder was mounted to the roof, and included an awning system that extended from the side of the roofline. Campsite amenities like tables and chairs were also included. To read the rest of this feature join TLCA and receive a subscription to Toyota Trails. To do this please visit our ecommerce store and click on "membership." Your questions about membership can be answered by sending an email to membership@tlca.org. Back to Top