One of the best 4WD trips I've done to date was a few weeks ago, up the mighty Wilberforce River.
My cousin and I loaded the Jimny up with all the essentials needed for a good weekend away. We made sure to take the Weber BBQ, an EzyUp awning, chairs, tables and a whole bunch of other things that are unnecessary on such an adventure. But it was worth it.
The weather forecast was bad, a southerly was set to come through on Saturday.
Friday night we set up camp on the riverbed, which was awesome. It was a calm night, a starry sky and we had a great fire to keep us warm.
However the southerly front came in at 2am and our campsite took flight. It was freezing cold, and my cousin and I were out in the gale wind trying to pack down the EziUp awning and secure everything else that was flying away. Good times!
The wind didn't let up.
As the sun come up, we packed up the Jimny and headed for shelter.
We saw Fanghill Stream Hut on the map, so we headed for there. Eventually we got to the hut, only to find it was a private hut. So we carried on.
We found a great camp site amongst some trees. By the time we set up our site, the rain was starting to come in. Under the EziUp we sat for the afternoon, talking shit, eating and drinking, while we awaited the forecast snow.
At about 3pm the snow came in, and it was heavy. Within an hour the area was white, so we went for a wee drive...
Beauty, this is what we came in for!
Overnight it continued to snow a bit more, but getting back out of the Wilberforce the next morning was a breeze.
The Jimny is fun to drive offroad, and even more enjoyable in the snow. With super low temperatures outside (-5c), it's great to be in the warm and dry climate controlled cab of a modern Suzuki.
We'll be back to the Wilberforce over the summer, it's a great river with some decent crossings and lots of camping sites. Further up the valley there are more huts that we need to get up and explore. Next time.