***flashback***
i was sorting through my photo's and came across some fabulous shots of our 'Outback Australia' which were too good not to share. these particular photo's were taken near the outback opal mining town of White Cliffs in the central west of NSW. i'm sure when most people think of Australia's Outback, extreme offroad adventures do not come to mind. this however, was exactly why we were here. the Ironman Cliffhanger extreme 4x4 offroad challenge, drew people from all over Australia. not only to compete but to spectate some of the toughest terrain & 4WD available to our great Aussie outdoors! "This event attracts Australia's most competitive rigs making it the most exciting and now THE richest 4WD event down under. This is it .. the fastest, most gruelling, most challenging and most exciting event." outerlimits 4x4
it was all because of my sister and her adrenalin junkie husband that we found ourselves on a road trip to one of the most secluded & undeniably beautiful locations Australia has to offer. no it wasn't on a whim that we found ourselves here. Greg or 'Jacko' as he is warmly referred to by all, along with his navman Brent 'Griffo' had been competing in extreme 4x4 offroad winch challenges for some time. not only competing, but creating a reputation as a racing team not to be reckoned with. with too many wins under their belt to mention, 'Team Madica' had their sites set on the Cliffhanger challenge in White Cliffs, which is where we find ourselves on this post...
while Greg & his crew laboured over the specifics of the GQ Patrol aka 'Madica' (ok that is absolutely as much as i will pretend to know about the mechanical side of the entire event!?) Erica & i sorted out the exciting details for the road trip & camping. this is how it panned out, Erica organising everything & me tagging along for the adventure... and what an adventure it was. thanks for involving me!
have i mentioned the bubs in tow yet? my beautiful nieces (2 of 3 at that stage) always play an avid role in their 'daddy's' racing & formed (along with Erica & i & many other supporters) the perfect cheer group. you can't underestimate the power of a good, no, great cheer group!
the week long event set it's challenges right from the begining, opening with a night stage. it doesn't sound too bad but couple that with a typical July's night (middle of winter in outback NSW) & you have yourself a bitterly cold stage! with all the specatators rugged up in their winter woollies huddled around campfires the boys competed untill late into the night, long after the spectators peeled off to their camping quarters.
this photo cracks me up every time i see it. we handwashed some of our underwear & hung it up to dry in the caravan. i had a couple of g-strings drying & one of my nieces asked where the 'bottom' out of my underwear had gone. Erica replied that the water was too strong & had burnt them. my nieces reply was "please don't wash my underwear in the water here". hahahaha Erica obviously doesn't hang her g-strings up to dry in a visible area at home ;o)
without a hitch the night before & currently placing 4th, the boys woke up pumped! the rest of the competitors & spectators were up bright & early to tackle the day of competition ahead. most days started extremely organised with everyone rendezvousing at the designated assembly point & following the 'leader' out to the unrevealed location for the day.
highlights here would have to be the dry river bed run where Greg decides to keep us all on our toes & rolls the GQ in spectacular style (Greg's only style ;o)
the boys vehicle was recovered without too much of a hitch & they continued to race. after stage 5 the boys were in 7th place and having an absolute blast.
meanwhile us back at camp enjoying some downtime while the boys were off racing in a location that wasn't spectator friendly.
what a gorgeous part of the world! the sunsets were breathtaking.
an end to a wonderful day. click here to see part 2
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