Four Wheel Drive Clubs in Australia
Do you own a four-wheel drive but never explore the parts of Australia accessible by four-wheel drive? You may have never taken your car off-road.
While you may have driven along gravel roads, Australian conditions can put you on tracks that need more than the ability to stay on a formed road or track.
Four-wheel drive clubs offer one of the best ways to get started. As part of a club you can both learn the skills you’ll need, and practice them by joining the regular local weekend trips.
Once you have mastered the basics, you can safely explore Outback Australia offering some unmatched scenery and remoteness. You can also enjoy the social aspects that a club offers, including camping, regular meetings and events, and training.
Hornsby Kuringai Four Wheel Drive Club
Many people are apprehensive at the thought of joining a four-wheel drive club. If you’re unfamiliar with off-road techniques, you’ll naturally think that neither you nor your vehicle are capable. But with the right training and environment, you will be surprised at what both you and your car can safely achieve.
We think it’s important for you to learn in a non-competitive and friendly environment, and to not feel pushed into anything. We also believe you should have the right training to properly equip you.
Many of our trips do not require special equipment or major vehicle modifications — only that you have completed the basic training. The more difficult trips, which might require more experience or particular vehicle modifications, are clearly advertised as such.
The majority of our members either have standard four-wheel drives or modest modifications such as upgraded suspension and clearance.
All our members have had to learn how to handle a four-wheel drive off-road — nobody is born with that ability!
To join in our activities, all you need is a four-wheel drive and a UHF radio.
Club activities
Our club meets at 20:00 on the second Wednesday of every month (except December) in the Hornsby Heights Community Centre on Galston Road. Visitors are welcome — just turn up at a meeting to find out more about our club and its members. (There is no meeting in December.)
The focus of our club is our trips. Regular trips take place within a few hours’ drive from Sydney. You can join day trips or weekend camping trips with the evening spent under the stars around a campfire.
Longer trips reach all parts of Australia, covering some of the more remote areas.
The Simpson Desert is one of the closest remote areas. Many of our members have experienced its incredible beauty and remoteness. Cape York offers another great mix of scenery and off-road driving. If you have the time, trips have extended as far as the Pilbara in WA.
Driving safely and non-competitively is an important part of our club. All members need to complete training or show they have completed a certified four-wheel driving course. You will have access to our regular training sessions, both basic and advanced. Training through the club is heavily discounted for members.
For the more advanced and ambitious, club members have also competed in various skills competitions such as the Nissan Trials, the Outback Challenge, and the NSW & ACT 4WD Jamboree.
Club associations
Many areas around Sydney have been closed off to four-wheel drives in recent years, following track damage and other issues. The Hornsby Kuringai Four Wheel Drive club encourages the responsible use of four-wheel drives. We support the tread lightly campaign. We also work with a number of other parties, including National Parks NSW and the Australian National Four Wheel Drive Council, to help retain responsible access.
Find out more
Joining our four wheel drive club is a great way to learn how to safely use your vehicle in off-road situations. We offer a non-competitive family-oriented and social environment, with a regular calendar of events to suit all skill levels.
To find out more, come along to one of our monthly meetings (details above), or send an email to the Membership Officer
