from tour leader, Sam Petzy, and a refuel, we
headed for our first stop, Cameron’s Corner.
I’d only ever driven the Amarok in more rural
settings and some short coastal fire road
traverses, so settling in with the torquey V6
over the loose, dusty gravel was a revelation.
The weather and grader gods had been kind,
and the Silver City Highway was all gravelly
goodness right past the Salt Lake and through
to Cameron’s Corner, where we made camp
for the night and lost several five-dollar
notes trying to stick them to the roof of the
Cameron’s Corner pub. City slickers ...
Our luck varied the next day for the run
from the intersection of NSW, Queensland
and South Australia, as we’re obliged to take
Omicron Road to Innamincka rather than the
Strzelecki Track, but a second big day puts us
within cooee of Birdsville, and a great night
spent beside the Catchiekambo Waterhole.
The run along Cordillo Road towards
Birdsville Developmental Road is an absolutecorker. The roads were freshly graded and
conditions perfect for a high-speed blast
through its surprisingly frequent twists and
turns – but the final run into Birdsville was a
bit of a slog, with thick traffic on the way to
the festival throwing up billowing dust clouds
that made passing almost impossible. Still,
the Amarok fleet managed the journey with
barely a hair out of place. One participant lost
a side window to a stray rock, but clever use
of a piece of real estate-sign Corflute from the
back of a camper trailer soon saw the convoy
back in action.
The V6 was an absolute boon in these
conditions. There’s plenty in reserve when
compared to the four-potter, which has to be
worked a bit harder with a load on board.
Pushing the off-road-mode button added
noticeable additional torque to the front axle
in the Ultimate, and it contributes to our
appetite for fuel. With full-time 4x4 always on
hand, the relatively smooth dirt allowed usTHE AMAROK FLEET MANAGES
THE JOURNEY WITH BARELY A
HAIR OUT OF PLACE
944 http://www.4X4australia.com.auDRIVEN VW AMAROKS TO BIG RED