I
was fi rst introduced to
the Watagans region of
NSW several years ago
while fi lming a meet the
team DVD for this bloody
fantastic publication. Names
like Cut Rock, CPT80 and
Daniels Pt Rd seemed larger
than life and to be frank, had
me more than a little more
nervous. Turns out I had myself
a cracker of a few times andhave since returned to fi lm
many a DVD and on a couple
occasions to just go wheeling
for the fun of it. It’s a true 4WD
playground, just on the
outskirts of Newcastle that
honestly does offer something
for everyone. If you like testing
yourself and your rig, you could
do a heck of a lot worse than
putting the Watagans on your
bucket list.DON’T TRAVEL
HERE WITHOUT
The Watagans literally has a
mix of pretty much everything
so honestly, its up to you to
determine just what you
might need. Obviously if it’s
the ultra hard core tracks
you’re chasing, then spares
and recovery gear are an
absolute must but that said,
its also got a mix of far easier
tracks if thats more your cup
of tea. You are close to major
centres so communications
via mobile wont be much of a
problem and supplies are
easily attained. Camping can
get crowded, especially on
weekends when a mix of
motorbike riders, campers
and 4WDers all head up into
the bush.MY HIGHLIGHT
Blue ringed octopus - OK we’d
wrapped fi lming and had aired
up, back in 2WD and heading for
the pub for the night; which just
happened to be right on the edge
of a large bay. Now being the
curious bloke I am, following a
few beers and a chicken parmi at
the local, I decided to walk back
along the bay just to see what I
could see. Low and behold, just
visible by the light of my trusty
old phone, I spotted a real, in the
fl esh, blue ringed octopus. I’d
never seen one before and what
a magic little beauty it was. Id
turn my phone off and it would
head for deeper water but the
second the light from my phone
shone back into the shallows it
would storm in, blue rings
glowing and go absolutely nuts. I
was utterly fascinated.Gotta love a beach campThe lengths our Producer goes to
for the shot... Or to fi nd a GoPro!GRAHAM’S DRIVING TIP
After taking my D-MA X up some of the toughest tracks in
the country over the last few years I can safely say she has
done extremely well to keep up with the bigger trucks on
35s. After all, my D-MA X only has a 2in suspension lift,
some 31in muddies and a winch and I am following a locked
80 Series on a 4in suspension lift! But one thing that is
miles ahead with the D-MA X is the fuel usage off-road. Even
in lowrange I’m getting fi gures around 8-9L/100km which is
incredible considering I am working the vehicle hard. And
then when we fi nish a trip and I jump back onto the
blacktop, the D-MA X gets even better fi gures. That means
more money in my pocket for the next mod!WWW.4WDACTION.COM.AU