It's the best, I'm super grateful :D I started during the pandemic, calling every ranger office directly offering to volunteer and sending countless emails with no response. After a few weeks though it paid off and I got an offer for a remote Park as they were suddenly short staffed. I was willing to travel and live and work out there and I ended up being out there for 3.5years. If you're happy to travel away and live & work in a remote Park it's a lot easier to get an opportunity. The only downside is however it could be hours away from any town. In the meantime, it'd be desirable to obtain first aid, chainsaw, chemical spraying, 4x4 operation and perhaps enrol in the cert3 Land and Ecosystem Management.

Hey mate, I've sold the rig a year ago and gone back to a 2015 N70. I remember having the suspension setup done a while before the canopy went on which made it super bumpy. As soon as the canopy was on it was a lot more suited to the terrain so my only advice would be to have the canopy install and suspension done close to each other

G'day Dave, thanks so much! yes it was quite the wet trip. I went a year later around xmas when the island was almost empty and spent an extra day at Zoe Bay. It was as wet but also had added humidity mixed in making the swims so much worth it. We also got invited out fishing with a friendly boat crew we met at the Zoe Bay campsite which was unexpected. We went the first week in July 2020 and the second trip was the Xmas long weekend 2021. That summer was really wet so no worries securing potable water the whole way down. Big thanks for watching, appreciate it and good to hear it's still being seen and helpful all these years later.

@RyanNichols888 thanks for the info Ryan. I imagine a wet trip in July would have been colder than my trip. My trip was still reasonably humid so I was swimming/dunking in anything deep enough along the way to cool off despite the rain.

The aircraft noise is noticeable however not enough to be annoying. There were only a handful of flights every day so it wouldn't be as busy as a city.

Great plan to spend the extra day there, could spend all week at Zoe Bay 👌 Lucky to not have any rain, well done 👍

Dude that's epic! So glad to hear you had a great time and the trip was as the video demonstrated. Happy travelling 😃👌

Aeropress is imo the perfect all rounder. Lightweight, easy to use and long lasting. I've made hundreds of coffees with it. The new XL range is a good idea, just waiting until there's a clear version before I grab one.

You can also purchase a hand grinder that fits inside the aeropress to grind beans without the use of electricity. Those 2 paired with a Jetboil, it makes for a perfect quality coffee experience to take on the trail 👌

@@RyanNichols888 yes I found the grinder and also a stove top milk frother. Pretty keen for camp coffee now, no more instant coffee for me 😃

It's a great hike to the top! A few parts were a bit sketchy and a bit of a scramble however surprisingly it was easier getting down. Definitely recommend

I’ve driven past a few times on the way to Rubyvale admiring it but wasn’t sure about hiking there

G'day Heather, yeah Google maps is a bit misleading sometimes, especially out here. Getting from Mackay to Salvatore Rosa (Nogoa River camping area) is straightforward (7hrs, 17min) and there's a 20km-ish track beyond the camping area. I recommend visiting all the stops especially sitting in Louisa Creek with a camping chair of it's hot and the kids could splash around. The spyglass Peak walk is very unique too, especially if you go right and walk along the natural stone wall (navigation skills required if completing the full loop if the little stone cairns are gone). To get to Mt Moffatt you'd want to go to Tambo (Mt Playfair Rd) and down to Mitchell (last fuel point) and across to Womblebank. Or for a bit longer go down to Roma and across to Injune on sealed roads and better stores for resupply (Injune last fuel point). I can see there's various quicker routes on Google maps but I've never been those ways and I personally wouldn't trust them being soo remote.

@@RyanNichols888 thanks so much for your reply Ryan. You’ve confirmed what I suspected I would be doing. Put my mind at ease a bit. I did not know about the wall. Thanks for that bit of info. I guess if you’re around the park I might bump into you, I’ll come and say hi. Thanks again for taking the time to reply 😊

I'm guessing around 80kg + side rails

@@RyanNichols888 does this effects on road fuel average

Cheers Mal, I'm glad you gained some helpful info for your planning. I went the trusty Hilux as I've always owned them and very little problems in the past, plus I love the look and evolution. I'm not fused on the v6 changeup as it'll only be more rego and fuel usage, not fused on towing so the 4cyl suits me. The canopy has meshed really well with the gvm upgrade, sits perfectly and rides nice. Haven't been on the beach at all, mostly out west remote easy off road. Definitely depends on location with leaving gear exposed. Remote parks that I've been in QLD I'll leave out while I explore, plus it's a good chance to dry out if there's been mist/ rain in the night. Never had an issue but I do pack up if it's more busy, just got to pick the location and vibe. There'll always be the thought while away of the one person who will come past and flog it but I've been lucky so far. The weekend just gone I was in a Emu Park caravan park and left the swag out for the day no problems. Probably wouldn't leave out a solar blanket/ battery box/ easy to take items. The beauty of my setup is it only takes 5-10 minutes (even less if I had a roof top tent) to fully pack up so it's no biggie, and if I find a better site while exploring I don't have to come back and grab the gear. By the way, I put the Hilux up on CarSales today as an expression of interest. Have a look for detailed list of accessories I went with.

Cheers Micky K! :P

No worries Connie, thanks for watching and your comment. Hopefully you get great weather. Take plenty of mozzie spray and enjoy

Cheers for your reply David, go the extra cabs!!👌 Yeah I heard about the Lovells one and it was a rabbit hole when it came to reviews and advice. In the end I went with Pedders and didn't worry about towing as I'll never need to tow anything heavy. I haven't considered a scan gauge, what's it do? I've estimated I get 1,400k's full to empty tho so I just reset the odo everytime I fill up.

Cheers heaps Wilbur, I came pretty close to locking in a MIT's they are a fantastic canopy. However I've locked in something a bit different.. Soon to be revealed :D

Hi mate, thanks for the comment. I've found Merrell Moab 2 mid a really good fit, they are comfortable and they last almost a year ( I have them for work, 100's of k's ). I also put some tape across the back of the heels on longer hikes to prevent that inevitable hot spot happening. I haven't had a problem with the soles underneath, not even on my recent 2nd Thorsborne trip with pack weight on. Hopefully that was a once off 😅😁

Too right mate, I'm getting the canopy without the powerboard and am keeping an eye on lithium portable innovations over the next year or 2.

Further to this, I have gone the portable lithium route and opted for the new Bluetti ac180. Simple, small and portable to the sun with solar panels, I really think the fixed battery system is becoming outdated and portable power is the new norm.

It's the ARB one mate 👍

Absolutely! Some great feedback. It has since helped me with hikes after this walk.

G'day mate, no it doesn't. The Solis lights sit on the bar without any dramas. I asked this when I picked out the light and made sure it would affect the radar