We’ve decided it is high time to bring the full Season 16 experience over to YouTube. If you missed it on TV or just want to relive the dust and drama at your own leisure, we’re getting it all ready for you. This season was a bit of a departure from the norm for us. Instead of picking one remote corner of the country and staying there, we decided to link the big smoke hubs using nothing but the rough stuff.
The mission was simple but massive: Brisbane to Sydney, then Sydney to Melbourne, covering over 2000km while staying off the bitumen as much as humanly possible. It was a massive undertaking that proved you don’t always have to head to the Kimberley to find a proper adventure. There’s plenty of rugged, uncharted territory right in our own backyard if you’re willing to look for the dirt lines on the map.
High tracks and gourmet bush tucker
The route took us through some of the most breathtaking mountain tracks we’ve ever tackled. We spent weeks kicking up dust through the Great Dividing Range, finding campsites that make you wonder why anyone bothers with a hotel room. These were the kind of spots where you wake up above the clouds, with nothing but the sound of the bush and the smell of a brewing coffee to start the day.
We also stepped up the camp kitchen game this season. Forget the standard tin of beans; we were leaning into gourmet bush tucker that utilised the best local produce we could find along the way. Some of the meals we whipped up over the coals would give a city bistro a run for its money. It’s amazing what you can achieve with a bit of fire and the right ingredients when you have a view like the Aussie Alps as your backdrop.
Mechanical mayhem and the reality of the road
Of course, a 2000km off-road trek is never going to be all smooth sailing. We ran into our fair share of hiccups along the way. Between mechanical gremlins, unexpected weather shifts that turned tracks into grease-pits, and the general unpredictability of the bush, we certainly had our work cut out for us. These moments of tension are what make the trips real, and we kept the cameras rolling through all of it.
These challenges really brought the crew together. There’s nothing like a winch recovery in the rain or a trail-side repair to test your patience and your gear. It serves as a good reminder that no matter how well you prepare, the bush always has the final say.
Unleashing the F-150
For the gearheads among us, Season 16 was a bit of a milestone because it’s when we finally debuted Pat’s F-150. We didn’t just want a big American ute; we wanted a proper touring weapon tailored for Australian conditions. We spec’d the Thirst Responder out with some pretty wild mods, including a fully integrated beer keg system in the back, because why wouldn’t you?
The real test, however, was the shakedown run into the Flinders Ranges. Seeing that big rig flex its muscles on the rocky climbs and red dust of South Aus was a sight to behold. It was a perfect blend of engineering and raw capability. If you want to see how a modern full-sized ute handles the harshest terrain we could throw at it, you’ll want to keep a close eye on these upcoming YouTube uploads.
