MR4X4, Author at Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures

Few issues divide Australia’s outdoor community quite like the future of the brumbies. For generations, wild horses have formed part of the landscape, history and folklore of the Snowy Mountains.…

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Uncategorised

The 4X4er’s Tool Box: Essential Gear For Any Adventure

There’s a strange temptation when setting up a touring 4X4 to spend thousands on suspension, lights, storage and camping gear, then throw a $29 socket set under the back seat…

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Advice

Rooftop Tents Vs Swags: The Ultimate Camp Showdown

Ask a group of 4X4ers whether a rooftop tent or swag is better and you’ll probably start an argument before anyone has even cracked the first cold one. Both have…

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Vehicles

Do New 4X4s Beep Too Much? Ancap Reckons So

Anyone who’s jumped from an older 4X4 into a brand-new ute or wagon will know the feeling. You’ve barely made it out of the driveway and the thing is already…

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News

CREB Track turns treacherous after days of heavy rain

Travellers are being warned to stay off Far North Queensland’s CREB Track after persistent rain transformed the already challenging route into an impassable mess. According to an update from Local…

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News

Labor emissions crackdown could make more 4X4s expensive

The Federal Government is preparing to expand its emissions rules to cover more heavy-duty utes and 4X4s, potentially leaving Australian buyers thousands of dollars worse off from 2027. Labor is…

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Advice

How To Plan An Outback Trip Without Losing Your Mind

The first mistake people make when planning a major outback trip is trying to fit too much into too little time. Australia looks manageable on a map until you start…

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Equipment

WORLD FIRST FIELD TEST: We Took Sony’s New FX5 Into the Australian Outback

In 19 years of filming Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures, we’ve put a lot of camera gear through conditions it probably wasn’t designed to endure. Dust gets everywhere, corrugations shake everything relentlessly,…

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Advice

Weight Distribution: Why Your Ute Handles Like a Wet Sponge

There’s a familiar moment in the evolution of almost every touring 4X4. It starts life feeling reasonably sharp and predictable, then slowly accumulates a bull bar, winch, canopy, drawers, fridge,…

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Advice

Five Things That End More Trips Than Mechanical Failures

Spend enough time around campfires and you’ll hear plenty of stories about snapped CVs, blown head gaskets and catastrophic engine failures. They’re entertaining tales, but they’re also surprisingly rare. 4X4s…

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News

The Strzelecki Track Is Changing Forever… But Is That A Good Thing?

Every time another section of the bush gets sealed, the comments light up. Some 4X4ers celebrate another step towards reliable year-round access, while others see it as one more piece…

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News

Boom To Bust: What Is Happening To Australian Caravans?

If you’ve spent any time around caravan dealerships over the last five years, you’ve seen both extremes of the market. During COVID, manufacturers couldn’t build vans fast enough. Customers were…

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Advice

Planning A Big Lap? This Weather Forecast Could Change Everything

Most of us spend months planning a major trip. We map routes, book campsites, service the rig and count down the days until departure. What we rarely consider is whether…

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Advice

Is Your Roof Rack Dangerously Overloaded? (And How To Fix It)

There’s a good chance you’ve spent plenty of time worrying about your vehicle’s GVM, but how much thought have you given to what’s happening above your head? For many of…

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News

Kakadu Closures Lock Out Popular Falls For 2026

If you’re planning a trip to the Top End this dry season, you need to rewrite your itinerary. Parks Australia and the TO’s have just dropped a bombshell announcement regarding…

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News

Flood Warning for NSW’s Most Popular 4X4 tracks

We all love a good weekend escape into the bush, but nature is about to turn the taps on across some of our favorite testing grounds. If you have tracks…

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News

Blue Oval bets big on storytelling

Ford Australia just launched a new online content hub called From The Road. We know what you are thinking. Why does a car manufacturer need a lifestyle blog? Well, it…

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Advice

How To Stay Croc Safe In The Top End

We’ve all seen the headlines recently. A young bloke up north of Broome, just minding his own business in a swag, ended up in a tussle with a large salty…

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News

Desert Parks update: Floods, closures, and limited access

We’ve seen some massive rain events across Central Australia recently, with more than 10 inches falling in some parts. While the desert in bloom is a sight to behold, it’s…

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News

The Kimberley is Getting a Billion-Dollar Brain

We usually head south of Broome to find a quiet stretch of sand or to test out a new set of rubber on the pindan, but the landscape on Karajarri…

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News

The Big Boss in the Bush: Ford CEO heads Down Under

We’ve seen a few high-flying CEO types roll through Australia over the years, but they usually stick to the boardrooms of Sydney or the cafes of Melbourne. It’s not every…

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Gear

ARB Armours Up Storage Options

We all know the drill. You spend thousands on the bar work, the suspension, and the tyres to make sure your rig can handle the rough stuff, only to have…

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Travel

Revisit the ultimate dirt track: Season 16 map download

We’ve always reckoned that the best way to see the East Coast isn’t through a bug-splattered windscreen on the Pacific Highway. Back in Season 16, we set out to prove…

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News

Ford throw $4000 worth of fuel in your tank

We’ve all felt the pinch at the bowser lately. It feels like every time we plan a big trip up the coast or into the red centre, the fuel prices…

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Advice

The Lake Eyre flood of a lifetime is happening right now

We’ve been watching the weather charts and flood gauges with a fair bit of anticipation lately. It is not often we get to talk about a once in a generation…

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News

Ford Ranger and a lap of the map up for grabs

We’ve seen some massive giveaways over the years, but the “BIG Aussie Review” currently doing the rounds is certainly one of the biggest. The premise is straightforward: someone is going…

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News

Important April News

MRT LAUNCHES HELIUM INJECTED CANOPY TO BEAT GVM In an industry first, MRT have launched the world’s first helium filled canopy to help customers meet GVM requirements. Included in their…

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Vehicles

New look F-150 lands in Aus

We’ve finally laid eyes on the brand new face of the Ford Australia delivered F-150. After spending the better part of three years living out of the previous iteration, taking…

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News

Prices Up, Quality Down, What’s Happening With Our Fuel

If you’ve pulled up to a bowser lately and felt like you’re being mugged in slow motion, you’re not alone. Prices have been climbing hard, availability’s been patchy, and now,…

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Advice

10 Tips To Save Fuel In The Bush

With fuel prices bouncing around like a kangaroo on a trampoline and remote outback bowsers regularly charging eye-watering amounts per litre, stretching every drop of diesel or petrol has become…

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Uncategorised

Bunnings Is Coming For The 4X4 Aisle

Bunnings has never been shy about pushing into new markets, but its latest move could have some interesting implications for the 4X4 world. The hardware giant has announced plans to…

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News

Zone RV Sold, Customers Burned: What It Means For The Caravan Industry

The collapse of Zone RV sent a shockwave through the touring community late last year. Now there’s a new chapter. Melbourne-based Essential Caravans has officially purchased the assets of the…

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Advice

Outback Rain Puts Damper On Remote Touring

Nearly half the country is on flood watch right now. A slow-moving low-pressure system has parked itself over central Australia and it’s dragging tropical moisture deep into the interior. We’re…

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Advice

QLD Police Crack Down On “Sun-Shade” Window Covers

Queensland 4X4 owners are being slapped with a fresh warning from police, triggered by a surprisingly common trend in the 4X4 and touring scene, reflective window covers. What started as a cheap…

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News

Dingo Deterrent Trials on K’gari

If you’ve been following the chatter on socials lately, you might’ve seen some funky photos going around from K’gari, the place most of us know as Fraser Island, of fake tents rigged…

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News

Gnarabup Resort Approved: Progress, Pressure and the Cost of Loving Places to Death

Another slice of Australia’s coastline is at the centre of a familiar tug-of-war. This time it’s Gnarabup, just south of Margaret River, where a $138 million luxury resort has been given the…

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Electrical

REDARC Taps Into CarPlay

Back in the day, we were happy if the dash didn’t rattle itself loose before lunch. We used to measure towing safety by how hard we could grip the wheel.…

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Travel

How to Tackle K’gari in 2026

If you’re still running off a K’gari itinerary you scribbled on a napkin in 2019, it’s time to update the GPS. The island has shifted gears. We aren’t just talking about the sand dunes moving (which they always…

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News

Mt Warning could reopen by 2027

One of NSW’s most hotly debated track closures might finally have a light at the end of the tunnel. After being shut since 2020, the Wollumbin Summit Track in Northern…

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Advice

The Science of Sun Protection: Why Aussie Sun is So Harsh

Spend a few hours out bush and you’ll learn real quick, the Australian sun doesn’t muck around. It burns harder, faster, and longer than almost anywhere else on Earth. Yet…

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Equipment

The Toughest Tyre Test: 10,000KM of Australia’s Harshest Terrain

When you hear the name Pirelli, your mind probably jumps straight to Formula 1 grids or supercars cruising the coastline of Monaco. You probably don’t picture a muddy track in…

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News

The Zone RV Shock: Why We’re Rooting for a Resurrection

By now, the news has done the rounds: Zone RV, one of the absolute heavyweights of the premium off-road caravan game, has entered voluntary administration. For anyone with a love…

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Advice

Sun Safety: The Mod You Can’t Afford to Skip

There are mods you add because they look good. A set of flash looking wheels, a stainless snorkel, a big set of flares. And then there are the mods that actually…

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Gear

A Classier Bush Boot? Mongrel Thinks It’s Possible

There’s a reason most good-looking boots live short, miserable lives out bush. The moment they meet red dust, gum sap, or a shovel blade, the leather splits, the stitching gives…

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Equipment

Supercar Tyre Tech Off-Road: How High-Performance Engineering Enhances 4X4 Tyres

When Pirelli reached out and asked if we’d be keen to run their Scorpion range on one of our upcoming shoots, we’ll be honest, our first thought was: Pirelli? The supercar mob?These…

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News

Labor Says No To Blanket Speed Limit Cuts on Outback Roads

In a rare display of political spine, WA Labor senator Glenn Sterle has come out swinging against a federal proposal that could see speed limits slashed on unsigned rural roads…

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Travel

How to Keep the Kids Sun-Safe in the Bush

There’s something magic about seeing your kids out bush for the first time. Boots covered in dust, faces sticky from marshmallows, and that wide-eyed look when they spot a goanna…

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News

Victoria’s Seasonal Tracks Back Open

It’s that time of year again. The snow’s melted, the sun’s out, and across Victoria, some of our favourite seasonal tracks are finally shaking off the winter shackles. After months…

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Vehicles

Factory-Backed Mods? Ford’s New Convertor Program Makes It Happen

If you’ve ever bolted on a canopy, rewired a dual-battery system, or fitted a tray and wondered if it’d void your warranty Ford’s Pro Convertor Program just stepped in with…

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Electrical

Engel’s Twin-Door Combi Fridge Freezer Brings Touring Smarts to the Bush

If you’ve spent any time on the road, you’ll know Engel has built its reputation on one thing, reliability. But with the new Twin-Door Combi range, Engel’s stepped things up again,…

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