Outback adventure shifted into serious top gear during Ronny Dahl’s (@ronny_dahl) latest off-road
expedition into the remote heart of WA’s Pilbara, with this iron-ore country’s trademark red dust, intense
heat and humidity turning overnight to swollen rivers and flooded banks.
Youtuber/Film-maker and well-known ‘4 Wheeling Australia’ expert, Ronny, explains that he and his team set
off from Perth in a HiLux (fitted with RAZR AT811s) and two Landcruisers (both with RAZR MT772s).
Bound for the expansive and punishing Pilbara, the demanding three-week trip took them through spectacular
4×4 country – dusty plains, steep gorges, waterholes, pristine national parkland – and heaps of other extremes!
“It’s no secret that the Maxxis RAZR MT has been my long-time tyre of choice – it’s the perfect mud tyre for my
work, filming and exploring remote off-road destinations. For this trip I was keen to see how the all-terrain
AT811s performed and how they held up in what promised to be no easy ride.”
Travelling a 6,500km round trip from Perth through Pilbara’s remote Ashburton shire through iconic spots
including Onslow, Emu Creek and the expansive Millstream Chichester National Park – the team (in their three
vehicles) put their RAZRS to the test in some pretty gruelling conditions – with parts of the Pilbara clocking up
100mm of intense rain and thunderstorms. They were washed out of camp numerous times, with rivers
bursting their banks – making the team move with little time to spare.
“We set up camp in Cheela Plains one night next to a dry riverbed surrounded by red dirt – waking up just
hours later to water in reach of my swag and water up to rims of our vehicles,” says Ronny.
Adrenaline and adventure were also on a high in the otherwise secluded and picture-perfect Bobswim/Magic
Pools waterhole where thunderstorms once again hit seeing dry riverbeds flowing rapidly. “One moment we
were swinging off ropes into the river – then the storm suddenly hit and we had to quickly get our camp once
again relocated to higher ground,” says Ronny.
While it was no surprise that the RAZR MTs did their job (and plenty more!) through all the varying conditions
encountered, Ronny was surprised at how well the AT’s performed on the HiLux. Surpassing all expectations in
the mud and the severe wet, he admits they are “the best all-terrains I’ve ever used in the mud.”
Here’s more on what Ronny had to say on the ATs and a comparison with the MT772 performance.
While the trip wound up without a serious hitch and with plenty of highlights, memories, photo and video
footage – Ronny warns that the Pilbarra in the wet season is not the place for inexperienced 4×4’ers or those
without backup teams.
“The best time to discover this awesome area is definitely the peak season (WA winter) when more stations
are open and you’re pretty much guaranteed to travel in the dry. Plus, after so much recent rain, the
waterholes and rivers are flushed out and clean which means it’s ready to offer a really enjoyable ride!”
Watch this space for more on Ronny’s next trip down WA’s south coast (when he’ll be upgrading his RAZR MTs
to a larger size) which promises to be another awesome adventure you won’t want to miss!
