Renowned for his quests to many of Australia’s remotest and most daunting spots, 4×4 adventurer and photographer Ant Collins @black_knight_offroad/ has shared his first-time experience of Cape York’s extreme ultra-challenge, The Old Coach Road.
Travelling with experienced 4WD mate Sam, along with Mitch, a 4×4 “newbie”, the trio set off in Ant’s two V8 Landcruisers, both fitted with ultra-resilient Trepadors. The recently facelifted 76 Series “Black Knight” (now painted dark olive green and sporting a gold Maxxis logo) quickly proved it was more than up to this latest extreme test!
After gathering supplies in Cooktown, the team set off to Laura where they camped for the night ready to take on the first stretch of the notorious Old Coach Road – a 76km-track with the reputation as one of the most difficult in the Cape York area. Even as an experienced off-roader, Ant admits to feeling plenty of trepidation on their approach, knowing that this track would no doubt test their vehicles to the limits!
While some of the track’s early terrain was pretty challenging, Ant and his team found the going wasn’t overly tough first up on Day 1. This gave them the chance to shed their nerves as they tested their vehicles and handling on the track.
There are many km’s of this gnarly track that Ant is still to report back on — with no doubt plenty of 4×4 action complete with winching opportunities and heavy articulation to come! However, it’s already super clear that the newly refurbished Black Knight isn’t just about good looks, with Ant acknowledging: “It’s the best set up 4WD I’ve ever driven!”
Watch this space for the next instalment of the Black Knight’s Old Coach Road adventure coming soon.
