This was our final day in the Lincoln area and it was going to be a fun one especially for the Nissan drivers (oh that would be me :-))
Today we were going to tackle the Sleaford-Wanna Track through the sand dunes. Everyone had been building up confidence in their driving abilities over the week and it would be put to the test for many before the day was out.
Again the wind and the rain were prevalent today so the sand was firmer than it would normally be so the first bit through the Wanna dunes was fairly easy going for all. There were a few clearance issues for some of the lower cars but all got through OK.
At one point where there was a memorial for someone who drowned in the area, there was a pod of dolphins frolicking in the surf. Not long after this we found a lunch spot near Salmon Hole then made it to the end of the dunes at Lone Pine.
We were going to head back the way we came as it didn’t take as long as expected. That was before we descended on Tinah Beach.
We had passed it on the way in and now that the clouds were dispersing and the sun coming out, why not go for a drive on the beach – it looked firm enough.
We stopped for a line up of vehicles for a photo and maybe we should have turned around there as the Ford Territory got bogged as they tried to move off, so I got to pull out my first vehicle.
While we were pulling Helen out the radio came alive. Barra who was leading the charge in his Toyota Landcruiser up the beach had become bogged as had Carolyn in her Nissan X-Trail and CJ in his Mazda Tribute.
After pulling out Helen, I let some more air out of the tyres and headed up to the others. There were 3 that hadn’t continued further up and I had to leave their tracks and go around them in the soft sand which was fun but I made it.
CJ just needed a little digging and some manpower and he was moving. Carolyn was a bit more of a priority as the tide was coming in on her vehicle. The bulk of the group worked on her car and I continued up the beach to Barra. He was stuck fast.
He had been trying to turn around and come back but got stuck. That’s OK, he has diff lockers. The only problem was that it buried him even more. It would have been easier to cover it with sand – it was that deep.
It was going to be a tricky pull as he was only 20 metres from the soft dunes, so a pull at an angle was required. We started digging him out and after about 15 minutes put on 2 straps and attempted a pull. I moved him a little but not enough for his tyres to get grip.
Half an hour or more later of digging with the rest of the group as they had freed the other vehicles and there was clear air under the car and a ramp out of the hole. A couple of decent pulls and Barra was free but not for long.
He attempted another turnaround and down the car went again. This time he waited for me with the straps before trying to dig himself deeper. From the GPS log we had spent 2 hours on the beach for a total 2.7 kilometre drive.
Despite the challenges today, the club all pulled together and helped each other out, learnt some new skills and told stories of the day over drinks that night at the Port Lincoln Hotel. We held the final dinner for the trip here which topped off a great week.
