Gordon Country May 2025
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Trip Report – Gordon Country 6th-8th June 2025
The June 6-8 weekend at Gordon Country saw 12 Grenadiers with 24 people including three families with four children congregate at the Retreat Camping Ground.
Trip organisers Anne and Doug arrived shortly after 1pm on the Thursday, followed by Matt and Lyn Vass, then Harold and Nicolette Wiegers. Luckily, we had arrived when we did and were able to quickly cordon off a large space on the upper section of Retreat. Another large group started to arrive and were slightly miffed with our stake-out. Gordon Country had had a fair bit of rain, resulting in the majority of camping areas closed, as well as the major 4x4 tracks.
Friday saw the remainder of our group trickle in and set up camp, either with vans, tents, or swags. A large central fire pit was put to good use. Matt fired up his competition steak cooker and for those on the chat who’d seen this, steaks were the order of the evening.
Saturday and the tracks were open! In two groups of five and six Grenadiers, we set off to accomplish the ‘B’ tracks, for “experienced drivers only” according to the Gordon Country map. In the conditions, it was a relatively easy track with a couple of minor challenges. With ten minutes gap between the groups, we had the park to ourselves. The morning went well and everyone enjoyed it.
After lunch, about 2pm, we regrouped, and one group of six vehicles set out for the “easier” ‘A’ track loop. The other group went with Harold into the national park for a drive then a hike to the two different lookouts. The ‘A’ track group comprised: Doug and Anne (lead vehicle) Griff and Gina, Lewis and Jen, Chris, Darren, Matt and Lyn.
The tracks were still quite muddy from the recent rains, presenting quite a few mud wallows and challenges. About halfway through the journey almost to the lookout with Anne driving, having just successfully navigating a gnarly section which everyone had stopped to inspect, the vehicle took a bounce or two, and Anne found herself heading off track and bound for the edge. Swift application of the brake and handbrake brought things to a halt, with the Grennie listing at 13 degrees off the main track with the front wheel over the embankment and the back right wheel right at the edge.
All the other drivers calmly gathered and went about securing the vehicle to trees on the opposite side with the vehicle’s winch and a side strap to prevent any slide, then proceeded to attach a further winch line then a tow strap. Lewis had stepped in to run the recovery and very calmly kept in communication with Anne. Using two rear vehicles one towing the other snatching that one, and the two winches, Anne’s Grennie was slowly pulled back onto the track, an hour later, one successful recovery done.
During this drama, when Lewis went to get his vehicle closer and bring anther winch into play, he discovered he’d picked up a stick which had gone through his transmission dropping the entire load of fluid on the track, all but killing his Grenadier, leaving him with engine and brakes. The transmission was stuck in park, so it was time to find the neutral bolt and free up the car to be towed. Doug also advised Gordon Country via UHF of the predicament and that we were self-recovering the vehicle off the A-Track but might be late out of the park.
The plan was for two vehicles, front and rear of Lewis, connected to Lewis’s Grennie with snatch straps for a bit of elasticity, the front to help it navigate the straight track and the climb, and then the brake vehicle hooked up when we got to the steep descent. So we set off slowly through the mud, up a very steep incline and then on to the extremely steep decline. Matt as lead tow vehicle for Lewis did an amazing job, along with Darren at the rear acting as the brakeman. Chris was Tail End Charlie, practising his untangling straps techniques when the vehicles invariably ran over the straps at points.
We exited the park about 5.30pm, in the dark, and notified administration we were all off the track and all safe and well. We were back at camp slightly before 6pm with tales to tell and extremely muddy Grennies. That night the fire pit roared, and the stories were told. And a few drinks were had for medicinal purposes.
Come Sunday morning, plans for other members to drive the ‘A’ track were abandoned, and we all respectively slowly packed up and headed home, leaving Chris to spend one more night and head out to work from the park. A tow truck duly arrived in the morning and Lewis’s Grenadier callsign ‘team bandit’ was taken back to Toowoomba with thanks and assistance from the INEOS Help Line.
A great weekend with an awesome bunch of Grenadier owners. Thanks (in no particular order) Harold & Nicolette Wiegers; Adam & Lin Perrier; Griff, Gina & Archie Syron; Matt & Lyn Vass; Darren Low; Chris Dalton; Gary & Fiona Steele; Lewis, Jen, Finn & Scout Hoult; Nick Willis; Joel & Kai Campbell. Special mention to Mike & Alex Dawson who were not members, but decided to join us for the weekend. Hopefully they like us and our adventures enough to become members.
