May 2026 Newsletter
19th May 2026
By President
Grenadier Gazette – May Newsletter
The calendar is filling and we have heaps on at our INEOS club! The last few months have been absolutely packed with trips, and we’ve barely had enough time to write down all our adventures. We’ve spent plenty of time on the beach, knocked over three training weekends, learnt about Brisbane’s defence history, and so much more!
Organisational Updates
Hywel needs to focus on a few other commitments and has handed over his secretarial duties to Adam. Hywel has been with us since day one and was instrumental in forming the club. We’d like to thank him for all his hard work in getting the club to where it is today! Meanwhile, Nicolette is now backing up Lewis in the training department.
Upcoming Events
Club Meeting & Adventure Night
When: This Thursday 21st May 6:00PM to 8:30PM
Where: Expedition HQ / INEOS Gold Coast
The team at Expedition HQ have fully embraced the club spirit and transformed our regular meeting into an epic adventure night.
- Guest Speaker: We’ll hear from world-renowned explorer and founder of Best Life Adventures, Ben Southall. From remote expeditions to life-changing journeys, Ben will share powerful stories to fuel your next trip.
- Leitner Australia: The team will present their latest product lineup and discuss the best ways to fit out your Grenadier so it's fully prepared for the bush.
- Live Cross to Germany: We’ll be crossing live to LETECH GmbH for an exclusive look at the team behind some of the most capable off-road upgrades in the world. Get a firsthand introduction to LETECH’s renowned portal axle systems, engineered for serious expedition vehicles.
Nanango State Forest 4x4 Weekend
When: Weekend of 6 June
Mick and Helen are taking us through their backyard in the Nanango State Forest for some medium (with harder options) 4WDing. This is the first time we’ve run this event, and the event has quickly reached the maximum registrations. If all goes well, we will run next year with a bigger group!
Format Change: We're switching things up with an optional check-in on Friday afternoon, meaning we'll hit the tracks on Saturday very early instead of Sunday. Sunday will be saved for walks, rides, and whisky tasting in the beautiful Bunya Mountains.
Gordon Country
We encourage everyone who has registered for Gordon Country to also book in at the retreat. We are getting close to 20 cars, which means we could score the retreat area all to ourselves! (Full details are in the event listing).
Tara Camel Races
Our July trip is a social weekend trip and will see us enjoying the Tara Camel Races. This is the closest camel race to Brisbane, so if you want to tag along, grab your tickets ASAP as there are only a few left!
The Big August Line-up
August is going to be a massive month! We have Cars & Coffee at Ignition, the AGM, the Mundi Mundi Bash, and our own Show, Shine, Swap & Sizzle. It’s the perfect month to put the final touches on our Grenadiers before we tackle the Simpson Desert in September!
The Simpson Desert
This trip is promising to be a special one for our members. Currently, we have 20+ vehicles registered, the desert is blooming, the tracks are starting to open up, and Lake Eyre still filling - its safe to say that our excitement is building.
Looking Ahead: 2027 Epic Trip
We are already thinking about 2027! We have a wealth of knowledge in the club and want to gauge interest in tackling the Savannah Way and Gibb River Road, travelling all the way from Cairns to Broome via the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem land. Let us know your thoughts on the Savannah Way Event Page.
Grenadier Yellow Pages (Website Updates)
We’ve made a few changes to the website and expanded our business directory—now officially dubbed the Grenadier Yellow Pages—with new canopy options and suppliers.
- Alpine Euro (WA): Over in the West, Stuart took the shortage of genuine INEOS parts into his own hands and has started selling aftermarket INEOS parts and other products like AOR and Tougher. Check out Alpine Euro. Stuart is a keen Grenadier driver, and we’re hoping to have him join our July meeting to chat more about this.
- Murchison Products (QLD): Locally, Stuart has joined the club and is getting serious about suspension. He’s been testing his gear on recent club trips and is another valuable asset for Grenadier owners in South East Queensland.
Murchsion Products- Quartermaster Canopies (NZ): We’ve also sourced some fantastic canopy options for our Quartermasters straight out of New Zealand. View NZ Canopy Directory.
We are constantly updating our Yellow Pages, so have a browse to see what’s new. If you know of a business we should be listing, please let us know at info@ineos4x4clubqld.com.au.
Past Event Wrap-Ups
Training Weekends
On 26 April, a big group of members qualified for our medium and harder trips by passing the Driver Awareness course. We’ve made a few minor tweaks to streamline the training even further, including a new optional "next level" driving track. Check out the training photos here.
In May, Lewis, Nicolette, and Harold burnt through 650 litres of diesel (not that we were counting!) to get down to TJ’s 4B Park in NSW to deliver our very first interstate training course. The first challenge was just getting into the park! A 50-minute, low-range access track with steep, sandy hills tested the Grenadiers—especially those towing vans or arriving after dark. If you’re heading south, this park is an absolute must-visit.
Alongside the park owners, we set up an "introduction to all buttons" loop and a more extensive park drive. The NSW owners tackled our tyre-changing and vehicle-check challenges with heaps of enthusiasm. It was fantastic to meet everyone and hear their stories. View the NSW training gallery.
Last weekend, another crew visited Black Duck. Photos from that trip are in the jungle!
Sunny Coast Focus
Our last club meeting was held at the iconic Noosa Heads Surf Club, thanks to Gary James for organising the room! We had Jason from JMACX join us to explain all the latest developments in GVM upgrades and suspension. Meeting minutes are now live in the documents section of the website.
We’ve also just updated the trip report from our Rainbow Beach run. Local legend Gorilla showed us around his home turf—have a look at the Rainbow Beach Photos.
K’gari Clean Up
Once we had a taste of our northern beaches, we headed over to K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) for the annual 4WD Queensland Clean Up. Over 750 volunteers cleaned up the coastline, removing 4.5 tonnes of rubbish. Our club did incredibly well, clearing a 4km stretch of beach and taking home three of the top ten raffle prizes! A massive $55,000 worth of prizes was donated by various suppliers so it's definitely worth considering for next year.
Doug’s extensive experience on the island made him the perfect trip leader, and he did an amazing job guiding us around the islands inland tracks and lakes.View the K'gari Clean Up Photos.
Social Outing: Fort Lytton
On the social side, history buffs gathered for a fantastic special tour of Fort Lytton. There were plenty of cannons, military history, and great stories to share. View Fort Lytton Photos.