After four, exhausting days of non-stop entertainment and activities, gruelling off-road challenges, fun and camaraderie well into the night and more invasive, sticky mud than a rained-out Deni Ute Muster, the 2010 National Jeep Jamboree came to a successful conclusion earlier this month.
According to organisers the Melbourne Jeep Owners Club (MJOC), the Jeep Jamboree was the largest Jeep owners' event ever to be held in Australia, with a record 347 Jeep vehicles and 963 people attending the biennial event near Warragul, Victoria.
“Jeepers” from every state and territory were represented, including vehicles travelling from as far afield as Western Australia and Northern Territory. All models were represented too, from the earliest WWII Willys Jeeps right up to the latest Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Sport.
The sprawling Lardner Park proved the perfect base for a host of 4x4 challenges that included on-site technical tests like the USA 4x4 Ramp (articulation), Elite Reverse Steer (driving around a tight course in a Jeep with the steering reversed) and Jeepkhana (trials competition).
For those vehicles with shiny paint and squeaky clean seven slot grilles, there was the ever popular show ‘n’ shine; even an AusJeep RC Challenge for little remote control Jeeps!
But most of the adrenaline-pumping action occurred over hundreds of kilometres of off-road tracks within neighbouring national forest, with 66 trips of every grade of difficulty conducted over the four days.
All types of vehicles and skill levels were catered for on these guided trips, from relatively easy unsealed roads for novices driving standard Patriot or Compass SUVs, to daunting extreme-rated tracks for experienced drivers with highly-modified Jeeps featuring jacked-up suspension, mud-plugging tyres, diff locks and winches, designed to overcome the deepest ruts, biggest bog holes and steepest, most slippery slopes.
Trophies were awarded to the various competition winners, as well as to a few less credentialed candidates. For example, MJOC President Dan Martin received the most ‘Memorable Moment’ award “for locking his keys in his Jeep, while on a trip, leading the trip, with the Jeep running” according to Event Director, Brett Dashwood.
Club member “Jony” received another Memorable Moment gong for “jumping into the bog hole to look for a number plate. After 15-20 minutes no joy, only to then find it still attached to the vehicle under a significant amount of mud”!
Nick Hirons and Craig Withers were given a ‘Monumental Blowup’ trophy for their adventures in a highly-modified Jeep. According to Dashwood, the unfortunate duo, “lost a wheel off the trailer coming to the Jeep Jamboree which nearly took out Craig and his TJ following behind. They had to drive Black Bette (a competition rig that has only probably driven 15km in its life) on the Princes Highway to Lardner Park.
“Then they drove it from Lardner Park to Bindarree (property for a lot of the A-grade trips) but didn’t make it, blowing its rear diff on the way. In the end they were unable to do any 4WD trails at all!”
The 2010 Jeep Jamboree was the second “Jambo” to be organised and run by the MJOC, whose members donated thousands of hours to the event’s organisation. Dashwood was delighted with the success of this year’s event, which was over two years in the making.
“We hoped to create an event that catered to every want and need of every level of experience of attendees from a four-wheel driving perspective, as well as provide activities that would satisfy everyone on a family and social level too,” he said.
“The sheer amount of rating of trips, the variety of on-site four-wheel drive activities, the evening entertainment, even the family activities, all helped to create an event that was a resounding success according to participants. We were humbled when many people made the effort to come up to headquarters before they left simply to say ‘thank you’.”
Dashwood said also it would not have been possible without the support of 34 sponsor companies including key partner, Jeep.
The National Jeep Jamboree continues a long tradition of formal get-togethers for those most passionate about the iconic off-road brand. The event has its origins in the USA in 1953 when 155 Californians held the first Jeep vehicle trek along the Rubicon Trail, arguably one of the toughest four-wheel drive tracks in the world.
There are now more than 30 Jeep Jamborees held each year throughout America, and one held every two years in Australia.
While Dashwood admitted the organising club and venue for the next Jamboree in 2012 were yet to be determined, he’s looking forward to getting out there again “to get 'em dirty”.
“The National Jeep Jamboree is a different event wherever it is held around Australia,” he said. “We hope that it will continue to evolve, meeting the needs of the Jeep owners who love their four-wheel driving and their passion of the iconic brand that is Jeep. It’s a Jeep thing and we definitely do understand.”
• Got some RV news or released a new product? Email chris.fincham@carsales.com.au