| Sydney,
Australia :
Wisemans Ferry Meet (NSW, 22/08/2004) |
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| This
Meet was organised by Andrew Green and
Simon Chan. Pictures and writeup by
Simon Chan. |
After
a fantastic 3rd NSW RAV4 Meet at Macmahons
Point in Sydney Harbour, NSW RAVvers
were left waiting in anticipation for
our next get-together... little did
we know that it would be the 1st Inaugural
NSW Meet under the ClubRAV4OZ banner!
Overall
the attendees were :
»
Andrew
»
Normann (TobyIIDog)
»
Gary (Extreme Raver)
»
John (Mystical)
»
Simon (Stormcrow)
A
little bit shy in terms of attendance
relative to our 3rd NSW meet, but
we definitely made up for it in pure
adrenalin-filled driving experiences;
sliding around hairpin corners and
hooning down narrow treelined roads,
to chilling out on the car ferry...
Some
highlights of the Trip :
»
Andrew's turbocharged RAV-GT4 Executioner
in all its beastly glory
»
Seeing Extreme Ravers lifted RAV provided
unique inspiration for a great looking
and seriously practical mod
»
Putting a red P-plater CRV to shame
- and after seeing our impressive
convoy leave them eating our dust,
leaving both the CRV passengers and
driver resorting to the pathetic/weak
act of giving us 'the bird' (ie mid
finger)
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| It
was an early start to the day on Sunday,
and Sydney-based RAVvers had agreed
to meet at 8am at our usual starting
point in the Sydney Olympic Park at
Homebush. Both Andrew and John were
the first to arrive, followed shortly
by Normann and myself. Just
before leaving a group of seven/eight
Mitsubishi FTOs had also arrived at
our meeting place, obviously for another
cruise/race event.
Sunshine
was in full swing, not a cloud in
the sky (in the morning anyway), and
what as looking to be TOP day for
Cruising… :)
Learning
from our NSW last meet to MacMahon’s
Point, the handheld CB Radios came
out in force, and proved to be an
excellent aid in keeping near perfect
convoy formation as we drove from
Homebush Stadium to the start of the
Sydney-Newcastle freeway.
We
were due to meet up with Gary (Extreme
Raver) at Ourimbah, which was near
Gosford on the NSW Central Coast,
so we proceeded with speed up the
Syd-Newc Freeway.
This
was where we encountered the lone
P-plating Red CRV topped to the brim
with its unfortunate occupants…
as we leisurely cruised passed them
in convoy, the most creative response
they could come up with was some pathetic
stares and jeers (not to mention the
above-mentioned ‘birdie’
as we left them eating RAV4 dust.
Well…should we have expected
anything less?
Next
stop…. Ourimbah, where we met
up with Gary – I still remember
the look on Gary’s face (not
to mention all other bystanders at
the rest stop) as our convoy of RAVs
pulled up next to one another!
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| RAVs
from left to right: Andrew, Normann,
Gary, Simon, and John |
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| No
worries about night-time driving with
these three on the road….. 2 pairs
of Lightforce, and 1 pair of Narva Drivig
Lights (600W of light power!!!!) |
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| Gary’s
lifted RAV (Old Man Emu Lift Kit) certainly
provided some inspiration for a more
practical mod for our RAVs. And another
alternative to lowering….. yet
still get a better ride around corners
(with stiffer suspension) |
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| Check
out those sexy asses! |
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| We
finally got to see Andrew’s born-again
RAV-GT4 in the flesh…… Andrew’s
new bonnet scoop certainly implies that
there is definitely more ‘go’
than ‘show’ under his bonnet. |
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| Normann’s
and John’s RAV…… Normann
is considering getting lift kits for
his RAV, while John is more attuned
to lowering and sees huge potential
for a bodykit and sideskirts on his
RAV |
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| Gary’s
RAV provided Normann and Simon with
convincing inspiration for adding lift
kits, and Simon’s RAV just got
back from a killer time down at the
snow….. and got to rip up the
slopes of Perisher on some of the best
snow coverage NSW has seen in 5-10 years. |
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| From
Left to Right: John, Gary, Andrew, and
Normann (our NSW meet videographer!) |
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| After
a quick pit-stop, we headed off for
Wiseman’s Ferry….. Gary
led the way, and took us (with speed
mind you), down the narrow straights
and sharp corners leading down to our
destination. |
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On
the way we encountered two other cruises……
a group of 10+ Porsches traveling in
the opposite direction, and we were
being followed by a group of singles/couples
on motorcycles.
It wasn’t long before we reached
the first ferry crossing (and it was
nearing close to lunchtime as well) |
| John,
Gary, and Andrew examining the more
finer details of Andrew’s new
bonnet! |
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| Our
first river crossing (1st of Three) |
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| Normann
was busy collecting video footage throughout
the day! |
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| In
our quest to find a place to stop for
lunch – Gary, Normann and Simon
got a little side-tracked…. And
we couldn’t resist another Kodak
opportunity! |
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| We
stopped for lunch at Wiseman’s
Ferry Pub/Inn, where Normann and Simon
had to wait an agonizing 40mins for
a simple hamburger+chips…. And
no it wasn’t that busy…
Andrew didn’t care, cos he was
already tucking into the choc mudcake. |
| Our
next stop was at Grumpy’s Café
(near Dural?) – much to the delight
of Mr. Grumpy who saw the convoy of
RAVs quickly pull up to his store and
find any available parking spots |
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| Our
last stop was at some reserve just before
the last river crossing… weather
was turning a bit grey, and some drops
of rain, but not enough to prevent us
from taking a few last shots of our
SUPERB day…. |
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| Unfortunately
I didn’t manage to get a ‘money
shot’ of RAVs and their drivers,
although Normann has included one in
his video. I’d
like to thank all those who attended
our Wiseman’s Ferry Meet…….
the weather was almost perfect, the
drive had a good balance of speed,
corners & bends, as well as leisurely
cruising…… it was truly
a remarkable and memorable day, and
definitely look.
While
we didn’t have as many numbers
as last time, I think the excitement
and diversity of the cruise more than
made up for the day!
Look
forward to our next one! (ie. Start
planning!)
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