Touring pioneer Norm Needham dug through his photo archive and memory bank to give us the inside story of a life less ordinary…
Ever since Australia’s Les Theiss and Japan’s Tony Moriya put their heads together during the construction of the Snowy Scheme to develop the ultimate 4WD, the LandCruiser has been unbeatable.
It was built to handle everything Australia could throw at it, from Cape York mudslides, to High Country slush pits, to Simpson Desert dune crossings.
Norm Needham got in on the ground floor, knowing that the ultimate workhorse rig would also be the ultimate freedom vessel.
For half a century he has used a succession of Cruisers to explore the length and breadth of this land.
As you go through Norm’s pics you will notice the vehicles get updated along the way, and that the enduring LandCruiser opened up the land for one of Australia’s most enduring offroad adventurers.
Click on each pic below and the full story will expand…
CAPE MODS: Late wet season, 1975. Approaching Cape York’s Jardine River. We expected the mud and soft ground and that was the reason for making our super wide (15” x 15”) wheels, and for using wide directional tread tyres. The white ‘box’ on the roof – seen on a couple of pics in this spread – is one of a pair of floats we used to cross flooded rivers.
DRAG STRIP: Can’t remember the why or how, but I do remember having a lot of fun at an advanced driving course at the old Castlereagh drag strip in Sydney. Who said a bit of opposite lock was impossible in a “40”?
SHOALHAVEN RIVER: We knew the (then) newly released diesel version of the 40 Series should be good in water. An improvised snorkel made from radiator hoses, and a coke can shoved under the edge of the bonnet to hold it open and give room for same to enter, and off we went for a paddle in the upper reaches of the Shoalhaven River.
SUPPLY & DEMAND: In the early days of recreational 4WDing, living off the land was an important part of remote travel. Portable refrigerators were a luxury, and the canned and dried food carried needed to be supplemented by wild caught fresh food. Here, our travelling companion Ian Wright was lucky with his fishing on the east cost of Cape York, and we were rewarded with fresh barramundi fillets.
STOCKTON: A scary moment in the dunes of Stockton Beach on a TLCC (Toyota Land Cruiser Club) trip, early 1970s. If I recall correctly, it was a simple matter of driving forward out of this, after the initial fright of cresting the dune and diving into the falling sand trap. Although I am no longer active, the TLCC has played a big part in my 4WDing. I learnt to drive at age twelve in a Series One Land Rover on a property near my central west home of Orange, but it was the joining of the TLCC in 1972 that kicked off a lifetime of outback and remote area travel in Australia.
LAKE CAROLINE: Another inland desert trip earlier this century. This photo after rain near Lake Caroline. In 1990, we had driven the bed of the Hay River from North of Poeppel Corner to the Plenty Highway, and this trip was similar. The 79 Series was arguably the best touring vehicle I ever used. Set up with a bed/swag in the back, it was simply a matter of opening the side to set up camp. The 1HDFTE (turbo diesel) engine, factory diff locks, and locally manufactured suspension components made it almost unstoppable.
AIRACOBRA 1: We were lucky to find this aircraft. Jan was wandering around behind the frontal dunes near False Orford Ness when she spotted the top of the tail protruding from the sand. Ian, knowing the dimensions of the P39, paced it out and said, “If this is an Airacobra, then the prop should be about here”. We dug, and fortuitously, one blade of the three bladed prop was vertical, and we struck it only a few centimetres under the sand. We spent the next couple of days digging out the fuselage. The water table was at the pilot seat level, which prevented us from digging out the wings. The instruments were still readable, and the tail markings still visible.
AIRACOBRA 2: During WWII there were military bases and airfields all over North Queensland, many frequented by US forces, with some of them being staging areas for the battle of the Coral Sea. One of our aims on our initial trip to Cape York was to find some of the aircraft wrecks that littered the area. We scouted the perimeter road around Higgins Field (Jacky Jacky, near Bamaga) and found many relics. Sadly, most of them have been vandalised or removed over the years. The Bell Airacobra P39 in the photo, with Sandy and Ian digging around a wing, was one of a flight that was forced by bad weather to crash land in 1942. A couple were recovered and one is in the Beck museum near Mareeba.
ASTRO TOURING: In the early 80s, before GPS was available, a group of us, with four LandCruisers and two motorcycles, embarked on a very different trip. We used a theodolite to “shoot” the stars and to astro navigate along all of Cecil Madigan’s camps from his 1939 crossing of the Simpson. It was hard going. With no tracks back then, and a few good seasons of Spinifex growth to make virtual moguls, we had trouble navigating straight lines. Our solution was for the two motorcycles to straight line as best they could to a distant dune where we could see their flag, and then the LandCruisers could go to them, most times by a torturous curling route to dodge the moguls and get over the soft dunes.
@carlislerogers Checking out the new 5-door Jimny on Moreton Island.
Awesome rig. Longer wheelbase feels great off and on road. #littlelegend @suzukiqueensland
It's been a real honour working with the team from @oricomuhfcb and local indigenous artist Daniel Evans from @walkabout_warriors_ on the launch video for this beautiful new UHF handheld radio, the Walkabout, featuring hand-painted artwork by Daniel.
I got to spend the day with him talking about art, the medicine that the bush is for us all, and how important it is to stay connected.
Thanks to everyone at Oricom for your support and trust.
Please go check out @walkabout_warriors_ where you can learn more about Daniel's work to support youth in communities, and see more of his great artwork.
The new Walkabout is available in @supercheap_auto and @bcf.australia across Australia 👣
📷 created by @carlislerogers
“The future remains uncertain and so it should, for it is the canvas upon which we paint our desires. Thus always the human condition faces a beautifully empty canvas. We possess only this moment in which to dedicate ourselves continuously to the sacred presence which we share and create.”
I don’t know what triple-oaked means. I don’t know why it’s special if my whiskey is ‘elemental aged’.
But I do know this stuff is smoother than windswept dunes.
@bearfacewhisky #bearface
Living the dream somewhere between Morocco and Western Australia.
Over the years, if you're serious about escapism like we are, you end up going through a lot of gear, trying out every possible permutation of each necessity and luxury against the elements.
I've come to a place now where I can use the best gear available, and it's made my journey lighter and easier.
The new Wolfpack Pro boxes from @frontrunneraustralia embody the same indestructible ethos as the Cruiser, plus they are waterproof and stackable.
I am thoroughly impressed with the @thebushcompany 270XT awning. It is everything I always wanted: simplicity to use, rugged and reliable, and easier to pack away than any other awning I've ever had.
I never thought I'd be a rooftop camper person. I love a swag. But the new Odyssey from @jamesbaroud_aunz has just about wholly converted me. It's basically everything I love about swags (airflow, protection from the elements, lightning fast setup and packdown) with a better view.
#desertvisions #livingthedream #Ilovesanddunes
