Articles by Marcus Craft

Ah, sweet Australia, our beloved sunburnt country: a land of footballs, meat pies ... and bouncing mongrel roos that can cause a catastrophic amount of damage if you’re unfortunate enough to hit one with your vehicle.What should you do if you hit a kangaroo (or any animal, for that matter) with your car? It boils down to this: pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so; approach an injured animal very carefully as it may lash and inadvertently hurt you (it’s happened before); if able to do so safely, check if the roo is alive (if it is dead, then check its pouch); call the relevant wildlife rescue service or police; and take the roo to the nearest vet, if possible and safe to do so, or wait for assistance. If your vehicle is not safe to drive because of any damage sustained in the collision, stay put.But, there’s a lot to more to consider than merely those salient points, so read on. You may see roos along the coastal regions, in the country and in the outback. Because of drought conditions, kangaroos are now even venturing into suburban areas more than ever. But, if you drive in rural areas, a collision with a kangaroo, or other native or even domestic animal, is a distinct possibility. (FYI: a vehicle-and-animal collision is also known as an animal strike.) According to an insurance company’s report, release in June 2019, more than 7000 drivers are involved in, and claim for, kangaroo collisions in Australia per year. The Huddle Insurance 'Roo Report'* states that kangaroo collisions cost Aussie drivers on average more than $6 million per year in excess on insurance claims; the average cost of damage to a vehicle in the event of a kangaroo collision is $4000; and 15% of vehicles (more than 1000) involved in kangaroo collisions are written off. Roo collisions occur mostly in the dawn or dusk hours, or in the full cool of the night, so it’s a good idea not to drive at those times. Roos are generally sleeping off a feed during the hotter times of the day. But that’s not to say that animal strikes never occur in daylight hours – they do – they’re just more likely to happen during those cooler times of the day when the mobs are moving around. Avoid driving at the times I just mentioned (above); besides, you should be at camp anyway, cooking brekky (if it’s dawn) or drinking a bottle of ice-cold happy water (if it’s dusk).Look a long way ahead and off to both sides of the road you’re driving on, in order to detect any animal movement a long time before you might have to react.If you see any roos or animals near the road slow down to 20km/h or even less to give you plenty of time to brake or manoeuvre around the animals. Animals, especially roos and emus, act erratically when they’re spooked by a vehicle and may dart across in front of your vehicle without any warning. Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so.Approach an injured animal very carefully as it may lash out and inadvertently hurt you (it’s happened before). The Victorian government’s Department for Environment, Land, Water and Planning warns on its ‘Help for injured wildlife’ website: “Caution! This animal has a strong kick and sharp claws and may be dangerous. Do not approach the animal or attempt to catch it. Remember the animal is wild and may feel stressed or threatened by your presence - stay calm, speak softly, move slowly and keep any pets away to avoid stress to the animal. If the animal has been injured during a road collision, keep yourself safe and ensure you are not in danger of being hit by traffic.”If able to do so safely, check if the roo is alive; if it is dead, then check its pouch.Call the relevant wildlife rescue service or police.Take the roo to the nearest vet, if possible and safe to do so, or wait for assistance. If your vehicle is not safe to drive because of any damage sustained in the collision, stay put. Make sure you always report injured wildlife, whether it’s an injured kangaroo or a wombat hit by a car.The nationwide contact is Wildlife Rescue and the number is 1300 596 457, an injured wildlife hotline.For injured wildlife in and around Canberra, contact RSPCA ACT 02 6287 8100 (during business hours), or WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Education Service) on 1300 094 737. For injured kangaroos in the area, call 13 22 81.For injured wildlife in NSW: WIRES on 1300 094 737.For injured wildlife in Brisbane, call RSPCA Queensland on 1300 264 625.For injured wildlife in Victoria, call Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300.For injured wildlife in Melbourne, call Warriors 4 Wildlife on 0401 811 937.For injured wildlife in Western Australia, call Wildcare on 08 9474 9055.For injured wildlife in Tasmania, call Wildlife Management Branch on 1300 827 727.For injured wildlife in South Australia, call RSPCA SA on 1300 477 722.For injured wildlife in the Northern Territory, call Wildcare on 08 89 886 121 or 0408 885 341. The process remains the same as the one detailed above: be safe, check the animal if it’s safe to do so, and contact a wildlife rescue service as soon as possible after the collision.If it's a domestic animal, such as livestock, then contact the nearest vet. No, but a comprehensive policy may cover you. However, beware, because if you claim on an animal collision, your premiums will likely go up as your insurer will pass the costs on to you. You’ll probably lose any no-claims bonus as well.Ask around, do your research and find a mob that will help you, more than hinder you (read: rip you off), in the aftermath of an animal strike.

Dual cab utes are very popular in Australia and, as a natural progression of that, the dual cab ute canopy has experienced a massive surge in popularity in recent years – and that continues apace.

Subaru is synonymous with bringing effective – and popular – all-wheel drive wagons to market. And its Forester has done pretty well in the past as a comfortable and capable dirt-road tourer, more than appropriately equipped to tackle low-intensity off-roading. But has the company now tipped too far in the direction of style over substance? Has the Forester lost its way as a bona fide campsite conveyance?Read on.

The Toyota LandCruiser is a deadset off-roading legend, its reputation built on a lifetime of reliability, toughness, capability, not to mention the availability of Toyota parts Australia-wide.The 200 Series has been around for more than a decade and, until the 300 Series arrives here in about two years, it's your only option if you want to climb into a brand-new Cruiser.Toyota reckons the 200 is the “King off the road” so we took it into the bush to test that claim. Is the 200 actually still any good? Or does it now rely too much on technology, rather than old-school mechanicals?Read on.

The Jeep Wrangler is a very capable 4WD with real bush credibility, there's no disputing that, but just how much does something like the line-up's mid-range variant, the 2019 Overland, rest on the laurels of the brand's 'Trail Rated' heritage?

Automotive journalists are normal people, just like you. (But maybe not like that weird bloke sitting across from you on the train, right now. Don't look at him!) We car journos laugh, we cry and we're also prone to becoming caught up in nostalgia-fuelled fever dreams when the likes of something like the Suzuki Jimny pops up on our reportage radar.Yep, most of us were fair dinkum guilty of jumping on the bandwagon when the Jimny first lobbed, largely due to the fact that it brought back happy memories of rough-and-tumble camping trips of the past (whether they actually happened or not) and the little Zook also happily flew in the face of current SUV trends that err on the side of sleek, modern and safe rather than boxy, bouncy and, er, safe-ish.We were willing to initially overlook the Jimny's flaws, mostly because we hadn't spent a lot of time in it at that stage and we were also viewing everything through a glaze of that aforementioned nostalgia.But now that I've spent more time in it, I'm ready to face the cold hard facts: while it's a charming little off-roader, and more than capable in an off-road setting, it's far from perfect as a daily driver or, indeed, even as a 4WD.Have I got your hackles up? Great. Read on.

Australians will be the first caravanners in the world to experience a voice-activated production RV, a leading caravan and RV manufacturer claims.

A great way to increase the fun factor in your off-roading trips is to build confidence in your driving skills.

The sixth edition of Explore Australia by Caravan & Motorhome ($50, timetoroam.com.au/exploreaus and most good bookshops) is a comprehensive revision and updating of previous versions of this popular guide. Loaded with pretty much everything you should know about caravan and motorhome touring in Australia, including routes, places to see, things to do, where to park your caravan and much more, the latest edition should find its place as a sole source of clear, accurate information for keen vehicle tourers.The author, Brendan Batty (publisher/editor of the top-selling Roam magazine), is one of Australia's most respected automotive and adventure travel journalists and his high-level expertise is evident in every page of this book*. (* He owes me big time for saying all of this positive stuff.)Details of caravan parks, best camps, dump points, cheapest fuel locations, as well as tips on how to best pack for trips of varying lengths, towing advice and more, are included.Easy-to-understand symbols are used throughout the book to denote, among other factors, whether a caravan park is dog-friendly and what facilities are on hand.A region's best campsites – whether they're free, budget-friendly or expensive – are listed in the book. Bonus: the book is a complete guide, encompassing each region's history and heritage as well as really important stuff, like where to buy the best pie.Routes are mostly on-road focussed, but Brendan did do a fair bit of outback dirt-highway driving (including 400km of Savannah Way, the Outback Way from Longreach QLD to Laverton in WA), but he reckons everything could be driven by a sensible driver in a high-clearance SUV with a semi-off-road caravan. No suggested route has more than about 300km between fuel stops, Brendan says. To buy Explore Australia by Caravan & Motorhome 6th Edition visit timetoroam.com.au/exploreaus or any good bookshop.

More than 7000 drivers are involved in, and claim for, kangaroo collisions in Australia per year, an insurance company's report has found.The Huddle Insurance 'Roo Report'* also states that kangaroo collisions cost Aussie drivers on average more than $6 million per year in excess on insurance claims; the average cost of damage to a vehicle in the event of a kangaroo collision is $4000; and 15% of vehicles (more than 1000) involved in kangaroo collisions are completely written off.(*A data science team at Huddle Insurance prepared the report and it includes survey data collected and analysed by YouGov Galaxy on behalf of Huddle Insurance).As well, Huddle Insurance reckons 79%** of Aussie drivers feel concerned when driving out of town that their car is at risk of being in a collision with a kangaroo; in fact, the report points to 49% feeling "concerned" and 30% feeling “very concerned".(**Based on a sample of 1054 Australians surveyed.)According to the report, New South Wales is the state "in which you’re most likely to collide with a kangaroo while driving, according to claims data, while Tasmania is the least likely state". The following postcodes, according to the report's findings, are the areas in which you're most likely to be involved in a kangaroo collision while driving:2620 — Queanbeyan, NSW3064 — Roxburgh Park, VIC2325 — Cessnock West, NSW3754 — Doreen, VIC2850 — Mudgee, NSW.Huddle Insurance is launching its Kanga Cover car insurance option to "fully cover drivers excess-free in the event of their first kangaroo collision", the company claims.