You cannot, simply head out on the highway and head for the great Cape York. The epic journey up north, has to be planned pretty meticulously, with a lot of preparation preventative maintenance and a decent understanding of the great distances you will travel.

Preparation isn’t just for your vehicle, but also for your head, getting in the right mindset for long distance journeys is a great idea, prepared for long drives at any time of day, due to the very real possibility of break downs, getting bogged, and even from slow travelers in front of you.

What ever path you choose to roll to get your 4WD to the tip and back here are our top 4 bits of advice to getting all the way, mostly stress free;

1.Preventative maintenance

When getting your rig ready for tackling one of the toughest offroad pilgrimages in Australia, this step should not be taken lightly. When undertaking your pre-trip checks, you should check things like your brakes, suspension, wheel bearings, oil and oil filters, fuel filter(s), along with your radiator hoses, clamps and even the rubber boots on your CV joints and steering linkages, tyres and even a wheel alignment.

By double checking everything is clean and tidy with the mechanical workings under your bonnet, you should be confident in both getting your 4WD back up and running in case of mechanical failure, as well as being confident that you are leaving home with the best version of your 4WD that you have!

2.Modifications

This is the step that so many people jump ahead to get complete first, without making sure their 4WD is mechanically A1! So if you haven’t done this yet, go back to step 1 and make sure you have a tip top 4WD as a foundation!

We have an epic list of must have gear, that you shouldn’t tackle “The cape” without.

Firstly is solid suspension, the road to the cape is a mixture of extremes, ranging from heavy corrugations to side to side articulations, so fitting an upgraded set of springs and shocks to your 4WD will absolutely help you in getting your 4WD all the way there. The added benefit to chucking a set of new springs and shocks on your 4WD is the additional lift and ground clearance you will gain from your 4WD.

Whilst the current ADR only allows 2” (50mm) of suspension height adjustment, many vehicles are somewhat sagged from factory and by fitting 2” of lift will actually benefit from even more height than is expected from a standard 2” lift kit, whilst the obsession seems to be to go as high as possible, the real objective of fitting a suspension kit is to add a set of springs that have both enough travel and a progressive spring rate, which will allow enough travel for rough corrugations deep potholes and keep all 4 tyres firmly planted on the track surface!

The next MUST HAVE upgrade for your 4WD is a deep cycle AGM battery and dual battery kit. by fitting a well performing power setup you enable the limitless use of accessories like your 12v Fridge Freezer, and camp lighting when you are at camp, coupled with one of the extremely clever Adventure Kings solar panels you will easily be able to keep your 12v battery bank topped up to the max. making sure that all your food and drinks are kept icy cold and fresh for the whole trip and not just whilst you are driving. Considering the 2000+ KM distance from cairns to the cape and return you may be able to find ice at fuel stops and pubs along the way but travelling stress free with a completely off grid fridge freezer system is the best way to keep your meals fresh!

The next modification should be for your storage system. By installing a reliable steel roof rack, you instantly free up all of your cabins internal storage space and clear up your rear windows for better vision both on and off the tracks! All Steel Roof racks from 4WD Supacentre include the necessary mounting hardware required to install them, and they are made to suit many different models!

With your roof rack mounted you can fit an awning for shade and shelter, a roof top tent camping setup and even your LED Lightbar to light up the tracks ahead. But for all of your heavy camping cooking and bush mechanic accessories, nothing quite beats a set of Titan Rear Drawers built with durability easy DIY installation and a neat and tidy finish in mind a set of titan rear drawers includes a built-in fridge slide, heavy duty cargo tie down points, and can even be secured under lock and key for busier campsites.

We love our cargo upgrades because they allow us to live out of the back of our 4WD for a couple of weeks at a time and make keeping camp organized that much easier!

You are nearly prepared for your cape trip, don’t forget to waterproof your electronics, and if your vehicle hasn’t got a properly sealed snorkel, that is certainly an upgrade you will wish you made before the pilgrimage, the cape is renowned for its relentless and countless river crossings!

3.Recovery Gear

Just like a warm jumper you shouldn’t leave home without reliable recovery gear, no matter where you are going with your 4WD. By having the appropriate recovery equipment will make getting to camp, in one piece a much easier task.

For the cape you cannot look past the first step, that is a reliable and powerful winch, The Domin8r X 12,000lb winch has become almost industry standard when compared to the massive costs associated with other makes and models. With the Domin8r winches being mounted to the 4WD Action crews 4WD’s, you can rest assured these can cop the abuse that some of the most hardcore trails can throw at them, and for the price they are currently selling for you could get one for the rear of your 4WD so you can winch backwards, and even pull your mate who couldn’t quite follow you through, free!

To complement the massive pulling power of the EPIC Domin8r X 12,000lb winch, you will need a full recovery kit, like the Hercules ESSENTIAL recovery kit which has all of the necessary bits and pieces to help with double line pulls and winch extensions, awkward anchor points, and just about everything else you could need on the tracks. if you were truly starting from scratch you can get your hands on a Hercules Complete recovery Kit for EVERYTHING you could need to get your 4WD free with a winch, or even via snatch strap.

4.LIGHTING

Last but not least, is a quality set of Driving lights, if you happen to get stuck, delayed, lost or just about anything else and don’t make it to camp on time, you may find yourself driving at night through some gnarly sections of track, which may have wildlife, or other unexpected hazards ready to make the trip, longer, more expensive, or even worse.

This is where the Adventure Kings Osram 9” LED Driving lights really shine into their own. These are some truly blinding bargains, for under $300 you can have a set of top quality 22,000+ lumen spotlights with a range of up to 860m fitted and wired in to your 4WD.

The Advenuture Kings Osram 9” LED Driving lights are one of australias BEST VALUE SPOTTIES, and whilst they may not wear the expensive label that other brands put on the box, they are truly competitive with some of the brightest 4WD lighting on the market!

Make sure that you and your 4WD Are prepared for one of the toughest and gnarliest tracks in Australia, and get on up and find out what “The Cape” is all about!