Dave is the owner and lead trainer at Australian Off-Road Academy. He runs female-only 4WD sessions to teach women how to confidently get behind the wheel.
There are so many stereotypes and misconceptions which people in our industry are faced with every… single… day. On one hand we have folks who are still hanging on to the misguided belief that manuals are better off-road. On another hand there’s a group who fervently believe that boys are better drivers. Actually, on closer inspection, there’s a whole lot of crossover in these groups.
Let’s deal with the manual question another time. Today let’s chat about just how great it is for our recreation and our entire industry to have more ladies out there on the beaches and tracks. Specifically here I hope to talk to those ladies who are currently on the sidelines. Either as a semi-permanent passenger, or ultimately just entering the activity for the first time.
Getting started
Yeah, you’re going to need a 4WD. Or, you’re going to need to get behind the wheel of the one you already have. Going back a few years ago I was contacted by a couple of friends who were not at all strangers to camping and off-roading. But who had always – until now – been content to just sit in the passenger seat. These friends got a few more friends together, put on a camping weekend with 5 or 6 families and then ditched the dads and kids. They engaged my services for a female-only structured, accredited 4WD training day. All the dads and boyfriends spent some valuable time back at camp with all of the kids. While all of the mums and friends got out and got a bit dirty, and learned heaps.
It’s not at all uncommon for us to get a call like this one. Whether it be to provide training to an over confident 18 year old. Or to provide some one on one guidance to an experienced passenger. Sometimes it’s just easier to learn from a non-family member.
As time went by we were seeing more and more ladies booking themselves onto our courses ready to maximise the day or weekend which they had put aside to invest in their learning.
Some time later, with the support of Tourism Queensland in their push to encourage ‘Drive Tourism’ throughout the state, we developed a program called Girls Got Grit. Developed in consultation, these weekends were all about focussing on making the most of the time allocated and getting into the nitty gritty of learning about your 4WD and how to successfully navigate it around and island, or the country.
With a mix of activities and some fabulous meals, we proved that you could absolutely get dirty every day, but still take the time to enjoy the locations which are only accessible to off-roaders.
What was the attraction?
Location
Without a doubt, picking an interesting location. This whole idea of sharing our love of off-roading, and all the activities which come along with it, is based upon our desire to take ourselves to fun, remote and interesting places. There’s little point in building a plan to encourage your friends to take up the recreation if you only plan to spend your weekend driving along some random track and up a few hills. There’ll be plenty of time to tackle the harder, technical stuff. But that’s not where you get to inspire new folks to get into it.
Support
Every one of our GGG or other female events saw a terrific bond develop between the participants. When all the cards go on the table on the first day, when everyone understands that everyone has something that they really want to learn, achieve or accomplish, then the egos disappear along with the self-doubt. When literally everyone around the table is there to learn, then they are all also there to support the learning of others. No questions are silly, and everyone achieves.
So, if you’re looking at busting out of the passenger seat, have a look around for a provider or group who looks to be your style. (There’s something for everyone out there). Just exercise a degree of caution when choosing. A training weekend actually does look very different to just a weekend on the tracks. If you’re just starting out you should definitely be seeking a weekend aimed at training, where the trainer is focussed on your skills development, rather than just attaching yourself to a convoy or a camping trip.
If you’d like to know more pop on over to 4x4girls.com.au or 4x4training.com.au.
