What Kinds of Activities and Trips Does the Southern Tablelands 4WD Club Offer?

Updated

The Southern Tablelands 4WD Club runs close to 100 events and trips each year, ranging from social evenings such as quiz nights to day trips, weekend trips in the local area, and month-long expeditions to remote locations. Activities are designed for all skill levels and interests, and the club's trips cater to traditional high-clearance 4WD vehicles. If you drive a standard high-clearance 4WD and want a regular calendar of organised trips plus driver training, this club is structured around exactly that.

The range of activities

Based on the club's own description, the annual program spans a wide spectrum:

  • Social events — quiz nights and similar gatherings where members meet without a vehicle involved.
  • Day trips — single-day outings in the local area around Canberra and the Southern Tablelands region.
  • Weekend trips — overnight or multi-day trips, typically the core of a 4WD club calendar.
  • Month-long trips — extended expeditions to remote locations for members with the time, vehicle capability, and experience.

The club states it has "something for all skill levels and interests," so you are not expected to start with the hardest trips. New members typically build up through the training pathway before joining more challenging drives.

Who the activities suit

The club is based in Canberra and describes itself as the largest 4WD club in the region, established in 1976 with over 300 members. Two practical points shape who the trips suit:

  1. Vehicle type. Activities cater for traditional (high-clearance) 4WD vehicles. If you drive a soft-roader or an all-wheel-drive without low-range clearance, the club's trips are not aimed at your vehicle.
  2. Skill level. Basic training for novices is a prerequisite for participation in most club trips. Advanced training is recommended once you have gained experience and want confidence on more challenging terrain. In other words, you can join as a complete beginner, but you complete basic driver training before most trips.

This structure means the club is a reasonable fit if you are new to 4WDing and want to learn properly, or if you are experienced and want a steady stream of organised trips and remote expeditions without planning them yourself.

Training as part of the activity program

Training is not separate from the trips — it is the entry point to them. The club offers driver education courses at basic and advanced levels:

  • Basic training — for novices, and a prerequisite for most club trips.
  • Advanced training — recommended after you have gained experience, to develop competence and confidence in more challenging terrain.

If your goal is simply to attend social events, training is less relevant. If your goal is the trips, plan for the basic course first.

How to find out more before committing

The club explicitly invites prospective members to attend a monthly meeting, and notes that the best time to come may even be before you have chosen a vehicle. That is useful if you are still deciding what to buy.

  • Monthly meetings: held at the Canberra Deakin Football Club on Grose St in Deakin, starting at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of each month. Around 60 members and guests typically attend, usually with a guest speaker, and visitors are welcome.
  • Membership enquiries: the club directs membership questions to its membership secretary at [email protected], and has a membership registration page and FAQ on its website.
  • Other sections of the site: Upcoming Activities, Activity Information, Training & Education, Newsletters, and an Online Shop.

A practical way to decide

If you want to judge whether the club suits you, the lowest-commitment step is to attend a monthly meeting as a visitor and ask about the upcoming trips calendar and the basic training schedule. That gives you a direct view of the trip mix — how many day trips versus weekend trips versus long remote expeditions — before you pay for membership or book training. If you already know you want the trips, check the basic training requirement first, since it gates most of them.