BOGGED: A Rite of Passage in Karratha
Bogged right now? Send a message or put a post on this Facebook Page.
There are rites of passage as we grow up. The same goes for living in or moving to Karratha. One of the rights of passage is going four-wheel-driving and getting bogged.
This article will look at spots to avoid, what gear you’ll need if you are going to four-wheel-drive around Karratha and how to get out of a situation if you do find yourself bogged.
Spots to avoid
It’s difficult to explain exact spots to avoid because they don’t have street names and specific locations., however, there is a way to determine where to avoid. The images below all have two things in common which are their vicinity to the ocean and the colour of the mud.
Click the images below for a specific location on Google Maps.
Although there are ‘roads’ running across some of these flats they are not named and can catch you out if you’re not paying attention. It may be an algorithm produced by Google Maps based on data taken from people driving that path in that past. Which is another interesting characteristic of these mud flats, there is evidence of people that have been there before, possibly when it was dryer.
This is a tidal mud flat near Cowrie Cove (below). Old tyre tracks along with recent tyre tracks from this vehicle can be seen in the mud.
2. Gear you’ll need
If you are in a situation where you are bogged on a mud flat there is little you can do until help arrives (which will be covered in the next section). It is good to have things like a shovel and Maxx Tracks on hand just in case but the mud is so slippery and soft that these usually will not help.
The most important thing you can have in your car is a snatch strap/s, a couple of big D shackles and a dampener just in case anything breaks. Using a winch is possible but because the rescuer will be skull dragging you out of the bog there is a likelihood that the winch will break one way or another.
Other useful things to think about are extra water just in case you have to stay with your car for a long amount of time, your phone and a way to charge it and food.
Always stay with your car.
3. How to get out
The best thing to do is to join the Bogged or Broken down near Karratha Facebook Page and put up a post with photos of your car and surroundings, screenshots, and a link of your location on Google Maps. There are people that enjoy coming to help someone out and the Admin has a low tolerance for bog shaming on posts. Unfortunately, the ranger, the police, and any towing companies are often unsympathetic to someone getting bogged regardless of how stressed you may be.
The best thing to do is to stand on hard ground to receive your savior so that they don’t end up in the same situation.
Please note: do not put photos up after the fact on the page as it should only be used for when someone is in trouble. This means that when a notification comes through it means someone needs to be rescued.
Credit for information: Shane Ryan