I hit my mid 50’s where I got to the stage I was just burnt out! I became disillusioned with business challenges. I was questioning what life was all about. Maybe I had another 15-20 years of good health.

Blokes I’d see around the traps would ask me “How’s it going Ferg?” And I’d say, “Geez I’ve Hadagutful”. [translation: Australian term meaning I’ve had enough]. That’s when it hit me…….

I sat and wrote a list of all the things that made me happy and what I was good at. The consistency I found was being in the great outdoors and travelling. Like 4WDing, camping, fishing, exploring new locations, sitting and chatting around a camp fire with a cold drink in my hand, maybe even getting into a spot of bother and working out how the hell to get out of it!

I’m sure not the only bloke who’s reached this stage in life. There’s plenty of pressure in todays’ world – we’re living longer, working harder and life’s pressures are getting the better of some folks, reflected by the number of people with mental health issues. Worse still is the growing rate of suicide. Maybe you’ve Hadagutful?

Hadagutful is about helping people who’ve had enough and just need to get away for a bit. To refresh, reboot and recharge.

A lot of people aspire to do an off-road Australian adventure but lack the experience, equipment and the time it takes to plan. That’s where Hadagutful can make it happen. We do all the planning, provide all of the equipment and you just rock up and jump in. Our aim is to provide as much freedom as you need to come back refreshed and rejuvenated to tackle the challenges and years ahead.

Picture a remote Australian location you have always wanted to visit. Your adventure begins at the pickup point. All you have to do is get yourself there and we’ll take care of the rest. All of the thinking and planning will be done by us in advance. It’ll be an adventure where you can have a say in where we go, an opportunity to do something you’ve always wanted to do but have never had the time. The upside is you’ll probably do some of your best thinking while you’re away. From my experience, clarity of thinking is best done on a beach or in the outback, anywhere away from your normal environment. It gives you a different perspective on what really matters.

Are life’s pressures getting the better of you? Have you Hadagutful of your job? Do you feel the need to invest in yourself for once? Feel free to get in touch to have a chat.

The Hadagutful Rig includes a purpose-built, powerful Expedition Truck manufactured by All Terrain Warriors in Queensland. Nicknamed ‘ERNIE’, this Global Warrior Series 2 is named after a man who always wanted to do adventure travel but never got the opportunity. That man was my father.

ERNIE is a very capable 7.5 tonne ISUZU NPS Crew Cab [not as pictured] and gets to most places he’s pointed towards.  Some key features include:

  • full 4×4 capability
  • 280 ltrs of fuel for extended range
  • 335 ltrs of water including separate drinking water tank
  • off-grid solar power capability
  • 25,000lb front winch and 17,000lb back.
  • comfortable Stratco suspension seating with good visibility for between one and three guests.
  • all necessary recovery equipment
  • internal and external cooking capability
  • shade awnings on both sides of the vehicle

We tow a purpose-built Sierra camper-trailer manufactured by AOR [not as pictured], offering private Guest accommodation. This camper trailer features:

  • Off-road capability
  • Comfortable double bed
  • 200 ltrs water storage
  • Built-in kitchen with pantry and cooking facilities.
  • Shade awning and external shower

We also carry a boat with fishing equipment including:

  • 3.5m aluminum tinny with 15hp outboard motor.
  • Fishing equipment including rods, crab pots, cast nets, and of course our guests are welcome to bring their own fishing equipment.

I’m either known as Ian or Ferg depending on how long you’ve known me, but I answer to both.

For the better part of 30 years I have worked in the security and construction sector. I’m technical in my approach, having spent my career designing and installing large scale engineered perimeter security barriers across a number of successful businesses. These projects have taken me to many places around the world for which I’m grateful, but for me at 58 years of age, it’s now time to see more of Australia.

For most of my life I’ve lived on Sydney’s northern beaches raising a family and being actively involved in community sports organisations. One day I realised that Sydney had outgrown me and that I needed to free myself from big city life.

More recently I started to consider carefully what the next 10 – 20 years would look like for myself. I’ve always wanted to explore Australia by road, to see this great country over an extended period. I didn’t want to leave it until I was too old and buggered, an all too common story. Would I maintain good health? Was the pressure of being in small business really worth it? After 47 years living in one city, surely there were better places that suited my change in mindset?

Hadagutful Expeditions is about me living my passion and sharing the experience with others. Remote 4WD Australian travel with people looking to have a real overland adventure. It’s an opportunity to meet interesting people from all walks of life and to really appreciate what a great country we often take for granted.

I don’t pretend to be an expert in everything. I like to learn as well as we travel around, afterall you can’t be an expert of ‘everywhere’ . If it looks interesting down that track, then let’s go and check it out. If I don’t know the answers to something, then let’s find out together. I’ll be as excited as you as we round the next corner to find that perfect beach, camp, or coffee shop.

I’m going. It’s going to be a lot of fun. So why not jump in and join me………

 

Hadagutful Expeditions specialise in 5-18 day overland adventures across Australia. We offer personally guided off-road Australian adventures for between one and three guests, providing the opportunity to reach extraordinary Australian locations. Remote Australian destinations is our idea of ‘getting away’ and if you share that same desire, let us provide the equipment and do all of the planning to make it happen. Our aim is to provide as much freedom as our ‘fellow adventurers’ need to come back refreshed and rejuvenated…….we call it Expedition Therapy.

Hadagutful Expeditions is quite different to other tour operators, where our guests have the flexibility to stay a little longer in a particular location and not be on the go all the time. In this way the adventure will feel like it’s your ‘own’ expedition.

This is ‘hands-on’ expedition travel, involving camp set-up, building fires, cooking (if you want to), vehicle recovery (if we get bogged) and other daily activities. Hopefully this experience adds a different dimension and purpose, allowing guests to release themselves from life’s pressures, get away from technology and invest in themselves and their personal well-being.

Our 2021 Expeditions are:

  • Eyre Peninsula
  • Flinders Ranges
  • Adelaide to Alice Springs
  • Broome – Cape Leveque
  • The Kimberley – Gibb River Road
  • Broome to Darwin
  • Kakadu and West Arnhem Land
  • East Arnhem Land

Stay in touch with Hadagutful and subscribe to our newsletter now for more information about our upcoming travel schedule.