Years ago, I posted a video on Instagram of one of our buggies doing what our buggies do—climbing over something that didn’t look remotely climbable.
Pretty standard day at Ragged Edge.
Then a random bloke commented:
“More yobbos tearing up the bush.”
I had a laugh.
Not because damaging the bush is funny. I completely understand why people get annoyed when four-wheel drives destroy public tracks, go places they shouldn’t or leave a mess behind.
The funny bit was…
There wasn’t any bush in the video.
Ragged Edge operates inside Avalon Raceway, on private land, on tracks purpose-built specifically for this kind of driving.
No national parks.
No native vegetation being flattened.
No sneaking past a “Track Closed” sign at midnight.
In fact, one of the reasons Ragged Edge exists is so people can experience genuinely difficult off-road driving without tearing up the bush.
Built From Other People’s Rubbish
There was another detail our Instagram environmental inspector couldn’t have known.
A lot of the Ragged Edge course was built using reclaimed material and landfill.
Some of it even came from the construction of a BCF store.
Which I find beautifully Australian.
Material left over from building a shop that sells camping gear to people heading into the bush was reused to build an off-road course so people don’t have to go tearing around the actual bush.
Rocks, concrete, dirt and discarded material became climbs, drops, walls and obstacles.
Basically, other people saw rubbish.
I saw somewhere to drive a V8 buggy.
It Looks Wild Because It Is
From the outside, Ragged Edge probably does look slightly unhinged.
The buggies have V8 engines, huge tyres, rear steering and an unfortunate habit of driving into places that sensible vehicles avoid.
They climb walls.
They balance at ridiculous angles.
Occasionally they lie down for a little rest.
There may also be yelling.
But the driving itself is slow, controlled and guided.
This isn’t about charging through the landscape at full noise. It’s about reading the terrain, choosing the right line and making tiny, precise movements with the steering, throttle and brakes.
The machines look extreme because they’re extremely capable—not because destroying things is part of the fun.
The Right Activity in the Right Place
I love four-wheel driving.
I also think some types of driving belong in certain places—and not in others.
That’s the whole idea here.
You can drive a purpose-built extreme V8 buggy over serious terrain without owning a modified 4WD, finding a public track or spending 20 years learning what all the levers do.
You arrive at a raceway.
You drive something ridiculous over something even more ridiculous.
You leave with a massive smile.
The track stays exactly where it was, ready for the next yobbo.
So, Was He Wrong?
Technically, yes.
There weren’t yobbos tearing up the bush.
There was one yobbo—me—running a legitimate off-road driving experience inside a raceway, partly built from material that would otherwise have been thrown away.
At the time I replied politely:
“Thanks for your comment, but we’re inside a raceway on a purpose-built track.”
Very mature.
Very restrained.
This blog is the response I probably wanted to write.
So yes, there are V8s.
There are giant tyres.
There are enormous rocks, steep climbs and occasionally a fair bit of noise.
But there’s no bush being torn up.
Just a purpose-built playground giving people somewhere appropriate to do something wonderfully inappropriate.
Chris
Ragged Edge 4×4
