Header Image: Provided by John Rooth
An interview with John Rooth (aka: Roothy)
Around our great Country there are thousands upon thousands of 4WD enthusiasts and some of them become quite well known. Pretty much all of those that end up in the public eye have some sort of presence on social media and websites. This is the third in a series of what I hope will be many interviews with well known four wheel driving identities.
It is my great pleasure to introduce Mr. John Rooth. As most of you probably know, John, affectionately known as Roothy, is probably one of the best known people in the four wheel driving community and has been involved with magazines and DVDs and is of course on facebook as well. I once had the pleasure of meeting John at JTS in Caloundra and I can tell you that he really is as down to earth and friendly as he appears in the DVDs he has been in. He is a true what you see is what you get kind of fellow.
So let's ask John a few questions...
Would you please tell us a bit about yourself and briefly outline your 4WD'ing background?
I'm from the bush, learnt to drive in a WW2 Jeep at 8 years old, did a spell as a school teacher (high school History/English), went back to mining, always loved machinery, it's either been a hobby or work ever since!
How did you end up working in the 4wd industry?
I worked as a journalist testing motorcycles for Two Wheels magazine, then editor etc, diversified into 4wd's, trucks and caravans when I got married at 36.
At what point in your 4WD life did you decide that you needed an online presence and why?
That decision was made for me about a decade ago by the younger blokes I work with - I was 47 and they said 'you need a Roothy facebook page'.
We each purchase a 4WD that suits our individual needs or purposes. Please tell us what you drive and why you chose that particular make and model(s).
I love the old Toyotas, an icon of the bush and very much a truck in construction - simple too, which suits me!
What is your favourite type of 4wd'ing? i.e.; scenic, technical, extreme etc..
All of the above. Any excuse to play in the bush, I love travelling Australia.
This vast Country of ours has so much to offer. Of the various places you have travelled throughout Australia, is there one that stands out, one that you would put above all others and call your favourite? If yes, which is it and why did you choose it?
They all stand out for different reasons - I love the history of Tasmania and the cold wild rocky shores, but I love all the Gulf and Cape country too - and the deserts in the centre county are magnificent - sorry, the only favourite I have is where I am on the day!
I think we all have similar views on track closures but you've actually done something about it and started “Unlock Australia”. Can you give us a brief outline on what that's about?
We need a lobby group to push for the interests of all us people who want to access our bush, mostly because we're too busy out having fun in the bush to worry about it's future. We also need to instruct people on caring for the bush - keeping it clean, minimising damage, ridding it of feral animals that cause destruction.
If you were to offer advice to people who had just purchased their first 4WD and wanted to get off road, what words of wisdom would you offer?
It's all about traction which is all about tyre pressures - that's where you start, by experimenting with tyre pressures and trying different things, work up the harder stuff gradually.
What recovery gear do you generally carry with you on an off road outing?
I always have a snatch strap and two shackles - even to go the shops! My trucks have everything from winch to locking diffs to plastic recovery tracks and stuff but you don't need it all if you're sensible and travelling with friends.
What is your favourite local off road destination and why?
LandCruiser park - mountain country, plenty of tracks, creeks, and it's a private 4wd park so there's no hassling about access.
What is your favourite off road holiday destination and why?
Morton Island is where we go for family camping holidays - it's like a smaller version of Fraser Island, beautiful yet not as busy and very close to where we live.
What's the trickiest recovery situation you've even been in or been involved with?
Heaps of these! Muddy slopes in Tasmania with a blown tyre on a truck pulling a trailer - so there's six tonnes of stuck truck on a slope, and everything was slippery - plus the sun was going down and it was raining and cold - so impulse is to hurry up, but to be safe you have to take one step at a time and think it out -
Normally I would ask if you have any big trips planned in the future and where would it be but you're always doing big trips for your “Low Range” DVDs so instead I will ask, what was the biggest trip you have ever done?
1985 - nine months, across to Europe through Burma, Nepal, China, India - some on bicycles, motorbikes, hitching and buses. Ran out of money in Ireland and bankcarded a flight home! Here in Australia six weeks along the Gulf and through the Kimberleys in one hit to film four dvds was the biggest work trip - drove home with one wheel drive (front right) at 80km/h....
Roothy's Low Range -
It is my great pleasure to introduce Mr. John Rooth. As most of you probably know, John, affectionately known as Roothy, is probably one of the best known people in the four wheel driving community and has been involved with magazines and DVDs and is of course on facebook as well. I once had the pleasure of meeting John at JTS in Caloundra and I can tell you that he really is as down to earth and friendly as he appears in the DVDs he has been in. He is a true what you see is what you get kind of fellow.
So let's ask John a few questions...
Would you please tell us a bit about yourself and briefly outline your 4WD'ing background?
I'm from the bush, learnt to drive in a WW2 Jeep at 8 years old, did a spell as a school teacher (high school History/English), went back to mining, always loved machinery, it's either been a hobby or work ever since!
How did you end up working in the 4wd industry?
I worked as a journalist testing motorcycles for Two Wheels magazine, then editor etc, diversified into 4wd's, trucks and caravans when I got married at 36.
At what point in your 4WD life did you decide that you needed an online presence and why?
That decision was made for me about a decade ago by the younger blokes I work with - I was 47 and they said 'you need a Roothy facebook page'.
We each purchase a 4WD that suits our individual needs or purposes. Please tell us what you drive and why you chose that particular make and model(s).
I love the old Toyotas, an icon of the bush and very much a truck in construction - simple too, which suits me!
What is your favourite type of 4wd'ing? i.e.; scenic, technical, extreme etc..
All of the above. Any excuse to play in the bush, I love travelling Australia.
This vast Country of ours has so much to offer. Of the various places you have travelled throughout Australia, is there one that stands out, one that you would put above all others and call your favourite? If yes, which is it and why did you choose it?
They all stand out for different reasons - I love the history of Tasmania and the cold wild rocky shores, but I love all the Gulf and Cape country too - and the deserts in the centre county are magnificent - sorry, the only favourite I have is where I am on the day!
I think we all have similar views on track closures but you've actually done something about it and started “Unlock Australia”. Can you give us a brief outline on what that's about?
We need a lobby group to push for the interests of all us people who want to access our bush, mostly because we're too busy out having fun in the bush to worry about it's future. We also need to instruct people on caring for the bush - keeping it clean, minimising damage, ridding it of feral animals that cause destruction.
If you were to offer advice to people who had just purchased their first 4WD and wanted to get off road, what words of wisdom would you offer?
It's all about traction which is all about tyre pressures - that's where you start, by experimenting with tyre pressures and trying different things, work up the harder stuff gradually.
What recovery gear do you generally carry with you on an off road outing?
I always have a snatch strap and two shackles - even to go the shops! My trucks have everything from winch to locking diffs to plastic recovery tracks and stuff but you don't need it all if you're sensible and travelling with friends.
What is your favourite local off road destination and why?
LandCruiser park - mountain country, plenty of tracks, creeks, and it's a private 4wd park so there's no hassling about access.
What is your favourite off road holiday destination and why?
Morton Island is where we go for family camping holidays - it's like a smaller version of Fraser Island, beautiful yet not as busy and very close to where we live.
What's the trickiest recovery situation you've even been in or been involved with?
Heaps of these! Muddy slopes in Tasmania with a blown tyre on a truck pulling a trailer - so there's six tonnes of stuck truck on a slope, and everything was slippery - plus the sun was going down and it was raining and cold - so impulse is to hurry up, but to be safe you have to take one step at a time and think it out -
Normally I would ask if you have any big trips planned in the future and where would it be but you're always doing big trips for your “Low Range” DVDs so instead I will ask, what was the biggest trip you have ever done?
1985 - nine months, across to Europe through Burma, Nepal, China, India - some on bicycles, motorbikes, hitching and buses. Ran out of money in Ireland and bankcarded a flight home! Here in Australia six weeks along the Gulf and through the Kimberleys in one hit to film four dvds was the biggest work trip - drove home with one wheel drive (front right) at 80km/h....
Roothy's Low Range -
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lowrangetv?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
- Website - http://www.lowrange.tv/
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/unlockaustralia
- Website - http://unlockaustralia.net.au/
- roothy.com - http://johnrooth.wix.com/roothylive
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contact | prize winners | member's trips | profiles & interviews
All content on this site is © Copyright and may not be downloaded, saved or used in any way without permission.
If I do not own the image, I will put you in contact with the person that does. Please use the form on the contact page.