Our Story

 

I was always a very curious person and the more curious I was, the more I learnt about things in general. It was this curiosity that took me on my very first overlanding trip to the outback of the land I grew up in - Africa.

Accompanied by a good friend who shared the same level of curiosity as I did, we were completely unprepared in terms of vehicle preparation and supplies. Putting it mildly it was a complete naïve attempt. In the 500 km (310miles) we covered, what was meant to be a three-day trip turned out to be an arduous six-day trek. We had to endure so many vehicle breakdowns (I would care not to remember) and ran out of food. Our 4x4 we had bought on a shoestring budget had seen better days and our utter ignorance of what terrains to expect in the outback did not do this old fourbie any favors.

 If I was the type to go by first impressions then this was certainly unpleasant enough to have kept me well away from the outback for the rest of my life. Yet thanks to the old adage “it’s about the journey than the destination” turned my unpleasant first experience to a life changing moment that would keep me going back every opportunity I got.

Despite the troublesome first venture, the breathtaking landscapes, the wild life, flora & fauna, the history of the land I passed through, the generosity & humility of the people I met touched my heart deeply.

Then I met the love of my life Ajanie. After her first overlanding trip she immediately fell in love with the overlanding lifestyle. Ever since we have been overlanding every opportunity we got both back in Africa as well as in our new home Australia. 

At first we recorded our travels in a personal hand written journal as this helped us to gather all our experiences in one place for us to reminisce over as the years passed by. These became talking points when friends and family gathered. The more we talked, those around us wanted to know more. With everyone now scattered all over the world, meeting to share these memories was not that easy, thus the birth of our youtube channel: www.youtube.com/@4xTouring

To this day we continue to do our hand written journals as a personal keep sake, which one day we hope to pass down to the next generation. At the same time, through our Youtube channel we attempt to share our journeys and overlanding experiences with not only our global friends and family, but also those who yearn to venture into the overlanding liferstyle. 

Living in an age where our children spend more time in cyber space than the real world, We hope our travels will inspire you to spend more time experiencing this great planet we live in and gain an insight into the beauty that lies off the beaten path.

 

            - Duncan & Ajanie Udawatta