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- 4x4 hire line +61 3 7259 4186
- 4x4 hire inbox pralavo@hotmail.com
- Depot 22-44 Bath Lane, Bendigo VIC 3550, Australia
- Book a car
Tracks, mud and gravel
If you are heading past Castlemaine into the Wombat or up toward the high country, a standard sedan will not cut it. Pralavo keeps a small fleet of dual-range 4x4s with the recovery gear physically in the vehicle, not listed as an optional extra you have to ask for at the counter.
Overview
The 4x4 group exists because enough people asked. Bendigo sits close to some serious country, and a front-wheel-drive hatch on a wet section of the Lerderderg track is how weekends get ruined. These vehicles are set up for that terrain from the day they join the fleet, not retrofitted after someone complains about the tyres.
Each rig is checked on a four-week cycle by the same workshop that services the rest of the Pralavo fleet. Tyres get swapped out at 6 mm tread rather than at the legal minimum, which matters far more than any sticker on the window once you hit shale.
Experience
We started hiring 4x4s in 2012 after a customer asked to take a compact onto the Thompson Dam road and we had to say no. The first rig was a second-hand Hilux with 190,000 on the clock. It is long gone from the fleet, but that conversation set the tone for how we spec the vehicles now.
These days we run sixteen vehicles, mostly dual-cab utes plus a couple of wagons for people who need covered cargo. Every driver gets a short route briefing at the counter, and there is a laminated track map in the glovebox of each rig with the graded difficulty of the main routes out of Bendigo.
We swap to a fresh set of all-terrains whenever tread drops below 6 mm. No exceptions for busy weeks.
Two tracks, a 9,000 kg snatch strap, gloves and a shovel travel in the tray of every ute.
Breakdown support runs around the clock through the three partner workshops we work with across central Victoria.
Took the dual cab up to Craig's Hut for a photography job. The tyres were new, the recovery gear was actually in the tray, and the briefing at the counter covered the one section of track that floods after rain. That last part is worth more than anything.
Pricing
All figures below cover registration, third party insurance, the recovery kit and GST. Off-road damage is included on the two higher tiers, which is why most people booking the high country take one of those rather than the base rate.
For gravel driveways and unsealed roads that are still in reasonable condition.
Covers graded 4WD tracks with an off-road damage excess of $1,800.
Three days or more with remote area cover and a fuel range check before you leave.
Bond is $1,200 for the High Country and Expedition tiers and $600 for Bitumen Plus. Fuel is on you, and the tank must come back full.
How it works
Counter work takes about twenty-five minutes because we walk through the vehicle and your route before you leave, rather than handing over keys and waving goodbye.
Name the tracks you want to drive. We check them against current park closures before quoting a tier.
Off-road cover changes the excess and the daily rate, so we show both figures side by side before you decide.
We ask about prior 4WD experience. First-timers get a longer briefing at no extra cost, not a refusal.
The staff member shows you where the jack, tracks and snatch strap live, and how the transfer case lever works.
You leave with a full tank and pressures set for the road surface you named. Bring it back the same way.
We wash the underside with you present, inspect for damage and release the bond in the same conversation.
Gallery
FAQ
We get a lot of the same calls before a high country trip, so these are the answers we give most often at the desk.
Ask something elseBooking
Give us the route and the dates. We will tell you which tier fits and what the current track conditions look like before you commit to anything.