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RON & VIV MOON have spent much of their lives exploring and writing about Australia’s wild and remote areas. In their travels they combine many interests such as 4wd touring, camping, bird watching, diving, hunting, canoeing and fishing, as well as photography, and this is reflected in the many articles that they have written for a wide range of magazines in Australia.While both Ron and Viv are recognised travel writers specialising in out of the way places, Ron was the long time editor of the 4WD magazine, 4x4 Australia, and now has more of a roving and exciting role as 4x4’s Editor-at-Large. In all Ron & Viv have contributed to or written 13 guide books on Outback Australia, including books for Lonely Planet, Hema Maps and Global Publications.
A WIDE BREADTH OF EXPERIENCES
Born in Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory in 1949, Ron grew up in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia where at a very young age he spent his time trapping rabbits and hunting with a single shot .22 rifle.
Moving to the southern coast of South Australia his teenage years were spent spearfishing, scuba diving, and when the water was dirty or too rough, surfing and rabbit shooting. These are passions that continue to this day.
Gaining his love of travel from his widely travelled father, Ron was travelling far and wide as soon as he got his driving licence. A stint in the Army as an electronic technician added to his travels in the Outback and overseas, while his skill as a photographer earned him a place on a number of expeditions. These were as diverse as:
* Diving the remote southern Maldives in the Indian Ocean as chief photographer with a British scientific expedition;
* Rafting the Franklin River in Tasmania on the first commercial recce trip down that wild river as photographer,
* Acting as a guide and photographer with a National Museum of Victoria expedition to the desert country of South Australia;
* Leading the first trekking group across the Big Desert Wilderness in western Victoria, and a host more.
With his wife, Viv, they founded the magazine, Action Outdoor Australia, in 1984 and were editor/assistant editor for a number of years. In that time they also travelled the world and Australia as freelance adventure travel writers and photographers. These adventures included:
* Canoe trips on the Zambezi River in Africa;
* High altitude walking jaunts on Mt Kilamanjaro and Mt Kenya in Africa;
* Diving expeditions into the Red Sea, Coral Sea and Mediterranean;
* Trekking in New Zealand and Greece;
* Along with a range of minor adventures in other places of the world.In 1986 they founded and ran the short lived, Adventure Travel magazine and then later became the editor of the more successful, Let's Travel magazine.
Overlooking gorge in Northern Greece
Canoeing n the Zambezi River
Diving the Coral Sea.
THE 4X4 WORLD
Between 1987 and 2001 Ron was the editor of Australia’s leading 4WD magazine, 4X4 Australia, and in that time he gained an enviable reputation as one of the most travelled and ‘hands on’ 4WD experts in the country. Today he is now their Editor-at-Large which allows both him and Viv to travel more frequently and more widely.
A range of wilderness canoe trips in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s resulted in a number of ‘first descents’ on remote crocodile infested rivers in northern Australia; most of these expeditions were sponsored by Australian Geographic magazine.
Their knowledge on the history of exploration in Australia has seen them lead a number of 4WD trips following the footsteps of the early explorers. They have hunted and scuba dived all around the country and have also fished extensively in the wilder, more remote areas, but Ron admits he only chases fish when there is a very good chance of catching some!
While they are not whitewater canoeists, they have paddled many remote rivers in the far north as well as along the east coast and rafted some of the wildest, remotest rivers in Australia.
The last 15 years have seen nine trips to southern Africa where they spend most of their time in national parks or in remote safari camps. Four of those trips included hunting trips in Botswana, Zimbabwe and in a number of places throughout South Africa. In 2007 they overlanded through 15 countries from Cape Agulhas, the southern most point of Africa, to the northern most extremity of the African continent in Tunisia.
As well, Ron and Viv have been lucky enough to have spent time in the bush driving 4WD vehicles in a range of spectacular offroad environments in the Ukraine, UK, Thailand, Spain, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, Africa and the USA. Some of their most memorable times being in Africa, and on the Rubicon Trail and in the ‘Canyon Lands’ of Moab in the US.
Their travels in Australia have covered every remote corner of the continent resulting in a flood of articles that have appeared in nearly every magazine from Australian Post to Penthouse, as well as newspapers around the country. Their love of diving and hunting has meant that every diving and hunting magazine in the country has featured their work at one time or another.
Viv, on the other hand, is a first class bush cook who can whip up a feast for a king from a camp oven. Her regular cooking column in 4X4 Australia magazine has been a long running hit for over 16 years and she now has a couple of cookbooks, Viv Moon's Outdoor Cookbook and Viv Moon's Travellers Cookbook.
GUIDEBOOKS & TV WORK
Ron and Viv wrote and produced their first guidebook in 1986 and now, as well as producing their own very successful adventure guide books on Cape York, the Kimberley, the Flinders Ranges and Victorian 4WD tracks, they have also written, or are the major writer/consultant editors for a number of other guides published by Global Publication, Hema Maps, Lonely Planet, Focus Publishing, Australian Gazetteer and See Australia. In all they have written or contributed to thirteen guidebooks on remote areas in Australia.
For five years Ron was the 4WD consultant, presenting his own segments, for the very successful Rex Hunt TV fishing show on Ch 7.
Over the last eight years he has also acted as guide, consultant and co-presenter for the eight successful adventure 4WD TV 1-hour documentaries produced and presented by Glenn Ridge on Channel 9’s ‘World Around Us’. These documentaries are not only sold around the world on Cable TV, but are repackaged and sold into the home video market, here and overseas.
As well, as part of his commitment to 4X4 Australia magazine, he has produced a range of 4WD instructional videos on 4WD skills and techniques, and travel destination videos to such places as Cape York, the Kimberley, Simpson Desert and the Australian High Country. These have been broadcast in recent times on Cable TV in Australia and elsewhere around the world.
During the last couple of years Ron has also acted as a consultant to and presenter for a range of 4WD instructional videos for Nissan Australia, the Ford Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors Australia.
THE LATEST EXPERIENCES
While Ron was editor of the Australian national four wheel drive magazine '4x4 Australia' for 15 years, he has now taken up a role as Editor-at-Large, giving him and Viv more time to travel and research and write articles and guidebooks.
Together, with their combined knowledge and comprehensive experiences, amongst other things they have written nine successful guidebooks on Australia as well as producing numerous travel documentaries for TV and 4WD training videos.
In 2004 they established, in partnership with Red Desert Tours, Legendary Outback Expeditions, leading exclusive expeditions into the remote areas of Australia's outback. See www.loe.com.au for more details or check out the web pages here for details on previous and upcoming LOE trips.
Africa Overland February to October 2007
In 2007 they overlanded in their own vehicle across Africa from south to north, and in 2008 they plan to drive across northern Europe to North Cape, then across Russia, Kazakhastan and Mongolia to Vladivostok! As always though there are plenty of travels and adventures in Australia! To read all about their Africa adventure, check out their web site at:
Today, when he and Viv are not in front of a computer screen they can generally be found travelling somewhere in a four wheel drive, and if it isn’t work related, you can bet there will be diving and hunting on the list of things to do!
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