YOUR LIFE
Katie and Steph from Yeah the Girls 4x4 celebrate sisterhood their way – behind the wheels of their Toyota 4WD.
Putting to rest that off-roading is a “guy thing”, the pair have brought together over 10,000 women from all over Australia and New Zealand who love getting rugged and muddy while four-wheel-driving and camping in the bush.
Believe it or not, Yeah the Girls 4x4 actually started on a horse. Well, kind of.
In 2017, founder Katie Anderson was riding a horse when she unexpectedly fell off and broke her collarbone. Stuck at home, unable to kick up dust in the bush with her beloved Toyota, she came up with the idea of starting an online community of four-wheel drive enthusiasts—just for women.
Launching the YTG4X4 Facebook group, Katie brought together women all across the country and began a network that now supports almost 10,000 gung-ho 4WDers.
It was through the group that Katie met her business partner, Stephanie Pond, who has been 4WDing since childhood – going on fundraising 4WD trips with her great-grandfather in her dad’s 40-series LandCruiser.
‘He would take me out for father-daughter weekends, and I just loved it – I loved being out in the bush, out in the fresh air, and it was probably the only way I could spend time with my dad.’
The women-only Facebook group organises meetups all over Australia and New Zealand for 4WDers to get involved in off-roading and share a sense of community.
Katie says, ‘Yeah the Girls 4x4 is really just about encouraging women to get behind the wheel and have fun.’
The group hosts regular meetups and practice days where they train women on the basics of 4WD and help them get their confidence up to conquer whatever fear is holding them back.
It’s not just for beginners though. The group also has their very own off-road racing team of female drivers, taking down the competition in local tournaments and 4WD races that have traditionally been male-dominated.
‘A lot of the girls really benefit from the friendships they get out of our network – especially if they've come out of abusive relationships and they’re rebuilding themselves. They can come and make quality friends, which is really a big part of our vision – to grow bonds between women through 4WD,’ says Katie.
Steph smiles as she recalls a story about a recent trip they took with some of the team members at Toyota Australia. On the trip, one of the group revealed she’d never actually been behind the wheel of her 4WD. She’d normally sit in the passenger seat while her husband drove.
‘We actually convinced her to drive the track for the first time. She was shaking at first, but we had a great group of girls on the ground who got her through it. She absolutely loved it,’ Steph recalls.
Due to the pandemic, Yeah the Girls 4X4 hasn’t been able to host its regular meetups. Still, the group continues to grow rapidly online, doubling in the past 12 months.
Steph and Katie say they are hoping to host more meetups later this year – including beginner courses, 4WD races and camping trips across the country. The group is even thinking globally.
‘We've got a couple of American members and we’re trying to build that up. It would be really nice one day to go to America and see their big Toyotas. That's my dream,’ smiles Katie.
You can follow Yeah the Girls 4X4 on Instagram or, for any women out there looking to get involved, request to join the Yeah the Girls 4x4 Facebook group. You can also check out upcoming events on the website.
