"Struth, someone's let the cows out. Quick, come and help us herd 'em back in!" Not the usual start to an action DVD trip, but one that saw me standing eye to eye with a cranky bovine whose bid for freedom was about to come to an abrupt end. I shouldn't have been surprised; one thing I'm quickly learning is that a life of making 4WD DVDs is anything 'but' normal. Herding a mob of escaped cattle across a road on day one of a five-day shoot is, well, just part of the job!

There is a little more to the 'cows on the run story', and it involves one very indignant producer, who swears blind she did 'not' leave a gate open, despite evidence to the contrary. "I grew up on a farm, I know cows... And gates!" cried Mel, as she tried in vain to defend her rural honour. This was to be my first time in the field with Mel (yep, pun totally intended), who I had 'worked' with on a number of occasions while in the Sydney office but never at the coalface. Talk about making a first impression!

With the bovines back behind bars (and Mel still muttering under her breath something about cows being dangerous and unpredictable...), it was off to the local supermarket to grab supplies for the next few days on the road. It was here I learned another fact about my good friend Mel – she likes to be prepared, really prepared. Five bulging shopping trolleys later (yes, you read that correctly, five), we staggered out of the shop to the applause of the staff, then stood scratching our heads trying to figure out just how we would fit all this in the two camera fourbies.

Like playing a game of Tetris with groceries, the trucks were filled and we finally hit the road. Leading the gang on the action side was, of course, farmer Mel, who by now had asserted the fact that multitasking was not a skill so much as a gift she was born with. In the passenger seat riding shotgun was old good mate Gav. It's worth mentioning here that Gav arrived on the scene after an epic 14-hour drive from Sydney without a swag or sleeping bag 'but' with his skateboard (we were all relieved to see his camera case safely packed in the 100). Gav is the kind of bloke that will make you laugh 'til it hurts, then go and say something really funny. I've had some great times in remote locations with him, and any trip with Gav in the crew is guaranteed to be fun.

Bouncing along behind farmer Mel and Gav in the little red GQ was Simon and my brother from another mother, Anton. Simon was his usual grinning self, just stoked to be on another trip and already filming anything that stood still long enough. The bloke is a camera nut, he lives and breathes videography, and it shows in his work. He and Gav make a great team, coming home with quality footage was not going to be an issue.

Anton and I have a pretty solid history. I've followed his photography way back from his surfing days and we get along like a house on fire. Trouble is, the bloke has gone and lost the plot, deciding on a diet of bird seed and grain in an effort to rid his body of toxins and develop lean muscle mass. Off the energy drinks and on the pulses, Anton was as fit as a monkey and ready for action.