The vast majority of 4x4 vehicles don't often see the likes of the terrain they were built to withstand, but there is a whole world of technical driving, obstacles and mud to conquer for those willing to stretch their car's abilities beyond the school run. Every driving surface has different properties and should be tackled differently, and it helps to have a little knowledge before putting into practice. In countries such as New Zealand and Australia there are hundreds of kilometres of drivable beaches, and with offload driving escapes such as Fraser Island on offer, sand is a surface that, for some people, is not so far from home.

The first thing you should do once you have reached sand is to de-inflate your tyres a little, down to 15 or 20 psi, maybe even 10 psi for really soft surfaces. This will allow for extra grip on the softer surface. Once you are back onto hard ground, however, you must remember to re-inflate these at your first opportunity as the lack of air will have serious consequences on your cornering, braking and control abilities on the asphalt.

Sand can come in many shapes and forms, but perhaps the most difficult to tackle is when it is particularly soft. The problem is that the surface is so loose and so your wheels can struggle to gain a grip, and the more you push forwards the deeper they will dig into the ground, making it more more difficult to escape the more you try to help yourself. The first tip here is to lower you gear. If that doesn't work, and you're really stuck, it pays to have something like an old rug in the back which you can put under the wheels to provide some extra grip. Failing this, there may be some fallen tree branches around or something that nature has provided to put under your car to try to pull it out.

When driving on the beach there are a number of hazards to look out for. Firstly, salt water can cause very expensive damage to your car, and so try to avoid splashing in the shallows, and always keep an eye on the tide times and know of risk areas on your journey to avoid getting washed out to sea or stranded. Washouts on the beach are often well concealed and can cause major damage to your car, potentially even rolling it. Also, with a lack of road markings, make sure all of your intentions are clear to other drivers.

The best sand on the beach to drive on is the damp sand that is close to the ocean, without actually driving in the water. This is harder, more compact and closer to driving on the hard surfaces your car is most comfortable driving on.

On inland trails, it is a little more difficult. Often it will feel like your car is trying to steer itself, but the trick here is not to resist too much. Your wheels will almost always follow the tracks left by the previous driver, but always be aware that you need to be in control of the car and not let it be in control of you. Attack any particularly soft sections with a little bit of speed and confidence once assessing that it is safe to do so to avoid getting stuck.

It is a concept that we are all familiar with as popular media constantly predicts the future will hold domestic vehicles that, not only travel by road, but also by water and air. All the time there are new videos emerging of possible concept cars that can take to the skies, but how realistic is this concept, and just how soon could we see it becoming a reality?

The definition of a flying car is provides door-to-door transportation by both road and air. Many prototypes have been made to date, but nothing has reached a production status yet. This title sometimes includes hovercraft and drivable aircraft.

Perhaps one of the most hopeful conceptual designs is the TF-X by Terrafugia. This is a small compact vehicle with the ability to fly, but comes with various restrictions. The TF-X will not require an airport or an airstrip to land and take off, but will require a clear space of at least 30 m in diameter to create a vertical landing and take-off. It will have a 500 mile range and 200 mp/h cruise speed. 

Terrafugia also designed the Transition, which will probably be the world's first commercially available practical flying car, although this will require a landing strip for take off and landing, and will have a range of 400 miles and a cruise speed of 100 mp/h. They are in the stages of finalising production, vehicle design and compliance testing with the view to launch the product in the next few years.

Aeromobil have claimed they will have a model available in 2017/18 based on a concept launched in 2014. This will also require an airstrip to operate, but can transform in a matter of seconds between car and plane by flicking a switch that retracts the wings.

These vehicles are comparable to small aircraft, with no pressurised cabin which will limit the altitude they are able to travel at. There could also be teething problems with regulated airspaces, and users are likely to require both a driving licence and a pilot's license to operate.

Other develops in the world of automobiles that we could see come into effect include autonomous cars. Both Tesla and Google aim to introduce fully autonomous cars - cars that can drive themselves - within several years. Driverless cars are predicted to be much safer than those with a human behind the wheel, although it will probably take a long time before people start trading in their manual cars for fully automated models.

This isn't so unbelievable when you look at some features that companies have added to cars over the years. Some cars have adaptive cruise control which controls the speed of the car based on the speed of the car driving in front, and some cars have fully automated parallel parking features which enable the car to park itself with very little human input.

Maybe these cars of the future are not so futuristic after all. It could be a matter of only a few years before we see some of these becoming commercially available, but it will probably be a long time before they are affordable to the average person.

Other personal drone companies to watch are Ehang and Volocopter. Founded in 2014 in Guangzhou, China, EHANG is an intelligent aerial vehicles technology & service company. The Volocopter 2X turns the vision of “flight for all” into reality. No combustion engine, no noise, no complex mechanics. Just step on board, fly off and arrive in comfort. Welcome to today's innovative mobility concept.

Australia offers a number of fantastic 4x4 driving experiences in the Outback and in the Northern Territories that are likely to test any driving enthusiast, but for the ultimate 4x4 driving experience, look no further than Queensland's Fraser Island.

Just north of Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, this natural spectacle and world heritage sight stretches for over 120 km and is the largest sand island in the world. For keen drivers, it offers a multitude of different experiences, from driving on beaches to tough, technical inland roads snaking over tree roots and through large ditches.

The roads were originally built by logging companies who were farming the trees for wood on the island, and when you manoeuvre your 4x4 vehicle over them you will struggle to understand how it is possible to drive a long and heavy truck bearing such a large weight over such difficult terrain. The sand is trapped by the tree roots meaning a very bumpy ride, and there are many tight corners weaving amongst the native vegetation on very small roads. After heavy storms, which are fairly common due to the island exposure to the Pacific Ocean, there are often large potholes and puddles which provide a challenge. In drier weather, the main risk is getting stuck in large piles of soft sand.

On the East of the island is 75 mile beach, which is effectively the main highway and drives North to South allowing access to multiple inland tracks up and down the island. When the tide is low, this becomes a very large and wide beach which is very driver friendly, but beware of hazards such as large waves, washouts and dunes. The road effectively changes every single day, so every time you drive on the beach it is a new experience. Along the main beach are multiple stops for fuel and supplies, as well as accomodation for those wishing to stay the night.

With the combination of the wide open beach and the tight technical inland roads, Fraser Island really offers a plethora of different sand roads to tackle that will stretch and improve your offload skills. If that is not enough reason to visit, the nature is truly stunning, offering surreal landscapes of pristinely clear water, aboriginal culture and some rather fascinating animals including snakes, whales and the Fraser Island Dingo; one of the most purebred in Australia.

There are multiple packages which offer beginner drivers the ability to drive the roads and to discover the natural beauty of Fraser Island with a group of others led by an experienced driver. It is also possible to take your private vehicle onto the island via the ferry ports in Rainbow Beach and in Hervey Bay. There are multiple campsites and places to stay, and a good infrastructure for drivers that, with a bit of common sense, will ensure that you don't run out of fuel and have sufficient support in the unlikely event of an emergency.

While there is good infrastructure, that have been several fatal accidents on the island due to reckless driving. Ensure you are familiar with the rules and regulations before you start your trip and always be alert for dangers. 

In some of the most iconic movies of our times, sometimes the cars even out-star the lead actors. Here is a quick look back on some of the most influential vehicles we have seen hit the big screen.

1964 Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger

James Bond has always had an impressive collection of cars, many as memorable as the films themselves, but perhaps the most memorable is the DB5. Like many of his autos, the DB5 was kitted out with a whole plethora of different gadgets including machine guns, ejector seats, oil-slick spray, smoke screens and a ram bumper. One of the vehicles used in both Goldfinger and Thunderball was sold at an auction in 2010 for £2.6 million.

The car was originally released in 1963 as a development of the DB4. The DB series was named after the owner of Aston Martin between 1947 and 1972, Sir David Brown.

'32 Ford Coupe from American Graffiti

American Graffiti was directed by George Lucas before the blockbuster Star Wars enterprise. It is a reflection of his memories of the car culture in California in the 1960s. Painted in Canary Yellow and powered by a Chevy 327 V8, the most memorable scene featuring the “Deuce Coupe” is a drag race where it competes against a '55 Chevy and wins.

Originally, when the car was released in 1932, prices ranged between $490 for the standard coupes up to $650 for a convertible sedan. Today, it is a highly collectible car that some people pay thousands to restore to it's former glory.

DeLorean Time Machine from Back to the Future

This classic movie features a DeLorean DMC-12 car that has been converted by the character Dr. Emmett Brown into a time machine that is very much central to the narrative of the film. The operator of the time machine first selects the dates and destination before accelerating to 88 mp/h which activates the flux capacitor before the car disappears in a blue and white flash, leaving only a pair of flaming tire tracks in it's wake.

The DMC-12 was the only model ever produced by the DeLorean company, manufactured by John DeLorean for the American market between 1981 and 1983. Some of it's more unique features are the gull wing doors that open vertically, it's fibreglass body structure with a steel backbone chassis, and it's brushed stainless steel external body panels.

1968 Mustang GT 390 from Bullitt

Driven by Steve McQueen, the highland green 1968 Mustang from the movie Bullitt has become very iconic. Perhaps the most memorable scene is the chase throughout the streets of San Francisco in pursuit of a 1968 Dodge Charger and are arguably some of the best ever recorded on film. Sales of the car were so good, Ford created limited edition versions of the vehicle not once, but twice.

The 1968 was a development of the 1967 model, and improvements included better safety features such as an energy absorbing steering wheel and shoulder belts. It is one of the First-Generation Ford Mustangs which were manufactured by Ford from 1964 until 1973.