- Anglesea backcountry – November
- Grampians National Park – November
- Grampians – Dunkeld End – September/October
- High Country Trip – Erica to Matlock – July
- Autumn Dinner – May
- Lederderg Gorge Wombat State Forest – April
- Camp Host Murrindindi – March
- Golden Way Daylesford to Castlemaine – February
- Canunda NP Robe South Australia – January
- Cheese Making Day – January
- Northern Forests – January
- Welcome Back BBQ
High Country trip to Erica to Matlock
High Country Trip – Erica to Matlock
By Paul – This tour took in views of Lake Thomson before traveling up the Woods Point, Walhalla Road to Matlock through former mining areas, including Aberfeldy. The road is unsealed and traverses the Great Dividing Range.
The weather was wet and miserable, but certainly not cold enough for snow. After the travel briefing, we headed up to the first stop for views of the Thomson from the dam wall. The road up the east side of the dam is unsealed all the way to Matlock. Three-quarters up the dam, we stopped at Cast Iron Point for views of the dam and Mt Baw Baw. We continued a couple of kms up the road to locate the lonely grave of Kitty Cane (Kitty was an 1800s dance hall girl of allegedly generous proportions. When she died, the local miners attempted to carry her to Aberfeldy for burial, 6 km short of Aberfeldy, exhausted, the miners gave up burying Kitty on the side of the track.
Arriving at Aberfeldy, we stopped briefly (an isolated, once thriving town with 4 or 5 houses remaining, on a cold, windswept slope). We found a clearing amongst the trees for morning tea. From Aberfeldy, the road deteriorated badly, becoming very muddy and slippery (clearly from the snow the week before melting). We arrived at Matlock for lunch, then headed out to Matlock’s summit. Due to the wet and slippery conditions, this was really 4wdriving. And we found snow…..well, a little bit. We descended Mt Matlock and re-joined the Warburton Woods Point Road. We arrived in Warburton, where we had a coffee before heading home.
Lederderg Gorge
by Colin. We met for a coffee at Gisborne. New and prospective members were introduced, and we discussed the route options. We decided to start the pace easily and ramp up. The aim was to explore the area and expose members to the possibilities of further trips.
We headed along the hard top and aired down at a convenient dirt area. One person learned that they needed to lubricate the deflator to use it successfully. We started with Nuggety, which has a steep descent and then a rolling trip. All enjoyed this, and all cars coped well with the track. We then headed south to the 4WD Training Ground for morning tea. This is an old quarry and was very busy with people testing themselves and their cars. We watched as some explorers made loud bangs with their cars. We decided that some areas were within our capability, but we would prefer to test our skills on a quiet day. We then headed north to Ratcliffe Track. This has a very, very interesting section. You drive along a river bed for 30m and then have a very steep and rocky section where you climb for about 80m. The crux has a rock step where good wheel placement and a correct line are needed. Also important is the correct setting on your 4WD transmission. Everyone had different cars and chose different options. All eventually ascended to the top, but the style varied a lot. Then we reviewed our progress. The route so far had taken longer than planned, and we still had no lunch. So he headed for the Pig & Whistle for a late lunch with a stop to look at a car swallowing mud hole. Very impressive that people are willing to cope with the guaranteed damage. We were too mature and intelligent to even consider it. It was amazing how quickly we went from really rough tracks to a country pub serving good food. Along the way, we put out a smouldering fire someone had not extinguished. The convivial debrief over the meal was enjoyed by all.
Camp Host
by Jean Bellis. The Labor Day Weekend saw the Club take part in the Camp Host Program. This is a joint venture with FWD Vic and Parks Victoria. The role involved being a presence in the camp area, answering questions (not sure we knew the answers), giving advice as needed, and completing surveys.
We were allocated Murrindindi and a great camping spot in the closed off Group and schools’ area at the Suspension Bridge Picnic area. This turned out to be an excellent location just inside the entrance to the area, but separated from all the other campers. Lots of flat grassed areas and beautiful tall trees. We even had our own little shelter. The weekend was spent sitting in the shelter answering questions or out visiting the campsites, doing surveys, and talking with campers. But there was still time to sit around at camp, relaxing, talking, eating, and having a campfire at night.