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Cup Weekend 2005 - Dargo/Wonnangatta area

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simon_arch1:
Hi all,
Correct - Peter and Franz did not join our expedition to the Dargo area this weekend - pikers both (ok, they both had legitimate reasons, but we did miss them)...

Due to wife Carly's birthday on FRiday, I didn't get to packing etc on FRiday, so was up at 5 on Saturday to pack and shop - yuk - but we finally go away by 10am, and in Dargo just after the pub's kitchen closed for lunch - doh!  But great hamburger's and snitzel burgers at the gerneral store, so all was not lost!  With our friends from Rutherglen, we headed up the Wonnangatta TRack, hoping to camp at Black Snake Creek, but too crowded already, so we continued up the river, then up towards Talbotville on the Crooked R Track.  Ended up finding a great spot just before the rains came in - and boy, did it rain - never very hard, but consistent, persistent and constant for about 24 hours!  Got the tents up, a tarp up, a fire lit, then spent the evening dodging the drips that came through the tarp...

Sunday morning dawned wet...  slow start to the morning until Phil Townsend joined us...  he'd come off the Humfray R via Cynthia Spur Track planning to join us at Talbotville for the drive our to Hotham on SUnday - but spotted our rig (Disco and trailer) camped not far from the road as he drove by - so he and daughter Maddy came over to hurry us along...  Finally got going at about 11:30 real time, as planned (OK, it was 12:30 in daylight saving time).

All along the river - lots of campers - then we got to "Rosebud" - at least it looked like Rosebud at Christmas - Talbotville!  Campers everywhere, kids playing soccer, trail bikes up and down.... given the dampness of the tracks, and their aging AT tyres, our Rutherglen friends chose the easy way out and home, while Phil led us up South Basalt Knob track heading towards Blue Rag Range.  A very steep and somewhat slippery ascent on the ridge - Phil went straight up, I took a couple of shots at getting over one pitch as I decided that my rear locker should be able to get me over impossible angles and rocky slippery bits without trying to pick th best lines etc  :-|   OK - reassess - do it again - we're over...  

The rest of South Basalt Knob ambles along up to around 1500m - we drove through mist, burnt forests (from 2003), regenerating forest - clever Australian eucalypts!  No views, but very beautiful...  Lunched in the old railway carriage left for logger's shelter at th corner of Ritchies Road.  As time was marching on, we decided to head down Ritchies Rd to the Dargo High Plains Rd - oops - after about 1km, we met a man with a rifle slung over his back (in a nice carry bag), walking up the road with a woman...  Phil in the lead discovered that they had walked up from their car due to about 1km of fallen trees blocking the track.  We started to turn around and Phil had another chat to the "hunter" - only to discover that, not only was he a fellow Land Rover nut (his 'fender was parkedjust down the hill), but he was also another Walker nut!  Ben, Adam's brother!  So there you go...  (Adam - tell us - why does your brother carry a gun when checking tracks?  It's more normal to carry a saw, or gloves???)

Anyway - best thing for us - 'cos that forced us onto North Basalt Knob Track - which is one of the nicest alpine ridge drives around - Phil kept telling us Blue Rag Range track is even better, but we were running out of time for that...  Anyway, it was misty, mysterious and beautiful - driving amongst the snow gums at 1600m along the ridge track!  Fantastic!  Finally emerged onto the Blue Rag Range Track, and down to the Dargo Rd.  Phil headed up to his lodge at Hotham for a hot shower and a matress!  We headed down the road to Dargo, back to our camp.  

Being a rainy day  - it was hardly surprising, but still quite a sight, so see about 50 4wd's parked around the Dargo Pub instead of the previous day's 5...  what a great business on a day like that!  We continued straight past, keen to get back to camp and settled in for the night.  Made the right onto Short Cut Track (and this short cut really is a short cut!), up the Wonnangatta Track, past Black Snake Creek, past Kingswell Bridge, only to come to halt behind a row of 4wds on the track - with no passing possibility - firstly because the track is only 1 car wiude there, and twith the mountain side on one side, and the river bank on the other, and secondly, because there was a 'Cruiser half off the road on a 45 degree angle down the bank...  a network of winch ropes and straps everywhere blocking the way.  

Apparently the driver had driven wide on the track to avoid a fallen tree, only to drop the rear wheel off the very soft shoulder toward the river - all occupants were safely out of the car, and the car looked recoverable at that point.  We had a wait of about 30 minutes, dark now, then the 3 cars who were on our side of the "accident" (there were about 10-15 on the other side coming down the track) decided to head back down the track to find another way to our camp site - Conway Track and Randalls Track looked our best option.  A long reverse, then turn around and lead the way to Conway's - a 'cruiser and a patrol following.  Carly did a radio check with the other's to confirm their readiness for a steep slippery climb - "do you have center diff locked and tyres at off-road pressures?".  The lady driving the cruiser came back with - "sure, the center thingy is in, and tyres at 40psi all round"...  oops!  At this point, we also discovered that hubby was camped up at Talbotville, and she, girlfriend and infant had just been on a shopping jaunt to Bairnsdale for the day.  She certainly did not expect a long hold up, in the rain, and a drive on unknown tracks in the dark, so she was starting to lose it, poor thing.  We got up the first pinch on Conway, then, while dropping her tyre pressures for her, we turned around in time to see a large convoy of cars drive along the track - they'd obviously just got the track clear.  Ain't it always the way, after you make a decision to move on...

So - we turned around - back down the track, back up the Wonnangatta Track - to find the car that was on a lean on the edge of the track, was now on it's side!  Further down the bank.  Being held up by a knotted strap tied to a tree on the high side of the track.  With just enough clearance to get under...  What had they done - it looked perfectly recoverable when we'd seen it last...

Anyway - continued back to camp, leading the way with the Patrol and Cruiser following slowly behind - they were both headed through to Talbotville.  Got to the deep ford again!  Hmmm - a night fording!  In we went, no dramas - then it all went dark, except for this eery glow coming from the front of the bonnet where the water was washing up - all the lights were submerged!  thankfully - it was a straight over crossing, so I knew where the exit was - and thankfully - with the waterproof Lightforces on - no damage to the driving lights!  YAY!  But what an experience - wished I'd had the video running at that point.

Back to camp at about 9pm - dinner and bed!  Next day - NO RAIN!!!!  YAY again.  a lazy day around camp - naturalist-style swimming (well, quick dips to wash the mud off), lots of eating and drinking, photographing...  and then - finally th clouds cleared completely, and we had a beautiful starry night around the camp fire (or bush fire, as wife and daughter are sometimes know to call them).  The big pack up on Tuesday morning, and the long trip home...  made it back ot radio range in time to hear the Cup results - sounds like quite a race.

Damage report:  
1. after never losing a wheel center cap ever before - lost 2
2. plastic cover off the top of the bbar after an agressive water crossing ;-)
3. ACE light on - no ACE - 3 children with car sickness on the way home :-|
    (no prognosis on the ACE yes - children all recovered)

Cheers - a great trip.

Simon

ianswalkingthedog:
Simon,

Sounds like a great adventure. Its the unexpected that adds to the trip. The sort of trip that I like in many ways - 'lets see where this goes....'

I am getting itchy feet as I have not done a trip now for some time and am looking forward to the 12th Nov. You still coming?

walker:
Hi Simon, sounds like you had some fun. It was just a pity the weather was so bad.

I have no idea why he checks out tracks with  a gun :? . He is totally the opposite to me as I am all against shooting but he is right into it. I hope they were not walking too far as Jaquie (his wife) is 7 months pregnant! 8O

Franz:
You sure that was his wife with him 8) ?

Simon said nothing about a pregnant woman :twisted:

Cheers,

F

Franz:
Simon,

Sounds like a great trip  8O  - green with envy.  Happy belated birthday Carly :D .

Cheers

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