Hey crew ,
As discussed still keen to meet you at talbotville in the white tin top 88.sierra be great if you could share with me some campsite plans and phone numbers.
Will you guys be at the meeting on wednesday??
Darc
High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Moderator: Committee
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Darcy we an go through this at the meeting tonight.
All. I spoke to the rangers at Heyfield this morning about the fire. It is contained but not controlled. It is no threat to the Wonnangatta. However they may start backburning on the weekend and they may close the road to Licola. So we need to change our route.
Saturday we will still head to Wonnangatta via Harry’s hut as planned but we won’t do Billy Goat. On Sunday we will head back to Billy Goat and head up it and then exit via Stratford and maybe the Pinnacles lookout if time permits. This may add a little distance so I will take an extra 10 litres on top of the 20 I already planned to take.
The rangers were confident the fire was no threat but we will check for new ones when we have coverage on the mountain tops and will assess any situation as we go.
All. I spoke to the rangers at Heyfield this morning about the fire. It is contained but not controlled. It is no threat to the Wonnangatta. However they may start backburning on the weekend and they may close the road to Licola. So we need to change our route.
Saturday we will still head to Wonnangatta via Harry’s hut as planned but we won’t do Billy Goat. On Sunday we will head back to Billy Goat and head up it and then exit via Stratford and maybe the Pinnacles lookout if time permits. This may add a little distance so I will take an extra 10 litres on top of the 20 I already planned to take.
The rangers were confident the fire was no threat but we will check for new ones when we have coverage on the mountain tops and will assess any situation as we go.
2009 Manual Jimny
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Phoned the Dargo General Store. Petrol and diesel both available (but no LPG). Dargo Rangers are still on leave I think after working the long weekend in the Wonnangatta so I will try later today or may have to wait and call in tomorrow morning to speak to them.
2009 Manual Jimny
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Hi all there is heaps of roadworks and 40/60/80 kph restrictions all the way down the princes hwy so I would allow at least an hour more than you think it will take to get to Dargo. They continue nearly all the way to the Dargo turnoff.Damo
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Again another great trip ,good tracks, good people good beer ,thanks very much to mike for doing the lead and organization, also to David bairnsdale club for showing us other stuff
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Another fantastic trio to the high country.great camps,company and scenery make all the dust worth while(yes Mike there was dust lol) Hats off to Jack for performing his first ever recovery on one of the high countries steepest tracks with ease snatching Richard Ps ute to the pinnacle when it had fuelling issues.Thanks to all for a very enjoyable trip also David from Bairnsdale for his knowledge and historical insights on the High country.
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Instead of waiting until the next meeting I wrote up this trip report. I might forget stuff by next month and I have to write it up for the minutes anyway. Feel free to add any corrections or additions.
High Country Tour 2018 – Trip Report
Day 1 – Friday 16 March
All assembled at Dargo by 11am except Richard M who was running late. We set off at about 11.45am with 7 cars in the convoy which included Damian’s nephew Jack in a stock Pajero Sport and David from the Bairnsdale 4WD club in his immaculately restored Sierra ute. The weather was perfect with blue skies all round.
The team headed up to the Blue Rag Range track and stopped at a set of historic huts on the way that David knew about. On the way up to the Blue Rag Trig point Richard P experienced a couple of issues. His alternator had stopped charging and was making a few noises and he lacked the power to get up the final hill. Colin hopped in and confirmed that the fuel pump was working OK and there was no blockage. Jack who was new to 4WDing eventually towed him up which was a pretty good effort for a newbie (both car and driver were impressive). We had lunch at the trig point and then had a reasonably uneventful drive down to Talbotville via Basalt Knob South which did have a few challenges at the lower parts which were pretty cut up. On the way Richards’s alternator started working again (and stayed working until he got back as far as Melbourne).
We camped at Talbotville and thanks to Richard P for allowing us to use his ute for firewood and Colin for the chainsaw and the fire wood possie for the hard work.
At about 1.00am Darcy arrived having set out from Melbourne late. (Apologies Darcy that I did not come out to greet you!) We now had 8 cars.
Day 2 – Saturday 17 March
The next stop was Eaglevale camp ground where we were going to take a look at Harry’s hut which is nearby on private property. Given the issues that Richard P had with his ute we decided to get there via the mountain route rather than the river route to see if the problem with a lack of power re-occurred. It did happen again on Station track and again Jack, I think, came to the rescue. The Eaglevale Track down into Talbotville was pretty cut up over various sections but everyone got down safely. (In general I observed that a lot of the tracks had deteriorated since I was last on them.). We headed straight for Harry’s hut under the guidance of David who provided access. This was a great experience to see the hut fully restored to the way it was when Harry last lived there complete with his single barrel shotgun over the door. We had lunch at Harrys hut and then David had to leave the group and head home for a birthday party. During the lunch David took a look at Richard P’s throttle and determined that it was not fully opening so he adjusted it. (We did not test the car any further on any steep slopes after that to know for sure if this was the main problem) At this stage given the issues he had experienced so far Richard P and his son Will decided to camp at Eaglevale for the night as we would be returning there the next day. Richard did not want to risk another recovery on a pretty steep track.
The team with 6 cars now in the convoy we headed back up Eaglevale Track, along Cynthia Range Track and Wombat Range track to Herne Spur where we descended down into the valley and followed the Wonnangatta track into Wonnangatta Station. We arrived pretty early (about 3.30pm) and there was already some cut firewood for us to use so we had a few leisurely beers and set up camp for the night. Luckily the winds subsided in the late afternoon and we were able to have a small camp fire.
Day 3 - Sunday 18 March
During the night the rain started but around 6.30am a hot wind started up and dried most of our gear out before it was packed up. At about the time the winds also picked up and were quite strong and I was a little worried about getting out because of the potential for fallen trees. I need to add here that we could not get out via Licola due to back burning operations in that area so we had to return to Eaglevale on the Sunday. After a visit to the historic cemetery we headed out of the Wonnangatta Valley via the Humffray River Track, the latter part of which was quite steep and also a little cut up in parts. We then followed the Cynthia Range Track and went back down Eaglevale Track (3 times now on that track) to the Eaglevale camp ground where we have left Richard P and son the afternoon before. Richard however had decided to head off home earlier in the morning which we always knew was a possibility and followed the easy road back to the bitumen.
The rest of the team went up Billy Goat Bluff and some stopped for a few photos on the way. We all got up and then too Marathon Road back to Stratford where we refuelled and had lunch and ended the rip.
Richard P got home OK with an alternator that failed when he reached Melbourne (he had to get back to Daylesford) but he made it home OK and reported that his ute did not seem to be performing any differently after the throttle adjustment. He will continue to fault find.
I must thank David for coming on this trip complete with all his Sierra spare parts which included a fuel pump and a large assortment of other items (although he apologised that he did not throw a spare alternator in!). David has an extensive knowledge of the area and I would like to try and set up a joint trip with the Bairnsdale club for next year. The Bairnsdale club has 8 Sierras in it I recall from David. (correct me here if I am wrong here David).
Congratulations to Jack on his 4WD baptism which included several recoveries on steep terrain and also for providing some entertainment by driving around the Wonnangatta with his tail gate open dropping his belongings on the track. (I hope your second battery is OK Jack?) Anyway as I mentioned this was all a pretty good effort from Jack. Also thanks to Richard P for his efforts. I expect this trip was a little more on the medium side of easy than he expected but please don’t give up on the ute Richard. If you do I think there are others waiting to buy it.
All the other vehicles performed really well including the older Sierras.
Thanks to all that came along it was a great weekend with a really good bunch of people.
High Country Tour 2018 – Trip Report
Day 1 – Friday 16 March
All assembled at Dargo by 11am except Richard M who was running late. We set off at about 11.45am with 7 cars in the convoy which included Damian’s nephew Jack in a stock Pajero Sport and David from the Bairnsdale 4WD club in his immaculately restored Sierra ute. The weather was perfect with blue skies all round.
The team headed up to the Blue Rag Range track and stopped at a set of historic huts on the way that David knew about. On the way up to the Blue Rag Trig point Richard P experienced a couple of issues. His alternator had stopped charging and was making a few noises and he lacked the power to get up the final hill. Colin hopped in and confirmed that the fuel pump was working OK and there was no blockage. Jack who was new to 4WDing eventually towed him up which was a pretty good effort for a newbie (both car and driver were impressive). We had lunch at the trig point and then had a reasonably uneventful drive down to Talbotville via Basalt Knob South which did have a few challenges at the lower parts which were pretty cut up. On the way Richards’s alternator started working again (and stayed working until he got back as far as Melbourne).
We camped at Talbotville and thanks to Richard P for allowing us to use his ute for firewood and Colin for the chainsaw and the fire wood possie for the hard work.
At about 1.00am Darcy arrived having set out from Melbourne late. (Apologies Darcy that I did not come out to greet you!) We now had 8 cars.
Day 2 – Saturday 17 March
The next stop was Eaglevale camp ground where we were going to take a look at Harry’s hut which is nearby on private property. Given the issues that Richard P had with his ute we decided to get there via the mountain route rather than the river route to see if the problem with a lack of power re-occurred. It did happen again on Station track and again Jack, I think, came to the rescue. The Eaglevale Track down into Talbotville was pretty cut up over various sections but everyone got down safely. (In general I observed that a lot of the tracks had deteriorated since I was last on them.). We headed straight for Harry’s hut under the guidance of David who provided access. This was a great experience to see the hut fully restored to the way it was when Harry last lived there complete with his single barrel shotgun over the door. We had lunch at Harrys hut and then David had to leave the group and head home for a birthday party. During the lunch David took a look at Richard P’s throttle and determined that it was not fully opening so he adjusted it. (We did not test the car any further on any steep slopes after that to know for sure if this was the main problem) At this stage given the issues he had experienced so far Richard P and his son Will decided to camp at Eaglevale for the night as we would be returning there the next day. Richard did not want to risk another recovery on a pretty steep track.
The team with 6 cars now in the convoy we headed back up Eaglevale Track, along Cynthia Range Track and Wombat Range track to Herne Spur where we descended down into the valley and followed the Wonnangatta track into Wonnangatta Station. We arrived pretty early (about 3.30pm) and there was already some cut firewood for us to use so we had a few leisurely beers and set up camp for the night. Luckily the winds subsided in the late afternoon and we were able to have a small camp fire.
Day 3 - Sunday 18 March
During the night the rain started but around 6.30am a hot wind started up and dried most of our gear out before it was packed up. At about the time the winds also picked up and were quite strong and I was a little worried about getting out because of the potential for fallen trees. I need to add here that we could not get out via Licola due to back burning operations in that area so we had to return to Eaglevale on the Sunday. After a visit to the historic cemetery we headed out of the Wonnangatta Valley via the Humffray River Track, the latter part of which was quite steep and also a little cut up in parts. We then followed the Cynthia Range Track and went back down Eaglevale Track (3 times now on that track) to the Eaglevale camp ground where we have left Richard P and son the afternoon before. Richard however had decided to head off home earlier in the morning which we always knew was a possibility and followed the easy road back to the bitumen.
The rest of the team went up Billy Goat Bluff and some stopped for a few photos on the way. We all got up and then too Marathon Road back to Stratford where we refuelled and had lunch and ended the rip.
Richard P got home OK with an alternator that failed when he reached Melbourne (he had to get back to Daylesford) but he made it home OK and reported that his ute did not seem to be performing any differently after the throttle adjustment. He will continue to fault find.
I must thank David for coming on this trip complete with all his Sierra spare parts which included a fuel pump and a large assortment of other items (although he apologised that he did not throw a spare alternator in!). David has an extensive knowledge of the area and I would like to try and set up a joint trip with the Bairnsdale club for next year. The Bairnsdale club has 8 Sierras in it I recall from David. (correct me here if I am wrong here David).
Congratulations to Jack on his 4WD baptism which included several recoveries on steep terrain and also for providing some entertainment by driving around the Wonnangatta with his tail gate open dropping his belongings on the track. (I hope your second battery is OK Jack?) Anyway as I mentioned this was all a pretty good effort from Jack. Also thanks to Richard P for his efforts. I expect this trip was a little more on the medium side of easy than he expected but please don’t give up on the ute Richard. If you do I think there are others waiting to buy it.
All the other vehicles performed really well including the older Sierras.
Thanks to all that came along it was a great weekend with a really good bunch of people.
2009 Manual Jimny
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
David has sent me his trip report on Suzukis to the Cape. It is spread across 4 emails so what I will do is turn it into a word document, reformat it and then PDF it. If you PM me your normal email address then I can email you a copy. I already have the email for Richard M. Richard P and Darcy so I just need Colin, Damian and Jack.
David I will send you the PDF as well in case you want to send it to others.
I also have some photos of the trip from David that I can bundle into the same email.
Mike
David I will send you the PDF as well in case you want to send it to others.
I also have some photos of the trip from David that I can bundle into the same email.
Mike
2009 Manual Jimny
Re: High Country Tour - 2018 (16 to 18 March)
Hey Damian.
If Jack wants to use those old Jerry cans again he should get one of these. https://www.mrfunnelaustralia.com.au/buy-online.html They are a good idea any time for a diesel because they also separate the water.
Mike
If Jack wants to use those old Jerry cans again he should get one of these. https://www.mrfunnelaustralia.com.au/buy-online.html They are a good idea any time for a diesel because they also separate the water.
Mike
2009 Manual Jimny