Thomson Dam, Easy, Sunday 20th March 2022

[steve125]

TRIP TITLE:
Thomson Dam

TRIP DATE:
Sunday 20th March 2022

TRIP DESCRIPTION:
Our semi-regular easy day trip into the picturesque river valleys north of the Thomson Dam. Suitable for beginners and standard vehicles however a set of all terrain/mud terrain tyres is recommended.

Might give the first river crossing below the dam wall a miss this time.

TRIP LOCATION:
West Gippsland - google maps has it as Jericho Victoria 3825

TRIP RATING:
Easy.

TRIP MEETING POINT:
McDonalds car park, cnr Princes Highway & Lloyd Street, Moe VIC 3825, 9.00am

Please fill up in Trafalgar (servo is on the right at the first set of traffic lights - corner of Mirboo North - Trafalgar Rd) so we don't have to make stop in Moe once we leave the meeting point. From Trafalgar to the next fuel (Longwarry) is just over 200km, about half of this is dirt but it's mostly 2wd so you shouldn't use much fuel.

We will be ending the day at Noojee.

Attendees:
steve125 Navara
Hayden NGV
Bruce NGV
Mike57 Jimny
Pigpen Triton

[Haydoz]

Hi Steve,

Sounds good. Please count me in with the GV.

Cheers,
Hayden.

[bawz9z]

Hi,

Please count me in.

Thanks

Bruce

[christover1]

Sorry I will still be in Tassie. I be on the next one.

[Mike57]

I will attend Steve. Thanks for organising. That first river crossing is deep at normal times so I am glad we will avoid it!

[Pigpen]

Hi Steve,

I will attend in my MQ Triton

Cheers Rod

[steve125]

See you all tomorrow, weather looks good, the recent rain was enough to keep the dust down without making it muddy.

Remember to bring a chair for our lunch stop.

[Mike57]

Looking forward to it. Just packed a chair thanks for that reminder.

[Mike57]

Great trip Steve. Many thanks for organising it.

[steve125]

Thanks everyone for coming along and making it an enjoyable trip.

After leaving Moe a little after 9am, we made it to just before the dam where we had a look at the first river crossing. The plan was to give this a miss as last year it was deeper and faster flowing than usual. But this year it was back to (almost) a trickle so two cars crossed over and climbed up Beardmores Tk and met up with the other three on top of the dam wall. Contined on to Aberfeldy where we had a quick mechanical stop, then down the steep Violet Town Track, which tested the brakes on my auto Navara. On through Red Jacket and then a visit to the Jericho tunnel. From here we left the Jericho valley and went up and over to the Thomson river valley by way of our second low range decent, Cream Can Tk. Crossing Matlock Creek then the Thomson river, we stopped for lunch, then back tracked a little and left the Thomson valley via 5 or so river crossings. A final stop at the Torongo fire-tower, where we could see the hazard reduction burns in the Neerim forest, same a last year, then a quick run into Noojee where we finished the day.