In March ’22, our VP led a trip through the spectacular Victorian High Country.
Victorian High Country Trip
Day 1:
On Saturday the 12th March we began our trip by meeting at Bomaderry.
James and Stacey, Lauren, Daniel and myself left and headed to Braidwood for a coffee and a quick catch-up with fellow club member, Jeremy.
From Braidwood, we headed to Cooma and then onward to Jindabyne where we met Andrew, Jaycobe and Chenise.
After refuelling and restocking we headed on toward Tomgroggin.
We had to cross the Murray River on the way to our first night’s camp at Dogmans Hut. Stacey was the first to cross the river and made a huge bow wave.
It was a beautiful campspot and a fantastic end to a great first day.
Day 2:
Woke up to a beautiful morningand headed up to My Pinnabar. We ran into a bit of trouble halfway up the Mt Pinnabar track as Lauren’s vehicle became stuck on a steep and rocky section.
Without lockers, she was unable to get the car moving again so we decided to winch it upward and hopefully to better traction. After a short burst on the winch it burnt out and was no longer any use.
Next plan was to manouver Andrew’s Hilux in front of Lauren’s car and snatch it out. On setting up, Andrew’s vehicle became wedged in a large water drain in a spot where there were no large trees to make use of.
We decided to bring Craig’s car down (which Stacey almost rolled getting it into position).
We used the Jimny as an anchor with Andrew’s winch taking the load but the end result was the Jimny being pulled down the hill.
We then noticed a large stump to the left of Andrews vehicle and we used that to finally extract his vehicle.
We turned the newly recovered Hilux around and used it’s winch to recover Lauren’s stuck car and after a few busy hours, we were again on our way and finally made it to the summit of Mt Pinnabar – it was well worth the effort as the 360 degree views were spectacular.
From there, we headed along the Shady Tree track to Wheelers Hut where we set up camp. 45km day followed by a storm.
Day 3:
Woke up to a clear day.
Headed down Paddy Joy Track, onto Wild Boar track and then Buemba road followed by Pheasant Creek Track which was very steep in some sections.
Lauren got a little stuck and was snatched by the Stig (Daniel)
Headed to Ahshes Camping area – Beautiful spot with a creek running through a nice grassy area.
Andrew braved the cold and was the first to jump in for a swim.
Day 4:
Headed to Omeo to refuel and restock. Onward to Mt Hotham – lots of Gum Trees and great scenery before finally arriving at Blue Rag to set up camp. We had a bit of rain along the Blue Rag track but we made it with just a few hiccups.
The rain cleared and we had stunning views watching the sun set by the side of the fire.
Day 5:
Woke to wind and misty rain. After we packed up, we headed toward the Crooked River Track via the very steep Basolt track. In one of the more difficult sections, Lauren popped a tyre off the rim – Luckily our mobile mechanic, James, had the gear on hand to fix the damaged valve and reseat the tyre with a burst of aerosol.
We then made our way to Tabbitville camp ground where we had lunch before before attempting the Crooked river track which had 15 river crossings. We done a loop and returned to tabbitville to camp the night.
Andrew had to leave the group that day so we bid him farewell and he left us with some supplies which included pork spare ribs – the cooking session that followed had us all laughing as the stig turned his hand to masterchef.
Day 6:
Woke again to a beautiful morning and decided to head to Dargo Pub for lunch.
We followed the Colidonia trail which was steep but presented no problems.
After lunch, it was on to Black Snake Creek to set up camp.
Day 7:
We all slept in so it was a late start as we headed to Buchan on the tar with the goal of camping at Jacksons Crossing.
Lauren left us in Bairnsdale which left us with four vehicles. We refuelled at Buchan and continud on towards Jacksons Creek. This track was awesome.
We went through farm properties & private land, National Park & to the Snowy River Hut where we attempted to cross but it was just too deep. We turned back to find another camp and ended up at Bailey Hooley on the Buchan River.
We rolled in at 7PM but Daniel still managed to fire off one of his famous curries followed by sticky date pudding and apple pie.
Day 8:
We had rain overnight but still woke to another nice day. We headed back into Buchan to refuel and headed to McKillop’s Bridge via the Dedeck Track which we couldn’t access.
We did make it to the bridge though for some great picture opportunities.
Back onto Barry Way and into Wills camp ground for the last camp. We sat along the Snowy River having a beer and nibblies. A great way to end the trip.
Day 9:
Drove into Jindabyne where Jaycobe and Chenise left us and the last three cars headed back home.
