Victorian High Country Trip ... Feb 2004

Those that participated were Jeanne and Jeff Boundy, Ruth and Ian Cranwell, Michelle and Paul Yil-Rami, Jocelyn and Iggy Marcinkouski, Paul Caldicott (alias Stud Muffin), Bill Bedford (from Sunday 8th on), Jenny and Carl.

Saturday 31st Jan - Jeanne and I arrived at Mansfield, the whole town was covered by dark grey clouds with heavy rain and lightning flashing vertical and horizontal. The Main Street was underwater and 50mm of rain water was flowing across the Mansfield High Plains Caravan Park. Not a welcoming sight. Ruth and Ian arrived soon after, so we shared a cabin.

Sunday 1st Feb - All the rest of the crew arrived, except Bill, as he was to join us the following Sunday. The water had subsided, the sun was out and we all setup camp. Carl and Jenny, joined us and as I knew that they had been to the High Country many times, Jenny participating in rogaining events in the area, I decided that their local knowledge would make for a better trip and it did. As we had 2 Pauls, to keep radio messages clear, I asked if either had a nickname? Paul Caldicott foolishly said, 'my wife calls me Stud Muffin', and of course that became his nickname. Chook, his companion, a chicken, was in photos and videos for his kids.

Monday 2nd Feb - Left camp at 8:30am and we completed bush tracks, Mt Stirling Circuit, Craigs Hut, Clear Hills Track, Monument Track, Bindaree Hut and Track, Howqua Track, Brock's Road and Bindaree falls.

Tuesday 3rd Feb - Went out on the Circuit Road to Mount Buller Summit, Carter's Rd to Tomahawk Hut, then Buckland Spur Track to a very long steep descent into the edge of Lake William Hovell. All the men and Jenny went for a swim in the Lake and Ian took off his bathers to entice Ruth to come in the water, she declined. We then returned to Mansfield. That night I had a taste of discontented rebellion when all the women, except Michelle, approached me and asked whether I would consider expelling Michelle because she pampered Paul, by bringing him drinks, rubbing his back & shoulders, putting a pillow behind his head when he sat down, poured his wine, cooked him a 3 course meal, with tablecloths and candelabra. The women felt Michelle made them look bad. I had a word with Michelle and she calmed the women down by giving them a cooking lesson, lemon meringue and soufflé on a camp oven, she then cooked steak stew for the whole camp.

Wednesday 4th Feb - We had a ‘relax around Mansfield day’ to get provisions for the next remote parts of the trip and see local places of interest.

Thursday 5th Feb - We headed off on to Razorback Hut, King Basin Track, Bindaree Road to Bluff Hut, then on the Bluff Link Track to Lovick Hut where we camped. I cooked 2 bedouries of bread-and-butter pudding that night for desert but it turned out to be a late supper. That night we had cattle all through the camp and 2 High Plains stockmen with their dogs joined us.

Friday 6th Feb - As we left camp we witnessed the stockmen going down the valley with their dogs bringing the cattle up on the track for movement. We were then on the King Billy Track which had a very steep descent into the Wonnangatta Valley. We digressed and did the Howitt Road to Guys Hut (where Jenny headed off on a 19 km walk across country to meet us at Wonnangatta Homestead. Don't panic she had GPS, water etc.) Dimmick Lookout and Howitt Hut. We then traversed the Zeka Spur Track to Wonnangatta Homestead ruins, where we camped for the night and cooled off in the creek.

Saturday 7th Feb - We travelled the Hart Spur Track, Tea Tree Spur Track, Racecourse Track into copper river track, Carl crossed the river backwards losing another plate and I gave a lesson on what not to do, luckily I was in an unsinkable, indestructable Hilux. We setup camp near the crooked river & took turns cooling off in the stream. That night as arranged at 10 PM Victorian time I tried to contact Bill on the HF, I could hear him but because we were in a valley he could not hear me.

Sunday 8th Feb - I went to a high point on the way out of the valley and left a message for Bill with the H.F. VKF 737 four-wheel-drive network, then rang him later. We travelled on the Macmillan Road to Mount Grant Ruins then on to Dargo where we all had lunch at the hotel. Stud Muffin and the chook who was missing his wife and children badly, pulled the plug and headed home. As we headed back we met people who said Billy Goat Bluff Track was impassable and a 4wd was being recovered after going off the edge. Ruth, Ian, Jocelyn and Iggy went swimming in the river whilst Jeanne & I, Michelle & Paul, and Jenny & Carl went up the Billy Goat Bluff Track to the Pinnacles look out. On our way back to camp in the dark we traversed several rivers and it is an eerie feeling to see everything go dark as your lights go underwater, we met Bill and got to camp at 10 PM.

Monday 9th Feb - We left Crooked River & traversed the Dargo High Plains Rd calling him on Mt Hotham then on to Bright & caravan pk. Camped next to the creek and were surrounded by ducks.

Tuesday 10th Feb - We went out to Mount Beauty, Falls Creek and all saw a very black tiger snake near Wallace's Hut, 12 horses and riders came in and said they were on a seven-day trek on Simon's Gap Track and the Talawonga Track. Carl cooked an apple pie & supplied ice cream for supper.

Wednesday 11th Feb - After being with us for 3 days & not saying one word I said to Bill, has someone offended you. He said curtly, no. After another 3 days of not saying one word, a total of 6 days, I said to Bill have I offended you, he responded, saying why are you always picking on me? I then knew that Bill was a man of few words. Iggy, Jocelyn, Ruth and Ian all headed for Beechworth whilst Bill, Carl, Jenny, Michelle, Paul, Jeanne and I went along the dingo Ridge track then on to the Devils Ridge track where the views were breathtaking, and filled ourselves with blackberries. We all met at the Beechworth caravan park and as Bill hadn't said much we made him sing around the camp fire.

Thursday 12 Feb - We did the touristy thing and visited the powder magazine, the wool shed falls, had lunch at the famous two-storey bakery, bathed in the cascade rock holes, and of course Michelle had to antagonise the rest of the women by cooking a second steak stew, a damper, and the cake of rocky road chocolate mountain with a Hilux on top.

Friday 13th Feb - We were woken by the usual sound of kookaburras & parrots. Paul, Michelle, Ruth, Ian, Jean and I headed home whilst Jocelyn and Iggy went on to Canberra and Bill to Albury.

Summary of the trip
It was very nice to see greenery in February & it was a very good trip. Although everyone except me & the chook was involved in bantering between Toyotas & Nissans. I have included a couple of photos for you to make up your own mind ...



The native orchids were nice, along with the plastic flowers Stud muffin was planting. My favourite part was crossing a river then driving up a creek off the side of the river to get to our camp up the crooked river area, and Billy Goat Bluff Track to the Pinnacles lookout. Carl and Jenny's local knowledge allowed us to complete more in the time we had, thanks guys. As requested to satisfy other club readers of our magazine, no-one got p----d and no-one stuck their a--e out the window although some of the things that were stuck out were worse, ask the chook.

Geoff

P.S. Tick, tick, tick, tick, over, over (in joke)

Disclaimer : please note