With expectations high for a good weekend of wheeling we all headed off on schedule from Warburton on Saturday Morning.

Once we got to Stockman’s Reward in Big River, it was time to air down and get off the gravel roads and on to some less-travelled tracks.

We backtracked a little bit to Snowy Road and it wasn’t long before it was time to yank on that little lever, or button for some of us in those more luxuriously appointed vehicles….

An uneventful drop down Shortcut No2 to the river crossing saw us beginning the long haul up out of the valley, with much expectation being put on the challenge section ahead to see who might (or might not)  give it a go.

I don’t think Jason could line the Jeep up fast enough to give it a go, he really had a well presented rig. Both Gary and Col decided that if a Jeep can do it, then the Toyota and Nissan flags needed to be waved as well, then for good measure, Captain Risky (Christo) was also game to throw the FJ up (at least)the first section.  So with a bit of scrabbling the guys headed up the challenge section and out of sight to the rest of us who opted for the zig-zag route.

We could hear various calls over the radio regarding progress, but we fell a little bit behind due to some track clearing required on the zig-zag section.   Sounded like the guys had cleared challenge 1, and were going to do challenge 2, but Christo was going to wait at the zag for us and we’d pick him up as the easy route crosses the challenge several times and we’d all meet up at challenge 3, which we were all confident of doing.  Challenge 2 has quite a few rock shelves so really only suitable for larger lifts. 

We all sail up challenge 3 as it’s limited ruts and ledges, just a nice rocky climb.  Good job done by all especially Jason, Gary and Col who did all 3 sections.  I think they were wanting more……    Well, we have a treat for you guys later then…  Cue evil laugh.

After another hour or 2 winding our way around approximately 1,000 fallen trees that weren’t there 3 weeks ago, and mutterings about ‘It must have been the Suzuki club” who did the clearings, you know the story, why not just cut an extra 30cms while you are at it, we were getting the munchies and planning a lunch stop.  However, lunch was slightly delayed due to a certain vehicle bellying out over an erosion mound as Mr DSE had scratched out quite a trench behind it.  And we have photographic proof of the party involved……..

So, it’s over to  Frenchman’s Hotel for lunch, where we find not only is the service lacking, so it appears is the hotel…..  Hmm, looks like we’re decades late for that one.  Oh well, just as well we’re self-catering for lunch.

We head downhill to the Goulburn River where some 90deg turns from the tracks are made and the exit points well and truly missed.  Despite automatics having a “D” for DIVE and an “S” for submarine, not much progress is made by Colin in the manual or Captain Risky in the auto, to much catcalling from the spectators on the other side who didn’t miss the exit.  “Go on, you’ll be right” is heard echoing up the valley as bonnets begin to dip under………  No fish were found using this method either…

Continued…

A nice climb up from the river sees us looping around the south of Woods Point although we can’t see the town from above, if you could turn right, it would be less than a kilometre as the crow flies. 

Then it’s another call to drop down to the river and have a splash around in the many crossings out the back of Comet Flat. I did manage to miss an exit and we all had a brief upstream splash before finding the next exit. It was all accidental…..

Then some wider crossings allowed us to rinse off the grime and head over to Scott’s Reserve to grab our spots for the night and let the lads off the leash for the biggie, Brewery Track.

Gary first, the 80 really stretching it’s suspension but getting dragged into the ruts and several thousand klms worth of rubber vaporise against the rocks. 2 or 3 goes, and without those lockers, it looks like a tough call on the day to make it up.  He very carefully backs down, and then a roof appears at the top of the pinch, it’s a little SWB Jeep heading down….  So we clear the way and the little Jeep idles down without a care in the world.   Go on then, show us how to go up, is the call.  To which he promptly does, bugger me, line perfect and no scrabbling.  We all go pretty quiet at this demo.  He then u-turns at the top and comes down to lots of thumbs up.  Turns out he’s got the lockers and has done this track many times. 

So Jason, being of the Jeep clan fires up the LWB and points her uphill and fires off the line to give it a go.  Progress is similar to Gary, sucked into the same rut and bottoming out on the diff. Bugger.  So it’s out with the winch and a recovery effected to get up the first section. Jason elects to do the rest of the track alone so it’s agreed we’ll meet back at camp.  He arrives back around 40 minutes later, I suspect plotting lockers for next time !

So it’s relax by fire, some of us brown-bagged it for grub that night based on what we had in the trucks, and some headed off to the pub to experience the cuisine on offer. Many stories came back from the pub, what happens in Woods Point stays in Woods Point for tonight. That said, Captain Risky tells some entertaining stories of a misspent youth in South Africa that has us laughing and entertained into the darkness.

Sunday dawns bright and sunny, so after a leisurely brekky, we hump up over the ridge and down to the diversion tunnel in Jericho. Captain Risky jumps in for a swim, blimey.  I have a scout around for the mine and after a few missed ‘cooees’ I emerge from the scrub all tuckered out from beating a path to it’s mouldy entrance.  Maybe next time !   We scoot along the valley floor, through Red Jacket and Blue Jacket, bound for Violet Town track as confidence is up, it’s bright and sunny and we’re all keep for a steep climb.  Drop down into the river, grab low range again and point the rigs uphill.

Continued.

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Well, that was an anticlimax.  We all sailed straight up – too easy and slightly disappointing.  It’s getting on in the day, so at the Walhalla Road, most goodbyes are said, some going right to Walhalla as it’s closer to home, and some left to go back via Matlock. Antman and I decide to go back down Violet Town and to try our luck at exiting via Casper Creek track just for a change.  We struck it lucky as it was the longest climb of the day with great views. Stopping in a fresh logging coup, a cursory look over the shoulder reveals the Thomson dam in all it’s glory, can see right up the valley thanks to the fresh clearing.

This is too good to pass up, so outcome the chairs and a cold beer each to enjoy the view and the serenity.

A great way to finish the trip, thanks to all for contributing and I hope to see you all on the trails again real soon.  A really great bunch of guys and ladies.

Cheers,

Alex.

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Top write up Alex, thaks for shareing, any pics of the weekend to share as well??

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There's some on the actual trip post section

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THanx mate, some great pics, love the ones of the steep climb, looks like fun!!!!!

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Well done Alex on running a trip that everyone enjoyed. Hopefully you can put some of the pics up here, but it can be a time consuming process.

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Well that was a dud photo to post. It's too tedious from the phone so have dropped more in the trip notes photo section!

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Alex great report mate I felt the serenity reading it, was like I was there but sadly I wasn't great pics too by the way. I bet that water was cold when the captain jumped in, wonder if anyone else on the trip had any pics or vids

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