We were all on time and eager to take off at 9am on Saturday morning as we met up at Erica Pub. After introductions, a quick chat and a look at the map we were off with Callum offering to take on the role of Tail End Charlie.
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We travelled towards Thompsons Dam then on to Walhalla Road where we stopped to air down.
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We headed off, planning to descend down Bridle Track however some bright spark thought it would be a great idea to remove all the signs so finding the track was not going to be easy. Once we reached Cast Iron Point and The Grave of Kitty Krane we realised that we had missed the turn off. After doing a U turn we decided on a track that looked appealing, hoping it was Bridle Track but was Merringtons Track. After a quick drive thru of Merrington Camp Ground we headed across the creek up Williams Spur Track and on to Flats Track. Myself, Naomi, Johno, Steve and Glen took the Chicken track while Gazza, Callum and Dave chose to have a go at the tougher descent.
We called into Little O'Tooles to check out our camping area for the night and more importantly for the men to decide where the fire would be blazing later!!
We hadn't travelled much further when it came over the radio that Gazza had lost 4wd and traction. Callum and his dad Steve stopped and assisted Gazza who eventually decided to head back up Donnelly Creek Road and wait for us at the Water Wheel. The rest of us headed up White Star Track until we reached White Star Mine. We nearly missed the turn off, not an easy entrance to find. The map suggests that you park and walk the remaining 170 metres as it is extremely steep and rocky but Dave wasn't having that and drove his way down and back up while the rest of us went for a stroll. Well, a stroll down the hill but a nightmare on the way back up!!
We had lunch at the top of the mine where Callum caught back up with the group then made our way up to the top of Morning Star Track where we heard from Gazza who had decided to head to Little O'Tooles camping ground to reserve us a spot and start up the fire. At the base of Morning Star Track we completed another creek crossing.
After we were all across the creek we stopped off and checked out Lloyds Hut. Dave decided to head off to find Gazza while the rest of the group took on the Morning Star Water Wheel walk. It was a nice, leisurely 4km stroll after our earlier up hill trek!!
After completing the walk we headed back to O'Tooles to set up for the night where Gazza and Dave had started the fire and begun refreshements. We all pitched our tents and opened up our swags before having dinner then joining up around the fire to continue the refreshments into the night.
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Sunday morning we headed out Donnelly Creek Track with the intention of then taking Sullivans onto Walhalla Road but Dave suggested we give Bridle Track a go and we all agreed. I made it up with no problems whilst dodging the debris that had bounced out of the vehicle in front. The young fella didn't think to tie down his gear, a lesson that would come in handy later for one of our group!! It was steep, challenging and not really suitable for a beginners trip but we were all up for the challenge. Next up was Steve who admiited to me later that he was really nervous going up as he was carrying a bit of weight in his vehicle. Then followed Naomi who let us all know over the radio when she reached the top with an excited " this girl has made it " with a squeal of excitement. Glen climbed the hill next, followed by Dave.
We were told that Callum and Johno had opted to take the easier route out so we headed off to air up. In turned out that the young fellas had attempted Bridle Track where Callum had lost his swag and had to climb back down the hill to retrieve it. Think he, along with the guy before us might tie down all their gear from now on!! They made it to the top and we all continued to the Thompson Dam turn off to air up and say our goodbyes.
All in all it was a great trip and it was awesome to have all the kids and dogs along, creating a real family atmosphere. We met some new faces as well as catching up with others from previous trips. We really enjoyed ourselves and hope everyone else did too.
Andrew, Jo and Mia.