Victorian High Country
27th Dec 2006 - 9th Jan 2007

Written by Bryce Messner

David was having some problems with his electrical system so an arrangement was made to catch up later in the week when he got it under control, this proved to be an ongoing saga.

Well we only had a small group with a number of cancellations due mainly to the prevailing fire conditions in the High Country this year. The High Country is a big area with the fires contained in a small area by total area standards there was no reason to stay home, the intense areas easily avoided, some people just can’t be convinced, but that is their loss.

The area I normally frequent was certainly closed off so much map searching was in order. It was decided on a plan of attack to revisit some areas that I previously had covered a number of years ago with Roger Riley & another area in the north that I covered with David Williams on a recce in November with him, and totally new areas & tracks.

We all met on time at Jindabyne, feasted on the best pies at Nuggets shopping arcade for lunch, then headed of for a leisurely stroll down to the Murray River crossing. The crossing at possibly the lowest I’ve ever witnessed, so used to over the bonnet crossings (well not in the last few years), this time hardly able to make a wave.

We travelled for a little way further on before coming to our designated campsite on a babbling brook. Our “normal” campsite already taken (as it has table & bench) we set up very nicely on the other side of the track for the night at around 3.30pm for a kick back & a few beers. As usual at this spot a few kangaroos visited us, one with a Joey that wasn’t too shy at saying hello.

After a great night we headed off the next day with no set itinerary to follow, mainly as the area is very concise there are no “big” days of large kilometres. After a short while it was morning tea at Davies Plain Hut one of the few still standing after the devastating fires still raging in the area.

Lunch stop at the “Poplars”, this area still recovering from the fires some years ago. The climb out from here uneventful as it is still very dry & most of the roads still in reasonable condition. I was heading for a campsite I had been to many times before, but deciding to camp at new places this trip we kept going and passed this spot.

About 6km down from here, I remembered an area that I had only spotted passing previously, so we drove in. There was vehicle already there and the owner was fishing the creek. On spotting us he decided to move on (probably didn’t have a licence…it had nothing to do with me asking him was he staying long). Well this spot was ideal, large flat area, large shade trees & very close to water access so we quickly set up camp. It was around 2.00pm, I was starting to think pulling up early for the night wasn’t such a bad idea (well just for one trip anyway). With lots of time on their hands Clive, Chad & Kyle decided to explore the creek. Not long after they were gone they came storming back to camp looking for torches & headlamps.

Well it appeared they had discovered some limestone caves just 150 mtres away above the creek level. As I was past caver, I decided also to check out the “caves” as well. Sure enough there they were, perched about 15 metres above the creek bed genuine limestone caves. Well we spent hours exploring the three or four separate systems, some going 150 feet deep into the side of the hill overlooking our campsite. After coming out of the cave I was visited by a Gang Gang cockatoo & was able to photograph him quite close up (with telephoto of course).

It was another beautiful day & time to move off. We headed out traversing some interesting country finally reaching Benambra for morning tea. Then onto Omeo for supplies, fuel & a look around town. As were not going to be close to showers again for awhile we decided to book into the caravan park as I’ve done many times, but this time to new owners, a lovely young couple who made us welcome.

There was just the slight hint smoke in the air & a wisp of smoke could be seen. We ventured into town after lunch for a visit to the museum that I have not visited before, which was well worth the effort. After there we ventured down to the towns swimming pool…a dammed up section of the river with lovely picnic area a delight on hot days.

We also visited the Oriental Claims & a poke around the old gold fields & a walk up to the lookout. That night in camp it came over cold & wet us down with some decent rain that was long overdue, but we still had a great night.

Heading off in the morning we aimed our sights towards Swifts Creek. Although bitumen, a good drive over winding roads with lovely scenery on the way. We tried a number of back roads but all ended in going nowhere so we continued further south.

Well finally one of our detours found a back way into the bush & down onto the Haunted Stream Track. At this point we were starting to experience more smoke but nothing worth worrying over, I leave that experience for others. This is a wonderful track that if the tracks are wet and the stream is full, of which the crossings are numerous, it is a very exciting track, but on this occasion dry & shallows crossings. We found a lovely spot just big enough beside a creek to set up camp for the night. With a layer of dampness on the trees we decided to have a small campfire to ward of the slight chill that night.

The next day we ambled further along the track driving through magnificent tall gums, serene giant tree ferns following the ever-meandering stream. We turned a bend coming across a small bridge that also had beside it the original crossing & Chad just had to try it off course. A little further away a magnificent gum hollowed out by fire and almost large enough to live in except for the sign on the tree (see pic).

As we started to climb out of this great little valley much more smoke surrounded us. On reaching the top of the ridge, we were able to see the source of the smoke that was on the side of the hill we just came up. As we ventured further on we passed many fire-fighting vehicles that waved as we passed & we observed a helicopter flying over the area.

We tried quite a number of tracks off to the left but as we got closer to the “big” fire area, we were coming up against closure barriers into the area we wanted to venture in, but alas we turned our sights else where.

We even tried to get down to see “Dogs Grave” but further along this track another barrier barred our way. We had intended to “try” & get down to Licola, but after stopping to have a chat to a lady Parks Victoria ranger, she informed us that the only danger further on was from burnt falling trees. Until these were stabilised the roads would not be open & kindly suggested a few other tracks & areas we could try & wished us well.

On our way to our next camp, a heavy downpour enough to make our ascent up our track into a small river assaulted us. A little way before camp we came to a dugout in the side of the mountain I had not been in before so we stopped to investigate. A most remarkable bit of engineering & it had been a long time since anyone had been in as it’s entrance had to be cut away that was covered in vines. It was pitch inside even our torches unable to show the full extent of the internals unlike the pic I took revealing all.

It was amazing to notice as we passed though Mt Hotham that there were helicopters picking up water out of the huge dam on the side of the mountain, obviously dropping it on fire, but it was raining very heavily as it was in process.

That night as it was miserable & raining I opted to try Harrietville caravan park & was again lucky enough to secure an 8 berth van with large room with bunks attached. We were able to dry out & have good night sleep. Tony, Chad & Kyle hit the local pub as a bush band was in full swing, well it was New Years Eve & there were probably girls there, Clive & I settled back for a movie on the telly & finish the port.

The next day it was as though it had never rained apart from the odd puddle, blue skies and it was starting to warm again. We drove into Bright for some rubber necking & a restock of beer & essentials, then headed to the local lookout. What a great view from the pine plantation, back towards town & Mt Hotham’s slopes. There is a track from there going vertical, up & over, but after recent grading & rainfall I decided to come back down as I lost traction a little, I had maxi-drive, the others didn’t.

From here we headed off out to Buffalo River via Myrtleford & over the dam wall, and again could not but be astounded at the water level almost non existent even from last years low level. Further down we came upon the devastation that raging firestorms inflict. A bridge I had no idea was there (now can be seen, the forest is gone) had been totally destroyed & of course the many trees you could see on the blackened landscape.

Another barrier barring our way further south turned us around towards Myrtleford again. From here we headed towards the Mitta Mitta River & untouched by fire a world of discovery was in front of us.

For a time we followed the deep running Mitta Mitta upstream, passing through the quaint town of Mitta Mitta and after consulting the map chose a track heading into the bush again. We passed a few small cottages along the track, of which almost entered the front yard of a house. The people came out to investigate but a smiling wave from them assured us we were on the right track. I would guess even though the track was in good condition, not many pass this way at all because of its nearness to this homestead.

It wound its way very steeply upward with the map showing its contours almost touching along this 9 switch back turn track, what a hoot to find this. We came out upon a great little river crossing but unfortunately both sides had a number of campers well entrenched, so we motored on for greener pastures.

Well I can tell you we had another adventure ahead. We wound our way over tracks that always promised with every turn a great spot to camp but nothing turned up. We started to ascend following a new barb wire fence line. After getting into a nasty little spot & having to back up as the track clearly going forward down to the river, was barred by the wire fence.

Backtracking though a little further on we found another track not used for eons I would guess as we spent the next hour’s moving/cutting trees & debris from it. Our guess this was the original track now no longer used, it wound for kilometre upon kilometre and now the sun was setting. We came out to a graded road eventually but a washaway had eroded the escape route. This meant the agonising return the way we came or bridge the wash out.

I now know why I carry mattock, axe & chainsaw every trip, as that is what it took to get out. Filling in a 60cm deep gully 1mtre wide with trees & dug out embankment. The side slope after this we had to negotiate proved tricky as I side swiped a small tree smashing of the end of my PVC tube pole carrier. The others scampered up without incident.

Without much ado we followed the ridgeline for many kilometres winding through breathtaking country eventually coming upon an awesome campsite under huge spreading trees. It was just dark on this occasion and after a full day of adventure no looking any further; we set up camp for the night. A fire going, the tent & swags up, we saw out the night reflecting on the day’s events.

Arising the next morning expecting to take off from here, Clive walked off for a look at the river, came back & said drive down to have better look. This we did only about 500 metres or so and came across the ultimate campsite, the previous campers neatly leaving a stack of firewood. The decision wasn’t hard to make lets stay and camp here. Total waterfront, on a bend with deepwater access under shade trees of willows & gum.

The rest of the day taken up with swimming, fishing & laundry duties and a welcome kick back & rest some also caught up with deep sincere reading.

Heading away from here was very hard but more tracks beckoned in this area. Some miles back toward Omeo we found a suitable track heading straight up and after a number of kilometres it was very evident that we were the first for many years. This track being so overgrown my passenger had to walk in front of my to guide us through in we drove over the edge. The young gums averaging 1 to 3 metres were still very supple to lay over without any damage other than a lost leaf or two, bounced back to continue growing, no doubt not to soon the track will just disappear.

We wound our way over the ridge finding our way down to the Mitta Mitta River again this time at a previously visited campsite but alas too many people. We drove up & down here looking for a suitable overnight rest spot but found nothing suitable. Many of the river access tracks had been roped off with crude signs portraying private land so we continued on until we could find something suitable. Well I did remember a spot that I had stayed once before, so we headed there but not before we had some interesting driving on these tracks.

The spot was as I remembered it, total water frontage, level grassy site and no one around, perfect. The boys got into the water quickly and went swimming but they couldn’t get too far under, as it was quite shallow. A great night was had here as well, around a great campfire.

It’s now the 5th of January as we move into to Omeo again for a refit of fuel & beer and some tucker for good measure.

We headed north east from here back tracking over some fantastic country that I had visited with Dave Williams the previous November. Even though only a short time had passed it was a great drive reaching a fantastic spot at the bottom of an incredibly steep valley. In the base of this valley the creek was running very cold & fast. It was hot down here & the water refreshing. A good campsite although a little dusty a few too many large ant mounds even though they didn’t bother us too much.

The exit the next morning quite steep & thankfully it was dry but still a challenge. We wound our way through some pretty country heading west to Suggan Buggan and a visit to the old school house. Near here we had lunch & fair welled Tony, as he had to drop his brother at the airport the next morning.

That left two of us & we motored down to Seldom Seen for a sticky beak at one mans poor taste in decorating his front yard.

Leaving here we head off to McKillops Bridge following the Deddick River, which in itself is an interesting drive although a two wheel road. This bridge is magnificently perched above the river hundreds of meters below. The campsite before it although OK for car based camping had nothing to offer us, all gravel & rocks & bad toilets.

After morning tea he head off to our secret track that can’t be mentioned on these pages. David Williams discovered this track on a map & we recce’d the area in November an absolutely steep & potentially dangerous track if only slightly wet, but again dry gave us some thrills again as we climbed to the peak then down to the river bed for lunch. Eventually later in the afternoon we managed to find again Mt Tinganngy at 1488 metres where only eagles soar & they didn’t let us down again, three magnificent specimens.

Somewhere around here we had a phone call from David Lee saying he was eventually under way & we arranged to meet him at Tom Groggin. We told him we were on our way to Delegate & then onto Bombala to find a campsite for the night.

Well we bought dinner at Bombala, managed to refill the cars at 6.55pm (the last garage closes at 7.00pm) & decided to get as close to Jindabyne for our morning meet up with David & Brian. We pulled over about 7.30pm into a very large roadside stopping area after trying at numerous spots far too close to the road. As we pulled off the road a fallow deer hind was standing grazing in the open, but unfortunately we didn’t get eat to venison that night as she took off nearly breaking every bone in her body as she hit the fence & tumbled over in her haste to escape.

We rose early to be on time to meet David at Tom Groggin and got there in due course & early so we shopped around in Jindy for awhile.

After waiting for hours at Tom Groggin eventually David rang to say he was at Delegate thinking we’d still be there, a very confused man. We moved out to Mt Pinnibar where the service is better. Well at about 6.30pm or so as I had just finished writing a note to David telling him we had buggered off, a static voice breaks over the UHF saying “I’m coming, I’ll be there shortly”. This went on for over a hour until he eventually arrived as the sun was setting on a cold wind whipped peak in the Victorian Alps at 1770 metres.

After saying our hellos and what the hell happened, we set off for camp, thank heavens for daylight saving, as we wound down off this mountain on the toughest tracks we could find.

Finding a fantastic spot on the river below we set about putting our camp together on this balmy night. It was Clive’s birthday & the boys had gotten together to make a fantastic steak meal in his honour followed up by a birthday cake of cream buns our favourite tucker.

We had a late morning and moved out at 10am heading to Wheelers Hut. On the way we had to remove a large fallen tree that barred our way (we weren’t on the normal track).

Arriving at Wheelers Hut in the afternoon we went about drying a few wet things after some rain the night before. No one was at the hut, the boys laid out their swags on the verandah, Clive took one of the bunks inside, and I opted to sleep in the back of my car where my bed is permanently laid out. Dave & Brian camped some 50 metres away. Through the course of the night we had lots of visitations from the numerous possums that surrounded the hut. We had a great campfire until the rain started that drove us all off to bed.

The next morning we experimented with a few tracks that had very tight contours & we were not disappointed and they where very muddy to boot, we were all having a ball, these tracks were as steep & slippery as we had experienced anywhere in the High Country.

The smoke in the area was getting much worse & apparently wasn’t from fires remotely close to us, the rest of the trip we were surrounded & driving through thick banks of smoke. We moved on looking for a campsite but a noise underneath my car had us searching & we found a universal ready to go. We made it out of the bush onto a graded road without it going, as we were in an awful position it would have been a nightmare if it let go in the bottom of one of the chasms.

We found a nice little campsite right on the river even though a short walk to it. Here we took of the offending drive shaft in the morning & sent it with Chad into Corryong for a new uni. Even though they found the right outlet they had given Chad the wrong one, apparently put back into the wrong packet somehow. So a great waste of fuel for nothing and the next day we drove in two-wheel drive hoping to get it sorted out. This was great little camp and we spent the day lazing by the river, doing some clothes washing & checking out the old gold mines & diggings that we uncovered all up & down the river, this place was great & pure accident that we found it.

In the morning we motored into Corryong on a good graded road & headed to the parts shop. They had no other uni’s and were happy to return my money. The boys had also checked out a Towong Land Rover enthusiast that was running a series parts business from his home. What a great place many old Land Rovers littering his backyard but unfortunately he was out & no idea about his return time. Just for the record his name is Murray Hewatt of The Best of British.

On the way to Wadonga we came across this fantastic old trestle bridge, close to the road but if you blink you’ll never see it. The bridge in question is the Boggy Creek Bridge it was constructed in 1915 one of many built but about the last one standing. It’s a nice walk from the official carpark but quicker if you can pull over on the road.

The smoke was only getting worse so we decided to head down the Murray River to try & out run it and head to Corowa for a few days. On the way he passed a military museum on site at the army barracks at Bandiana. This is the best $7 you will ever spend if you like military history & Land Rovers, they have a dozen in pristine restored condition as well as every vehicle used by our troops since WW1 & firearms & artillery pieces. I can’t tell you enough about this place but every time I get near here I’m going its brilliant.

We moved out & headed to Wadonga hoping to find somewhere to get a uni to get back to four wheel drive & we found a engineering shop that aloud us to fit the new uni in his workshop.

Of course once we got to Wadonga we headed to the biggest disposal store in the state I’ve seen & stocked up on some great camping gear & a shovel for the bonnet of my series 2a.

Eventually after a lot of driving we made it to Corowa, a nice town on the Victorian side of the Murray River & here we camped for a couple of days before heading home. We also left Dave & Brian here as they still had some time up their sleaves before they went back to Sydney.

I’d like also to mention that we stopped of at Clive’s home-town of Coolamon to pay respects at his fathers grave site it was nice to see father & son in this way. We had a great meal at the Coolamon Hotel before heading home.

In all a great trip with great company just a pity we couldn’t get to places we wanted, but then again the new tracks were well worth the visit, we shall return to do it all again next year.

Cheers
Bryce Messner
Trip Leader