The last drive for the year in 2018 was an absolute ripper, with a great turnout of 22 vehicles, and quite a few new members participating in their first club trip – base camping at the Moonambel Recreation Reserve for the weekend and driving through the Pyrenees State Forest.
Day 1: Friday 30th November
Having 18 vehicles travel over on the Friday afternoon and setting up in the very large camping area some opting for the powered sites and most for the non powered sites we were spread out, we got the fire going then some of walked up to the pub for a meal.
When we got back Maurice and Jim wanted to do a night drive so we had 4 vehicles Maurice as trip leader, Russell, Steve and Jim with Paul, Fiona and the kids and Geoff jumping in for a ride. We headed off about 10.00pm going through Moonambel then taking a left turn just past the pub into the Pyreness State forest. We headed along some very dusty tracks, our first a steep and rocky Track was fun in the dark only to have your driving lights to guide you through, getting onto Main break road we went down Old Tiger Cat Track then a right and up New Tiger Cat Track which is a steep rutted track a nice drive up looping back around down Old Tiger Cat Track straight down over a very rocky section then vertical about 45 degrees or more winding our way along a track which is very rocky and slow. The track takes you along the creek beds and up Mill Track which is a nice, steep, long climb to Emery Track along here to No2 Creek Track then down Sardine Track and back to camp getting in about 1.00am, everyone had gone to bed so we did as well.
Day 2: Saturday 1st December
Saturday morning we still had a few members heading over to Moonambel, when they all arrived into camp we had a briefing and seeing that there was 22 vehicles we had to run 2 trips so Steve took a easy-hard trip mainly for our new members that haven’t done much four wheel driving before. And Maurice took a hard-very hard trip for the members who wanted to push themselves a bit more. So everyone picked what trip they wanted to go on and we headed off. Steve with 14 vehicles and Maurice with 8 vehicles.
I went with Maurice so we headed off up through Moonambel turning left past the pub onto the Warrenmang Road which is a dirt road into the Pyrenees once we got to the end we turned right airing down a bit more.
Our first track was the Miles Loop Track, which started of really easy then straight into a hill climb. It was steep, rutted and rocky so we went for a walk to check it out, to work out what line to take, it was going to be very diffcult so Maurice gave it a go, and he got to the first section and then snap he broke his rear axle. He tried to reverse down and got stuck so we had to winch him up a little so he could reverse back down again to a clearing on level ground and Maurice pulled out the axle and replaced it with a blank stub so the oil wouldn’t run out.
After that was fixed we headed along Blue Mountain Track to another loop track to the left, while Maurice and Kate left the Range Rover at the top and jumped in with Jim, we headed straight down sitting in the ruts on the way down and around through the creek beds, then a sharp right and straight up a little section having to go around a tree which makes negotiating this climb fun, and then it just keeps climbing out of the valley which is steep in parts, around, over roots and rocky – a great little track.
We got back onto Blue Mountain Track and back to where Maurice left his Range Rover and we had lunch. After lunch we headed along Main Break Road to Camerons Campground where Maurice left his Range Rover and jumped in with Jim again, and we took the Tiger Cat tracks again and up Mill Track to Emery Track turning right. That’s when we saw Steve’s group heading up, passing them we got onto the Glenpatrick Road then a left up North Glenpatrick Track which was very steep with rock steps until you get up to Mount Avoca and the Trigg point. We took No2 Creek Track while Jim took Maurice back to his car. We turned down Sardine track and back to camp.
Back at camp the weather had turned real nasty and windy and it was declared a total fire ban so a fire was out of the question, so some of us headed to the pub for dinner, when we got back it got really windy and started to rain so we got under Andrews and Steve’s awnings and spent the night there having a few drinks.
During the night some packed up their swags and set up under the pavilion to keep dry.
Day 3: Sunday 2nd December
Sunday morning we woke to a damp campground so after breakfast we organised another trip for the day, so we thought “lets go and find some lookouts”, so first we lined up on the oval for a photo.
Straight across from camp there is a clearing up on one of the hills and Maurice said we can get to the top of that clearing, so we headed of with 18 vehicles headed into Moonambel and turned right at the pub on Greens Lane going up there a few k’s then turning right onto Tablelands Track with a nice couple of steep sections and up to the lookout.
After spending a bit of time up there waiting for 18 vehicles to get up we headed back down into Moonambel turning left past camp then right towards Sardine Track heading up here through the Percydale Historic area we kept going up Sardine Track then turned right onto Donkey Hill Track and followed the ridge line until you get to the last climb up to Donkey Hill lookout. There was no way of driving up the top – it was that rough and rocky, so we turned around and all walked up to the top to a view of Avoca, there’s a Trigg point at the top as well. After admiring the view, we walked back down and took off back to camp the same way along Donkey Hill down Sardine Track back at camp I lit the BBQ and put some sausages on for everyone before we packed up and headed for home.
-Russ
