Trip Detail

Shaun led a convoy of 7 including a few “ newbies ” and even someone on their first drive with the club . Early morning start at 8:00am from the Tolmie Recreation Reserve was challenging with bright sunlight glaring off not so clean windscreens . We aired down tyres before we left for the start of the trip which included some easy grade scenic 4WDriving . Some climbs , downhills , and low range driving to put our proficiency training to good use . Our route included Cambatong Road to Evans Creek Track , then the Upper King River Road where we stopped at the William Hovell Dam for a picturesque break with amenities close by . We then took a short cut on Sandy Flat Track ( ended up being the more challenging section of the drive with some mud , water , rocks and steep switch-backs to Long Spur Track . From Long Spur Track we headed north on Stockyard Track and Wabonga Track to Paradise falls . As the short cut took longer than expected we had limited time at the falls , and a returning group from the falls walk informed us there was only a drip of water . So deciding it was best to make our midday lunch appointment at the brewery on time we aired up our tyres and headed off to begin the Wine and Beer section of the trip . First to King Valley Brewery ( just north of Whitfield ) for lunch and tasting . The pizzas and hosts were wonderful . The owner , Nathan , stopped by our table for a chat and talked about the recent renovations and how he sources his water for the brewing process from a deep borehole on the property . A wide range of high-quality beers on offer with many hops sourced from Europe and a generous 6 glass tasting paddle for only $ 20 . After a leisurely lunch we meandered up the road to King River Estate to taste their wines while listening to some local acoustic music talent in their garden . The second winery stop was at Grace Brook Vinyard to indulge further . We then motored on to Stringbark Creek and the site of Ned Kelly ’ s run in with the police . A quiet scenic spot with such a violent history . A few recent upgrades at the site include moving stories about the 3 policemen ( Sargent Kennedy , Constables Lonigan and Scanlan ) that were ambushed and killed by Ned Kelly and the ensuing public outrage that led to them being marked as outlaws . There were three trees originally marking the locations that each policeman was found but only one remains and even that one isn ’ t the original tree . It was a short walk to this tree known as “ The Kelly Tree ” where a plaque was placed in the 1930s marking the site where Constable Lonigan ’ s body was found . The plaque is quite overgrown now after all these years and very difficult to spot .

Shaun then led us on the short journey back to camp in time to freshen up and ready for the club dinner . Many thanks to Shaun for a wonderful trip made so largely by his pre-trip planning and booking of venues .