pajeroclub.com.au
Vol 35 No.1 - Jan/Feb 2018
25
Trip Report – Australia Day 2018 Trip. Day 1
By Rod Bateman
The storm had passed and we were sitting around the camp fire at Eaglevale camping ground watching the lightning flash over the nearby ranges when Stuart called us to order to work out the day trips that we would do over the Australia Day weekend. Who wanted to do easy to medium? Who wanted to do medium to hard? Who wanted to sit around the camp and cool off in the river over these hot few days? The vote was for Billy Goat Bluff Track on Friday, Wonnangatta Station on Saturday and Blue Rag on Sunday.
Because Stuart was expecting to be required to join the other Pajero Club group at Talbotville with some people from Mitsubishi Australia we needed a new trip leader for tomorrow. “You’d be a good trip leader Peter, how about it?” Peter accepted the offer quicker than a bolt of high-country lightning and was duly appointed. Peter announced that we would be heading off at 0900 sharp and he was off to bed for a good night sleep (and to read the map and work out the way we would go to make a full day).
In the morning Stuart heard that the people from Mitsubishi hadn’t arrived at Talbotville yet so he was able to come with us after all. With Rob and Deb taking TEC duties Peter led the group of nine cars across the Wonnangatta River and headed up Eaglevale Track right on time with the sun already starting to burn on its way to the mid-thirties.
There was quite a downpour overnight, enough to keep the dust down without making the tracks too slippery. The group carefully wound its way up the short steep steps of Eaglevale track getting back into the rhythm of 4WD driving. Low gear. Lockers on. Steady revs. Straddling the tops of the recently graded cutouts hoping the money I spent on the new lift kit was worth it (it was worth every cent and should have been done a long time ago).
We were treated to beautiful views typical of the high country with the morning mist clearing and a blue sky dotted with a few dark clouds lingering from last night’s storm and pockets of mist in neighbouring gullies of the nearby blue-hazed mountains. Breathtaking.
After a few quick photos at the Cynthia Range Track helipad Peter led us down Station Track to the river crossings of Crooked River. With the dry summer nothing was too deep and we made our way steadily downstream to Kingswell Bridge on the Wonnangatta Track. Despite the bridge being in perfect working order we decided to make our trip as adventurous as possible and take the river crossing for practice. With a firm rocky bottom and only about 50 cm deep the crossing was no problem to this skilled team.