EXCEED March/April 2019 Vol 36 No:2 | Page 47

TRIP REPORTS North East Explorer #10 25 th -28 th January 2019 Participants Laurie & Chris Finlay (TL) Fred & Heather Schoof Peter & Judy Cooney Geoff & Dulcie Strahan Ian & Maryann Street Fred & Valda Lubbe Grant & Kathy Cavanagh Gerry & Dianne Goblek Mike & Jan Loton Friday 25th. 267 329 538 803 446 1317 1651 1715 1151 Vehicle Details White Ranger White Hilux Red Maverick White 79 Land Cruiser Ute White Mazda BT50 Blue Ranger White Pajero White Land Cruiser 200 White Pajero Day 1. Most people had decided to arrive in Colac Colac on Thursday so from early afternoon the number of camps grew and the circle of chairs positioned in the shade also increased. Friday morning, after a pretty warm night, 7 vehicles set off for our first drive. Firstly we headed into Corryong to have a look at Jack Riley's grave who was a local bushman. It is said that he was the character that Banjo Paterson's Man from Snowy River was based on. From there we went to the hospital to view the 24,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that takes pride of place on the wall of one of the waiting rooms. It was completed by a lady from Khancoban in 2017. “Jigsaw” Member No. “Jack Riley Grave” After coffee and the obligatory cake in town, we gathered together again and set off. As we headed towards the nearby hills, it was confirmed to us just how hot the day was becoming when we saw a few cows standing in a dam with water almost up to their necks. After airing down we went through an open gate on to Lower Dogman track. As we approached we were greeted by a couple of friendly Maremma sheepdogs who watched us pass. With our lower tyre pressures the ride was comfortable even though the track was pretty bumpy. We were stopped briefly while our intrepid trip leader Laurie cleared the track by breaking off a tree branch. Needless to say it was very hot work. Although hot and dusty the track was surrounded by many flowering dogwood trees and bees were busy enjoying