EXCEED MAY 2017 May_Emag | Page 42

For most participants , this trip was preparation for a Canning Stock Route adventure later in April 2017 . Monday evening was spent by some en route to Bonnie Doon at different camp sites and accommodation ; this extra evening proved an opportunity to test camping equipment during a clear but cold 4oC night . Tuesday morning we met at Bonnie Doon , went over the itinerary for the day , and set off along Glen Creek Rd towards Mt Strathbogie . The gradient increased on the well-maintained Ferraris Tk as we wound our way up to the Strathbogie plateau and Ferraris saddle at 900m asl . The weather was fine but the temperature was noticeably cooler at altitude than it had been at Bonnie Doon on the shore of Lake Eildon . A morning of short trips up and down the four Harper tracks involved one turnaround with a large fallen tree before lunch was called at the Crystal King mine . This mine had been a major source of high quality quartz around WW2 : the quartz crystals were used for frequency modulation in valve ( vacuum tube ) radios . The afternoon involved a short climb up Golden Mountain with its great view from the eastern clifftop , then a winding drive around the headwaters of Tallangallook creek to the summit of Mt Strathbogie .

Highlights of the forest driving were the blue gums with their leaves over 0.5m long , reputedly some of the longest eucalypt leaves in Victoria , silver and Cootamundra wattles , and abundant musk daisy bush and dogwood . Blackberries were becoming a pest in some areas and burgan was starting to invade some hillsides . For most of the day the rock type was granite with large tors ( boulders ) up to ten metres or more in height . In other places , the granite formed extensive pavements , or cliffs as on the east side of Golden Mountain .

The afternoon finished early as we headed towards Lima East and the property of Ian Herbert . A 1km drive across a spur took us to a beautiful creek and camping area with room for everyone , and Ian had been good enough to clear and slash some of this area ahead of our visit . Tents up , campfire alight , water collected , and we busied ourselves either planning our Canning adventure , or following Ian upstream to his ingenious water offtake station .

Another fine day started with a drive through private property and along the scenic White Gum Gully Tk . Then we wound around the pine plantations and descended back to Police Tk to let Ian disembark before we headed towards Lightning Ridge track , a classic 15km 4-wheel ridge top drive that everyone handled with aplomb . The track has become somewhat rougher due to the 2016 rains . Lunch at the south end of this track was followed with a brisk drive along Barjarg Rd and Dry Creek Rd before we were onto the bush tracks again on Ruoaks Tk , and then across farms tracks for 3km to emerge at the Strathbogie Merton Rd where we aired-up , exchanged farewells and headed home .

Photos are courtesy of Gary Wallis 1849 . Neil Phillips 1744

40 © Vol 34 No . 4 -May 2017