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Woods Point area Track Warning from Cops

Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 20:13

Truckster (Vic)

This is genuine, I have contacted him Via email today.

Uniform
Woods Point
Div.4
Region 4 (North East)

14 Hurley St.
Woods Point 3723
VIC, Australia
DX:
Telephone: 03 57778235
Facsimile: 03 57778270
Email: kenneth.dwight@police.vic.gov.au
www.police.vic.gov.au

26 September 2005

All Trail Bike Riders and Four Wheel Drivers

Reference
Riding at Woods Point

Greetings

Please let me introduce myself, my name is Ken DWIGHT, I am a Senior Constable of Police and the Officer in Charge of the Woods Point Police Response Zone. My area of responsibility covers the townships of , Woods Point (my base), Matlock, Gaffney's Creek, A1 Mine Settlement, Enoch's Point and the area from Frenchman's Spur Track to The Eildon Jamieson Road to Flour Bag Creek across to the Licola Road, down to South Road, Mt Selma road across through Matlock back to the Frenchman's Spur Track. This encompasses about 1000 sq. Klms of State Forest, parks, River Catchments and Reserves.

I believe on occasions your members and groups visit this area to partake of Trail Bike Riding and Four Wheel Driving etc. The purpose of this letter is to make your members aware of the conditions of DSE controlled Tracks and Roads in my Response Zone. Recent storms in the area over the past two months have reeked havoc over the whole area, with many hundreds of large trees flattened. In some locations between Mt. Terrible, Matlock and McAdams Gap areas have been so devastated that tracks are just no longer visible or recognisable.

Over the past three weekends groups of Trail Bike Riders have been stranded overnight in the areas of Ryan's Creek, Corn Hill and Mt. Terrible due to exhaustion, lack of fuel and breakdowns with back up crews having great difficulty in locating them. Although the weather is now becoming milder any rider unprepared to camp overnight could get into serious bother. I am also aware that tracks and roads East of the Goulburn River are also badly affected by storm damage and it is my understanding that the DSE may not be able to clear any of them substantially in the coming year.

Please advise your members who are planning a trip into these areas to carry adequate clothing, food, fuel and equipment for forced overnight stays in extreme conditions. Due to the difficulties of the tracks Police may not be able to mount any recovery of persons from these situations until daylight unless a dire emergency exists, i.e. evacuation of injured or sick persons.
Communication is of great importance on these trips, an appropriate CB UHF Radio should be carried by the group, utilising Channel 7 South of Frenchman's Gap and Channel 8 in the North for urgent assistance as required. These are the only Repeaters available in the district. Mobile phones are next to useless and may only work from the highest locations. At least one member should carry an EPERP and a GPS, remembering that an EPERP should only be activated in situations of dire emergency. Back up crews should be prepared with chainsaws, extra fuel and good maps for recoveries.

I would also appreciate it if your group or members could drop me an email at kenneth.dwight@police.vic.gov.au before you intend to do a trip into this area, I can assure you that you are all most welcome here and I hope you all have many miles of safe riding ahead of you.

Thank you
Kenneth DWIGHT
Senior Constable 26884
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AnswerID: 132881   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 20:31

GaryInOz (Vic) replied:

Suggest a combined club clean-up??? Could you Fwd the email onto the Vic 4WD Assn for urgent action.

Most tracks are closed ATM and this would be a good way of getting everything prepared for the official track opening in 5 weeks.

Also shows that we do put something back in to the system and are responsible users of the environment.

Might be worth asking Snr. Const. Dwight to "look the other way" at some of the vehicles that turn up though...
Reply 1 of 3
FollowupID: 387163   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 21:14

Truckster (Vic) posted:

couldnt agree more.

already underway. LROC are doing something and I'll mention it this week at our meeting.

His reply to me. (I asked if he was genuine)....

I am genuine and sent it out via email as it is the esiest way to
contact others on mass, for me at least. I don't think they would have
come at the post bill.

I sent the letter to warn users about the conditions for their own
safety and just to remind them of some safety equipment they should
carry. I hgad a similar reply from the Land Rover Owners Club to yours
and I will say that yes we do need some help with the tracks if you guys
wish to help. I believe that nearly all four wheel drive tracks on the
Western side of Woods point require clearence. I drove up Gaffneys Creek
Track yesterday and only got five klms before turning back. The DSE will
at some stage clear some for a burn off probably after Easter next.
Urgency is a matter of perspective I guess if someone gets injured out
there it will take a long time to get to them at this time, but if any
groups want to do any driving from now on they will have to cut their
way through. Peter COBB of DSE (Forestry) would welcpme any offers of
assistance I believe, his phone is 03 559577114.

Ken Dwight

Kenneth James DWIGHT BM
Senior Constable 26884
OIC Woods Point Police Station
FollowUp 1 of 10
FollowupID: 387167   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 21:31

Bonz (Vic) posted:

Sounds like a good guy using what he has at his disposal to warn others good on yer Dwightie

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FollowUp 2 of 10
FollowupID: 387168   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 21:44

Member - John (Vic) posted:

Bruce my understanding is that 4wd Vic is already working with Parks Vic and DSE on a track clearing program starting at the end of October.

Both Vic Departments are well aware of the level of track closures due to the high number of fallen trees.
The implication for accessing areas for fire fighting purposes during the summer is the biggest concern and rightly so.

I'm sure you will find that most clubs associated with 4wd Vic will have already been asked to assist with clearance work and your committee should have been involved with the co-ordination, I know that TLVC is working on its arrangements with 4wd Vic and have been for several months.
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FollowUp 3 of 10
FollowupID: 387171   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 22:00

Crackles posted:

The association already had a track clearance program under way before the wind damage with an invitation to member clubs to assist prior to the opening wekend. This included a chainsaw instruction course with discounted Stihl equipment offered. Not sure if it's too late to get in on it this year or not.
Certainly a good way to get properly trained & accredited to use a chainsaw for cross cut work.
Cheers Craig...............
FollowUp 4 of 10
FollowupID: 387174   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 22:26

Truckster (Vic) posted:

yer, this is the stuff from last week, not 5+ mths ago, but the same email has been sent to clubs I found out sarvo.. We usually hear what is sent to our club a few weeks/mths/yrs later
FollowUp 5 of 10
FollowupID: 387178   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 23:12

Mark (Geelong) posted:

Was up at Woods Point this time 2 weeks ago and spoke to local Policeman at store and quizzed him on road conditions to Licloa

Advised me some trees down but didnt have a latest report and hadnt been up there lately

Told me a chap left a couple of days before and hadnt heard from him
I went up through Matlock and across the Mt Selma Track to The Jamieson Licola Road and then on up to Mt Skene
Plenty of fallen trees but someone had cleared a pathway before me
Plenty of snow on mt Skene but able to get to top along 2 wheel track through snow
Great views from top and nice sunny day on Summit

Went back down to Licola and camped along Wellington river
Great camping spots and lucky for 2 blokes who got snagged crossing river on a large rock I was there to pull them out as no others around all the way back to Licloa
Went up Moroka road to the Pinnacles and then doen Billy Goat Bluff to Dargo
All the way plenty of trees down but someone had cleared a Pathway
Dnre were clearing Moroka road and a crew with an excavator had done the Licola end of the Jamieson road
All in all a great trip but a chainsaw would be a handy piece of equipment to carry

Mark (Geelong)
FollowUp 6 of 10
FollowupID: 387179   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 23:14

Aandy(WA) posted:

Oh boy Gary you sure blew the the responsible attitude front you were putting on when you mentioned that the Police would need to ignore your unroadworthy vehicles. And you have the gall to pretend to care about our great country when you are just another yobbo buggering the bush.
FollowUp 7 of 10
FollowupID: 387184   Submitted: Monday, Oct 03, 2005 at 23:32

Truckster (Vic) posted:

"And you have the gall to pretend to care about our great country when you are just another yobbo buggering the bush."
You know Gary?
You ever wheeled with him?
You know he is a "Yobbo"?

No? then shut your mouth.
FollowUp 8 of 10
FollowupID: 387193   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005 at 06:56

Member - Brian (Gold Coast) posted:

Aandy(WA)

Sorry mate but you've totally lost me here....... where does Gary say/imply/lead you to believe he is just another "yobbo buggering the bush"????????????????

Because he would prefer "Snr. Const. Dwight to "look the other way" at some of the vehicles that turn up though... " ??????????????????????

My truck is fairly sedate by 4 wheeler standards these days, but I would not feel comfortable about any close scrutineering at it. Does that make me a yobbo buggering the bush?? My family and I.... and the people in the club we proudly belong to are not "yobbo's buggering the bush", the regular people who post on this forum are not "yobbo's buggering the bush" either... it only takes a short time reading their posts to work that out..... I bet not too many of us would feel 100% comfortable with close scrutineering though.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion,.... I just fail to see how your opinion of Gary has been formed. I suggest you read a few more posts by the regulars here before slamming labels like that on them.
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FollowUp 9 of 10
FollowupID: 387198   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005 at 08:20

GaryInOz (Vic) posted:

The comment about the turning a blind eye to the vehicles was only made in jest. (no emoticons!!)

However I believe if the police really wanted to they could pick anyone up fo a non-roadworthy vehicle. Even tyre pressures outside manufacturers recommendations is technically unroadworthy. How good are your wiper blades??? etc....

The police out that way are usually pretty realistic about vehicle condition, it is the VicRoads guys you really need to worry about.

Vehicles may go in to that area in good working order and come out a bit worse for wear anyway, so trying to pin "unroadworthy" on them would be like limping to a service station with a flat tyre in the suburbs. Technically, yes, but only transiently.
FollowUp 10 of 10
AnswerID: 132941   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005 at 08:48

ChrisB replied:

Was up there on weekend just passed. The place looked like a cyclone had just hit.

On Sunday we travelled Johnsons Hill Tk (I think it’s called that), Webber Spur Tk, a few others to get to Champion (which was impassable), our intended return route was to be via Lazarini. We had a chain saw but a short walk passed the first fallen few trees revealed dozens of others fallen, so no point going forward. We returned to Woods Point via Old Coach Rd, which also had a large tree blocking our way, this one we cut to get back to Wood Point.

Were on the Mt Terrible side on the Saturday and the same thing.

Were pulled up by the policeman mentioned on the way home on the Woods Point / Warburton Rd in Matloc for a breatho and the guy took our names and addresses (don’t know why). He also said things were terrible and the Land Rover club had already said they were coming up to do a clean up.

Your idea about a multi-club clean up is great as I would think the job is too big for just one club.

We still had a great weekend, it’s a fantastic place to be.
Reply 2 of 3
AnswerID: 132965   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005 at 11:12

Member - Tonester (VIC) replied:

Not a Woods Point disaster, but up at Toolangi the weekend before last, I was also amazed how many tracks we went down only to backtrack due to impassable fallen trees. Many have been recently cleared, but still a number to go.
Reply 3 of 3
FollowupID: 387234   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005 at 17:04

Member - Blue (VIC) posted:

We saw that at Toolangi a couple of weeks ago on the bikes... Some mates got stranded near McAdams Gap a fortnight ago(on trail bikes), tracks a mess or undetectable, made it to McAdams exhausted and cold(got snowed on).

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FollowUp 1 of 2
FollowupID: 387267   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005 at 21:08

Truckster (Vic) posted:

Sounds like fun to me! did an enduro at Breadbo once in the snow, that was ... interesting.... LOL!
FollowUp 2 of 2