Holland Track - Just back

Evening all did a 4 day trip down the Holland Track from Hyden to Coolgadie and including Cave Hill over the weekend.

Track is water logged in places and with some deep mud holes. Chicken tracks go around the really bad sections. Camping options are boundless. The early January fires burnt out huge tracts of land and the scrub will be buggered for many years to come. Although I'm informed that the orchids will be out in droves in Spring.
Track conditions for the most excellent.
Caves hill track has some corrugations and the road into Coolgardie from Caves Hill is very loose.

Fantastis 4 day weekend.
Dunc
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Reply By: Member - Mick O (VIC) - Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 21:21

Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 21:21
Hey Dunc,

Thanks for the report. Seems very much at odds to the tales of horror on the Holland I recall being told to us around the fire at Kennedy Ranges by a certain Toyota driver. Something about scrub so thick it pulled the doors off the 80 series and mud so deep he had to get a mine lease to dig himself out! Perhaps the Terracan is more suited to the rough conditions or maybe the Tojo driver needs to down a few cans of "harden the hell" up! lel. (That's laughing extremely loudly!)

Cheers. Mick
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:49

Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:49
Hi Mick. The track would be a quagmire after decent rains. Wheel ruts lay testiment to this. There are areas where the track is closed in but only for relatively short stretches. The fires realy decimated huge areas so these may have been the bad sections.

Crazy thing is we passed an old Falcon station wagon that looked like a Variety Bash vehicle. Buggered if I know how they intended to go the whole way.
Dunc
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:52

Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:52
What I didn't add was that I got stuck in one boggy bit and only because I wasn't watching what I was doing. IE but the car in 4WD before you need it not when you get stuck. LOL and it was a Navara that pulled me out and damn near burnt his clutch out doing it. LEL.
Dunc
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Reply By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:46

Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:46
Last year we met a number of places that had been burnt within the previous 12 months - and particularly in the sand plain areas, the burnt bits were the best; ablaze with wildflowers. It will recover, and fires have always been part of the Australian cycle of plant life.

Motherhen
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:53

Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 22:53
What time of the year was that Mother..? We hope to go back later in the year with a botonist.
Dunc
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 23:00

Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 23:00
Hi Dunc - last two weeks of September. The sandplains between Cave Hill and the Victoria Rock Road were well burnt and particularly colourful.

Mh
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 11:07

Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 11:07
Sounds like this spring would be a good time to do the Holland.

Good to see you enjoyed your trip Duncan.

Cheers

D


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Reply By: MAVERICK(WA) - Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 14:12

Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 14:12
thanks for the report - i'm heading up the track early may so the mud from last nights (and todays) rain should be all gone by then. heven't 'done' the trip for a few years and nothing was burnt out then so this will be interesting - and we have a horticuluralist travelling with our group so he should get all excited. rgds
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Follow Up By: Member - graeme W (WA) - Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 20:32

Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 20:32
Hi Maverick.
We did the holland last week of august last year just before mh and still lots of bog holes.My guess is that clay type soil holds water for a long time after rain.Most of the bad spots have deviations around them.Their were lots of orchids when we went through.Have a good trip.

Graeme.
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Reply By: Member - BUNDY BOY (WA) - Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 21:19

Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 21:19
hay Dunc...sounds like you had a great time.....let me know if you do decide to go again later in the year let me know ...wouldn't mind tag in along have been thinking about it lately......
Cheers Bundy
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 22:36

Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 22:36
G'day Bundy, tentative for September some time. If you go into my Members Rig page and below are some photos of the area.Image Could Not Be Found
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Dunc
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Reply By: Motherhen - Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 23:00

Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 23:00
Some years ago my son and d.i.l. went to Qld in January with their Hilux. On the way home, ex-cyclonic heavy rains crossed through WA, and similar at Uluru when they got there. As the inland roads were closed, i didn't know how they would get home (south coast). They got home OK, and it was only when we were talking about the Holland Track last year, that they said that was the way they went. Other roads south and west were closed, and without knowing the history of the track, they saw a line the map and took it. Lots of large wet patches, but shallow and with a hard base.

Mh
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Reply By: Member - Cash (WA) - Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 23:34

Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 23:34
Hello Dunc,
Just finished the track on Monday and we found ourselves a little overwhelmed by just how much of the section between Hyden and Coolgardie had gone due to bush fires. I'm sure that this would be the area which many refer to as claiming side mirrors, decals and lights off trekkers vehicles. The results of the bushfire certainly made for clear vision ahead for us.
Cheers. Al.
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