A 16 ft Bushtracker in the Vic High Country - where can I go ?

Hi Willie

Beyond Hotham is on in March. Gavin Moody is worth talking to as he is the organiser and has lived and worked there for the last 35 years.

My accommodation is a Kimberley Karavan which may go into some places the BT cannot due to height. Gavin told me there are numerous track that both the KK and BT would be capable of.

I want to go on this but family matters take priority. Last year it was the fires. Maybe next year.

Hope that helps.

DW

Willie,
Is it worth the hassle and damage to tracks & van? Go to a nice camping park/spot and then do day trips without the van. Much easier.
cheers

Theres a few Willie - and a lot more if you wish to unhitch for just an hour.

Recently even Blue Rag was graded and you can drive to lookout and its a big enough area on top to do a circle - so check it out - in a year or so it will deteriorate.

Hi Willie,

A little more info about what areas you'd like to see might help get more accurate feedback. Letting people know if you're prepared to base camp in an area or want to keep moving with the van attached would also be useful. Most of the "tracks" in the Vic High Country would not suit a 16' van but some roads can get you into a base camp site and you can do day trips from there. For example, lots of people base camp at Talbotville with C/T's and if you take the main track in from Dargo via McMillans Rd you're in the high country with plenty of tracks to do in the surrounding area. The road gets narrow in places and has some long steep grades to navigate (braking with a van in tow?). Meeting vehicles heading in the opposite direction could cause issues as passing each other may be difficult. Will there be others travelling with you to clear the way ahead?

I'd also suggest you get a copy of the Rooftop Map series for the high country and see what areas you can get into with the van using the road network. Sheepyard Flats is another good base camp site with easy access from Mansfield. Plenty of tracks around here as well.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Rob K

Hi Willie

I'll be watching this thread with interest. We are heading down that way end of April, meeting up with a group where we will base ourselves in caravan parks and do day trips (some of the group have on road vans). However we would like to bush camp before and after the group trip, so we're interested in areas we can safely tow our camper in to that have minimal or no facilites but give a bush camping experience. Eg can we tow our camper to any of the huts and base ourselves there for a day or two. What are your picks of bush camps that can be accessed while towing? We have a diesel hilux, with lift and lockers, snorkel. We are towing an echo 4x4 kavango, same wheel track, height and width as the vehicle. It has a great departure angle and can handle deep water crossings (we did the frenchmans track towing it up on Cape York, fording the pascoe and Wenlock rivers).. The main limiting factor is the weight (approx 2t loaded), and we're not into destroying the tracks or creating a roadblock for others. I'll be interested to hear what camps people can recommend. We have good maps, plus a GPs, UHF and sat phone.

Cheers




Lisa

Agree with Rob, we did Blue Rag and a couple of others in December 2012. Talbotville was base camp for the vans( Track Topaz and an Ultimate), it is a great place to camp, plenty of room and grass(it was still green in late December), no shortage of rocks for a fireplace and running water to drink and swim in.
Regards
Maggsie

Hello Michael, I haven't been near a computer for a few days, hence the late reply. We turned off about 10klms short of Hotham onto the Dargo High Plains road, lowered the tyre pressures and off we went. The gravel road was in great condition so it was a relatively easy drive to where the descent to Talbotville started.
Regards
Maggsie