What I saw in the Snowy Mnts

Just got back from the Snowy Mountians and there were 3 things that were not good to see.

1. A ute with 2 adults in the cab, both not wearing seat bealts and a 14 year old boy sitting on top of all the camping gear, well above the sides of the ute handing on as the driver was going over conservation mounds.

2. The number of people that drive on formed roads in National Parks and don't wear seat belts. Is it me or did they change the law about wearing of seat belts on public roads?

3. A couple, driving a grey import people mover van(4WD diesel). They had a map of the area that was a detailed and showed contour lines. When I stopped them for a chat, I asked if they knew where they wanted to go. They told me that they want to go where I had just come from. I then asked if another vehicle was going with them. On there own with a shovel for recovery, no other gear or radio.

I then asked if they had been on this track before and if they knew what the track was like ahead. They didn't. Just a map. If they read the map they would have seen that the contour lines were getting closer and that means that the track is getting steeper.

If they had gone another 100 mts they would have started a decent that they could not have been able to get out of or turn around until they reached the bottom of the hill. I believe that there vehicle would have not been able to drive back up the hill because of the rutts in the track. They would have run out of wheel travel and just spin wheels. If they had kept going, the track only got worse.

I have nothing against exploring new tracks but only with a vehicle that is set up and only with a least one other vehicle. Someone whould have come along sooner or later and helped them out, but they should not have been there in the first place.

They did turn around and go back the way they came from but only after I had told them what the track was like. They also didn't wear seatbelts at the time.

Wayne