Just got back from the VHC and a lot has happened in the last 4 weeks since I was there last.
Craigs Hut has more work done around the car park area. A notice board has been put up and the plains displayed for the future. The biggest change will be access by 2wd vehicles. Now before you all go off, just remember it is a movie set, a
well known one but it is not a real high country hut. To get to them, the real cattle mans huts, you will still need 4WD.
The weather was perfect, 7 days of blue skies, warm days, cool to cold nights. -4 at Howitts hut on Tuesday morning. The tents were all frozen and there was a good frost. Going down the Zega track the low cloud looked great in the valley below.
Lovicks hut has started to be rebuilt with the foundations being placed in position. At this stage I don't know when it will be finished.
There must have been a big wind around the area as there are a lot of new trees across the track, most have been cleared but not fully removed. I guess Vic Parks will be busy soon removing the trees.
The car park at
the Pinnacles has new picnic tables and BBQ, and
Billy Goat Bluff track is starting to get interesting again.
South Basalt Knob track out of Talboltville is getting very hard with a lot of powder dirt and steep climbs. Only made it to the second conservation mound when the front of the Troopie lifted both front wheels off the ground, the back wheel fell in a hole and all forward motion stopped, except for my elevated heart rate.
No way was I going to get up that
hill with out diff locks but then I would have the 9 vehicles behind me not following, so a gracious retreat and
the Brewery Track was the way to Mt Blue Rag.
On Thursday we were in
Dargo for a Pub meal and were on our way out and just as we were about to start the climb back to Grant we were stopped by two ladies on horse back. They told us that there was 450 head of cattle coming down the road and if we will stop and let them pass. The cattle belonged to Jim Treasure and they were on there way down from the high country to the valley for the winter. Seven women and two men were herding the cattle and it was a great sight too see. One of the men gave us a whip cracking display as he rode past. Everyone on the trip thought that I had arranged it, just like the weather, but it was more good luck than good management.
That was the last trip down there until November, so now it is time to take the UHF aerial off the bull bar and put it on the roof rack for the Desert trips.
Wayne