Murray at Tom Groggin

I crossed it about four weeks ago and it was about 15" deep - no problem.
Unless there is substantial rain (ha!) it should be lower.

Mike Harding

We are crossing at Tom Groggan on the 22nd going to Buenba flat via Tom Groggan Tr towing a camper, just don't go Mt Pinnabar and you'll be fine.

Baz.

Have a look at the Treknotes for the Corryong to Omeo trip. I haven`t done the trek myself, but have stayed at the Wheelers Creek Hut and Paddy Joys camping areas a few times. The road down to Wheelers creek is easy, but past that point it does get a bit steeper, but nothing too hard (unless you go to Mt Pinnabar).

I can see just about everyone who wants to go to the Vic high country will be in this area over Christmas / New Year, as it`s about the only peice of high country that isn`t closed or on fire. So you can expect a high number of campers out that way.

Cheers.

G'day Ian ,
You didn't mention what type of vehicle you are towing your camper with .
This could make a difference to some of your replies here .
A soft roader towing a camper wouldn't make it .

The kia Sportage is a more capable 'off road' vehicle than most people give them credit for . ( with a light load )
However - they suffer under heavy loads in off road situations and often have problems with the cv's and the drive line components when pushed to their limit .
The extra weight of the camper trailer in tow will stress this vehicles drive line and all other components beyond the designers limits . ( in my opinion ) .
We have sent a few Kias home on a 'flat top' on moderate trips in the past .
I would not advise towing a camper trailer with a Kia Sportage into the High Country - and I would think twice about taking just the Sportage up the track to
Mt Pinnibar .
Fisho .

Gidday Ian,we crossed in Jan and went up to Davies Plain Hut by which time it had started to rain so we had all this beautiful fog and cloud rolling over trhe increasingly slippery track. Go into Places and type in Murray Ford to see pix. Also try Davie Plain Hut for more pix. Camping at Geehi is a winner as you can cool off in the Swampy Plain River when its still 35 degrees at 6pm. Try the Barry Way from Jindabyne to Suggan Buggan then turn off and head to Benambra then Omeo. A very pleasant trip towing a van and you'll probably have the road to yourselves. Cheers, Warrie

Gidday Ian,whoops,type in Murray River Ford to see pix. Also try Davie Plain Track for more pix. Cheers, Warrie

I wouldn't count on being able to get out the bottom end of the track depending on what the fires do in the next couple of days to a week. (Though it's nice to see people are using my trip notes - you may by now be able to get fuel in Benambra too.)

Even with the light rain forecast for later this week and snow it's not enough at this stage to stop them burning.

The projection spread to 2300 tomorrow night has them at Cobungra if all goes poorly. Omeo & Benambra are just sitting back waiting for them to arrive.

It's not so much a case of if but when they get there.

Keep your travel plans loose you may still need to change direction.

Nothing worse than getting down further and having to be evacuated back to the north, and with solid southerlies predicted for three days the smoke may not be all that pleasant either.

Projections for tomorrow can be found on DSE's web site.

Dave

Dave

Good advise, well noted - we will certainly be keeping an eye on things, our plans are very fluid at the moment.
We have done a reasonable amount of 4WDing, just not any real hard core stuff, which is why I am keen to hear about the track conditions in the area - thanks for your concerns, as I say they are not being ignored!

I must admit that this is the first Xmas I can remember praying for torrential downpours.

IanM

Ian the other issue many don't consider when touring up there is that on a lot of tracks there are countless spots where it's very difficult to pass oncoming traffic.

By that I mean two 4wds passing - without involving trailers.

I grew up in the high country and have spent lord knows how much time tripping around it over many years. I have a Courier and I tow an off road camper but when I head for the high country I still pack the tent for the sort of trips like Davies Plain.

It doesn't thrill the wife but it's such a pain in the ar$e for all concerned if you tow in some spots.

I can do the whole Davies Plain track north to south without touching the low first gear, but if I towed the camper it'd be a different story. That has the potential to turn a three hour leg of a trip into a four & a half hour leg very easily. This slows the group you are with if you are travelling as a group or reduces your ability to move between the best camping spots which can be spaced out in a reasonable time. It also makes a relaxing drive into bloody hard work in a few spots.

It also increases your chance of running into difficulty substantially. I prefer to work smarter not harder given the choice.

I would tow the camper into the Wonnangatta from Myrtleford but not via the West Buffalo/Harry Sheppards route, the other is much easier, then base camp and day trip. I know I could get down Zeka with it but I've seen others do it and take nearly 6 hours for what should take 2 & a half.

As do many others if I clear a tree I don't allow for people towing campers or driving F250's to get through later, I clear what I need to clear. It's a safety issue. An extra foot or two of two foot diameter mountain ash is another few hundred kgs to shift. That means you or the next bloke has to do it.

One of the great misonomers about off road campers is that you take them every time you go off road.

I think you are going to find the limitations of your tow vehicle very quickly in some of your future trips.

I just leave it at home so I don't find mine.

Dave