Vic High Country Feedback

I should also point out that mobile phones will not work in most of the HC and UHF CB won't normally make more than a few kms, at best, unless you're on top of a hill. So unless you have HF radio of a sat phone you won't have any comms.

I can endorse using the company that wayne works for. He provides on the job training whilst your in transit and he definitely knows his stuff.

Not sure if yu use a GPS and /or OziExplorer software but if you do you can download each of the treks (waypoints) that cathy and Craig have in their book.

Thiese waypoints plus the narrative in the book makes the treks very easy to follow


I can thoroughly recommend any of cathy and Craigs books

>dont let these guys scare you off from going into the High country.

No one is trying to do that, we're giving him advice based upon our experience.

>I am an unsocial person when it comes to Clubs

Me too and I almost always travel up there on my own, often for weeks at a time, but I do have more recovery gear and comms than you could poke a stick at plus a fair few years experience of off road driving and survival.

>Some common sense is ok , if it looks too steep, choose a different way

This is the problem: common sense (specific to an environment) is a learned quality and David hasn't yet learned it. He doesn't know what is too steep at this point. He doesn't understand his vehicle and he doesn't understand the country and (I assume) doesn't have recovery gear or the knowledge of how to use it. To me that sounds like a recipe for disaster.

The easiest, quickest and safest way is to learn from the experience of others hence the general advice on this thread to join a club - he doesn't have to stay in it for ever just do a few trips and absorb knowledge from others then he'll be more confident and have a better time in a more relaxed way.

Remember; a track which is OK in the dry can become totally impassible in the wet. I've been rained in on more than one occasion but I just do a bit more prospecting if that happens :)

Mike Harding

Hi Mike,

i could have put a bet on that someone would come back to exactly that bit of my post.
In general i can agree with most things you say but on this site , some incredible stupid replys are posted and even you will agree with me that not the whole HC is dangerous 4wd country.
pick you area and you can take a toyota camry in there so you dont need a fully equiped US military spec hummer to have a good time in the HC.
Comms gear yes , take a sat phone and you will be fine.

Don't scare people away , get them a chance to find out for themself and not everyone is an idiot so give the man some credit , if it looks too steep , it will be too steep.

What about the Wonnangatta via Abbey yard? Nice and easy and a perfect spot to enjoy the HC.

By the way , found some nice gold bits in the Mayford over X-mas.

Take care and enjoy

Hi PW

>some incredible stupid replys are posted

No comment :)

>you will agree with me that not the whole HC is dangerous 4wd country

I agree totally. My concern is that "newbies" may have difficulty making the decision about what is do-able and what is not (and experienced people sometimes get that wrong) and one frequently has to make that decision many times per day in the HC which is why I suggested the club or the trek books; at least they will both give people some kind of advice and guide whilst they gain a bit more knowledge.

>Comms gear yes

Well... eeemmm... probably... but as water is not usually an issue in the HC and distances are, relatively, small I wouldn't be too concerned about people venturing there with just UHF CB and, ideally, an EPIRB. Providing you're not injured you should be able to walk out from most places (take good boots!). However if you have young children with you that all changes.

>Don't scare people away

I sincerely hope I'm not but, rather, encouraging them to exercise some caution.

>By the way , found some nice gold bits in the Mayford over X-mas.

Good on yer! :) I haven't been able to get out much for the past six months or more but I'm hoping to get a couple of weeks in during March/April. (Shaker: want to catch up then?).

Mike Harding

Thanks for the follow-up. I want to do the blue rag track in the dry prob late march wx permitting.

Hi David

I haven't driven Blue Rag Track but the book "Victoria: off the beaten track" says (abbreviated) "Blue Rag Range is more demanding... rocky and quite steep in sections... judge its suitability early and turn back if there is an concern" and RR of Rooftop Maps describes it as a great drive in the dry.

Sounds like it may be useful for you to do some easier tracks first but others, who have driven it, will advise I'm sure.

Mike Harding