Victorian High Country advice

The high country is a big place. Plenty of touring to be had with a camper in tow but there are also plenty of serious offroad tracks where a trailer is not advisable. Don't be too concerned, find a nice camping spot (I can highly recommend the wongungarra river area) and enjoy.

If you tackle the HC from the dargo end, most of the roads 2wd. That being said, it would be a shame to miss the pinnacle lookout, easily doable with your setup but the wife will probably lay a brick on the decent into the valley.

Have you considered doing Driver training with either a 4x4 club or similar. They cover a great range of things for towing in 4wd conditions.

Is it possible to do a Tag Along tour that is set up for Trailers first so that you get some sort of guidance and confidence first before setting off by yourself.

Cheers Kev

Wayne,

The Vic High Country is very big so a little more detail of where you would like to travel would help.

Genually any dirt track can lead to a steep climb, steep decent or river crossing. Once that you are on a climb or decent you are committed to finish the track.

Reading a good map with contour lines will help but they don't show conservation humps that can cause a problem. Track surface can also limit on how far a vehicle and trailer can go.

What is possible is to have a base camp, Wonnangatta or Talbotville are good and possible with a camper. From the base camp you can do day trips.

Wayne

You will find plenty of tracks all over the country where meeting another car head on can create problems. I would recommend following Kev's advice and join a major long established 4wd club. They will have members who are familiar with the VHC and just about everywhere else. You will have access to excellent driving and recovery training. The clubs have regular trips to all the popular areas. Even places like the VHC that can be frightening to the inexperienced suddenly become relaxing and enjoyable when you are in a small convoy with a experienced leader.

You will find that there are countless places that you can safely take a 4wd in company but you really should not be there on your own.

Brian

I have a lot of maps of the area, but I just found this one this morning in the Exploroz shop:

Hema High Country

I ordered 2, one for myself and one for my cousin for xmas. I like how it covers everything up there on one map.

Looks like it would be ideal for planning your trip.

the advice on the 4wd training.. with heavy camper attached.. is excellent, really if you're not real confident that's what you should do first because otherwise eventually you will come across a situation that will have you thinking " what do l do now??" and the crew WILL decide to mutiny right in the middle of it,
also look for dedicated 4wd clubs that do a LOT of 4wding WITH 2 ton or more campers /vans and are sensible in what/where they attempt to go ( re VHC ) while towing
some 4wd clubs are too gung ho,
cheers

Gday Wayne.
Another thing to consider driving in the VHC at this time of year is the Loggers and their gear travelling on certain roads and tracks. Might pay to have a look on DSE website to get an idea on where the sawlogs are being hauled from. Also there will be contacts for the regional offices.
DSE

G'day Wayne,

I've just returned from a short trip to the VHC and have travelled extensively in many areas up there over the years, having lived in a number of towns at the base of the mountains on both sides of the range.

This is my take on camper trailers, given that I am not particularly experienced at camper towing and I take it gradually as I don't want any nasty surprises! . Make of it what you will and some will disagree.

I think they are great for ALL of the access routes, most of the 'easier' tracks, some of the moderate tracks, but NOT for the harder/hardest tracks. That being said, there is a great deal of variation in all of the above. The way I approach it is to tow the camper into an area that is fairly central to what I want to see and then do day trips to areas of interest. If I want to camp in more remote places that are harder to get to, such as down in the Caledonia Valley, I leave the camper at home and travel lighter with tent etc. This also makes room for more recovery gear, a hand winch and chainsaw for self sufficiency. You really should carry a chainsaw in the VHC, since after the fires, there are many dead trees just waiting to fall across your path. VERY hard work with an axe or bowsaw.

Here are a few examples of some of the track I travelled this week:

McMillan's Track in to Talbotville.....easy, 2WD and no problems whatsoever with the camper. There was a Peugeot 307 in there the other day! Like wise the Dargo High Plains Road to Mt. St. Bernard.

Crooked River Road from Talbotville to Kingwell Bridge....probably OK most of the time, but there are a number of river crossings which can either be easy or difficult depending upon rain.
We went that way a couple of days ago and all was fine (without camper) except for one quite deep river crossing (the last before Kingwell Bridge) that came up to the top of the bonnet. There were a couple of largish rocks that needed to be avoided. I'd be reluctant to take the camper across that crossing as it was quite deep, even for the 4WD. The rivers down there can rise and fall quite quickly and some of the crossings can be a trap for the unprepared and those unwilling to get out and have a look or walk the crossing first to check the route.

Billy Goat Bluff track to the Pinnacles. This is a very steep climb. I approached it with lowered tyre pressures and didn't have a problem (no camper), but I thought about whether I could tow the camper up there and it is probably possible, but meeting another vehicle at some points would make it 'interesting' to say the least and the 'strain' on the vehicle's drive train would be quite high dragging another thousand or so kilos of junk up there. Approaching from the Moroka end would present little problem.

Crooked River Track from Talbotville to Bulltown Spur.....again probably possible and easier than the Billy Goat Bluff Track but still depends upon river levels and how much 'strain' you are prepared to put on your setup. It is a fairly steep climb up out of most of these valleys.

I would be more comfortable towing up these steep grades if I had difflocks and very low gearing, but it is an individual preference.

Given that I have significant experience without camper in these areas, I will read further replies with interest, as I may be a little bit conservative for some......

Cheers,

Mark