Dwellingup/Nanga

Synergist,

Dwellingup area is practically my backyard. Terrain is hilly and forested as you would expect as it is the Darling Scarp. Main feature is the Murray River winding its way through the valley so many of the tracks in the region follow or radiate from the river valley. Unfortunately over the years, CALM has closed off many of the fire trails and old timber tracks that you used to be able to access although there are still some good ones around. Degree of difficulty varies quite a bit but most accessible tracks are easy with clearance being the main issue. After rain the red bulldust tracks can become very slippery and some of the hillclimbs a challenge as many have deep ruts and clay surface. I doubt this will be an issue you when are there. For camping, there are several areas to choose from including Baden Powell (avoid this one as it is notorious for idiots) and old Nanga mill/townsite which is a large open area with plenty of shade and adjacent to Nanga Brook which has quite a few shallow pools ideal for the kiddies or just cooling off in. There are other smaller campsites further down the river from Baden Powell including Tony's Bend, Charlies Flat etc which have individual campsites but due to overuse of pine bollards these aren't suitable for large tents or groups and definitely no good for campertrailers etc. Last option is to keep going along the river past Nanga and quite some way down you will come across some "unofficial" individual riverside campsites such as on Christmas Creek. I say unofficial because CALM don't advertise these sites but it was actually a Lane Poole Reserve ranger who put us on to them.

Bare in mind that the reserve and campgrounds will be pretty busy over the Aust. Day long weekend. Also, in an effort to overcome the all-too-frequent "idiot factor" in the reserve, a total alcohol ban throughout the reserve has recently been introduced on long weekends with big fines in place for breaching this regulation. I believe CALM officers will conduct vehicle searches as you enter the reserve. If you like a beer it could be a dry weekend for you but hopefully the alcohol ban will deter the minority of people who in the past have used the reserve as a drinking/partying venue to the detriment of everyone else who is there to enjoy their surroundings. Enjoy!

:o) MelissaPetrol 4.5L GU Patrol &
Camprite TL8 offroad camper
http://members.westnet.com.au/flatdog

We are heading down there that weekend as well. She who must be obeyed likes her creature comforts and so we'll be staying at the Dwellingup Caravan Park just a few minutes out of town. It's got power, clean flushing toilets and hot water.
Hey, just because we like 4 wheel driving, doesn't mean we have to rough everything in life. As for tracks, there's a couple from Days out of Perth that don't seem too far away.