Oh Deer Bogong High Plains

hello all 
Yes, deer is spelt correct and will become apparent later on......
 On Tuesday the 8th I saddled up one again and headed off into the wild blue yonder.......
It was a hot windy trip up the Hume highway with a scorching northerly head wind. Heading from Myrtleford across to Mt Beauty the road was littered with sticks and twigs blown off by the wind. A hot night was spent in the Mt Beauty Caravan Park with, it appeared several thousand other people.
Next morning was the drive up the hill. After a quick detour into Bogong Village, I arrived at Falls Creek Ski Resort.

the Main range

some of Falls

 I travelled across Bogong High Plains road in 2008, the year before they sealed it, I think the view was blocked by dust on that trip as I had forgotten what a magnificent drive this is. The drive over Bogong is not as dramatic as Hotham but you get to drive around up on Bogong to Pretty Valley and Mt McKay. 
So off to Mt Mc Kay it was, I held my breath and went for the summit........I drove to the highest drivable public road in Australia and took the Camper along.

Mt Mc Kay

Palomino on top of Victoria (Mt Mc Kay)

1825 metres above sea lavel

 The view was amazing from the top.

looking Towards the Kiewa Valley

towards Mt Nelse

towards Pretty Valley Dam

towards Rocky Valley Dam

top of ski run just to the left of dam

My camp for the night was down from the 1825 metres summit of Mt Mc Kay to about 1600 Metres at Pretty Valley Camping Area. Bloody hell it was cold  that night..............it was 6c INSIDE the Camper when I woke up from my sleeping (shivering) To Kevin and Tania at Palomino RV Australia...tell everyone the gas heater works a treat with the battery removed from the smoke detector. I was soon able to regain feeling in my fingers and toes with a white frost outside.

camp at Pretty Valley 1600 Metres

 Now let me paint a picture....I am tootling along the Bogong High Plains sealed road probably no more than 10K out of Falls Creek. The road curves around to the right and rises disappearing amongst the snow gums. Parked on the apex of the curve are 2 four wheel drives about 200 metres ahead. To my left is 3 guys standing in the middle of open ground, I am looking at them thinking what are they doing? I look back towards the corner to discover, not more that 15 metres from their vehicles is a fully grown wild doe (female deer) I hit the skids  already had the window down and always drive with my camera on the passenger seat ready.

oh deer

deer

I managed to peel off a couple of shots before it bolted off into the snow gums. The things you see......
A bit further up the road is Wallaces Hut, I walked in there last time so gave it a miss this time and walked into Cope Hut instead.

Cope Hut

view from Cope hut

I really enjoyed my leisurely drive over Bogong but it was down the other side to Big River Camping Area at Glen Wills on the Omeo Highway. A relaxing afternoon was spent preparing my roast chicken and roast potatoes in the camp oven, followed by desert of ice cream. Gee I love camping with a freezer.........
This Morning was off to Glen Wills Historic site, it was and old gold mining area.

a photo of the sign

The photo of the DSE sign above is what I remember the area looking like when I first visited many years ago. The 2003 fires ravaged the area and destroyed most of the buildings. So much of our history has been lost to fire. Below is a photo of what it looks like now.

DSE built roof

the old compressor

mining relics

I continued along the Omeo Highway, they have sealed a lot of this road but there is still a few rough patches, over Mt Wills, through Mitta Mitta and Tallangatta. Tonight I am in Albury, I was starting to smell so bad even the flies where staying away......tomorrow I haven't decided yet, so this isn't finished yet as I don't have to be home until Monday..........now where is that map?
Well the weather clouded over and not much happened after here. I had planned to go to Corryong, then south to Taylor's Crossing and Benambra but the road climbs back up over the ranges and with overcast skies I didn't like the idea of photos of fog.......
Instead I cruised through Yackandanda and Beechworth but didn't take any photos as I have been there before, then down the Hume to home.
I don't have any trips planned, and have a week of appointments etc and a weekend in Melbourne next weekend with friends from Perth. I reckon soon after that I will be getting itchy camper legs so stay tuned....
bye for now 

Christmas - New Year Getaway 2012

Hello all
firstly Seasons greetings to all.
 
On Boxing bay I loaded up the Camper and headed off to The Honeysuckles (between Seaspray and Golden Beach on the 90 Mile Beach) and set up on the lawn of my nephews beach house. An overnighter turned into 2 and a half days....................
We rounded up the kids and headed off to have a look at the wreck remains of the Trinculo, a 320 tonne steel hulled ship wrecked on the beach nearby in 1879.

remains of the Trinculo at Wreck beach

Trinculo

After a quick trip back home, it was a quick turn around and head for Dargo. I headed for Angusvale in the Mitchell River National Park. The road into Angusvale is a strange one, the road originally was built to construct a new Dam on the Mitchell River back in the mid 1980's, but never eventuated due to the Green movement and a change of Government, by memory. This left a major gravel road leading in complete with 'Trucks use low gear signs and Safety Ramps in the middle of nowhere.

Angusvale from the road in

All the campsites by the river were packed  out, so I only stayed the one night, it would be a nice place to stay a few days with less people around.
I decided to drop into Wonnangatta Caravan Park to have a look, I have probably  driven past 30 times over the years and never been in....
what a lovely place, very friendly hosts and great setting, although the road in is a bit steep..........

By the river at Wonnangatta Caravan Park

I tried the awning out at Wonnangatta

Guy's Wonnangatta Caravan Park

Dargo was very busy with the Christmas crowd, so I kept moving heading up onto the Dargo High Plains. First stop was Grant Historic Area, Grant in the 1860's had a population of over 3000 and boasted 15 hotels but today the bush is claiming it back. the bracken is returning and there is not a lot to be seen. 25 years ago when I last visited the townsite was much more prominent. I don't know why but on this leg I took hardly any photos........even with the high plains being quite scenic.
I would have liked to drive the Blue Rag Range Track but with the camper on it was out of the question.......this is one of the most spectacular ridge top tracks in the country.
Upon reaching the Great Alpine Road I had to decide left to Bright or right to Omeo,  having only been in Omeo late November I turned left towards Bright.
Bright was full.....................I think the entire population of Melbourne had gone to Bright for Christmas, I continued on to Myrtleford for the night. The following day was a transit day getting from Bright to Jamieson. At the beginning of December when I went to Woods Point I noted what a lovely Caravan Park it was at Jamieson and promised myself a stay there when next in the area............Full......so New Years Eve was spent at Skipworth Reserve (a freecamp) on the Goulburn River.
It was a warm New Years Day I started off on the Jamieson - Licola Road over Mount Skene. the road climbed rapidly to the Mount Sunday Road turnoff. 
I stopped here to check the tiedowns on the Camper and to answer the call of nature, to my surprise upon shaking the dribbles I turned to face an elderly Canadian and his wife who were cycling the mountains. 
They had taken the train to Traralgon, riden to Licola (no mean feat 100k) ) upon finding the Licola Store closed and unable to restock supplies riden over Mt Skene (just shy of 1600 metres) down Lazzarini Spur (4x4 1300m drop tp Woods Point to restock, back up Lazzarini Spur (1300m climb) to me meeting them at Mt Sunday turnoff...................I think I need to go have a lay down now...........they were heading to Wrens Flat, Mitchell Homestead Ruins, Tobacco Flat, Sheepyard Flat to Mansfield....
For the people that know this area this would be a tough trip in a four wheel drive, they were on pushbikes................................

atop Mt Skene looking Towards Mt Buller (snowgums burnt 2007 fires)

parked at the lookout Mt Skene

 It was a leisurely run down the south side of the Great Divide to Licola, with a camp on the Wellington River for the night.

Wellington River Campsite with outdoor spa

The previous occupiers of this campsite had thoughtfully built a outdoor spa in the river and after a windy night i was off home again.
until next time folks, my guess is it won't be long ......