Wonnangatta Station

Hello All,
the latest trip was a drive into Wonnangatta Station in the Victorian High Country. With the last 34km being rough, narrow, hairpin bends and steep low range driving, it was back to tent accommodation for this trip. 
We started off on a fine but smokey morning (fuel reduction burning) and headed to Licola. after a pie at Licola Store the climb up the Tamboritha Road began. We side tracked via Kelly's Lane to show my sister a couple of huts in the area.

Kelly's Lane

Kelly's Hut

  After rejoining the Howitt Road, we passed the Snowy Range Airstrip (highest airstip in Australia used for Aerial Fire Bombing) stopping for a photo opportunity at Dimmocks Lookout.

Dimmocks Lookout

Dimmocks Lookout

I have traveled this track quite a few times before, first driving into the Wonnangatta Valley in 1983, so this was 30 years since first doing this trip. Gee I looked a lot younger 30 years ago in the picture below! The first time I took my nephew in there was Easter 1985, so it was good to head in again together. 

1983 trip into Wonnangatta

This trip was my stock standard Great Wall V200 Diesel and my nephew's Hilux double cab Diesel with lift kit and winch. Going in with hardly any weight in the back of the Great Wall was a slow experience to minimise the bumps, taking about 3 hours to cover the 34km length of the Zeka Spur Track. Both vehicles had no problems heading in but the Great Wall did grade the top off quite a few of the crossdrains, lacking a bit of clearance against the Hilux.
I do remember one trip not long after the above photo was taken where it took us approximately 9 hours to do the same trip. That was back in the infamous bog hole days, before the track was recut along the base of the hills instead of through the swampy Station flats. 

The old Route through the bogs

Wonnangatta hasn't changed a great deal since my last trip in during the late 1980's, apart from the Station Flats being a lot more overgrown since cattle grazing was stopped about the same time I last visited. There also seems to be a lot less graves in the Cemetery and having checked back through some of my old photos about four graves seem to have disappeared?

Wonnangatta Cemetery

our camp

With a couple of seasoned campers amongst us it was cooking central.....the first night was chicken breast and chips, next morning was pancakes followed by bacon and egg muffins, lunch was freshly baked beer bread direct from the camp oven, dinner was roast lamb and vegetables with late night supper of banana boats (melted banana with marshmellows and chocolate) It goes without saying we needed to go for a bit of a walk.............
I won't go into the History of Wonnangatta here as there is numerous rescources on google etc with more information than you will ever need to explain the famous unsolved murders which occurred here in the early 1900's
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~harryshut 
This website is probably a good place to start for those interested in the history of Wonnangatta (well worth looking into, as it is an interesting history)

the Cemetery from the old homestead site, the Viking in the background

The smoke from the fuel reduction burns hung around all trip giving the valley an eerie look, sometimes lifting a little then other times dropping to look almost like light fog. With the howls of the wild feral dogs during the night and talking of the murders it was almost a spooky feeling.

the old homestead site with reconstructed floorplan

The old Homestead was accidentally burnt down in the 1950's but the remains of the orchards (still bearing delicious fruit 100 plus years on) and ornamental trees remain.

the little ute getting her tyres wet in Conglomerate Creek

our camp

 There were visiting wombats and possums along with numerous deer tracks so the kids were kept busy looking for tracks, lizards and anything else.....

looking down the valley

the old homestead site on the rise between the two valley's

After a couple of days praying it didn't rain we packed up and headed off back up Zeka Spur Track. With standard road tyres and lack of clearance I was grateful the weather had been kind to us, as I think I might have had a few hassles climbing back up the rocky sections had it been wet. 

the Hilux crossing Dry River (with water in it)

proof the Great Wall made it :-)

We had a good trip and apart from the Great Wall scraping the tops off quite a few crossdrains and a few scapes underneath from rocks we got both vehicles in and out again with minimum fuss. 
I intend doing a modifications to ute and camper blog soon to show followers the improvements I have made to both, as for trips.............hoping for a quick trip to outback SA in the next week or so but still working on that and there will definitely be a few local trips away as often as possible..................
until then............bye for now