Type: 4wd'ing + hiking + camping
Location: Grampians
Dates: 12/4/18 - 15/4/18
Weather: Some sun, but mainly rain and high winds
Crew: REM Clan
Key Tracks Hit: Certainly not a 4wd mecca, however the scenery is glorious and driving the "4WD only tracks" regularly provides stunning views and relatively isolated places to have a cup of tea or lunch without being bothered by the masses.
Rose Creek Road - Easy, possible 2wd access
Wallaby Rocks Road - Easy but would need 4wd or possibly get away with an AWD vehicle to negotiate some sand patches and loose rocky areas
Hines Road - Easy there were some steep sections but anything a beginner could comfortable deal with
Launders Track - Was possibly the most challenging track we came across, but again vehicles with high clearance will comfortable traverse this area. Some nice views here as well. Video of a small section attached below.
Victoria Valley Road - Takes you right up the middle and gives you an idea of the size of this park and some great views of the Western and Eastern Ranges, its flat and unchallenging, with sealed sections and takes you through a lot of farm land. But there were plenty of turn offs that could lead to some interesting 4wding if that is what you are chasing.
Vehicles Used: ISUZU Mux (still sits on stock supension... it'll happen)
Distance Travelled: 1000kms
Campsites: An amazing spot photos supplied, contact me for coordinates will happily share amongst friends.
Fishing: None conducted
Gear Purchased: Supapeg Tent Pegs, very happy with product. Basically if pulled on, it forces the peg deeper into the ground. It held our massive awning in position in high winds without a hitch and easy to pull out when packing up as well.
Gear Review: We used our canvas awning for the first time. This runs along the TVAN attached by zips and straps. Good bit of kit, which provided excellent cover from the elements. However over this weekend we learnt that the awning should really only be used when forecast winds are below 60 km/hr, otherwise has the potential to be damaged.
Food: Thanks to Emily food was kick arse as always. Zucchini, Salmon and Cream Cheese Muffins; Mushroom and Walnut Pesto Gnocchi; Paprika Chicken with butter time sauce and spinach; Lamb Burgers with Halloumi.
Report: We are sold on this area, and will undoubtedly be returning to explore it more. Grampians offer a range of activities suitable for all levels of fitness and age and is arguably one of the most beautiful parts of Victoria.
The not so secret, secret spot: Our first campsite was spectacular, only downside was that its location is exposed to the full force of the classic Victorian westerlies associated with cold frontal movement... Meaning you're going to get absolutely smashed by wind and rain here so only go to this spot if the forecast is promising otherwise you will be stuck in your tent and car for the entire duration you are there. It is relatively safe for kids despite the fact there was a large drop off exceeding 10 metres in height and is about 20 metres from where you would pitch your tent.
The View from our campsite
Set Up Phase
Kids will love climbing all the rocks around here
Location is just below 2000' elevation, so you will find that the clouds sweep through quickly and engulf your site in mist. We thought this just added to the beauty of our location.
Unfortunately due wind we were forced to pack up and move the afternoon of the second day. We shifted to Smith's Mill Campground and by this time it was dark. I keep banging on about it but the TVAN really came into its own this night, piece of cake to pack up and move and then set up again in pitch black. I did this by myself whilst Emily was busy settling the boy.
Smith's Mill Campground was nice enough, sheltered area with basic amenities and turned out to be a reasonable alternate location. Emus come through campsite in the morning scavenging for left over food and JP was fascinated by these birds; so that was pretty cool. It is tent city style camping but a good location to access both the north and southern Grampians.
Another place we visited was Billimina to check out the Aboriginal rock art. Basically you need to follow the track to Jardwadjali Falls and you will end up at this spectacularly coloured rock which at the bottom is covered in a large number of rock paintings.
Our highlight however involved a wrong turn,which followed a climbers trail to the top of a peak. This took us to an area with a huge number of rock climbing sites and also supplied us with spectacular views of the valley where we decided to stop our walk and have lunch on a rocky outcrop. Wow!!!
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| Our lunch Spot |
As you can probably tell we had a ball and can't wait to come back again. Where we stand, its only a few hours from Melbourne and it is a place that will offer a different experience everytime you go back.
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| Even JP loved the views |
For our next trip here, we plan to set up camp in the chimney pots area, we hear that is a cracker jack place to go as well.
Rating: 9.5/10. With more visits in the future had to leave some scope for higher scores in case we were to discover even better camp spots.
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| Boroka Lookout |
