Grampians, go the dispersed camping option!!!

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!!!

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.

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.

Boroka Lookout

Tangil

Type: 4wd'ing + hiking + camping
Location: Icy Creek / Vesper near Tanjil River
Dates: 10th March
Weather: Sunny, 32
Crew: Toon, Jax, Millie, Huggett, Mischke
Key Tracks Hit: Tracks around Tanjil river
Vehicles Used: Paj, Hilux
Distance Travelled: 320km
Campsites: N/A
Fishing: Very brief session at the river crossing where we stopped for lunch. Kids and dog made it tough to properly have a session.
Gear Purchased: N/A
Gear Review: N/A
Food: Hot diggities
Report: Good 2 hour drive down the monash to the turn off, and then up the hills and was in the bush. Tracks were immediately interesting and there is a HEAP around here that needs exploring. There were some seriously rutted sections that in the winter would pull up some challenges. Nothing a winch and patience cannot handle, but definitely worth a look during the colder months! 2x river crossings. We stopped at one of the rivers to have lunch and the kids had a blast making new friends and walking through the river. The conclusion of this short day trip is that this place needs further exploring.
Rating: 6/10. Would have liked to explore a lot more, but kids were done.

Lerderderg State Park

Lerderderg State Park

Type: 4wd'ing + camping

Location: Lerderderg State Park

Dates: 13th - 15 Jan

Weather: Showers throughout our stay about 15 - 20 degrees (cooler at night).

Crew: Rhino, Em and JP

Key Tracks Hit: Carrolls Lane, Amblers Lane and O'briens Road.

Vehicles Used: ISUZU MUX (stock suspension)

Distance Travelled: 300km round trip

Campsites: Amblers Lane near the LER524 Checkpoint. One of three dispersed camping sites available in that area.

Fishing: Although there is a stream highly doubt anything worth catching.

Gear Purchased: TVAN

Gear Review: Its an awesome bit of kit for camping. A Light trailer with excellent ground clearance, quick to set up and seriously comfortable sleeping area.  This was our second trip with it and it was great to see how it would perform in rainy conditions.  We used a sail awning for exterior cover which sufficed however in future we will opt for the canvas canopy which runs entire length of the trailer and provides far better cover.  We were very happy with it and Jake finds it fun to just play around with everything inside.  In summary in the rainy conditions we still managed to have a relaxing weekend away.

Food: Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Chicken wraps, and then eggs for breakfast.  Lunch was salads and some bread.

Report:
It's always good to get out away from home to be able to properly switch off from all your responsibilities.

We attempted to enter the park from southern boundary, this track and many others like it were closed and available to Management Vehicles (MVO) and hikers only.  Throughout the weekend we only found a few roads that you could use and these were freshly graded that any 2WD city car would comfortably be able to use.  There was only one section of about 4 km that was 4WD only (a part of Amblers Lane), and for 4WDS without raised suspension would be classed as moderate difficulty when wet.

The forest itself certainly isn't anything to talk about, just a standard bush experience with no views.  We did note however that the insect count was low, no bullants or jumping jacks which allowed Jake to crawl around in the dirt and eat sticks and wombat shit for most of the weekend.  Low insect count may have been in part due to the rainy weather though.

We visited and checked out all campsites available in the park and felt through coincidence that we had set up ours in the best spot.    It was secluded enough from other campers and was located directly off the most difficult incline for 4WDing, it was a moderately difficult short run with large rocks and ruts; many drivers couldn't make it up to the top. Whilst chilling back with a beer it provided us with some free entertainment during the weekend.  We helped a guy with a new unmodified hilux to get up the track, by deflating his tyres and showing him the route that previous drivers had the most success with.

We probably wouldn't come back here, only because we feel there are nicer areas to go that are equally as close to Melbourne.  Unless you like crowds avoid O'briens crossing campsite, shitloads of people and not really pretty enough to justify city block camping.


Rating: 3/10 Got three points only because it really wasn't much of a challenge to get in, and as a result the site and area is not isolated enough to feel like you are on your own and there really wasn't views or nice scenery to justify the number of people that visit the area.

Tallarook State Forest

Type: 4wd'ing + hiking + camping
Location: Tallarook State Forest
Dates: 16th - 17th Dec
Weather: Warm-hot about 30. Forest cooler though than the drive up the hwy.
Crew: Toon, Jax, Billie, Uncle Rhino, Aunty Em, Baby Jake, REM Neighbours x2.
Key Tracks Hit: Tehans No 5 Tk, East Loop tk, Jenkins No 2 tk, Stoney Ck Tk.
Vehicles Used: Paj, Isuzu MUX, Landcruiser Troopie + 2x Tbags.
Distance Traveled: 300km
Campsites: Some random rocky spot West of the reservoir.
Fishing: NA
Gear Purchased: REM had their new MUX & tbag to play with.
Gear Review: They had some serious smiles, so that tells the story.
Food: kids had noodles and corn for dinner and then warm crossies for brekky. REM cooked up a ripper nandos chicken and koos-koos for dinner. Quality eggs and tomato sangas for adult breakfast.
Report:
Great place for an easy one-nighter. Easy 1.5 hour drive north, worth many a visit. Good bush, decent 4wd tracks. No rivers for campsites, and very few people which was a massive surprise. Tick.

Kids loved it, especially the 4wd'ing. They couldnt stop laughing. Eventually billie fell asleep thank god. When it came to bed time kids were so excited and couldnt stop talking to each other and they eventually got shut eye by 10pm - which was close to adult bedtime.

Their tiredness the next day made the decision to move early in the AM a necessity as shit would've hit the fan, plus the fact that 3x wee accidents in the first hour of waking up was a joy.

No fire which was a little disappointing and kids didnt get their fix of stoner cones or campfire marshmallows.

Next time hit up Tehans No 2,3 & 4. REM did 3 & 4 on the Sunday and said it was pretty good. They did them in the T-bag so shouldnt be too tough, but good climbs regardless. Winter time will see this place rutted out and bog holes so could we worth a look then too.

Next time come in via Willow Track. Seems like it would be a good climb into the SF and then set up camp at placemark 1: 37 degreesywogs 8.683'S, 145 degreesywogs 12.340'E. Look to Jenkin No1 & Link Tk's in additition to Tehans 2,3,4 for some fun.
Rating: 7/10. great to head out with REM + Jake and get to know their neighbours. No fishing, river, or fire brings back rating.

The Boys

Type: 4wd'ing + hiking + camping
Location: Rubicon, the Boys.
Dates: 28 - 30 July
Weather: Cold but fine.
Crew: Toon, Ross, Nick, Willo, Huggett
Key Tracks Hit: N/A. Tracks closed.
Vehicles Used: Paj, Pathy & Huggetts new Hilux
Distance Travelled: 300km
Campsites: The Boys.
Fishing: N/A Rivers closed.
Gear Purchased:

1. Kings 9" round spotties. Awesome. Pretty easy to install, and worked a treat to light up the dark road ahead on the Friday night drive up. 
2. Oricom handhelds. Worked crisp. Fine. 
3. Illuminator led waterproof strip. Works as needed. 
4. Huggett's 4wd. He can comment on that...

Gear Review: As above.
Food: Dirty maccas, dimmies, chicken stripies, homemade farm bacon, eggs, snags and slow cooked pulled pork shoulder, ross' slaw, 2 minute noodles, fizzers, zappos, stoner cones.
Report: Awesome location given proximity from Melbourne. Nice get there quickly and return home pretty soon after packing up. Only annoying part is that everyone else makes their way their too, so no chance of being alone here. Perfect river on your doorstep for fresh water and fishing. Hike up Mt Torbreck was the highlight of this trip. Halfway up you start to get snow, and by the time you're on the top its 40cm+ deep in areas. Weather was perfect, even though Melbourne was reportedly getting whacked with severe winds. I did manage a little fun in a bog hole and eneded up getting stuck. Had to winch out - thanks trusty Runva! Food as always was a highlight when eating it, however this time it played funny buggers afterwards and a few got sick. Was it the dimmies or the chicken big macs, or just the booze? Eitherway, i think no more camping dimmies, but im sure maccas and beer hiatus will be rather short lived.
Rating: 7/10. Sickness, migraines, no 4wd & fishing reduces score. The rest was perfect.

Naughty Mick

Type: 4wd'ing + hiking + camping
Location: Dates: 23-24 June 2017
Weather: Cold. Day 1 clear, rained over night. Day 2 drizzle and a bit of snow
Crew: Ben and Dave
Key Tracks Hit: Naughty Mick Circuit.
- Start at Ronnie's Way, up the hill, down the hill
- Head right to the pond.
- Along the east branch road to the bridge (camp at bridge).
- Up the hill to the next junction
- Left, down the hill to the west branch
- Back up and down the hill to Ronnie's Way
Vehicles Used: N/A
Distance Travelled: ~ 26 km
Campsites: Next to bridge
Fishing: Had a look at the east branch, will head back for a session when things warm up.
Gear Purchased: Sea To Summit Mattress.
Gear Review: Great mattress, excellent replacement for my 20 year old Thermarest
Food: Pasta with stir-through sauce, and country ladle for dinner, oats with sultanas for breakfast, freeze-dried chicken tika masala, and tuna thing for lunch. Muesli bar snacks.
Report: Nice little overnighter. Keen to do the full circuit next time, and get to the top of the hill. Last outing for my tent. Saw a few deer.
Rating: 8/10

 

Licola Secret Spot

Type: 4wd'ing + hiking + camping
Location: Licola secret spot
Dates: 15th April - 17th April - Easter Long Weekend
Weather: Fine, top of 22 partly cludy
Crew: Toon, Lisa, Jax, Amelia, Mum, Dad
Key Tracks Hit: Black Soil Gully Track, Macalister River Track
Vehicles Used: Paj + 70 Series Landcruiser
Distance Travelled: 680km
Campsites: Secret Spot
Fishing: Yes, but no action
Gear Purchased: N/A
Gear Review: N/A
Food: Special. Hamburgers, Roast Potatoes & coleslaw with 6 hour slow cooked lamb shoulder, kippers, french toast, pancakes, meatball pasta, toast, stonercones.
Report: Great to have mum and dad join us for this one. Kids were awesome as usual having a fun time in the bush. Shacked up at the campsite with two other guys as all sites were full in this long weekend - thanks to those guys for being accommodating! Camping folk are just genuine people. Macalister river 4wd with the kids was fun, 6 river crossings up and 6 back. Black Soil Gully track is a tough track on the way up, some sections of rock makes it hard to climb.
Rating: 8/10