TRACK. Torque. May 2011 Newsletter. Inside this issue: Track Torque. Responsible Four Wheel Driving And Family Touring.

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1 Responsible Four Wheel Driving And Family Touring TRACK May 2011 Newsletter Torque The President s Page Inside this issue: Member s Page Minutes from April General Meeting Trip Report King Hut Rebuild, Omeo, Bright, Flinders Rangers Club trips Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 1

2 WANGARATTA 4X4 CLUB President Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Committee Members David Jackson The Wangaratta 4WD Club has evolved from a few members in 1983, to a membership of over 40. The Club is made up of individuals and families who are interested in responsible Four Wheel Driving. There is no restriction on the make or type of four wheel drive vehicle, and there is always plenty of variety and camaraderie amongst members. Vice President Secretary Treasurer Committee David Blore Bruce Gooday Ian Watkins Where we live: Members live all over the North East and beyond, including from Benalla, Beechworth, Glenrowan, Milawa, Albury, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Goorambat, Tatong and Melbourne. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club is a member of the Victorian Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs. Social coordinator Membership Officer Property: Merchandise Sergeant at Arms 4WD Victoria Representative Editor Trip Coordinator Web Master Dean Cunico Craig Cheetham Ron Beurs Craig Cheetham Maria Lucas Tom Barnard Terry Dillon WEBSITE: Past President: David Robinson Affiliations: Members of our club are proud to be part of the Adopt a Hut Program and work with Parks Victoria to look after Top Crossing and Lake Cobbler huts. We are also affiliated with the South Coast Four Wheel Drive Club based at Wollongong, and the Four Wheel Drive Club of WA. Current members of the respective clubs are entitled to Reciprocal Membership.. Membership: Single or family $80 p.a. General Meetings are held on the 2 nd Tuesday of the month, generally at the North East Car Club Rooms, Tarrawingee Recreation Reserve, commencing 8.00pm. There is no meeting in January. Please refer to the club calendar. Visitors are always most welcome. : Newsletter Contributions may be forwarded to Editor : Maria Lucas : editor@wangaratta4x4club.org.au Editorial Deadline Usually 1 st of the month. This is your newsletter so be a part of it and send any articles of interest, comments, birthdays, etc, to the editor. Advertising: $80.00/yr. Please contact the editor for further details. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the articles in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the editor or of Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc. The editor reserves the right to delete any section of any article, or reject any article, which has been sent in for publication in the Newsletter. Front Cover: Omeo- Wombat Post Office Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 2

3 The President s Page I hope you all had a great Easter break - it's a great time to get together with family and friends. On Good Friday and Saturday our Vice President David Blore led a club trip to Wombat Post Office (Omeo area) - wow what a trip - read the trip report it's great. Special thanks to Craig Norton from Adventure Camping in Wang for a fabulous presentation at last months general meeting, you really need to pop into his shop and have a look at all the cutting edge camping gear he has, remember to tell him you're from Wang 4WD club to get your club discount - this month we've got a presentation from Parks Vic on track conditions and the high country huts - be there or be square!! Happy Birthday to all our club members - we will celebrate our Club Birthday at the McEvoys Tavern in Eldorado on the weekend of the 14th & 15th May. There's been plenty of advertising on the web and the details are in this month s newsletter. We've got quite a large area set aside for the Club for camping overnight on the Saturday if you're interested in staying over with the van, trailer, tent or swag - there's a couple of cabins left as well. I hope you'll make yourself available for the Sat and Sunday drives to top the weekend off. No extra charge for leaving our gear there for the remainder of Sunday. Don't forget to invite your friends and family. The Trip Coordinator is in the process of revamping our trip calendar - we've taken out our wish list of trips - well those that don't have confirmed leaders any way - so that when a trip is advertised, you'll know that a trip leader has been confirmed and it will go ahead. We're looking at a different process to secure trip leaders, so our trip calendar should look progressively stronger over the next couple of months. There will still be a few short notice trips to fill in the immediate calendar or to supplement it - so please keep an eye on the website as it's updated very regularly. I received an information pack from fwdvictoria this evening regarding insurance and affiliation costs, it answers those questions that have been asked recently about 'exactly what are we covered for and where do our fwdvictoria fees go'?? quite enlightening - we'll have the documentation up on the clubs website presently for future downloads/ perusal. Over the next few weeks our webmaster and editor plan on archiving past club trips that haven't so far reached the web - if you've got any of those collecting dust, please contact Terry. REMEMBER from now on - no trip report = No Trip Happened. Try and get your report to the editor by months end and let us all enjoy it. A big thanks to all your committee members who've really been working hard behind the scenes, you'll see 'the fruits of their labour' over the coming few months. See you at the Birthday Bash dj Club Birthday Dinner 2010 Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 3

4 Member s Page In May Murray McEachern 7 Hayden Suffield 10 Alan Davis 14 Lachlan Suffield 26 CLUB APPAREL Club Tee Shirts are available from STEER Clothing - 52 Norton St, Wangaratta opposite the Wangaratta station. Phone: (The club shirt should be a dark green with gold embroidery.) NEW SPONSOR I would like to welcome our new sponsor Squires Sports and Mowers. A family business established in Benalla for 60 years. Trevor sells and repairs mowers, brushcutters, chainsaws, wood heaters and bicycles. They also stock ammunition for all your sporting needs. Squires specialises in Husqvarna chainsaws and equipment and Andrew Sharp is their fully qualified master service technician who can repair and service any make or model of chainsaw, mower etc. So please support not only Squires sports & mowers but all our sponsors. Squires Sports & Mowers Sales & Repairs Mowers, Brushcutters, Chainsaws, Wood Heaters & Bicycles Trevor & Terese Squires 53 Nunn Street, Benalla 3672 Phone/Fax: squiressportsmowers@bigpond.com.. Subscriptions Subscriptions are due on the 31 st of March and are payable by the 14 th of June. The cost of membership for the year is $ Payments can be made at a club meeting or post your subscription to PO Box 494 Wangaratta Please fill in your name below and send it along with your payment NAME:.. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 4

5 Minutes of General Meeting 12 April 2011 Meeting chaired by President David Jackson Present & apologies: As per attendance book. Guest Speaker: Craig Norton, from Adventure Camping and Fishing in Wangaratta, displayed a range of new travel and camping products. The display included footwear and apparel, torches and camp lights, maps, cooking equipment, first aid kits, and a 3 second tent. His presentation was received with interest from those present. Visitors: Scott French, John Sullivan, and Andrew Brown, were welcomed. Minutes of March meeting: Approved on the motion of R Beurs / T Barnard Correspondence: Nissan Newsletter; Cross Country Jeep Club Newsletter. Treasurer: General account: $2, Term deposit: $ Moved Allan Davis / Doreen Clarke That, in accordance with a recommendation from the committee, the newsletter editor be authorised to spend up to $ on a printer suitable for production of the club newsletter. Motion Carried Trip Reports: Cobbler Hut Maintenance: A vote of thanks to Glenn Norton for his work on fixing the iron on the hut roof was carried with acclamation. Flood Relief Charlton Allan Davis Flinders Ranges Terry Dillon Future Trips: 15 April day trip Bright Wandillagong area April King River Hut rebuild Easter somewhere with Terry D and David J 15 May Birthday dinner bash June Kinglake area Snow trip when it snows Birthday Dinner: The annual dinner will be held at the Eldorado Pub at 6.00pm on Sat 14 May. CPR Kit: Doreen Clarke presented to the club a CPR pack which she obtained for the club from Ambulance Victoria. The pack will enable members to practise CPR. Fines session conducted by Ron Beurs Meeting closed at 9.30pm. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 5

6 GUEST SPEAKERS for the MAY GENERAL MEETING TERRY KINGSTON and CHRIS CLARKE from PARKS VICTORIA, WHITFIELD area will be our guest speakers. Terry will update the Club on the conditions in their area and their ongoing program after the wet we have experienced and Chris will give us an in site into the Local Huts in their area. GUEST SPEAKER for the JUNE GENERAL MEETING Warren Smith, Manager of Archibald Electrical in Greta Road Wangaratta, will be our guest speaker on 14 June. Warren will display the latest in driving lights, and report on technological developments relating to batteries and battery management systems. Committee Meeting Rap The committee met on 26 April and decided that in future, trips would be advertised only after the destination, date, and trip leader have been confirmed. Consequently the club calendar, as it appears in the newsletter and on the website, will be revised. Meanwhile the trips coordinator (Tom Barnard) will maintain a wish list of trips for the purpose of developing a balanced future trips program. Craig Cheetham has offered to lead a snow trip on 30/31 July this year. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 6

7 FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VICTORIA Driving In A Sustainable Environment For more information visit the website: The following information has been taken from E-news and the FWD Victoria website. If you would like to receive a free copy of E-news, the Fwd Vic office and ask to be placed on the list. office@fwdvictoria.org.au 4WD Victoria Raffle Tickets for the first of 4WD Victoria s two raffles for 2011 have been sent to clubs to sell on the basis of one ticket per member, and at only $2.00 per ticket we ask each club for their assistance in selling all of their allocated tickets. 4WD Victoria rely on these two raffles each year to assist with our fund raising activities, and they jointly assist us in keeping down any increase in Affiliation Fee s that may be deemed necessary. Prizes for the raffle are as follows: 1st Prize Clarion 10.2 Roof Mount DVD System (Fully Installed) valued at $1, Donated by Prestige Off Road 2nd Prize Vicmap Book Range Bundle (consisting of 5 x books) valued at $ Donated by Spatial Vision Innovations Pty Ltd 3rd Prize 4WD Victoria Gift Voucher - valued at $ Donated by Four Wheel Drive Victoria 4th Prize Hummers for Hire (1 Hour Tour) valued at $ Donated by Hummers for Hire Raffle will be drawn at the General Meeting to be held on 22nd June 2011 at Four Wheel Drive Victoria, and winners will be notified. Latest Conditions on Track Closures Alpine National Park Flood Closures Visitors are asked to avoid a number of areas in the Alpine National Park due to damaged bridges, land slips, fallen debris / wet slippery road and track conditions. Current flood damage closures in popular visitor / 4WD areas includes Wonnangatta Moroka / Howqua King (Dargo - Licola Mansfield) King Billy Trk Bluff Link Rd (between 16 Mile Jeep Track & Howqua River) Upper Howqua Camping Area King Basin Rd (Pineapple Flat to King Hut) King Hut to Circuit Rd via Speculation Rd Long Spur Track (Dargo High Plains) at the junction of King Spur & Long Spur Tracks. Access to Dargo River & Mayford Camping Areas is still available via the King Spur Track. Bogong (Mt Beauty) West Kiewa Logging Rd Catherine River Bridge (Buffalo River valley) will be replaced in March Vehicles must cross river via ford adjacent to work site. Please note ford impassable may be impassable after rainfall. King Howqua - Wabonga Plateau (Whitfield)A number of tracks on the Wabonga Plateau including Basin & Burnt Top tracks. Other closures Dry River Walking Track/ Bicentennial National Trail from Howitt Rd to Wonnangatta Valley and from Guys Hut to Wonnangatta Valley. Taylors Crossing foot bridge closed from 28 Feb for around three weeks for maintenance. Top section of Riggall Spur Track between Echo Point Track & the junction with Gillios Track. Cobbler Lake camping area on Thursday 5 May 2011 due to tree works. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 7

8 Victorian High Country Huts Association VHCHA For information about huts please visit VHCHA website : This site has further information on the Victorian High country huts and activities associated with each area. Our club is a member of this organisation, with Graeme Abotomey our representative. Batteries Adapted from an article by Liam MacCarroll of Better Batt, betterbatt.com.au Batteries must be completely flat before you can charge them While this is true of older battery technologies such as NiCad, lithium-ion/polymer batteries which are used in most cameras and laptops today can be charged at any time without any negative effects. There is no need to wait until the battery is flat to charge it. Watch for mislabelling especially on ebay It is not uncommon for some manufacturers to mislabel their batteries with higher capacities. Generally, for more power in a battery the battery must be larger. Batteries deteriorate the more you use them This is true but it is also true that all batteries deteriorate with age regardless of how often you use them. From the minute a battery is made it begins to deteriorate slightly each and every day. Batteries which have been on the supermarket shelf for a long time will give you shorter life.heavy usage will also shorten the battery's life. However for most people time will impact the batteries deterioration more than their use. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 8

9 King Hut Working Bee. 16/17 April. Following a call from the Victorian Huts Association for assistance with the rebuild of King hut (which was burnt down a couple of years ago), we decided to help out on the second of their three working bees scheduled for April. Noel & I headed in early Saturday to find a small band of enthusiastic workers trying to decipher the most comprehensive set of plans ever drawn for a bush hut. Noel quickly cut to the chase & had the string lines set up so we could at least get a start on the holes for the footings. It didn t take long to discover that the hut site was on river gravel or should we say river boulders which took over 3 hours to dig the 15 holes. Frank who was camped down at Pineapple Flat with the family dropped in and kindly gave us a hand for a while. A quick nod of approval from the building inspector & we set about concreting the posts in, Noel in charge of the mixer & Craig on the Laser level. The boxing for the fireplace was assembled & set in place which concluded the days work. With commitments that night we both headed home although I decided I better return for the concrete pour on the Sunday seeing we had such small numbers. Work was already under way when I got back so we set about mixing what must have been over 4 tonne of premix concrete. Looked for a while that we may run short but made it with 2 bags to spare. A quick clean-up & the site was ready for the main Easter build where the plan is to have the majority of the structure erected hopefully by the time you read this report. Cheers Craig... Setting the stumps in place. Only 100 more bags to mix Noel! Stumps set in place, fireplace footings poured Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 9

10 Omeo-Wombat Post Office Club Trip Friday, 22/04/2011 and Saturday, 23/04/2011 Members Involved: David Blore: Trip Leader Toyota 100 Series with the works David Jackson: Tail-end Charlie Land Rover Discovery with the works and rooftop tent Andrew Brown: New member Nissan GQ Short wheelbase with some modifications Dean: Riding shotgun David F: Young David was there also riding shotgun APCO SERVO At 8.00am David J. drove in the servo on time and ready to go. About two minutes later, David B. appeared and after a short introduction we were on the road. Only three vehicles but, it was Good Friday. Our first destination was Freeburg, just beyond Bright. Dean and Jackie offered morning tea and a tour of their lovely new house in return for Dean s ride in the 100 Series. (The last trip may have damaged his vehicle but not Dean s spirit he was hanging out to be in the bush again.) With full tummies and a group photo in the camera, we were on the road again. Our destination: the state forest beyond Omeo. The drive to Bright had given plenty of time to chat on-air and share some background info about each other and our vehicles, so things were pretty quiet on the climb to Mt. Hotham. The cloud cover was low and the fog loomed in, especially near the summit. Once we were past the village though, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. It was a terrific drive through Dinner Plain to Omeo. Omeo After a short stop in Omeo, we headed out on the Mitta Mitta road. 3k s later, we turned right, heading to Hinnomunjie. The historic old Hinnomunjie bridge has been replaced by a modern bridge. When we were at the bridge, the owner of the house near the bridge was coming out to clean the air filter on his river pump, so we were able to have a chat. He told us how the water was lapping his feet when he stood on the old bridge during the recent floods. It was a torrent and very dangerous. Morning tea at Dean and Jackie s A far cry from the stream it was on Friday, with campers setting up tents on the banks of the creek for the weekend! A few more photos and off again. David B. led us through the private land and onto the Alpine National Park which lay a short distance up the road. Taylor s Crossing A quiet drive through some gently undulating bush land led us to Taylor s Crossing. Time for some lunch and air-down the tires. The river was fairly low so we had lunch then crossed the river to check out the toilet facilities on the far side water crossings are fun and this was too. Each vehicle just had a wash and loved it. This was also a good photo opportunity, so there were lots of shots of the crossing. Our next destination wasn t far away Kennedy s Hut. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 10

11 Kennedy s Hut What a beautiful setting for a hut right on the side of the river a good place to shelter or go fishing. We then headed off up an innocuous looking track with Wombat Post Office our next stop. The Climb The gently undulating track through the bush was just a walk in the park. Fairly open bush with no obstacles to speak of then we came to a short clearing where the track had a sudden climb of 300 meters, up a sandy ridged and rutted track. The rains had washed down the ruts and the soil was quite soft under the surface. This was going to be fun! (We have photos to prove it!) After a short walk to the first ridge, David B. was willing to give it a shot. Dean was driving and a line was chosen. We were on the sidelines watching to see if the mighty 100 Series would nail this sucker straight up! A fair run up was taken momentum was achieved and the vehicle launched up the hill. It was the last ridge that stopped this first run. I can do this! D.B. The front wheels just couldn t make it over this lip mind you, it was a good 600mm or more dead straight climb that in the dry would be okay, but in the wet conditions of the day, just was not climbable. Hit it any harder and there could be some tears and a broken front suspension Dean reversed slowly down the ruts then applied the brakes.the four wheels locked and the vehicle just slid 10 metres down the ruts! It was slippery. Different Lines Some more discussions now, on new lines and was it in, or out of the ruts? IN the ruts and to the left was the next try. Same outcome. A couple of more runs at the hill and the same ridge was the sticking point. One more try Let s try a different vehicle The GQ is much lighter than the other vehicles and it has lockers, so we swapped the vehicles on the off chance the short wheelbase might make it over the ridge. An extreme right hand line was chosen and attempted.all was going well until, the front wheels nearly hit the top of the ridge, then the left back wheel slide into the deep rut going nowhere, stopped. A bit of an angle on the vehicle nose pointing to the sky a good photo op some deep breaths and then a tactical retreat down the hill a bit. A short discussion about the LHS line and into it again no problems the shorty just ate up the hill. Now we could drag either or both vehicles over the ridge if need be. Track modifications There was a bit of digging and lowering of the ridge with a shovel and some sweat. Just a little bit of smoothing out made a huge difference to the safety and ease of the track. Young David s shovelling effort was appreciated by us all. Now David B. was ready to have a go at it himself. He too decided the left side was the way to go.one or two tries and he was over the obstacle and up on the next level no worries. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 11

12 Two up! The Disco had been sitting now for quite some time.alone and lonely waiting patiently for its workout. A bit more air out of its muddies, especially the rear and it was ready. (Slightly more smoothing of the ridge with the shovel and we stood back a respectful distance. ) David J. gunned the Disco from the bottom of the hill and came up at a higher speed, with more momentum than the other vehicles (years of experience at play here!). The Disco just shot over the lip and had the front right wheel about 600mm off the ground he made it up no problems. All up! (I was taking photos of his ascent and was so amazed at this speed, I just stopped taking the photos and missed the best bit the wheel way off the ground I got it just as it hit the ground again. Next time!) We all made it. Vehicles intact and no damage to anything or anyone.this was fun. The Track in and out of Wombat Post Office It was all very orderly after the sand pit fun David B. led us over some fairly unused tracks with good climbs and descents down into the old mining town where the site of the Wombat Post Office has been recorded with an official plaque. There, two small streams meet and a couple of acres of cleared land show where the gold mining town once stood in the 1850 s. It s still a very pretty place to visit. The Club When we got to the clearing, there was a lone trail bike rider who was doing a recce for his family s trip the next day. Rider and the Guys at Wombat Post Office I m new to the club so it was nice to see how our men shared maps and information with the rider. After we wished him well, he was off on his way back to his camp. It was now quite late and I was heading back home so the team just drove out with me! We headed up the very tight and overgrown Razorback Ridge track. With foliage reaching the way past the edges of the vehicles, we climbed out of the valley, through a few water crossings and a very tight fallen tree and more scratched panels we emerged about 10 K s later at the logging track intersection. What a track! What a team! (Thanks guys for your friendship and warm welcome to me.) Time to head home After a few minutes chatting about potential camp sites for the three staying Davids, we all headed out to the main Omeo-Mitta Mitta road. There, I aired-up my tyres (aided by the awesome air pump David B has fitted to his machine ) and we said our goodbyes. Dean was also going home too, so we headed to the Falls Creek Road to get back to Freeberg. What a track! What a great day. End of Day 1: Wombat Post Office Trip Second day The three Davids were heading back into the bush to make camp for the night. After seeing Andrew and Dean off safely, David B, David J and David F retreated into the bush and set up camp. It was a coolish, come cold night and with local firewood a little damp it took a little while for a roaring Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 12

13 campfire to appear - but as always it happened. A bottle of red and hearty meal and quite a bit of reminiscing saw us all hit the sack at about Coldish over night - as we were very close to Mt Wills. David B in his new swag and myself and young David in the rooftop tent. After breaky and a bit of a chin wag we headed off down Razor Back Spur Track - what a beautifull track. Wide and super smooth, ready for the ski season. We turned off into Lightening Creek Track and WOW what a fantastic drive - not hard, but at least 20 river crossings - all caught on video. Out on to the bitumen of Omeo Hwy where we aired up. Lunch was at the Walnuts then on to Mitta, Lockharts Gap Rd past a very full Lake Hume and to home. A fantastic 2 days - 3 great vehicles - 5 eager fun filled participants and 3 Davids Andrew B & David J Bright - Wandiligong 15/4/11 "Set off from APCO about 0920 with Myself, Zoe, Zoe's little brother Jack & David Ashford in my vehicle and Andrew Brown following closely behind in his GQ shorty. First stop was lake Buffalo where we aired down and had a quick chat then we set off over Mt Buffalo towards the Buckland valley with some breath taking views along the way. Stopped in briefly at a mates place for a chat and to stretch the legs. Then we were off again to Dingo ridge track which started with a tough hill climb to but that quickly calmed down to a nice undulating track with more nice scenery. Dropped down into Wandiligong where we stopped for some lunch at the largest living hedge maze in Aus. Back down the road to Mongrel track to Harrietville and we were back on the Bitumen heading home. It was a very nice relaxing day which was enjoyed Out the back of Wandi...heading to Harrietville by all. The driving was easy and the views spectacular." Tom Barnard "David, how deep is that rut?" Tom Jack, Zoe, David and Tom...What a good day. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 13

14 Grey Gypsies on the move again! Autumn in the Flinders Ranges: May-April 2011 by Meg Dillon Seeing the Flinders Ranges as an emerald green oasis really appealed to us so we set off to combine three trips in a busy fortnight. Firstly Bruce Gooday organized the GGs plus Alan and Vicky Davis to go to the Blaze Aid camp at Charlton for the weekend to help local farmers repair flood damaged fences. While the boys worked fencing, Vicky and Meg mopped floors and prepared meals in the kitchen at the local footy club where we were based. All workers are volunteers and somehow one of them takes charge to organize the work gangs and another to do the paperwork needed to keep funds rolling in. Communal evening meals were catered for by local ladies and the volunteers of all ages exchanged many iterestig life stories ad had lots of fu after their da s ork. Ala ad Vik staed o for the folloig eek at Blaze Aid while Bruce returned home and the GGs headed for South Australia to meet ith Meg s Prous group. Very few trips are trouble free; in fact the problems are often a great part of a trip. So it was for us. About 10km out of Charlton Terry noticed a trail of liquid following us on the road when we pulled up. It certainly explained the high fuel usage! The suppliers of the new canopy on the Navara had pulled the breather hose off the fuel line. After a few phone calls we drove back to Seymour to the Nissan garage who fixed it and had us on our way again. 300 km after leaving Charlton that morning we were almost back to where we started and spent the night at the pleasant Wedderburn caravan park. The next two nights we camped at Rosy Pine Soak, a camp in the Ngarkat NP on the SA border. This Mallee scrub park is usually empty with some good walks to lookouts and wildflowers. We caught up the next night with the Probus group at Clare and had a great group BBQ round the huge open log fireplace at the caravan park, followed the next day by a trip to Burra and Mintaro, two quaint towns with lots of coffee shops, old wares dealers and eateries! Our real destination was Rawnsley Bluff caravan park near Wilpena Pound in the southern Flinders Ranges where we met up with Peter Carlyon (Mazda) and Chris & David Jackson (Disco!!!). While the Probus group drove the easier Elder Range trail, we drove Skytrek on Willow Springs station. What a great but long day we had! The track initially follows several gullies with canyons, huts, creeks, Aboriginal rock art and wild flowers. Lots of photos and a morning tea stop! About half way through the track turns and climbs onto the Bunkers Range where we were treated to some nice climbs, tight corners and fabulous views over the valleys from many look outs with eagles soaring round us on the windy ridges. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 14

15 A nice lunch stop with tables and seats gave us room to spread our lunch and bring out a glass of wine. We also did the trail to the Skull Rock, an optional extra on the way out. It took over an hour and the track was rougher than SkyTrek! It was a great day for drivers and passengers alike. We farewelled the Probus group next day and the Wang group set out for Chambers Gorge i the North Fliders. Did I sa e had a Diso ith us? H. Daid s o board computer got precious and kept dropping the clearance down and insisting on travelling in 2WD. After a number of stops and suggestions (eg Why did you buy this car?) we turned back to Wilpena Pound to get phone reception and possible help for the rak diso. After soe disussio ith Dae s ehaic the boys disconnected the two batteries, waited and then reconnected them in an effort to restart the computer. Sadly, this strategy also failed so we waved goodbye to Chris and David and two cars set out again for Chambers Gorge. (PS David and Chris had an uneventful and pleasant trip back to the NE - the disco happily doing 2WD) Great drive into Chambers Gorge where recent rain had filled the creek and waterholes. To our surprise we found three cars camping in the gorge already and bumped into the campers on a number of our walks the next day. A huge display of rock art is found after a short walk to the end of the gorge suggesting this was a very important ceremony site for the Aboriginal people who formerly lived here. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 15

16 Two nights later we were on our way to Lake Frome (has it filled with water? Answer: No) and then to Grindells hut, a 22km 4x4 drive off the main road on our way to Arkaroola. We had intended to drive the Stirrup Iron Range track at Mulga View station on our way, but the owners had closed it temporarily due to recent rain and were waiting for the grader to arrive the following week to re-establish parts of it. Grindells track was a nice challenge pulling our camper trailer (it was closed by the ranger the day after we left!) and the Illinawortina Pound Circuit track out of Grindells was also closed when we arrived, due to the recent rain! It seemed all the great driving was closed and the grader as alas oig et Moda! We left Gridells after a oe ight sta and shepherded a hired Subaru out as its driver was doubtful if he could get out again through a big mud hole on the creek. He cleared it in fine style after taking a running surge at it and bouncing off a few rocks in the middle! On to Arkaroola! Yes you guessed it! They had closed their 4x4 tracks due to the recent rain, and yes! the grader was arriving Monday. All was not lost however as their 2WD drives were now 4x4, so we drove those instead. The Stubbs waterhole drive led past old mining ruins, some spectacular views across Welcome Pound, gorges and a waterhole great for swimming. Likewise the next day the drive to Bolla Bolana Springs and an old mining site along a creek bed was also fine. Our only complaint was we picked up two unwelcome travelers while at the Arkaroola camp site - two mice that crept up into the lockers on the camper trailer. They liked multigrain bread! We got rid of one before leaving the camp site and offloaded the other in Laura on our way home. Many thanks to Pete Carlyon and the Jacksons who were great travelling companions on the Flinders trail. Meg & Terry Dillon Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 16

17 Club Trips Please let a committee member know if you are interested in leading a trip. There are many experienced club members who are more than willing to assist you with some planning and to assist you on the day if you would like. Birthday Bash Help celebrate our Birthday - don't forget to bring the kids AND your friends with an interest in 4WDriving.Encourage ALL your friends in the club to attend. When: Saturday 14th May at 6:00pm Where: McEvoys (Eldorado) Tavern for evening meal Menu - order from board. Raffle - be prepared Accommodation :Gemstone Caravan Park Eldorado. We've organised a section for the 4WD club on Sat night within walking distance to the Tavern Contact: Gemstone caravan Powered sites $22, Unpowered $17, cabins also available Other Entertainment: Drive on Saturday and/or Sunday - around Eldorado area. Leave from the caravan park - 12pm Sat and 10am Sunday Contact: as soon as possible Dean Cunico after hrs or David or Chris Jackson INVITATION TO SPONSORS We would love to see some of our sponsors on our trips. Please checkout the trips on the calendar and see if any might suit you. All you need to do is to give the contact person a call. Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 17

18 KTM Cancer Charity Ride 2011 Strathbogies Ranges 10th-11th of September Wangaratta 4X4 Club Official Event Sponsors The Cancer Charity Ride started by local guys in 2009, Murray Edgar and Geoff Wilkinson. Last year was a great success and raised over $10,000 for the Cancer Appeal. This is to be held again in the Sep weekend above, and with the extra numbers expected to attend, as per last year where Murray had asked our club if we would like to provide a couple of vehicles each day to assist at the drink stations and more importantly be available for any recovery if required. This year we have gotten in first and offered our services as active sponsors of the weekend as part of our community support program. Spoke with Wilko tonight and he was delighted to have us onboard again wilko@forceaccessories.com.au he will let us know more details as they become available. The website has some information and pictures about this event if you are interested. Details: Start: Safeway Benalla 8.00am and travel to meeting point at Lima East Lunch and drinks: Supplied by sponsors Finish time: Around 5pm on Saturday and lunchtime on Sunday (May allow time for a play Sunday afternoon) Accommodation: Caravans, Tents, Swags?????? whatever, we'll camp near by OR come each day. Required: Preferably 2 utes to rescue motor bikes PLUS 4-5 other vehicles to ferry the para-medics to injured riders and/or pick up downed riders. Comments: Last year we had a blast - great company, fantastic driving and a great community spirited weekend. Maybe this year we might even have some Club members riding their trail bikes as part of the Charity Ride. Contact: Noel Ham ph mob: niham@bigpond.com Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 18

19 CLUB CALENDAR 2011 Remember club trips are not set in stone so there will be times when trip dates will be changed to suit members and the weather. Dates 2011 Destination Type of trip Proposed leader May 10 General Meeting Guest speakers Terry Kingston and Chris Clarke from Parks Victoria, May 14 McEvoy s Eldorado Birthday Dinner Dean May 24 Jun Kinglake Challenge (Kinglake area) Committee Meeting Medium Tom Barnard Base camp with a lot of entertaining driving & great scenery Albury Wodonga s Complete 4WD Equipment Centre DISCOUNT FOR CLUB MEMBERS pleasmith@arb.com.au See Peter, Nathan, Damian or Mick 476 Hume Street Albury (Next to Hungry Jack s) Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 19

20 TRACk Torque May 2011 Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club A D PO Box 494 Wangaratta Responsible Four Wheel Driving And Family Touring Wangaratta Four Wheel Drive Club Inc May 2011 Page 20