THE VICTORIAN HIGH COUNTRY RUN

By Unsealed 4X4 17 Min Read

What happens when you let a forum full of avid four-wheel drivers loose in the High Country? A full-on adventure, that’s what!

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Every year for the last eight years a group of Victorians from the website 4x4earth.com have organised an annual meet somewhere in the High Country they call home. Since its inception there has been a group of NSW members who make the pilgrimage down to join them, and it is always one of the most anticipated trips on the calendar. This year we had the task of selecting how our group of 12 vehicles would get from Jindabyne to O’Tooles Flat campground located in Thompson State Forest. After months of poring over maps and discussing possible courses around some local campfires, the final route was decided.

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Our trip began in the sleepy town of Jindabyne. From there we headed south through rolling farmland covered with granite boulders along Barry Way. Almost immediately when the views change from farmland to bushland, the road turns to windy dirt … and we wave goodbye to the bitumen for the first time.

 

Once on the dirt we spent the rest of the day along the Snowy River, where we made our first camp for the night. We were still buzzing from an amazing day and anticipating the more difficult driving that the next day would bring. At the time of our trip the northern portion of Deddick Trail had been blocked due to a landslide. Parks Victoria had suggested an alternate route via Collings Track and Bowen Trail. We had anticipated that this detour would be a nice cruisy drive. How wrong we were!

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Collings Track is steep. Proper High Country steep, right from the start. Not only that but the few flat sections included deep bog holes, before rutted clay hill climbs. This 19km detour ended up taking us three hours to complete. What a fun drive it was, too. Amazing views over rolling countryside immediately followed by dense bushland where the track looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in years. Turning on to Deddick Trail was almost disappointing because of the fun we’d had on the detour tracks. Disappointment very quickly gave way to excitement once again as the Deddick climbed and descended and took us to our first crystal-clear creek crossing of the trip. Something about the creeks and rivers in this region is truly remarkable. The water just seems clearer and cleaner than just about anywhere in the country.

 

Not long after the creek crossing we came to probably the most famous part of the Deddick Trail. Mt Joan Staircase is a super steep one-way section of track that climbs over 500m across a distance of a little over 2km. The staircase has apparently been bulldozed in the last few years to take out some rock steps, but I can vouch first-hand that this takes nothing away from the thrill of driving such a steep track. Camp that night was again on the banks of the Snowy River, this time at Jackson’s Crossing. What a campsite this is. There is a choice of either beach camping on a gorgeous stretch of sand that fronts the river with sheer cliffs on the other side; or a big, open grassy area a mere 100m away from the river. Absolutely spoilt.

 

 

You might think that after a couple of days like that we might have a slower, less interesting start to the morning. Not even close. The next day began with the crossing of the Snowy River at Jackson’s Crossing. This crossing includes two parts. The first is a 200m curved section where you drive out into the river, before turning downstream and onto an island. Another 50m or so along the island and you pop out at the second part of the crossing which features deeper, faster-flowing water – although shorter at around 15m wide. This is one crossing you should definitely walk before attempting. Two of us walked the crossing and marked some of the larger boulders for the remainder of the group. A small run up the tar to Swifts Creek for fuel and a stop at the bakery was next on the agenda. I talked up this bakery to anyone that would listen and I’m pretty sure that no-one was disappointed. In fact I’m fairly sure there will now be a whole new group of people talking up this bakery. If you haven’t been and don’t mind the odd pie, I cannot recommend this place highly enough. I genuinely rate it right up there with Birdsville Bakery – and one of the best stops you can make for a pie while touring.

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After lunch we were off on a historical tour beginning at King Cassillis Mine. This is a top place if you are at all interested in the mining history of the High Country. Not only is there old machinery and relics in this area, but there is even an old hut (King Cassillis Mine Hut). The hut was built for John Avery and his sons and has since been vacated, although John’s grandson Mark has maintained it. The mine was once a thriving township with a population of around 1,000 people during the Victorian gold mining era. Some of the remaining equipment in this area is located under tin-roofed structures. As a result of protection from the weather, some of the wheels and cogs are in such good condition they can be turned by hand. It’s astounding that machines that have sat outside for more than half a century could still be in such good condition that you feel like they could be powered up, turned on … and would work just as they did the day they were shut off for the last time.

 

Next hut on the list was McDonalds Hut. This hut was built by and named after William Donald McDonald in 1951, during dozing works for the upcoming 1951-1952 logging season. The hut is in excellent condition and would make a very comfortable little campsite with a small grassy area and creek nearby. For the 12 vehicles, McDonald Hut was a little small – so we carried on to our camp that night at Marthavale Hut on the banks of the Nicholson River. This is one of my favourite huts in the High Country. It was constructed in 1952 for use by timber workers, and extended in 1960, but my favourite part of the story was that it was fully restored in 2002 by Idlers 4X4 Club. Have a look at the before and after photos on the plaques outside the hut. This really is a great story for four-wheel drivers. Well done, guys!

 

There are two ways down to Marthavale: The obvious Marthavale Road, which is easy going and is in reasonably good condition; and the much steeper Camms Track. We obviously chose Camms Track but we were not really prepared for what lay at the bottom of the descent. A set of deep muddy ruts led down into a muddy waterhole and up out through another set of deep muddy ruts. Almost all the vehicles dragged bellies and diffs through this section, and some needed multiple attempts, but all made it through except one. A simple snatch recovery got him going again and we all made camp. A little rain that night meant we were well and truly thankful for the protection offered by the hut.

 

Next day was an easy drive into Dargo where we got the standard group poser photos out the front of the famous Dargo Pub. A quick morning beer was had when we realised it was the 11th of the 11th: Remembrance Day. Dargo holds a small service each year at the town hall, and they were happy to welcome some outsiders. They spoke about local service men and women and the entire ceremony was a nice insight into the local community. Thanks, Dargo.

 

Our next adventure was to one of the most famous tracks in the High Country: Billy Goats Bluff Track. This track is iconic for a very good reason. It climbs over 1,000m along a track length of around 10km. This track is steep from the get go and doesn’t relent until you reach the summit. The first section of our drive up to the Helipad was fog free, and this gave us awesome views of both the region and the track ahead. It was particularly impressive seeing the track disappear into the clouds ahead of us. The track was bulldozed earlier last year due to some relatively big rock steps forming. Some may complain about this … but coming from someone who lives in NSW, this is so good to see. Vic Parks maintaining tracks rather than closing them, as we have seen so often in recent years in the northern states, can only be a good thing for four-wheel drivers.

 

The climb from the helipad to the bluff was like driving into a cloud. It did restrict our views but the eerie fog created a special experience as we crossed the bluff. Those of us who have driven the track before know exactly how far the cliffs drop on either side of the narrow track. Knowing this made the drive a surreal experience. It was almost like driving along a suspension bridge between the clouds. At the end of the track is The Pinnacles, where there is an opportunity to walk out to the fire observation tower. Expecting fog, we risked the walk out not expecting to see much. We were pleasantly surprised when the mist temporarily cleared and we got some reasonable views. On fog-free and sunny days this is one of the best views in the High Country.

 

A short drive took us to another spectacular spot and our camp for the night. Horseyard Flat is a massive grassed area right on the banks of Moroka River. The river has some stunning swimming holes and is chock-full of trout. Between our group we managed three little brown trout – all catch and release, of course. We went spotlighting that night and managed to sight a few wombats. There’s something really cool about seeing Aussie animals in their native habitat. It’s something that so few of the population actually get to experience.

 

After a relatively slow start from Horseyard Flat, it was time to make our run to O’Tooles to complete our journey. We could have done the direct route but that wasn’t really consistent with the theme of our trip so far. Instead we stopped in at Moroka Hut, which was built by mountain cattleman in 1946. One of the original builders, Andy Estoppey, was still visiting the hut in 1982 at age 76. No vehicle-based camping is permitted at the grounds surrounding the hut anymore – but a small car park leads to a short 300m walk to the hut. Horses and walkers are still welcomed.

 

Shortly after leaving Moroka Hut, storm clouds appeared. Before we knew it, the rain had started and then the hail. It turned out this would be recurring throughout our day. After parking in some bushes to protect the cars as best we could to wait out the hail, we made our way down to Licola for fuel and lunch. Licola is the only town in Victoria not connected to the mains electricity grid – rather it generates its own power. There’s also a large portion of the town that is privately owned, including the Lions Club-managed tourist park. Not far south of Licola is Burgoynes Gap and the start of Burgoynes Track. This was to be our last difficult track before arriving at O’Tooles. The track climbs steeply almost immediately before tracking along a ridgeline. One climb in particular is rocky and rutted and tested both traction and suspension travel.

 

It wasn’t long after we summited this climb that the storm clouds rolled in again. Hail pummelled the vehicles as we did our best to hide them; lightning strikes were cracking overhead and into the valleys on either side. It was intimidating and exciting at the same time to see the raw power of nature. Knowing that we still had the tricky Macalister River crossing to complete, and after observing the rivers running down the track, the decision was made to turn around after the storms subsided. We instead opted for a more sensible run in pouring rain along Cheynes Bridge Track and onto Donnelly Creek Road, which led us all the way into camp. We all arrived successfully into O’Tooles Flat after what was an amazing adventure. Really we could have chosen a thousand different routes to get there … but with the tracks, stunning campsites and fascinating history we saw and absorbed it’s difficult to imagine a better trip down.

 

Words and Photography by Todd Hore

 


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