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The Foresters go higher: High Country Exploration Circuit

  • 18 Apr 2023
  • 9:00 AM
  • 21 Apr 2023
  • 4:00 PM
  • Licola to Mansfield
  • 3

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The Foresters go higher: High Country Exploration Circuit

Date and time:  9:00am, Tuesday 18 April to 1:00pm Friday 21 April 2023

Description:  Please contact your trip leader if you are unsure of any of the following requirements for this trip.

Want to get in a trip with some stunning alpine views before the end of the Easter school holiday break? Then you have come to the right trip.

Whilst everyone else is sleeping off their Easter eggs and hot cross buns, the Foresters will be enjoying the pick of Victoria’s High Country vistas. But they want you to come and share the adventure!

The intent of this trip is to travel in an anti-clockwise circuit from Licola to Talbotville, Mt. Blue Rag, Bright, Lake William Hovell, Mt. Cobbler, Craig’s Hut, and Mt. Stirling.

Part of this trip will be exploration as I have not travelled some of these tracks before.

This trip is designed to dovetail in with Prue and John Hasler’s ANZAC Weekend Wonnangatta trip, for those attending that. This trip will finish near Mansfield the day before Prue and John’s trip begins.

A rough proposed outline is as follows:

Tuesday 18 Apr – meet at Licola, head to The Pinnacles, Billy Goat Bluff track and setup camp at Talbotville.

Wednesday 19 Apr – explore tracks towards Blue Rag (via Grant and the Dargo High Plains Rd), zoom through Bright, follow powerlines near Mt Buffalo to Cheshunt, camp at Sandy Flat or Top Crossing Hut campground on the King River above Lake William Hovell.

Thursday 20 Apr – head to King Hut Camp, Mt Cobbler and Dandongadale Falls. Depending on time, camp at Lake Cobbler or King Hut Camp.

Friday 21 Apr – Craig’s Hut and Mt. Stirling.

You are welcome to drop in and out of the trip at Bright or Cheshunt.

Please carry all food and water for 4 days plus cooking and camping equipment.

Morning tea and lunches will be in the bush each day – byo simple, “on the move” lunches and morning teas.

Appropriate clothing and closed toe footwear for cold and possibly wet conditions (depending on forecast). Overnight temperatures can be cold. Bring appropriate camping gear for these conditions.

No camper trailers, pets or firearms.  We will be travelling mainly in Alpine National Park areas.

Kids are most welcome! (At least one of mine is coming, although he has no choice).

I highly recommend RACV Total Care or similar plus full Ambulance Cover.

References:  Rooftops Maps ‘Dargo - Wonnangatta Adventure Map’ and ‘Bright – Mansfield Adventure Map’

Weather:  These are high alpine areas, so rain and fog are possible. Low chance of snow, but it is not impossible.

The weather will be monitored leading up to and during the trip. The trip may be modified or cancelled depending on weather conditions.

Equipment:  Below are the recommended vehicle requirements.  If you are not sure if your vehicle is suitable for a trip, please have a chat with the trip leader.

Good off-road tyres (All Terrain, 60 profile recommended as a minimum), UHF radio (or one borrowed from the club), a well-maintained vehicle with low range (or equivalent), good ground clearance (200mm recommended as a minimum), recovery points, standard recovery gear including dampener, rated snatch strap and shackles, shovel.  Drivers must have completed the RRCV club training or equivalent. 

Additional Equipment required:  We will bush camp in designated National Parks campsites with drop toilets available.  Camping gear suitable for cooler alpine environments, cold weather clothing as alpine weather can change suddenly.   Each vehicle ought to bring half a bag of firewood for our nightly group campfire.

Air compressor and tyre gauge, MaxTrax or similar recovery equipment.  Optional chainsaw and all safety equipment (chaps, hard hat, safety goggles, ear muffs, steel toe cap boots, leather gloves – PPE). A winch may be handy if you have one.  

 Trip Standard:  Hard – Some tracks are Easy, many tracks are Medium, but there are some sections classified as Hard.  Drivers must have completed at least the Proficiency level driver training course, have had some experience with Medium tracks on other club trips and be comfortable using driving aids such as traction control and hill descent control.

Fuel:  Enough fuel from Licola for 500km. We will go through Bright, but we will only stop if necessary for refuelling.  It would be a good idea to carry an extra full jerrycan of fuel.

Distance:  Melbourne to Licola 240kms. Licola to Mt Buller 500km. Mt Buller to Melbourne 220km.

Duration: 4 days

Convoy limit:  8 vehicles

Meeting arrangements:  We plan to meet outside the Licola General Store, Licola at 9.00am for our trip briefing. (What3Words reference https://w3w.co/pantomime.laughed.sandpaper). We aim to finish about 1:00pm near Mirimbah (base of Mt Buller) on the Friday.

Trip Leader:  James Lawson, Phone - 0429265550, Email – lawsonj71au@gmail.com

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