4WD Treks Close to Melbourne: Validation of Trek 13 Cathedral Range and Rubicon
Date and time: 9:00am to 4:00pm Sunday the 14th of April.
Description: Please contact your trip leader if you are unsure of any of the following requirements for this trip.
This trek starts at Marysville and passes through the Cathedral Ranges State Park along Cerberus Road, affording excellent views of the imposing slab-sided ranges. At Sugarloaf Saddle there is a large, covered picnic area providing a sheltered area to stop and boil the billy. Several walks start from here including the Canyon Track which is rated hard and leads to the summit of Sugarloaf Peak. A little further north of the saddle is the lovely camping and picnic ground at Cooks Mill. It is from here that we recommend taking the easy walk along Little River Track to Neds Gully or the Friends Nature Trail, an easy, standard one-hour walk through delightful manna gum forests.
Leaving the Cathedrals the route heads east along Blackwood Lane. The lane is a pleasant but slow grassy track which leads into the Rubicon State Forest. From here the trek heads north to an unofficial lookout offering vistas to the west towards Taggerty.
The trek then winds its way uphill, pushing deeper into the forest to pick up Tom Burns Track (seasonally closed) which is accessed off Quartz Creek Track. Tom Burns Track is narrow with some minor ruts. It’s a pleasant drive which eventually leads to the Rubicon Historic Area. The historic area includes a wooden trestle bridge along with the original power station built in the 1920s and, further north, a newer power station. Still in use today, the power generated by the Rubicon Station provides only a fraction of the state’s power-supply. If the weather is warm there are also good opportunities to enjoying a paddle in the waters of the Royston River.
From the historic area the trek continues north along Rubicon Road passing the two camping areas at Kendalls before arriving at the Taggerty Road. At the junction here at Tumbling Waters is a picnic area on the river providing good access for fishing. From Tumbling Waters, it is only a short distance north to the small town of Thornton.
Weather: Alpine environment, potentially cold and wet. Review the Alpine weather forecast leading up to the trip and bring appropriate clothing, footwear.
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: Morning tea and lunches will be in the bush each day – byo simple, “on the move” lunches and morning teas (byo thermos).
No camper trailers, pets or firearms
Maps and Reference Material: The Rooftop Maps Big River Rubicon–Lake Eildon Forest Activities Map was our guide for this trek. Other maps include the Spatial Vision Vic Map Book Central Region and the 1:50,000 Vic map. Map sheets 8022-N McMahons Creek and 8023-S Thornton.
Trip Standard: Medium. The route follows dirt roads which are generally well maintained. However, in wet conditions some of these tracks can become slippery; all-terrain tyres which have been aired down would be advantageous in these conditions. There are a couple of small creek crossings, however significant rainfalls would be needed for these crossings to become problematic.
Fuel: a full tank at Marysville
Distance: Approx. distance from Marysville to Thornton is 72.9Kms of mainly high range driving.
Duration: 1 Day
Convoy limit: 6 vehicles.
Meeting arrangements: We plan to meet in the main street of Marysville outside the information area and depart at 9.00am sharp. If you plan to get coffee beforehand then you will need to arrive a little earlier. We will aim to finish about 4.00pm in Thornton.
Trip Leaders: Luciano Cinel, Mobile - 0418512319 Email- luce.cinel@gmail.com.au
Club Guest Registration policy: It is club policy in regard to insurance cover that if a member brings any non-members on the trip they must be registered and have paid the required fee as Temporary Members BEFORE the event.
i.e. non- members can no longer register on the day with the trip leader.
Temporary Membership information and ways to register can be found at:
Temporary (Guest) Membership
Also if a non-member wishes to bring their own vehicle, the member inviting the non-member must contact the trip leader for approval to bring the vehicle. Such approval will take into account skills of the driver, suitability of the vehicle and whether or not a place within the convoy limit is available for a non-member's vehicle.
