Friday 3rd November 2023
Leader: David H
Participants: Colin O, Geoff, Graham and Peter
It’s good to be able to re-vitalise trips from our club’s website. This was such a trip, seen by a new club member as having value and potential to be run again, with a fresh perspective.
The early start to the day, if you started from the eastern side of Melbourne, was a bit cloudy and made one wonder what it was going to be like – wet, foggy, rain, dusty, muddy, rocky and all those things.
Just off the Western highway, near Bacchus Marsh, at Rupert Vance Moon Reserve, the four trip participants met Trip Leader, David H, for an eight o’clock start on our difficult rated trip.
Following a run through the Trip Leader’s Checklist, our readiness to depart led us to cross to the northern side of the Western Highway gradually climbing past homes perched on the hills overlooking Bacchus Marsh and its river flats. We followed Flanagan Drive from the Rupert Vance Moon Reserve until we turned into Bences Road. Here there were more rural hobby farm style properties and some larger cropping ventures. Turning right on to the Gisborne Road we soon found Russells Road and came to our first track for the day – Seereys Track, where we aired down in readiness for some challenges, in the Lerderderg State Park. With tyre pressures adjusted we drove our dusty track to the "Lerderderg 4WD Training Park", an old quarry, where a number of challenges exist.
Stopping at the base of a rocky, steep, holed climb up a slope, gave us some time to discuss how we would approach this. It was sensible and safe to get out of our vehicles, walk the steep track and talk through our approach to ascending it, if we wished to do so. There was a circuit that could be used if the steep track was not a choice for any participant.
Following David, our leader, we attempted this steep track, learning as we went on how our vehicles behaved. A welcome morning tea break was taken and allowed the group to discuss this challenging section that we had just conquered
We drove to a highpoint in the quarry and found our way back to Seereys Track and were on our way to Holts Road. The plan was to take Holts Road to Nuggety Track and go north to intersect with Bluegum Track. Disappointed to find it still closed, after the tracks opening date, we continued on along Bluegum Track. This took us along a ridge with some long views to both sides, through the forest of the state park. Arriving at the north end of Nuggety Track we found it too was still closed. A phone call to FWDV to ask why Nuggety Track was still closed brought a return call later in the day to advise erosion damage was why the closure remained.
This however was not enough to stop us. We continued on to Ratcliffe Track, quite a long track, encountering a range of surfaces to add interest to the trip.
Ratcliffe Track ended on Firth Road, a main road in the Lerderderg State Park.This took us, on a smooth well maintained road, to Firth Park and Campground for our lunch break. Someone noticed the right rear tyre on Colin’s vehicle looked to have low pressure. A check was taken before lunch and after lunch another check showed some pressure loss, leading to a change of wheel. The help with this task was much appreciated along with the reminders to do this safely.
Continuing after lunch, on Firth Road, we then followed Chettle Rd to an interesting side track. This was a steep, rocky and undulating section of track. We all got out and discussed the pro's and con's of various lines before putting that into practice and successfully completing this obstacle.
We proceeded to the end of this track, which joined up with Amblers Lane which became Amblers Lane Track and took us to O’briens Road. We crossed a couple of creeks and the Lerderderg River, saw a delightful campground and experienced enjoyable bush driving to the end of O’briens Road where it met with the Blackwood Greendale Road. Just before the intersection we aired up, sorted the paper work, thanked David for a great day trip and started out for home.
Our thanks to David for his planning, resilience in adjusting his plan when we found tracks still closed which was not expected and his caring for us on the trip.
Text: Colin O
Photos: Graham & David