Monday 15th April – Thursday 25th 2013
Ahead of us lay a trip into the Deua NP, SW from Moruya on the south Coast of NSW and then further south into the Victorian High Country.
We left
home too late to make it into the Deua in daylight so we spent the night at
Shelly Beach in Meroo NP, 4.3 south of
Lake Tabourie. After breakfast and a walk on
the beach we set off. It was 40km south to Bateman’s Bay then a further 27km to Moruya where we turned off for the park.
We followed the
well known access along Little Sugarloaf on flat land for quite a while before starting the ascent to the top of the range. The track was dry, in good condition and the trucks negotiated the wash away humps with ease. It was a little bit of a roller coaster road to the top – one minute we were climbing, next we were descending. Finally, it was the descent into Bendethra valley.
A lot has been written about the history of Bendethra Valley of which I made note in my Blog, ‘2012 Feb Down into Bendethra Valley -
Deua National Park’ so I wont elaborate further here.
Once across the Deua River we entered the expansive
campground but, due to recent rain and the ground very wet underfoot, there was not a camper in sight. Our intention was to
camp in this area and walk to the old
Homestead Precinct but plans were amended and we drove.
This too was a large
camping area with the river rippling past, an old grave reminding all of the hardships endured by the settlers, the old bake house
ruins and not far away, the Bendethra Caves. This was just to be a quick overnight trip into the valley via the eastern access and then out via the western so all we had to do was take out the chairs and settle in for a glorious afternoon and evening.
Shelly Beach, Meroo NP
Final descent into Bendethra Valley
Near the Horse Yards in the Homestead Precinct
Climbing up the Dampier Fire Trail
Dampier Trig
Steve at Dampier Trig
We only just scraped under this tree
Out of the Deua
It was around 10.30, after a breakfast of eggs on toast, we left our
campsite in glorious sunshine and headed out west, up the mountain range, on the
Dampier Fire Trail.
We stopped at the
intersection of the Minuma Fire Trail for a few pictures (of the trucks of course) and continued on to the
Dampier Trig. An obligatory stone was place on the Trig and, after coffee and chocolate biscuits, we continued onto Middle Mountain Rd and eventually out of the National Park once we reached Krawarree Rd.
It would be a total of 4 ½ hours and 74km before we reached a suitable
campsite alongside the Badja River near the town of
Numeralla (S36 10.454 E149 20.937). I’ll bet a lot of you couldn’t keep up this hectic pace!! The weather was chilly so after dinner we retreated and watched a movie in Hugo.
Before leaving for
Cooma the boys were ever mindful of the need to keep a close
check on the vehicles so they checked for loose nuts, tyre pressures, oil levels, fan belts and all those other things ‘under the bonnet’.
We took time out in
Cooma to look around and
check out the
bakery before heading off to
Tom Groggin, S36 32.534 E148 07.740, a total of 165km for the day. It is funny how time dims the memory because the
campground, although very big, grassy and dotted with facilities, it was not as I remembered it.
From this point on our adventures met a few blank walls. It all started off with me not wanting to takes the trucks over the over the
Murray River ford – perhaps the boys should not have listened to me. Then, Steve could not find his wallet which would leave an unsettling feeling on anyone’s stomach. We pulled the truck apart only to find it in ‘the secret hiding spot’.
We changed plans and decided to go to Corryong and then head south to
Mount Pinnibar on Nariel Gap, Thowgla, Walkers Logging and Marginal Roads. This drew a blank when we came to a fallen tree, only about 13 km from the mountain. It was just a bit too big to move and so the boys exercised their skills at reversing the trucks back along the track until it was possible to turn the vehicles around. With evening upon us we pulled over for the night further back along the track at Bullocky Creek
Recreation Site. It was very pleasant and very quiet. Nobody else was silly enough to venture down this track OR perhaps they knew of the fallen tree!!
Not to be defeated it was back to Benambra/Corryong Rd then south to
Lake Dartmouth. Chicka and I had been there before so he had no problems with ‘The Navigator’ finding the exact spot. But, instead of staying on Eustace Gap Tk I got excited when I saw Dartmouth Track and said, ‘Turn Here’.
Well, I led us down the garden path until the track became overgrown. Once again the boys performed the imposible and got the trucks out of there. I had the position of the
campsite on GPS so why I didn’t just to a ‘Go To’ I do not know.
As you may expect ‘The Navigator’ was given the sack and Chicka said, ‘I’m going to
Omeo, are you coming with me?’
Scammell's Lookout
Tom Groggin
The boys need to build up their strength
Retreat! The 'Navigator' was sacked!
I was initially on the right track.
See, I did get us there years ago!
Coming into Omeo
The Cookoo Clock Shop - Omeo
We passed through Benambra and onto
Omeo where we took Steve to visit The Cuckoo Clock
Shop and then to sample a treat at the
bakery before heading 41km SE to see
The Washington Winch . This old workhorse is now preserved as part of our history.
We were excited to see small pockets of snow on the ground near the winch but were not expecting to see what followed as we climbed higher up the mountain on Nunniong Road. The whole area was blanketed in snow and the road was slippery. Fortunately, after we commenced the descent to Moscow Villa, 3.3km along Bentley Plain Road, we were below the snow line and in a lovely grassy area on the Bentley Plains. S37 13.655 E147 55.422
Bushman Bill Ah Chow finished this log and stone gem in 1942, on the day the Battle of Moscow was won. When local officials objected to the name, he allegedly told them it was actually an acronym for ‘My Own Summer Cottage Officially Welcome Visitors Inside Light Luncheon Available’.
We camped near
the hut and enjoyed the forested surrounds.
Early morning, once the chill had lifted, we took a walk through the Douglas Reserve and along Bentley Creek. Before leaving we had our morning cuppa with the 2 families camped in the Villa.
We retraced our steps back up Bentley Plain Road and onto Nunniong Road enroute to
Limestone Creek
Campground, west of Benambra. Once again we passed through snow covered country until we reached the
clearing at
Brumby Hill Trig. S37 01.370 E147 59.476 It was picturesque with a little snow on the ground a blue sky and white fluffy clouds.
All was going
well till I suggested we take a short cut along Native Cat Track. In the cars we would have been fine but the trucks could not get through without a lot of pruning. Chicka said, ‘We’re out of here’, and we headed back to the
well maintained Nunniong Road and into
Limestone Creek
Campground without any more incidents.
The Washington
The Washington
Nunniong Road carpeted in snow
Moscow Villa
Inside Moscow Villa
Moscow Villa camping area
Bentley Creek Walking Track
Nunniong Plains
Back in the snow on Nunniong Road
Can you see the white truck?
Brumby Hill Trig
Native Cat Track ahead on the right
Native Cat Track turn off
Things get tiresome on Native Cat Track
It was an excellent, grassy
campsite alongside a
running creek with the sun shining. We took the chairs out and made a fire in the fire ring. It was magic, so good in fact that we made the decision to make the next day, a rest day.
Well, it was not to be! The sky was overcast, the wind was blowing and it was cold. There was no point in staying so we headed north along
Limestone Creek Track – our eventual goal,
Tom Groggin.
The track was good, with only occasional pruning needed, until we came to a washed out section. This required careful consideration of the best path through and the exact placement of the wheels. We were glad when we finally reached The Poplars
Campground.
Once again, we were all alone in the wilderness. S36 46.695 E148 06.390
Onto Limestone Ck Tk from Nunniong Rd
Limestone Creek Campground
Steve & Chicka get the fire underway
A little pruning in places
Enjoying the country on Limestone Ck Tk
And out comes the chainsaw
A very slippery section
A few ups and downs
And the washed out section began
In camp at Poplars
Checking out the track
Very good driving!
We were excited the next morning to carry on to
Tom Groggin but we discovered the road to the north was closed for a controlled burn. None of this information was on the net but that’s how it goes. Our only option was to retrace our steps back to
Limestone Creek
Campground for lunch then off to the Benambra Pub for a beer.
The publican was quick to point out an excellent
campground just to the west – Hinnomunjie. It was a very lovely
campsite by the
Mitta Mitta River with the old hand sawn wooden
bridge still standing. With such pleasant weather we decided to stay in
camp and head off once again to
Omeo before trying our luck in another area of the High Country.
The washed out section again
Slowly, slowly
And past that slippery section again
A beer in the Benambra Pub
To be continued in Ambling through the Deua NP and the
Vic High Country .. Part 2