High Country Weekend Trip 2020
High Country Trip – 21st – 23rd February 2020
Trip Leader: Warren and Shez Tedford
Tail end Charlie: Geoff Davey
Participants: Geoff Davey and Rick, Byron and Renee Willey, Andrew Smith and Tyler, Jake Cook and Tim Neville, Damo and Danni Miller and Greg Cook and Ash (temp member)
Friday
We left Geelong on the Friday morning and headed to the Beautiful High Country town of Mansfield. We stopped for lunch at the Merrijig Motor Inn. They do good meals and the staff are very friendly. While we were there, we had a visit from a very good friend of mine, Charlie Lovick. Charlie is a true gentleman and legend. He was master of horse in the Man from Snowy River movies and is a Mansfield local cattleman. We had a yarn and a beer with him before heading off.
Before camp we drove along Buttercup Jeep track and found wood for the first night fire. Our camp for the first night was Buttercup camp no 4. A very nice campground with plenty of grass and nestled beside Buttercup Creek. We got our fire going and settled in. The serenity and peacefulness of this region is just fabulous. Jake and Tim, Andrew and Tyler arrived later that evening. Geoff had a good friend of his Rick, along for the weekend. It was nice to meet him. We enjoyed sitting round the campfire, chatting and enjoying the solitude. Warren made a bacon and cheese damper that was simply delicious.
Saturday
Danni and Damo arrived at camp early Saturday morning. We packed up and headed for the mountains. We had a brief stop at Tomahawk Hut before heading up Mt No 3 Road. This is a rocky track with a few switch backs, but it isn’t a difficult track. The views from the top are simply breath taking. We had a quick stop at Mt No 3 Hut. We continued down this road, stopping for a look at the Razor Back Huts on Razor Back Track. We followed the Circuit Road around past TBJ and up to Howqua Gap Track. This is a steep climb up to the summit of Mount Stirling. From here the views out over Mt Buller and the alps are just amazing.
We continued across the top on Clear Hills Track to our lunch stop at Craig’s Hut. We took the obligatory photos and soaked up the pure magic of the mountains. Serenity. Time to leave and we backtracked across Clear Hills Track to The Monument Track. A nice steep track but solid base, so it’s not too difficult. This track finishes at the circuit Road. We crossed the road and headed down Bindaree Road to our camp for the night at Bindaree Flat.
“We relaxed around the fire and enjoyed the ambience.” - Shez
Bindaree Flat is a nice secluded campground with plenty of grass and room. We arrived in camp quite early in the afternoon. This gave us a chance to set up leisurely and enjoy a very peaceful and relaxing afternoon. The guys went and found firewood for our campfire. We relaxed around the fire and enjoyed the ambience. Two of us cooked roasts in camp ovens. It doesn’t get much better than that. Sometimes it is nice to get into camp early and truly relax and immerse in the surroundings, whether it be our beautiful High Country or any other region. Geoff’s mate Rick was enjoying the beauty of the High Country as well.
Sunday
We had a leisurely morning packing up. We then lead the group up 16 Mile Jeep Track. This is quite a steep track and would prove challenging in the wet. We followed this track past the bluff Link Road and then joined up with brocks Road to head down into the Howqua Historic area. We drove through Sheepyard Flat and continued to Fry’s Flat and Fry’s Hut. Everyone had a look around this beautiful hut and checked out the Howqua River. We still had plenty of time left so instead of driving out to the main road we opted for a more scenic route. We came out of Fry’s Flat and turned up Howqua Hills Track. This track takes you over the slate mine and eventually to the Jamieson / Mansfield road. It is a very steep climb, heaps of fun and much more interesting then a dusty gravel road. We headed into Mansfield and enjoyed a meal at the Delatite pub.
Regrettably it was time to say goodbye to this region and make our way home. By this time the clutch in our car was slipping badly and Byron was having alternator problems. Jake blew a turbo hose, so we stopped while he fixed that. We all got home safely. Our temporary member Greg and his son are hooked, they loved the High Country and I suspect they will join our club very soon. We had fabulous weekend in arguably one of the best regions of our Victorian High Country. Got to love 4-wheel driving with a fabulous group of people in such a picturesque region. Thankyou to everyone who came along and made this trip so memorable.
Cheers
Warren and Shez