Victoria Labour Day Trip: 10 - 12 March

I hope everything went well. The weather over here in cobaw was the classic mild summer still weekend. LOVE IT!

Hope you had a blast with who ever/what ever you got up to Barry. I would have loved to have been there but I've not mastered the Fred Flintstone driving technique yet :(

Cheers

Bennie
 
Love the thought of the Flintstone technique Bennie! :ebiggrin:


Ended up travelling solo, apart from my 16 y. o. sone in the 'navigators' seat - at least he held the map for me. :lol:
  • Late start Saturday saw us in Mansfield about 5.00pm. Delayed there by a police road block, due to a prang at the Whitfield end of the road. So heaps of chips to sustain us for a late finish that night. (i.e. chunkie fries, for those across the water.)
  • The Rose River Road and Mt Cobbler Road were extremely pleasant night driving. Arrived at Lake Cobbler about 10.30pm, pitched the new tent and cooked stir fry on the new neighbours camp fire.
  • After watching the mist rise from the lake Sunday morning we headed up to the Mt Speculation Road, only to be stopped by an impossible wash out across the track soon after, so headed back down hoping to take the track to Abbeyard, on the Buffalo River, as intended.
  • Unfortunately, with no run-up to the hill at the start of the Abbeyard track, it was simply impossible to get sufficient momentum, even flat to the floor in low 1st, for the heavily laden Outback not to stall out after several hundred yards of climping, so a 3 point turn saw us copntinue on the Cobbler Road loop and then out on athe low level route to Lake Buffalo and on to Myrtleford for lunch.
  • Sunday night saw us camped at Buckland, a nice site with 'long drop' facilities on the Ovens River. The Outback will be taking my camper trailer there some toime in the next year.
  • Went up-stream as far as Beveridge Station on Monday morning, no 'facilities' there, but another possibility with the trailer.
  • Returned to Myrtleford with a side trip up Mt Buffalo to show the boy the Chalet.
  • Travelled back to Whitfield via forest roads from Lake Buffalo, a great run with some nice 'air' at a couple of points along the way, as a result of undulating cut off drains which were a lot like 'berms'! :twisted:
  • Unfortunately these were probably the cause of the deflated rear passenger side tyre, discovered after the icecream stop in Whitfield.
All in all a fairly uneventful trip. Provided more evidence of the need for a modified gear box with decent low ratios.

Also, I must get around to springing for a complete set of off-road tyres and wheels.

However, 'wouldn't have missed it for quids'! :lildevil:
 
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Barry said:
All in all a fairly uneventful trip. Provided more evidence of the need for a modified gear box with decent low ratios.

Also, I must get around to sprining for a complete set of off-road tyres and wheels.

However, 'wouldn't have missed it for quids'! :lildevil:
Click to expand...
Sounds like you (& your son) had a great time :)
But I have to ask, have you got any pics from your adventure :iconwink:

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Just one car pic, stationary at the info board at Beveridge Station.
Just to prove we were there!
Will post it when I get a chance.
 
Absolutely Carl!
This is the second year running that we have gone camping on the Labour Day weekend. I am hoping that this weekend will become a bit of a 'fixture' in our callender for coming years.
He was 16 last October, so at an age where it is possible to talk about life etc, hopefully get a bit of 'wisdom' in there at the same time.
Even though there is just the 2 of us at home most of the time, his sister living in at Uni during the week, we are usually both doing too much 'stuff' to spend a lot of time together.
He is developing into a great young man and I am very proud of him, as would his mum had been, especially given that it hasn't always been easy over the past 4 years since she died.
 
Sounds like you had fun, sorry I couldnt make it :(

The Abbeyard Track sounds like fun...shame you were thwarted (my favourite word of the day :p) by your low range. When you get you gearbox built up with the "good" bits, you'll have a real beast able to power up hills you thought were just not possible :lildevil:

It seems you have a great relationship with your son, he sounds like a decent young man. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss :(
 
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