Lake Cobbler

Another trip into the mountains near Mansfield with a group of work friends from Bangalore. We took a more direct route to Mansfield this time, however had to make a detour around Mill Park due to fatal road accident, however the detour allowed us to travel along the back roads near Whittlesea where we spotted a few kangaroos.
We arrived in Mansfield early morning where we met up with Kim and his family. A quick look around the bush market and a coffee before heading out to the King River.
The river was much lower than the last time we were up this way, and the river crossings posed no problems. Kim had an opportunity to get the wheels on his cruiser a little wet.

We set-up for lunch on the King River near King Hut. It was a warm day, and the flies were out in droves, but the food was fantastic and the chance to stretch the legs welcome. Everybody had brought something different, and it was great to taste different home made Indian dishes.

I tried a little trout fishing but caught nothing. We could see the trout; they just weren't interested in getting caught today. A quick group photo and we were back in the car heading up to Mt Cobbler.

We made our way up the Staircase easy enough, though I did touch bottom on a few of the rougher places. Kim had no troubles either in the stock standard Cruiser.

Up on the Cobbler Plateau the wildflowers were spectacular; with everlasting daisies lining the track side.

The plan was to drive to Camp Creek and then walk up to Mt Speculation. We tagged along behind the Park Ranger, who graciously cleared a fallen tree from the track, however by the time we reached Camp Creek there wasn't enough time to make the return walk to Mt Speculation, so we returned along the track and made our way straight to Lake Cobbler.

Lake Cobbler was as beautiful as ever, and we enjoyed an afternoon tea before heading off on a walk to the Dandongadale Falls


The first falls we came to had only a small trickle of water falling over some cascades before the sheer drop into the valley. The view across the ranges was magnificent.


We continued along another track to Dandongadale Falls proper, which had a reasonable amount of water falling over the falls edge.

The rocky escarpment with the sheer drop of 250 metres plus was spectacular. The rock shelf hanging suspended with vast views off over the high country.



We returned back to the lake, where a lot of campers were setting up for the night, and after a cuppa headed down the other side of Mt Cobbler. We could see the falls from the roadside as we climbed down into the valley and slowly made our way through Whitfield and back to Mansfield.


We stopped in a park near Mansfield for dinner, finishing off what was left over from lunch, before returning to Melbourne.
 

Track Summary & Travel Times

Track Name	Surface	Travel Time	Total Distance	Avg Speed	Min Alt	Max Alt
King Hut to Speculation Road (The Staircase)	4WD, rock steps	36 minutes	10.3 km	17km/h	794 metres	1272 metres
Speculation Rd to Camp Creek	4WD, last portion overgrown	22 minutes	8 km	21km/h	1348 metres	1502 metres
Lake Cobbler Track	4WD Easy	13 minutes	6 km	28km/h	1106 metres	1362 metres
Lake Cobbler to Mansfield via Whitfield	2WD Gravel/Highway	Approx 2 hours 45 minutes	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded

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Mt Tanglefoot Walk

Mt Tanglefoot is located in the Black Ranges, just north of the township of Toolangi. The forest is predominately tall Mountain Ash with a tree fern understory and is typically wet. Hence the name rainforest!

Today the forest lived up to it's name, and a light drizzle fell on a number of times throughout our walk.

We started at the Mt Tanglefoot Carpark shortly after 9:30, climbing gently along the western slope of Mt Tanglefoot through the towering Mount Ash (Eucaluyptus Regans).

The initial stages of the walk were along a wide track that had been cleared by a bulldozer. However it wasn't long before the path narrowed and was eventually overgrown, forcing us to push our way through the wet undergrowth. I was very quickly soaked through.

About an hour or so into the walk we picked up our first leech. I started to count them, but it soon became apparent that the sheer number was beyond reckoning. At some points through the walk, we were unable to pick them off quicker than they would climb onto us so we just had to keep moving.

I learnt a lot about leeches on this walk though. Here are my leech tips:

• Leeches are mostly on the ground, especially in the wetter areas, like near creeks and gullies. If there is a lot of leaf litter and it is wet, then there will be a lot of leeches!
• Leeches are actually of medical benefit.
• A leech bite is generally painless, won't carry any diseases but can itch afterwards. Unlike mosquitos which can carry some very nasty diseases!
• The leech bite will bleed for some time after the leech drops off. This is due to the anticoagulants.
• Most leeches are on the ground, and get onto you via your shoes. Insect repellant on your shoes with your trousers tucked into your socks will act as a very effective (though fashion challenged) barrier.
• There can be infection caused by the leech's gut bacteria. Irritation or infection from mouth parts left after forcible removal is debatable.
• Leeches usually won't harm you, unless you're allergic to them. They are just very iccy and creepy.

At one point along the walk, a huge tree had collapsed crushing the timber walkway over a small creek. The tree had appeared to have exploded, with only shattered fragments now remaining.

At some points along the walk, the ferny undergrowth was so thick it was like walking through a sea of green. This is were we got the wettest. My clothes couldn't have been wetter if I had jumped fully clothed into a swimming pool. My waterproof shoes were filling with water that was running down my trouser legs!

The halfway point was where the Tanglefoot Track joined with Mondo Road, and we reached this after 3 hours of walking; on par with the guide notes. This is an absolutely beautiful road, and I'd driven along here before. The undergrowth is cleared to act as a fire break, leaving the tall mountain ash standing on the grassy verge. A lovely place for a picnic on a warm day, but with a light rain falling we continued on, eating our lunch on the move.

The walk along Quarry Road was much easier. The road was clear and gently slopped downwards for much of it's length. At one point the road became a creek; I'm not sure if this was the normal state or if there was just a lot of water from the recent and current rain.

One of the scores of leeches was successfull in it's mission, it's only legacy being blood stained trousers.

We reached the quarry in good time, and paused for some snacks before heading into the deep wet jungles of the Myrtle Gully Walk. This was probably some of the most beautiful portions of the walk, with huge Beech Myrtle trees and wet ferny moss covered gullies. But the rain was falling harder and it was too wet to even take photos. This would be very enjoyable on a hot day, as I imagine it would be quite cool here, and the leeches should be fewer between.

We left the gully and climbed back into the mountain ash as we approached our starting point 6 hours and 18 kilometres after leaving this morning. The last hour or so was the hardest, as it was very wet and getting quite cold. A hot cup of tea back at the carpark was perfect to make us feel civilised again!

Aussie Trips 2005

This year I'll try to mix in more hiking with the offroad adventuring, though one 4WD destination I hope to do this year will be Haunted Stream, as well as exploring more around the upper reaches of the High Country, around the Playgrounds, Cobberas and Davies Plain.

Little River Gorge

Another lovely warm day awaited us on our last day in the high country. Better make the most of it!

We explored around McKillops Bridge, walking down under the bridge to the sides of the Snowy. Three young Kookaburras played on a tree branch above.

We'd caught a number of small scorpions at the campground, and even a tick which I spotted luckily before it decided to have a go at one of us. Now there were emus along the roadside!

The 4WD track down to the campsite where the Little River joins the Snowy offered some great views, as well as some fun 4WDing with some steep descents back down to the river. The campsite was quite nice, and there were a few groups camped down here.

As we climbed out of the valley, something on the side of the steep hills kept catching the sun. It looked like a car had run down the mountain side. As we drew closer to Turnback, we parked the car and went to investigate. It was only an old car that had been pushed over the edge, eventually coming to rest against a tree. At least we hope so. There was little chance of walking down and back up as the slope was far too steep!

The road brought us past rocky outcrops as it reached it's highest point, and we were now travelling alongside Little River Gorge. This is Victoria's deepest gorge, the bottom lying some 305 metres almost straight down off the side of the road.

Notice how there are no safety rails? Make sure you take the turn!

It's a long way straight down. 305 metres to be exact.

Further along there is a viewing platform, which either survived the 2003 Alpine Fires, or has since been rebuilt. We used the GPS to find the lookout platform, as we were also looking for a geocache here. Doing it this way took us the wrong way down, leaving us navigating the platform from the other side, a little scary but still fairly safe. I suppose the signs indicating the proper walking track (which we followed on the way back) were victims of the fires.

Further along the road brought us to the top of the gorge, and the Little River Falls. The perfect spot to relax and cool off on a hot January day!

We drove into Seldom Seen, but it had been devasted by the fires. "Dave" had survived but not much else, by sheltering in the dam nearby with his dog as everything burned around.

Native Dog campground is a lovely spot on the upper reaches of the Buchan River. We stopped here for lunch (some tasty Fajitas, another camp food favourite of me and the kids) when another Patrol towing a T-Van arrived. A quick chat and I was further sold on the idea I've got to get me one of those...

It was starting to be time to head on home. We drove across the tops of the High Country, passing snakes on the road, beautiful views of the Cobberas (to be explored further next year) and lovely little mountain towns. We bought icecreams in Benambra and followed the Tambo back out of the mountains.

Track Summary & Travel Times

Track Name	Surface	Travel Time	Total Distance	Avg Speed	Min Alt	Max Alt
Home to Warragul	Sealed/Freeway	1 hour 29 minutes	110km	74km/hr	37 metres	173 metres
Home to Moe Turnoff	Sealed/Freeway	1 hour 46 minutes	138km	78km/hr	37 metres	173 metres
Home to Traralgon	Sealed/Freeway	2 hours 7 minutes	170km	80km/hr	37 metres	173 metres
Home to Sale	Freeway/Highway	2 hours 42 minutes	220km	81km/hr	18 metres	173 metres
Home to Mitchell River NP (Hunter Corner)	Freeway/Highway	3 hours 30 minutes	283km	75km/hr	18 metres	260 metres
Hunter Corner to Den of Nargan Picnic Area	2WD Gravel	5 minutes	4.6km	62km/hr	191 metres	264 metres
Den of Nargan to Amphitheatre	2WD Gravel	16 minutes	9.4km	34km/hr	183 metres	255 metres
Amphitheatre to Angusvale(Mitchell Road)	4WD Easy. 1 small creek crossing	51 minutes	20km	24km/hr	101 metres	461 metres
Angusvale Turnoff (Dargo Rd) to Angusvale	2WD Gravel	25 minutes	16.4km	40km/hr	111 metres	526 metres
Hunters Corner to Angusvale	2WD Gravel/Sealed	9 minutes	9.7km	67km/hr	292 metres	478 metres
Hunters Corner to Bairnsdale	Highway	38 minutes	40km	62km/hr	21 metres	291 metres
Bairnsdale to Lakes Entrance	Highway	41 minutes	37km	54km/hr	10 metres	92 metres
Lakes Entrance to Nowa Nowa	Highway	15 minutes	22km	87km/hr	9 metres	100 metres
Nowa Nowa to Lake Tyers Rd turnoff	Highway	4 minutes	6.5km	93km/hr	22 metres	94 metres
Lake Tyers Rd to Beach campsite	2WD Gravel	15 minutes	15.9km	62km/hr	13 metres	87 metres
Lake Tyers to Highway via Old orbost Rd	2WD Gravel, lots of wallabies	25 minutes	19km	46km/hr	3 metres	76 metres
Newmerella to Tulloch Ard Rd Turn off	Sealed Highway	50 minutes	50km	60km/hr	13 metres	260 metres
Buchan Orbost Rd to Balley Hooley Camping Area	2WD Gravel	17 minutes	15.9km	62km/hr	13 metres	87 metres
Tulloch Ard Rd to Running Creek Tk exit	2WD Gravel	27 minutes	20.5km	45km/hr	294 metres	765 metres
Running Creek Tk to Jacksons Crossing	4WD with some steep sections and river crossing	33 minutes	9km	16km/hr	75 metres	780 metres
Jacksons Crossing to Yalmy Tk	4WD Clay	25 minutes	11.8km	28km/hr	86 metres	381 metres
Yalmy Tk to Deddick Trail	2WD Gravel	40 minutes	30.3km	45km/hr	180 metres	765 metres
Deddick Trail	4WD, beautiful scenery, steep ascents and descents, creek crossings, alpine ridges	2 hours 40 minutes	51.5km	19km/hr	230 metres	1205 metres
McKillops Bridge to Little River Camp exit	2WD Windy Gravel	16 minutes	7.1km	26km/hr	193 metres	280 metres
Little River Camp Track (One Way)	4WD Gravel, steep descents	12 minutes	3.2km	16km/hr	189 metres	369 metres
Little River Exit to Little River Gorge	2WD Gravel, wibndy with steep precipaces	22 minutes	8.8km	24km/hr	347 metres	899 metres
Little River Gorge exit to Seldom Seen	2WD Gravel/bitumen	35 minutes	12.8km	22km/hr	805 metres	940 metres
Seldom Seen to Native Dog Camping Area	2WD Gravel	1 hour 46 minutes	55.3km	31km/hr	805 metres	1443 metres
Native Dog Camping Area to Benambra	2WD Gravel/Sealed	50 minutes	47.2km	57km/hr	715 metres	1289 metres
Benambra to Omeo	Sealed	23 minutes	23.3km	61km/hr	622 metres	941 metres
Omeo to Swifts Creek	Highway	19 minutes	26km	82km/hr	300 metres	766 metres
Swifts Creek to Tambo Crossing	Highway	30 minutes	36.4km	73km/hr	158 metres	399 metres
Tambo Crossing to Bruthen	Highway	30 minutes	33.6km	66km/hr	47 metres	330 metres
Bruthen to Bairnsdale	Highway	20 minutes	26.3km	78km/hr	18 metres	130 metres
Bairnsdale to Home	Highway/Freeway	3 hours 16 minutes	286.4km	88km/hr	19 metres	179 metres

Deddick Trail

Time to move on, we drove through the forest along the Old Orbost Road spotting a few wallabies along the way. We refueled and topped up our water supply at the servo just outside of Orbost, then checked out a Geocache at the lookout. This was the start of our trek along the Snowy River.

We headed up the Buchan Orbost Rd and then turned down Basin Rd. We started exploring along a walking track to Basin Falls, but there was no sign indicating how long the walk was and the kids weren't interested in getting out of the car. I ran along the track for a good distance, but didn't come to any falls, so turned around and ran back up the hill to the car.

Balley hooley sounds like an interesting place, so we drove down to this campsite on the confluence of the Buchan and Snowy Rivers to have a look. It seemed a nice campground, and there were a few others camped here as well. We went for a short walk along the walking track, and explored down by the river.

The views from Tulloch Ard Road were glorious, but were only a hint of some of the magnificent scenery we would be driving through today.

We moved off the ridge, and followed Running Creek Track down a spur onto Jacksons Creek Track. We were now beside the Snowy in a cleared area driving beside rocky outcrops.

There were some lovely camping sites along here, but not a soul to be seen. Perfect!

We approached Jacksons Crossing warily. A small ford took us onto an island, then the track just led straight into the Snowy River, with no sight of the exit on the other side to be seen.

I paused, then got out of the car to see which way we should go. Eventually I cottoned onto the strategically placed rocks, leading out and around the river marking the boundaries of the safe crossing. Back into the car and off into the water we made the crossing without incident.

On the other side of the Snowy now, we stopped at a campsite on a sweeping bend of the river. There were quite a few people camped here, but it seemed a nice spot. We even saw a goanna cross the track and climb a tree beside us.

We continued along Varneys Track, climbing out of the valley and then drove along Yalmy Road. This was a good quality forest road. We stopped off at a small creek for lunch, the weather quite warm today.

We eventually arrived at the start of the Deddick Trail, one of those icon tracks in Victoria and the main purpose of this trip.

The Deddick Trail is simply beautiful, scenic, challenging and awe inspiring. The following photos only give a small taste of how wonderous this place really is. I drove along many steep descents and ascents, often the track was visible in the distance heading straight up spurs to the ridgetops. Even when down in the valleys away from the endless views, the lushness and green as we travelled beside and through crystal clear mountain streams was unforgetable.

Eventually our journey along the Deddick neared it's end. As we crossed over Mt Gelantipy, we moved from verdant mountain ash forest into Gelantipy's rain shadow and soon McKillops Bridge was visible in the valley far below. Another icon of this area.

We drove towards Deddick looking for a secluded campsite on the river, but had no luck and so returned to McKillops Road and looked at the other formed campsites.

We eventually settled on the campsite at Bulldog Flat, and enjoyed a most tasty roast chicken as we watched a flock of hundreds of cockatoos play in the trees across the river.

The bush here is so dry that there were even scorpions around the campground!