NSW/Vic High Country May trip - the aftermath :)

[omaroo]

Hi all SJC members

** Dates: Friday 28th May - Monday 31st May 2004 **

I'm thinking of leading a trip to the Davies High Plain region over a Fri/Sat/Sun/Monday sometime before the June long weekend - at the end of May. This is seriously one of the best high-country trips you can do in this country. It takes in both NSW and Victorian terrain that is almost alien in both fauna and flora. Make SURE you bring along a camera and plenty of film/compactflash cards :)

I was hoping for a maximum of 8-10 cars, otherwise it gets very tight for time. I've been up there before with just us and one other car - and that was a bit risky. We've also been up there with six cars - and that was ideal.

I have to ask that only RELIABLE vehicles come along. If it breaks... there's a good chance it stays there until the spring season :shock: So, if you have an older Jeep - make sure it's going to go the distance.

The trip would start in Sydney and we'd convoy down to Thredbo on the Friday morning. Getting to Thredbo Village, we keep going down towards Khancoban and cross the Murray River at Tom Groggin. Camp the night just over the river in the lower campground.

Saturday/Sunday we'd try to get as high up into the ranges as the DHP track takes us - visiting a number of cattleman's huts along the way. Packing up Monday morning, we'd head off south towards Melbourne and head around north back to Jindabyne and leave for home.

It's a fantastic trip - plenty of off-road, and plenty of beautiful scenery. We get to around 1850 metres, so bring something WARM. It snows up there at that time of year, and one year we had to drive through piles of it. Muddies or new-ish AT's are essential. Winches are a good idea too - as is FULL RECOVERY GEAR for every vehicle - including solid recovery points. Tirfors are fine. You'll aslo need to bring extra fuel. I'll calculate the total low-range trip distance over the next couple of days by going back through my GPS track logs. A couple of jerrys ought to do it if you're careful. I'll be bringing the satellite phone, so we'll have full comms with the outside world if need be.

The Murray River crossing can be fairly deep (from 25cm to bonnet depth - I'll check the week before we go) and fast-flowing - so snorkels or VERY WELL FITTING WATER BLINDS are required. There is an alternative route via a causeway on the privately owned Tom Groggin Station if we pre-arrange access. Good sleeping bags and tents will be needed too.

I'll be bringing this up at the next SJC meeting Wednesday week.

I'm in for sure... as is my wife Jenny - anyone else?

[Buddha]

Chrismal, depending on your numbers if you want or need more there will deffinately be interest down here from some of us ACT guys.

[omaroo]

Buddha

I was hoping you guys would say that. If we don't get much interest from up here (and I'm hoping we do) then I'd love to get you guys along. Realistically, we could stretch to 15 cars - but no more.

Cheers
Chris

[TIGGER]

It's a little early to say but sounds great, definately interested!

[Jeff]

Sounds good. I think you'll need to take bookings!

[goodol55]

Hi all SJC members

The Murray River crossing can be fairly deep and fast-flowing - so snorkels or VERY WELL FITTING WATER BLINDS are required.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: .......crd....... :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

[omaroo]

Kel - any deeper than a metre and I'm taking the Patrol

[Buddha]

Chrismal, you now have 2 definate starters from ACT.

[goodol55]

sounds good Chris but you won't know til you get there - unless you've got spies up there. 8)

That trip just sounds so good.......(envy, envy)...sounds like a Grand trip...

[omaroo]

Buddha

Cheers :)

[billsta]

hmmm...
maybe.. like to revisit the place where i got lost last itme :mrgreen:

i might eb able to find some good sight seeing points if you guys are interested...

i like to go, but cant commit as yet..

[maddog]

I'd be interested

[Saxon]

sounds like a great trip, depending on the state of my jeep, ill be keen.

[omaroo]

Billsta, Jason, Maddog & Saxon

Great fellas. I've left a fair amount of time between now and then, so see how you go. Some blokes from ACT are already booked, so it should be lotsa fun. Your Jeeps don't need to be "Outback Challenge" ready... just topped up with all good fluids, good engine belts and the like. We'll obviously try and extract/fix anyone with problems, but it's pretty remote up there......

The terrain is a good C+ to B depending on the weather... I've seen a fully-decked 80-series come all the way down going sideways because of the mud and automatic gearbox/braking problem. His gearing is way taller than ours though and the lockup on the torque converter doesn't work very well....

Cheers
Chris

[sir_camel]

Yea i could be keen too. If i get my diffs done by then i'd be dead keen.

[AussieCJ7]

Hi all SJC members


I have to ask that only RELIABLE vehicles come along. If it breaks... there's a good chance it stays there until the spring season :shock: So, if you have an older Jeep - make sure it's going to go the distance.



Us CJer's resemble that remark :oops: :oops:

Note to self nuke any post Chris puts in early Jeeps section :evil: Nah just kidding sounds like a great trip

[omaroo]

LOL!!! I thought of you when stating that comment Dave..... ;)

Nah - just kidding. I hardly think a starter motor problem is a killer up there...

It's just that I know of a guy who did have problems up there towards the end of the season (when we are going) and he had to leave his fourby up there for a whole week... hoping that it wasn't ripped off.

In no way am I excluding CJ's here. A well maintained CJ is as reliable as any other machine. CJ's are MORE than welcome - how can I NOT include people? That would contravene everything this club thing is all about. I just don't want anyone to lose their car - irrespective of how old or new it may be. Even new cars that aren't well maintained are a problem when you are in remote areas.

I dare say that I'll be getting a CJ one day.... and putting plenty of posts up there... :lol:

[OzJeeper]

I wish that Wonongatta Station wasn't so far away for you guys. It's not easy to get to from the NSW side without a lot of stufin' around. There is another thread here about a TJ trek into the Station which is in the High Country - and we are going in May (no firm date)

Just throwing that info into "the pot" so to speak...


Think, thinking..... :wink:

[omaroo]

Oz

How close is that to where we'll be? I presume you mean around Mt Baw baw... or is it up closer to Buller?

Maybe we could meet up on the Sunday somewhere?

Chris

[Dorzun]

You know we have discussed it. I'll talk to you more about it offline.

[omaroo]

Brad

??

:)

[AussieCJ7]

Chris just a little stir I agree 100% with your comments and the most important factor for remote areas is a well maintained vehical

There is a big difference between a weekend warrior toy and a touring 4x4

Any vehical can do either job but they both have different needs you just have to make sure your prepared

[ACJ]

chrismal wrote:
Hi all SJC members


I have to ask that only RELIABLE vehicles come along. If it breaks... there's a good chance it stays there until the spring season So, if you have an older Jeep - make sure it's going to go the distance.

That leaves me out i can't even go to meni without the cj spiting the Dummy :evil: Maybe later :( when i get the grand set up for touring i can go :)

[omaroo]

Allan

What's to set up? It's only 4 days, so what you have is more than ready to go. I'll have drawers in mine by then, so that leaves my current boxes available for you to use if you wish. If you need any gear, let us know. We'd really love to see you and your better half come too. :)

[Red Rat]

Chris,

I'm in like Flynn. Car's ready and reliable (still sans winch though for the forseeable future).

Cheers

[omaroo]

Cameron

Great!!! Flynn's coming too ;)

Seriously.... it'll be a hoot. Cool weather.... fire (hopefully)... red wine....cheese...good sprits....and a bloody great doonah!

I'm itching to go.

Cheers
Chris

[Buddha]

Chrismal, any idea of kilometres will be covering from Thredbo?

[omaroo]

Buddha

Sorry... I've been up to my proverbials over the past couple of days.....

I'll be pouring over the track logs and topo's tonight. I'll post after that.

Cheers :)
Chris

[OzJeeper]

Chrismal,
Nah - sorry. If your heading for Mt Baw Baw, I can see that from my back gate and it's way too for for your trip. We are heading to the Alpine Nation Park area directly WEST of Dargo (closest town) then slightly NORTH.
Can send map refs if you like....

[omaroo]

OzJeeper

Uhmm... I'm not thinking of going anywhere near Baw Baw. It's half a planet away from where we'll be. I thought that we might hook up on the Victorian side of Davies Plain if you were coming that far north..... but it doesn't seem like you will be. Oh well.

[Dorzun]

Mate,

Have spoken with Heather and all look's good for us to be on it also.

Will be able to confirm next week.

Cam,

PM me, we have found someone who may be able to make up a steel casing for the winch and we need one to do it with. Would you be interested, it won't cost you anything.

[omaroo]

Brad

Excellent work mate :)

Hope all turns out well.......

[Dorzun]

Just need to sell her on the camping side of it all and I should be right.

Only concern I have is I know I won't have a snorkel on the KJ. I'm working on te recovery point's this weekend after the reccie showed me what I'd need to do. But I have ozzer zings I know I can do for zee blind.

Give me some selling point's, everyhing will help.

[Dorzun]

This is nothing I just wanted to see what happens when you get too 600 posts. **) **) **)

[Dorzun]

I preffered urban giant than wheelspinner

[Jeff]

Donate some cashish to Jimmy B's slush fund & you can pick your own rating
<------

[Dorzun]

I've always had full intentions of doing so. If I could just stop breaking things each time I go for a drive I would have done so a long long long time ago

Then again, I could go without beer for a week or two as a sacrifice :shock: :shock: Penguin

[omaroo]

OK everyone :)

How many potential starters do we have now?

Cheers
Chris

[omaroo]

So you can see what others have found up there:

1) http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/ecars/Places/Au/Vic-Alps/DaviesPlTk.html

2) http://www.lcool.org/trips/03-04-high-country/pictures/pics1.html

3) http://www.outbackadventures.com.au/victoria.htm

[Buddha]

Sorry chrismal, im out.
My wife made me choose between Easter Jeep Safari and this and cause easter is family time im taking the kids camping on the jeep safari.

So hope to see some of you at Morrisset at easter.

[Dirtjeep]

G1, Buddha,I'll cya there, bring a few of ya Orange ppl with ya! :lol:

[omaroo]

Buddha

Sorry to hear it....

I guess I'm so lucky in that my wife wants to go everywhere I do in the Jeep. She's so into camping gadgets and stuff that we tend to go out every weekend or two just to try out the latest stuff she's gotten hold of. I keep forgetting that other people lead normal lives..... :oops:

We'll catch you some other time

Cheers
Chris

[Buddha]

Buddha

Sorry to hear it....

I guess I'm so lucky in that my wife wants to go everywhere I do in the Jeep. She's so into camping gadgets and stuff that we tend to go out every weekend or two just to try out the latest stuff she's gotten hold of. I keep forgetting that other people lead normal lives..... :oops:

We'll catch you some other time

Cheers
Chris

Sounds like you have a good one there chris,maybe we should swap sometime. :wink:

[Dorzun]

Are there any spot's still free on the safari?

I can't do the wqhole weekend but would be keen to head up for a drive over it.

I should check with the orginisers I guess....

[omaroo]

Howdy Brad :)

Uhmm... it takes the whole 4 days to do the trip comfortably, given that it's about an 8-hour trip just to get there. You will really need to do the whole weekend as we don't hang around in any one place for any length of time... and continue on to the Victorian side.

Bummer!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

Chris

[Antz]

Hey Chris,

Just heard about this trip, missed the last SJC meeting :oops:

What are the numbers so far? Have you set a limit?

Never been to the high country but always wanted to go.

Count me as a strong maybe.

[omaroo]

Anthony :)

No absolutely confirmed bookings as yet. I suppose people will start committing closer to the event.

Glad to have you aboard if you decide to come. At the end of the day, I only really need one other car to come along if it gets to that.

Cheers
Chris

[Dorzun]

Howdy Brad :)

Uhmm... it takes the whole 4 days to do the trip comfortably, given that it's about an 8-hour trip just to get there. You will really need to do the whole weekend as we don't hang around in any one place for any length of time... and continue on to the Victorian side.

Bummer!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

Chris

nah, I was speaking bout the easter trip, all is looking OK if the tax cheque comes back in tme for us to go.

[spud]

sounds good i would like to go just got to try and get time off work Penguin

[omaroo]

Right

It's getting close.

I'm really goijng to get my GPS out and map out the track logs to get distance totals this week.

Now that we have bought a block of land in Cooma, we'll make this the meeting point. I'll issue a map to get to our new property in the next day or two.

I forsee this as being the stop-over for Thursday-nighters and Friday-morningers.

If we meet here, we'll continue on to the high country on the Friday.

Keep in touch.

Chris & Jen

[maddog]

So the dates are confirmed now? If so, I'll put my leave forms in.

[Antz]

I've got the time off work, so I'm in. :D :D

Has the route been set yet? distances between fuel?

[Dorzun]

At this point I'm out :( .

Saving for our 4 week trip to the states :mrgreen: and repairs to the CJ :oops: are going to take priority.

Unless off course I find a sugar mommy or win lotto in the next few weeks, both of which have a 99.99999999% chance of not happening.

[maddog]

OK Chris, I'm definately in, as per the meeting last night.

-Ben

[billsta]

hey chris.
i cant go but can you tell me where about you're planning to go?
as i might be able to find some "track" around there..

with a bit of careful planning, you should be able to get from town to town for petrol if some of you are worry about fuel...

we did the kidney foundation rally last year thru the Vic High country, and lets just say i had didnt run out of fuel, and we were going pretty hard with the V8 thrught the tracks.. :mrgreen:

[Wolfe]

padding

[maddog]

Just a thought for this Chris, should we co-ordinate what people bring, so we don't have a stack of stoves and a stack of lights when we might only need 1 or 2 of each? It would help some of us in the TJ's fit everything we need in our tiny tent-jeeps :)

[omaroo]

Ben

Agreed. Let's see how many are coming, and we'll know what we're aiming for. Jenny and I are pretty much self-contained, and now with our new roof-top tent we have even more room onboard (don't have to carry a ground tent, and all the bedding is up top inside the roof-top tent).

I've been meaning to get the trip distances, but have had absolutely no time over the past couple of weeks. I'll definitely have to try and do it this week. In reality, I don't think that fuel for you guys will be a huge problem. Last time I did this trip, my Patrol was sucking around 30-35L/100km in low range, and the 4.0L motor in your TJ's sure doesn't take THAT much juice. Then again, I have a 145 litre tank in the Patrol.....

Depending on what we all like to eat, let's think about a communal cook-up every evening.

Does anyone else have fridges?

[Jeff]

I can get my hands on one... if I go.

My concerns lie with river crossings (no snorkel or bind), fuel, & my camping gear. My tent & sleeping bag arent rated that low... how cold is it going to get anyway?

[Antz]

Coordination on gear sounds like a sensible idea (eg recovery gear and tools) as does a communal cook-up every evening (I've got a well seasoned camp oven that turns out perfect roasts :D )

I was a bit concerned with the river crossings as well, but with the amount of rain we've been having lately it might not be much of a problem, and could always be a good excuse to get a snorkel **).......a snorkel is a necessity isn't it Chris? :lol:

[omaroo]

Anthony

A snorkel IS a necessity....... :D ...but not for this trip.

With the low level of rainfall of late, the Murray is a little down on the norm so I believe. As I said before, there are other ways to get over the river at the point we need to cross.

Jeff

It will be cold at night. If anyone needs us to carry a spare doona for them, we can if it crushes up well....i.e. a feather or down one. The tent is really immaterial as nearly all tents sold in Australia would rate a "3-season" rating if sold in the USA (where a 4-season tent is like an Arctic shell).

A blind is easy to fabricate on the spot if you have a cheap 4 x 6 foot tarp and a few ropes. You can then use this as your groundsheet. **)

[Jeff]

Working on the roster now... should be good to go :mrgreen:

[maddog]

It's not just snorkel's for the TJ's, it's also transfer case breather location, and sealing the underside of your vehicle. No point flooding the cabin if you've got all your camping gear in there and being soggy the rest of the trip.

What sort of depths are we talking about?

PS: I'm not chickening out, just getting some info so I come prepared! :P

[omaroo]

Ben

It's so hard to tell until the day we go. Last time I was there (June LWE) 2 years ago it was about 2 foot at the most. It was a little higher on the upstream side with the current pushing the side of the car. On the downstream side it was only a foot or so.

I expect it to be shallow again this year.

These are the only twp photies I can find of us doing that crossing last time:

[maddog]

Ahh that's not too bad at all..

Deepest water I've driven my Jeep through is that creek loop near Gate 8 at Menai, which is about bullbar level on my TJ.

I think perhaps a meeting of those who are going would be a good idea a couple of weeks prior to the actual trip so we can sit down and talk through all the plans of what to bring etc. :D

[omaroo]

Agreed

We should talk about it at the next SJC meeting next Wednesday and set a date then.... if we can't sort it out at the meeting. It's not a formal meeting this time around if I can remember straight. Was it still at Suburban this month, or soewhere else?

[maddog]

It's at the Mean Fiddler. I'm not sure if I can make it, as it's about 1.5 hours drive from my place. Bit far to go after work on a weeknight.

[omaroo]

Ohhh.... that's right. Me neither. I live down near Appin, so it would be a really late one for us. No can do.

It's a pain that the club is situated SO FAR out west, but choose to do this thing SO FAR north when we live south.... :evil:

Oh well.... I'll pt in for one down south next time.

So... given this situation, where do we want to meet and when?

[omaroo]

Ben

Here's the one I was looking for:

[maddog]

Looking a big higher, but still do-able.

I suggest Saturday the 15th May, for about an hour, somewhere central to those going. Perhaps city or Parramatta, if we just go have Lunch somewhere at a pub or somewhere simple and go over plans.

[Jeff]

Saturday's not for me.. gotta work. Happy to catch up after work for a beer & a chat

[omaroo]

Ben

Whereabouts are you coming from?

[maddog]

I'm from Engadine. But I don't mind travelling if it's on a weekend.

[omaroo]

Ben

If you're coming from Engadine... we might meet down south then.... for a change :)

[Jeff]

I guess I can be convinced to cross the border... normally only go south for Menai!

[omaroo]

That's the spirit Jeff :)

[maddog]

Northies is nice, on Cronulla beach. What are the thoughts on say midday at Northies on the 15th May?

If Northies is a bit crowded for your liking, we could go the Crest Hotel at Silvania instead. Is this too far south?

[omaroo]

Too far south is Berrima.

I live near Appin.

Should be OK though.

[TIGGER]

hey id make it to northies - maybe all SJC meeting should be held down our way ben - travelling out to michinnnbeerky (sp?) sux! :mrgreen:

[omaroo]

Tigger

Minchinbury SUX allright.

Why the hell do we put up with it? It's handy to nearly no-one - except Suburban.

Go more central I say.....

[maddog]

Perhaps it's a topic to bring up at the next formal meeting.

[Antz]

So have we decided on a place for the pre trip talk? I hear a lot of support for South somewhere, I think Suburban is too far south as it is :D

"Go more central I say....."
Do you people realise that Homebush is the geographical centre of Sydney? **)

But I'm willing to concede to the majority and make the effort. 15th was mentioned, thats fine with me.

[omaroo]

*** A BIG CHANGE OF PLANS ***

I just called Tom Groggin Station to get an update on the river condition. I was told to call the Omeo NPWS office to hear some bad news. I did. Here it is:

NPWS (NRE) has ALREADY CLOSED OFF ACCESS TO THE DAVIES PLAIN TRAIL A MONTH EARLY.

These people have their own rules - and have decided that they don't want to have to maintain the track at the moment, so they have closed the track a whole month early. It is normally closed from the June Long Weekend until the October Long Weekend. Now it is closed from May the 1st right up until DECEMBER!!!!!!!!!!

$HIT!!!!!!!!!!

DON"T WORRY THOUGH. I am planning to do other tracks like the Mt Pinnibar Track and the Cascade Trail.

I'll keep yopu informed. I'm still a go, as I haven't seen these trails before, and they are apparently pretty near as good as the Davies Plain Trail anyway.

Cheers
Chris

[Jeff]

Any updates on this?

Just booked the holiday with work :mrgreen: :hump:

[omaroo]

Jeff

Yup - it's all still on :)

We are trying to set up a meeting on Saturday the 15th of May at either Northies (Cronulla Beach) of somewhere in Sylvania at 12:00 midday.

Keep tabs here....

[maddog]

Any chance of moving this meeting to either Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon? I found out this weekend that I've got firefighting commitments on Saturday.

If it causes too much hassle, don't worry about changing it.

[omaroo]

Sunday arvo Ben -

We need to get everyone involved along... if that's possible...

Cheers
Chris

[maddog]

OK that works for me. Thanks.

[CRLiiN]

mount pinnibar is a good track, it has awsome scenery and some good trails. Gehi walls trail is also a good drive and a great spot to camp.
there are heaps of tracks around snowy mountains and some arent locked yet

[omaroo]

CRLiiN

You have a PM

Cheers
Chris

[Jeff]

There's a bbq at my place on the Sunday, so we can always hold it there :mrgreen:

[maddog]

If I'm not mistaken, CRLiin is one of the guys that came with us to Appin yesterday :)

[omaroo]

To all those who look like coming along:

As discussed here, we are going to have a pre-trip meeting at Northies on Sunday the 16th of May at about 3:30pm.

Northies Cronulla Hotel: Cnr Kings Way & Elouera Rd Cronulla 2230

We need to go over the new plans since the premature closure of the Davies Plain Trail down into Victoria. There are plenty of others around, but we may need to go over the border to get to them. The good news is that fuel is no longer a real problem, as we'll be pretty close to major towns most of the time.

Hope to see you there :)

Please PM me with your intentions asap... along with your mobile number.

Cheers
Chris

[omaroo]

Jeff, Ben and Anthony - thanks for the meeting this arvo. I think we have our basics sorted out. Here is the preliminary list of things to bring along other than your normal stuff:

Jeff: Fridge, Tarps (& ropes for same), Tent, Chairs, Aluminium Table, Snatch Strap, Water Blind

Ben: Tarps (& ropes for same), Tent, Chairs, Tyre Repair Kit, Shower, Snatch Strap, Water Blind

Anthony: Warn Winch, Full Recovery Kit incl Snatch Strap, Camp Oven, Washing Basin, Tarps (& Ropes for same), Tent, Chairs, Aluminium Table, Water Blind

Chris: Fridge, Tirfor Winch, Full Recovery Kit incl Snatch Strap, 1 x 2-burner dual-fuel stove, 1 x single burner stove, Bidgie Barby (plate), Porta-Potti & vanity tent, Tarps (& ropes for same), Rooftop tent, 7 alloy poles for large tarp, 18" Chainsaw and fuel, Bushsaw, Chairs, Pots & Pans

We need to carry at least 30 litres of water each for the duration. I suggest it be broken up into separate drinking water stored in cardboard casks with the soft liner (like wine casks). The harder plastic type casks are prone to getting knocked about too much, and they need to be holed at the top for them to work.

We will need to carry at least one jerry each for fuel. We are nearer to fuel stops on this trip now, but it never hurt to have too much of it. Cool - cold temps will make it safer too.

We have to cater for 3 dinners and breakfasts each as well as 4 lunches. Dinner and breakkys will be catered for in a communal fashion. Lunches - every body works these out for themselves. Same for in-car munchies.

We will be leaving Thursday evening (at this stage) from the Campbellton area at around 6:00pm, or earlier if we all can.

Any more?

Cheers
Chris

[maddog]

What's a water blind? I must have missed that bit :oops:

[omaroo]

Ben

I can't remember if you have a snorkel or not. If not, a water blind is just a small tarp that you can stretch over the front of your radiator grille and up over the bonnet a little. A few ockie straps to hold in place. It lets you create a bow wave without getting water force-injested into your air intake, and it keeps the engine bay a little drier... as long as you don't stop mid-stream

This is all assuming that we might even have to cross a creek or two....

[TIGGER]

I'm out guys... no $$$$ :|

[billsta]

chris.
i have a fire-jaffle maker if you'er keen on borrow. and a plastic jerry can for the octane loving 4.0L's.... :mrgreen:

[omaroo]

hehe... thanks Billsta :mrgreen:

I think that everyone can get hold of jerry's, but the jaffle-maker would be cool! Are you near anyone that's coming along?

Cheers
Chris

[omaroo]

Jeff, Ben & Anthony

It looks like Jenny can get the Thursday arvo (if not the whole day) off. this meansd that if you guys can too, we'll leave from my place at around 4:00pm if not earlier. Can everyone please let me know how early they can leave?

After talking to Rod (the guy coming along in the Cruiser) who's wife comes from Corryong, think we can make the first night's stop at Stacey's Bridge camp ground - at the foot of the mountains. This is far better than stopping off at either Yass or Gundagai. Rod reckons it's about 5 1/2 (6 at worst) hours to this location, meaning that we would hope to reach it by 10:00pm at the latest. We'll set up for the night there. There are drop dunnies at the site..... and water too (still to confirm this).

I think that we'll use Stacey's bridge as a base for the next few days, but due to it being close to the mojor road through the area it is unadvisable to leave anything there during the day. From here we can go to Wheeler's Hut on the Friday, do the Zulu Creek (hardcore) on the Saturday and then on the Sunday do Mt Pinnibar to get a view of Mt Kozzie. Monday we'll have a go at the Wild Boar Range track for a while and then toodle-off home. If we get the time, I'd like to go back via Tumut and then Cooma.

Cheers
Chris

[maddog]

Couple of questions for you Chris.

I thought we were going to pack up keep moving along the trail each day? What's changed to mean that we're returning back to the same spot at the end of each day? Will we be packing the tents up each day and redeploying in the night?

When will we be doing the shopping for the food? Still planned to do that on Thursday on the way down?

I should be able to make it to your place by 4pm. Can't make it any sooner than that though.

BTW. I ordered the shower this morning, should arrive on Thursday.

[omaroo]

Ben

Yep... Stacey's Bridge is a good central location. All the other tracks we want to do go from this spot and loop around back there. It's obviously not set in stone, and we can end up somewhere else if we so want. A good reason to return here as that there are dunnies and water. There are other places though, and I'm on to the DSE at the moment to find out more. the other reason is that it's only a 1/2 hour drive back to Corryong from Stacey's so that you guys can refuel at night if need be. Means that the jerry in each car becomes less necessary.

Shopping: I think that we need to do it the day before. We won't really be stopping anywhere to waste time on the way down. We'll talk about the logistics over the next few days.

Oh! I forgot!.... bring dunny paper!!!!!!!!!

Good that we can get away by 4:00pm.... depending on Jeff and Anthony.

[Jeff]

Sorry about the delay in posting guys...

I will have to let you know about the 4pm departure, It looks like I'm going to be bringing someone along to keep me warm, so I'll have to find out when she can leave.

If we have to break camp & pack up every day, is it worth staying at Stacey's bridge? If there is a better camping spot within 45 mins of the area, it would still be faster & easier than re-making a camp site every night.

Oh yeah, that makes 80 meals :shock:

[omaroo]

Jeff

We don't have to come back to Stacey's every evening... it's just handy for water, fuel and dunnies.There are plenty of camping grounds around the are so we can sus it out when we come across one. I've always found fantastic campsites along the road and sworn to go back to them... and never have...

Great news about the human water bottle :) You'll need her ! :mrgreen:

80 meals.... wow! That's gonna be a fun little shop! Does anyone have a Visa or MasterCard with more credit on it than mine? We might need to accumulate everything in one (or many) baskets and pay for them on one card.... and then divide up evenly and pay back the card-holder with cash straight away.

[billsta]

i think the jaffle maker is a bit rusted at the moment, i can drop it off ot jeff, when you guys leaving? in 2 days?

hold on jeff moved... :shock:

[omaroo]

Nah Billsta.... we're leaving on Thursday the 27th.... plenty 'o time! :)

[Jeff]

I'm in Artarmon now, like 5 minutes further away.

[omaroo]

Moderators...

Should this thread be moved to the "Organise a Trip" forum?

[maddog]

Any progress on a shopping list? As I understand it, we're not shopping before hand, but we all need to go shopping and bring what is needed along?

[omaroo]

Ben

Yep... that's probably the best way..... as long as everyone is fairly flexible with what they eat.... or don't. For the big-ticket items, such as meat, I suggest we buy our own and throw it on the barbie for ourselves. I'll be bringing the Bidgie Barbie which is a fairly large round plate with legs that goes on the fire. Just throw your own on.... and we'll go communal with the veggies, etc.

When we meet up, we'll just throw everyone's meat into one of the two fridges.

[omaroo]

(Ben) Sorry, just clarifying exacly what sort of things I need to buy.

So I should go buy all the breakfast and lunch meals for myself and Kim, also our own meats, but bring some vegies, rolls and other bits and pieces for communal dinners? Are we going to have everything covered that way?

Should we just say everyone brings own food fullstop, and we just store the meat together and cook communally? Or am I missing the point completely?

I think that Ben has hit this on the head correctly. Let's all just buy our own food and cook communally. Let's try to keep it similar if we can... i.e. we'll be cooking meat on the barbie plate, so don't bring stuff for a stroganoff (if you know what I mean).

We'll have the barbie plate as well as Anthony's camp oven, so whatever you want for dinner that night, it has to be able to be cooked communally in either of these two ways.

Veggies: I'll be bringing a pot or two, so we'll just boil 'em up and dish 'em out. Salads are good, but take up a lot of room in the fridges.... and we only have two of those so please refrain from bringing too much that needs refrigeration apart from meat.

Cheers
Chris

[maddog]

Chris,

I'm just putting together a list of all the gear I've got to pack in the Jeep, and have 2 more questions.

1) I know we spoke about it last Sunday, but is someone bringing a tub, sponge and dish washing stuff to wash the plates etc?

2) Your vanity tent for your portaloo thingy, is that tall enough to shower in as well? I was going to buy one of the Oztent change tents, but it occured to me that we may not need to double up.

Will post more if I think of anything else.

[omaroo]

Ben

1) Anthony is bringing the washing up stuff.

2) The vanity tent is self-standing, and is about 7 foot tall. We use it for both showering and, uhhmmm.... pooing in.

[maddog]

Sweet, I won't go buy one then!

[omaroo]

Keep ya money for some more grog instead **)

[Jeff]

Thread moved... can't wait for this trip!

[omaroo]

Thanks Jeff... I think it's more appropriate here, and will have a wider audience.

8 more sleeps!!!!

[Dorzun]

Geez, I wish I had the time to make it. :cry: :cry:

[omaroo]

Update:

I've been advised by a local that travelling on the backroads after coming off the Hume Highway south of Gundagai at night is pretty dangerous at the moment. Apparently there are literally hundreds off roos all over the shop at the moment.... and hitting one is a real possibility. I've got an ARB bullbar on the Grand... but I'm not terribly keen to test it out.

I'll investigate further and let you know. Maybe we could stay in iether Tumut or Gundagai Thursday evening and then it's a relatively short run the next morning.

Cheers
Chris

[maddog]

How far do we have to travel on the back roads till we get to the camp site? And what sorts of speeds are these roads set at?

If it wasn't too far, and we put whoever has the most light coming from their vehicle at the front, would that be a problem?

If we choose not to go, will be we staying at a hotel/motel type thing, or will it stll be a camp?

-Ben

[omaroo]

Ben

It's over a hundred kays to where we are going. The main risk is at dusk and dawn... when they're active. Maybe it's OK later at night when we're coming through.....

If we decided to stop... it'd be to camp (for Jenny and myself anyway).

I'm sorta thinking to give the road a go.... but keep the speed down and have those LightForce 240's going full-bore - one set to narrow and the other set to spread beams.

[CRLiiN]

I would recon the murray will be low as we have had no rain for months,BUT if there is a snow storm and rain it can come up pretty quick. I blew both headlights driving though there last winter at night with water over my bonnet lapping on windscreen wiper blades and have seen trucks get pushed a fair way down stream. I would say bring really warm clothes for at night incase it snows.

[sir_camel]

I know its not a great indication but drove over Murrimbidgee at Gundagai today and its was SOOOOO low. Havent been over there for a while but never seen it that low. I am muchos envious of you guys. Look forward to hearing reports at the next SJC meet.

[CRLiiN]

Crossing small creek covered in snow :shock:

[Jeff]

Holy crap that looks cold... and deep :shock:

[maddog]

Sounds like it's gonna be fun. :D

[Jeff]

A couple of questions:

Have we confirmed that there is water at the site?
Do we still need to carry extra fuel? With the fridge in the back, space is now at a premuim.


Oh yeah, where exactly are we meeting? I should be cool to get out of the city at 3.00pm or so.

[omaroo]

There is water at Stacey's bridge. I wouldn't drink it though. It will be OK for washing, showering and cooking (boiled first). The NPWS and DSE suggest that wild dogs contaminate the source way upstream. It's usually OK by the time it gets down to Stacey's, but I'm not one to risk disentry. This means that we will have to carry at least 20 litres of water in each car... and re-fill them when you guys go to fill up at Corryong after the day's run. This is half the reason I want to stay at Stacey's each night. We'll see. There are plenty of creeks around, but not to many that trickle petrol.

I think we're the furthest south.... so what about at our place? It's about 5 minutes off the Hume Highway up Narellan Road to Appin Road. I reckon that if we could leave there about 4:00pm we'll be away in time to beat any residual Hume traffic.

I have just spent the entire day doing a bang-up job of wiring up my LightForce spotties. We will have an easier time spotting animals on the way down to Corryong. I also fianlly installed and wired in the GPS where I manufactured a mount in the console. Not a bad day's work.

[Jeff]

Ben, do you have a firewire port/cable for your laptop? I have another digital video camera coming along.

[Antz]

At last, final night at work. I can now concentrate on getting organised. I have no problem with the plan to leave on Thursday, I can be there (Chris' place?) at anytime.

So are we still taking a jerry of fuel each? I will, but only if I really need to. Is the plan to still return to the same campground each night?

Damn, that creek crossing looks awsome :shock: where were those photos taken?

Can't wait to get going.

[omaroo]

Anthony

Depending on how much I can pare down what I usually take, I might have room for one jerry dedicated to ULP. I think I can get away without a spare can of diesel..... which kinda goes against my grain, but we'll see whan were all packed. I have a few bulky items like the dunny, chainsaw and other things to consider.

I think the plan is return to Stacey's each night, as all of the tracks we are doing loop back to that point anyhow... within a few kays.

4 more sleeps..........

[maddog]

Jeff, I just had a look at my laptop and I don't think it's got a firewire port. Just USB ports

:(

[omaroo]

It looks like Gary Fox from the SJC may now be coming too. He will be bringing another stove so that we have enough cooking capacity.

Looks like a nice large outing now!!

[maddog]

What sort of Jeep does Gary drive? Cherokee? I don't think I've spoken to him before.

[sir_camel]

Gary drives Red XJ with the bonnet scoop

[omaroo]

Mmmm... I think it's either an XJ or a ZJ - can't remember!

[omaroo]

OK all...

What time can you be at my place - off Appin Road just south of Campbelltown on Thursday?

Both Jenny and I now have the entire day off. **)

[maddog]

I can make it by 4.. Kim and I are both leaving work at around 1.30pm.

[omaroo]

Let's set the official "leave Sydney" time from my place at 4:00pm then. We don't want to start any later than that.

Cheers
Chris

[Butt Craic]

Cal (Crliin) dropped into my work today and we were chatting about the trip. Can't re-emphasize the PACK WARM CLOTHES comment mentioned a couple of times. It rained all today and they are forecasting snow over the next 3 days and while our forecasts at the resort don't stretch until the weekend, the long range snow forecasts were predicting snow on the Saturday and Sunday. It is regularly getting into the negatives overnight in Jindabyne (900m above sea level) and in the -5 and colder in Perisher Valley (about the same altitude that you will be camping at).

Can someone let Cal and I know what channel you will be running on the trip and where you are thinking you'll be on the Saturday night. We were talking of the possiblity of trying to catch up with you guys on the Saturday night and joining you for the drive on Sunday but a lot will depend on where you are because some of us need to be back at a reasonable time on Sunday night to start work again early Monday morn.

For those of you that Cal and I met on the Appin run, start the stop watches when you leave Sydney and stop them when you drive through the far side of Jindabyne (say turn-off to Thredbo) and you'll get an idea of the trip we made for a DAY trip . . . :shock:

IMHO even newish ATs might be like ice skates on some of the trip if we continue to get the precipitation that we had today. The upside is that there should be plenty of fresh snow around to play in :lol:

[omaroo]

Butt

Yep... we have the warm stuff covered. Jenny and I used to camp in the snow above 12,000 feet in the USA. We have advised the others to bring their best woolies - and long thermal underwear if they have it.

We are most likely to be staying at Stacey's Bridge on Saturday night. It's on Benambra-Corryong Road where it crosses Nariel Creek at 56H 5966500N 574200E (AUS84 UTM)

We should be on UHF Ch22 - if we leave them on.

Hope to see you down there!

[omaroo]

OK guys - FOOD

Jenny and I will be shopping Wednesday evening for our own stuff.

Given that there will be three burners-worth of stoves coming along in our car, plus another couple coming along with Rod Muir (friend of ours in their LandCruiser), we should be OK for cooking wet stuff. I'll be bringing the round barbie plate for meat - i.e. steaks, snags and the like.

So.... we need to each buy our own stuff and bring it along on Thursday arvo. We'll put meat and other important perishables into our (small 32L) fridge and Anthony's.... plus a couple of beers for when we reach the campsite that night. Please make sure that your meat is already as cold as you can so that the fridges don't have heart attacks trying to bring their temp down from warm.

Try and refrain from buying those pre-packaged green salads that take heaps of fridge room and they are bagged out with padded air in the bag to stop the salads from crushing.

Remember to bring anything you want for lunches too. We'll probably get those little canned tuna & bickie lunches that can be boxed up in the back.

The best drinks are the little boxed fruit juices - and the same for milk. We won't have room in the fridges for the normal 1-litre (and larger) packs of milk and certainly don't want to be driving around with opened packs. We usually get the little 200ml UHT milk cartons as they can be boxed up without refrigeration too.

Sheesh!... anything else?

[maddog]

Will we be stopping to cook up warm lunches? I was thinking about bringing some tinned soup for lunch, but will need to heat it up.

[omaroo]

Ben... I'll bring thee 12v microwave oven for ya **) (They do exist you know!!)

Yeah... I think we can manage that. there's no set itinerary, so we just go (or stop) witht the flow.

We normally bring along those noodle-in-a-bowl lunches that need us to stop and heat some water anyways....

[Jeff]

Very Important!!!

How's the coffee situation? I remember you stating that a good coffee in the morning is critical. Do we have this sussed?

[omaroo]

Jeff

You're talking to me...remember? Coffee is the number one item on our packing list. We brew fresh coffee each morning - there is no substitute. Bring a nice double-walled mug with you!

[omaroo]

VICTORIAN AND SOUTHEAST AUSTRALIAN SNOW BRIEFING 25/5/04 0700 AEST


A broad trough is affecting the alpine areas of southeast Australia today bringing extensive cloud showers and rain areas - isolated storms are another risk. A gradual change from mild northerlies will occur today being replaced by colder southwest to westerlies and rain tending to showers with snow showers above 1500M later today and through Wednesday. A high pressure region now west of Perth will develop a ridge towards the Australian Bight today and then the high pressure centre will approach the southeast of Australia later in the week.


SNOW POTENTIAL OUTLOOK: Rain and showers this morning tending to mainly showers this afternoon. Colder west to southwest winds developing later today and tonight will bring the snow line down to near 1500M overnight Tuesday and Wednesday - snow showers mainly over western and southern parts, conditions will gradually stabilise from Thursday as a high pressure system approaches.


DAILY WEATHER SUMMARY


TUESDAY 25/5/04: Areas of highland fog, showers tending to longer spells of rain at times, chance of thunder. North winds becoming lighter then tending west to southwest later, showers tending to sleet and wet snow towards evening mainly above 1500M. MAX TEMPS 4°C to 6°C, lowering to near 1°C towards evening.


WEDNESDAY 26/5/04: Areas of cloud and highland fog with scattered showers mainly over western and southern areas, snow showers mainly above 1340M in the morning then receding to above 1450M later in the day. Moderate southwest winds with moderate wind chill conditions.MIN TEMPS -2°C to 0°C MAX TEMPS 0°C to 3°C


THURSDAY 27/5/04: Areas of highland fog/ drizzle and a few showers over more southern areas with a few flurries above 1490M. Moderate southwest winds, MIN TEMPS -3°C to 0°C MAX TEMPS 0°C to 3°C.


FRIDAY 28/5/04: Areas of drizzle and highland fog over far southern areas, early frosts in the north, light to moderate south winds. MIN TEMPS -4°C to 0°C MAX TEMPS 2°C to 5°C.


TREND FOR WEEKEND: A strong high will affect the region this weekend gradually passing to the east by Sunday and followed by milder north winds. Another trough approaching early next week with showers increasing a colder trend is apparent from Tuesday next week.

[omaroo]

Bring the thermals... and good ski gloves!!!!!!!

Also... make sure you have really good, solid boots that can be waterproffed with plenty of dubbin!!!!!

I've just had a new tarp manufactured to clip onto our rooftop tent by a sail-runner arrangement for protection from the above weather conditions. It's 2.5 metres wide and 4 metres long.... and add the area of the rooftop tent to that. We should have a nice dry area under that to sit and drink........... I mean think 8)

I also have a gas heater I'm bringing to use under the tarp. Nice and toasty!!!! :D

[TIGGER]

Sounds like you're in for a fun trip!



.................


lucky bastards :mrgreen: :cry:

[Jeff]

Sounds like more rain that snow.... should make for some interesting driving :?

[omaroo]

Jeff

Even the campsite at Stacey's Bridge is at 1300+ metres. It'll snow down to that level for sure. We could always go up into the mountains and camp there... and watch falling snow as we eat dinner.

I can't WAIT!!!!

[Antz]

Bit of bad news on my front, unfortunatly I'll now be flying solo for this trip :cry:

Oh well, more room in both tents (the TJ and the sleeping tent :) )

[omaroo]

Bummer Anthony

What type of Jeep are you bringing now? I was under the assumption that you had an XJ..... don't know why

[omaroo]

Ben

Did you manage to get your shower fitted?

Cheers
Chris

[Antz]

One jeep (TJ) is enough of a strain on the finances.

[Jeff]

Anthony... think you can remove the passenger seat & put more stuff there? :mrgreen:

Weather report for Vic Alpine reigions:

Outlooks:
Thursday Scattered snow showers. Fresh to locally strong southwesterly wind.

Friday Scattered snow showers.
Saturday Isolated showers falling as snow on the peaks.

Mt Buller
Wednesday Max 2

Mt Hotham
Wednesday Max 1

[maddog]

Chris, the Shower is being fitted and wired as we speak. I pick up the vehicle with all the finished mods this afternoon. The only thing that's in doubt is the JBitz sidesteps, but I hardly think that's a showstopper!

Jeff, what is Max 2 and Max 1? Should I be scared? :P

[omaroo]

Max 1! take your jammies!!

[Jeff]

Bit of bad news on my front, unfortunatly I'll now be flying solo for this trip :cry:

Oh well, more room in both tents (the TJ and the sleeping tent :) )


Finding out this afternoon if I am losing the hot water bottle... she may have to work :cry:

[omaroo]

Mmmm.... two hot water bottles not coming?

Mine's definitely not for rent **)

[maddog]

Probably because you keep calling them hot water bottles :P

[omaroo]

Just rang the Mt. Mittamatite Caravan Park in Corryong to find out some local details. They stock both ULP and diesel in the Caltex servo out the front. They are normally open from 7:00am to about 7:30pm every day, but will open up the servo for "emergencies" and late-comers. They also sell food essentials (meat, veggies, bread, etc) from their kiosk if we need any.

They are the last station south, so we will need to come up there when we run low on the 'ol gasoline and dieseloline.

If we want to stay there on Thursday evening, they will let us in late, and have campsites from $13 a night through to cabins for $38 (standard) $40-something for older-style and $50-something for new ensuite cabins. If we decide that we are too tired to carry on to Stacey Bridge we will stop. Better off $13 bucks less in our wallets than off the side of the road in a prang.

Camping sites - there are some people coming down later than the first group so we need to stay at Stacey Bridge on the Thursday & Friday nights so that they can meet us. We have gary Fox coming down from Sydney as well as Rod Muir (L'Cruiser friend of ours). We also have Butt Craic and Cal coming from Perisher for a day or two.

I suggest that we probably stay at the Cattleman Creek Camping Area at Wheeler Creek Hut on the Saturday evening and then at the Ski Hut on the Scrubby Creek Track on Sunday evening. We'll see.

Looking at the topo's I've not seen lines so close together for quite a while..... it's pretty steep.... especially on the Zulu Creek track. Great fun!!

[maddog]

http://ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8326

This won't affect us will it? We're not really going on any snow 'fields' as such?

[TIGGER]

pffft.... chains :roll:



(you'll be right) :wink:

[maddog]

Oh I'm not thinking I'll need them, especially not with the new tyres :wink: My question was more a matter of is someone going to say 'you can't pass this point unless you have chains on' .. in which case I'll probably just drive over their vehicle and continue on :D :D :D

[omaroo]

Ben

Nah.... not mandatory where we're going. That's not to say we won't need them though **)

At the snow fields - like heading up to Perisher, they usually have staff on the side of the road pulling drivers over and ensuring that chains are fitted before proceding.

There 'aint gonna be any little guys pulling us over...... !!

[omaroo]

One last-minute thought.....

Have you all checked how much anti-freeze you are running in your engine coolant? You will probably have to cater for -10 C overnight to be reasonably safe. Maybe drain a little coolant off and top her up with your favourite flavour of glycol.

Cheers
Chris

[Butt Craic]

Chains are not required to enter the national parks if you drive a 4wd or an AWD even through the height of the ski season. They are required for 2wd cars and they won't let you through the park gates if you are not carrying them . . . but that shouldn't be an issue anyway.

Technically you should not have to pay the Park Enterance Fee ($16 or $17 each day you are in the Park) as you head in from the Thredbo but that's not to say they won't try to make you pay. I think the official ruling is that if you are passing through the park you don't need to pay but I'm not at work and unlikely to be able to get you the info before you head off.

Fuel is expensive - in Jindy it is around 111.9 for both ULP and Diesel. For those of you running diesel, it is probably worth ensuring that you fill up from one of the alpine servos because they have an additive that ensures the diesel doesn't get really thick overnight in the cold . . . not great for your car but it is better than pushing.

It didn't rain for most of today but they are still forecasting snow over the next couple of days so be prepared for it to be a bit chilly . . . if anyone saw the edition of JP a month or so ago, take a look at the guys doing the snow trip and you won't feel so bad about the weather.

There is some pretty steep terrain around but it is fire trail style rather than the boulder strewn tracks that most of you are probably used to . . . just stay off the brakes on the way downhill if it is wet!

If it is snowing tomorrow arvo you are best advised to avoid driving to Corryong in the later hours of the evening. They are not clearing the roads regularly yet and it can get pretty slippery on the roads that take you from Thredbo over to Corryong. If you want an update from Perisher as to the road conditions, give me a call on 0408 030 182. Worst case, there is a couple of caravan parks in Jindy that you can camp in . . . . hell, there's plenty of paddock out the back of my place if worst comes to worst.

Drive safely and hope to catch you guys over the weekend.

Nathan.

[omaroo]

Yep

We're not driving through to Corryong Thusday evening. We'll be stopping off at Holbrook for the night.

Nathan - you guys still coming?

[Butt Craic]

We're still planning on coming but am waiting for a final all clear from work . . . as before, are hoping to meet up with you guys on the Saturday night and then head back at some stage on the Sunday. I'm going to do some quick research tonight because might be able to have my car ready to meet up with you on the Friday night and come back to my place on the Saturday evening - all will depend on where your camp sites are and how long the drive is from Jindabyne.

Will speak with Cal tomorrow to find out what his plans are - think he was going to check weather forecast because was worried about how cold it would be for his young daughter.

What topo maps are the camp sites on?

[Butt Craic]

You will definitely see/hear my rig (rack of Lightforce 140's and 3" exhaust with no resonator) before I see you guys but a whole heap of jeeps shouldn't be any harder to spot than my GU coil cab running on 37's or 39's

[sir_camel]

Jealousy :|

[omaroo]

Hi Nathan - great to hear!

We'll definitely be at the campground at Stacey Bridge on Friday night. It's on the Cravensville-Nariel 1:50000 topo (8425-S) at 5966500N & 574200E. Look along the top of the map and find the statement "to Colac Colac 6km". That's the Corryong/Benambra Road. Follow it down and you'll find Stacey Bridge.

Saturday night is a bit of a question, but if we aren't there we'll most likely be at Wheelers Creek Hut. It's on the Dart/Gibbo topo (8424N) at around 5954850N & 578500E on the Wheeler Creek Log Road off the Corryong/Benamra main drag. We'll be on UHF Ch22 anyway.

Maybe see you there!!!

Cheers
Chris

[omaroo]

Mr Camel

Come on the next one in November or thereabouts!!! :P

[sir_camel]

Yea...i'd love to. We'll see if Mr Pink Slip (rego in november) is $2500 cheaper this year and i'll be a goer.

I have a pretty cruisy 2nd half of the year so definate possibility. Gee your already talking next trip before u have left on this one. Enjoy it team and have a safe time.

[maddog]

Woo! Picked the Jeep up from ORI last night with 35s and plenty of other bits and pieces attached! All set to go!

[TIGGER]

Woo! Picked the Jeep up from ORI last night with 35s and plenty of other bits and pieces attached! All set to go!


Nice one! I'll bet it looks sweet, and what a trip to test it out on.

(maybe now i can get mine out after 2 weeks :roll:) :lol:

[omaroo]

Righto guys..... I'm off the air until we get back.

You all have my address and phone number... so see you there at 4:00pm !!! :P :P :P

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..... ........................... !

[Butt Craic]

YYou guys are probably all huddled around a camp fire at the moment trying to keep warm on the last night of the trip. Apologies from Cal and myself - things just didn't work out for us this weekend. It was going to be about 3 hours in and another 3 hours out which was more than either of had to spare unfortunately . . . the late week snow that would have added to the fun on your trip means that there is a frantic race to ensure that (snow permitting) the resorts will be open a week early.

I hope everyone had a heap of fun and look forwad to a chance to meet up with you all again. By then (post ski season), if all goes well, you may be looking out for a TJ rather than my GU coil cab.

Let me know if anyone is heading down through the season - I'd love to catch up with anyone who's down here for a ski.

Cheers, Nathan

[omaroo]

Well...

What a great trip. A great bunch of people to go away with. Those that came were:

Jeff (Shower Boy) & Sana
Ben (Benoflage) & Kim (Kimoflage)
Anthony (Antzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
Gary & David
Rod & Tara
Chris (DamnTailgate) and Jenny. The nights were cold, but the fireplace & conversation warm and the scenery wonderful.

There should be some shots going up over the next couple of days including video on the Aus Jeep Photo Directory - I've created one under the SJC club gallery for photos from this trip. Jeff, maddog and Antz - you have upload permissions to this new directory.

Once again everyone - thanks for coming!

Next trip.... hopefully the desert.

[Jeff]

What a trip!

Had an absolute ball... really glad I went.

Pics to come, but here's a teaser.

[TIGGER]

mmmm.... snow :mrgreen:

[LEXX]

Looks like heaps of fun fella's. Bit more snow than what we had, hope that fire was big ;)

[sir_camel]

Let me quote myself from before you left with the same sentiment.

Jealousy :|

Look forward to hearing your tales on wed.

[maddog]

Thanks Chris for organising the trip, and to all those who came for a great trip.

Pics are uploaded here -=> http://maddog.ozstays.com/gallery/vic-highcountry-05-04

I'll try and sort them out so they're in a bit better order through the day.

[TIGGER]

awesome pics - whats with the seedy shack??? looks like something outa blair witch project

[Antz]

Top trip, thanks to all for making it such a good few days away, especially Chris and Jen for all the organising that went into it. Cant wait for the next one!

My pics are on the Aus Jeep Photo directory here;

http://210.10.49.162/gallery/Snowies-May-04

[omaroo]

LOL Jase!!

That "seedy shack" (actually we visited two) was either Wheeler's Hut or the Ski Hut. Both have been up there for decades to help out people stranded at dark. They are basic shelter to keep you out of a blizzard. People have really done a job on them over time as you can obviously see. Pity.

Given their condition, I'd still use them when I had to without any problems at all....... given the alternative. Ski Hut has a fire place (which was still warm when we got there) whilst Wheeler's doesn't.

[omaroo]

Antz **)

Great shots from you and Ben! (Love the Nikon digital)

LOVE the avatar!!!!! hehe!

Now I just have to find one for me..... a head with a bump on it :mrgreen:

[omaroo]

Let me know if anyone is heading down through the season - I'd love to catch up with anyone who's down here for a ski.

Nathan - sorry you guys missed it! We had a great time.... and you would have loved the climb to Pinnibar - both during the day (and I hear) at night!

Jenny and I will be spending more and more time down at our Cooma property as we settle the final purchase this week. We'll be glad to come down to see you and Cal. Can't wait for the snow season proper.

See ya soon

Chris

[AussieCJ7]

This pic looks like it should be an advert for Jeep

http://210.10.49.162/albums/Snowies-May-04/Dsc_0061.jpg

[sir_camel]

Wow that is a great shot. Lots of excellent shots in everyones galleries

[Antz]

Here ya go Chris.

A lift on the Grand will solve your problems. :D

[maddog]

I hear this is a picture of me standing in the bush, but I'm not sure.

[TIGGER]

This pic looks like it should be an advert for Jeep

http://210.10.49.162/albums/Snowies-May-04/Dsc_0061.jpg


Yeah the silverstone looks great in the snow

[Jeff]

Pics are uploaded to the same folder as Antzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

http://210.10.49.162/gallery/Snowies-May-04

[omaroo]

Thanks so much Jeff :mrgreen:

Great photies! Do you want me to bring a firewire cable tonight? Does your camera need a cable with the larger D-type plug on the PC end and the really small one on the camera end? I have a genuine Apple cable going for free if you want it.....