Big & Little Deserts

Post Reply
User avatar
NachaLuva
General Member
Posts: 1930
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:05 pm
Location: SE Melbourne

Big & Little Deserts

Post by NachaLuva » Wed Oct 22, 2014 12:48 pm

After some delay, I have gotten around to doing a report (600+ pics to go through doesnt help lol)

While travelling to the 1st night's camp:
Image

Venom, El Freddo, Dulagarl, Pezimm and myself met up at Snow Drift Campground in Wyperfeld NP

Image

Next night was at Red Gum campground in Big Desert. After setting up camp we headed off for some fun at Thompson Peak Lookout, a massive, steep & very soft sand dune.

El Freddo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blSAkHVsq4M

Venom & myself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcDrqrjJmCI

The next day, El Freddo & I went into Pinaroo to fuel up & do some shopping. While returning we got the bad news about Pezimm's radiator

Can't find the link, will add later...

With Pezimm getting towed back to Pinaroo, we set off down the Border Tr with Subaruby joining us.
Image

View from the top of a dune:
Image

Image

We said goodbye to Subyruby, 3rd night was at a burnt out campground where we were beseiged by bees! Found this awesome snake-looking grass tree:
Image
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Owner SubieLiftOz, lift kits for Subarus :twisted:

'97 Forester: EJ22E; 4" Custom Body Lift; JDM STi plated LSD; 20mm WRX RSB; Snorkel; Kings

User avatar
NachaLuva
General Member
Posts: 1930
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:05 pm
Location: SE Melbourne

Post by NachaLuva » Wed Oct 22, 2014 12:49 pm

The next day we continued down the Border Tr. Lots of wildlife:
Image

At the end of the Border Tr:
Image

We said goodbye to Venom and continued on to the Little Desert. Some light drizzle kept the sand manageable but it was still soft & deep. The next day Dulagarl & El freddo left for home while I continued onto my next adventure...the Flinders Ranges

Image
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Owner SubieLiftOz, lift kits for Subarus :twisted:

'97 Forester: EJ22E; 4" Custom Body Lift; JDM STi plated LSD; 20mm WRX RSB; Snorkel; Kings

User avatar
Tigger
Junior Member
Posts: 414
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:00 am
Location: West Brisbane

Post by Tigger » Wed Oct 22, 2014 1:06 pm

Great photos - I loved the videos too!

Thank you for sharing :)
ImageImageImage
2012 Subaru Forester - 2.0D Premium ~ 2002 Subaru Forester - Limited (Lifted)

User avatar
NachaLuva
General Member
Posts: 1930
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:05 pm
Location: SE Melbourne

Post by NachaLuva » Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:03 pm

I dont like revving Marvin that hard but an occasional blat wont hurt & was needed there
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Owner SubieLiftOz, lift kits for Subarus :twisted:

'97 Forester: EJ22E; 4" Custom Body Lift; JDM STi plated LSD; 20mm WRX RSB; Snorkel; Kings

User avatar
El_Freddo
Master Member
Posts: 12485
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bridgewater Vic
Contact:

Post by El_Freddo » Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:03 pm

Wirregren Plain wooden water well:

Image

Looking down the well:

Image

Kelley lookout:

Image

Image

From here we headed to Underbool in the hope for fuel - but the store was closed - so was Murrayville so we continued over to Pinaroo in SA for a quick fuel grab, then back into the desert to came at the Gums.

Back into the desert and the sand driving:

Image

From here we headed up to a dune where you get a good view of the western horizon and just about everything else too:

Image

Unfortunately I couldn't make it up to the tallest section of this dune complex - I put it down to the road tyres I was on this year compared to last, as well as some slightly changed conditions in the track's surface at the base - super bumpy! Nachaluva and Venom were on the top of the dune you can see in this pic above.

Packing up the new tent in camp the next morning:

Image

Camp:

Image

Subaruby joined us here last night too.


.
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
Image
El Freddo's Pics - El_Freddo's youtube

User avatar
El_Freddo
Master Member
Posts: 12485
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bridgewater Vic
Contact:

Post by El_Freddo » Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:28 pm

While Subaruby, Venom, Dulagarl and Pezimm headed off to the Big Dune to have a play around, Nachaluva and I headed into Pinaroo for a group shopping session and to fill up that little gap in our fuel tanks and fill my one empty jerry can.

On our way we found this little beauty in the middle of the track:

Image

Image

Image

We got our shopping done, had lunch in Pinaroo when we got news of Pezimm's radiator's demise. Not cool.
The boys got Pezimm sorted on a decent road and met Nachaluva and I at a pre-determined intersection back in the desert. And I now understand why it is important to have a double spoiler setup on your offroad wagon:

Image

^ aka "Venom's bar"

We camped at the Pines after a discussion about how far we were willing to travel before setting up camp. I know I was keen for some sand 4wd'n but in the end we made the right decision about the campsite for the night - We also didn't know how much traffic was further down the track.

The next day we headed off - yesterday scorpion park at the beginning of the track was certainly not what I was expecting - and I was hoping it wasn't an indication of what the rest of the track held for us. SP was a mud racer track that had all the wrong things for a trip where you're trying to get way from infrastructure to enjoy some natural beauty. SP was no indication of what we were to experience:

Image

My old thermo fan had been having issues - and this was apparent with the high temp Ruby Scoo was running. If we couldn't maintain 40km/h we needed to stop from time to time so the radiator could cool down. I borrowed a spray bottle from Dulagarl which helped a lot. I also re-routed the window washer spray to the radiator and disconnected the wiper motor - dash mounted water spray (garden nozzle used). Seemed to work a bit - saved pulling over as often!

We saw a lot of this with good dunes from time to time - both of which I really enjoyed:

Image

Image

At one dune Subaruby and Venom disconnected Subaruby's rear swaybar to try for more articulation and thus grip in the sand at times. I think it helped out a bit but Subaruby would be able to tell you more about that!

Image


.
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
Image
El Freddo's Pics - El_Freddo's youtube

User avatar
El_Freddo
Master Member
Posts: 12485
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bridgewater Vic
Contact:

Post by El_Freddo » Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:39 pm

More pics of the trip down the Boarder Track - further down it was crazy to see the amount of area that was burnt out by a bushfire!

Image

Image

Image

Image

It was good to see some new growth occuring:

Image

We camped at Redbluff camp ground - also burnt out except for one little section that turned out the be infested with bees until sun down. Anything with a scrap of moisture in it was a target!

Image

Image

The bees were a PITA but when they were gone the weather conditions were just right for shorts and a jumper.

The next day we were off further south - then head to Boardertown for fuel and in hope of a parts shop to buy a new thermo fan...

First stop was the dune where Venom and Nachaluva managed to watch the sunset from the day before (Venom escorted Subaruby safely to the blacktop for his return home):

Image


.
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
Image
El Freddo's Pics - El_Freddo's youtube

User avatar
El_Freddo
Master Member
Posts: 12485
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bridgewater Vic
Contact:

Post by El_Freddo » Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:54 pm

Nachluva coming up a little too hard - he almost missed this corner :D

Image

Dulagarl coming up:

Image

Image

What's a term for a group of subarus?

Image

Breakfast was had up here by some to get away from those bloody bees while others had a bit of a play up and down the different tracks this dune offered.

Then more cruising:

Image

I'd heard about car swallowing bog holes which was a concern at the back of my mind. We found them at the southern end of the track but were able to easily avoid them:

Image

Image


.
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
Image
El Freddo's Pics - El_Freddo's youtube

User avatar
El_Freddo
Master Member
Posts: 12485
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bridgewater Vic
Contact:

Post by El_Freddo » Wed Oct 22, 2014 11:05 pm

After our refuel in Boarder Town we headed to Little Desert via Serviceton - basically at Serviceton all there is are a few houses, wide open fields of crops and a historical old railway station where apparently the trains were stopped for a clean/refuel/re-catered etc so the station is HUGE to accommodate a large train load of people; it's very impressive!

Image

Image

Image

Rain across the fields - I love the contrast of these clouds in each image (included above):

Image

^ This rain was very light throughout the night after an absence once at camp. Our last day was in the rain for most of it; still very light until heading home where it got very steady and heavier too.

On our way out to camp we came across some Red Winged Black Cockatoos - a very rare bird and quite spectacular to see!

Image

Last night's camp:

Image

New tent completely setup:

Image

Nachaluva in our rear view mirror - just before I got Ruby Scoo "proper bogged" due to just cruising along looking around rather than concentrating on the changes in the track:

Image


.
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
Image
El Freddo's Pics - El_Freddo's youtube

User avatar
El_Freddo
Master Member
Posts: 12485
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bridgewater Vic
Contact:

Post by El_Freddo » Wed Oct 22, 2014 11:26 pm

We stopped for lunch at this water hole (can't remember the name off the top of my head):

Image

The Little Desert is an interesting area - lots of varied vegetation with some clusters of Yellow Gums from time to time, some with a water source on the surface, some, like this one, without:

Nachaluva's Foz and Ruby Scoo:

Image

Image

From here Dulagarl directed Nachaluva towards the black top for his extended trip to the Flinder's Ranges.

So Dualgarl and I cruised along in a two car convoy, stopping occasionally for awesome pics like these:

Image

Image

The driving was good and before we knew it we were both at the same location that we parted company this time last year! I got these pics...

Image

(Ruby Scoo's "white walls")

Image

Then we heard an engine in the distance and were interested to find out who else was out here as we'd not seen any evidence of anyone but us being in this area. Soon enough we spotted a Silver Forester that looked oddly like Nachaluva's - because it was :twisted:

Gold. I don't know how he managed it but the fresh tracks he was following were ours - only arrived 5 mins after us (if that)!

Awesome trip, it needed to be longer!

In the end I found out that my front left outer CV joint suffered a split boot due to the noise it was creating at times on the way home. A new one is on the way. The only other thing that died was my thermo fan.

Thanks for Pezimm, Subaruby, Dulagarl, Venom and Nachaluva for making this trip another worthwhile and enjoyable one - I just wish work wouldn't "get in the way"...

Cheers

Bennie
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
Image
El Freddo's Pics - El_Freddo's youtube

User avatar
Tigger
Junior Member
Posts: 414
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:00 am
Location: West Brisbane

Post by Tigger » Thu Oct 23, 2014 7:33 pm

Great tracks and beautiful country! Yarney tells me good things about Victoria, I think we may have to come down for a visit soon :)
ImageImageImage
2012 Subaru Forester - 2.0D Premium ~ 2002 Subaru Forester - Limited (Lifted)

User avatar
NachaLuva
General Member
Posts: 1930
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:05 pm
Location: SE Melbourne

Post by NachaLuva » Thu Oct 23, 2014 8:50 pm

Tigger wrote:Great tracks and beautiful country! Yarney tells me good things about Victoria, I think we may have to come down for a visit soon :)
For sure! There's lots of tracks here from hard rocky climbs to sloshing around in mud to slippin' & slidin' on clay :twisted: Sand is a bit further away though
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Owner SubieLiftOz, lift kits for Subarus :twisted:

'97 Forester: EJ22E; 4" Custom Body Lift; JDM STi plated LSD; 20mm WRX RSB; Snorkel; Kings

User avatar
rubisubi
Junior Member
Posts: 264
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2006 12:30 pm
Location: Kangaroo Point

Post by rubisubi » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:34 pm

Love the photos dude, do you mind me asking what type of camera you use?

User avatar
NachaLuva
General Member
Posts: 1930
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:05 pm
Location: SE Melbourne

Post by NachaLuva » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:59 pm

rubisubi wrote:Love the photos dude, do you mind me asking what type of camera you use?
If you meant mine, some of them were with an old Canon compact PowerShot A590. Most were with my Samsung S4. I then used Microsoft Office Picture Manager to crop & enhance (contrast & brightness).

Not as flash as El Freddo's DSLR!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Owner SubieLiftOz, lift kits for Subarus :twisted:

'97 Forester: EJ22E; 4" Custom Body Lift; JDM STi plated LSD; 20mm WRX RSB; Snorkel; Kings

User avatar
yarney
General Member
Posts: 1273
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:00 am
Location: QLD

Post by yarney » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:27 pm

Great trip report
You guys make me sooo much want to get there you never know;)

Jan
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] !!!Subies will go anywhere

User avatar
El_Freddo
Master Member
Posts: 12485
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bridgewater Vic
Contact:

Post by El_Freddo » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:59 pm

rubisubi wrote:Love the photos dude, do you mind me asking what type of camera you use?
Mine's a Nikon D7000 - awesome camera. I really need to get some different lenses to properly utilise the camera's ability. It's just time and money to sort it out. I'd love a fixed 50mm lens again... someday :rolleyes:

My biggest issue is keeping the dust off my lens - I'm a bit lazy about that and sometimes it shows with dark marks in my images, some you can see in the sky of the pics on the previous page.
yarney wrote:Great trip report
You guys make me sooo much want to get there you never know;)
Jan, if/when you do I'd love to be there - and I've got the general areas for you to tour your way across Victoria to enjoy a bit of everything :twisted:
I'd start you in Murray Sunset NP, then head over to the Boarder track, from here head back into the Big Desert SP, across to Wyperfeld NP. Then black top it to the Grampians (although I've not 4wd'n out there... yet), then Mt Cole; Wombat and Lerderderg SF/SPs; Cobaw SF then across to Bunyip or up to Woods Point (not been here either, but the general area is EPIC), from WP head down to Walhalla via many, many awesome tracks of steep ascents/descents with many great campsites to be had!
From here black top it to Dargo where you can easily hit up the high country again. Head over to Swift's Creek then cut through the forest east of this town towards Malacoota/Merimbula (I'll be checking out this area next weekend with all going well!).

From there you can start to head north again - you will have done the majority of "important" 4wd areas of Vic with exception to the Little Desert NP and the Otways NP on the Great Ocean Rd. If you drop Mt Cole off the agenda you could do the Otways instead ;)

My thoughts anyway! I'd love to do all of that in 8 weeks or so!! It's not too much to ask is it :rolleyes:

Cheers

Bennie
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
Image
El Freddo's Pics - El_Freddo's youtube

Post Reply

Return to “Victoria”