SA members: trip planning to get to the 2014 GTG

[Gramps Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gramps]

No, Jail will have soccer commitments for club and school so he stays home. Zane misses this trip because I promised him a Simpson crossing for my 40th next year.
Plus, it will probable be the last chance I have to get away with Jas before she grows up and gets all girly on me.

[VKPrado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close VKPrado]

Of course, but not everyone get's to add a boat-trip to their itinerary! Will be good to catch up again Vaughn. What's your plans? Are you getting there early, or hanging around later?

We arrive in Victoria on the Sunday so the majority of the holiday will be after the GTG. At this stage we are looking to go to Camerons Corner. Only plans at this stage and all is felxible and open to suggestions.

[Playdoh96 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Playdoh96]

Definitely be interested. How many days you guys looking at being on the road to Mansfield.

[Torrie 72 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Torrie 72]

I was originally hoping to travel over in convoy but it looks like I won't be leaving home till the Sunday or even Monday prior. Then it's a rush home to repack for a Googs track Easter trip! I'll certainly be packing in a whole lot of driving in those three weeks!
Also heading to Jakem Farm this weekend for a nights camping and some muddy days so I'll let you guys know what it's like. Maybe we could go for a pre GTG overnighter if it checks out? At only 10 mins down the road it took 6 times longer to pack the prado than it will to get there!
Cheers, Ben.

[Playdoh96 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Playdoh96]

You'll love it Ben. Been there a couple of time's now. There's a fair bit of sticky mud on his property all year round because of the natural springs.

[Gramps Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gramps]

I was originally hoping to travel over in convoy but it looks like I won't be leaving home till the Sunday or even Monday prior. Then it's a rush home to repack for a Googs track Easter trip! I'll certainly be packing in a whole lot of driving in those three weeks!
Also heading to Jakem Farm this weekend for a nights camping and some muddy days so I'll let you guys know what it's like. Maybe we could go for a pre GTG overnighter if it checks out? At only 10 mins down the road it took 6 times longer to pack the prado than it will to get there!
Cheers, Ben.

How was your weekend Ben?
Great weather for camping over the last couple of days. I had a couple of guys from work head out to Jakem Farm to do a 4wd course and the said it was pretty cool. What's your thoughts?

[Torrie 72 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Torrie 72]

How was your weekend Ben?
Great weather for camping over the last couple of days. I had a couple of guys from work head out to Jakem Farm to do a 4wd course and the said it was pretty cool. What's your thoughts?

Hey mate. Jakem Farm was great. Yes fantastic weather over the weekend and great conditions for 4wding. We camped at campfround1 which is the best site complete with shelter, table, BBQ, dunny, and a beaut billabong fed by a steadily flowing creek. The girls even went for a dip this afternoon and unsurprisingly said it was freezing.
There are enough tracks to keep you busy for the weekend with many creek crossings, some pretty decent hillclimbs and at this time of year - heaps of mud.

BUT

Jakem is getting pretty popular and as such many of the tracks are being severly carved up particularly the muddy tracks. I spent a few hours winching over the weekend which wasn't the end of the world - all part of the fun even if it was starting to get dark! No major damage - just busted a flare when I dropped it into a big hole and leant over into the bank.
I'd be keen to head back out again with any fellow PP ers. There is a big event coming up on the 12th/13th oct but my advise would be to go before then as the tracks would be pretty trashed after.
Cost is $30/vehicle/day and $10/vehicle/night for campground1 ( other sites free )

I'll post some more pics soon. Should be some YouTube vids to come too.







Cheers, Ben.

[iantz Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close iantz]

Definitely looks like fun. I'd be keen to head up there!

[ondaboat Coopers Pale Ale Find all posts View Profile Close ondaboat]

Definitely looks like fun. I'd be keen to head up there!

Just a word of warning Ian, "do not follow him it ends in tears"

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

Just a word of warning Ian, "do not follow him it ends in tears"

Bugger... where's the 'green rep' button when you need it

[iantz Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close iantz]

SA Boys - I've just come back from Vic where I was doing a recce for the trip home from the GTG. Some of us have to do these things you know... It can be a hard life.

1) Grampians - worth the visit. Lots of tracks closed at the moment, but should be open in April. Great touring area. 2) Great Otways NP - amazing forrest. Plenty of tracks worth exploring. Could definitely do 3 or more days here easily (base camp at appollo bay or similar). Lots of closed tracks again at the moment, but that's due to the winter rains. Should be ok in April. 3) Cobboboonee Forrest + Glenelg River NP - definitely worth the stop. Great forrest for touring around and good camp grounds. Shouldn't expect anything challenging, although we contended with lots of mud and water and fallen trees! I suspect it would be pretty dry in April. You should believe them when they call a road 'Swamp Road'...

P.S - I had to clear several trees to get through places, one of which was a big mother! I'm investing in a chainsaw...

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

That all sounds good Ian, I am actually tossing up whether to head back to the Grampians for Christmas, our last trip there ended when the joint went up in flames (December 2005).

Glenelg River is a beaut spot but getting a camp there is near on impossible isn't it? Last I checked for popular times you had to put your name in a ballot a year in advance and hope you got selected, hence never bothered camping there.

I picked up a new Stihl chainsaw this week, bigger than ideal for the 4b but I needed it to clean up the mess after a storm knocked down some rather large trees at our place and mums house.

Cheers Andrew

[iantz Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close iantz]

AJ - I was expecting the Glenelg River NP to be busy, and who knows, it might have been, just not where we were! There are camps along the river, and I suspect these are popular. However, I used WikiCamps and we ended up at Jackass Fern Gully camp ground. There's another few near it, and I suspect most people don't venture in there. We arrived there Friday (it was the last week of Vic holidays). Not a soul in site, and I was being nosy so had a quick feel of the camp fire pits. There had been someone there a day or two earlier in one spot, but everything was cold and wet.

In the grampians, there were the popular sites that were busy, but also a lot of bush camps once we started looking around. We pulled into on on the Friday beforehand, and had the place to ourselves. I also noticed that the campsites along the 4wd tracks were far less busy than the others (to be expected).

[Torrie 72 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Torrie 72]

Looks like it would have been a lot of fun Ian. I'd be keen to check it out on the way home if we weren't doing Googs straight after the GTG. I'd be keen to hear more about it for future reference.
Cheers, Ben.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

That's interesting about Glenelg River, might have to look into that a bit more then. We bush camped (not campgrounds) when we were in the Grampians, only way to go IMO.

Cheers Andrew