2014 GTG Vic high country - ask anything here

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

wish I could make it, hopefully make next years

Well I might just hold you to that

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Given we have the river for collecting washing water how much drinking/cooking water would generally be needed for a couple for a week? I've been camping before but usually had access to tap water to refill containers. It's been a long time since I've been to a proper bush campsite.

[Chris220220 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chris220220]

We (4) have used around 20lts of fresh in 3 days. Using river water to wash hands and other non drinking purposes.
For washing up etc I just add a drop of bettadine per lt of river water. That kills any bugs in it.

[Chris220220 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chris220220]

Unfortunately most streams now have the possibility of being contaminated by Giardia and some other nasties.
Was good when you only had to sling your billy into the stream to get water for a cuppa. Have to be more cautious these days.
High country streams are safer but cattle spread stuff a long way up stream.
Having done some research on it unless you want to use a quality filtration system your going to risk not getting everything.
Bettadine is Povidone-iodine and if applied and allowed to stand for 30-60min you could use it for drinking water.
We err on the side of caution and used tap water to drink/cook and treated river water for everything else. (bush rivers not the likes of the Yarra)

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

We (4) have used around 20lts of fresh in 3 days. Using river water to wash hands and other non drinking purposes.

So a 20L container would be enough for 2 for 6 days going by that. Might just bring an extra smaller container just in case.

For washing up etc I just add a drop of bettadine per lt of river water. That kills any bugs in it.

Good suggestion. I'm guessing boiling it first would help too.

[Chris220220 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chris220220]

A 20lt and a 10lt should go close. Our camper has a 60lt tank and a 20lt jerry on back so we should have spare.
If you take the 10 in the car when going by Dargo you can replenish stocks.
Boiling takes a lot of gas, but on the fire no worries boiling it before you use it.
Means you have time for a drink before it cools enough to do the washing up

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

Nice post Chris, very informative!

I always take way too much water & always use it.
I'd say allow 5 litres per day per person for drinking & cooking etc.
You can't have too much water, it's good to be able to use your own water for dishes too.
Also you are not supposed to run dirty water through the coleman hot water, so I try to use my clean water as much as possible.
The river water looks clean don't get me wrong, but I will use say 5lt of mine to heat up & add 10lt of river for a shower, you know what I mean?
When possible anyway.
Then you are only running dirty water through a $20-30 shower pump, risk is low.
I have 100lt on camper. 20lt filtered.
40lt in vehicle filtered. Yes I do drink a lot of water, & wally plenty also.
I fill up under seats with multiple 2lt o.j containers for spare spare.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Agree that more water is good but I'm just trying to work out how to carry it all. I have to buy new containers, must have thrown out the old ones that I thought we had.

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

I just use the 10 + 15 ltr ones from the supermarkets. Whichever fits where you need it.
Slab of 24 bottles is under $10 at woollies. They fit in anywhere too. But more rubbish.

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

I just use the 10 + 15 ltr ones from the supermarkets. Whichever fits where you need it.
Slab of 24 bottles is under $10 at woollies. They fit in anywhere too. But more rubbish.

We usually take a 20litre and 10litre Jerry for cooking that does us for 3-4 days (2 adults 2 kids under 6) but we also take a slab of bottles from the supermarket for day to day drinking. If you spring a leak in a jerry you lose a large amount of water. Spring a leak in a 600ml bottle - not so bad . They crush pretty flat.

On a side note, when we were there in Jan at Eaglevale, we boiled the river water for tea and washing up... none of us got sick. Lucky - or just cast iron stomachs from years in Africa and living of rainwater from tanks

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

We usually take a 20litre and 10litre Jerry for cooking that does us for 3-4 days (2 adults 2 kids under 6) but we also take a slab of bottles from the supermarket for day to day drinking. If you spring a leak in a jerry you lose a large amount of water. Spring a leak in a 600ml bottle - not so bad . They crush pretty flat.

On a side note, when we were there in Jan at Eaglevale, we boiled the river water for tea and washing up... none of us got sick. Lucky - or just cast iron stomachs from years in Africa and living of rainwater from tanks

I think chances are you could drink the water, from these rivers, but why take chances?
Many different theories, it was explained to me, the rocks clean the water.
But you need to check for dead animals etc a few hundred meters upstream. ? But who knows for sure......

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

I've never worried about using river water for washing duties, but in this particular case the local river is crossed by 4wd's around 26 times per vehicle. If we all have a go of that track in a single day, it'll be 35 x 26 = 900 crossings!! Given 4wd tyres pick up more than just dirt, I think I'll be traveling upstream to do my collecting this time.

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

I think chances are you could drink the water, from these rivers, but why take chances?
Many different theories, it was explained to me, the rocks clean the water.
But you need to check for dead animals etc a few hundred meters upstream. ? But who knows for sure......

Bringing your water to a rolling boil for at least a minute (longer if higher up: 3mins above 2000m) kills Giardia, crypto and most bacteria and viruses more effectively than chemicals.

But, yeah,been caught out before. Nice clear snow fed stream, top of a mountain in the Peak District. Filled water bottle up, found a dead sheep in it about a mile upstream. Hello Mr Toilet!

[Chris220220 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chris220220]

Similar in Tassy doing the overland track, National parks put new drop toilets in at each hut site.(20yrs ago)
Trouble was most were up behind the huts and with the very wet soils it soon made its way into the streams near by.
We got caught once but there were people going down with gastro left right and centre along the whole track.
Pristine mountain streams

We will have enough fresh not to need to boil and the bettadine is just for the washing water.(overkill but better than accidental gastro)
Never used to worry and apart from the Tassy episode never got sick. If in doubt rolling boil or treat.

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

I better tell my mate who drinks from the rivers on every trip over the years to stop lol...... So far so good but maybe quit while your ahead?

Yes it can get very murky with all the river crossings, I have seen it looking like the yarra river.