Branch Creek Rd (Bellthorpe & Conondale National Parks) - Saturday 23rd March

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

I'm just providing a bit of advanced notice so people can put this one in their calendars.

Date: Now Saturday March 23rd (Unavoidable commitment for original date of 16th)

Confirmed Starters:

Fozzy
Richo
Macaroon1
Brett1979
Rob_macca67
Snaga
Bia 88
Jeffers
David The Viking
CraigM

UHF: Channel 16

Time: Meet at Woodford Bakery 0830 for a 0900 departure

Location: 101 Archer St Woodford Note, there are two bakeries in Woodford, this is the one on the main drag, not the one attached to the supermarket complex further down on the right heading west.

As you come into town the bakery is on the left, between the "Woodford Central" sign and Home Hardware.

Ph :0423 579 388 if lost

Details: Drive through Bellthorpe & Conondale National Parks - At present, these two NP's are closed due to the weather we've been having. I'm hoping that by then, at least some of the intended tracks are open. The reality is there's heaps of choice but my initial aim is to do Branch Creek Rd and a couple of smaller side tracks then see where we end up.

Depending on the direction taken the final destination could be Kilcoy or Kenilworth, there's that much choice.

Please note that Lantana is present on some of the route, custom pin stripes will most likely be unavoidable.

http://nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/imbil/...ondale-map.pdf
http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/be...e-park-map.pdf

Of course, the usual trip disclaimer applies:
PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER BELOW; IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO AGREE TO THE TERMS SET OUT THEREIN THEN PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND. THIS INCLUDES PRADOPOINT MEMBERS & THEIR FAMILIES & FRIENDS!
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...claimer-Notice

Cheers,

Dave

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

Please note that Lantana is present on some of the route, custom pin stripes will most likely be unavoidable.

Better be sure that Richo comes along with his mighty sword (machete) and I also wouldn't mind seeing him launched off the track again after wrestling with a wayward tree branch. ( YouTube moment!)
Put me down as a maybe for the moment Fozzy




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[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Hmmm, if I'm not in cairns that weekend I should be a starter.

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

It's my Saturday of so pencil me in for now.

Hazza

Just realized we have kids sporting commitments starting up again on Saturdays so no go Saturdays for me.

The following Sunday would suit me better if you’re chosen date doesn’t work out.

Hazza

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

Fozzy

I was up there early in January before the rain and the "Slippery Slide" (Dog Rd) was dry as, Branch Ck Rd was a doddle, the rain should make some difference. I'll need to get new tyres, sharpen the "weapon of mass lantana destruction", and get custody of the Prado before then.

I haven't seen that map before but I'm pretty sure that the Cedar Ck Rd and round to Gorge Break was an "interesting side track" that Matt and I took a recce team down, now that was a doozy and took us the best part of 3 hours with several track building exercises.

I also note that the gated areas are open to "Authorised Club Vehicles" I heard lately that if you are an affilaited 4WD club you can get a permit and key to go through the gated areas, may be worth looking into.

See ya on the tracks, Richo.

[karlmagoo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close karlmagoo]

I,d be a possible starter if ya don't mind me asking a question 1st? Is there a "grading" system in use on pradopoint? something we use dirtbike riding, ie- 1) is a complete beginner, 3) confident with occasional help needed, 5) full on racer boy hitting everything at speed, so basic idea is 1 to 5, good system and saves other,s waiting on people with less skills/abilities than themselves, everyone ends up riding with similarly skilled riders. If not, 2nd question would be, ive done bellthorpe on dirtbike before, and there are some serious hills and trails out there if you go looking for them, my prado is bog stock, no winch or offroad tyres, etc, and i am new to the world of off road driving, been riding dirtbikes some 25+ years and know the principles and can apply, but still a considerable difference between my 110kg dirtbike with inch high knobs and my 2 tonne prado, would i be fine to tag along or get a bit more experience and some gear 1st? sorry for the quiz, simply don't want to hold others up and be babysat. Thanks in advance.



cheers

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

Hi Karl,

I'm not sure how often if at all a grading system is utilised here on the forum, happy to be corrected.

As far as this trip goes "most" of this trip would be no more than a 3 in the dry, a 4 in the wet due to the clay nature of the soil. I anticipate a bit of mud and slush but with care, I have seen Grandtreks go places you would not expect them to go.

I say "most" in the previous paragraph because I have been caught before. Leading a group a couple of years ago on a route I had reconnoitered 3 times in the weeks leading up to the day, a gate that had been open was closed and more importantly, locked. This pushed us on to a track that was definitely not for the faint hearted and a couple of people (who were weekday customers of mine) with low experience levels and stock vehicles suffered damage. I should have just reversed the route but it didn't happen then, it would now!

Couldn't be helped but I'm just trying to point out that for 99% of us these vehicles are our daily drives so we don't set out to break something but the nature of the activity can result in that, hence the disclaimer. My intention for this trip is to traverse some great country in low range, not to conquer some hill just for the sake of it. If it gets too hairy, we nearly always have an exit route that everyone is happy with.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Dave

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

Thats the weekend of the Brisbane 4wd show, so I will not be going as I will be working at the show

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

Hi Karl

These tracks are a 3 on your scale if the dry, a 4 if its wet as you know from Bellthorpe that orange clay can be slippery. Branch Ck Rd down Dog Rd with no lift, you may "touchdown" a few times but nothing serious, I think this trip may have been one Fozzy did as a standard Prado. There will be plenty of advice (some good, some bad, some humourous and if Stewy in the FGay goes some bordering on debaucherous), Prados with lift, recovery gear and winches will be there but unfortunately we rarely get to play with these toys

See ya on the tracks, Richo.

[talk2tiny Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close talk2tiny]

Put me down for a 'maybe'. I'd planned to go to the 4x4 show that day but I'll see if I can get the Friday off and go then. Just as an aside, compared to the last day at cityview, more or less . . . hmm I'll go with 'educational'?

[Jeff and Cel 120 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff and Cel 120]

If the tracks are open we will definately be in for this trip.

I did some of the Bellthorpe tracks last year without my husband and found them to be a lot of fun and fairly easy.

Can't wait!!

Celeste (and Jeff)

[rob_macca67 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close rob_macca67]

I'd like to come as well.... providing I'm not working.....

I might not have access to the missus' Prado, so I might have to rely on bringing my little Toy Zook.... if that's OK.....

Rob M

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

I,d be a possible starter if ya don't mind me asking a question 1st? Is there a "grading" system in use on pradopoint? something we use dirtbike riding, ie- 1) is a complete beginner, 3) confident with occasional help needed, 5) full on racer boy hitting everything at speed, so basic idea is 1 to 5, good system and saves other,s waiting on people with less skills/abilities than themselves, everyone ends up riding with similarly skilled riders. If not, 2nd question would be, ive done bellthorpe on dirtbike before, and there are some serious hills and trails out there if you go looking for them, my prado is bog stock, no winch or offroad tyres, etc, and i am new to the world of off road driving, been riding dirtbikes some 25+ years and know the principles and can apply, but still a considerable difference between my 110kg dirtbike with inch high knobs and my 2 tonne prado, would i be fine to tag along or get a bit more experience and some gear 1st? sorry for the quiz, simply don't want to hold others up and be babysat. Thanks in advance.



cheers

I can't talk to how PP grades the trips but the ranger in Bellthorpe does/used to sign pretty much all the tracks using the 4WD Association system of Green, Blue, Black and double black, each one signifying the difficulty of the track

http://www.4wdqld.com.au/track-classification.html

From my trips into Bellthorpe Green, Blue and Black were the common ones, don't recall any double blacks

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I'd love to go to this and will try to make it. I was going to the 4x4 show that day but will try and shift a few things around. If I go, my mate Paul who came with me on the City View 4x4 Park trip would like to bring his GU Patrol if that's okay. He doesn't take his car out nearly as much as he'd like. He would've brought it to City View but sort of didn't want to be the only one without a Prado in the group. He's been on a Patrol trip organised on the Patrol forum and someone rocked up in a car that wasn't a Patrol and that person copped a fair bit of crap throughout the day, and he didn't want to be that person on a Prado 4wding trip.

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

Brett we've had a mix of vehicles on PP trips and yes, there's always a little "friendly ribbing" I recall Jeff and Cel's friends came along in a non Prado to a trip and we all got along without any issues...(as long as it has a Toyota badge that is!. )