SEQ - Crows nest to Blackbutt day trip

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

So i'm thinking of doing a run from Crowsnest to Blackbutt on Sunday 2nd of Feb if anyone is interested in joining. Intent is to leave mid morning so we can either return on same track or take the black top home.

The link below gives details of several of these tracks, but option E is the one i plan doing. I beleive they are all easy standard hence tag of soft 4wd.

http://www.crowsnest.info/natural-attractions/soft-4wd

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[electron Member Find all posts View Profile Close electron]

I am interested, just have to see what comes up after Aust Day long weekend.
Ron

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

Sounds like a good easygoing trip. Still a few weekends of nippers to go before I get Sundays free again though.

Tiny


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[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

Sounds like a good easygoing trip. Still a few weekends of nippers to go before I get Sundays free again though.

Tiny


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Yeah Tiny they are classed as soft 4wd trips. I have done one from Hampton to Murphy's ck and on to Withcott. You could take a 2wd down on the first part (wouldnt get back up). I occasionally use it as a short cut home now through Murphys creek to Carbalah. I hope it will be a good day for a drive and hopefully a bit of fun..

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

Edited original post to add notice of PP disclaimer for all to read

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

Picked up a pair of MaxTrax today. With wet season supposedly here they might get some use soon.

Rays Camping has them reduced by $20 until 2/2

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

For anyone wanting to do the trip from Crows Nest to Blackbutt we will be meeting around 9-30 on Sunday 2Feb at the Hampton visitors centre on New England Highway. contact on UHF 10.
Plan A is to do the run to Blackbutt, have lunch there and return via same track. Trip is listed as 2 hours, each way so those short on time might like to return on the tar.
I will get a track condition report later this week and keep an eye on the weather and advise any changes on Friday
Cheers
Ian

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

So any takers for a Sunday drive? Weather should be ok, possible showers but not much predicted if any.. I'm still keen to get out for a run

[Bigben Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bigben]

Did you do the trip ??
sounded great, but coming from Brissy Southside
was just too far for the day,
Hope you went & had a ball. please post any reports

I have now missed 3,,, SEQ days out. because of things out of my control.
For what it is worth, be damned if I am going to miss another
Hope some body gets another together SOON, Because I Know I am Hopeless at
organising these sort of things.

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

Yeah BigBen i did a solo run through on Sunday. Typed out a report and hit submit but got a timeout. havent got back to it. will try and get a couple of photos and resend it

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

Well we ended up doing a solo run from Hampton to Balckbutt last sunday. After checking there were no other participants waiting at Hampton we headed off to Crows Nest where the run actually started. After about 5km on the tar we turned off into Anduramba rd where there was a sign warning the road was closed ahead. Hoping we could pass any damage section of road we continued on past the end of the bitumen to find the road was totally fenced off on the gravel section of the range.
We backtracked to the main road and continued along there and turned into Middle Rd which joined the original track after a few more k’s.
The next 30km or so was on a formed gravel road and ran mainly through undulating farm land with patches of scrub dotted along the way. It was good to see everything was green and there were plenty of small farm dams which all had plenty of water, they have obviously had a lot more rain than much of Qld. The higher hills along the way had some great views off to adjacent ranges both east and west.
At about the 50km mark we started descending down the main range, this area was scattered with large granite boulders some of which sit precariously on the side of the track. On the route directions this was section marked as “steep descent, engage 4WD and use low gear”. It was moderately steep and may have proved a challenge for a 2wd but was no match for a Prado. On the return trip we passed a bloke in a VS Commodore coming down the hill taking it steady with no problems.
The decent was about a km down and ended up at the Emu Ck crossing. This is a cement causeway with a trickle of water flowing over it. We could see where huge volumes of water had scoured away the valley floor in the floods of recent years and the whole area was strewn with the large boulders.
We perched on one of the boulders nearly as big as the Prado and had a cuppa for smoko.
Heading off again the tracked climbed at I guess around 25 degrees up out of the valley back into more grazing land and pretty soon we arrived in Blackbutt.
We spent an hour or so at Blackbutt having lunch and looking around and then pointed the nose south-ish and retraced out path back home. All up about 5 hours in total and was a pleasant days outing with the clan.
http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/lo...36443927622972
http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/lo...48755776532325

[macaroon1 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close macaroon1]

Many thanks for posting a report and pics. I found it quite sad that no one else could participate at the current time, yet you still checked no one else was coming..very noble...a lost art in todays world!! I saw the trip advertised but had other commitments that weekend. Still, you went ahead and did the trip and advertised it to others.

Again many thanks for all the effort.

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

We have done that trip a bit further on to Kilkivan and is gets a bit more 4WD but not much. I used to go up into those State Forests behind Kilkivan years ago and the driving, scenery was fantastic. Unfortunately now all gated!! I hate gates!!

Keep an eye out thye SEQ guys are getting keen again and weekends are becoming popular.

See ya on the tracks. Richo.

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

I am planning to do that trip this Sunday.

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

I am planning to do that trip this Sunday.

If you go all the way to Kilkivan allow 4 hours to nget home.

See ya on the tracks. Richo.