TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

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

I'll be doing a test-run of our 1st leg of the trip-plan for our SEQ to PP GTG; from Beaudesert QLD to Alice NSW. Then returning home via Levuka.

The rough plan is to start at Beaudesert on Sat morning and travel via Cambridge Plateau (through Richmond Ranges) to arrive at Alice and setup camp by the Clarence River. Then on Sun drive to Levuka for a 2nd o'niter. Returning home on Monday.

There's also an option for starting on Fri afternoon, time-permitting.

Standard Disclaimer:
PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER; IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO AGREE TO THE TERMS SET OUT THEREIN THEN PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND. THIS INCLUDES PRADOPOINT MEMBERS & THEIR FAMILIES & FRIENDS!

LFaR.

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

Re: Long Wkend 12-14 Jun: Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Matt,

It looks like it may just be the 2 of us but I am looking forward to the run down South.
The nights may be a bit cool but I'll pack another sleeping bag incase I need to double up.

See you then.

Cheers

[bunsen Member Find all posts View Profile Close bunsen]

Re: Long Wkend 12-14 Jun: Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

LFaR, Stewy, how did you guys go :?: How was Levuka :?:

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

TRIP REPORT: 12-14 Jun: Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levu

A crisp, cloudless, winter sky to start the day off as I head toward Beaudesert where I'm to meet Stewy.



On the outskirts of Beaudesert we lose all mobile phone reception and don't get it back until we return to Beaudesert.

The drive from Beaudesert takes us along the picturesque and winding Lindesay Hwy until we join the Summerland way and ultimately the Coxs Rd the turn-off, where the offroad begins at the Toonumbar NP.



The drive through Toonumbar is fairly easy in dry weather. It would be very challenging in the wet. The morning temperature was now only 8 degrees, and a sign of things to come...



Continuing deeper into NSW, we managed a leg-break at the Toonumbar Dam:



We passed Paw Paw Skids, which provided plenty of entertainment and hard-yakka, the first time I was through this way. This time, they're up to something...



Cambridge Plateau is one of the more picturesque drives you can do in this corner of the world. Once again, it's easy enough in dry weather, but in the wet, it could be impassable. It's 34km of picturesque driving to Mallanganee.



Time for a Stewy smoko


Upon reaching Malanganee, we cross the Bruxner Hwy and then it's a short detour to the perfect picnic area looking out over the Richmond Range:



Ahead of us, is Cherry Tree Rd - one of my favourite drives. Unfortunately there is about 700m of lantana that needed some clearing, which took us about 30-40 minutes to navigate this section. After the lantana-strip it's nice bush-driving...



It's a short drive to our campsite at Alice, on the bank of the Clarence River. This is free camping with no facilities.



All setup for a cold night... I wasn't so prepared for such a cold evening, which meant waking up shivering with freezing feet. Still, a few more outer layers and cacooning into my sleeping bag soon had me comfortably getting back to sleep.



The next morning was a nippy 4 degrees and the sunrise was shrouded with fog:



Still, it provided a rare photo opportunity in dewy conditions:











After a relaxing breakfast, we crossed the Clarence and were headed toward Levuka... The country out here is as pretty as you will see anywhere... it's times like this I love to be an Aussie!



It's a been a long time between drinks for this little van:



We took a little detour into Tabulam so Stewy could restock with batteries, not to mention an opportunity to use a real dunny .



This is picturesque single-lane bridge is just West of Tabulam and crosses the Clarence River, which shepherded us along our way.



Some natives scattering...



And yet again some more free camping (though not on this trip) by the Clarence. This is next to the WWII Tank battlements:



Plenty of wooden bridges:



And Stewy spotted an alternate route on the right of this bridge:



Why take a bridge when you can swim... (the rest of the evidence is in video format)



The colours at this time of the year are out of this world...



Eventually we reach the Levuka turn-off...



We were about to check-in, except they wanted to charge us for two days, even though we were arriving quite late, around 2pm. Since we had become accustomed to not paying for our accomodation, we decided to head to Tooloom falls where I knew there was more free camping .





The next morning was quite damp. Rather than spend a day slipping around Levuka, we decided to put Stewy's new Garmin to work. We planned a route through areas neither of us had been in, and off we went to discover more of this country.





I was surprised to see we were back in the Toonumbar National Park. This is where we had started our trip, but now we were in the South West of the park, on the Yabbra Management Trail.



After travelling for some hours on an outstanding trail, we ended up hitting a lantana patch that proved to be our undoing. We attempted to fight our way through, but in the end relented and found an alternate way out of the park. Though we wondered if someone didn't want us to leave:



A couple of hours later than we had planned, we found our way back to the Summerland Way and returning to Beaudesert to finish off our tour.



Another memorable weekend!

Cheers,
LFaR.

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Absolutley awsome.....Thank you so much for sharing.

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

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Great stuff guys

I didn't even see this trip being planned ... not that I could have gone :cry:
Looking forward to getting on the trails with you soon.

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Awesome trip report and photos. Can I ask a silly question? What's the issue with lantana?

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

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Awesome trip report and photos. Can I ask a silly question? What's the issue with lantana?

Thanks Prado BB.

Lantana is the bane of my 4WD expeditions. It's a nasty weed that spreads through the bush and quickly consumes tracks. I spend a lot of time on some tracks clearing it away so I can pass without gaining new pinstripes. The Government has a program to control this weed, but they can't keep up with its spread.

Cheers,
LFaR.

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

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

And no trip report would be complete without an interactive map for you to play with



LFaR.

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Awesome trip report and photos. Can I ask a silly question? What's the issue with lantana?

Thanks Prado BB.

Lantana is the bane of my 4WD expeditions. It's a nasty weed that spreads through the bush and quickly consumes tracks. I spend a lot of time on some tracks clearing it away so I can pass without gaining new pinstripes. The Government has a program to control this weed, but they can't keep up with its spread.

Cheers,
LFaR.

Ah yes, I know exactly what it is now. I too have encountered this and yes have some nasty pinstripes (albeit on the old Patrol).

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

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Hey Matt, is the video still coming or have i missed something. Looks like a great littlr trip although a bit chilly.

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

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Here ya' go Hutch,

1. Stewy crosses Tooloom Creek, depsite the bridge [/*:m:16z5j2lo]
2. Toonumbar NP via Yabbra Mgmt Trail[/*:m:16z5j2lo]

LFaR.

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

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Great report, thanks Matt.

Were there many campers at Paddy's Flat when you passed through? How cold was the water when Stewy's bow wave hit as he was crossing the Clarence beside the bridge? By the camera angle you must have almost been lying down!

Cheers,

Dave

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

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

G'day Dave,

Were there many campers at Paddy's Flat when you passed through?

There were no campers at Paddy's Flat when we drove through. Maybe others knew it would be too cold .

How cold was the water when Stewy's bow wave hit as he was crossing the Clarence beside the bridge? By the camera angle you must have almost been lying down!

Hehe... Bloody cold! Is that a measure? . Fortunately I had a spare pair of boots and fresh socks. Nah, I wasn't quite lying down; I prefer the crouching approach and pointing the camera in the general direction. This time I forgot to keep an eye on the size of the bow wave!

LFaR.

[bunsen Member Find all posts View Profile Close bunsen]

Re: TRIP REPORT 12-14 Jun Richmond Range, Clarence River, Levuka

Thanks for the great report and photos. Looks like a great drive, albeit a cold few nights :shock:

As the kids get older, we'll be exploring that neck of the woods, as my brother-in-law has a massive block of land near the Rocky River, bordering the Timbarra NP (SW of Tabulam).