NSW: next day out

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

YES thats abolutely Correct

Then your vehicle is definitely ready

Ideally you should start with more medium-grade tracks, but if there is only 3 of us, then we have time to assist you. Just know that there WILL be challenges tomorrow as we will try at least one hardcore track. No pressure, it's your choice!

[mastermanoj Member Find all posts View Profile Close mastermanoj]

i think now i have summoned the courage ........Yalwal here i come

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

check pm's

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

Trip thread created:
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...h-Yalwal-recce

[AK80 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AK80]

Sorry guys, can't make this one.

I'm going to the Hunter Valley mid-week with the family.
Are there any tracks to explore up that way?

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

Sorry guys, can't make this one.

I'm going to the Hunter Valley mid-week with the family.
Are there any tracks to explore up that way?

I don't know the area... but this is the closest thing I could find:

http://www.4x4earth.com.au/tracks.ht...werline-track-

[Chaser Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chaser]

Funny you mention that glen, I live less than 500m from weracata np......

[AK80 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AK80]

I don't know the area... but this is the closest thing I could find:

http://www.4x4earth.com.au/tracks.ht...werline-track-

Thanks Glen, might have to investigate.

[Sako85 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sako85]

I was also thinking of the Leets Vale side, a state forest and a conservation area, but not much to be found online so it's probably a lost cause.

Unfortunately Ben they are all gated off now. We did a PP trip back in November 09 along the powerlines track off Wheelbarrow Ridge Rd just before it was closed (thanks to Ranger Richard for letting us know what was about to happen!). Was a fairly easy drive. There was another track which was a lot more difficult; probably the one you know, but again it was closed off years ago. Nothing else open in that area now except for the odd one or two short trails to nowhere.

I am at home with the little one today and have nothing else to do so I am going to head out this arvo and see if any of my old haunts are open in the above mentioned area.

I wil let you know what I find. Hopefully some are still open as it seems most around here are gated of blocked.

Ben

[GH4wd Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close GH4wd]

I am at home with the little one today and have nothing else to do so I am going to head out this arvo and see if any of my old haunts are open in the above mentioned area.

I wil let you know what I find. Hopefully some are still open as it seems most around here are gated of blocked.

Ben

How did it go Ben? There used to be a number of tracks in the old Comleroy State Forest which was on the south side of Wheelbarrow but I'm fairly sure they've all been closed off??

[Sako85 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sako85]

How did it go Ben? There used to be a number of tracks in the old Comleroy State Forest which was on the south side of Wheelbarrow but I'm fairly sure they've all been closed off??

It was a very depressing afternoon actually. Seeing all those once great tracks gated off and becoming overgrown. Three of the really good hard ones I hadn't visited for many years are still gated. One even has an wire fence that runs along the road about 400m either side of the gate to stop you going around.

The most recent one to close, which comes off the putty road just before you start to drop down to the Colo River. Had another way in about a Km south and that has now also been gated with 24hr surveillance apparently. It was a really good track, you could spend all day in there.

I found two tracks that were still open (both on the south side), but very overgrown. It looked like a car hadn't been down for years. One ended about 3 km's in but had a few hard bits. The other one was just as overgrown and I went about 3 k's in (all 2wd)and came to a big bog hole I wasn't brave enough to go through late in the arvo by myself with no phone reception.

Over the next few weeks If I have some spare time I will continue the search. Next stop will be cabbage tree road, it was one hell of a track in the early 2000's so I have no idea if it is still open. It used to scare the crap out of me when I first started out 4wding.

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

Over the next few weeks If I have some spare time I will continue the search. Next stop will be cabbage tree road, it was one hell of a track in the early 2000's so I have no idea if it is still open. It used to scare the crap out of me when I first started out 4wding.[/QUOTE]

You will find the only section of track open is the main [dirt section] Cabbage tree rd up to the top where the lookout over the Grose river is.
This area is a place i use to love going to and driving all the way down to the river for a swim,or climbing down the walking track from lookout via the wire rope to the river and swiming down river to the 4wd track to meet our return vehicle transport.
Unfortunately this area has been wrecked by idiots [usually in super lifted 4x4s] who could not stick to the tracks but felt the need to create there own tracks usually involving rock climbs etc. The NPWS when confronted with the destruction are faced with the decision on what to do and resort to the wire ropes. A mate lives at the end of this road and got feed up with 4wd drivers arriving at his place and asking if he would bring his fergy down to retrieve them.
Living in this area for a long while and being fortunate to see many areas in the earlier 80s in my old hi lux, it does annoy me on what i see happening. I now see those same 4x4s have now gravitated to the Wheeny creek ,Mt Lagoon tack areas and i guess the destruction will lead to this area being closed off. I have also seen the area that i considered my own backyard Burralow currently closed due to track damage,[partly due to prolong rain] and have spoken at length with rangers and their dispair with closing an area like this off only after not that long ago spending money on track maintanance, and now going cap in hand and attempting to get more funds to fix the track so they can open this area again.
I am certainly no green loving tree huging green but more a person who does love to use my 4wd to travel a track,find a camp,roll out the swag and light the fire . It is something that was easly done in nothing more than a 2" lifted 4wd, but now we see the tuff truck mentality [and i do go to the tuff truck events on private properties where it belongs] wrecking once driveable tracks that end up being closed. The area visited this last weekend by pradopointers is another area that i had travelled and there are tracks now closed off there that are just superb including the Ettrema creek area with water crossing like what you would find up the cape or high country.Unfortunately with the growing popularity of the 4wd is only going to create pressure so close to the major populations like Sydney resulting in more closures.
I guess i have been lucky in travelling with family members in the earlier 1970s to places like Stockton,and to the grandfathers property on the banks of the Colo Rr ,to buying my 1st car a 4wd in 1981 a rare short wheel base 79 model hi lux joining the toyota L/C club,and only having 4x4 since including my now Prado and seeing manys spots from the top of AUST to the bottom and west to the centre.
Will catch you folk out on a trip oneday soon
Russ

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

Hey fellas,
Thanks for all the info and recce's. I wish I had more time to get away, there's so many places to explore!

Here's a couple spots I'm curious about...

The track heading north along this ridge:
http://maps.google.com.au/?ll=-33.35...10139&t=h&z=17

This general region:
http://maps.google.com.au/?ll=-33.30...08111&t=m&z=14

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

Glen ,most of the areas you highlight is either shut off or accessed via private property,the area around St Albans rd is an area i use to get into back many years ago when brother was involved in endurance horse events and i would go into the bush and man checkpoints forthe organisers. There was a great track that linked from St Albans rd to putty rd called heartbreak ridge trail. In the past i believe that you could obtain a key from NPWS Richmond office for access to part of this track,but not sure if it is still available.here are still some tracks up the putty rd which i think you may have visited before.For a good drive the road to nowhere and beyond down to St Albans and beyond up thru StAlbans common and onto bucketty area is always nice,but you certainly don`t need lockers let alone 4wd.

[digger38 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close digger38]

not my footage but looks like a track glen_ep and friends might enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcL1a...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEEVOtCaw6o