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I had to write up a report for my club mag, so I thought I would load it up here. Big Desert is a nice area that not many people get to see.
The Mallee Drive – 1st to 5th October 2012
The second Monday of the September/October school holidays saw the beginning of The Mallee Drive trip for 2012. This trip was listed as a “Child Friendly” but my kids, Kate and Alexandra (Alex) were the only young ones. This year we met at the service station near the Calder Park Raceway. We arrived just after 9.30am and Chris was already waiting with his Land Cruiser and it was not long before we were joined by Ian with his Pathfinder and Neville and his Patrol. We got on the road a short time later and with a few stops along the way we arrived at Rainbow, Vic, at about 3pm where we topped up with fuel before heading into the national park.
From Rainbow we headed east and entered the Wyperfeld National Park at Pella track. Within 5m of the park entrance we stopped to air down with thick soft sand in all directions. We then headed north staying on Pella Track for a short time prior to turning onto Milmed Rock Track. With all getting a bit tired by this stage we turned into an area called Hermies Garden to camp for the night. Although Hermies Garden does not have any facilities like some of the other camping areas, it is a lovely place to spend an evening looking at the stars and a great place for the first night away.
Before we saw the sun come up over out tents, the birds let us know that it was time to get the coffee on. After a relaxing morning and pack up, we continued along Milmed Rock Track. The first of the sand dunes gave us a chance to get the blood pumping a bit faster and for some of us it was a first real experience with sand. All vehicles made it over the top, but for some a couple of goes were required, trying different gear options. By the end of the day everyone was having no issues with the sand and finding the ever changing environment a joy to travel. We then headed to Big Billy Bore camp site for lunch with shade being one of the big concerns. Having left the low temperatures of Melbourne behind, the heat of the Mallee area was a nice change and sunscreen and hats were required. We continued along a number of tracks until about 4.30pm when we arrived at the town of Murrayville. Murrayville was picked due to the simple and clean camping area that also gave us access to showers and a chance to clean up.
The Wednesday morning saw another slow start. With fresh bread being available at the general store from 9.30am we took our time getting ready prior to continuing our journey north and into the Murray-Sunset National Park. Once we turned onto Firebreak Track on the southern edge of the park there was a lot of evidence that feral animals were an issue for local property owners, with quite a number of dead goats along the fence lines. We then travelled from west to east across the park traveling on Sunset Track. This made for an easy drive and chance to check out the wildlife, unfortunately there were more goats than native animals in this area.
Later that day we arrived at Mt Crozier Camping Area and set up for the night. The walk to the top of the mountain was not too long and although not a high mountain, given the flat ground surrounding the area, it did give a great view. After returning to the camp we learnt that the one thing that outnumbered the goats in the area were the ferrel bees. A large group of bees took over anything that contained water and a wash bowl and jerry can between Chris’ vehicle and tent became covered. The bees remained for several hours with me being the only one stung, but this was enough for Alex to run to the tent and not want to come out. They moved away as the sun went down and plans were made for the morning. Expecting the bees to return early we ensured that everything that could be was packed up that night was and we made plans for an early departure.
The Mallee Drive – 1st to 5th October 2012
The second Monday of the September/October school holidays saw the beginning of The Mallee Drive trip for 2012. This trip was listed as a “Child Friendly” but my kids, Kate and Alexandra (Alex) were the only young ones. This year we met at the service station near the Calder Park Raceway. We arrived just after 9.30am and Chris was already waiting with his Land Cruiser and it was not long before we were joined by Ian with his Pathfinder and Neville and his Patrol. We got on the road a short time later and with a few stops along the way we arrived at Rainbow, Vic, at about 3pm where we topped up with fuel before heading into the national park.
From Rainbow we headed east and entered the Wyperfeld National Park at Pella track. Within 5m of the park entrance we stopped to air down with thick soft sand in all directions. We then headed north staying on Pella Track for a short time prior to turning onto Milmed Rock Track. With all getting a bit tired by this stage we turned into an area called Hermies Garden to camp for the night. Although Hermies Garden does not have any facilities like some of the other camping areas, it is a lovely place to spend an evening looking at the stars and a great place for the first night away.
Before we saw the sun come up over out tents, the birds let us know that it was time to get the coffee on. After a relaxing morning and pack up, we continued along Milmed Rock Track. The first of the sand dunes gave us a chance to get the blood pumping a bit faster and for some of us it was a first real experience with sand. All vehicles made it over the top, but for some a couple of goes were required, trying different gear options. By the end of the day everyone was having no issues with the sand and finding the ever changing environment a joy to travel. We then headed to Big Billy Bore camp site for lunch with shade being one of the big concerns. Having left the low temperatures of Melbourne behind, the heat of the Mallee area was a nice change and sunscreen and hats were required. We continued along a number of tracks until about 4.30pm when we arrived at the town of Murrayville. Murrayville was picked due to the simple and clean camping area that also gave us access to showers and a chance to clean up.
The Wednesday morning saw another slow start. With fresh bread being available at the general store from 9.30am we took our time getting ready prior to continuing our journey north and into the Murray-Sunset National Park. Once we turned onto Firebreak Track on the southern edge of the park there was a lot of evidence that feral animals were an issue for local property owners, with quite a number of dead goats along the fence lines. We then travelled from west to east across the park traveling on Sunset Track. This made for an easy drive and chance to check out the wildlife, unfortunately there were more goats than native animals in this area.
Later that day we arrived at Mt Crozier Camping Area and set up for the night. The walk to the top of the mountain was not too long and although not a high mountain, given the flat ground surrounding the area, it did give a great view. After returning to the camp we learnt that the one thing that outnumbered the goats in the area were the ferrel bees. A large group of bees took over anything that contained water and a wash bowl and jerry can between Chris’ vehicle and tent became covered. The bees remained for several hours with me being the only one stung, but this was enough for Alex to run to the tent and not want to come out. They moved away as the sun went down and plans were made for the morning. Expecting the bees to return early we ensured that everything that could be was packed up that night was and we made plans for an early departure.
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