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After setting off on a 4 hour drive from Sydney to Batemans Bay to pick up a couple of mates, we then drove 2 more hours to Brindabella Ranges National Park near Canberra.
Due to the time we decided to set up camp at the Cotter camp ground on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, just outside adjoining Namadgi National Park.
The next morning, after navigating the many tracks of the Uriarra Pine Forest, headed up the Brindabella Rd hoping to get to some fire trails inside the national park and some where to camp and fish... This is where things started to get frustrating. I have never seen so many locked gates!!! After reading another trip report here on PP, we back tracked to then head further north on Doctors Flat rd headed for the Dingo Dell Flats area to camp. Guess what..... another locked gate. :x
This gate looked very new and had concrete posts, VERY SOLID. It appeared as if this was built by Telstra, maybe. We noticed some telstra posts etc next to the gate, all very new looking.
Again we back tracked to Doctors Flat rd and thought we would continue on to Wee Jasper which we heard was a very nice spot to camp. The road was newly graded but very dry and dusty.
When we hit a high point of the road we could see a small amount of smoke in the distance. I jokingly said that is was probably at our Wee Jasper camp site. Well it was!!! Some idiot at the BEST spot on the river had left an unattended fire at the campground. Wont these idiots ever learn! Sorry no pics of it. We didnt get to the scene of the crime but at the campground before it everyone was packing up in a hurry and leaving. We passed the police and the RFS heading into the area as we were leaving. There was another campsite closer to town but I have seen close up how these fires can move so we headed far beyond the other side of Wee Jasper and camped near the river in a sheep paddock... :shock:
Then sat back with a beer and watched the three choppers in the distance dropping water. We had a planned escape route even though we were far away from the action. Could see the flames on the ridge line in the evening. By morning it looked to be under control but we were in a very smokey valley come sunrise.
Next morning headed back up Doctors Flat rd, this vehicle didnt make it to far ...
Then took a detour up Pig Hill Summit trail, steep climb but easy for the Prado, to enjoy the view over looking Canberra in the distance.
Me on the left.
Due to a double fatality on the Kings Hwy back to Batemans bay we took the opportunity to go back via the Araluen rd which pops out near Moruya. Just to the south of here is Deua National Park which I have been to before... not in the Prado. That time we camped in the Bendethara Vally. Cannot recommend this place highly enough. Great 4x4ing and great campsites in the Valley. Never got the chance to tackle the Merricumbene fire trail so we checked out the first 1 or 2kms from the Araluen end on the way home.
Plenty of low range even in the first 500mtrs, and a campsite just as close next a river as well.
This track looks great but alas no time today. Will save it for the next trip, but a 2 inch lift will be required first as she scrapped her belly a couple of times!!! Does this car ever stop taking my money?? Worth it though.
Due to the time we decided to set up camp at the Cotter camp ground on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, just outside adjoining Namadgi National Park.
The next morning, after navigating the many tracks of the Uriarra Pine Forest, headed up the Brindabella Rd hoping to get to some fire trails inside the national park and some where to camp and fish... This is where things started to get frustrating. I have never seen so many locked gates!!! After reading another trip report here on PP, we back tracked to then head further north on Doctors Flat rd headed for the Dingo Dell Flats area to camp. Guess what..... another locked gate. :x
This gate looked very new and had concrete posts, VERY SOLID. It appeared as if this was built by Telstra, maybe. We noticed some telstra posts etc next to the gate, all very new looking.
Again we back tracked to Doctors Flat rd and thought we would continue on to Wee Jasper which we heard was a very nice spot to camp. The road was newly graded but very dry and dusty.
When we hit a high point of the road we could see a small amount of smoke in the distance. I jokingly said that is was probably at our Wee Jasper camp site. Well it was!!! Some idiot at the BEST spot on the river had left an unattended fire at the campground. Wont these idiots ever learn! Sorry no pics of it. We didnt get to the scene of the crime but at the campground before it everyone was packing up in a hurry and leaving. We passed the police and the RFS heading into the area as we were leaving. There was another campsite closer to town but I have seen close up how these fires can move so we headed far beyond the other side of Wee Jasper and camped near the river in a sheep paddock... :shock:
Then sat back with a beer and watched the three choppers in the distance dropping water. We had a planned escape route even though we were far away from the action. Could see the flames on the ridge line in the evening. By morning it looked to be under control but we were in a very smokey valley come sunrise.
Next morning headed back up Doctors Flat rd, this vehicle didnt make it to far ...
Then took a detour up Pig Hill Summit trail, steep climb but easy for the Prado, to enjoy the view over looking Canberra in the distance.
Me on the left.
Due to a double fatality on the Kings Hwy back to Batemans bay we took the opportunity to go back via the Araluen rd which pops out near Moruya. Just to the south of here is Deua National Park which I have been to before... not in the Prado. That time we camped in the Bendethara Vally. Cannot recommend this place highly enough. Great 4x4ing and great campsites in the Valley. Never got the chance to tackle the Merricumbene fire trail so we checked out the first 1 or 2kms from the Araluen end on the way home.
Plenty of low range even in the first 500mtrs, and a campsite just as close next a river as well.
This track looks great but alas no time today. Will save it for the next trip, but a 2 inch lift will be required first as she scrapped her belly a couple of times!!! Does this car ever stop taking my money?? Worth it though.
would look lovely during winter I gather 8)
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