Trip Report, Easter 2003

Three vehicles and eight Club members made a leisurely departure from Melbourne on Friday. The journey east was just as leisurely because the traffic was putting pressure on the highway but kept flowing. The farther into Gippsland we drove the damper conditions became. Melbourne's forecast was for a stable and dry atmosphere. We should have read that the weather was coming from the east. It was not long before it was raining.

Lunch with thousands in Rosedale, then at Dargo the tradition of visiting the General Store. Ziggy found two maps by "Rooftop's" that went on sale a few days before Easter. We were going to use the only 'good' one, a 1:50,000 topographic of the area but the new maps had newer features with other information and showed the Bushfire borders across the whole area. These new maps were to help us complete a reconnaissance of our intended terrain.

Off the bitumen the vehicles picked up a two-tone colouring with mud spray from the wheels. Morale was not the brightest with spirits dampened by the soggy sky. Higher and higher we drove.

By the table lands of the Dargo High Plains the clouds were breaking up. We think we had left the heavier, fluffy stuff in the valleys.

Eventually we chose a location very suitable for our purpose. A 75m gentle uphill wander gained full mobile phone reception from Hotham, and firewood was at our feet. Also at foot were all the fresh cow pats, so a shovelling we did go. Tents up and fire started in the dry. As darkness fell so did the returning drizzle. The tarps did their intended jobs; never leave home without one. An early night.

From Saturday onwards all was perfect! Clear skies, very cool in the shade, very warm in the sunlight, no wind and all good company. We set to work ... in a leisurely way.

The young fellas (Martin & David) went thrill seeking on their Mountain Bikes. The rest of us wandered around taking photos and some exercise. We investigated the burned areas. We were camped at the edge of the Devils Hollow so had excellent views into the Upper Dargo River Valley. The surprising effects of the bushfires were an eye-opener to us.

Sunday came for the kids to find all the Easter eggs, over 30 in all. We drove recons of the Long Spur and then the Jamieson Spur in its whole length. No, there is nothing at the end of the Spur, but the road is still 2wd. The old Survival Schools base area has been thoroughly burned through; the thistles are gone, the camp has been widened by bulldozers and you can see quite a distance into the forest all around. It looks quite welcoming with lush, new green grasses and many extra tent areas. We suspect the local Authority must have designs for this location. The lower clearing is all 'clear' again and looks inviting. Those who did the fire-fighting and all the clearing-up have left no signs of their presence and no rubbish.

You think we have seen it all?   No way!

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