They say variety is the spice of life. Mixing up your topography is a key to keeping travels ‘new’ and refreshing. Going from red soil and ancient ridges to the verdant green of the rainforest, really makes me appreciate how beautiful and diverse this country is.
The van was ready by mid-afternoon. I had already decided to do a loop up into the Yarra Ranges before dropping back down to the coast for my summer sojourn. First stop, the Upper Yarra Reservoir Park, was only an hour away. Found a great spot, but on the way in, got bogged in the soft ground. This wouldn’t normally create too much of a problem as I had the recovery tracks to get out, but towing a four ton van, it was touch and go, as I continually had to repositioned them to effect an escape. Even in 4WD, the diff was complaining and geez, I made a mess of the ground in my wake. I was overcome with remorse (AND fear of a Parks ranger having a close look), so I spent an hour making what repairs I could to the turf. Gumboots and a shovel in the fading light to salve my conscience.
The campground sits in the shadow of the Upper Yarra Dam. With bad weather forecast, I made the most of the next day walking up to the dam for a look. Naturally, it was uphill all the way, but a magnificent view the reward. The rain duly arrived and I was content to spend the weekend with my new BF’s – Netflix and Kayo, and headed up into the Yarra Ranges early Monday morning.
You know the old saying about never assume? Victoria gives a ‘C’ code to EVERY drivable road, irrespective of condition and, clearly in cahoots with Google maps, it looked like tar all the way. Well, that lasted about 45 minutes then onto the gravel. Now, I’m not complaining…at this point. It was Monday morning and I literally had the mountains to myself. The mist was hanging low in the trees and the radio would drop in and out depending on the bends, or the view. My halfway point was Matlock, that turned out to be a town in name only (again, thanks Google). Every so often a strip of tar would appear just to give ya hope and just as quickly, disappointment. Still, a reasonable road.
But from the turnoff at Matlock it became quickly apparent that Vic Roads had been WAY to generous. Narrow, tight and winding. The only saving graces were, that it was a largely gentle downhill descent, and the views were stunning. I quickly learnt that every splash of water on the road concealed a pothole and it became a game of how many you avoided whilst not toppling into a ravine. I was planning to stop at a cafe at Aberfeldy. Unfortunately it was just four houses and a strip of bitumen a couple of hundred meters long. The outlook was magical but the cafe was a no show. Now, before I here the groans about doing my homework, we had just spent two years travelling around Oz where every town (bar one in Kakadu) had a least a general store cum servo cum post office. However, lesson learnt.
My final destination for the day was supposed to be Thomson’s Dam. It was full and the headwaters stretched back along the valley. I could have parked on the dam for the night, but it was very exposed and literally part of a through road. It felt hard to justify, so I pushed on towards Taralgon, keeping an eye out for a possible overnighter. In the end, it was a truck stop behind a BP in Taralgon where I pulled up for the night.
I’d had a run of luck the last few days. Potential problems/disasters had been averted. Projects had been completed with perseverance and planning. It was lookin’ good….too good.
.