The Victorian High Country

[nissanneill]

I just returned from a weeks 4 wheel drive trip from Adelaide to Melbourne and straight up into the spectacular Victorian High Country. It is the country, only accessible (ie off the bitument road or logging tracks) by serious 4 wheel drives and is featured in the movie, "The Man from Snowy River". It is the country where the traditional cattle people graze their stock during the summer months, round them up and drive them down onto the plains out of the snow covered country during the winter months.
I took my wife, daughter, her husband, grand daughter, and 2 cars of their friends for a real rugged experience. We had the best of camps, usuall beside crystal clear, icy cold rivers or creeks, with roast meals, cooked apple strudels, the works each night. A real experience in such country. This was my third visit there and well worthy of a visit, but off the beaten track.

Neill

[SpringJim]

What a wonderful world....have yet to get to the opposite of the sphere!

[Frances]

Sounds fantastic! I spent two months in Australia and would go back again like a shot!

I'll bet the kids loved that trip, right?

[david s]

In the days before cattle were banned from grazing these alpine plains many cattlemens huts were built. They are simple log or corrugated iron huts, these days used by bushwalkers. Have spent a lot of time in this area bushwalking. A filthy, leaking, rat infested hut provides real comfort and is preferable to a tent any day. The beds were usually hessian sacks nailed between two logs. Suprising how comfort is relative.Ofcourse we'd get a roaring fire going.

[nissanneill]

David,
many of the cattlemen's hut have been burnt in the past few years fires. Lovick's hut is gone but new timber upright poles arte concreted in place for a rebuild, Bluff hut is almost totally rebuilt now, (the carpenters were putting the final touches to it aa couple of weeks ago, still using old iron to maintain the old rustic appearence, but maintaining the original size and layout.
Craig's hut, the one feature in the man from Snowey River has been rebuilt after it was dismantled after the filming, rebuilt in 2003 after a bushfire and just been rebuilt after last years fire.
Even the fire watching tower up at the Pinnacles is now a new fully galvanised state of the art construction which was lifted into place by chopper as it is almost impossible to get anything there unledd carried by hand up very steep narrow track and stairs with sheer drops either side. They pumped up the concrete and have a safety cellar in case of another fire going through.

Neill

[david s]

I climbed the Pinnacles over 40 yrs ago. Bet the bush is just the same, but with more logging roads no doubt. Fire will destroy what man brings in but the bush regenerates.

[nissanneill]

A few more pics of Craigs Hut, the campfire at Craigs, (notice the bedurie - that flat top pan with sitting on a bed of coals and with coals on the lid,





that is cooking the large leg of lamb), and some other pics of typical scenery and conditions.



A very lovelly, but rugged place to visit.

Neill