Woods Point, Melbourne Cup Weekend 2003

The members of this trip were:

The Diamond Clan: Jim, Tab, Cristi, Ashleigh, Penny and Diamond

The Mr & Mrs Al Clan: Al, Lyn, Tegan and Callum

The Wombat Clan: Paul, Helen and Kiralee

Glenn and James

Day One Friday 31st October 2003 – Rowville to Jamieson:

This was the first time James and I had joined some ExplorOz forumites on a journey of discovery. The destination was Woods Point in the Victorian High Country, after first spending a night in Jamieson. 

James and I were up early, and left Rowville to head to Yea where we were meeting up with the Diamond Clan and the Mr & Mrs Al Clan. The radio crackled at 12.00 as I heard Lyn talking to Jim. I jumped on and let them know that I was waiting for them before the bridge that crossed the Yea River. Off we went and led the convoy as we headed towards Mansfield and a lunch and fuel stop. We arrived in Jamieson and checked into the Caravan Park. As I couldn't be bothered setting up a tent for one night, and we were expecting rain, James and I booked into a cabin. 

We unpacked a minimal amount, and cracked the first ice cold can before wandering over to watch the others set up. Jim had towed his camper trailer, and Mr & Mrs Al had towed a 17ft caravan. No sooner had everyone settled down for the afternoon, when the rain started. Tarps were hastily erected and luckily Jim was prepared, having all the required poles, ropes, pegs and tarps. Darkness arrived quickly and dinner was cooked in the rain on the free gas bbq. James squeezed into Jim's camper to eat dinner out of the rain with the other kids, whilst the adults sat under the tarps to enjoy our first communal dinner.

The rain settled in and soon it was getting cold, so a fire was lit. Unfortunately, by the time it started to provide any warmth, it was time to hit the sack. James and I headed back to the cabin while everyone else settled into the camper, tents or caravan.

Day Two Saturday 1st November 2003 – Jamieson to Woods Point:

It was raining again when we arose. We were in no rush to pack up as some were suffering with hangovers. We finally left Jamieson at 10.30am, as the rain stopped, and headed along the Woods Point Road towards our final destination. The bitumen ended about 20 kms out of Jamieson and it was interesting to be behind Al as he towed his 17ft van behind his 80 Series Landcruiser. It seemed to travel well, through the mud and corrugations, but the real test was coming back down into the valley near Woods Point. The road was steep, winding, and quite slippery as the rain had started again, but Al had it all under control. Al had spent a lot of time and money on fitting out the caravan to survive roads such as this one.

The rain was pouring down as we picked out the best site to settle into. Thankfully it stopped as we started to set up. This at least gave us a chance to set up the vans and the tents, and also set up a large array of tarps to protect the tents and give us somewhere to sit when it rained. Lunch was prepared before we headed into Woods Point for a look.

At the General Store, we paid the camping fees and stocked up on some required supplies before driving up to Matlock Hill to see the view. On the return journey we deviated off the road back to Woods Point onto what looked to be a nice easy mud track. Everything was going along nicely until Jim, who was leading, tried to fjord a puddle....until the water reached the top of his bonnet. As Al was fairly close behind Jim, it meant I had to take the lead through the chicken run. Again everything returned to normality though. I was getting a little concerned though as I knew we would have to start heading down the mountain soon. Little did we know what awaited us. A steep, clay descent that was worsened by the recent rains. It was also heavily rutted, and cut up by those who had driven up it. I tried to stay on the high side of the ruts, but I slipped in straight away. I no longer had any control over the direction we were going, but at least the engine was doing its job in controlling the speed with which James and I descended. When I reached the bottom, I jumped out and grabbed the camera, but by the time I did that Al had also reached the bottom, with Jim close behind. 

Al and Lyn exited their vehicle and were very quick to search for damage. The drivers side step had copped a beating but was easily bent back in to some sort of relative shape. Jim's vehicle had suffered the same damage, but was a little worse than Al's. I lucky walked away unscathed. I must say Jim did very well as he only had the highway tyre fitted.

Back to the campsite for dinner and a few drinks and light the fire before the Wombat Clan arrived around 8.00 pm. They too had a camper trailer, and so it didn't take long for them to set up. We were still having trouble with the fire as the wood was wet and the rain continued to fall, so it was early to bed.

Day Three Sunday 2nd November 2003 – Woods Point:

The rain was patchy this morning as a firewood collection began after breakfast. Not much decent wood could be found, as this was obviously a well used place to camp. Some red gum had been brought along, but there was not an endless supply. It was a relaxing day today as we all sat around the camp area chatting...as you do. I opened the first of many beverages around 12.oo noon, as the chatting continued. We had to keep moving from fireplace to cover as the rain came and went, but in the end it didn't bother us too much. Dinner also came and went as darkness arrived. The Glayva, Bourbon, Port and  Red Wine was flowing as the time flew. Without warning, a 4wd arrived and parked 10 metres away. Out hopped a couple of male German tourists who decided to set up camp right next to us. "Not impressed" was an understatement! Next thing we knew, one of the Germans was up asking if they could have some coffee. Tab was extremely nice, and supplied them with a jar, that returned a short time later a fair bit emptier than before. If that wasn't shocking enough, out of the darkness came the other German asking for some embers from our fire to start theirs. Well you could have heard a pin drop before someone replied in the negative. It had taken us all day to get the fire we had now, and we weren't about to give some of it up to some inconsiderate Germans. Well eventually the alcohol ran out and it was 2.00am in the morning. Those who could walk straight, made for their beds, those that couldn't stumbled their way into bed. I was dreading how I was going to feel tomorrow.

Day Four Monday 3rd November 2003 – Woods Point:

When I awoke, the rain had stopped at last. The head was pounding and water and a Panadol were required before leaving the tent. James and the other kids were all up and were being very quiet, which was very considerate. I cooked up the remaining bacon for breakfast, but even two bacon sandwiches didn't help how I was feeling. The weather improved as the morning wore on, but I didn't. Even a game of cricket with the kids, using a tennis racquet and tennis ball didn't help much. Before  heading  up to Matlock Hill for a picnic lunch in the beautiful sunshine, we took some group shots out the front of the old service station.

 I steadily improved as the kids enjoyed a big run around and enjoyed, finally, some great weather. We returned to the campsite after a couple of hours and settled down by the fire as the afternoon turned to evening. Paul, Helen and Kiralee headed back into Woods Point to dine at the one and only pub, whilst the rest of us cooked using stoves and the fire. I fine meal was had by all, and a hair of the dog beer went down horribly. One more for the night and I didn't feel like anymore. The Wombats returned and gave a glowing praise of  the pub for its food and hospitality.  An early night was had by all as were prepared for departure tomorrow.