Range Rover Club Victoria upcoming events

Toolangi State Forest Exploration (29 Feb 2020)

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 22:00:00 GMT

Toolangi State Forest Exploration

Date and time: 9:00am on Saturday 29^th February 2020

Description: This trip is for those who have completed driver training, but want a little more of a challenge, or for those who want to experience all that Toolangi has to offer.

Potential for mud, bog holes and steep climbs, all with bypass tracks if you want to have a more relaxed drive.

Starting in Healesville, we will travel up Myers Creek Road before turning off into Toolangi State Forest at Monda Road. From there we’ll wind our way through the forest, stopping for lunch at the Dindi Mill Camp.

We’ll then explore more of the forest before making our way to the Black Spur Inn at Narbethong to finish the day with a cold beverage.

Weather: Summer/Autumn weather – potential to be hot and/or raining – check the weather closer to the day. There is a good chance of mud, so pack comfortable shoes you don’t mind getting dirty.

Equipment: Well-maintained vehicle with low range, good clearance (200mm minimum recommended), good all terrain tyres (60 profile minimum recommended), recovery points, standard recovery gear including dampener, rated snatch strap and shackles, shovel and UHF radio (or one borrowed from the club).

Trip Standard: Medium – some mud, bog holes and potential low-range climbs!

Fuel: a full tank ex Melbourne – opportunity to fuel up in Healesville

Distance: Approx. distance from Healesville is 75km of a mix of high and low range driving.

Duration: 1 day

Convoy limit: 10 vehicles

Meeting arrangements: We plan to meet in the main street of Healesville inside the Beechworth Bakery Healesville and depart at 9.00am sharp. If you plan to get coffee beforehand then you will need to arrive a little earlier. We will aim to finish about 4.00pm at the Black Spur Inn, Narbethong

Trip Leaders: Cory Keating – 0478 844 939 or corytkeating@gmail.com

Club Meeting (NOTE: It's on Wednesday) (4 Mar 2020)

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Monthly Club Meeting

March's meeting has been shifted to Wednesday 4th of March - for just this month.

Club meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of most months .

Note: November is usually pushed to the 2nd Tuesday (some horse race gets in the way) and we dont have a January meeting. Check the calendar dates or contact us to confirm, because we occasionally need to shift meetings.

Our new location of The Glasshouse at Caulfield Racecourse, 31 Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145.

Visitors and prospective members are welcome to come along and see what we’re about! We suggest that you email memberships@rangeroverclub.org.au to let us know you're coming and we'll look out for you.

Meetings usually include:

Welcome to new members
Guest speaker
Trip reports
Raffle
Tea/coffee
Upcoming events
Other club business

You don't need to register but if we can get an idea of numbers attending it would help.

Dinner will be available prior to the meeting in the main dining area, so arrive with sufficient time to eat before we head into the auditorium for an 8pm start. People start arriving at 6:30.

Dinner will be available in the restaurant before the meeting, but to have any chance of being fed quickly, we suggest the following.

Call them to make a reservation, and mention that you're part of the Range Rover Club. Phone: (03) 9257 7170
Order and pay for food at the bar. There is table service but we share tables and it can get confusing to figure out who had what.

Menu: caulfieldglasshouse.com.au

Reservations: bookbookonline.com.au

Phone: (03) 9257 7170

Dargo basecamp (7 Mar 2020)

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 22:00:00 GMT

Dargo basecamp

Date and time: Sat. 7th March 2020, 9:00am - Monday 9th March

Description: The Dargo area has not yet been affected by the East Gippsland bushfires. The club's Dargo weekend this year will be subject to the bushfire risk in the area, however at present we still plan to go ahead with the weekend and will be assessing the bushfire risk closer to the date to determine if we proceed, reschedule or move the weekend to another location.

The Dargo area has a lot of history to it as well as very spectacular scenery with great 4WD tracks. Trips will be decided closer to the weekend when weather and track conditions are known but there will be several different trips occurring each day, returning to base camp each afternoon.

Dargo is approached via Princes Highway through Sale and Stratford. Approx. 23 km past Stratford turn to Fembank, follow signs to Dargo (take care on the Dargo road especially if towing). Please try to arrive at the “Wonnangatta Caravan Park” anytime Friday 9th or before 9 am Saturday 10th and BOOK IN AND PAY AS YOU ARRIVE IF OFFICE IS OPEN.

The “Wonnangatta Caravan Park” is at Waterford which is 10km BEFORE Dargo. Cross Wonnangatta River on narrow one lane concrete bridge, look for caravan park and fuel station on left, less than l km past bridge. Vic Roads Map 83E2. In the park, follow the RRCV signs – the Trip Leaders will be there to meet you. Park amenities are hot showers, toilets, powered sites, gas BBQ, fuel, basic stores and good swimming in Wonnangatta River.

This is a base camp for 3 nights: Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Bring your own tent, camper or caravan. If you wish to come early or stay longer please indicate this in the comments on your registration or let the trip leader know so we can notify the proprietors.

Before the Saturday night dinner, we would like to have people coming to a common area for some pre-dinner drinks and nibbles (byo drinks and a small plate to share).

The Annual Cricket Match – “The Rovers versus the Rabble” - takes place on Sunday afternoon.

Caravan Park Bookings: Use the club web-site – please indicate in the comments if you need a powered site or plan to arrive early or stay later. We will be making a BULK BOOKING, so please book early to help us make arrangements. We will provide the rates closer to March when we have more of an indication of numbers but the caravan park has indicated that the rates will be the same as last year.

ALL MEMBERS are welcome. New Members who have not completed driver training will be catered for and are most welcome.

Weather: Alpine environment, potentially cold and wet. Bring appropriate clothing and footwear.

Equipment: Vehicles need to be in sound condition, have low range 4WD capability, good all-terrain tyres (minimum profile of at least 65 recommended), reasonable ground clearance (minimum 200mm recommended) and UHF radio (or one borrowed from the club). Usual recovery gear should be carried.

Hat, torch, good footwear, warm clothes (cold nights), swimmers, NAME TAGS, kids bikes.

Simple, “on the move” lunches, food for 3 days, drinking water and port.

DO NOT bring: Pets, firearms, or motorbikes.

Trip Standard: Medium to Hard - some steep, low-range hill climbs and some rocky tracks!

Fuel: Fuel on the way and available at Base Camp (no LPG) or in Dargo.

Convoy limit: None. This trip will cater for large numbers.

Meeting Arrangements: Base Camp “Wonnangatta Caravan Park”, Dargo Road Waterford (10km BEFORE Dargo). Dargo is approximately 5 hours from Melbourne.

Trip Leader: Graeme Carter Ph 0400 195 932

Post Dargo Extension Touring East Gippsland (10 Mar 2020)

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 22:00:00 GMT

Post Dargo Extension Touring East Gippsland

Date and time: 10th March – 15th March

Description: we are planning to go into the non-burnt sections of East Gippsland to spend some money. The thought was paying to stay in caravan parks, buying lunch and dinner each day and filling with fuel whether empty or not. Maybe Lakes Entrance for a couple of nights including dinner, or a couple of nights with dinner at Marlo, Orbost or other towns TBA that have been impacted by the tourism exodus and whose economies have suffered this summer.

I would really like to spend some money in towns in the actual fire areas but I am alert to the likely emotional upset for visitors going through that country and also their ability to host visitors at the present time.

So, no travelling through burnt out areas just to look at it - in fact there is always tourist stuff to do and the weather should be good enough to swim, do some walks and fish.

The journey would start in Dargo on Tuesday 10^th March and return to Melbourne Sunday 15^th March and participants could depart at any time during the week if they so desire.

Weather: should be fairly mild at that time of year but you can never be sure. Review the local weather forecast leading up to the trip and bring appropriate clothing, footwear and camping gear.

Equipment: This is a touring and camping trip (at local caravan parks), so no special equipment requirements.

No pets or firearms

Trip Standard: easy

Fuel: available everywhere we are planning to stay

Duration: 6 days or less – personal decision

Convoy limit: unlimited

Meeting arrangements: we plan to leave on the Tuesday after the Dargo 4WD weekend.

Trip Leaders: Alan and Christine Hawkes, m= 0419 744 832, e = ahaw2901@yahoo.com.au

Otways - Slow-paced weekend basecamp (20 Mar 2020)

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Otways - Slow paced weekend basecamp

Date and time: Friday 20th March 2020 - Sunday 22nd March

Description: Kenny & Jo are running a basecamp trip that is aimed to cater for those that enjoy camping as much as driving.

Camping:
We'll basecamp at Dandos on Friday and Saturday nights. Dandos is a free campsite and has space for 100 camps (shared with the masses). It's next to a river, has walks and pools for paddling and swimming, and has a non-camping grassy area as well.

We'll try to get there mid afternoon on the Friday, hopefully we can all camp in the same area.

Has drop toilets but no potable water.

http://www.findacamp.com.au/camp-site.php?camp=66

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dandos-Camping-Spot/1993160097576525

Driving:
We're planning for about four to five hours of driving on the Saturday, exploring the tracks around the area. Leaving at a lazy 10am.

Also slow start on Sunday, heading East towards Anglesea to cover some nice tracks there. There should be time for people to either pack up and head home via Anglesea, or return to Dandos to pack up later.

There is no obligation to do both days of driving.

If you don't want to camp, there should be just enough driving to justify a day trip on the Saturday (probably not Sunday)- and you can always stay for dinner. But let Kenny know, so you are not left out.

Guests & Non-Members:
Members can bring friends too - we see if we can fit them into spare seats for the tracks. If they are joining us as passengers they MUST have Temporary Membership set up prior to coming.

Access to camp ground: Easy - suitable for caravans and/or 2-wheel drive, so friends/passengers can drive in if preferred.

Weather: Normal near-sea-level Victorian weather. So it might be sunny, might be windy, might be wet - probably all three!

Equipment: Vehicles need to have low range 4WD capability with good all-terrain tyres, good ground clearance (minimum 200mm) and UHF radio equipped (or one borrowed from the club). Usual recovery gear and recovery points should be carried.

Additional Equipment required: Camping gear, food and water for the weekend. Clothing for wet and cold conditions.

Trip Standard: Medium – some steep, low-range hill climbs and some rocky tracks!. We'll explore the tracks so difficult to predict. Possibly hard if wet and slippery.

Fuel: Plenty fuel options; along the A1 (Colac or Winchelsea) and on the Great Ocean Road (Anglesea or Lorne).

Distance: Dandos is approximately 200km from Melbourne. The trip distance is TBA but a full tank will be plenty - some low range driving.

Duration: 2.5 days

Convoy limit: No limit, we'll split up the trips if required.

Meeting arrangements: We will meet at Dandos Campground on Friday. For those joining us for a day trip on Saturday, we'll won't leave before 10am.

Trip Leaders: Kenny Macleod & Jo Thyer: 0421 952 540 kenny@scotel.com

Blaze Aid - Bushfire recovery- Bruthen, Omeo or Buchan (rescheduled) (28 Mar 2020)

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 20:30:00 GMT

BLAZEAID - BUSHFIRE RECOVERY

BRUTHEN, OMEO or BUCHAN

EAST GIPPSLAND

Date: 28th March to 5th April 2020, inclusive of the weekends of 28th/29th March and 4th/5th April 2020. The previous trip in late January/early February was cancelled due to the Bruthen camp having sufficient volunteers until the end of February. Since that time, additional camps have opened in East Gippsland at Buchan and Omeo and further camps may open up in the ensuing period. Even for these dates, the camps may still have sufficient volunteers, so if interested in volunteering with BlazeAid, register and closer to the date, the demand for volunteers will be better known and the camp at which out effort will be put plus confirmation of dates will be advised to participants

Description:

BlazeAid is a volunteer organization, Australia wide, that assists farmers in rebuilding fences that have been damaged or destroyed. In doing so, volunteers lift the spirits of people and help to rebuild the local communities devastated by bushfires. Website is blazeaid.com.au for more details.

The club participated in BlazeAid in May 2019 with the Bunyip fires and those members that participated found it a very rewarding and worthwhile experience.

We will again participate in BlazeAid, where camps have been established at Bruthen, Omeo and Buchan in East Gippsland, the areas of which were subject to devastaing bushfires and loss of property .

The event start and finish dates covers a 9 day period including bookend weekends. This provides members the option to participate during the week and/or at a weekend. When registering, please indicate in the comments line, what dates you plan to volunteer which can obviously be adjusted closer to the time.

Breakfast from 6.30am. Muster and safety briefing is at 7.30 am each day. Departure to the farms will be in convoy from 7.30am, returning around 3pm - 4 pm in the afternoon with dinner at 6.00pm.Breakfast and dinner at the camp and morning tea and lunch at the farm is all provided by Blaze Aid with help from local community groups.

Camping is available at the camps for caravans, campers, tents and swags with toilets and hot showers. Power availability will be limited.

All equipment is supplied in purpose built trailers. Volunteers are allocated to teams of around 6-8 led by an experienced team leader No fencing experience is required, as volunteers quickly learn on the job. BlazeAid provides PPE of vests, safety glasses and riggers gloves

Volunteers are to wear robust work clothes and boots and be prepared for inclement weather.

Volunteers are insured for accidents through the Blaze Aid Volunteer Insurance policy. However this policy does NOT include ambulance cover. Blaze Aid strongly recommends that volunteers have, or take out ambulance cover. As a club event, members will also be covered under the FWDV Insurance policy

Members are welcome to bring friends to work as volunteers with the club but will need to register any friends as temporary members on the club website. As a community service, the $15 temporary membership fee will be paid by the club. Please indicate in your registration in the "who is coming with you" box, the names of any non-members you may be bringing.

Trip Leader: Graeme Allen - phone 0477488434 or email at graeme.allen86@gmail.com for any queries or requiring any further information.

Licola to Heyfield - Rescheduled to 28th - 29th March (28 Mar 2020)

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 22:00:00 GMT

Licola to Heyfield - Rescheduled to 28th - 29th March

Date and time: 9:00am on 28^th March to 4:00pm 29^th March

Description: This will be a weekend trip to some interesting high country destinations. The trip will commence at 9:00 at Licola which is about 3 hours drive from the Melbourne CBD. On Saturday we will drive up onto the high plains and over Mt Wellington for some spectacular views with Bass Strait in the distance, then on to Millers hut for lunch. The RRCV participated in the restoration of Millers Hut in the mid 1990’s. We have recently offered to work with the Victorian Mountains Hut Association and Parks Victoria to undertake any further work that may be required in and around the hut, so we will make an assessment of what may be required while we are there. After Lunch we will retrace part of our route back to Horseyard Flat, visiting Moroka Hut and the Pinnacles (time permitting) for some more spectacular high country views.

On the Sunday, we will follow the Valencia Creek Track, Old Moroka Road and Mt Angus Road back down to Heyfield with some possible side trips to explore interesting tracks along the way.

The planned route is subject to weather and fire danger restrictions.

Weather: Alpine environment, potentially cold and wet. Watch the Alpine weather forecast leading up to the trip and bring appropriate clothing, footwear and camping gear.

Equipment: Vehicles need to have low range 4WD capability with good ground clearance (200mm minimum), good all-terrain tyres (60 profile minimum) and UHF radio equipped (or one borrowed from the club). Usual recovery gear should be carried.

No camper trailers, pets or firearms

Trip Standard: Medium/Hard - some steep, low-range hill climbs and some rocky tracks!

Fuel: a full tank ex Traralgon.

Distance: Approx. distance from Licola to Heyfield is approximately 180 Km of high and low range driving.

Duration: 2 days

Convoy limit: 8 vehicles

Meeting arrangements: We will meet at the Licola general store and depart at 9.00am sharp. If you plan to get coffee beforehand then you will need to arrive a little earlier. We will aim to finish about 4.00pm in Heyfield

Trip Leader: Graeme Carter ph 0400 195 932 or graeme.carter23@bigpond.com

April Club Meeting (7 Apr 2020)

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Monthly Club Meeting

Club meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of most months .

Our new location of The Glasshouse at Caulfield Racecourse, 31 Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145.

Meetings usually include:

Welcome to new members
Guest speaker
Trip reports
Raffle
Tea/coffee
Upcoming events
Other club business

You don't need to register but if we can get an idea of numbers attending it would help.

Dinner will be available prior to the meeting in the main dining area, so arrive with sufficient time to eat before we head into the auditorium for an 8pm start. People start arriving at 6:30.

Dinner will be available in the restaurant before the meeting, but to have any chance of being fed quickly, we suggest the following.

Call them to make a reservation, and mention that you're part of the Range Rover Club. Phone: (03) 9257 7170
Order and pay for food at the bar. There is table service but we share tables and it can get confusing to figure out who had what.

Menu: caulfieldglasshouse.com.au

Reservations: bookbookonline.com.au

Phone: (03) 9257 7170

Wyperfeld and Lake Mungo (10 Apr 2020)

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Wyperfeld and Lake Mungo

Date and time: Friday 10^th April – Tuesday 14th April 2020 (Easter)

Description: This a base camp trip in two parts;

Part 1: Arriving in Wyperfeld on Good Friday (10^th April 2020) and camping at Wonga camp ground on 10^th, 11^th. And 12^th. April. You have the option to return to Melbourne on the Monday or continue on with Part 2 of the trip.

Part 2: Pack up and travel to Lake Mungo on Mon 13^th. April. Camp at Mungo on Mon night and explore the area Mon afternoon and Tue, Returning back to Melbourne either Tue night or Wed.

Note: When signing up, please indicate if you are intending to come to Lake Mungo or just the Wyperfeld part of the trip.

Wyperfeld:

Wonga camp ground about 40km west of Hopetoun, just follow the signs to Wyperfeld National Park. It is a National Park, so no pets, firearms etc. are allowed. The plan is to meet at Wyperfeld Wonga camp around Lunch time on Good Friday. And maybe do a walk from the camp ground leaving at 2.30 pm for those interested. Saturday we will drive north to Snow drift sand due and up to the pink lakes if time permits. Sunday will be a long day travelling west and we will need an early start.

The Campground is quite large and well spread out and I will try and arrive early and find a spot big enough for the group, my car is a Black Land Rover Discovery 4 and I have an Ultimate camper trailer.

The Camp ground has drop toilets but you will need to bring your own water for drinking and washing. These days there are no rubbish bins so we need to take our rubbish out with us.

There are fire pits in Wonga but we are asked to bring your own fire wood and not collect it in the Park

Please note that there is no mobile reception once you reach the campground

Camping fees:

Wonga Campground; Bookings can be made on line at Parks Victoria website. Note: you can book up to 6 people and 3 cars per site.

https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/wyperfeld-national-park/where-to-stay/camping-in-wyperfeld-national-park

Lake Mungo:

Lake Mungo; Entry fee is $8/car /day and camping fee is $8.50 /person/night. I will find out if we need to make a group booking otherwise its pay on entry.

There is an optional guided walk of the Walls of China ($50/person)

We plan to do the self-drive tour of Mungo on the Tue. (Easy Standard)

Temporary Members & Guests: Please ensure that any guests are signed up as Temporary Members, this can be done using the “Join Us tab “on the club website.

Personal details forms can be found on the club website under the Member’s area.

Weather: Warm days and cold nights are the norm but be prepared for all conditions

No pets or firearms

Trip Standard: Easy to Medium depending on weather. The tracks are mostly sand and these can have deep soft patches but for the most part they are not too difficult.

Fuel: Fuel is available at Hopetoun and Rainbow. Our Sat. trip will leave from the camp ground so please fill up before you arrive. Sunday will pass by Rainbow where fuel is available.

Distance: The travel distances can be relatively long (200km + per day), we will have appropriate stops for morning tea, lunch and points of interest.

Duration: 10 -14 April 2020

Convoy limit: 8. It’s a base camp with easy access; Suitable for camper tailers.

Meeting arrangements: We plan to meet at Wonga camp ground Friday 10^th April (Good Friday) at about lunch time, for those that want to do the walk from the camp ground please arrive by 2.00pm.

Trip Leaders: John Cunning, mobile phone No. 0488018070.

River Red Gum Drive +(Mungo National Park option) (10 Apr 2020)

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMT

River Red Gum Drive

10th - 13th April, 2020

+ (Mungo National Park option 13th-15th April)

Date and time: 10th April, 9.00am to 15th April, 12.00 pm (Easter)

Description:

The trip is in two parts.

The first part and primary trip is over 4 days commencing from the Barmah National Park, north east of Echuca on the Friday morning and finishing at the Yanga National Park, near Balranald on the Monday. This trip will follow generally the route of the Victorian Iconic 4WD Adventures- River Red Gum Drive, commencing in and exploring the tracks and roads of the Barmah National Park, then travelling downstream to Koondrook- Barham, along the NSW side of the Murray River. At Koondrook-Barham, we cross the river and travel upstream on the Victorian side through the Gunbower National Park to the Torrumbarry Weir, where the drive finishes. Details of the River Red Gum Drive can be found at - www.4wdvictoria.org.au/iconic4wd/river-red-gum-drive. The River Red Gum Drive follows the Murray River, winding its way through the Murray River floodplain landscapes within the world's largest River Red Gum forests. Stops will be made along the way at various points of cultural, historic and natural interest.

We then travel back to Koondrook on the Murray Valley Highway via Cohuna and continue to follow the Murray River downstream along back roads to Swan Hill before travelling north to the Yanga National Park, near Balranald. Entry into and camping within the park is free.

We will be bush camping on the Friday and Saturday nights at campgrounds along the Murray River and hopefully, in the Yanga National Park on the Murrumbidgee River on the Sunday night. However, the number of camping sites within the Yanga National Park is not large, so once the number of members participating on this trip are known, then enquires will be made as to available accomodation. It maybe that we need to stay in the Balranald Caravan Park on the Sunday night if it is likely sites are not available in the park, particularly being Easter and the sites are on a first-come first-in basis.

The Yanga National Park is one of the newest parks in NSW. We will visit the Yanga Homestead which was the home to one of the Riverina’s most productive pastoral stations. Located in the Yanga National Park and part of the Murrumbidgee Valley National Park, the homestead was built around 1870, along with station outbuildings including stables, a gardener’s shed and station store. There are also rose gardens, restored and maintained by volunteers. We will also visit the Cook’s Cottage exhibition and wander around the grounds and view the homestead’s unique Murray pine ‘drop log’ design. There is then an opportunity to explore the surrounding area along the Yanga Lake walking track and stand on the viewing deck to see evidence of the lake’s Aboriginal heritage and birdlife. Details of the park can be found at- www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/yanga-national-park.

The second part is a trip to continue onto the Mungo National Park and to meet up with participants of the Wyperfeld- Lake Mungo trip, led by John Cunning on the Monday and camp together in the Mungo National Park on the Monday and Tuesday nights With two groups from our club visiting the park and considering the time of the year, there may be limited camping availability in the Park so the number of vehicles, at this stage that will be able to continue onto the second part of our trip will be 4-6 vehicles. The number will be determined closer to the time when the number of vehicles continuing on to the Park from the Wyperfeld- Lake Mungo trip is known. When registering, please note in the comments line if you are interested in continuing onto the Mungo National Park

For those continuing onto the second part, we will stay in the Mungo National Park on Monday and Tuesday and return to Balranald on the Wednesday to finish the trip. Entry fee to the Park is $8/car /day and camping fee is $8.50 /person/night. There is an optional guided walk of the Walls of China ($50/person). We plan to do the self-drive (easy standard) tour of Mungo on the Tuesday

In regard to the Mungo National Park, artefacts of the ancient Aboriginal culture have been found within the vicinity of Lake Mungo dating back over 50,000 years across the expanses of the last ice age. This makes Mungo one of the oldest places outside of Africa to have been occupied by modern humans since ancient times.It is where the remains of the Mungo Man were found, dating back some 42,000 year and considered to be the oldest human remains found in Australia. Details of the Mungo National Park can be found at www.visitmungo.com.au

Weather: Autumn so expect mild days and cool nights.

Equipment: The River Red Gum Drive is on unsealed forest roads and tracks. However should wet weather be encountered, normal recovery gear may be required and therefore is to be carried, with vehicles needing to have low range 4WD capability, good all-terrain tyres and be UHF radio equipped. Ideally, a second spare tyre should be carried. Similarly for the trip to the Mungo NP

Camper trailers or off-road caravans can be taken.

Trip Standard: Easy

Distance: Approximately 1400 km for the total trip.

Duration: 4-6 days

Convoy limit: 10 vehicles for the River Red Gum Drive. 4-6 vehicles for the Mungo NP option.

Meeting arrangements: We will meet at one of the (to be advised) campgrounds within the Barmah National Park, near as possible to the township of Barmah at 9.00am on Friday 10th April. The campground will be where the trip leaders, who be travelling up on the Thursday, will be staying on the Thursday night.

Trip Leaders: Graeme and Carolyn Allen. Contact Graeme at graeme.allen86@gmail or on 0477488434 for any further information that you may require or any queries you may have.

Danggali Conservation Park & Northern Murray Sunset (10 Apr 2020)

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Date and time: Friday 10th April 2020, 9:00am

Description: On this trip we will be exploring the Danggali Conservation Park, Chowilla Game Reserve and the upper part of the Murray Sunset National Park between Renmark and Mildura

“There is nothing more special than heading away out into our many remote Desert locations that we have in abundance here in Australia. We have all heard of the Canning Stock Route, The Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks, the many great tracks put down by Len Beadell such as the Anne Beadell Highway or the Connie Sue Highway, but have you ever heard of the Nanya Pad Track or the Tipperary Hut Track that can be found right here in South Australia’s Riverland area?” (from Exploroz Blog)

Danggali Conservation Park and Chowilla Game Reserve are located in South Australia near Renmark. The drive to the starting point at Morgan takes approximately 8 hours from Melbourne. Danggali was classified as Australia's first Biosphere Reserve in 1977 in an effort to conserve the area's dense mallee scrubland.

The park provides habitat to many bird species, from major mitchell’s to the rare mallee fowl, offering interesting opportunities for birdwatching. There is also a range of small reptile species such as skinks and you may also see red and western grey kangaroos grazing in the scrub along with shy echidnas.

Murray Sunset is Victoria’s north-east corner with desert and river bank driving and abundant birdlife.

The travel distances are relatively long but we will still stop for morning coffee, and lunch (we will also stop at the numerous points of interest lest I be beaten by Sherry).

Please note there is no mobile phone reception once we have entered the park sections and that a fresh fruit and veg ~~scam~~ quarantine is in operation at Vic-SA border.

Camping: YOU WILL NEED TO BOOK CAMPING IN DANGGALI AND CHOWILLA (LINKS BELOW) SOON!

Friday 10^th April- Danggali Campsite No 4, https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/booking/details#/accom/73195

Saturday 11^th April- Chowilla Game Reserve Chowilla Creek Campsite (they are all pretty close together)

https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/booking/details#/accom/73194

Sunday 12^th April- Murray Sunset NP – No booking necessary.

The camping grounds may be basic so come full self-sufficient – bring adequate water for drinking a cooking.

Weather: Desert environment, potentially hot during the day and below freezing at night. Please bring clothing, footwear and camping gear suitable for the conditions.

Equipment: Bring recovery gear, snatch strap, shackles and a shovel [if you have MaxTrax (or the like) you can throw them in if you like]. Cars should be in good condition and all terrain tyres.

UHF Channel 15.

Don’t forget to bring your morning tea and lunch.

Please leave pets at home.

Trip Standard: Medium - Most of the main tracks will be easy-medium but there may be track sections that are more difficult depending upon weather and sand conditions. A chance to develop some skills!

Fuel: Full tank from Morgan. We will be able to refuel early Sunday AM about 400km from the start.

Duration: 4 days

Convoy limit: 8 vehicles.

Meeting Arrangements: We plan to meet in Morgan (specific location TBA) to set off at 9.00am on Friday. We will aim to finish about lunch time in Mildura on Monday.

Trip Leaders: Mark Bown and Sherry Mayo; 0437251645

May Club Meeting (5 May 2020)

Tue, 05 May 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Monthly Club Meeting

Club meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of most months .

Our new location of The Glasshouse at Caulfield Racecourse, 31 Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145.

Meetings usually include:

Welcome to new members
Guest speaker
Trip reports
Raffle
Tea/coffee
Upcoming events
Other club business

You don't need to register but if we can get an idea of numbers attending it would help.

Dinner will be available prior to the meeting in the main dining area, so arrive with sufficient time to eat before we head into the auditorium for an 8pm start. People start arriving at 6:30.

Dinner will be available in the restaurant before the meeting, but to have any chance of being fed quickly, we suggest the following.

Call them to make a reservation, and mention that you're part of the Range Rover Club. Phone: (03) 9257 7170
Order and pay for food at the bar. There is table service but we share tables and it can get confusing to figure out who had what.

Menu: caulfieldglasshouse.com.au

Reservations: bookbookonline.com.au

Phone: (03) 9257 7170

June Club Meeting (2 Jun 2020)

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Monthly Club Meeting

Club meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of most months .

Our new location of The Glasshouse at Caulfield Racecourse, 31 Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145.

Meetings usually include:

Welcome to new members
Guest speaker
Trip reports
Raffle
Tea/coffee
Upcoming events
Other club business

You don't need to register but if we can get an idea of numbers attending it would help.

Dinner will be available prior to the meeting in the main dining area, so arrive with sufficient time to eat before we head into the auditorium for an 8pm start. People start arriving at 6:30.

Dinner will be available in the restaurant before the meeting, but to have any chance of being fed quickly, we suggest the following.

Call them to make a reservation, and mention that you're part of the Range Rover Club. Phone: (03) 9257 7170
Order and pay for food at the bar. There is table service but we share tables and it can get confusing to figure out who had what.

Menu: caulfieldglasshouse.com.au

Reservations: bookbookonline.com.au

Phone: (03) 9257 7170

July Club Meeting (7 Jul 2020)

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Monthly Club Meeting

Club meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of most months .

Our new location of The Glasshouse at Caulfield Racecourse, 31 Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145.

Meetings usually include:

Welcome to new members
Guest speaker
Trip reports
Raffle
Tea/coffee
Upcoming events
Other club business

You don't need to register but if we can get an idea of numbers attending it would help.

Dinner will be available prior to the meeting in the main dining area, so arrive with sufficient time to eat before we head into the auditorium for an 8pm start. People start arriving at 6:30.

Dinner will be available in the restaurant before the meeting, but to have any chance of being fed quickly, we suggest the following.

Call them to make a reservation, and mention that you're part of the Range Rover Club. Phone: (03) 9257 7170
Order and pay for food at the bar. There is table service but we share tables and it can get confusing to figure out who had what.

Menu: caulfieldglasshouse.com.au

Reservations: bookbookonline.com.au

Phone: (03) 9257 7170

Mt Isa Mines Rodeo, Longreach, Birdsville (29 Jul 2020)

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Mt Isa Mines Rodeo, Longreach, Birdsville

Date and time: 29 July to 21 Aug 2020. 24 days.

Description: Road trip to Mt Isa Queensland to attend the Mt Isa Mines Rodeo which is said to be the largest rodeo in the Southern hemisphere.

Visit www.isarodeo.com.au for more detail on the rodeo itself.

The trip is suited to off-road camper trailers and caravans capable of travelling on corrugated outback dirt roads including the Birdsville Track.

We will depart Melbourne and stop overnight mainly in caravan parks in order to enjoy their showers and toilets. On the way to Isa, overnight stops are planned in Darlington Point near Griffith, Kidman’s Camp at Bourke, then two nights and a rest day at Charlotte Plains Station near Cunnamulla where we can soak in hot artesian baths whilst taking in the outback scenery. Check it out at www.charlotteplains.com.au.

The trip continues to Charleville and then on to a tiny unique town called Ilfracombe which is well worth a visit. We will take another rest day at Ilfracombe to visit the QANTAS Founders Museum at Longreach where you can get up close and personal with a jumbo jet and the famous Stockman Hall of Fame. From Ilfracombe it is a full day’s drive to the remains of a uranium mining town called Mary Kathleen where we will bush camp overnight to explore what is left of the mine and town. From Mary Kathleen it is a short drive into Mt Isa for the start of the 3-day rodeo. After the rodeo we will stay an extra day to visit the underground Hard Times Mine and let the traffic on the outback roads disperse.

Leaving Mt Isa, we start the journey home stopping the night in Boulia whilst heading south to iconic Birdsville where we will spend two days exploring this remote community and visit the Birdsville Hotel. A day trip out to the Betoota pub can be done from Birdsville. Departing Birdsville, we head down the Birdsville Track for Marree and camp at another outback icon, the Marree Hotel. From Marree we continue south and into the Flinders Ranges stopping overnight at Wilpena Pound on our way to Peterborough. Another rest day in Peterborough will allow us to visit Steamtown which is a heritage rail museum with lots of interesting trains and carriages from the days of steam and early diesel. The last two days are spent returning to Melbourne via Mildura and St Arnaud.

Distances travelled on most days will be three to five hundred kilometres with most of the driving on bitumen save the Birdsville Track and 40 kms when approaching the flinders ranges.

Weather: We should enjoy warm sunny days in the mid to high 20’s as we head north. However, the clear nights in the outback can be very cold with sub zero temperatures not uncommon.

Equipment: Well-maintained 4WD vehicle with good all terrain tyres, recovery points, standard recovery gear including dampener, rated snatch strap and shackles, shovel and UHF radio (or one borrowed from the club). A sat phone will be taken for emergency use. Mobile reception is typically available in all towns visited.

No pets or firearms as we will be visiting the Flinders Ranges National Park.

Trip Standard: Easy with some medium sections including potentially badly corrugated outback roads (Birdsville Track).

Fuel: Fuel is generally readily available on the planned routes.

Distance: Approx. total distance is 5,800 Km of mainly bitumen driving.

Duration: 24 days

Convoy limit: 6 vehicles

Meeting arrangements: First day’s travel to Darlington Point is via Yea, Seymour, and Tocumwal. We can pre-arrange convenient times and locations to meet up during the first morning.

Trip Leader: Roland Hollingsworth - rolandjh@optusnet.com.au