SE Qld Trip - Monday 2nd January 2006

[baby_troupe]

OK Guys, it is official.
I will be doing a day trip to either Bunya Mountains National Park or Black Duck Valley (depending on if I can find it)
The trip is sanctioned by NSW Central Coast 4WD Club, but as I suspect there won't be too many making the journey to Qld from my club, I am openning it up to you all as well.

Date *********Monday 2nd January 2006
Leader*********Col Crowther
Phone Number 0412 312 391
Class *********C
Vehicle Limit******10
Total Trip Kms******Approximately 400km round trip from Toowoomba
Equipment Required***
Basic Recovery equipment, full tank of fuel, UHF CB Radio, food & drinks
Itinery*** - This is Simply a day trip.
No reckie has been done, but from information gathered, should be a good simple day out.
Will keep an eye out for a few tracks to have a play rather than just sticking to main trails.

Let me know if you guys are interested & I will put your names down as attendees.

BTW I am also booking the club tirfor for this trip, just in case.

This will also be a first trip for my passengers and is a long way to trailer home should something break, so I don't plan on going too hard core.

Attendees

Baby Troupe (Col) plus 3 passengers
4wd26 (Selwyn)

[Twisty]

I'll be up at Fraser BT, so sorry I wont be able to make it....

yeah we wont be able to come either

Trying to get a new business off the ground so very busy :-\

[brooksy]

Sorry baby_troupe, I'll be coming home from Stradbroke Is. trip that day. :-\
As much as I would like to come I don't think I can leave the wife to cleaning all the camp gear on her own !!! :P

brooksy

[baby_troupe]

Oh well.
I am glad I am picking up the tirfor.
I will probably need it to get myself out of holes ;D

[Bundy]

Im out coming back from Vic then

[BLU-125]

I'm in......probably prefer Black Duck........I've got a winch, thanks. If you need to use the Tirfor, I bags watching! ;D ;D

[boof]

Some mates of mine recently went to Black Duck on there bikes and now reckon most of the 4b tracks are closed off so its probably worse than last time i was there i would suggest a different location

[baby_troupe]

Looks like we will be doing tracks around Black Duck creek.
I went thru a few maps last night & found a circuit whoch would make an easy day drive & hopefully we will see a few side tracks that will give us a little fun.
I pick up the tirfor this weekend & will be getting my cruiser ready as well for the trip, as I leave on Thursday night.
I will not worry about a reccie for the trip, as it looks like we will only have a few attendees.

[baby_troupe]

Oh & BTW, as I have not seen any articles on this area of late, I will be writing an article & will get as many pics as I can for the magazine ;D

[2 BRUTAL]

last time I was out that way, there wasn't much in the way of driving on tracks outside of "Black Ducks" fences, it is mostly just farm tracks or dirt roads leading around the country side, I don't know of any general rough roads in the area that are easy to get to.
There are some very nice views to be had from the mountain tops when you drive the hilly tracks in black duck, but I didn't really like the tracks that much, nothing except rocks rocks and more rocks to climb over.

[baby_troupe]

There are some very nice views to be had from the mountain tops when you drive the hilly tracks in black duck, but I didn't really like the tracks that much, nothing except rocks rocks and more rocks to climb over.

I like climbing over rocks.
Just as long as I get to lift a wheel or 2, I will return a happy lad ;D

[2 BRUTAL]

There are some very nice views to be had from the mountain tops when you drive the hilly tracks in black duck, but I didn't really like the tracks that much, nothing except rocks rocks and more rocks to climb over.

I like climbing over rocks.
Just as long as I get to lift a wheel or 2, I will return a happy lad ;D

I don't mind it either Col ,but out there you have no choice, I can think of better things to do than spend 6 hours bouncing over rocks on a day trip. you just can't get away from them, :o

[baby_troupe]

I don't mind it either Col ,but out there you have no choice, I can think of better things to do than spend 6 hours bouncing over rocks on a day trip. you just can't get away from them, :o

I will check it out & if it looks like doing too much damage, I will bail.
Afterall with 850km return trip to home, I don't want to trailer it.

[2 BRUTAL]

I don't mind it either Col ,but out there you have no choice, I can think of better things to do than spend 6 hours bouncing over rocks on a day trip. you just can't get away from them, :o

I will check it out & if it looks like doing too much damage, I will bail.
Afterall with 850km return trip to home, I don't want to trailer it.

Mate if I still ived near there i'd show you around a lot better places without having to go into a park, there are a lot of other tracks within 1/2 hour of there but it's difficult when you don't know where you are going, quite easy to get lost.

[baby_troupe]

I was looking at maps last night & have enterred a route into the laptop which goes down from Gatton to Black Duck Creek, which will follow to the end. Then back track about 5km & turn west following some trails back towards the Warrego.
I will see if I can get the computer to output an image tonight when I get home so I can post the map online & you can tell me if the route is a bunch of dend ends or not. ;D

[2 BRUTAL]

Ok sounds good, I don't know if you have it on your mapping software or not, but Ravensbourne and Hampton areas have some good tracks, and around Murphy's Creek as well.
And between gatton and Esk you can turn off and head back up into the hills for some good drives, but without knowing where you are it would be easy to get lost by yourself, regardless of GPS or not.

[baby_troupe]

I think from memory some of the tracks I have ploted go thru Hampton & Murphy's creek.

I will also have my new EPIRB in the event of disaster & should i get lost, I will use GPS to back track.

I am feeling pretty confident though

[2 BRUTAL]

post what pics you can and i'll endeavour to see if I can work them out, I have never used a map for those areas as I know them blind folded when driving them.
But when we used QFRS maps, there were tracks on the maps that didn't exist which makes it hard for you.

[baby_troupe]

Laptop would not output an image file due to the license restrictions on the maps I have used, so I am unable to post an image without scanning in new maps. :-[

[baby_troupe]

Chris & anyone else who wants to contact me on this trip,
I have listed my phone number in the openning post of this thread.
I will probably not get online much between now & the trip as I am in the middle of a bunch of stuff.
I will still try to drop in from time to time to check on a few things ;)

[4wd26]

Baby_troupe,
I'm very interested in tagging along on the trip.
I'll give you a call for the start point and time.
Cheers Selwyn

[91GQ]

Baby_troupe, I will be there, all going well I will give you a call lata this week about it, Ie where we are meeting what time and so forth, looking forward to it, count me in.

Thanks
Adrian

[baby_troupe]

Excellent guys.
I will be leaving tonight to get to Toowoomba after work & should be in the area tomorrow morning, so over the next few days will post a suitable meetup point.
At this time I think it will be the McDonalds on the Warrego highway, unless there is something closer to Withcott.

[2 BRUTAL]

If the others are coming from Brisbane Col, it would be easier for them and you to maybe meet at KFC in Gatton, it is on the main road in the middle of town, that would save them back tracking with you from Withcott and save you back tracking from Maccas on the highway, the turn off to Black Duck is 2k's up the road from KFC.

[4wd26]

I was going to hit him up about that closer to the date, when there was a route planned out.

Col, this would suit me better, depending upon the route chosen by you.

Cheers Selwyn (phoned u Wed)

[BLU-125]

Feral Errol has insisted that I join him at Rover Park......so I must reluctantly spend 3 days there, rather than drive an extra 200k's for one day, (each way).

Sorry, Col.

[baby_troupe]

If the others are coming from Brisbane Col, it would be easier for them and you to maybe meet at KFC in Gatton, it is on the main road in the middle of town, that would save them back tracking with you from Withcott and save you back tracking from Maccas on the highway, the turn off to Black Duck is 2k's up the road from KFC.

Maybe or even the Liberty at the bottom of the range, but still undecided.

I have had a prob where my laptop has carked it, so at this point sat nav is broken, but I am trying to source a replacement & will redo the route next weekend, so all should be OK for the trip, as I still have maps etc.


Shame you can't join us Chris ;)

[91GQ]

Hey there Col, Adrian here, yeh I don't really care as to where we meet up as I am easy either way, really depends on which way we are heading in as I know there is a track that can be taken to get to that area from the warrego between toowoomba and Helidon. But what ever is easiest with you, I will be off here for a while as I am going to Tewantin for a few days, but I will check back in asap getting home.... If not I will give you call and see what is happening...

Talk soon
Adrian

[baby_troupe]

Tracks sort of start near Helidon, so I think that somewhere near the bottom of the range is the go.
I drove by there late last night & there is a fuel station, but don't think it is Liberty.
I will drive down there again either tomorrow or Friday, when I should have replacement laptop running & may do a quick reckie then, depending on available time.

Simulated run on my good laptop (doesn't communicate with GPS yet) was 104km return from bottom of the range & that was without detours (tracks we might throw in)

[baby_troupe]

I am going for a run out near the trip location today with new laptop etc for testing.
I will be on channel 24 UHF, same channel as for the trip.

I will keep you posted as to what I see.

[baby_troupe]

Meeting place is as follows;
The Cruiser Cafe at Pacific Fuels in Withcott on the Warrego Hwy
Meeting time is 09:00
UHF Channel 24


Sat nav has been tested & is all working.

[4wd26]

Looks like this is still go,
I'll meet you there.

Cheers Selwyn

uhf 24
edited to remove phone number

[91GQ]

Hey there Col, looks like I won't be able to make it tomorrow... Sorry bout that, maybe next time....

[baby_troupe]

No worries Adrian.


Trip is still a goer & I will be catching up with Kitch76 afterwards.

[baby_troupe]

Trip was a good trip.
Some of the tracks were dead ends, so in the end we ended up at the 4WD Park & the lady there did us a very good deal to do some wheeling.
I will post some pics when I get back to Sydney.

Was good to meet Selwyn on the trip & caught up with Mick (Kitch76) at his place afterwards for a chit chat.

[91GQ]

Good to see that you had a good time there, shame that I wasn't able to make it.... oh well next time...

Looking forward to some piccys of you guys....

Adrian