Mansfield to Dargo

DeLewis.

Just through the door
Thursday last (7th Jan) I set off early for Mansfield where I joined up with three comrades in 4x4s for a four day ramble from Mansfield to Dargo via a string of rugged tracks in the High Country.

Day 1 took us to Craig's Hut which is of course iconic. I discovered when I got there that it was purpose built for the movie 'Man From Snowy River' back in '81 and has since been burnt down and rebuilt twice! Nevertheless, it is a classic sight.

From there our journey took us to Lovick's Hut where we overnighted, coinciding with a horse riding tour group.

The track to this point and beyond varied from easy flowing to very rough and stony, and on occasion very steep! As the route snakes through the mountains, the altitude is continually changing between 1600-1700 metres and down to the river valleys below with regular (and refreshing) river crossings. The terrain and the scenery is near enough off road riding nirvana.

Mid-afternoon on the second day we arrived at the 'hidden valley' of Wonnangatta. The first family settled the valley in 1860 - a full four day horseback ride to the nearest settlement at the time according to the placque. The place is an isolated eden - still relatively isolated and difficult to get to. Given the time of year, I expected the place to be heaving with 4x4s. Mercifully, there were only a handful in the whole valley. I wallowed in the clear, clean Wonnangatta river amongst schools of fingerlings and fat tadpoles and one inquisitive fresh water cray.

Day 3 brought more exhilirating riding up some unbelievably steep and long climbs which had the rear tyre starting to smoke. Then came the descents! Eye-wateringly steep, loose and rocky descents all the way down to Eaglevale, our last camp.

A word about the bike (Husky TR650). Performed surprisingly well even over very stoney, uneven climbs and descents. Yes it bounced around a bit and there were some disconcerting clunks as the suspension bottomed out over the numerous jumps. But the TR is obviously capable of tackling some very technical terrain.
 
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John_Johnny

Long Timer
Great story, beautiful pics and I can feel the vibe. (Dennis Denuto). Craigs Hut has long been on my list of places to visit but I don't have a suitable vehicle. All these tales of adventure are making me see the need to add a trail bike to my stable. I did have a Yammy DT250 but never got further than the Strathbogies with it.
 
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