Planned food drop at Camp Creek

[ricknsue]

Hi,
I hope someone can help out on this for us.
We are planning a food drop between Rumpff saddle and Hotham and were considering Camp creek at Speculation.
The plan was to do Rumpff, then Camp creek, Hotham etc.
We have a Navara ute 4WD, not high clearance though.
Will we get through.
Should we consider other locations, we thought Mac springs but the walk in to the hut put us off.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers,
Rick and Sue

[ricknsue]

Oh yeah, we are dropping food end of Jan 2018

[gmac]

Subject to how the track has held up over winter (track is set to reopen cup weekend ) based on my previous trips into camp creek you should be fine in your 4wd.

Perhaps seek an update once the track opens to confirm.

Gary Mac

[Xplora]

They did a fair bit of work on this road a few years back and it is better but still slow. The Navara should be fine once the road is open. By the end of January it will have dried out considerably. The drive to Howitt Plains carpark is more off putting time wise than the walk from there to Mac Springs. The Navara could struggle if you come from the Mansfield/King Billy side but Brocks road is the better option if you do that. Still slow and there may be some issue from King Billy's on. Howitt Plains road is just a long up and back. At least from Camp Creek you can head north or south easy enough depending on your next drop but if you intend coming in or going out via the Staircase on Speculation Road then you need to find out what condition that is in. Lake Cobbler road is always good but take a chainsaw regardless of the way you go. The best people to speak to will be ParksVic at Whitfield unless something direct is posted here. It is only a small office so you may have to wait a bit if you leave a message.

[ricknsue]

Thanks Xplora and gmac,

After weighing it all up, I think the Lake Cobbler route is the way to go. I will come and go from Whitfield, I don't want to have to double back in a difficult spot if I can avoid it. This is due to travelling alone with no winch, so I will be relatively conservative.
Don't fancy cooking my clutch on the car at the Staircase. Navara clutch is a known weak spot.
We have allowed four days for the drops so should be fine.

Cheers

[paidal_chalne_vala]

PV left a sign in May 2017 at Sheepyard flat saying that the 4 WD track after Lovick's hut is very rough indeed. We hiked up the Staircase on the Speculation road in April. It was seriously for proper high clearance 4 WD only. The mud was full on!

[paidal_chalne_vala]

If you take your car into Camp creek then please report back here on the road condition. I am wondering if I can get my 2003 RAV 4 Toyota in that far. It has reasonably high clearance and wider tyres than today's RAV 4 model cars tend to have.

[Xplora]

If you take your car into Camp creek then please report back here on the road condition. I am wondering if I can get my 2003 RAV 4 Toyota in that far. It has reasonably high clearance and wider tyres than today's RAV 4 model cars tend to have.

Leaving yourself open for loads of comment. I would not drive one of those further than the towing distance on my RACV. If it makes it to Spec/Cobbler road then in all probability it could make it to Camp Creek. That does depend on the driver though and I have no experience with him. I have seen a standard Suzuki Grand Vitara do some pretty amazing things with a good driver. Proper 4wd stuff and showed up the big guys. RAV 4's lack a bit but you should be fine. Consider trading and a 4wd course.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

My next car will be a Land cruiser but the RAV 4 is a step up from my Corolla!.I bought the RAV 4 in VGC this year and it will make many excursions more viable without taking silly risks, of course.
The Speculation road from the Circuit road down to King Hut is fine for a RAV 4. I am more inclined to hike up from Muesli spur from there and go to Camp Creek on foot.
Like wise I would be more inclined to leave my car at Lake Cobbler coming in from Whitfield and walk into Camp Creek from there.
I am not a bad bush road driver. I rarely go faster than 40 kph on dirt roads and I like using low gear/s whenever necessary. One of my friends has a proper 4 WD but does not have the commensurate off road driving skills, so the driver makes a difference.
Being a passenger with him driving is not always reassuring or relaxing!

[Xplora]

It is really more about the driver than the vehicle. I would not buy a Landcruiser as your next vehicle either. Very thirsty and quite expensive to buy even an older model. Also much over-rated as a 4wd, particularly when they changed the front suspension and took away the live axle. There are usually a couple of bits past Lake Cobbler that require slow and careful wheel placement in your type of vehicle but past there you should not have any trouble getting to Camp creek as long as you again have good wheel placement where needed and know how to approach and exit obstacles. Most of it can be done in 2wd.

[neilmny]

A tad off topic but you would be amazed where I could take my wifes old 1974? KE75? Corolla. It would go anywhere (almost).

Xplora I wouldn't waste my money on anything other than a Landcruiser. Mine never let me down and several people I know who own them swear by them and have had the same experience..............personal choices.
I don't want to raise your ire xplora (I've seen the result when others do that ) but I think you should qualify why you think PVC shouldn't buy one otherwise it looks a little like the old redundant Ford v Holden argument.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I am thinking of taking my g/f to Camp Creek. She is not a hiker but she would like the view from Mt. Spec. which is not that far on foot if I drive carefully in my RAV 4 out to Camp Creek.

[Xplora]

A tad off topic but you would be amazed where I could take my wifes old 1974? KE75? Corolla. It would go anywhere (almost).

Xplora I wouldn't waste my money on anything other than a Landcruiser. Mine never let me down and several people I know who own them swear by them and have had the same experience..............personal choices.
I don't want to raise your ire xplora (I've seen the result when others do that ) but I think you should qualify why you think PVC shouldn't buy one otherwise it looks a little like the old redundant Ford v Holden argument.

It is a personal choice and those I know who own Landcruisers are very devoted to them. I thought I had mentioned why PCV should not buy one but I will expand.
To get one with a live axle in a wagon it would be quite old now and likely to have done some considerable distance. I am not a fan of independent suspension and booted CV joints for proper 4wding. The first gives you considerably less front wheel travel and the second (which is necessary with the first)is a weak point because they are easily damaged. This is partly why I say they are over-rate, referring to later 100 series and the 200 series. You should check the CV boots after every trip off road. All it takes is a stick to rip one and if not replaced quickly then you are up for a new CV joint. I doubt PCV would be into the serious 4wd stuff that I would do and maybe yourself anyway but I have ripped CV boots just on dirt roads. For PCV I would imagine it is more about having a tool to get you a bit further along the track than the trusty Corolla. The RAV4, all my jokes aside, will do this for him. But when I was instructing people I told them that 4wd will always take you into more trouble than it will get you out of. The 100 series did have options for live axles front and rear early on but if your car buying budget is limited then you would have to look at an 80 series, something in the early 90's, to get under $10000 and most of them will have around 400000km or more. To buy something in a later model 100 series you will be paying near $20000 for anything reasonable and then regardless of the model you will need deep pockets for the sort of travelling PCV does just to pay for fuel. It is not a very good around town car either. We are talking about something over 2 tonne and would run 15l/100 km on a good day. If we start talking about the pseudo Landcruiser (Prado) then all this changes. They are cheaper to buy and depending on the engine configuration they could be cheaper to run but nothing like a RAV4 2 litre petrol. Their build quality does not lend itself to consistent rough driving and it may be difficult to find a good one at a reasonable price. I am not a person to have an allegiance to any brand. My advice was more to the point there are many other vehicles which will do the required job and cost less. They are not the 'ducks guts' of 4wd's and like most cars have their own series of common faults. Some people, without experience in these matters, may be led to believe you should buy one because of an outdated reputation when there are many other cheaper alternatives. Toyota ran on this reputation for a long time, just as it did with the Hilux (which they subsequently ruined also). A friend of mine who toured regularly with us drove an 84 Range Rover and the Landcruiser people would laugh at him and call him a liar when he told them the tracks we had done. No lift of mods. I find most Landcruiser owners are very much guilty of the redundant Ford vs Holden type argument. I found this article which gives a good summary https://www.motoring.com.au/buying-a-us ... ies-22853/

Hope this clarifies enough.

I don't want to raise your ire xplora (I've seen the result when others do that )

Am I that scary? Written words are always read harsher but I have to admit I am always up for a spirited debate. I do try not to make it personal. No ire raised in my response. Just factual opinion.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

As I suspected My RAV4 is perfect for getting me to the snow for XC skiing and to reach dirt road trail heads for hiking/ trekking.I am not interested in 4 WD activities in their own right. I would rather walk or ski or snow shoe or cycle anywhere if possible .

Since I do often drive long distances frequently to get to wild places for my outdoor adventures then a car that does not guzzle the gas is better for me.
The RAV4 is also easy to park in Melb.
Only the option of fitting all terrain tyres in the future would make this RAV4 anything more than the stock horseless carriage that it is.

[sunshine]

I drove in to Camp Creek, from Myrtleford, in an AWD Captiva on Thursday to place an AAWT food drop. The track to Lake Cobbler was fine although the last 1-2km was a bit rough and the steep climb was also pretty bumpy.

The track to Camp Creek from the gate at Lake Cobbler was very rough. There was one bit where very careful navigation was required (about 1 - 2 km from Lake Cobbler from memory). Unfortunately, it was just over a lip and visibility was very difficult.

We got in and out relatively unscathed but I think I will walk in to retrieve the empty drum rather than drive that section again.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I am walking into Camp Creek via Muesli spur next week . I will drive into King Hut from the Circuit road, leave the car there and walk up Muesli spur and the Spec. road up to camp at Mt. Spec.( if the weather allows).