Mystery Trip
21 August 2005
"Bring Ya Rubber Boots!"
Trip leaders: Grant and Caroline.
The participants: Ruslan, Natalia & kids; Tim, Karen & kids; Trevor & Juanita.
After getting away from the Lady Nelson by 9:20am, we headed to Tower Road north of Nangwarry and by then we had already had some good heavy rain. We crossed over the Penola/Casterton Road, following pine breaks and tracks making our way along the border lane with occasional muddy patches.
We had morning smoko at ‘Rules Waterhole’ Passing through Wrattonbully we continued along dirt roads and hundred lines, passing through Joanna and skirting the eastern side of Naracoorte. Rain came and went throughout the day. We went to the top of ‘Red Hill Stone Quarry’ and continued on heading north along many hundred lines and tracks. We passed through Frances and took the border track into the ‘Little Desert’ and had lunch there. The rain held off long enough to eat.
From here we skirted the southern boundary of the ‘Little desert’ and made our way along some greasy tracks, road sections and scrub blocks arriving at ‘Lake Bringalbert’ which is dry, the boat ramp and beach are covered with weeds and redgum regrowth. From here we cruised down to Apsley, heading out on the Langkoop Road and turned off at ‘Newlands Lake’, this was about half full. We followed around the eastern side of the lake and worked our way out to the Apsley/Naracoorte Road. Continuing toward Naracoorte for a few kilometres before turning left, taking a laneway track into ‘Leah Swamp’ reserve. Up until this point the tracks had been negotiated with out mishap.
The first ‘mayday’ came from Tim and Karen with a bogged Pajero. Trevor and Juanita headed back up the lane to assist Tim but while turning around the Jackeroo ended up bogged 90 degrees to the track, so then Trevor put out the mayday. Ruslan in the Landy to the rescue after a bit of snatching the Jackeroo was out then a snatch on the Pajero and the Theils were rolling again. The soil around ‘Leah Swamp’ can be treacherous when wet (I found that out with past experience). For this reason I scooted ahead having found in the past that the track around the southern side of the swamp can be more difficult. The rest of the crew followed finding that as a vehicle past over a section it progressively got softer as the crust crumbled.
As we made our way along the boundary fence, Tim and Karen were only about 50m into a long soft section in the tail-end charlie position when the Pajero went down with about 70m ahead of them to hard ground. I backed the Mazda in to them and attempted to snatch and ended up with the Mazda down to the diffs. Time to winch, with the ute out, I turned around and hooked the winch strap and cable to the Pajero and proceeded to wind it out of the quagmire with some more mud and bog holes and a heavy right foot we were back out on the Langkoop Road. The ‘Leah Swamp’ excursion was approximately 4.5kms in 2 hours.
From here it was a swift run through Wrattonbully, Penola and to the Mount, arriving home around 6pm. A great day good company and good fun.
Total distance 357kms.
Regards Grant,
Till next time "Keep The Shiny Side Up!"