Rockin' and Rollin' in the Pyrennees
20 April 2007
Murray and Fay are seasoned 4 wheel drivers but they freely admitted that the Pyrenees offered them some of the most challenging tracks they have ever tackled.
After a leisurely lunch in Avoca we set up camp at Moonambel Recreation Ground and decided to go for a “go see” around Moonambel. We found a dirt road that took us to the Barclay Pioneer Cemetary and stopped for a wander while the cows examined our cars.
As navigator I hadn’t quite planned this little adventure and it didn’t take long to explore Moonambel so I decided to head for a green spot on the map called St Arnaud Ranges. Much to Russell’s distress I found a dirt track that seemed to be heading down the guts of the park but I had no map and was relying purely on my instincts and the GPS.
He was most complimentary of my efforts once we finally got back on to the bitumen but he deserves a fine for stressing out the navigator.
Saturday we entered the Pyrenees from the north via the Sardine track although I must admit we had to do a “Leighton” and chuck a U-ee before I found it. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to matter what angle you take the photos, they never seem to do justice to the steep and rugged terrain. However the adrenalin rush had most of us bug-eyed and grinning. Except, that is, for one occasion on the Sardine track where Leon and Fiona’s daughter Megan took the first opportunity to fly out of the car exclaiming “I don’t want to die!” After the Sardine we headed down the Slate Quarry track and when Russell and I hit bottom on a particularly nasty drop we decided to take the little diversion track that other drivers had obviously chosen as the better option past the next drop. Everyone agreed that we were glad we weren’t trying to go up this one.
Anton had shown us all up by bringing out his sand flag before we left camp but earned a fine when he was caught patting the bonnet of his car and complimenting it on how well it had handled the track. We were a bit wary after our bump on the Slate Quarry track and did a bit of an inspection before trying to go up the Turpin. The first steep bend was badly washed away and we decided to err on the side of caution abandoning this ascent and wiggling our way back to the top of the Sardine track, across the Donkey track and picking up the Turpin track at the crest of the range then making our way back to camp.Sunday we decided to enter from the south east checking out a previous campsite and a picnic ground before taking on the Fraser track and making our way to “The Abyss” as we affectionately call a rather dramatic drop on the Tiger Cat track. Fiona takes the prize for the best comment after a particularly aggressive assault on the Fraser Track with “... my dog” immediately followed by an adrenalin rush that left her a bit wobbly on her feet and contemplating giving up her breakfast. The Pathfinder performed well and impressed the rest of the crew who were all driving cruisers.
We came down “The Abyss” but for those who want to have a go at going up there’s this challenge posted at the bottom with an arrow pointing to the diversion track labelled "chickens" and pointing to the abyss saying "roosters".
The next couple of tracks were more scenic and we found a great campsite before heading back to camp via the Farnsworth Track which was just rough and interesting enough to cap off another great day and another great trip.