Toolangi State Forest - 21st September 2003
Henric - Pathfinder
Mark & James - Patrol
Well, off to Toolangi again. Henric was free, most of the tracks in our preferred destination of Lerderderg were closed, so Toolangi it was.
Turning off The Melba Highway just before Marginal Road brought us to a little track than ran back down parallel to the highway. This track was a little wet with a small boghole at the start but it posed no problems, apart from being narrow in parts, and climbed quickly quite high up from the highway. A quick scoot back along the highway brought us back to our starting point.
Most of the other tracks from this point led to dead ends, so we attempted Rocky Track. This is aptly named, looking like a huge rut chiselled directly into solid rock, with all of the rock fragments left on the track. I was able to make it a short way up before reaching a rock ledge which I knew would be impassable, so after reversing down we continued up Marginal Road to the steep track that connects up to Wee Creek Track. Though I had climbed this track previously, today we were not able to make it up with the ground perhaps being a little wetter than last time. So back down again up Wee Creek Track the easier way. The southern end of Wee Creek Track proved as slippery as ever, with Henric at one point doing the better part of a 180. After a little fun in the clear felled logged area, we gave the truck bending Victoria Range a miss (it was Seasonally Closed anyway) and made our way down Gutter Creek Road.
Along Pine Track and Martins Road to the Bush camping site where we had lunch, drove through a few bogholes and crossed Kalatha Creek where we attempted climbing Campsite Track. This also proved too steep for Henric, though I made it up this one with some trouble, though not requiring winching as on one of my previous trips to Toolango. So turning around we attempted another track unnamed and unmarked on the map, which proved even more hairier, with me sliding back down in the mud, and barely missing a tree on the side of the track. With some careful manoeuvring I escaped unscathed and we watched some others attempt the hill, requiring a snatch at the very top to get through.
After crossing Kalatha Creek again, I managed to roll a tyre off the rim, and came way to close to giving the other front tyre the same treatment, with a considerable amount of mud scooped in between the rim and tyre. Only having one spare which was most enjoyable changing on the track in the mud I have finally come to the conclusion that I have explored pretty much enough of the Toolangi State Forest.
We retraced our tracks to Twin Hills Road and made our escape, tired, wet and slightly scuffed around the edges.