Sitting by the warm glow of a campfire, laughing about the track you drove today that made your knuckles turn white and your heart rate go off the scale is part of the whole Victorian High Country experience.
Some of the tracks, rated double black diamond by Four Wheel Drive Victoria, are a test of tyres, suspension, engine torque and driver skill. Long rocky climbs seem to go on forever, only to end with spectacular views of mountains and the distant thin lines of other tracks crossing the ridges. Tracks with river crossings where you have to pick the right line before carefully climbing out of the current onto the slippery track that leads to another deeper crossing of the same stream. Steep descents that test the nerves, keeping your foot off the brake pedal and allowing the vehicle to walk down as you steer delicately to avoid deep ruts and rocks. If you want to test your vehicle and – more importantly – test yourself, the High Country is the place to go.
Though, the High Country experience doesn’t have to be all white knuckle and hairy chested. Within the thousands of kilometres of two-wheel drive roads and four-wheel drive tracks there are dozens of destinations that are part of the history of Eastern Victoria.
In the second half of the nineteenth century thousands of Europeans, Americans and Chinese headed into the High Country in search of gold. There are still plenty of relics to find in the bush. Stationary steam engines, water wheels and stamping batteries – anything that was too big to get out after it all went bust is still on site. Piles of stones mark chimney sites where miner’s cottages, shops, banks and hotels once stood. Lots of hotels – they were wild years.
Cattlemen’s huts are a feature of the High Country. Each one is unique and historic and they make fantastic refuges when the weather turns nasty, which it will in the Alpine areas. The cattlemen brought their own culture to the High Country and it has become part of our heritage celebrated in song, poetry and film. Camping in a hut with a fire going and the kettle boiling while the thick morning frost starts to thaw outside is a High Plains luxury.
Wonnangatta Station, an iconic four-wheel drive destination, has long history of cattle grazing, family tragedies and two grizzly unsolved murders from the early 1900s and is still in the news with Fuel Reduction Cattle Grazing Trials polarising public opinion.
Camping in the Victorian High Country is fantastic. Still free in an age of “user pays”, there are hundreds of places to roll out the swag, pitch a tent or set up the camper trailer. Sleeping with the gurgling sound of a nearby creek and waking to the early morning calls of birds like the raucous black cockatoos is priceless.
In winter months many of the higher altitude and more fragile tracks will be closed to avoid damage so that we can continue to use them for years to come. This is when the lower foothill areas that are much less used are worth visiting. There are some fantastic tracks that are still local secrets.
The proximity of the High Country to surrounding towns adds variety to a visit. If your heart needs a rest from walking to hidden historic sites or driving double black diamond tracks you can head out to stock up on supplies. Most of the towns have a coffee shop for a caffeine jolt, a bakery to replenish the cholesterol level and you may find a boutique brewery or hidden gem winery.
It’s a beautiful area, and that’s why I think it’s the best four wheel drive destination in Australia!
