Victorian High Country - Licola

We left our fabulous camp on the Howqua River at Noonans Flat near Mansfield & headed down towards Jaimeson. At Jaimeson we took the Heyfield Jaimeson Rd down towards Licola. This dirt track is a fantastic drive & really should be on every 4WDers list of tracks to do in Australia. It was typical High Country style of steep & windy but you get to see some amazing country. You climb all the way to the top of Mt Skene which is 1570m above sea level. On our trip it was foggy with light rain when we hit the top & freezing cold, but this just added to the magic of the place.

 As we made our way down the other side we started to see cow shit on the road & it wasn't long before we came across small herds of Angus cattle grazing on the sides of the road. Mustering must be a nightmare although they were all really quiet, but finding them would be the hard part. 

Mustering must be interesting! 

We enjoyed the scenery on the way down getting glimpses of rivers & creeks on the way through until we reached Licola.

It's lots of ferns & cycads as you come down Mt Skene

But when you get near Licola it's cleared farming country

 Licola is a tiny town that is owned by the Victorian Lions Club & it has a camp set up there along with a tiny general store. The town sits right on the Wellington River & is very picturesque. It is the only privately owned town in Victoria & is not hooked up to mains electricity. As it was freezing & lunch time, we headed to the general store for something to eat, they only had Mrs Macs pies & sausage rolls but they tasted mighty fine as we were freezing. They have some fantastic photos on the walls of huge trout caught from the river & broken 4WDs, wrecked on the High Country tracks & drowned in the river. 

Just out of town on the Tamboritha Rd there are heaps of fantastic campsites run by Victoria Parks right on the Wellington River. Again fantastic free camps with toilets. There are about 10-15 different camping areas but we ended up in the one called Paradolote. They had recent rain so the sites were a little muddy, but we found one that had a nice grassy area to put the trailer tent on. It also had a bonus huge firewood pile, so the firewood fairies were being nice to us. By the time we set up it was getting to about 3pm, so after setting up we just enjoyed the scenery, heaps of birds & the quiet. No one else was around & we didn't see another soul for the whole next day as well. 

That night we slept so close to the river, we could hear it running & gurgling all night, not much better than that. The next day we decided to have a quiet day with no driving. As we had heaps of firewood we went on a bit of a cooking frenzy & made scones & fruit bread (recipes coming soon). We also did our clothes washing. That afternnoon as we were sitting around the fire we saw a movement in the bush & to our delight it was a Lyrebird. So beautiful, although I didn't get any photos as he went away to quick, we also think there was a wombat hole under camp, no sign of him though. That night we slept so well, it was so peaceful. 

River at camp above & below

Wombat hole???

Scone sneak peek

The next day we packed up & headed down towards Heyfield. Another gorgeous spot & the road ran along the Macalister River so it was very scenic. 

We then headed down towards Rosedale. We were looking for a place to camp nearby as we were getting Ruby serviced with her 80 000km service in Tararlgon the next day. There was one good camp right in town but it was right on the side of the freeway to Melbourne so we decided against it. There was another one just out of town called Harriers Swamp in the Holey Plains State Park, but it wasn't very nice. We decided to bite the bullet & just go to a caravan park in Tararlgon. Ruby had to be at Toyota at 7.30am in the morning so it would make life easier & we had a really cheap months camping anyway. 

We checked into the Village Caravan Park as it was the cheapest at $32 a night. It was okay, mostly new facilities, but the sites were very close together, not the quiet of the bush that's for sure. A long long shower was had & then we went into town to Rays Outdoors to buy some new camp chairs. Yes my Roman canvas chair finally gave out, & Mats Oztrail Titan had died after only a few months (chair wrecker again!!!!), this time we ended up with flash Jetpilot ones, so we will see how they go. 

The next day was dropping Ruby at Toyota & then hanging around the shops all day. Lucky Tararlgon is pretty big. So after a delicious breakfast at a cafe I went & got my hair done. After hours of pampering I was finally done & found Mat with his nose stuck in a book after he had already checked out all the shops. By the time we got to pick Ruby up we had definitely had enough of being in town. All went well with the service but as a major major service we left Toyota down $1150, ouch!  So far we have done about 40 000km for the trip. 

Ruby all clean & ready to go again

Back to camp & we did as much packing as we could & filled up all the water tanks & drums. Feeling lazy we ordered a pizza for dinner (what a luxury) & went to bed. All in all a pretty painless trip to town to get Ruby serviced before we headed back into the High Country, this time near Dargo.  

Victorian High Country around Mansfield

We left our camp on the Murray at Bruce's Beach on Australia Day & headed down towards Mansfield & the High Country. We were very excited to head up into the High Country as neither of us has been before & it would be so different to anything else we have done on this trip. 

We made it to Mansfield & called into the visitor centre to buy a few maps of the area & to ask about camping. After a stop at the bakery for bread, we were on our way up into the High Country. We decided to have a look at the camps on the Howqua Hill Road out towards Mt Buller. We soon found the turnoff after the little town Merrijig & were soon on the dirt. The track in was steep, windy, dusty & narrow in places, not to mention the huge amount of traffic coming out after the long weekend. We must of passed at least 100 vehicles from station wagons, flash 4WDs, buses, camper trailers, caravans & even a large goose neck horse float towed by a cattle truck. It was a slow trip & took nearly an hour when it normally only takes about half an hour. 

We finally made it to the famous Sheepyard Flats, a lovely huge camping area right on the Howqua River. It was nice but there were still to many people camped so we headed further along, we looked at a couple more campsites that were all good, but not quite right & then we found Noonans Flat, which was perfect, a large flat site right on the river in a corner. There is a hut there as well Noonans Hut but it is a privately owned hut & had people in it. We set up camp & again couldn't believe the quality of free camping in Victoria. It even had toilets. Just as we were finishing setting up a couple in a caravan came in. They had camped in our spot a few years ago, so were a bit disappointed to miss it, they camped a few hundred meters away & were a lovely couple that we got to know over the next few days, there dogs kept us entertained as well. 

Camp at Noonans Flat

Noonans Hut

Everything was going well till a heap of teenagers rocked up with their druggo dad & cranked the music up. Our new friend in the caravan marched right over there & told them to turn it down or he would be coming back with his axe to smash the radio. They soon turned it down & Mat had a new best friend! They were quiet all night & left the next morning. 

The next day we decided to do the drive to Craig's Hut. As we pulled up at the toilet on the way out the guy from the hut "Johno" came over for a chat & gave us some great advice on the tracks. Off we went on our adventure. Initially we went towards the Bluff Link Rd, the road was in good condition but very steep & windy as we made our way up, around & over mountains. 

The scenery was amazing with tall trees & amazing ferns, cycads & bracken in the valleys & anywhere they got a bit of light. We then took the small side track up to the Bluff Hut. What a track, it was steep & rocky & there was a huge hole just before the top that felt like it would swallow up Ruby, not to mention the huge drop off on the side. Low range 4WD & Ruby powered up, it was a relief to get to the top, although we had to go back down the same way. The drive was worth it & there were amazing views & Bluff Hut was gorgeous. Amazing what they can build with very little resources. Back down the track & it felt even worse going back down! 

Bluff hut above & inside below

We then headed north on Bindaree Road & called into the Bindaree Falls for lunch. The walk in is only 400m but pretty steep but well worth the effort. A platform takes you almost under the falls & you get a gorgeous view. 

Bindaree Falls above & below

After that we headed towards Craig's Hut via the Circuit Road. The tracks were still really good just slow. We found the turn off into Craig's Hut & had another extremely steep drive to the top. You definitely wouldn't want to meet another 4WD coming down as it was mostly one lane, again with huge drop offs. We had Ruby in low range 4WD just in case we had any problems but we were fine. 

At the top the view is breathtaking & Craigs Hut is amazing. Craig's Hut was the one they used in the movie The Man from Snowy River. It was burnt down in 2007 by bushfires but has been rebuilt. There is just an aura around the hut, it's something that every Aussie needs to see in their lifetime. We were the only ones there & after we signed the visitor book, we found how lucky we were to have the place to ourselves, as over the Australia Day long weekend there were hundreds of visitors. 

Craig's Hut & 3 photos below 

After coming back down from the hut & thankfully meeting no other traffic we finished the circuit road that meets up with the bitumen road that goes to Mt Buller Resort. We were going to have a look but weren't sure if it was open in the summer & they also charge $40 per car to get in. So we made our way back to camp. It was a long day, but worth it. The High Country is pretty amazing. 

The next day we headed south to Frys Hut, another awesome hut & camping area right on the creek, just beautiful. After that we decided to take the "back way" to Lake Elidon. 

Frys Hut

River at Frys Hut

We ended up in the Howqua Hill Track. A fantastic drive but it was the steepest track we have been on. Amazing to see & we didn't see any other cars at all. 

We finally made it to Steiners Road & Howqua River Road & had an easy run out to the highway. On the way through we called into the Running Creek campground & it was another lovely river campsite. As we got out for a look around I spotted a hammer laying in the grass, so we scored a expensive hammer!

Running Creek

We then had a quick look at Howqua & Jaimeson & then took the very windy but bitumen track to Elidon. Lake Elidon is huge & a beautiful green colour & Elidon would be a nice place to spend a few days if you had a boat. We then made our way back towards Mansfield, going through the very infamous Bonnie Doon (think the Castle movie) & grabbed some fresh local cherries on the way through that were the best cherries ever! It was then back to camp. Another big day of driving but a great day. 

Our first glimpse of Lake Elidon

Lake Elidon dam wall

As we sat back enjoying the evening around the fire the druggo & his kids came back in to camp again this time with a mate. The music was cranked again & our neighbour sorted them out again. This time they camped close to both our camps. After a big day we went to bed at 10.30pm only to be woken at 12 midnight to hear the latch on our food box being opened, as Mat jumped out of bed & we could hear someone running away from our camp. Nothing was missing, we guess they were looking for grog as it does look a bit like an esky. We both couldn't sleep & at 1.30pm I saw 2 people with torches right in the bush near our camp, again Mat jumped out of bed & yelled at them but they high tailed it further up the road. To say we were pissed was an understatement. We still couldn't sleep & at 2am I heard a noise & I spotted 2 kids outside my window about 5 meters from the tent. Mat jumped up again but they took off again. This time Mat went over to the druggo camp & got the father out of bed & told him what was going on & to sort it. We had no trouble after that but couldn't sleep very well. The next morning Mat went back to talk to the father & he reckoned they said they were only out spot lighting, yeah right. Mat told him he better not be there that night & they had better leave. Our good neighbours arranged with us to stay at camp to keep an eye on camp while we zipped to town & we did the same for him that afternoon. We went to town to grab a few groceries & fuel & when we got back the druggo's had left. I took a few more photos of the creek at camp as well. 

We finally slept that night. The next morning as we were packing up to leave, we had a visit from about 15 wild king parrots. They were very tame & when I gave them some Walnuts they were climbing all over us. It was amazing & a great way to end our stay near Mansfield. 

Jam Drops

Jam Drops

Biscuits in the camp oven are so delicious & pretty easy. You might remember when we did Choc Chip & Macadamia Biscuits, we got some great feedback on those, so we hope you enjoy these Jam Drops as well. Most of these I made as normal round Jam Drops, but I also saw this idea on Pinterest from the Kraft website, they made their Jam Drops as larger logs & then cut them up after baking. I tried this in one batch. It worked okay although they did fall apart a bit once cut up especially near the jam part. So up to you if you want to give that way a go, but I prefer the traditional way. 

Jam Drops

Ingredients

125g of softened butter

1 1/2 cups of raw sugar

2 eggs

3 cups of plain flour

2 heaped tablespoons of custard powder

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 to 1 cup of jam, I used raspberry

Directions

- Start your fire at least an hour before you want to bake your biscuits to get some coals going 

- Dig a hole to place your camp oven in while baking to help regulate heat

- To start the biscuits, cream the butter & sugar until creamy & pale

- Add the eggs & mix well

- Add all the dry ingredients, flour, custard powder, baking powder & salt & combine until you have a firm dough

- Take 2 tablespoons of the dough & shape into a ball & then flatten onto your baking trays (for the log shaped ones, form a large flattened log shape with about 6 tablespoons of dough) 

- Make an indent in each biscuit to hold the jam, I used my finger but you can use the end of a wooden spoon

- Place about a teaspoon of jam into each indent

- You will need to do the biscuits in batches, so if it's a hot day keep your dough in the fridge between batches

- Preheat your camp oven for about 5 minutes over the fire

- Place 1 shovel of coals in your camp oven hole

- Place the first batch of Jam Drops on a trivet in your oven, put on the lid & place in the hole

- Top with 1 shovel of coals on the oven lid

- You don't want your oven to hot or they will burn

- Check after about 10 minutes & add more coals if needed

- Cook for a further 8-10mins

- Check if they are cooked by gently touching a biscuit, they should feel firm but still soft & cooked, they will harden up further once cooled completely 

- Place on a wire rack or trivet to cool for 10 minutes before removing from oven tray to cool completely

- Keep baking till you have used up all your dough

The temperature of your camp oven is important, but it can be trial & error & depends on many things including the type of wood you have used, if it's windy & how hot you preheated your oven to before baking. A good indication is to sit near the oven when you are baking them, if you can smell them cooking like normal biscuits at home then they are probably going well. If you smell any burning smell check them immediately. From the photos you will see one batch is quite light in colour & some darker. The darker ones were more crunchy & obviously baked a bit hotter than the light coloured ones. We prefer crunchier biscuits, but sometimes it's a bit luck of the draw. The more you experiment with your camp oven the more you will learn to bake in it well. Sometimes you will burn things & others it will be not hot enough, always check by lifting the lid if you feel/think it's not quite right. Most of all just have fun & enjoy cooking in this very unique way. We always get lots of interest around our camp fire when we use the camp oven as a lot of people have no idea how to use one. Some of the best conversations with people on our trip has been around the campfire when we have the Furphy camp oven out.