Huts of the Victorian High Country

In this post: Join me on a crawl around the mountain huts of the Victorian High Country in Australia.

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 40-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

In our recent travels around the Victorian High Country, me and the TC visited several of the area’s well-known mountain huts. The huts vary from a basic four-walls-and-a-roof structure to quite a solid affair with furnishings. Most of them were built to offer shelter to walkers, cattle folk, and others who might be caught out by the unpredictable weather of the highlands. Some are named for the families who lived in them, like Lovick’s Hut.

I’ve written a separate blog post about the most famous hut of all: Craig’s Hut, from the movie, The Man from Snowy River.

The book I’m in

The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. I’m chewing my way through this momentous work, savouring it a piece at a time.

Travel tips

If at first you don’t spot the dunny (that’s Australian for toilet), take a walk and look again. Most campgrounds and picnic areas have a long-drop.

From the sublime to the ridiculous… a dunny on the Paradise Falls track:

Recommended accommodation

Camping is the best option for a trip around the Victorian High Country. It’s hard to predict where you’ll find yourself at the end of each day. Most likely, you won’t be anywhere near a hotel.

Luckily, the campgrounds are well laid out and most have a toilet, albeit a long-drop. Here are the campgrounds we stayed at.

Seven (count ‘em: 7) days camping in a row. That’s a record for yours truly:

• Day 1 (18 February): The campground near Craig’s Hut. Elevation 1,450 metres. It was cold, even in the middle of the Australian summer. This worm recommends a thick book to cuddle up in.
• Day 2 (19 February): A camping site on Mount Howitt. Elevation 1,600 metres. It was even colder that night, due to some wind and an early morning mist. The TC, bless her thick cotton socks, wore leggings, gloves, two T shirts, two soft jackets, and a large Dutch jacket, and huddled down into her sleeping bag.
• Day 3 (20 February): Eaglevale campground near Dargo. Those who aren’t made of cardboard had a refreshing dip in the Wonangatta river.
• Day 4 (21 February): Black Snake Creek campground, again on the banks of the Wonangatta River. The non-cardboard folks took another swim in the river.
• Day 5 (22 February): Castleburn Creek campground on Dargo Road.
• Day 6 (23 February): Hinnomunjie Bridge campground, on the far side of Omeo.
• Day 7 (24 February): Taylor’s Crossing in the Nunniong area. The TC, bless her cotton socks, spotted her first Gang-gang Cockatoos here.

What about food? What about the pretty berries?

This worm recommends that you bring all your supplies when travelling the lesser-known roads of the high country. People in the know can snack off bush tucker, but beware: don’t eat anything unless you’re sure it’s good for humans. Some of our party were keen to try these Dianella berries. But not all Dianellas are edible!

The photos

Me at the Washington Winch on Nunniong Road near Moscow Villa Hut:

Yours truly is nicely in focus. That’s how I like it.

Ah, you want to know about the winch too?

The Washington Winch was powered by steam, and built in Seattle, USA, to haul timber up steep slopes.

Here’s the winch hook, which hangs above the track a few metres from the engine:

And now, on to those huts.

Craig’s Hut

If you’ve seen the movie, The Man from Snowy River, then you’ve had your breath taken away by the beauty of the mountain views from Craig’s Hut. Canny readers will spot yours truly on the window sill of the hut in the above photo. To find your breath again, read my separate blog post about Craig’s Hut and The Man from Snowy River.

Bindaree Hut

Pikes Flat Hut

Pike’s Flat Hut was one of the more dilapidated structures. It had horse feed inside, and thistles (an introduced weed in Australia) outside.

Bluff Hut

We stopped at Bluff Hut for lunch and a stroll. The hut was quite substantial, a place I could imagine myself sheltering in if the weather got bad.

Lovick’s Hut

Lovick’s Hut is another substantial, liveable structure.

Howitt Plains Hut

Wonangatta Hut near Bryce’s station

This hut had an attractive, sturdy sleeping platform.

Black Snake Creek Hut

This hut and the nearby camping area are on the banks of the Wonangatta River.

Moscow Villa Hut

That’s all for today, folks

Blue Rag Range Track, VIC

In this post: Blue Rag Range Track near Dargo in Victoria, Australia: the track, the views, and our route to get there.

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 40-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC recently spent a week and a half in the Victorian High Country, a landscape of mountains and valleys in the state of Victoria, Australia. On 23 February, we tackled a bucket-list four-wheel driving track in the area: Blue Rag Range Track.

The book I’m in

Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin. Every time this worm gets into a book by this author, I’m astounded at the cleanness of her style and the smartness of her plots. This book is no exception.

Recommended accommodation

Hinnomunjie Bridge campground in Omeo Valley, Victoria. The site is well laid out on the banks of the Mitta Mitta river, with clean toilets and clear grassy areas to pitch your tent.

Recommended restaurant

Dargo Hotel in Dargo.

Travel tips

Try to avoid pitching your tent on a slope. The TC, bless her cotton socks, kept waking up with her feet hanging over the end of the bed and a big empty space at the top of the bed. She finally worked out that she was sliding down thanks to the slope.

The photos

Me at the trig point at the top of Blue Rag Range Track (elevation 1,700 metres / 5,580 feet):

Observant readers will notice the trophies stuck to the trig tower, by people who’re proud to make it to the top. We didn’t leave a trophy, but it is indeed a great feeling to have made this trip.

Observant readers will also notice that it was windy up there! This worm strikes a jaunty pose nonetheless, with my tassel horizontal and a firm grasp from a friendly hand.

Hyper-observant readers will notice Peg skulking in the book at bottom right. Peg makes occasional appearances in my posts, her firm grip on reality keeping me grounded. But even Peg wasn’t strong enough for the gale at the Blue Rag Range trig point.

The track

It took us three and a half hours (12:30pm to 4pm) to drive the track itself, with a one-hour lunch break and stops for photographs.

At the start of the track is a steep mound with a hole at its crest, ready to trap the unwary vehicle. Most people choose to go round:

https://youtu.be/1QTcw-_lkZk

Another video shows the approach to the trig point at the top of the track:

https://youtu.be/jVQ8oNtN2cg

Friendly locals in Dargo told us that it’s unwise to venture beyond the trig point. Those who do will almost certainly need help recovering their vehicles, and the Dargo police are inundated with calls for help from drivers who don’t realise the risks.

The views from the track are stunning, with mountain ranges all round:

Much of the track runs along the top of the ridge:

A sign post marks the track part-way along, surrounded by white tree skeletons and scrubby grass:

Our route

We started the day by fuelling up in Dargo. This is one of the cars in our convoy:

The Dargo Hotel offers a good feed. Here’s Beetle the Jeep, lined up and ready to go:

We left Dargo in mid-morning, following Lind Avenue along the banks of the Dargo River, then Dargo High Plains Road to the start of the track.

A sign post shows the start of the Blue Rag Range Track on Dargo High Plains Road:

After reaching the Blue Rag Range trig point, we turned round and went back to Dargo High Plains Road, continuing north to the B500.

We camped overnight at Hinnomunjie Bridge campground on the banks of the Mitta Mitta river in Omeo Valley. This beautiful fire barrel was made by one of our travelling companions:

That’s all for today, folks