Lithgow to Capertee shake down

Note change in meet up point. Also notes for day trip options.

Kerry and I will hopefully be more or less ready for the Simpson trip at this point, so it is time for a shake down to test that everything is working properly. A Simpson shake down means camping, and yes it is cold out west at the moment!

Where: This will not be a trip of challenges, but two days touring off road, C grade, and a focus on setting up camp on Sat night, and pack up on Sun morning. And making sure the Jeep is basically behaving after a VERY lot of work. We will find a way out to Mt Airlie and camp there. (We will NOT be doing the challenging descent, just camping.) Sunday return possibly the same route, or possibly via Turon to Sunny Corner.

When: 23&24 June

Meet: Richmond Macca's There is fuel in Richmond and you want to be fully topped up before we leave.

Time: 7:30am for 8:00am The 7:30 start means we ant to be underway before 8:00am which means you have a little time to fuel up and have breakfast. But you DO need to be fuelled and fed as close to 7:30 as possible.Grade: C Grade

Requirements: Standard SJC requirements - stock vehicles are fine subject to: front and rear recovery points, recovery gear, radio, first aid kit

Camping equipment required. Warm Clothes. Food and water.

This run is limited to: We are not seeking a large group here, but there is no reason to limit the numbers. If it gets large, we'll simply reduce the miles to be traveled.

Day trip options: There are three obvious points to exit the trip on Saturday:
1: On Wolgan Road bitumen between Newnes and Baal Bone - a short drive outside of Lithgow - probably a bit early though.
2. Exit from Baal Bone on the Highway at about Cullen Bullen/Ben Bullen - possibly the better exit point.
3. Follow us out to Mt Airlie to set up camp before you say goodbye

Further info contact: M 0419 855 121

Attending:
1. Dru: Dru'n'Kerry: JK, loaded to the max, Simpson crossing style. :smile-new:
2. Panda
3. Rich Henning
4. Snoik
5. John
6. Ali

I am KEEN!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Panda

I am KEEN!

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Excellent! Bring your woolies. We can cover a lot of ground with a very small crew. :-)

Thats Great! I can't wait! hopefully the weather getting better in the next week also.

Hey Panda.

Mate still keen? Might be more sensible to do a day run - probably in the snow BUT maybe not camping over night.

Thoughts?

Dru
<brrrrrrrrr>

A day trip would be nice

Quote:

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Originally Posted by richhenning

A day trip would be nice

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Hey, there is definitely a day trip trip happening. Camping is optional. :jaded:

Hi Dru,

Yep! can do either day trip or camping ( depending on weather )! !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Panda

Hi Dru,

Yep! can do either day trip or camping ( depending on weather )! !

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OK time for a pm.

Is it too late too join in? I'm keen for a day trip or càmp, been a long time since i done either

Hi Dru,
On short notice, if not too late or challenging for my WK2, I would like to join a group for a day trip (Saturday).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snoik

Is it too late too join in? I'm keen for a day trip or c�mp, been a long time since i done either

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Not at all. With yourself we would be 4. You can day trip or camp over night. Or even take a hotel room in Capertee. Change in plan though - we meet up at Richmond Macca's at 7:30am tomorrow.

PS Weather forecast is decent for winter on the Sydney Plateau. Cold, below zero over night, but sunny during the day with no snow or rain.

You tend to see plenty of frost hang around into the day with these conditions and we'll need to be wise to the potential of black ice - but otherwise it's pretty good for a winter run.


Dru'n'Kerry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John

Hi Dru,
On short notice, if not too late or challenging for my WK2, I would like to join a group for a day trip (Saturday).

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I will assume that my wk2 will struggle to keep up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John

I will assume that my wk2 will struggle to keep up.

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Not at all. This trip would be perfect if you want an introduction into some of the major trails through our backyard but don't wish to to meet the pinch point challenges. The shake down for us is about checking how the JK goes under full full desert crossing loadings. We will be religiously voiding the pinch points on this trip.


Dru'n'Kerry

That is great, I was hoping that you being fully loaded for desert crossing you would select softer approach to testing gear/luggage arrangement. See you at Richmond McDonald at 7:30 Sat 24/06/2018
John

Great see you there. Sounds like we have actually got a convoy!

Dru'n'Kerry

Do you still plan to be at zig zag at 9:30?, I will be coming from Mudgee, so meet you there

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snoik

Do you still plan to be at zig zag at 9:30?, I will be coming from Mudgee, so meet you there

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Yes that's fine - though could you target 9:00am? We will be underway by 8:00 so should be there by 9:00am.

I'll take that as confirmed! :smile-new:

Note that I have included my phone details in the front page.

[QUOTE=Dru;56626]Note change in meet up point. Also notes for day trip options.

Kerry and I will hopefully be more or less ready for the Simpson trip at this point, so it is time for a shake down to test that everything is working properly. A Simpson shake down means camping, and yes it is cold out west at the moment!

Where: This will not be a trip of challenges, but two days touring off road, C grade, and a focus on setting up camp on Sat night, and pack up on Sun morning. And making sure the Jeep is basically behaving after a VERY lot of work. We will find a way out to Mt Airlie and camp there. (We will NOT be doing the challenging descent, just camping.) Sunday return possibly the same route, or possibly via Turon to Sunny Corner.

When: 23&24 June

Meet: Richmond Macca's There is fuel in Richmond and you want to be fully topped up before we leave.

Time: 7:30am for 8:00am The 7:30 start means we ant to be underway before 8:00am which means you have a little time to fuel up and have breakfast. But you DO need to be fuelled and fed as close to 7:30 as possible.Grade: C Grade

Requirements: Standard SJC requirements - stock vehicles are fine subject to: front and rear recovery points, recovery gear, radio, first aid kit

Camping equipment required. Warm Clothes. Food and water.

This run is limited to: We are not seeking a large group here, but there is no reason to limit the numbers. If it gets large, we'll simply reduce the miles to be traveled.

Day trip options: There are three obvious points to exit the trip on Saturday:
1: On Wolgan Road bitumen between Newnes and Baal Bone - a short drive outside of Lithgow - probably a bit early though.
2. Exit from Baal Bone on the Highway at about Cullen Bullen/Ben Bullen - possibly the better exit point.
3. Follow us out to Mt Airlie to set up camp before you say goodbye

Further info contact: M 0419 855 121

Attending:
1. Dru: Dru'n'Kerry: JK, loaded to the max, Simpson crossing style. :smile-new:
2. Panda
3. Rich Henning
4. Snoik
5. John
6.Ali

Welcome Ali - catch you tomorrow morning. :smile-new:

Dru’n’Kerry

Thanks for a great day trip Dru and Kerry. Was good to meet new friends and enjoy the blue clear skies. Angus Place track was a highlight methinks.

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Thank you Dru and Kerry for a very nice trip.
Well organized with appropriated C grade track selection, especially important for WK2.
For me Mt Airlie was a highlight of the day.
It would be very sad if government would implement closures and access restrictions to this magnificent area (truly magical as Kerry described)

With Regards
John

A weekend out with yet another fabulous SJC Group! :highly_amused:

The list filled, unexpectedly running right up to the eleventh hour and made for some great camaraderie. Several made it a day trip with three hardy souls camping in sub-zero on the Saturday night. <brrr>

Saturday

The group gathered at Richmond for the convoy to ZigZag railway where snoik (Andrew, Chuck and kids) joined us traveling from out west.We took the graded trails through to Lost Cities, a little bit of "Hands" trail before ducking back in to the powerlines after the key obstacles like moon rock and "son of". From there to Angus Place Trail which is fast coming one of our favourite spots for stock jeeps on obstacles. Great fun driving around the sandstone mesa before dropping down to the Wolgan Road (bitumen).

Thence to Baal Bone - an "in and out" journey via and alternate entry point in order to avoid the pinch points, lunch with a view. :smile-new:

From there some of the day trippers departed for the journey back to Sydney while four remaining were navigated through trails that are not on HEMA onto a trail on HEMA that we have never done. All in the name of continuing the time on dirt. A touch stressful up front, especially when what we expected would be a public trail bounding a mine had been claimed by the mine with no trespassing signs. So a bit of bush navigation again! I think we reentered the bitumen near Cullen Bullen.

On to Capertee and Mt Airlie to camp. We ran a short round trip on the Hatteras Point so our last day tripper had the chance see Mount Airlie. By the time we returned to the camp site the boys already had the fire going!

Sunday was a lazy return via Turon at the Pinnacle Trail, Black Butt etc into Sunny Corner. Lots of low range in that trip and great views!

And that's it!

I'll go back over this post to add in the names of our accomplices but have to say that it was a great trip and will without doubt make Kerry and me better traveling companions for the Simpson. We have a much better idea of what is involved in getting going in the morning now!

Thanks all!


Dru'n'Kerry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dru

A weekend out with yet another fabulous SJC Group! :highly_amused:

The list filled, unexpectedly running right up to the eleventh hour and made for some great camaraderie. Several made it a day trip with three hardy souls camping in sub-zero on the Saturday night. <brrr>

Saturday

The group gathered at Richmond for the convoy to ZigZag railway where snoik joined us traveling from out west.We took the graded trails through to Lost Cities, a little bit of "Hands" trail before ducking back in to the powerlines after the key obstacles like moon rock and "son of". From there to Angus Place Trail which is fast coming one of our favourite spots for stock jeeps on obstacles. Great fun driving around the sandstone mesa before dropping down to the Wolgan Road (bitumen).

Thence to Baal Bone - an "in and out" journey via and alternate entry point in order to avoid the pinch points, lunch with a view. :smile-new:

From there some of the day trippers departed for the journey back to Sydney while four remaining were navigated through trails that are not on HEMA onto a trail on HEMA that we have never done. All in the name of continuing the time on dirt. A touch stressful up front, especially when what we expected would be a public trail bounding a mine had been claimed by the mine with no trespassing signs. So a bit of bush navigation again! I think we reentered the bitumen near Cullen Bullen.

On to Capertee and Mt Airlie to camp. We ran a short round trip on the Hatteras Point so our last day tripper had the chance see Mount Airlie. By the time we returned to the camp site the boys already had the fire going!

Sunday was a lazy return via Turon at the Pinnacle Trail, Black Butt etc into Sunny Corner. Lots of low range in that trip and great views!

And that's it!

I'll go back over this post to add in the names of our accomplices but have to say that it was a great trip and will without doubt make Kerry and me better traveling companions for the Simpson. We have a much better idea of what is involved in getting going in the morning now!

Thanks all!


Dru'n'Kerry

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Well organized and fun day. Thanks to dru and Kerry and everyone.

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Getting that morning routine / balance right when touring can make all the difference, well done team!

BTW a big shout out to Panda - David and Ericka - for jumping on board this trip early making it happen. Great to see it full by the time we left but Panda was there from start to freezing finish.
:encouragement:

Thanks guys for a great well organised drive, Chuck/Jeremy/Cameron and myself had a great weekend and we look forward to do again another soon, the tracks taken were interesting and the sight seeing was good, the camp site was excellent, great choice Dru, on Sunday when we parted company on the sunny corner road, we headed back to Turon Gates via Palmers Oakey, then on to Sofala, the river crossings had no water, it was very disturbing to see the Turon with no water, there were several water holes along the river, but the water wasn’t flowing, I took plenty of pictures, but unsure how to post them.
Thanks for a great weekend

Thank you so much for Dru and Kerry organised such an wondering trip, They know the area turn by turn and the history very well!

It was Erika's and myself first ever off road trip in our jeep. we have never took our jeep offroad and only spent 2000kms on road and be honest I don't know what our jeep can do or can't do off road. I would like to Shout out to Kerry helped me out on the first pinch point that we came across on sat and seriously I was not confident enough to do it myself but after Kerrys and Drus instruction, at the end of the day I am starting to learn how capable my jeep is and Im gaining a lot more confident.
Thanks Andrew for being patient that I was holding him up on the decent from Mt Airlie as I was learning how to decent either using low range with or without hill decent control.

The bush camp experiment was good as its our first time camping in the bush although it was really cold ( Erika's didn't zipped up the tent door properly on my side and cold wind keep blowing from my foots then to my face all night ) but this was a very good experience for us that was priceless. btw, Andrews custom beer can fire bunk ( is it what it called? )was the high line of night as I was looking into the picture of the bunk all night without worrying about anything else on my mind!!!

After all it was great to hang out with everyone who came on the day and Im sure we will be joining you all again in the next camp night ( hopefully it will be grade C again )!!!!

Thank you everyone who came!!!