Victoria / SA Border - Mallee Country Trip to Bendigo for Jeep 75th Anniversary

[Dave]

Right, 4 weeks from about now we will be heading West out of Mildura onto the Old Mail Route along the Murray and into Murray Sunset National Park. Hope everyone is getting ready - full Jeep Service etc - and getting excited.

I'll send an email this evening just to get emergency contact details, I always do this for our more 'remote' extended trips. Also to see where people want to meet up on Saturday 24th heading for Wagga. Most SJC trips meet as they are leaving Sydney, although heading down the M5 I have found it easier to meet a bit further out. I like the BP at Marulan, as it is obvious, on correct side of the Highway, and not as crowded as the Shell/McDonalds at Sallys Corner 20km earlier... Otherwise we all have the address at the caravan park in Wagga...

Anyway have a think about what would suit you best, we can meet up in a week and a half at the next Club meeting and discuss. If anyone has any questions or concerns please let me know. All my contact details are on the Itinerary, and I will send a group email this evening.

4 weeks! Can't wait to get out of town!!

Dave

[Goneagain]

Thanks Dave looking forward to it!![emoji3]

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[Dave]

Not a problem - yet - just a 'wow' but;

Holiday-makers evacuated as flood threat intensifies - 4 Sep 2016, 7:59 a.m.

Campers along the Murrumbidgee River are being urged to move to higher ground as the flood threat around Wagga grows more serious.
Caravan park residents have been evacuated and campers along the Murrumbidgee River are being urged to move to higher ground as the flood threat around Wagga grew more serious on Saturday night.

High volumes of water moving downstream of Burrinjuck Dam and a deluge of rain on Friday have prompted the State Emergency Service (SES) to issue a minor flood warning.

The river at Wagga is expected to peak late on Sunday night.

A number of roads across the district are under water.

Volunteers door-knocked residents of Wagga’s Beach Caravan Park on Saturday afternoon, helping residents gather their belongings and evacuate, while riverside campers were also ordered to move on.

The river is expected to reach 7.8 metres in Wagga on Sunday night.

Yes, three weeks from Saturday just passed we will be at Wagga Beach Caravan Park. I will ring them next weekend (don't want to trouble them today if they had to evacuate) and make sure we can still stay on the 24th.

I really hope we get some dry until AFTER the trip!!!

Dave

[Dave]

Two weeks and two days until we head down the highway, and unfortunately we are down to seven Jeeps. Eddy has had to pull out of the Mallee Country week, but we will see him in Bendigo for the Jeep Show.

That means we have an extra spot in the convoy, and a paid for campsite at Mildura if anyone else wants it?

We had a quick chat after the AGM last night. I have emergency contacts from Greg, Adrian, Kevin, Danny & Sharon and myself. Greg, Adrian, Kevin and I will be meeting up at Marulan BP at 10.30 on Saturday 24th, then convoying to Wagga together. Danny and Sharon will meet us there - I'm looking forward to seeing how the newly supercharged JK will go!

Haven't heard from Rob or SteveT, I hope everything is okay?

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please let me know. All my contacts are on the Itinerary or any of the emails I have sent. Otherwise...

See you in two weeks

Dave

[Dave]

Hi All,

One thing I forgot to mention, and it matters when you are doing your food shopping! As we head West from Wagga we enter a fruit fly exclusion zone just before we get to Narrandera.

I HAVE been inspected there before, you must not carry FRESH FRUIT into the area, so you are best off not carrying any at all once we leave Wagga! Processed is okay (so tinned etc ). Big fines apply if there is an inspector and you get caught.

You may be able to re supply if you want to at Mildura.

Sorry, I should have thought of that earlier. Oh and I have now heard from Rob, he will meet us at Marulan too, so we are all accounted for.

Dave

[Dave]

And another update.

I checked with Wagga Beach Caravan Park, they ARE still evacuated due to flooding and not expecting to re open until October, so we CAN'T stay there.

So, on their recommendation I have made reservations at Horseshoe Motor Village Caravan Park, 23 Horseshoe Rd, Cartwrights Hill. Phone 6921 6033.

It is about 6km North of Wagga and looks very pleasant. http://www.hmvwagga.com.au/index.php?id=facilities They will charge us $11 per person for one night in unpowered camping, and the owner said there is The Red Steer Hotel with a nice bistro 200m up the road, if you don't want to cook, as we will be few km out of town...

I will email this advice to the crew from home this evening. Hope this change suits!

Thanks,

Dave

[stevet]

Dave, how are we looking in regards to the Victorian flood warning. My sister in Wagga Wagga rang to say they are having a town meeting today regarding evacuation plans etc and they are on a 18 day flood warning due to the high ground water levels so entry to Wagga Wagga will be difficult with many various roads now being currently sandbagged and closed...........

[Dave]

Dave, how are we looking in regards to the Victorian flood warning. My sister in Wagga Wagga rang to say they are having a town meeting today regarding evacuation plans etc and they are on a 18 day flood warning due to the high ground water levels so entry to Wagga Wagga will be difficult with many various roads now being currently sandbagged and closed...........

Hi Steve, thanks for the heads up!

Honestly I think we will be okay. I can see what you mean about expected flooding around Wagga, eg http://www.smh.com.au/environment/we...15-grgodq.html

As you know from post #47 above and email I sent around, we have already changed caravan parks to Horseshoe Motor Village Caravan Park, 23 Horseshoe Rd, Cartwrights Hill. Phone 6921 6033 just North of Wagga, and we are only reserved there, so we can call them and go a different way if necessary.

We could turn Northwest at Yass and go through Temora and Griffith for example. That would only add 30km to the total two day trip to Mildura.

Lets play it by ear, check the news day to day, and make a decision when we get to Marulan on Saturday 24th.

At the moment Weatherzone is only showing a low risk of rain in Wagga on 24 Sept (although high risk of 10 - 20mm of rain in Wagga Tues and Wed next week).
Mildura keeps changing from no rain to low or moderate risk of rain for Sunday 25 and the week after that... I think the main flood risk is from the river, not rain, so as long as the main highways aren't cut we should be okay.

Hope that sounds reasonable?

As for the dirt roads that we are heading for - http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/pa...-national-park - in Murray Sunset National Park (Monday and Tuesday) the only condition changes on the website are "The Lindsay Island Eastern Entrance is closed until further notice due to floodwaters from rising river levels in the Lindsay River. The island is still accessible via the Western Entrance at the Army Bridge". And in Big Desert National Park (Wednesday/Thursday) "No change of conditions apply" and Wyperfeld National Park (Thursday/Friday) "No change of conditions apply". So no tracks closed and I'm hopeful!

Thanks again,
Dave

[Dave]

One week from heading West, and we are down another Jeep. RobS emailed me today and said that he would have to meet us in Bendigo.

Was looking at the flood info in NSW https://www.livetraffic.com/desktop.html and Victoria http://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/ today. No roads closed that I can find between Sydney and Mildura. It seems that the "arid" West of Victoria has escaped the worst so far, I hope it stays that way, I'd much rather dirt and sand than mud and closed tracks.

I have a contact number for the Mallee area of Parks Victoria and will call them later in the week and ask about conditions. If we need to change anything at that end of the trip I will let you know!

What looks interesting at the moment is getting to Bendigo on the tar from Wyperfeld National Park. Lots of closed roads and detours around Charlton on our direct route. Hopefully that will improve - as two weeks from now we hope to be in Bendigo!

See you all next Saturday. Any last minute stuff, please let me know!

Dave

[Dave]

The last update before we go - I hope!

As promised, I called Mildura National Parks office and spoke to Dave, so totally trustworthy

They had over an inch of rain yesterday, so he has doubts about the Old Mail Road which is a dirt road following the Murray that we plan to use on Monday morning. We will go and look at it, we can even start it, but if it is too bad - a 60km long bog hole - then we will bypass it on the highway just to the South. The rest he thought would be fine! So all systems go!!

There are some areas of flooding on the Sturt Hwy to get to Mildura, but it isn't closed and we drive Jeeps, so we should be right. The 'new' caravan park in Wagga is not flooded, but it is pretty damp - and unfortunately no cabins available.

I got asked if we need to use a sand flag - fortunately not, as the Border Track where we will be on Wednesday is one way, so don't worry about that.

I am expecting some wet weather during the week, and it is still getting down to around 5 degrees at night - although teens to mid 20s during the day, so make sure you pack wet weather gear and some warm gear too, and garbage bags or tarps to wrap up wet camping gear if needed...

Any last minute stuff, my mobile number is on all the paperwork and most emails I have sent. See you on Saturday!

Dave