Tasmania

[Colmoore]

Gday All.
Wishing a happy new year to you all and yours!
We did a 4 week trip around Tassie, Boxing Day on.
Haven't been there since I was a kid, but gee, the place makes you feel like a kid! Amazing scenery, super clean beaches and rivers, great mtb riding and very friendly locals.
We were mostly touring the beaten tracks as mum came over for half our trip and she doesn't do camping or 'bumping about' in the rough. Saw the Sydney/Hobart yachts, markets, food, MONA and much else, plus some cracker walks at Cradle Mtn, Wineglass Bay, Bay of Fires, Mt Field etc.
After mum headed home we got the keys for the gates to Sawback Ridge Track near Maydena.
Despite meeting some great fellow Defender owners, I couldn't persuade anyone to come along that day (to be fair, Simon; Rolly on here, was keen but had prior family plans)
So, I set out with Jane and the kids to tackle a track 12kms long, rated hard.
We had a 4x4 guide book that was a few years old, yet still accurate and had driven a few easy to medium tracks from it. These were really just steep fire trails that didn't require much effort.
Sawback was a bit different. In the first km or so, the wheel ruts were mostly knee deep + in greasy mud and there were 2 almost vertical 3ft hop ups out of the ruts. Needless to say I was dragging the stock 130 diffs and had to winch (cursing others with 35" monster tyres and heavy right feet)
My wife freaked out when the front wheels lifted, which caused the younger kids also to get upset. So, they set off up the track on foot, only to find a 5ft tiger snake that curiously followed them back down the track for a bit! No physical harm done . Fortunately our 11 yr old was cc&c. She took some footage, hauled the winch cable, provided direction, some of it good, for a kid that doesn't drive!) and trashed her favourite sneakers in the mud.
Ground clearance was an issue at times, but mostly, dragging the diffs caused me to get stuck. I got up either side of the ruts, using that narrow but sure LR track I love, but at times, she just slipped back down.
I am glad I had grabbed some muddies on retro alloys and an old alloy roof rack (from a top bloke out west) on my way to Goulburn. They were a good price and don't know where I would have been without them. It didn't feel so bad when I ripped the sidewall out of the ps rear one in a bog hole, on a star picket that some idiot had left below the water line (it's on the lhs of the puddle pictured if anyone wants to know)
The lh retainer plate for the winch roller got bent back under the bull bar and damaged the cable a bit when we found a big rock in the ooze. Hence the pic of me wrestling with it blind on the bonnet, much to Sunnys amusement. Thankfully the cable was still useable and hauled us out.
The tyre peeled half of the rim resulting in winching #4 and a little stop to change the wheel.
Some of the rocky descents were quite tech as well, had to be sure of a good line and when to let her go!
The track, as stated, was very narrow and we were constantly scraping through the bush both sides.
I did all the wrong things really; set off about 1:30pm, one vehicle only and didn't bring the 'if all else fails' camping setup. We could have camped near the old mine site. Parking in the creek crossing there was a good under body and floor wash.
All ended well though, we got to see some fantastic scenery (at golden hour), great wildlife, old mine relics etc and last of all the Gordon Dam. My wife and kids were great troopers, sucking up their fears, soaking in the views and singing most of the way back to camp, arriving at 10:15! (another parent of the year point to me - not.)

Thanks to all on here who stopped for a chat in Tassie! It's great that so many LR owners are humble, friendly and happy to share their adventures!
Cheers,
Col

[austastar]

Hi, would you have a grid reference for the star picket puddle. It can be checked next track clearing run.
Cheers

[Tombie]

Nice!!!

[Stinkler]

Awesome times, thanks for sharing!

[Rolly]

Great read, and great to meet you and your family.
I also did the Pyengana Jeep track and the Montezuma falls track. Both I’d rate as hard as the guide book only rates Montezuma as moderate however there have been many hotheads cuttting up the tracks(coincidentally i met a group of three coming down into Montezuma via the ‘Ring’ road and they suggested as I was on my own not to venture along it) . I also met another driver who did Montezuma three years prior and she was amazed at how bad the track had become.
I ended going as far south as Cockle creek,....goodness that place is beautiful.

Tassie is awesome, well worth the drive

P.S presently my deefer sits in Shepparton with a rooted rear diff(hopefully warranty will cover).

[Colmoore]

Hi, would you have a grid reference for the star picket puddle. It can be checked next track clearing run.
Cheers

Sorry austastar I wasn't using GPS that day due to the track being one direction.
I've looked back over the map, but really couldn't pin point it.
You do track maintenance do you?

[Colmoore]

Great read, and great to meet you and your family.
I also did the Pyengana Jeep track and the Montezuma falls track. Both I’d rate as hard as the guide book only rates Montezuma as moderate however there have been many hotheads cuttting up the tracks(coincidentally i met a group of three coming down into Montezuma via the ‘Ring’ road and they suggested as I was on my own not to venture along it) . I also met another driver who did Montezuma three years prior and she was amazed at how bad the track had become.
I ended going as far south as Cockle creek,....goodness that place is beautiful.

Tassie is awesome, well worth the drive

P.S presently my deefer sits in Shepparton with a rooted rear diff(hopefully warranty will cover).

Sure was good to meet you Simon - nice to put a face to an aulro tag!

Did you have to winch much on Montezuma or Jeep track?

Best of luck with your diff issue mate.
Hopefully we'll catch up on the trails again sometime. I'm definately going back to Tassie; the last trip was more of a recce for the next one!

Cheers,
Col

[austastar]

Sorry austastar I wasn't using GPS that day due to the track being one direction.
I've looked back over the map, but really couldn't pin point it.
You do track maintenance do you?

Hi,
LROCT do track clearing on a few tracks with cooperation with Parks. I've been on 2 trips to the Sawback, but only as far as the quartz outcrop with the view to Clear Hill.
It is mostly cutting back overhanging and fallen scrub, with the odd attempt to drain bogs.
Cheers

[Tote]

Excellent effort, we did the sawback track in SWMBO's wrangler on a trip a couple of years ago we were willing to winch into the big hole a couple of km from the start but the rest of the convoy wasn't as keen so we went around the long way to Adamsfield. We also did Montezuma and the ring river track, one of the participants broke a Prado CV on either Montezuma or Ring River, we didn't figure out it was broken until they got stuck just after the Ring River. Ring river track took 4 hours to do about six km.

Regards,
Tote

[Colmoore]

That's great austastar, it would be an enjoyable workplace.
There were some beautiful clear water crossings toward Adamsfield and, as you can see from the pic of my eldest filling her drink bottle, there's a spring that gushes thousands of litres an hour; fantastic!