Matlock / Mount Selma Day Trip 2018

Matlock / Mount Selma Day Trip 23rd June 2018

We left Geelong at 6.30 and headed for Marysville. After a quick stop at the bakery we continued up to Matlock. There was quite a lot of snow on the road, so it was looking good for snow up higher. We stopped for a photo at the McAdams gap sign and as we were leaving Tim drove through a large puddle but this proved to be much deeper than he had anticipated and required a winch to get him out. We continued on towards the Matlock Tower.

Plenty of snow on the Matlock fire track and at the tower. We stopped here for a while, so Robs little girls could play in the snow and of course the big kids had some fun as well. It was cold and very foggy. We continued down Corn Hill track with deep snow and fog. It was lights on and slow going all the way. We stopped at Ryan’s spur hut for lunch and also to look at Tim’s 4by.He had blown his diff, so the guys all pitched in and eventually got the vehicle running, albeit in 2-wheel drive, but at least Tim was able to continue the day with us all. We had to alter plans slightly to make sure Tim was able to follow us safely. We went down Moonlight Spur track and back onto the Woods point road. We had planned to drive German Spur track but as we didn’t know the condition of the track and Tim only having 2 Wheel drive, we decided to leave that out. We stopped briefly at woods point Pub as a couple of our members had not seen this iconic pub. It was getting late in the afternoon, but everyone was still having a great time and keen to push on to Mt Selma.

We didn’t get to Mt Selma road until well after 4. The daylight was going, and the fog was thick. There was plenty of snow on the road as well. We stopped at Mt Selma and the kids played in the snow again. We had planned to drive across Mt Selma track and get to Mt Useful, but the daylight had gone by this stage and the conditions had deteriorated. It was very difficult to see the road ahead of us, it was dark, and the fog had thickened. Safety first, we decided to end the trip at that point and head for home. It was just too dangerous to continue. We headed towards the Licola /Jamieson road and make our way down to Licola and home. Our vehicle had a problem and was swaying badly under acceleration. So, we slowly made our way down the mountain.

After inspection it was determined that the bolt had come loose from the rear lower control arm. So, all hands helping and some bush mechanics, we got our vehicle safe to drive home. It was a long day, but it was a great day. Everyone enjoyed themselves. We had a bit of everything on this trip. Snow, fog, good tracks, couple of repairs to get through and some testing driving conditions. We had a very easy-going group and we all pulled together and helped each other when it was required. Our day didn’t go according to plan but that’s how it goes sometimes. It made the day more interesting. This is why we own 4x4s.

Thanks to everyone who came on our trip.
Shez Tedford