Mt Mee State Forest
9 January 2000
Everyone tucked into a hearty breakfast ready for the day's activities ahead. At about 9 o'clock we set off for Mt Mee Forestry but a few people did not even make it out of the car park! The bulk of the group waited at the school bus stop while mercy dashes were made to save Pat and Arnold and Ralph and Marilyn who had some starting problems.
Soon we were on our way winding through the forestry tracks. The going was pretty moderate until we arrived at a creek crossing with a tricky approach and a rocky bottom. The courageous David M went first to show us all how to do it and reported that it was rough. David S was the third (and noisiest) car through. Why noisy?
Most other people followed with a lot of caution and guidance but without incident.
Now ... back to the noise ... A few hundred metres down the track I asked David what the vibrating noise in the car was. He replied that it was only the shovel that he had tied in the back. A few more metres and we looked at each other as the noise increased and I said, "That is definitely not the shovel!" It turned out that during David's squeaking, screeching, grinding, crunching creek crossing he had managed to bend the tail shaft and smash the uni joint. The bush mechanics poured out of their cars one after the other to lend a hand. They undid the tail shaft and tied it to up under the car so we had to finish the rest of the trek in 2WD. "Not a worry", you say? We were at a spot in the forestry where the only way out was up, up, up and more up. Ralph offered to tow us up and over the 4WD spots. What a sensation that was. Have you ever been charging up a track when it turns and of course you turn but because snatch-em straps form straight links from the tow-er to the tow-ee you go straight over the corner instead of around it? I don't recommend it but a big thank you to Ralph. You did a great job.
Auto John's auto failed him somewhere along the track too so he had to be towed as well.
Lunch was a restful affair amongst the trees and goannas. Chris and Lori brought their new puppy along to assimilate it with 4WDing but one resident goanna was convinced that they had brought her along just for him!
After lunch we tripped off to a waterhole for a refreshing dip. Then we left in different directions, some going back to their campsite, some going directly back to Brisbane, some heading north, some heading back through the forestry and John P followed us back down the goat track. I must admit that I was more than a little nervous because you will recall we only had 2WD. but David did a marvellous job.
Thanks David M for yet another great day and thanks to The Subaru Shop for replacing our tail shaft so promptly.
Donalda Shaw SC416