Benarkin State Forest Trip

Sunday 12th September, 2004

Trip leader: Ron Penfold

Followers: Bruce Nixon, Green Auto forester, Malcolm, Green manual Forester, Dave Martin, turbo Brumby, Bryan Johnston, White Forester, Big John, Milk van Rodeo, Will, Auto L series Wagon and me in the RX turbo.

I was it bit slow starting on Sunday morning but packed everything up just in time to hit the road from the Benarkin School. Where the rally camp was, Dave was running late and just as we were turning on the main road he went past, so a quick U-turn was made and he caught up.

A short run up the D'Aguilar Highway and we pulled off the road and we made a short stop to look at an old look out that is no longer in use. It looks out over the highway and down the range but is fairly over grown. Then it was time for our first bit of 4x4ing which was a track that followed the pipe line that goes from Wivenhoe dam to Toorong which was put in to pump water from Wivenhoe dam up to Toorong when it is ever low on water. Following the track along we came across some very skinny cattle as it is very dry and there is not much feed for them, by this point Ron was going off memory of the trip that he had done many years ago so it was decided to stop for smoko.

After smoko we turned back to head towards Benarkin to follow the old train line that ran from Yarraman to Esk that is no longer in use and has all the lines and sleepers pulled up. After about 20mins of following the line it brought us to a very large strong looking locked steel gate with another about 10 meters further, so it was very plain to see that someone didn’t want us going past.

A short reverse back and up a track that brought us back out onto the D'Aguilar Highway again.

We then headed for the fire tower for the Benarkin State Forest, as we were driving in the track had some very thick bull dust as part of the rally stage was held there the day before. We pulled up at the fire tower and some were keen enough climb to the top, but for some it was time for chitchat on the mobile as we had some reception (you know who you are).

Now we were using some dated maps so following some of the tracks was hard, as they were different to what was on the map. And it seemed that every track we went down was a dead end so a spot was found for lunch and the maps consulted before moving on. As we left Will announced that he was going to head for home as his steering rack was playing up and was hard to turn at slow speed.

It was decided that we would stay on the main forestry tracks as they seemed to be the best maintained roads, so we turn down a track called round Scrub Road, and what was ahead was the fun part. We drove along the track and the scenery, around us changed to more bush that forest and the track was more of a 4wd track, after travelling for a short time we came to a locked gate that said "Fauna Sanctuary No Entry". A U-turn was made and we went back to a T intersection that Ron remembered seeing. As we drove along the track started to climb once we reached the top we came to another T, which had a locked gate on one track and an open down hill on the other. So the right turn was made and the track really started to go down hill and this is where the fun began.

Now you could see the track had not long been bulldozed as there had been a fire through there and it was very soft slippery soil and the cars were slipping and sliding all over the place. Ron was the first to the bottom being the trip leader, with a stressed voice he announced that there was a fence at the bottom and no more track, and as I was almost there I continued for a closer look.

We had to options, go through the fence or try and get back up the track we just came down, Ron had 3 attempts and couldn't get past the first and the worst section. While he was doing that I went for a walk up the track that could be seen through the fence and it seemed like a way out. So we untied the fence, which had been done before, and I set up the hill to see if it was going to be ok to bring the 3 forester's up that were on the trip. As I climbed up the track it wound its way out of the gully It was fairly easy so I gave the go ahead for Mal to come up in the Forester once he got to me we waited for the rest of the gang to get up. We then headed for the plantation that we could see on the next ridge. The track then brought us back out not far from were we had lunch, we followed the main road back to the fire tower and then went to the old saw mill so have arvo tea, there we said our good-byes and all headed our own ways.

Thanks to Ron for a good day even if most of the tracks were dead ends.

Bryan Neilsen SC552