Outback Adventures
The Great Divide
13 days
Traversing the Great Divide
Duration: 13 days Melbourne - Melbourne
2003 Departures:
06 - 17 December
Join us on this most comprehensive four wheel drive camping expedition into the Australian Alps. We will spend 13 days on the roof of the Australia, traversing the highest parts of the continental watershed, surrounded by exotic wilderness. The tour will concern itself with the fauna and flora, and natural history of Australia's Alpine regions, from ancient old growth rainforest, through stands of mountain ash, gnarled snow gums and wildflower coated alpine meadows. We will also look at some of the cultural history, including pastoralism, such as the Predergasts, who left the Monaro tablelands and crossed the Snowy to become the first settlers in the Omeo Region, or the mystery of the Wonangatta Murders. We will visit abandoned gold mines and ghost towns, hidden valleys and mountain cattlemen's huts.
Pricing
AU$ 2,500 / person
Itinerary
Day 1
We depart Melbourne travelling east to Gippsland, through timber towns and relics of those days like the ADA tramway. Our first nights camp is in a low level alpine environment behind the Baw Baws at Newlands.
Day 2
From Newlands we visit the spectacular Thompson Valley Dam Wall, and the gold mining town of Walhalla before heading to Aberfeldy and on to McAdams Gap near Matlock, high above Woods Point on the main divide.
Day 3
We travel to Woods Point, completely destroyed in the 1939 bushfires, and follow the trail that once led to the Jordan Goldfields over Frenchmans Gap and down to Gaffneys Creek. We visit the historic Kevington "Hilton" and the Jamieson museum, camping at Mitchells Flat, a hidden valley that feeds the upper Jamieson River.
Day 4
Time to explore the underground river and the beautiful river flats at Mitchells before climbing the Bluff Range to Bluff Hut. There will be an optional walk out to Mt. Eadley Stoney affording magnificent views of the upper Howqua Valley.
Day 5
We travel up to Kiing Billy. We are now in the country where the Man from Snowy River films were shot, and the scenery is awesome. Spectacular views out across Mt. Magdala, Howitt and the Cross-Cut saw. We descend to the headwaters of the Macallister River, climb onto the Howitt Plains and then descend via Zeka to the remote Wonangatta Valley.
Day 6
We climb out of Wonnangatta to the historic town site of Talbotville, and take the spectacular Basalt Knob track, camping at Blue Rag.
Day 7
We travel from Blue Rag via Mt. Battery and beautiful snow gum plains to Charlie Mac's Hut.
Day 8
From Charlie Mac's we travel through the Bundarra Valley to the famous Blue Duck pub.
Day 9
From our respite at the Blue Duck we travel via the Mitta River, "The Knocker" and Mt. Murphy to our camp at Davies Plain.
Day 10
We travel via Limestone, Native Dog and Black Mountain to the incredible Erinundra Plateau.
Day 11
From Erinundra we follow the Snowy River through McKillops Bridge and Suggan Buggan to Jindabyne and the Snowy Mountains.
Day 12
We take the Crackenback Chairlift from Thredbo onto the Ramshead Range, and then walk out to Mt. Kosciuszko, the highest point on mainland Australia.
Day 13
We travel down the Alpine Way through Tom Groggin Station to Khancoban and return to Melbourne through North East Victoria.
