Bellthorpe Day Drive May 2021

Weather  -  clear and chilly

Track conditions - generally dry with full puddles.

I got there early and wanted to check Dog road before the drive as it had been 9 months since my last visit.

It was still dark when I turned off Branch Creek Road into Dog road travelling in the downhill direction. There are a couple of short, steep pitches at the start and several mudholes which I was able to avoid.

Near the end of the track I discovered a white ute which was obviously stuck. I idled past but couldn't see anyone and assumed they would come back and extract it.

By now it was light and I had to get back to the car park to meet the others. We had three cars, my VW, a landcruiser and a Hilux. After our trip brief we turned into Branch Creek Road which is getting quite bumpy and rocky in parts. Definitely not a track for soft-roaders.

Everyone was keen to check on the stuck ute so we walked the steep section of Dog Road and made our way to the Colorado. By then it was breakfast time and the young couple were eating their corn flakes on the tailgate.

While they were packing up their gear we got into position for the recovery. There was no way they could go forward with road tyres so we decided to winch them backwards a car length.  We put them in the middle of the convoy and took them to the main road.

We then proceeded to Mt Mary Smokes lookout half way along  Beacon Road and spent half an hour admiring the view in the cool autumn air before arriving back at Stoney Creek about 12:30. I noted the temperature under the trees never got above 10 degrees. It takes a long time for the track to dry out, and should be avoided after rain.

Brett