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basshead Profile
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X-TRAIL HOLIC
 


Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: Panania, Sydney
TOTAL POSTS: 2852
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Re: trail baggers!


We'll be doing either Sunny Corner or the Bridle Track on Sunday of the June long weekend with a few other 4WD (not sure what the others are but one is a Pathfinder, and the other is a full-time "proper" 4WD, and there might be one or two others coming along too)...

Any tips for either tracks?

I notice Peter has done the Bridle Track according to the first post in this thread.



---
Rich. X-013(c)
'04 S2 ST Auto. Nudge_roofracks_tow_tints_Lightforce_GME_YokoGeoA/T-S_TBS_bashplate_50mm-spacer-lift
Click here to see >300MB of photos and videos All For His Glory.
5/Jun/2004, 6:17 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message MSN Yahoo Blog
 
petersxtrail Profile
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X-TRAIL FANATIC
 


Date Registered: 02-2004
TOTAL POSTS: 339
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Re: trail baggers!


Bridal Track will be no problem for xtrail. Good trip with lots of places along way to stop for lunch, morning tea. Hill End has a few things to look and shops.
Really dont recommend Sunny Corner trek for xtrail. If you are using the notes out of "4wd tracks around Sydney" it mentions a difficult climb. It is!!!. Steep rocks that will challenge even a stock Patrol. We did it a few months ago and it is a challenge. To be honest I think Pathfinder will have issues.
There are a few other roads in Sunny Corner, but you will need a good map. From memory Abot 1km before you get to the base of steep climb (picnic area and creek) There is a track off to RIGHT that can take you around to top of hill (dont trust me on that)It is a long diversion though.
Additionally if following the trip notes, part of the area is now national Park, so you cant take animals.
cheers

Last edited by petersxtrail, 7/Jun/2004, 12:00 pm
7/Jun/2004, 10:52 am Link to this post  
 
basshead Profile
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X-TRAIL HOLIC
 


Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: Panania, Sydney
TOTAL POSTS: 2852
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Re: trail baggers!


Ah, Sunny Corner must've been the one we did (I was an excited passenger) in the Pathfinder... Is there a creek at the bottom of the treacherous hill you're speaking of?
The Pathfinder made it, but we did get stuck about 3/4 of the way up on one of the boulders you're speaking of - it was as big as the wheel & tyre... We had to roll back down abit and try again with a slightly different path (LOL - PATH-finder emoticon Sorry!).

I definitely wouldn't take the X-Trail on that part of the track!!!

I got some short 15 second 1.3MB mpeg clips of the climb with my camera, but they aren't anywhere near a fair indication of how bad the hill is!!! Also took some digital photos back down the hill after we'd made it to the top, and where we got stuck... And they still don't make it look as bad as it was.



---
Rich. X-013(c)
'04 S2 ST Auto. Nudge_roofracks_tow_tints_Lightforce_GME_YokoGeoA/T-S_TBS_bashplate_50mm-spacer-lift
Click here to see >300MB of photos and videos All For His Glory.
7/Jun/2004, 3:47 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message MSN Yahoo Blog
 
basshead Profile
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Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: Panania, Sydney
TOTAL POSTS: 2852
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Re: trail baggers!


Do we submit trek reports here???

Anyway, we picked up a copy of the book mentioned at the start of this thread ("4WD Treks close to Sydney"?) and followed the trip notes which were pretty good.

After reading all the info for Bridle Track, I was hoping we'd do a medium-difficulty track for my first 4WD trip actually driving. Bridle is listed as an easy track. I figured if it rained, it may become a medium track, and guess what - there was a bit of rain the night before emoticon

There was a section about half-way through the trail that was sloshy mud for about 20-30m, then slimey after that for maybe about 50m (run-off from the sloshy patch). We were in a group of 4, and our X-Trail was 2nd in line at this point of the trail (we switched places a few times during the day). The Pathfinder went first and the tow-bar almost bottomed-out on a hump at the start of the sloshy patch, so I knew to go around it, and knew the X-Trail would be fine after seeing the Pathy go through it with ease. After the sloshy patch, the slimey patch was where things got abit slippery - the Pathy was fishtailing a few times before it got grip again. I pretty much rolled through it (got a little but of speed up at the start) - just kept the foot lightly on the gas, as I didn't want to go sliding off uncontrollably. I think I fishtaileld as much as the Pathy, but it wasn't anything to worry about. The 3rd car in out group went so quick he changed gears half-way through and was sliding all over the place emoticon While our group was going through, a few other cars had caught up and were all lined up & waiting... I think it was a citroen - an actual car - about the size of a Festiva - went through it, and also a Falcon. I'm surprised the little car made it!!!

Other than that, there were some quite narrow sections of the track where we came across oncoming groups and had to pull over to let them squeeze past...

Eventful day with lots of beautiful scenery. Looking forward to our next one! We plan to do every one in the book emoticon



---
Rich. X-013(c)
'04 S2 ST Auto. Nudge_roofracks_tow_tints_Lightforce_GME_YokoGeoA/T-S_TBS_bashplate_50mm-spacer-lift
Click here to see >300MB of photos and videos All For His Glory.
15/Jun/2004, 5:46 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message MSN Yahoo Blog
 
mowen Profile
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X-TRAIL NEWBIE
 


Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: Melbourne
TOTAL POSTS: 32
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Re: trail baggers!


Been doing a few trips through the Otways lately. Does it count if you don't stick exactly to the trip notes. Most of the actual 4WD tracks are closed for winter, but there are plenty of dirt roads to stay happy on throughout the area.
Yesterday I started out in Colac and did most of Lardners Track, until I was stopped by a huge tree across the track. I later figured out I was only about 1KM from where Lardners Track meets Mt Sabine Road. Anyway I backtracked and come back down to Mt Sabine Road via the Old Beech Forest Rd. Then went via Mount Sabine Road and Turtons Track to Kaanglang Rd where I went as far as Lake Elizabeth for a break. Back down to Mount Sabine Rd then to continue on to the Mt Cowley Fire Tower. That section of Mount Sabine Road was pretty rough and in some places very wet. After the tower I went south via Erskine falls to Lorne then followed the Great Ocean Rd back to Kennett River, before heading inland again via Grey River Rd. This was an okay road, even for a 2WD until I got past the picnic ground. From there on in it was pretty much covered by a few inches of mud for most of the way. The X-trail went trough without a fuss, apart from a little bit of fish tailing in the softer stuff. Sealed roads all the way back to Colac then.

I also did a drive through the Wonga State Forest the other week and just a word of advice. I drove down Yahoo Creek Track in the wet, north to south. At one stage I got to the top of a fair decline, thick mud all the way down and with a hard right hand turn at the bottom. There was no where to turn and too far to reverse so down I went. 1st gear, 4WD in lock and a light feathering of the brakes and I still slid down a lot of the way. With no idea what was around the corner, all I could hope was that the track leveled out, because I couldn't see myself being able to cox the Xy back up that hill. Not in the wet. Anyway, I'm here to tell the story, but Yahoo Creek Track is certainly a track to only be travelled north/south and even then, very carefully in an X-trail.
22/Jun/2004, 12:06 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message
 
grayham Profile
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Date Registered: 01-2004
Location: Sydney
TOTAL POSTS: 69
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Re: trail baggers!


quote:

basshead wrote:

Do we submit trek reports here???



Yeah, post them on here. I'll get around to knocking up a page on the site in a little while.

(Currently busy getting an automated photo uploader in place).

quote:


Eventful day with lots of beautiful scenery. Looking forward to our next one! We plan to do every one in the book emoticon




Now there's a challange to the other Sydney baggers.
I'm trying to find time to do that pub to pub one.
22/Jun/2004, 1:45 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message
 
basshead Profile
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X-TRAIL HOLIC
 


Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: Panania, Sydney
TOTAL POSTS: 2852
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Re: trail baggers!


Mowen, did you use accelerator and brake pedal at the same time to use tractioin control instead of ABS to get down the hill?

I have heard this is the best method for steep slippery downhill tracks, yet never tried it myself. I think it would need to be a nasty section of track to be able to use that method, so practice for anyone would be more from experience rather than trying it out in a safe area, like I've done with ABS in the past (find a nice large patch of dirt road with no trees or other nasty obstacles nearby, then slam on the brakes and see how it stops - I've yet to try turning at the same time but ABS is quite effective so far in a straight line).



---
Rich. X-013(c)
'04 S2 ST Auto. Nudge_roofracks_tow_tints_Lightforce_GME_YokoGeoA/T-S_TBS_bashplate_50mm-spacer-lift
Click here to see >300MB of photos and videos All For His Glory.
22/Jun/2004, 2:10 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message MSN Yahoo Blog
 
mowen Profile
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X-TRAIL NEWBIE
 


Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: Melbourne
TOTAL POSTS: 32
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Re: trail baggers!


Rich,
     Tried to stay off the accelerator, trying to use engine braking. Oh for low range!!! i hadn't actually thought of using a bit of gas, but if I get back that way I'll give it a go and let you know.

Marcus.
23/Jun/2004, 1:25 am Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message
 
evilroy Profile
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X-TRAIL NEWBIE
 


Date Registered: 02-2004
TOTAL POSTS: 29
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Re: trail baggers!


Driving through the brakes is useful in an auto. There is a good description or how to do it on the overlander forum. It can and should be practiced prior to use - it requires some careful co-ordination and understanding of the vehicle.
23/Jun/2004, 12:21 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message
 
onetonnesam Profile
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Date Registered: 05-2004
Location: Redfern, Sydney
TOTAL POSTS: 70
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Re: trail baggers!


Hey guys,

I've been MIA for quite sometime (after the shame of never being able to make those EARLY meetups for Nowra AND the Watagans).

Saw the trip planned to Stockton! Alas, I'll be heading down to Tassie on 19/03, and driving around in a Winnebago for 11 days, so at least this time I have an excuse for not tagging along.

I've had a 75 hour working week this week! Only had Saturday (which was yesterday, just got home as I got to spend all day in the office today!) to spend some quality time with the missus so I made her come along on the Blue Mountains trek (#6) from the Boiling Billy book. Didn't complete it, we had to bail out just before Mt Wering where the turnoff to Oberon is.

This was because although we had planned to get out of bed at 7 am and leave by 8 am so we could complete the trek and drive back as the sun went down, we did not actually get out of the door until around 10 am (detouring by Hong Ha bakery in Mascot for one of their chicken rolls, hitting the M4 at Homebush at about 11).

What an awesome drive (for the parts we did) BUT getting out at the Kowmung River crossing was a real bugger. I got the missus to wind down the passenger side window (I remembered the instructions re: water crossings from a AWD course) so we could make an emergency exit if necessary. Cool. Except when getting in to the river (depth was over wheel height) the splashing gave my missus a nice shower, she was not impressed.

On the exit from the crossing, the rock was very slippery and quite rutted and I had a real bugger of a time trying to get out. Spent a good 15 minutes trying to climb up on left hand side where I thought I could get more traction. Luckily a young bloke who was camping at Dingo Dell just happened to rock up and after watching us struggle for a bit, waded across the river and gave me a bit of a hand guiding the car up as far to the left hand side as possible. Finally made it up with the engine revving its guts out and the smell of burning clutch in the otherwise pristine mountain air. Mate, if by some chance you happen to be reading this, we hope Dingo Dell was good and many thanks! There was also a trail biker sitting on the river bank having a cigarette break, he must have been laughing his a$$ off.

Anyway, who else has done this trek and did you have a hell of a time getting up the river (or was it just me....)? Does anyone have an ST with non-factory tyres that are more geared to rugged terrain? Would this make a difference or am I going to end up looking like someone who should have bought a Patrol?

After that there were some funky climbs up to Morong Falls and this took us out to some flatter gravel roads until we got to the Oberon turnoff where we decided that because we started too late, we should head back home.

It was a great drive otherwise! Wouldn't try it in the Xtrail in the wet though!

Anyone interested in doing this trek in the near future? At the river crossing, you can cross first. But I'll bring straps emoticon. Anyone recommend a good brand?

P.S. Sorry for the epic.

Last edited by onetonnesam, 13/Feb/2005, 11:18 pm
13/Feb/2005, 9:52 pm Link to this post Send Email PM   Send Private Message
 


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