Charlie Morelands Weekend

9-10 October 2004

Attending:
Ipswich Bundaberg
Glenn & Kaye Taylor Prado Brad Praed Patrol GU
Brett & Melissa Lynch Patrol GQ Keith & Wendy Land Cruiser
Lee & Tracy Harris Jeep Rob 4 Runner
John & Joyce Patrol GU Sean Prado
Neil & Desley Middleton Patrol GU Lenny Land Cruiser
Bruce & Emma Pajero

Once again we attended the combined Ipswich/Bundaberg weekend. This is an annual event with clubs hosting on alternate years. This year Ipswich was the host and Brett Lynch was trip leader.

A total of 11 couples (5 from Ipswich and 6 from Bundaberg) plus children wasn’t a bad roll up as it was a manageable group and stayed within the numbers for the permit.

Kaye and I left early on Saturday morning and arrived about 9:30 only to find out that everyone else had arrived on Friday. This left me with the task of submitting the trip report as apparently the last to arrive is given this onerous duty. This means you are stuck with my limited skills as an author. Arriving late means that I can’t report on the happenings from Friday night. This may be a good thing, as I believe the last night owls went to bed around midnight. I’ll leave this to your imagination.

So, we arrived just in time to set up and head out on the first trip. We all headed out to find some hills to play on. Brett had completed a rece about 4 weeks before and everything was green and some of the creek crossings were running. Now the creeks were dry (just a few puddles here and there) and a lot of the area was black and smouldering. There must have been a fire through in the last couple of days.

We went up a hill, which seemed to go on forever and was quite a good drive. The Bundy club had a couple of new members and this was a good start for them. Quite a few trees and branches were down as we found out when some branches had fallen across the road and brought vines and creepers down with them. Out came a hatchet and a bush saw and with some willing helpers it was cleared.

Walking further up the track we came across a large tree, which would take a bit more than a bush saw to clear. John Reese had a try at it anyway. After removing a few branches from the end, Brett attached a towrope and pulled it around far enough for cars to squeeze past it. That new Patrol of his will do anything. When the tree moved, it stirred up the embers around the tree and flames started up again. Several amateur fire-fighters in the group soon had it under control. Unfortunately Brett surveyed the track up further and reported an even larger tree up ahead so we turned around and headed back.

After a late lunch, those who hadn’t voted headed into Kenilworth to exercise their democratic right. Most of the Bundy people had apparently made other arrangements as they headed down to the creek for a swim. The kids certainly enjoyed it.

After this we were off to try the same hills again but on a more direct, and challenging route. One hill wasn’t particularly difficult but because the area is so dry, the loose dirt made for slippery going for some vehicles, especially those at the end, although some of us at the front had several goes at it as well.

Back at camp it was time for happy hour, tea and a few quiet drinks around the campfire. I was surprised that we could have a fire with all the dry bush around, but wood was supplied and no restrictions were in place. We were having a quiet time around the campfire later on when there was a ‘thump’ beside one of the chairs, which sounded like a coconut falling. We were pretty sure there were no palm trees nearby so we turned on a torch have a look only to see a possum stagger off into the darkness. It must have been 40 foot up the tree to the first branch. Must make them pretty tough at Charlie Morelands.

After breakfast the next morning we were away at 9:00 to look at more hills before lunch and packing up. Some of the tracks near the top had been recently graded; I don’t know what these rangers are thinking. There were enough tracks left to provide a challenge though. Brett started up one hill near the top, which he had driven on the rece without any trouble. Someone had dug a hole part way up recently which was just enough to stop a steady climb. Brett tried and failed, tried and failed and then put it in second gear, low range and gave it a bit of momentum which did the trick. Now that the technique had been sussed, most who tried managed to succeed although some had four wheels off the ground at times.

As I was the elder Ipswich rep (Neil was relaxing back at camp), I thought it best to leave this hill to the young guns. A couple of the Bundy blokes thought the same. Diff locks were a definite advantage on this hill. Lee managed to make it in the Jeep but will be buying flowers and chocolates on the home front for a while. We were to drive up to the fire tower for smoko but the gates were closed so we had a cuppa at the gates. We were 547 metres above sea level. The campsite is about 110.

Back to camp for lunch and people were packing up to leave. Camper trailers seem to be popular with the Bundy group. We shared the camp with several goannas over the weekend. This was a most enjoyable weekend. No damage to vehicles and no straps required. The Bundy club will host next year’s event, which will probably be in the Rainbow Beach area.

The Bundy group headed off after lunch and the Ipswich group soon after. Brett led our group through Jimna but I had an RDO on Monday so Kaye and I stayed on in the honeymoon suite overnight. We travelled back on Monday afternoon through Woodford and Sommerset Dam. Everywhere you look in this area is tinder dry and it’s no wonder fires are breaking out regularly.

Thanks to Brett and all who came along for a great weekend.

Glenn Taylor