What took me so long? I’ve been a member of MJOC for 5 years now and I've seriously been missing out on some wonderful friendships and fun by not attending any musters till now!
This year is the 25th Anniversary event and Oh boy! did our club put on a muster to be remembered! We arrived Thursday late afternoon to find many camp sites already set up with caravans, camper trailers, tents and swags. There were Jeeps of all makes and models scattered around the Alexandra Pony club and the smiling faces of the muster committee who had been working tirelessly to organise and set-up were there at the registration tent to greet us and give us our Jeep showbag full of goodies. We were directed to the camping area and while setting up, we met and chatted to other members who were camped around us.
Friday evenings social event was a relaxing night around the open fire, enjoying a few drinks and getting to know each other better, but it wasn’t a late one as we were all keen to enjoy a full day out on the tracks the very next day on one of the many club trips that had been planned.
After a cosy night curled up in the swag, it was an early rise to meet up with the rest of the crew who had signed up on the Easter Friday High Country Hut Trip with our trip leader Fletch. It wasn’t long before 10 Jeeps were on their way to Mansfield and after a short stop to refuel and grab morning tea we hit the dusty dirt roads on the way to Sheepyard Flat.
Our first stop was at the historic Frys Hut which not surprisingly was surrounded by tents and caravans. This is a very popular destination for campers, horse riders and fourwheeldrivers during the Easter holidays. The trip continued along the dry dusty tracks all the way up to Bluff Hut where after a short stop we made our way down the newly graded roller coaster of a track named 16 Mile Jeep Track to Bindaree Hut beside the Howqua River. From here we cruised on up to the bottom of Monument Track where we all dropped back into 4 low and climbed our way to the top of Mt Stirling into snow gum territory and around to Craigs Hut. The views of the mountains around Craigs hut always take your breath away and we all enjoyed a wander around the hut and took our time taking plenty of photos.
All to soon it was time to head back down the mountain, air up and get back to Alexander for the nights activities with the rest of the club.
Easter Saturday was another gorgeous sunny morning with a little bit of frost in the air. It started with early morning hot showers over at the brand new forty club rooms and then a yummy breakfast cooked by the Alexandra Showgrounds Ladies Committee. It wasn’t long before Jeeps were making their way over to the muster area for the days trips, all lining up behind their trip leaders for the day ready to head out on the [EASY/MEDIUM or DIFFICULT] trip that they booked into.
The crew I was heading out today with was heading into the Rubicon area to see some more high country huts, this time our trip leader was Rob Sharp. The huts we are going to visit today are both looked after by our own club and the tracks between them are quite steep. Our first stop for the day was at the old but still active Rubicon Hydro Power Station where we aired down surrounded once again by people camping in this historical area. We hadn’t even travelled 5mins down the dusty trail and we were once again alone in the high country, climbing No6 Track, Royston Range Track and Heaps Track, all tracks that our club had recently helped Four Wheel Drive Victoria and DEWLP to clear. The Rubicon Forest with its big old timber trees and stunning scenery is breathtaking. We wound our way up to Morris Lookout for morning tea while where we enjoyed some of the most spectacular views. 15Mile Hut was our next stop and after a little hut maintenance and some lunch it was back in our Jeeps and climbing back up to the top of the mountain range and tackling a couple of precariously steep and difficult Double Black Diamond tracks on our way to Ryans Spur Hut. The Old Reefton Logging Road was a bit dodgy in some sections with each of us slowly taking the decent in our stride, calling down the next vehicle when we each reached the bottom. The dust on the tracks today was so heavy and thick, that you couldn’t see the vehicle in front or behind you, so communication between us all was paramount. I never thought I would be so grateful to get back out on the blacktop so that I could see again, the air was clean, there were trees and ferns and sky AND NO DUST hahaha! When I left Alexandra this morning, I had a black Jeep, now I am returning in a white one, inside and out!
Waiting back at Muster for us all as we returned from our trips was a delicious sit down roast carvery meal put on by the Melbourne Jeep Owners Club, a few thank yous and presentations, a huge raffle draw and another night together around a beaut fire surrounded by a big circle of hay bales. The Alexandra Pony Club was a fantastic venue for our 25th Anniversary Muster, we also enjoyed the company of some representatives from Jeep Australia and the CEO of Four Wheel Drive Victoria.
Standing beside my Jeep and soaking up the glorious Sunday morning sunshine, we could hear the laughter of some of our fellow Jeep owners kids as they participated in the big Easter Egg Hunt in the field beside us. Easter Sundays Mud n Grime followed another wonderfully cooked and served bacon and egg breakfast. I was surrounded by Jeeps and their owners all smiling and chatting, comparing Jeep mods & accessories... and just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better.... They announced the winners of the Show n Grime competition and I won the Muddiest Jeep at the muster! HA HA Happy Dance!
A spontentanious decision then placed me in the passenger seat of Denise’s Jeep wrangler “GYPSY” on a difficult trip into the Toolangi Forest with trip leader Glen Tunny. It wasn’t long before we were all airing down up on top of Mt Gordon at the fire tower lookout and then the adrenalin rush kicked in as we drove off the edge of the mountain and descended slow and steady, crawling down the dry waterfall of rock steps one jeep at a time under the instruction of our trusted trip leader. I was in good hands beside the very experienced Denise as each Jeep just took this steep decent in its stride, the Jeeps were made to rock crawl and they made it look and feel easy. Every track and trail after this, even the steep, slippery and muddy ones could not compare to what I had just experienced. Because I was passenger with a camera, I swapped between vehicles from trip leader to tail end Charlie, taking pics and videos of all the vehicles tackling each obstacle. A huge thanks to a great group of experienced jeepers whom I am proud to call my friends. This is a great club, the friendship, support, training and encouragement you receive from seasoned Jeepers is invaluable. A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise the muster, run trips and participate in this memorable event. I already know I’m not going to miss the next one!