CareFlight 4WD Venture – Saturday 28 February to Monday 2 March, 2009
Well, what a weekend! The February Venture truly lived up to the Venture reputation of being a fantastic family weekend.
It all started at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, on Saturday afternoon. After getting the cars all stickered up and a briefing, we headed off to the Tianjara falls via some relatively easy 4WD tracks. Once the cars were liberally mud-spattered we could proceed on the bitumen without feeling embarrassed about displaying 4WD Venture stickers on pristine cars!
The Tianjara Fire Trail was next, and despite being closed for some days due to wet weather, the track was in relatively good condition. Only one vehicle had to be recovered from a 2ft deep puddle. Crossing over Devils Pinch with its 200m drop on each side was not as difficult as people had anticipated, and there was general amazement at some of the rock formations nearby.
After passing the old airstrip, we arrived at Porters Creek Dam. The dam is an interesting feature - you don’t expect a dam so high up on top of the mountains.
We then weaved our way through the forest to the George Boyd lookout. The weather was spectacular and we could see for miles. This brief stop was the last before we headed down the mountains into Sussex Inlet.
Just out of town we were met by a trio of grass-skirted local lads, and were each given a tropical flower lei, fruit punch and a pair of sunglasses. Drivers and passengers really got into the mode and it was just a taste of things to come in the beachside community of Sussex Inlet.
Saturday night dinner was well attended by both Venture participants and locals. Great food and live music added to the very buoyant atmosphere. After a quick CareFlight presentation, raffles and auctions raised some money for the organisation.
Lawn bowls was on the agenda after breakfast on Sunday, and despite skill levels being a little on the light side, much fun was had by all.
All 25 vehicles then lined up for the big parade through the streets of Sussex Inlet. Hundreds of people gathered to cheer on local emergency services, vintage cars, motorcycles and local community groups. The Venture troupe, with all the crazy hats and muddy cars, fitted in comfortably! The subsequent street fair was also a treat, and when the CareFlight helicopter landed at the end of the main street, the crowds gave a round of applause.
The group then headed down to Mogo via the Clyde River and Nellingen. The recent rain had made this normally well maintained dirt road a slippery challenge. After a visit to Nellingen Pub, the cars once again headed into the forest, only to be met at the Runnyford bridge by an RBT (Random Brain Test) road block. There was an option to buy answers to Sale of The Century style questions, so needless to say a fair bit of money was raised at this stop.
Mogo Zoo put on a great dinner for us and the animals came out to show off. The behind-the-scenes tours were fantastic - having such a great place all to ourselves was a highlight. A big thank you to the management, volunteers and staff who stayed back voluntarily to show us around.
After the breakfast awards at the awesome accommodation in Batemans Bay, we headed up the Kings Highway and through some forestry trails before venturing up into the mountains once again. The first hard route was closed off as it had become too wet and dangerous. Further up the road, Car 10 (Ian Badham) took a liking to some of the trees on the side of the road which caused a flurry of excitement.
From the highest lookout point on the Venture, the group split into three before meeting up for lunch. The lead vehicle took a group on the easy trail, while some for the more game drivers took the harder tail. A third group spent about two hours recovering Car 10 from the side of the road. The Pajero, which was undamaged, continued to drive the rest of the course.
Lunch at Yadboro Camping ground signified the end of this amazing event. And even in the rain the smiles on the faces of the participants showed how much fun the Venture had been. Don’t miss the next one!
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