Moonambel Muster, Pyrenees Victoria, 8-11 June 2018
While some folk travel to Queensland or the Northern Territory chasing the warm weather, the six of us decided to head to a much cooler climate to experience the fresh cool air of Moonambel! And cold it was…
On Friday 8 June Trevor & Barb, Harry & Pam, & Greg (trip leader) & Maria met at 7.30am for an 8am start at the Shell Service Station, Tailem Bend. Our first stop was Bordertown for a much-needed “Trevor’s” bakery stop. We then fuelled up at Dimboola and stopped at a Reserve in the town to have lunch. We were back on the road in no time and arrived at our destination at around 4pm.
Elaine & Peter and Gary & Judy had made their own way there and welcomed us when we arrived, as did the Moonambel Crew. Once set up and had dinner sorted we headed to communal campfires to relax and enjoy a bit of chatter and a wine or two.
Saturday morning, 9 June, was quite foggy, but this didn’t stop anyone from choosing the many 4wd options available. Gary went out on a medium trip, whilst Judy stayed back at camp. Harry & Pam were going to do their own exploring for the day and the rest of us opted to do an easy to moderate trip. The first ½ hour of the trip was somewhat scary (Elaine and I nearly had to go back to camp for another pair of undies). With that eventful moment done and dusted, the rest of the day turned out to be a very pleasant experience. The scenery, which was covered with a mist of fog, gave the impression of being in the middle of some enchanted forest.
The Pyrenees region is absolutely stunning and for those that love 4 x 4 driving, this place is a must!
Saturday night the Overland 4WD gang welcomed Stephen, Valerie and their grand son Jacob (who had arrived earlier in the day) and shared a few stories around the campfire while we dug in and enjoyed our baked potatoes for dinner, at the very cheap price of $5.00 per serve. This was then followed by musical entertainment.
Sunday morning was a tad chilly to say the least. Pancakes were on offer for breakfast for a gold coin donation and then we were all off again for another tour of this picturesque place. We opted for a moderate trip and by 10.30am we were off. The day went so fast it seemed to be over before it started. It was relaxed, interesting and just a little bit adventurous, which suited us fine. Sunday night was the Monster Raffle with so many amazing prizes. Only one club member actually won a prize and that was Judy. Congrats Judy!
Monday was time to go. Trevor, Barb, Steve & Val where staying for another night whilst the rest of us packed up and left mid morning, Monday.
It was a pleasant weekend and the place catered for all types of 4Wdrivers. 2019 should will be just as awesome; so pencil it in your diary for the next June long weekend. Camping is on the Moonambel Reserve, which has toilet and shower facilities. There are also a limited number of powered sites with some restrictions on power consumption and are available first in best dressed, otherwise there are unlimited non-powered sites available. Costs for the weekend this year was $30 per night powered and $15 per night for unpowered. Included in the cost is access to the toilet and showers and firewood for the shared campfire.
The Geelong 4WD Club organise and deliver this action packed weekend and as far as I am aware, the Overland 4WD Club are the only Club that have been invited to join them each year. Nothing like forward planning – so think about coming along next year for a great weekend away where you can do as little or as much driving as you like with a great bunch of like minded people.
All the best folks, Maria!
