Our latest High Country jaunt started in the small historic township of Woods Point.
It’s pretty hard to believe today, going by its small rustic size, but within three years of it being established in 1862 by Henry Wood, who set up a store here to service the workers and their families at the nearby Morning Star gold mine, the town had 36 hotels! Today, it rates just that many permanent residents.
With us was Michael Ellem in his well-set-up 79 Cruiser, and also along for the ride was Michael’s Sandy 60 and Alan Johnson’s mighty little Suzuki. While Editor Matt drove the Suzi.
Our route took us from Woods Point to nearby Comet Flat, and we splashed across a couple of shallow creek crossings to get there. Located on the upper reaches of the Goulburn River, Comet Flat is one of a number of popular campsites located along the Goulburn and nearby Jamieson Rivers.
This wide area of State Forest is included in the Upper Goulburn Historic Area and sits between the eastern edge of the Eildon National Park and the south-western edge of the vast Alpine National Park.
The landscape of the Upper Goulburn River, with its ranges, deep gullies and thick forest, would have been bloody difficult to traverse back in the early days of European settlement.
However, when gold was discovered at Gaffneys Creek in 1859, the early pioneers overcame the challenges and began to open up the Upper Goulburn Valley through the persistent search for gold. Their legacy is still evident today and is most easily seen in the towns and old mine sites that dot the area, of which Woods Point is just one.
Others include Matlock, which is now just a barren ridge and hilltop with only a few relics of its gold-mining past that in 1865 supported seven hotels, seven stores and two banks. A bushfire in 1873 almost destroyed the town, forcing residents to resettle at a new site; the cemetery still bears silent testimony to its great beginnings.
Heading north from Woods Point is the A1 Mining settlement, the site of the A1 Gold Mine which began operations in 1861 and, along with the Morning Star in Woods Point, produced almost 60 per cent of Victoria’s total gold output from the 1950s to the late 1970s.
This unique settlement in the narrow Raspberry Creek valley retains much of its original mining characteristics. Farther north again is Gaffneys Creek, which is the site of the first gold discovery on the Jamieson-Walhalla goldfields in 1859.
As you head towards the famous bush pub at Kevington, you’ll pass not only a few old gold-mining town sites but also some delightful flats ideal for throwing down the swag or setting up the camper.
At Tunnel Bend Reserve you will find a water diversion tunnel that was dug in 1866 to allow alluvial mining of the river bed, which just goes to show the effort these early miners went to in their quest for gold and riches.
Just south of Tunnel Bend, close to the historic old town of Knockwood, we turned on to the Moonlight Spur Track for the steep rough climb to the top of the ridge, where we turned on to the Mt Terrible Track which takes you to the crest of this 1260m peak.
This is just one of the many steep and challenging tracks that cut through this rugged region of verdant valleys and steep ridges, climbing to high points that give wonderful views over seemingly virgin country – little touched by man. For most of these steep tracks, low range and high ground clearance is a necessity, while lockers front and rear ease the load on both vehicle and driver.
The 60 Series Cruiser was in its element here, with Alan stating, “The power and torque from the V8 was mind blowing, just like a tractor the torque at 600 revs being phenomenal!” He continued, “But you can feel the weight of that big engine up the front, but nothing stops it. On the highway the Sandy 60’s performance is okay although nothing startling, but once off-road it really comes in to its own. It’s a fantastic conversion with lots of mod cons and it looks great!”
On the crest of Mt Terrible with its not-so-terrible 360-degree view, is a hut and a steel fire tower. The fire tower, manned each and every fire season, was constructed in 1962 and stands around 22 metres above the ground. The hut was originally built around the same time to provide accommodation for the fire spotter, but this hut was burnt down in 2012.
The hut was rebuilt in 2016 with the help of DELWP and the Victorian High Country Huts Association, which has done, and are still doing, some fabulous work through the Victorian Alps, restoring and rebuilding historic huts damaged or destroyed by fire – it seems to be a never-ending job!
In the winter months the crest of the mount often gets snow, so if you’re heading that way in winter be prepared and enjoy driving in the cold and wet stuff, building a snowman or enjoying some tobogganing.
There wasn’t any snow when we were there, and once we had admired the view and dropped off the high ground, we continued on the Mt Terrible Track which ends at the more major Eildon-Jamieson Road.
That evening we threw down our swags at Granny Flat, just east of the largest township in the area, Jamieson. The flat here is a large well-maintained grassy area beside the delightful flowing waters of the Jamieson River. The site provides a few basic facilities and is a popular base for those exploring the surrounding area.
We love it and you can understand why the whole Upper Goulburn Valley is so popular when it has so many great camping spots, fabulous 4WD tracks and lovely waterways to fish and swim in. All so close to Melbourne that it becomes ideal for a weekend camping trip or even a single day jaunt.
Five things to see and do
01: UPPER GOULBURN HISTORIC AREA
The Upper Goulburn Valley is an attractive and rugged area of the High Country with a significant gold-mining heritage. Explore history and nature at Woods Point, Gaffneys Creek, Kevington and Jamieson, and the township sites of Matlock, Knockwood and Ten Mile.
02: WOODS POINT
This one-time Victorian Gold Rush hotspot is a popular tourist destination, particularly for off-roaders and summer campers. Tucked away among the towering gums of the High Country on the headwaters of the Goulburn River, Woods Point offers accommodation at the Commercial Hotel, and camping at Comet Flat.
03: A1 MINING SETTLEMENT
This unique settlement and prolific provider of the golden stuff back in the day, is situated in the narrow Raspberry Creek valley on the Mansfield-Woods Point Road and retains much of its original mining characteristics.
04: MT TERRIBLE TRACK
For adventurous off-road touring there are plenty of challenging mountainous tracks to explore, including the Mt Terrible Track with its brilliant 360-degree summit views of the surrounding valleys and ridges.
05: GRANNY FLAT
East of Jamieson is the 4WD-accessible Granny Flat free campsite, featuring a well-maintained creek-side grass area with picnic tables, fire pits and drop toilets. Pet-friendly Granny Flat makes an ideal base for 4WD and dirt bike exploring.
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