b'Mike Dower atop Mt Wellingtoncooked on coals from the warming campfire. We satWe were committed to returning home via and chatted with the sound of the gurgling MorokaHeyfield but there is an alternative from Mount River as background music.Wellington, Horseyard Flat or the Pinnacles. After a good nights sleep, in my case only brokenMarathon Road is a direct route from Moroka Road by a large deer grazing outside my tent, we brewedto Briagolong from where it is an easy run through coffee and ate breakfast. We had been the onlyto Stratford and the Princes Highway. Marathon people camped at Horseyard Flat. Flame robinsRoad has recently been worked on and is a scenic hopped around our campsite and hundreds ofroute out of the mountains. It is best travelled in dry small black insects came to visit at night if you usedweather and, like Mount Wellington, is subject to a white light. By the time this is published, workseasonal closure.should have been completed improving the drainageThere are some hidden gems in the area like and surface of the access tracks to the variousthe walk to the top of Castle Hill. The carpark area campsites.has just been cleared and work is progressing on Retracing our route, we made a short detourmaking the walking track more open. Moroka Hut is to look at the work being undertaken on Howittan easy walk from a small carpark on Moroka Road. Road. The surface and drainage are being improvedFor those wanting a longer, more spectacular walk, with numerous loads of gravel, graded and rolled.Moroka Gorge with its waterfalls is well worth the A helicopter, 333 helitac, had just landed at Snowyeffort. The trail head is at Horseyard Flat.Plains Airstrip after dropping a rappel crew intoThank you to Mike Dower for inviting me along inaccessible country to the East of Snowy Plains inon his inspection trip. It is impressive to see the the Snowy Darling Wilderness Area. Crews had beenamount of work that land managers, Parks Victoria working on containing a lightning strike for severaland DEECA and their expert contractors are doing to days. Theres always something happening in theimprove visitor access and experiences in the high alps.country.16 TRACKWATCH|March 2023'