b'CLUB SPOTLIGHTacross a 25 slope section of the track. The tree wasand turned around. above our pay scale to clear, the root ball perchedWe drove back through the towering forests, tree precariously on the edge of the embankment and theferns and flowering Waratahs that make Errinundra trunk well above shoulder height. It was dangeroussuch a special place.and the decision was made there and then by ParksIt was a weekend of challenging weather Victoria to close that section of the Deddick Trailconditions and huge trees, but it did not deter us. until the tree and the track surface could be madeIm already looking forward to next year.safe by professional contractors.By Mark BownRange Rover Club of VictoriaThe forecast was for weather to set in towards the end of the day and the forecast was accurate. WeThis weekend was a joint meeting of the Range arrived back at camp to increasing rain and windRover Club, the Land Rover Club, and the Pajero Club and we battened down the hatches for the night. Itto join Parks Victoria in Far East Gippsland to open was a night of deafening torrential rain and windsome of the seasonally closed tracks in preparation and when we stuck our heads out of the tent thefor the opening on Melbourne Cup weekend in two following morning we were surrounded by a lake ofweeks time. The weather wasnt predicted to be as water. good as it might have been.We all arrived at the Bendoc Parks Victoria We met in Bendoc at the pub on Friday evening- office on Saturday morning meeting up with the 4the staff had apparently been expecting four people Parks Victoria Rangers and main volunteer group,for dinner, we were closer to forty. The dealt with again expecting a significant change of brief withthe situation splendidly! The Chicken Parma is the conditions the way they were. Sure enough thesomething to behold! Most of us camped at Wilsons original plans to clear multiple tracks through theHut a few km away. The night was a bit aquatic with Snowy River and Alpine National Parks had to beabout 60mm of rain falling.abandoned. Instead we divided into 4 groups to all We met at the Depot on Saturday morning at clear various sections of Errinundra National Park.8:30 - the plans had to be revised to accommodate The tracks in Errinundra are a lot easier but thethe track conditions- we divided into four groups trees are no smaller. Well OK, they are a lot BIGGER. and headed for the more level tracks in Errinundra. The weather gradually improved through theWe managed to find useful things to do, opening morning from driving rain to incessant drizzleup a few tracks clearing a number of trees from the but the teams all worked together to do sometracks in the mist and light rain. amazing work. My team worked our way southSaturday evening saw us all assembled at the down Hensleigh Creek Rd and past the picturesqueBendoc Hall for a BBQ put on by Parks Victoria. Queensborough Campground before coming upRetired PV Ranger Wing who was the very first against yet another monster tree. It was consideredRanger for track clearing showed up - great to catch unsafe to work on in the conditions so we marked it TRACKWATCH|Summer 2024 17'