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LOADED4X4.COM.AU
DESTINATIONS: HIGH COUNTRY
Day 1: Bright to Blue Rag
The adventure kicked off in beautiful Bright, the gateway to
Mt Hotham and like many of these Victorian alpine region towns,
it’s one of those picture postcard perfect kind of places. Lunch
was followed by a short drivers’ briefing, and then we pointed
the noses of around 14 Isuzu 4WDs towards Mt Hotham. The
sealed road up Mt Hotham is a never-ending series of curves and
switchbacks, with the kind of steep drop-offs you’d expect to find
on a serious mountain. It’s deer country as well, so keep your
eyes peeled for those elusive Sambar. There are millions of them
in them there hills apparently.
The road straightens out a little as you near the summit, and
we pulled into a lookout area that provided million-dollar views
back over the northern side of the mountain.
Soon after leaving the lookout, we were onto the dirt for the
first time, as we headed south towards Blue Rag Range Track.
We stopped briefly to air down to 20psi before turning up what is
arguably the best-known track in the High Country. Blue Rag isn’t
difficult for the experienced off-roader, but there are some tricky
sections that can get the blood pumping and the climb to the Trig
Point lookout can be unnerving for the first timer; 1700m dropoffs
on either side of the track can have that effect!
The Blue Rag Trig Point. Click on
images to the left to see the climb to
Blue Rag and the view.