Corowa 2004
The Mountain Run Home
Corowa 2004 started off with a bang or should I say “FLUFF,FLUFF, FLUFF. That’s the sound Rob Farmers Chev Blizt’s was making as we pulled to a halt on the side of the Hume highway only 40km from Yass, our takeoff point. A quick inspection and crank saw no life in the old girl so I jumped back in the Landrover and sped off after Ashley and the Tow Hitch.
About 10 km further down the road Ashley heard me calling him to a halt on the UHF but could not answer back as he owns a one way UHF transceiver, still it was better than chasing all the way to Gundagai.
Back at Robs Chev all sorts of covers were removed and cranking still produced a lovely Fluffing back through the carburetor. A new carburater base gasket was cut from a biscuit box but to no avail, air was still Fluffing out of the carburetor. The next cover off was the rocker top and our problem was immediately evident, no valve gear was moving, a busted timing gear.
Ashley proudly produced his new tow hitch built to ride across the back of a Blitz tray in carved timber blocks. This is a real work of art, a telescopic delight, it even has red paint applied to the inner tube to show maximum allowable extension in the “Tow Position”. Five minutes latter Rob was on his way home firmly tucked in on the tow hitch behind Ashley’s Chev. I was left with some extra baggage and Emma Hedges for company who had formally been riding with Ashley, and a few parting words from the boys see ya Friday at Corowa.
Emma, sooner rather than latter informed me that a Chev Blitz is much more comfortable than a 109 Forward Control Landrover, I really think she has a “thing” for Ashley’s Chev. The Landrover chewed up the miles and the fuel at a steady 50 mph we were soon at Holbrook, stone deaf, and starved. Emma pointed out her favorite bakery and after a good feed I had to agree they did do a good dogs eye. We made Corowa at 3pm and booked into the camp ground. My wife Rowena and son Flynn arrived at the same time having left four hours after us and traveled a 100km further from home at Carwoola.
Soon we had our tent up and the first drifters stopped in for a chat and to look at what we had brought down. At about 8pm we had a call from Rob and Ashley, they were nearly into Corowa, Max Hedges had lent Rob “Tickets” a two wheel drive Chev, Max was with them in the Ford Blitz.
Tales were soon told and before long we had settled into meeting people and talking Old Twuks. Corowa went along and we attended the formal events and chin wagged for the next three days. Sunday is the wind up day for Corowa and our departure day for the mountain trip home. The Yass crowd had been planning to take a scenic route home that I suggested through the Victorian Alps for a couple of months. I had hoped to get away about 10 am but a 12 noon people were still saying farewells and packing away gear. At twelve we looked ready to go when Ashley turned to Rob and said you have got the food? Rob’s reply Na!, Max pipes in spose we better go to the shop then. I went to the servo filled up waited, at about one pm we were off.
We set off to Beachworth, Ashley in front, were we pulled over at a bakery, turns out Ashley has a thing for bakeries just like Emma. Then onto Myrtleford, Bright and Mount Beauty this is were we hit the dirt taking mountain creek road up towards Mount Bogong Australia’s second highest peak at just under 2000 metres. We turned onto Trappers Track and began to climb.
Trappers track is a steep climb for about 800m straight up a spur of Mount Bogong, The Landrover was in first low range as it crested the first woyboy (a drainage ditch across the track with steep sides scooped out by a dozer) my wife was following close behind in her Pajero. When we reached the top we jumped out to snap some photos of the Blitz’s climbing the spur. But the late afternoon bush was quiet there was no growl of engines struggling up the spur. I reached for the UHF
“Hey Rob were are you ?”
“Stuck” came the reply
“Were?”
“The first woyboy” replied Rob.
Leading the trip I had dreaded the fact that we had a two wheel drive going along on these steep mountain trails. Max had assured me that “Tickets” the Chev would have no problems going were a 4 WD Blitz could go. As I grabbed a snatch strap and began backing the Pajero down the spur I was thinking to myself “well the trip home is over on the first hill”.
To Be Continued
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