Originally Posted by
MudRunnerTD
Good Vid mate. There are a couple of those tracks you simply would not even look at after a sprinkle. Cowley Link can get very very tough fast. Curtis in one of the harder tracks in the Otways for "On Map" stuff. About 10 years ago i got to the gate at the top of Curtis track as the sky opened and dumped a big rain. i noted that there was some fresh tracks heading in. The tyre tracks where muddies and there was a couple of sets. I was in my GQ with 35 Simexs and twin lockers and Himount. I was meeting someone at that gate with the intension of doing the track. When they arrive late after winching for a couple of hours they had no interest in heading into Curtis in the rain. It was Belting Down. Not rain, hard core wet.!!
We had an chat at the gate and i pointed out the fresh tracks and suggested that whoever that was was in trouble, they where never going to get out the other side with the tyres they were running so we headed in on what i expected to be a recovery mission. I had my wife and 3yo son in my GQ and headed in with 2 other cars.
When we got to the bottom we crossed the river and started heading out. about the second bog hole was where we found the first car. The bloke was on a Tifir going for his life. . I said G'day and we had a chat. he ask what i was doing there and i told him i came to get him cause i knew he was in trouble. Turns out there where 3 cars, all young blokes in utes. driving the straightest route on the map to Wye River.....
Did i mention it was Pouring with Rain!!
So i drove around all 3 cars and poked my head up the steep side. I hooked the lead car on and had a go at dragging him out the steep side but it gets bloody steep over the tree roots near the top and my balls where not big enough to commit my car and him hanging off the back with my young fella in the back. We lowered him back down and turned him around. We turned all of them around and started heading them out the other way.
We got them back over the river and had a go at dragging one but had to make a call. I was the best set up car. i had 2 other mates in lesser cars with me and my family in the car. By now we had had no less than 30mm of rain while on the track. it was Belting down and i was concerned about getting Any cars out. we made the call to abandon the 3 cars of the group and take the people out in the 3 cars in my group. I tied the other 2 cars to my car in a congo line and everyone bailed in. we dragged out of the bottom of Curtis in the Pouring Rain and headed to Gellibrand. Curtis got 120mm of rain that day....... It took 5 days to recover the cars. We headed back the following day and walked in to make sure the cars had not been washed away! I will never forget that day. Rain changes everything in the Otway Dirt/Mud. If its Wet forget it, it will end in tears.