Border Track (yep another thread, hopefully different)

Hi All,

Apologies for not posting for a couple of months... kids work blah.

Wasn't sure whether this thread should go into SA or Vic... feel free to move.


Sometime in May we are doing to do the Border Track from Pinnaroo down and across into little desert before coming home. We have 3 days to get down and across. No biggy if we don't do Little Desert but if we are going to the trouble of going to the border track, might as well make the most of our time there.

As per normal, I am organising the trip but have never been over that way so I have no idea, hence I would love some feedback if possible.

So... Question I have -


1st nights accom
Has anyone stayed, eaten or had any experience at the any of the following pubs?:

- Underbool
- Murrayville
- Golden Grain, Pinnaroo

We are planning on meeting and staying the night at one of these before heading off the next morn. Are they good pubs? Do they have bloody cold beer? Is the grub good? Can we chuck a swag out etc?

Have called them all to suss it out and they all seem great but 1st hand experience is always better


Camping

Camping on the way seems to be fairly easily accessible and easy to get to. Does anyone know if we have to get a permit on the SA side? Are there any camp spots better than the others?


Tracks

Off the Border Track itself, are there other tracks that are worth seeing/doing. i.e better, more fun or even just worth the view etc? Is there anything worth seeing along the way?

Anything else that you can add would help immensely and would be greatly appreciated.

Look forward to hearing any thoughts.

Cheers, Dave

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ducer

Hi All,

Apologies for not posting for a couple of months... kids work blah.

Wasn't sure whether this thread should go into SA or Vic... feel free to move.


Sometime in May we are doing to do the Border Track from Pinnaroo down and across into little desert before coming home. We have 3 days to get down and across. No biggy if we don't do Little Desert but if we are going to the trouble of going to the border track, might as well make the most of our time there.

As per normal, I am organising the trip but have never been over that way so I have no idea, hence I would love some feedback if possible.

So... Question I have -


1st nights accom
Has anyone stayed, eaten or had any experience at the any of the following pubs?:

- Underbool
- Murrayville
- Golden Grain, Pinnaroo

We are planning on meeting and staying the night at one of these before heading off the next morn. Are they good pubs? Do they have bloody cold beer? Is the grub good? Can we chuck a swag out etc?

Have called them all to suss it out and they all seem great but 1st hand experience is always better


Camping

Camping on the way seems to be fairly easily accessible and easy to get to. Does anyone know if we have to get a permit on the SA side? Are there any camp spots better than the others?


Tracks

Off the Border Track itself, are there other tracks that are worth seeing/doing. i.e better, more fun or even just worth the view etc? Is there anything worth seeing along the way?

Anything else that you can add would help immensely and would be greatly appreciated.

Look forward to hearing any thoughts.

Cheers, Dave

---

Were do we start... All the pubs have cold beer. And lots of it.. no water, just beer... :p
As you would expect for a town of age and size the pubs are a bit rough but its a roof over the head. Not sure about showers etc, best to ring ahead.
They all have bedding, pinnaroo now has the 2 pubs back open, but can't put my finger on the second ones name..

I'd be staying in pinnaroo as the track is bit east of there.

As for camping, no permits, and if you ask nicely I might be able to get some contacts for some on private land camp spots which are great setups, byo wood though..

And tracks.. well I could spend a month over there and still not do it all. We spent 4 days just in the little desert doing different tracks...

If you want something different once about half way down the track chuck a righty (head west) and cross the boardertown/ pinnaroo highway and head for Keith.. heaps of great trcks and camping spots in threw there. And its totally different. Nice and plush green.
Ill see if I can pick some up on Google tonight for you..

What date are you thinking of heading down the track?



Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Ngarkat conservation park is the one..

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Just thinking about it though, it'll take you 3-4 hours to hit the track from Melbourne, so why not start it and get into it. Camp on the track. Say you get 1/3 along then day 2 can make the little desert and day 3 a few our play before heading home.?
We usually comfortably do it in 2 nights from mount gambier.

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Westy

Were do we start... All the pubs have cold beer. And lots of it.. no water, just beer... :p
As you would expect for a town of age and size the pubs are a bit rough but its a roof over the head. Not sure about showers etc, best to ring ahead.
They all have bedding, pinnaroo now has the 2 pubs back open, but can't put my finger on the second ones name..

I'd be staying in pinnaroo as the track is bit east of there.

As for camping, no permits, and if you ask nicely I might be able to get some contacts for some on private land camp spots which are great setups, byo wood though..

And tracks.. well I could spend a month over there and still not do it all. We spent 4 days just in the little desert doing different tracks...

If you want something different once about half way down the track chuck a righty (head west) and cross the boardertown/ pinnaroo highway and head for Keith.. heaps of great trcks and camping spots in threw there. And its totally different. Nice and plush green.
Ill see if I can pick some up on Google tonight for you..

What date are you thinking of heading down the track?



Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

---

Thanks heaps for your reply Westy!! Greatly appreciated

Hahaha... well, we know what fish do in water! I guess what you describe is exactly all we are after on the first night too.

I just got of the phone to both the Pinnaroo Hotel and the Golden Grain Hotel (I think thats the other one your thinking of) before reading your reply. Pinnaroo pub doesnt have accomm at the moment but the are fixing it up and the Golden Grain has 12 beds plus room for swags (if he mows the lawn in time!).

Slightly off track for a second... I asked Danny (publican) if they had Carlton Draught. His reply in one breath, almost as if he had said it 1000 times to Victorians, went like this "a Schooner is 285ml and a pint is 425ml be specific when ordering draught beer other wise you'll end up with west end and I don't want any arguments after the beers poured"... I like this guy!!

I agree with staying in Pinnaroo too. I guess we were just thinking of making the trip up there a bit shorter from Melbourne town.

Ngarkat like a great idea. Even if we stayed in that one area for the 3 days, it wouldnt bother us. We can always come back and do the rest another time. I guess with all of us being fresh to the area, we dont know what to expect.

Thanks for the offer for contacts Westy. I am meeting with a couple of the boys tomorrow night and see what they want to do and which way we decide heading. If ok and the need be, would you mind if I ask nicely after chatting to them?

We are looking at the last 2 weekends in May but before Labour Day w/end. As always, it all depends on the masses and when they want to go. Pics would be grand if you can be bothered. I guess I'll post some stuff after I get back to.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Westy

Just thinking about it though, it'll take you 3-4 hours to hit the track from Melbourne, so why not start it and get into it. Camp on the track. Say you get 1/3 along then day 2 can make the little desert and day 3 a few our play before heading home.?
We usually comfortably do it in 2 nights from mount gambier.

---

Because we are going up on the Thursday, some of the lads will still have to finish work before they come up... all at different times generally too. As always on our midyear trip, we pick a pub to saty the night and that way people can just role up comfortably... they may just have drinks double parked for a while though :P

That's the pubs, and yes I did see the renos a couple of weeks ago. Going to look pretty smick..

And fair call on the pub meet up. Makes it easy..

Ill hit the father in-law up as he is an ex local and knows all the good little spots like the back of his hand along the track.
Nakart was sorta new to us aswell. Only ventured in there 2 and it was more of a drive threw and the a big loop the second.

Its all pretty easy. A couple of decent sand hills along the track but if my old td42 can do it most can.
No fart ass'n around, straight to 15psi for the track. 25ish psi if you do nakart, as it is a bit rough in some spots.

Every hill has a chicken track, but it may be a few 100 m back down the track.. and they are chicken tracks. They go that far around you loose radio contact.. :p

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Would be great if you could find out the good spots for us. Cheers!!

If your planning on being up that way, let me know.

We are all looking forward to it. Getting together tonight to have a look at the maps etc.

Cheers, Dave

PS - whats a chicken track?? :confused::wink:

If your all in patrols no sweat.. but some of the smaller units might struggle..

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Can't speak for much other than the little desert mate, we drove through there over 4 days and it was great... Just pulling off the track into the scrub a few meters and setting up camp where we were. Although it got bloody cold and that was probably around this time last year aswell, so pack some warm bedding!

Yea it does get cold, that's a given..

And no go on the camp sites mate. Unfortunately the land which had the sweet spots are no longer privately owned by locals. Turns out it was being sold last time we went up there..
There is one spot which is good, we think its still own by a local, but doing some ringing over the weekend.. if we can find the owner of this one ill pm you the details.

But either way, the track is doable in a day. So if you get into it early (maybe hard if you get on with the locals... :beer::beer::beer: ) you should hit little desert north section and have time to set up. Plenty of camping spots, ill see if I can dig up points for a great one there to..

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

I'm heading to the area this weekend and plan on doing border track Sunday on the way home. Will report back

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bmak

I'm heading to the area this weekend and plan on doing border track Sunday on the way home. Will report back

---

You do realise the boarder track is mostly one way, north to south. So you need to start around pinnaroo and head south..

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Yes I know that and considering I live a little south of border track I don't plan on going home in a northerly direction :)

Where are you located?

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

West vic near grampians

Westy, 7 out of 11 cars are Gq or gu's. The others are in Toyota's and can suffer in their jocks and rescue each other. Hahaha.... Nah, just japes. We'll help them out... Yet again!

I think we would find it difficult not to get on with the locals! Always do. I think we will be definitely be having a chat to them at the pub and suss sing a few things out. Spewing the locals have sold the properties up there... Even to simply drop by for a chat.

Thanks for your reply Ed. We are all planning on it being really cold. The hardest part is always getting from the. Fire to the swag :(

After much discussion, we are heading to Pinnaroo on the Thursday night to stay at the golden grain. Up early (in some sort of coherent condition hopefully) and running the track through to red bluff and setting up base camp there for the Friday and Saturday night. That way we can have a good play around in Ngarkat for two days.

We figure it was a bit of a rush trying to do the border track AND little desert in 2 1/2 days so little desert will wait until next year.

I guess we thought that it be best to actually have a good look around one area rather than try to zip in and out of a few. I guess as you mentioned Westy, you could probably spend a while up that way and still not see it all.

I will definitely post once we get back. Not sure when that will be as we are still trying to figure out when we are going :$

Cheers, Dave

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ducer

Westy, 7 out of 11 cars are Gq or gu's. The others are in Toyota's and can suffer in their jocks and rescue each other. Hahaha.... Nah, just japes. We'll help them out... Yet again!

I think we would find it difficult not to get on with the locals! Always do. I think we will be definitely be having a chat to them at the pub and suss sing a few things out. Spewing the locals have sold the properties up there... Even to simply drop by for a chat.

Thanks for your reply Ed. We are all planning on it being really cold. The hardest part is always getting from the. Fire to the swag :(

After much discussion, we are heading to Pinnaroo on the Thursday night to stay at the golden grain. Up early (in some sort of coherent condition hopefully) and running the track through to red bluff and setting up base camp there for the Friday and Saturday night. That way we can have a good play around in Ngarkat for two days.

We figure it was a bit of a rush trying to do the border track AND little desert in 2 1/2 days so little desert will wait until next year.

I guess we thought that it be best to actually have a good look around one area rather than try to zip in and out of a few. I guess as you mentioned Westy, you could probably spend a while up that way and still not see it all.

I will definitely post once we get back. Not sure when that will be as we are still trying to figure out when we are going :$

Cheers, Dave

---

Sounds good. Yea I've been up there 4 times now and yet to do it all..
If the boys wanna play in mud and bog holes the head to little dessert. Ngarkat is more of a touring, exploring park. Some small puddles but nothing a x trail couldn't do. Mind you the x trail followed us right down the track and threw little desert one year.. they took most of the chicken tracks though..

If you wanna add something to the trip there are a few geochaches in ngarkat park, so could be a fun witch hunt style game..

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Track was in pretty good condition but got rough in a few sections.

Had no troubles but it was very dry and deep sand so i took a couple of chicken tracks as we didn't have the time to spend trying.

Didn't expect it to take so long and just made it out before it got too dark so make sure you give it plenty of time Attachment 29242

Attachment 29243

Top effort mate. A full day.. Geeze those yotas must have slowed you down... :p
So what you think of the locals? Any drinking comps..

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories

Plenty of time is what we have on that weekend :P

Where did you enter and leave the track?