Driving to Howitt Plains

[georgina_fra]

Hi all, I’m wanting to drive to Howitt Plains around April next year then just do a couple of day hikes from there. I have a 4WD but minimal experience with any sort of actual off road or ‘difficult’ driving….all my mountain exploring has been done on horse or on foot! What’s the easiest way to get to Howitt Plains? Unsure whether approaching from Mansfield way or from Bairnsdale would be easier. Any advice greatly appreciated thank you!

[Lophophaps]

Georgina, welcome to the forum. The usual way to Howitt Plains is from Gippsland. It is possible to get to Howitt Plains from Mainsfield, but there's a lot of slow 4WD roads with height gained and lost. Find Traralgon and get fuel, the last certain fuel for 2-300 kilometres. Take the backroads from here, starting with the Toongabbie Road on the east side of Traralgon. This is in a long straight strip of light industry, car yards, etc. The map
https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=-38 ... +Satellite
shows the way. It's a bit winding in many places.

Waypoint 1 - Licola, has a shop, but continue on the other side of the river.
Starting about 10 kilometres from Licola there are a number of formal and informal campsites by the river.

Waypoint 2 - the last river, Wellington River. A good swimming spot, camping not so good.

Waypoint 3 - the start of the plains, camping spots in many places.

Waypoint 4 - Arbuckle Junction, can go north to Howitt or east to Tali Karng.

Waypoint 5 - Howitt car park, camping, no water, a popular start for Howitt,

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Using a 4 WD for what it is made for you can come from Mansfield, Merrijig, Sheepyard flat, Brock's road, 8 mile gap, The Bluff hut, Lovick's hut, King Billy Saddle, King Billy Track , MacAlister River, Howitt plains.


It is Much simpler ( as LOPS has said ) to drive from Traralgon, Heyfield( I usually get fuel in Heyfield) and then drive to Licola. Then follow the Tamboritha road to Arbuckle junction and up the Howitt road.
In a proper 4 WD you will be fine on the Tamboritha road and Howitt road. I have seen 2WD use that unsealed road!!.
If you get to the Howitt Plains car park late then you can camp there but BYO all water.
There is a long drop pit loo at Howitt plains car park.
The days are shorter in April and you may find it could snow in April.The nights will be COLD. It is snowing in the Vic. Alps today or so I would guess and it is December.

[Xplora]

It is an area where releasing the tyre pressure in your tyres down to say 25 PSI could be a good idea esp. for the section from Lovick's hut onwards.

Why? Have you ever driven it? No you haven't. Quite stony and traction is pretty good. It can be a bit slow going though. No need to drop to 25 psi.

[andrewa]

Never even contemplated dropping tyre pressures in Aussie bush….I thought that was only useful on sand? Seems like a lot of fluffing around for no obvious gain.

[Xplora]

Never even contemplated dropping tyre pressures in Aussie bush….I thought that was only useful on sand? Seems like a lot of fluffing around for no obvious gain.

I will drop pressures for mud but only if I can't get through and steep steps to get a bit more footprint. Definitely for sand driving. Having slightly lower pressure on areas with sharp rocks maybe helpful to stop side wall punctures (the tyre distorts better around the rock) but no need to go below 30. I run 40psi normally and might drop to 34 in the bush if I am travelling some distance but you don't have to pump them up once you are back onto normal road until you get to a servo so not much fluffing around. Never needed to drop tyre pressures going over the King Billies to Howitt Plains regardless of the tread type or condition. I have taken people over who had standard road tyres and no experience.

[Biggles]

For many years I have considered that April, specifically around Easter, is the 'changing of the seasons', from mild autumnal weather to downright unpredictable, and in the alpine environment, I wouldn't take my chances if the weather at the start in e.g. Licola is foul — it will be several orders of magnitude worse with the much higher gains in elevation. 4WD territory and conditions indeed and a bare-knuckle ride through rain, fog, ice, potentially snow and bitter cold. I have only ever driven as far as Guy's Hut on the Snowy Plains (December '21), that road up in sections being adventurous enough in its own right, never mind about what lies beyond to Howitt. Would suggest local enquiry with well-travelled locals at Licola

Never even contemplated dropping tyre pressures in Aussie bush….I thought that was only useful on sand? Seems like a lot of fluffing around for no obvious gain.

That's right. Modern tech-directed drive, engine suspension technology has greatly reduced the need to drop air, even for deep, unconsolidated river crossings and dirty tracks, except for very deep, shifting sand (e.g. Simpson Desert traverse). My brother's Sahara V8 has TPMS auto drop/rise so doesn't really notice it until the computer tells him so; otherwise, hasn't let go of air for a long time. Letting too much air out (down to 25psi, which is excessively low for heavy 4WDs) potentially risks 'flaring' of the sidewalls and damage to tyre and rims.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Last summer just after Xmas 2021 I drove from Licola to the junction of King Billy Track and The Howitt Plains road in My AWD RAV 4. I have All Terrain tyres and off road shock absorbers fitted to my rear wheels. The road was possibly the roughest I have driven it over the years I have been visiting the area.
The view (from that Track Junction) of the back of Hell's Window from afar is worth checking out on a clear day .
I would at least check up to date conditions with the Parks Vic. office in Heyfield prior to setting off.
I did meet someone at the hut you can drive to via Mt. Wellington, Miller's hut near Lake Tali Tarng in March 2021 who drove in there and was running his 4 x 4 vehicle tyres at about 18-20 psi. I had a chat with him. He was nice fellow but he and his troop/ group were on a very different trip/ different mind set / approach to that of a bushwalker or a BC XC ski tourer.
You can get to Licola from Jamieson. I have driven over Mt. Skene at least twice in the past 12-18 months or so.The road is quite rough for an AWD soft roader vehicle.

[Xplora]

Last summer just after Xmas 2021 I drove from Licola to the junction of King Billy Track and The Howitt Plains road in My AWD RAV 4. I have All Terrain tyres and off road shock absorbers fitted to my rear wheels. The road was possibly the roughest I have driven it over the years I have been visiting the area.
The view (from that Track Junction) of the back of Hell's Window from afar is worth checking out on a clear day .
I would at least check up to date conditions with the Parks Vic. office in Heyfield prior to setting off.
I did meet someone at the hut you can drive to via Mt. Wellington, Miller's hut near Lake Tali Tarng in March 2021 who drove in there and was running his 4 x 4 vehicle tyres at about 18-20 psi. I had a chat with him. He was nice fellow but he and his troop/ group were on a very different trip/ different mind set / approach to that of a bushwalker or a BC XC ski tourer.
You can get to Licola from Jamieson. I have driven over Mt. Skene at least twice in the past 12-18 months or so.The road is quite rough for an AWD soft roader vehicle.

Kind of says it all. If you can drive it in a RAV 4 through it there is no issue. I don't think you are qualified to offer 4wd advice to others and should steer clear of doing that. I have taken people with zero experience through that territory with road tyres. It is not hard. Opinions can be quite subjective but my experience is extensive as a 4wd instructor and trip leader. AT tyres and off road shocks mean nothing. I have a friend who would drive his XA Falcon through tougher places than some RAV4 owners would dare to go.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I have taken my RAV 4 down Road No. 3 from King Saddle past Number 3 refuge hut down to
Tomahawk gap. That was a bit of a sphincter tightening trip.
That track can be a bit of a dry river
bed.
The track up to Keppel's hut can be interesting driving in a RAV 4.

[Biggles]

I have taken my RAV 4 down Road No. 3 from King Saddle past Number 3 refuge hut down to
Tomahawk gap. That was a bit of a sphincter tightening trip.
That track can be a bit of a dry river
bed.
The track up to Keppel's hut can be interesting driving in a RAV 4.

What in the world???
A RAV4 may be AWD, but it is not 4WD, no more or less so than e.g. a well-endowed Tiguan or Tourareg, or Passat or others, wagons or SUVs or, in your case a softroader. Putting AT tyres on and chunky shocks changes nothing of the car's character nor its ability. I think you run a serious risk of damage to the car because it certainly is not what you want or assume it to be.

Meanwhile, back to the OP's initial post, I note they have done exploring on foot...and on horse! That would be a beautiful way to see the Howitt area! My neighbours bordering the Loddon River have two horses; they pack them in their float and head up to Dargo, and pretty much ride the summer trails on the plains, wary of the roaming wagyu beef they also share the high plains with. I would still consider that making the journey from Bairnsdale or closer, Maffra/Heyfield would be fastest and least worrisome for an inexperienced 4WD driver (read, not hard-core!). True also, making detailed enquiries as to the current road beyond Snowy Plains would be a good idea. The locals in Licola run those roads in all weather (including snow, usually up to Arbuckle) and are very knowledgeable, if rightly wary of the inflated and/or gilded expectations of city-slickers, like this little chestnut that did the rounds a couple of summers back: "do you know if there is a coffee stop at the airport [Snowy Plain airstrip]...?" ; "Nah mate, roll your own joe!"

[paidal_chalne_vala]

"What in the world???
A RAV4 may be AWD, but it is not 4WD, no more or less so than e.g. a well-endowed Tiguan or Tourareg, or Passat or others, wagons or SUVs or, in your case a softroader. Putting AT tyres on and chunky shocks changes nothing of the car's character nor its ability. I think you run a serious risk of damage to the car because it certainly is not what you want or assume it to be".

Yes you are right. I won't be driving down the No. 3 road again.
:-0
I can get the car up to the No. 3 hut fine from King Saddle. After that I turn the jalopy around and go back down the way I came!.
The Track up to Keppel's hut is marginal for my car too.
My car is good for driving to the snow which I do a lot because I am a keen but not very good skier and I can get it up to Mulhauser spur camp site quite easily in Green season.

[andrewa]

Yes, there is a big difference between AWD/4WD/ getting there etc.

I went up to the Bluff Hut one year in my Audi Q7, and ran into a bunch of Nissan Patrol peeps, who wondered how I’d got there with my big wheels/low profile tyres etc…..careful driving was how I’d done it. No changes in air pressure needed.

Ironically, my 15yo Audi Q7 has just been declared dead/not worth repairing due to need for new turbocharger and other major repairs, but my 32yo Ford Maverick ( ie rebadged Nissen Patrol) is still as reliable as ever, even if it’s rusting out over the back windows. Just needs a lot of petrol to get anywhere, and no need to change tyre pressures….!

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I just walked all of Brock's Rd. from Near the The Nobs track/Clear Creek road junction to camp at King Billy Saddle. This is another 4 x 4 route to approach the Howitt plains.Parts of Brock's road are water damaged and there are deep run outs in sections as well as steep rocky bits, big puddles and plenty of fallen trees that have been recently mechanically cut.
Cairn Creek track is generally in better condition except for the final pinch up to Lovick's hut. I walked all of that too. I won't be walking those tracks again!.
The Bluff track has some steepish rocky bits.

[Biggles]

I just walked all of Brock's Rd. from Near the The Nobs track/Clear Creek road junction to camp at King Billy Saddle. This is another 4 x 4 route to approach the Howitt plains.Parts of Brock's road are water damaged and there are deep run outs in sections as well as steep rocky bits, big puddles and plenty of fallen trees that have been recently mechanically cut.
Cairn Creek track is generally in better condition except for the final pinch up to Lovick's hut. I walked all of that too. I won't be walking those tracks again!.
The Bluff track has some steepish rocky bits.

I am familiar with that route, up Clear Creek Track and up and up and up (in snow!) to Mount Clear.
Is the bridge repaired where it crosses the North Jamieson River? Something happened there in October and it caught the attention of Parks Vic.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Hi. Not that route. That is an Management only jeep track. I have walked up it and down it in the past. I am saying I walked up BROCK'S ROAD all the way up the Upper Jamieson River Valley to reach King Billy Saddle. I do not have a proper 4 WD and I was curious about its possibilities for a BC XC ski trip. The Mt. Clear Management track would be a quicker and slightly less ardous way to reach the spine of the range and then you have about 5 kms further to reach King Billy Saddle using that route.
Either way you gain over 1000 M. elevation using human power.
All vehicular Bridges that I encountered in the area were in good working order.

[fouronenine]

Hi all, pondering an overnight trip to Mount Howitt/Vallejo Gantner/Bryces Gorge this weekend and looking for advice on the current condition of the Howitt Road.

I hiked to Tali Karng a couple of weeks ago, so have no qualms about the conditions of the Tamboritha and Moroka roads, but there was an LED traffic sign at the Wellington River trailhead showing the Howitt Road as 4WD only. I also saw lots of gravel trucks heading up toward Arbuckle Junction - presumably heading north as I didn't see any at MacFarlane's Saddle.

I have a mid-90s 2WD sedan, and while I'm bolder than some, if it's going to be dangerous or involve a huge hike in from the south, then I will adjust plans.

[Biggles]

Hi all, pondering an overnight trip to Mount Howitt/Vallejo Gantner/Bryces Gorge this weekend and looking for advice on the current condition of the Howitt Road.

I hiked to Tali Karng a couple of weeks ago, so have no qualms about the conditions of the Tamboritha and Moroka roads, but there was an LED traffic sign at the Wellington River trailhead showing the Howitt Road as 4WD only. I also saw lots of gravel trucks heading up toward Arbuckle Junction - presumably heading north as I didn't see any at MacFarlane's Saddle.

I have a mid-90s 2WD sedan, and while I'm bolder than some, if it's going to be dangerous or involve a huge hike in from the south, then I will adjust plans.

Local enquiry suggested at Licola Store (03 5148 8786); either the folks there can inform or put you in contact with locals who regularly travel that road. There were major washouts around north and south of Arbuckle Junction last October which may not have been fully repatriated, hence the trucks you saw. The road after Arbuckle certainly is not 4WD only; I have travelled along and beyond (to Guy's Hut) in a VF Commodore wagon. It can be corrugated and potholed and very, very dusty. Just need care and awareness of potential loonies hurtling around the blind bend and (potentially) peppering you with stones!

[fouronenine]

I ended up doing this drive on 26/27 Jan 23. Some thoughts for anyone with similar plans and reservations:
- Caveat: there was some light rain on the 23rd/24th, but otherwise it has been basically dry for the preceding fortnight or more.
- The electronic sign at Wellington Bridge where the tarmac ends now warns both the Howitt and Moroka roads are 4WD only. Having driven both as far as Howitt Carpark and the East Pinnacle Fire Tower carpark, I can saw that both are doable by a standard 2WD with patience and caution (I only had my CD player/head-unit skip a few times). Someone with a low floor vehicle would have a rough time north of Bryce Gorge or east of the main Moroka River bridge.
- The slowest and most difficult sections on the way to Howitt were actually the first section of the Tamboritha Road up to about Dingo Hill Track (corrugations and rocky sections), and intermittent sections north of *&%$#! Neck (rocky sections). The section between Arbuckle Junction and the Dimmicks Lookout turnoff was easy, better than some of the local dirt roads elsewhere in Wellington Shire. All up it was around 50 minutes from Arbuckle Junction to Howitt Carpark.
- There were more than a dozen cars at the Howitt Carpark, including a handful of 2WD (including a couple of i30s and VW hatches). Apparently some fellow hikers had blown through and not seen the sign back at Wellington Bridge.
- There was a grader and a roller parked between the Caledonia River Track turnoff and Howitt Hut, with a number of sections of fresh gravel. It looks like the plan is to keep working on the road as part of the recovery from floods over the past few years.
- The Moroka Road is in worse shape, starting with some big potholes immediately after Arbuckle Junction. The road improves around MacFarlane's Saddle, but then degrades as you descend toward Moroka Hut and the bridges over the Moroka. There were some significant puddles/potholes east of Moroka Hut - Horseyard Flat was so wet and muddy that I wouldn't recommend continuing past the hut to the campsites in less than a Forester/X-Trail-type vehicle right now. Still, I got to the campground a few hundred metres short of the carpark at the Pinnacles less than 80 minutes after passing Arbuckle Junction, with the return trip going a bit faster.

The weather was beautiful for hiking, with quite a few people groups heading out for the Viking Circuit. The falls on the Bryce Gorge loop were healthy. The walk to Moroka First Falls was much easier than expected - even with a couple of wet sections crossing creeks and avoiding fallen trees, it took much less than the signposted 3 hours return.

[Xplora]

I ended up doing this drive on 26/27 Jan 23. Some thoughts for anyone with similar plans and reservations:
- Caveat: there was some light rain on the 23rd/24th, but otherwise it has been basically dry for the preceding fortnight or more.
- The electronic sign at Wellington Bridge where the tarmac ends now warns both the Howitt and Moroka roads are 4WD only. Having driven both as far as Howitt Carpark and the East Pinnacle Fire Tower carpark, I can saw that both are doable by a standard 2WD with patience and caution (I only had my CD player/head-unit skip a few times). Someone with a low floor vehicle would have a rough time north of Bryce Gorge or east of the main Moroka River bridge.
- The slowest and most difficult sections on the way to Howitt were actually the first section of the Tamboritha Road up to about Dingo Hill Track (corrugations and rocky sections), and intermittent sections north of *&%$#! Neck (rocky sections). The section between Arbuckle Junction and the Dimmicks Lookout turnoff was easy, better than some of the local dirt roads elsewhere in Wellington Shire. All up it was around 50 minutes from Arbuckle Junction to Howitt Carpark.
- There were more than a dozen cars at the Howitt Carpark, including a handful of 2WD (including a couple of i30s and VW hatches). Apparently some fellow hikers had blown through and not seen the sign back at Wellington Bridge.
- There was a grader and a roller parked between the Caledonia River Track turnoff and Howitt Hut, with a number of sections of fresh gravel. It looks like the plan is to keep working on the road as part of the recovery from floods over the past few years.
- The Moroka Road is in worse shape, starting with some big potholes immediately after Arbuckle Junction. The road improves around MacFarlane's Saddle, but then degrades as you descend toward Moroka Hut and the bridges over the Moroka. There were some significant puddles/potholes east of Moroka Hut - Horseyard Flat was so wet and muddy that I wouldn't recommend continuing past the hut to the campsites in less than a Forester/X-Trail-type vehicle right now. Still, I got to the campground a few hundred metres short of the carpark at the Pinnacles less than 80 minutes after passing Arbuckle Junction, with the return trip going a bit faster.

The weather was beautiful for hiking, with quite a few people groups heading out for the Viking Circuit. The falls on the Bryce Gorge loop were healthy. The walk to Moroka First Falls was much easier than expected - even with a couple of wet sections crossing creeks and avoiding fallen trees, it took much less than the signposted 3 hours return.

Excellent report. Thanks.