This morning I investigated a couple of camps in NE Victoria which had been posted to Wiki Camps. Both were 10km or so into the bush so, as is my rule, I left the caravan behind and used the 4WD only.
One site (Avondale Gardens) had a few reviews which were more or less accurate.
The other site (Koetong Creek) had only one review presumably by the original poster which stated it was easy to access for caravans and motorhomes - was it hell!?
When I use to do a lot of serious 4WDing I had a scale from 0 to 5 by which I rated tracks (0 = a Commodore can do it -- 5 = expect to winch) and for a pure 4WD track today's was a 2 but put 3T of 25" caravan behind and everything changes *significantly!*
Had I taken the caravan in there I would have had significant trouble turning it around when I decided enough was enough, I probably would have been stuck and needed help. Had I been foolish enough to continue I would, no doubt, have damaged the caravan.
The lesson:
Treat all information on Wiki Camps with extreme caution and look before you leap.
__________________
"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
We got caught Sept 2021. At Glennies Creek campground (Nobles Lane 62 Klms North of Singleton NSW) Access described as suitable for large caravans - It may be that it was recently trashed but certainly not suitable for camping - Too many scrubby trees, so no solar possible.
No where to turn around (6.3 metre van + Patrol) Used low range 4wd X two and a half hours, back and forth, back and forth inching it around - I don't know why people put such incorrect reviews on some sites, perhaps some perverse pleasure in knowing they may trap some poor old farts.
No damage done to van, but certainly gave the clutch a real workout.
__________________
Possum; AKA:- Ali El-Aziz Mohamed Gundawiathan
Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
A useful reminder Mike. At another site I decided to abandon the attempt and had to reverse the van 1.5km. Not a lot of fun on a narrow winding track. Years ago, I was also caught in a hired motorhome where the road to a lookout turned to gravel and progressively became steeper, narrower and rocky. I realised it must have been several kilometers since I passed a turning spot but being close to the lookout I persevered. The final hump was a bit of a challenge, taking 5-6 attempts, with wheels spinning and rocks flying. Fortunately there was room to turn around. Not the sort of thing to do with a hired motorhome.
Back to your camp, I see you made warning in the Wikicamps reviews. You can also edit the site to remove "Caravan accessible", also presumably Motorhome. Do you happen to have dashcam footage to post a photo of the track difficult parts?
I do have a dash camera! It's in the glovebox! :) Must remember to install it one day.
In my experience cameras rarely show the reality of 4WD tracks, not sure why, but I have driven tracks which caused me a lot of stress yet, later, when I looked at the footage I thought; "That doesn't look too bad", but it damn well was.
I deliberately chose to leave the caravan/motorhome icon as it was in the hope that people seeing the site tagged as "Caravan accessible" and subsequently reading my review would, in future, be a little sceptical.
__________________
"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
You're right Mike.
It also says its ok for motorhomes.
You can go in and edit the information to update the site.
When you zoom in, it shows that access is via koetong TRACK which would be a giveaway to me.
I've found wc pretty good but not all information is accurate due to poor information being added by users
We have been caught on a couple of occasions where we have had to do 15 point shimmies, up embankments etc, to get out of somewhere that was listed for caravans, yet only big enough for a vehicle, not even a tent trailer.
Even though people can add to it, new sites need to be approved by administrator, and if a vehicle size is specified then some pics should accompany the site.
Sites can specify Big Rig accessible, 10m plus. Our van and car is 12.5 m, and we have seen a lot bigger units than us, and we have struggled with some places. Maybe they need to adjust or change their sizing.
On the subject of WikiCamps, has anybody else noticed that some camp stops have disappeared from the site.
Some that I have noticed are unofficial camp sites that have been used for years, and are still used, and some are council approved 24hr stop over car parks, which are still current.
It will be interesting to see how many more will vanish off the site, especially those nearer to c/pks
