Alex
- UID
- 166263
- 经验
- 4775 点
- 威望
- 382 点
- 金钱
- 590 金轮胎
- 积分
- 14987
- 注册时间
- 2008-7-28
- 在线时间
- 4503 小时
- 最后登录
- 2022-8-21
- 帖子
- 14793
- 主题
- 312
- 精华
- 57
e族主天使
尼康/澳新纵队贵宾
注册2008-7-28
|
17. ELLIS TRACK, VIC
WORDS BY RICHARD UNMACK
Ellis Track is one of those tracks that all real 4WDs should experience, either as a driver or, for many, as a passenger.
Located on the outer eastern side of Melbourne, it includes some steep hills, massive rocks and huge ruts. During winter, the red clay becomes so slippery that it’s not uncommon to hear people having to winch their way from the start to finish of the track. It can take up to four hours or more to cover this 3.5km track in winter when it’s wet. That’s even if you have the most hardcore tyres, heaps of suspension flex and twin diff locks. There are many stories of people recovering their 4WD for 12 hours or more. In the wet be prepared for a daytrip to turn into a night run.
Accessed via Tarrango Rd just east of Yarra Junction, the first kilometre or so is relatively easy. Beginning quite flat, it then heads up a modest gradient over water-diversion mounds. If you have trouble with these, best bet is to turn around, as it only gets harder.
The first real climb offers two different routes: the hard rock-strewn track on the right also has exposed tree roots and large holes, so proper wheel placement is crucial. Vehicles should be well set up, with suspension lift and adequate underbody clearance and protection, as there is the very real chance of damage to bodywork or driveline.
As with a number of challenging sections, there is the alternative ‘chicken’ track, which while smoother is still quite steep, and in the wet the clay will provide next to no traction so a winch (or a mate with one) is a must.
There are several challenging steep rocky sections, and each has one more technical and difficult to the next, with the bonus of presenting opportunities of different lines within the same track.
We tackled this in the dry recently, and the vehicles were properly set up for such track conditions. Generally, our vehicles (two 25-year-old Jeeps) crawled the length of the track without too much issue. We did come across a Toyota shortie about two-thirds of the way along that was having difficulty with a heavily eroded rock-strewn section (we drove around). With no diff locks, he looked like he was going to be there for a while, at least until his mate either winched or snatched him through.
If you have a 4WD that is set up for tackling such tracks and want to get your money’s worth out of your recovery gear, then give Ellis Track a go. It might take you a month of Sundays to clean the mud out from under your 4WD, but you will never be able to wipe the smile away from your face!
4WD ACTION RATING
Remote: 4
Scenic: 5
Iconic: 5
Adventure: 7
Challanging: 10
TOTAL: 31
KID RATING: 2/5
|
|