Location: FIDDLERS GREEN
Waypoint: “FD10 – Fiddlers Green”
Live: 24/5/2025, Sue with campervan
Description: Mt Selma Road at Fiddlers Green
Road Closures and Warnings: It is very, very slippery when wet.
Vic traffic is a useful app: https://plannedburns.ffm.vic.gov.au/search-results
The Drive In:
Sue
I was responsible for meeting Steve and Damien and providing FD10. Our friends John and Ian were concerned about me driving the dirt roads of unknown condition by myself. We met in Eildon the night before and discussed the drop-off location for the following day.
Prior to leaving home, I became concerned that the road into Mount Skene may be closed due to hazard reduction burning (it had been closed in the week before). As well as checking online, I made a few phone calls, which were returned later, assuring me that the road was indeed open.
After breakfast, parkrun and picking up a few supplies for lunch, we headed off with Ian and John following me. With an estimated driving time of three hours, we were hopeful of enjoying lunch with Damien and Steve at camp.
The drive south to Marysville was easy and uneventful, all of it on paved roads. Outside of Marysville, we turned off onto C511, which was unpaved.
Initially, the road conditions were quite good, but it had rained the previous day, so I was unsure what to expect. We drove through one particularly wet section, and although the van seemed to handle the conditions well, I could hear the deep, wet slush striking both sides of the van. Ian and John were nowhere to be seen. I pulled over once we reached a paved section of road. They congratulated me on handling the conditions well. John drove much more slowly that me, although I felt like I was taking it very cautiously!
The paved section continued through the small town of Matlock, after which there were lots of four-wheel drives on the road. They didn’t always stick to their side of the narrow road, which made it interesting around corners!
I lost sight of John and Ian again, so I waited at an intersection for about 20 minutes. There was no sign of them, and time was getting on, so I continued on my way.
I eventually reached the campsite well into the afternoon, and there was no sign of our friends. I was staying there overnight so I sent them a message that I had arrived. With patchy reception I was getting concerned about them. It wasn’t until 6:00pm that I received a message that they were at the Jamison Pub. They had got lost!
The following morning, Steve assured me that the road would have dried out and should have been in better condition. I did have the option of going out via Jamieson, but it would be a long drive around on corrugated roads. I decided to drive back the same way and stop for two nights in Marysville. It turned out the slippery section of the road had changed, the wet mud had dried a bit and was much more slippery! The van was sliding along the road and out of my control at times. It was quite scary, and I was pleased to get to Marysville in a few hours, intact but quite frazzled!
Damien at Fiddlers Green
Support vehicle at Fiddlers Green
Walhalla Road near Mount Victor
The Food Drop:
Sue, after a big adventure on a wet slippery road getting here, arrived late in the afternoon with our food drop. We had a very comfortable, “home-cooked” dinner inside the van on a very cold night.
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