Melbourne to King Valley

[kartone]

Off to King Valley for a couple of days in the '80 GTV. Planning to take the scenic route through the Yarra Valley, any suggestions as to the route to King Valley and places of interest once there ?
Wishing all the alfisti the best for 2011.

[AlfaACT]

Assuming that you

1. have checked the Alpine Chapter threads ...
  They also have another tour in that region planned for autumn.
2. are heading through Mansfield. Recommend that you visit Powers Lookout - about 45km from Mansfield and 20 km from Whitfield. The view over the King Valley is nothing less than spectacular. But make sure you follow the track to the end - see pic ;-)
http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources05/05_0600.pdf

3. are interested in vine fruit - there is plenty to choose from.

... enjoy :-)

[kartone]

Paul & AlfaACT thanks very much for the info.
On the way up we'll stop at Debortoli (cousins of cousins) and once in King Valley we will visit Bergamin Winery (cousins of cousins) and Miranda Wines (related to Debortoli); plan to stay overnight in Whitfield.
Tonight I will sift through the "Alpine chapter" info for additional points of interest and potential "aid stations" for the Alfa in case of high altitude sickness   

[kartone]

Is the road between Jamieson and Snobs Creek all sealed ?

[Anthony Miller]

I've driven up the Snob's Creek road and it is most definately not sealed, saw a wedged tail eagle snacking on road kill and had to come to a complete stop to allow the enormous thing to take off, it's wingspan than the car.

[ChrisGTA]

Hi Kartone - are you looking to drive from Jamieson to Eildon (just East of Snobs Creek)?

http://tinyurl.com/26mo55f

I went over it during Targa High Country as it was used for competition stages. At the time it was sealed except for 14kms smooth (but loose) gravel in the middle (used as a non-competitive interlude - entertaining in tarmac rally cars!). This gravel was to have been fully sealed after the rally in December.

Highly recommend as a stunning twisty drive

[kartone]

ChrisGTA, yes that's the one from Jamieson to Eildon. I will give it a go, hopefully the car will hold together; what's the mobile reception in the area?

[ChrisGTA]

Minimal mobile reception (better at the Jamieson end due to elevation).

If you would like a preview, the following vids are the second half of the road heading towards Eildon. It's twisty!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmvURgzuR_c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqqBcgAj42c

[ChrisGTA]

Hi Paul - I don't know which system they used but most had simple single camera setups (eg GoPro or minicams just like we do at  trackdays).

The multicamera picture-in-picture systems are much pricier although not necessarily harder to install (the additional "lipstick" cameras usually plug into a central module which records the footage as one integrated output).

Cheers, Chris

[kartone]

Just back, approx 950km in the '80 GTV (with wife):
Berwick, Dixon Creek (Debortoli), Healesville, Eildon (coffee), Jamieson (road all sealed, lunch), Mansfield, Tolmie, Whitfield (overnight stay, DelZotto), Lake Hovell, Oxley (Miranda), Wangaratta (fuel)Milawa, Whorouly, Murmungee, Beechworth (lunch), Eldorado (missed Paul, had lemonade in pub, saw dredge), Berwick (via M31 & M1).
Car didn't miss a beat in the hills or on the freeway at 110-120kmh for 2.5 hours.
Will post a few photos later on

[ChrisGTA]

Excellent Kartone - that would have been a superb Alfa trip. Look forward to the pics!

[kartone]

Jamieson small town centre was great: saw the printing press, tennis courts, pub, had coffee & scones in the craft shop's garden, the car salvage yard and visited the antique / museum with its expansive collection of communication gear.
No AC, had the windows fully down the whole trip, what a symphony ; couldn't drop a gear in the Burnley Tunnel do to traffic 
I pinched myself, only burnt a quarter litre of oil.