Camp Hosting at Wyperfeld National Park Wonga Camp Ground Victoria.
We left Traralgon in Gippsland mid morning on a sunny Wednesday with our 9m off road van in tow for a two day trip to Wyperfeld National Park Wonga Camp Ground in north west Victoria. With our Camp Host box from FWDV which has been in our storeroom for 12 months due to the covid-19 lock downs, and our club’s sandwich board, in the back of our Land Rover Discovery 4 we were well prepared for our duty as Camp Hosts.
The passage through the city was without incident even with some heavy traffic before the Bolte bridge due to break downs (by others). Our first stop was at the Ravenswood Rest Area on the M79 for lunch where we planned our night stop which worked out to be at Donald Apex Park, by the Loddon River. After setting up and meeting our fellow campers we headed into town for a cold drink, some more supplies, and to check out the historic old police camp lockup. Donald is a very friendly town.
After a quiet night we headed off to meet the rangers at PV Rianbow depot.
Hamish was our point of contact for the camp hosting and after introductions we headed off to the Wonga campground where Hamish let us set up in a privileged area right next to the camp shelter where we would set up our hosting point. Before heading out to Wonga we stopped at the local bakery for the customary curry pie and ice coffee. The curry pie rated high on the pie register.
For those who have not been to the Wonga campground, it’s got to be one of the best sites in a National Park we have been in. Each site can easily hold 3 large vans around a fire pit and table and chairs. The 3 drop toilets are also a cut above the average with lights, fans and wash basin with water. It’s a credit to PV, the local rangers who attended daily and the friends of the park who help keep it all in great condition.
After setting up the information sheets and the FWDV information packs on a table (supplied by Hamish) in the camp shelter, and a thorough briefing on the park and the surroundings, we were ready to help the campers enjoy the park. Hamish left us with a radio and First aid kit ‘just in case’, and provide a load of wood for use by all. Our role was to provide information and be a point of contact - not to act as ‘police’.
The road into the park is sealed and there is a dirt ring road suitable for two wheel drives which allows non 4x4 drivers to access some local walks and see the typical Malley district terrain. The Wonga Campground offers 4 interesting walks ranging from 1.5 to 8km and several lookouts. One lookout in particular was well attended at sunset, with many campers taking a drink and nibbles to watch the sunset - which we can say is a great way to end the day. It is also one of the few spots where your phone will work if you’re on the Telstra network; the park does have Optus coverage.
For those with 4x4 and higher clearance there are some great sand driving tracks to venture on to. The 57km sand track to Snowdrift is a good day drive to experience sand driving without to much risk of getting stuck so long as you drop the tyre pressures, and don’t stop on an upward slope of one of the several small inclines. Low range was not required. Its takes about 2 hours to get to Snowdrift and if the drive does not meet your expectations the exercise of climbing and sliding down the beautiful white sand dune makes it all worthwhile. Other sand tracks can be found around Lake Albacutya only ½ an hour away.
During our stay we were able to have a campfire each night and with no other lights for kilometre we were blessed with a night sky that can only be seen from such an outback location. While the wildlife birds were not plentiful this was because water was in short supply and Hamish recommended a return in October/ September when the flowers are in bloom and vegetation growth is abundant.
During our stay we enjoyed over 100 interactions and had multiple conversation with campers seeking clarification on things to do and places to go. We were also able to direct families with children to Kelly, a local ranger holding junior ranger programs in the visitor’s centre. Kelly is a great communicator, and the program provided some interesting (funny) answers to questions like “what feral animals can be found in the park”. Apparently, some animals can drive cars.
The park was full by the evening of Easter Saturday, but we still felt like we were alone. As the numbers dropped over the next few days our need to host reduced and we were able to do the walks and drives I mentioned earlier which improved our ability to relate to camper information requests. With Hamish and Kelly checking in each day and sharing their experiences with us we felt very comfortable in our role.
On Easter Tuesday we packed up our camp site and cleaned up the hosting material and headed back to Rainbow to meet with Hamish for a debrief, vanilla slice and coffee. Hamish is a great guy and typical of the rangers working for PV who are passionate about their work.
We again broke up our trip home with a stop at Happy Jack’s Natural Reserve free camp, at Lockwood on road A790. It does experience heavy truck traffic so the noise is quite high and while there is plenty of flat ground, we would not recommend it if sound sleep is a priority. The next morning, we head home via the FWDV office in Mitcham to drop of our camp host box. Parking a 9m van in a city street is not easy, so we double parked while Wayne ran out and picked up the box. Thank you, Wayne, that certainly reduced the stress. We arrived home around 1pm with plenty of time to clean out the van before happy hour once again beckoned.
With the interactions and adventures, we experienced over the week we can confidently recommend camp hosting and look forward to our next adventure out there somewhere.
Tonee & Alan
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