Update on Cattlewater Pass

Wim Hi,

We travelled it in Sept 01 with a Defender towing a Camp/o/matic without any problems. The track is narrow and rough in parts with one short sharp hill. The day we travelled it we did not see another vehicle and there was no recent tyre tracks so I don't imagine it would see much traffic. It is however very secnic and well worth doing.

Brutus.

Hi Wim

I'm interested in Cattlewater pass. Can you please fill us in as to where it is/where it goes to/Map references etc. Quality isolated camping is becoming hard to find!

Thanks

Russ

Hi Wim. We towed a camper trailer over Cattlewater pass in July 2000. Not recent I know but wouldn't have changed that much. Took a bit longer than I thought it would, but very do-able. Camped at Ruby Gorge for 3 nights. Wonderfully peaceful there. Thought we were alone but we were not. Ruby Gorge is so big the people just disappear.

When you reach the end of the track there is a wide dry sandy river bed to cross. This was a bit soft when we were there but I didn't reduce tire pressure and still made it across to a lovely camp site on the oposite bank. When you hit the river bed, turn 30 degrees left, about 300 metres theres's a grass covered embankment perfect for a camp site under (near) some river gums just in front of a brilliant red cliff face. This changes colour as the sun moves across the sky.

When we were there, there were a pair of budgies nesting in hollows of a broken branch of one of these trees. Randy little devils provided us with hours of entertainment morning and evenings.

We plan to return to that spot soon.

Happy travelling.

P.S. There is a sign just at the beginning of Cattlewater Pass track (off the Donohue Hwy) that indicates some sections are for extreme 4wd. This section when we were there is right at the end of the track (way up the gorge past the best camping spots) where we walked anyway. I don't think anything woud have got through that section anyway. It was only about 300 metres of bolders along the dry river bed. Don't be put off - the East McDonalds is every bit, if not more, as good as the West.

Should be no problem with a camper. Only problem we had in 2002 was a fossicker with a generator about 8 k's from the plenty. though we were alone for a while.
Don't be put off by the sand in the creek at ruby gap. Lower the tyre pressure and drive up to the end of the recommended driving track and there are some great camp sites. We had the wallabies for company only when we were there.

Should be no problem with a camper. Only problem we had in 2002 was a fossicker with a generator about 8 k's from the plenty. though we were alone for a while.
Don't be put off by the sand in the creek at ruby gap. Lower the tyre pressure and drive up to the end of the recommended driving track and there are some great camp sites. We had the wallabies for company only when we were there.

We travelled it in April 2001 with a 1988 flat tray Nissan Patrol with very heavy slide on camper. We only put our vehicle in 4wd once for safety when driving down a steepish incline. Although we did take is easy - 4hrs from Plenty Highway to Altunga (53kms).