TRIP REPORT : Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

This is a tentative trip plan. The current weather forecast (as at Sunday) is for heavy rain on Thu/Fri. I don't trust our weather forecasts so far in advance, so I'll plan for this to go ahead, but be ready to call it off.

Ben (FlyNDrive) arrives at my place on Thu evening and then on Friday, several of us are meeting at the Brekky Creek at 3pm - everyone is invited to that too.

I have a mission to offer you... Mission WakeUp: Help Ben settle into this timezone . To this end, I will be taking a small detour and driving to Bris via the Upper Ormeau tracks. It will also give Ben a chance to experience the mighty D4D first-hand.

The plan:

• Meet at: Fredrick Johnson Park - Take Exit 45 (Ormeau and Kingsholme exit) off the M1 and head West on Upper Ormeau Rd. You will cross 4 Grids (two are close together so be careful you don't count them as one) then the park is just 550m on the right.[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• Date: Friday, 19th June[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• Time: 9:00am for a 9:30am departure[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• UHF: Channel 16[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• Plan: Start at the Southern trail-head on Upper Commera Road. We will head toward the Northern Trail Head and exit at Vernon Drive. Bring morning tea.[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• Weather: Prediction as of Sunday is for heavy rain - if this is the case, we won't be going[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• Maps:[list:1icfqlwk]
• Google Maps[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• Mud Map from OuterLimits4x4[/*:m:1icfqlwk]

[/*:m:1icfqlwk][*]Other's Trip Reports:

• TRIP REPORT: Upper Ormeau, Sat 16th May[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• Extreme Pictures (Lots of them)[/*:m:1icfqlwk]
• More Extreme Pictures[/*:m:1icfqlwk]

[/*:m:1icfqlwk][/list:u:1icfqlwk]

LFaR.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Matt, what track difficulty level are you planning on doing?

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

I want to be a starter for this run... but I wont know till Thursday night Matt. At this stage it's looking good though :P

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Excellent Leon. It will be great to have a few of us on the trail.

Also, the weather forecast is now leaning toward just a few showers, so I'd say this is a green light!

The track I am propsosing is the main trail which I have safely completed in my stock Prado. Actually, since I've had a few recent mods, (ARB suspension and Mickey Thompson ATZ4), I tested out the new equpment there today. OMG, what a world of difference it made! There are plenty of great climbs and descents and enough tricky locations where wheel placement is key. Generally, quite the technical challenge.

I have an issue though. I had my suspension upgraded on Monday and the wheel alignment is not quite right. ARB Nundah want me at their store first thing Friday by 8-9am so they can correct it.

I will try to have this wheel alignment moved to Thu. Will keep you posted.

LFaR.

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

I've rebooked my Wheel Alignment for Thu, so we're good to go for Friday...

LFaR.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

All good for tomorrow.

C u at the park at 9am... give me a call if anything changes.

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

All good for tomorrow.

C u at the park at 9am... give me a call if anything changes.

Pictures, report????

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

G'day Hutch,

I should be in bed, but I couldn't resist a last look on PP - I should have known better! We have the pics and reports and will try to squeeze them in-between the packing for the GTG tomorrow. Leon also took plenty of pics, so between us, we should be good .

LFaR.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Matt took heaps of shots and I took a few from the drivers seat while Ben piloted Matt's truck.
Was a great mornings run through Ormeau. I didn't realise how many tracks there were up that way... from leisurley day run to hard core extreme!! (and yes... we stuck to the leisurely day run with a couple of tricky spots thrown in )

I'll get some pics tomorrow as Zowie now has the camera for a reunion tomorrow and I didn't have a chance to get the pics off the camera (well, with the beers at Brekky Ck Hotel there just wasn't any time 8) )

Hopefully soon I'll get the track log off the Garmin and post that.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Ha ha :lol: what he said

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

The day started out in it's usual manner...
On my way to meeting LFaR (Matt) and FlyNdrive (Ben)... I gave my self plenty of time so I could stop on the way and get some milk (of which I had none at home) and some morning tea (also, of which I had none at home).
So far so good and I'm well on track to arrive at the designated meeting point well before 9am so I can sit and enjoy a coffee from the thermos.
That was until I decided to follow the route my iPhone 'Maps' feature detailed for me... all was going well, and I knew it wasn't the route Matt had suggested but I'm always up for something different.
Driving along and suddenly I'm at a cul de sac... this can't be right... I'm sure I didn't see any roads off to the left :?

Doubling back I watch the GPS on the iPhone and pull up where the road should be :roll:


Apparently I should be turning off Oppermann Dve but all I'm greeted with is this...


Looks fun I think to myself...
Until I go for a walk and come across a couple of locked gates :cry:

Oh well, back up the hill


Done!! That's my one U-Turn out of the way for the day!!!!!!!!!! (and I haven't even made it to the rendezvous point yet ops

A short while later I arrived at the park... still ahead of time so all was good... (no-one need know about that u-turn :twisted

Before I even had a chance to sit down I was visited by a very confident magpie... who tried to share my coffee a couple of times.

It was a lovely big park... you wonder if it ever gets used to it full potential.

Right on time Matt turned up...

Matt and Ben make their way over in what turned out to be team colours for the day :lol:


A quick intro and catch-up and suddenly it was 9:30am... didn't look like anyone else was going to show so we hit the road and aired down shortly after.

We were straight into the low range stuff which was great...
Ben piloting Matt's truck and lifting a wheel early.

Straight after the first descent and small water crossing was a heaving erroded wash-out...
Tested the departure angle of both vehicles.

Immediately after came the first of many loose, rocky climbs...

The track was steep in parts, very rutted and wheel placement was critical... either the wash-outs would catch you or a stray, large boulder would do some damage underneath.

Occasionally we had a choice of challenge, or bit more of a challenge... mostly we had a play on the more challenging tracks...


Another hill climb...

.... and another...

The photographer at work... admiring his new wheels... suspension... what else is new Matt :P

The end of the track was approaching so Ben decides to drive Matt's truck off a cliff 8)


Just kidding .... this section was the easy way down. Off to the right was the fun bit Kelvin would take if he still has his Maverick

That's it for my pics... (I forgot to take a shot while we aired up under the water tower ops: ... but Ben/Matt did )



Matt... hopefully you have some pics of me in action

Was a great track I must say... hugely diverse. Most of the track could be done in a stock vehicle (there might be a couple of spots you'd need to 'track build' a bit but other than that it was a good test of wheel placement and knowing your vehicle. (ie. where stuff is underneath so you don't hit a rock etc...)
Off to the sides of the tracks are heaps of extreme trails... (I thought for a moment Matt would be reaching for the handbrake to stop Ben trying a few out)

We were back on the black top by mid day (even with a 10 min tea break on the trails) and heading back to BNE... Matt off to vist ARB for the 3rd (?) time that week!!

Thanks for leading the drive Matt (Ben driving) and also for no U-Turns

Hopefully next time we'll have more time and a few more vehicles in the convoy.

[wengnuts Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close wengnuts]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Leon, excellent report and once again great photography. The tracks certainly looks interesting. Definitely a great place to organise for the next PP day trip. Was traction aids (TC or lockers etc) required on the tracks you guys traversed on?

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Was traction aids (TC or lockers etc) required on the tracks you guys traversed on?

Thanks Kel...
I wouldn't think so... I only used the locker because I had it It's basically Mt Mee with a rocky surface.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: TRIP REPORT : Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Just added a Google Earth screen shot to my earlier post...

[StevoVX Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StevoVX]

Re: TRIP REPORT : Fri June 19, SEQ Day Trip:Upper Ormeau

Looks like you had a great time again as well as some great pics. I went a couple of weeks ago and did the bottom end so it was mostly descents. Unfortunately due to work I could not come with you but was hoping to give it another crack on Sun the 21st but the rain soon put an end to that, don't fancy getting panel damage unless its a big trip away.

Stevo