Billy Goat Bluff – Four Wheel Driving

December 12, 2016 Published by Tegan Dawson

The Taungurung people of the Gunaikurnai Nation are the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters around Billy Goat Bluff.

Fairly difficult – Completed December 2016 in the dry and track was dry. There were no steps, a little billy goat action, (where wheels move independently over rocks). Crooked River Track East of Talbotsville. This will give you more of that experience especially if you head east). Some people have done this track in the wet – I would not advise that. It has also been suggested this is not a track for beginners. Dust causes visibility issues from the car in front.

In the image on the right is a vehicle of our convoy coming towards the camera with a trail of dust.

Billy Goat Bluff Track

Billy Goat Bluff is a four-wheel drive track in Victoria’s high country a popular four-wheel driving track. Between Wonnonagatta Road and Pinnacles Track.

In winter the track is closed, this year it was opened late due to the extended rain Gippsland experienced. The track has a steep ascent and descent due to climbing straight over a mountain it rises 1200 metres over 7 kilometres. There is not a lot of room for error, so it’s advisable to stay away in the rain and take extra caution if there has been a recent downpour. The track becomes quite narrow and there is not a lot of places you’ll stop close to the top of the mountain if you lose control.

Remember this a four-wheel drive track

Kit out your 4×4 with eyes in the back of your beauty of a beast. By the time our Four Wheel Drive is packed and ready to go, we have very little visibility. RV View has our back – literally. With a rearview camera and attachments in the car. This is helpful while getting out of town safely but also an actual lifesaver in some of the tight spots with sheer drops on both sides of the track. I don’t know about you – but I like being connected to the internet – not to keep up with the news, camping is a time out. But to be able to connect with my creative endeavours and making sure I don’t miss the latest podcasts. Now with RV, I don’t have to miss out – they have a 4g Wifi. booster to extend your reach.

Natural Environment around Billy Goat Bluff

The track dirt is a fine clay, over rocks. The fine clay can make it slippery really quickly with some water.

Wild Flowers

I learned the hard way the bright yellow flowers, stunk! They’re called Aotus ericoides, aka Common Aotus, from the Fabaceae family of shrubs. Beautifully fine purple flowers the scientific name is stylidium graminifolium

Alpine ash trees cover the mountains.

The view from Billy Goat’s Bluff

Verdict: Stunning

Is very beautiful, Vicotria’s high country is a place of great beauty, and if you want to see the best of the views it is best during clear days so you can make the most of this view.

Safety Tips

The track is narrow because it travels the precipice of the mountain, radio communication is essential.

Visibility can be impaired due to the clouds descending like a veil over the track.

Adhere to total fire ban days, and ensure your fires are out safely as 2013 saw a particularly nasty bushfire for this region and the effects are still visible today. (A furious fire can move much faster than you.)
You need to take it easy as FWD’s can enter from both directions and the track is one four-wheel drive only there are some places to pull over but there is a part of the track that the mountain falls away on both sides.

Clearance of 205mm scraped occasionally.

Tyre pressure for most of our convoy was around 25 PSI.