Rawson / Walhalla Region Cup Day cabin weekend

Enjoy a long weekend of activities in the Rawson / Walhalla region over the Melbourne Cup Day holiday weekend, from Friday 31st October to Tuesday 4th November. This follows the very successful event held there over the Kings Birthday weekend in 2024.

GRADE | LENGTH | TYPE: Various, depending on the activities undertaken - a range of activities will be on offer.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: We have booked out the Mountain Rivers Lodge at Rawson, which has six standalone units plus a comfortable communal lounge, dining area and external decking with BBQ. Each self-contained unit has a queen size bed plus 2 bunks (upper and lower). We've also provisionally booked additional bunkhouse accommodation in the expectation that the accommodation in The Lodge will be insufficient. People staying elsewhere than in The Lodge will probably need to bring their own linen (sleeping bag, pillow and towel). 

Like last time, a vintage train ride with the Walhalla Goldfields Railway and gold mine tour of the Long Tunnel Mine will be offered (on Sunday this time), but alternative activities will be on offer for those who don't wish to repeat those. The train and mine tour require prior booking so we need your early commitment. Note that the mine is not as claustrophobic as many mines, since you can walk into it via a horizontal tunnel drilled into the hillside, and there are some quite cavernous spaces inside.

ITINERARY: A draft itinerary is presented below, but except for Sunday, the actual activities undertaken will depend on the weather forecast, the result of reccies (to be undertaken in August) and the wishes of the participants:

• Friday: settle in to accommodation after 2pm. Own arrangements for dinner - dine enroute (e.g. in Moe), BBQ or BYO pre-prepared meal.
• Saturday:
  • Activities: TBA in the Walhalla, Rawson, Erica or Baw Baw area - see POTENTIAL WALKS below. Picnic lunch.
  • Saturday Evening: Dinner at the Rawson Stockyard (or provided by The Nomads at The Lodge if a Stockyard booking isn't possible).
• Sunday: 
  • Option 1a: Vintage Train Ride on the Walhalla Goldfields Railway: gather in Walhalla by 9:30am to be at the train station by 9:40am for a 10am departure. The train returns to Walhalla at 11am, or
  • Option 1b: Those not wishing to do the train ride can walk from Thomson Station to the Wally Pub (5 km). If wishing to extend your walk, you can start out directly from our accommodation (additional 3.8 km).
  • Wally Pub for lunch.
  • Option 2a: Long Tunnel Mine Tour and walk along the Tramline Track, or   
  • Option 2b: A walk around Walhalla incorporating the (steep) Cricket Ground Track and the Tramline Track.
  • Sunday evening: Dinner in The Lodge (provided by The Nomads for a small fee).
• Monday: 
  • Activities: TBA in the Walhalla, Rawson, Erica or Baw Baw area - see POTENTIAL WALKS below. Picnic lunch.
  • Monday Evening: Dinner at 6:30pm at the Erica Hotel 
• Tuesday: 
  • Activities: A relatively short walk in the Rawson area. A repeat of the Horse Shoe Bend Tunnel walk that proved popular last time, or a walk incorporating the Poverty Point Bridge, or the Tyers Junction Rail Trail.
  • Lunch: individual choice - perhaps in Moe on the way home, or else a picnic lunch.

BOOKING: By Sunday 26th October, or ASAP to ensure you don't miss out. To register click on Get Tickets.

• Visitors should purchase a 1-month Temporary Membership (cost $8) prior to booking for this cabin weekend.
• IMPORTANT: If sharing a Queen bed with your partner, please specify their first and last name in the PARTNER NAME field, but do NOT purchase a separate ticket for your partner.
• You will be asked to indicate your preference regarding the Sunday train ride and mine tour. This is to help us organise the bookings. This is just an EOI at the time of booking - you will have an opportunity to change your mind closer to the event date. 
• Unsure if you've already booked? Click View my bookings.

POTENTIAL WALKS: Check out Walks around Walhalla, a document we've put together outlining some of the walks in the Walhalla / Rawson region. Options of particular interest are:

• The track to the historic Poverty Point Bridge (probably west of the Thomson River) and the Mormon Town Track Loop. 
• The Tyers Junction Rail Trail (this almost links to the start of the Walhalla Rail Trail at Erica).
• If the weather is good then venture up to the Baw Baw plateau and also visit the Thomson Dam (see AllTrails). 
• The Cricket Ground Track circuit will be done on Sunday. 
• Walhalla Rail Trail Walk (Erica to Thomson) and optionally continue a further 4.5 km to our accommodation via Old Depot Rd (part of the Old Depot Road via Steel Bridge Track walk). We did this last time in the rain - worth repeating!
• Horse Shoe Bend Tunnel walk: a repeat of this relatively short but interesting walk.

COSTS: There are several components making up the proposed package of activities:

• LODGE ACCOMMODATION OPTION 1 - Queen Bed: $254 for 4 nights (bed can be shared by 2 people)
• LODGE ACCOMMODATION OPTION 2 - Bunk Bed: $127 for 4 nights
• TRAIN - Thomson to Walhalla, and back: $30 for the return trip if we have a group of at least 15 people attending, otherwise standard costs are $40 Full or $35 seniors/concession for a return trip, or $35/$30 for a one-way trip.
• MINE TOUR: $15 (requires more than 12 attendees)
• NOTE: If you (and perhaps a partner) don't wish to share your unit, you can get a Queen Bed ticket plus 2 x Bunk Bed tickets, at a total cost of $508 for the four nights. Payments for the mine tour and train trip will be collected on the weekend.

MEETING TIME | LOCATION: Any time after 2pm on Friday 31st October at the Motel Lodge, Mountain Rivers Tourist Park, 11 Depot Rd, Rawson. 

MAP REFERENCE: Melway map X928 grid D6 | Google map maps.app.goo.gl/C8weMRNA982D1Ysk9. 

DISTANCE | TIME FROM GPO: 170 km, approximately 2 hours 15 minutes via the M1 Fwy to Moe, exit onto the C103 followed by C466 and C481 to Rawson. Car Pooling is encouraged.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: No suitable public transport options are available.

FOOD: Bring food for breakfast and lunch each day (except Sunday, when we'll have lunch at the Wally Pub), a 1-litre water container plus snacks as required. There are options for purchasing food and/or supplies in Walhalla, and to a lesser extent in Rawson. Moe (on the route between Melbourne and Rawson) has excellent supermarket and cafe options.

See the itinerary above for proposed evening meal options. There are excellent kitchen facilities at The Lodge, including an outdoor deck with BBQ.

APPAREL | FOOTWEAR: Comfortable walking boots/shoes and dress according to the weather forecast. A walking pole(s) could prove useful. The Rawson and Walhalla region can be a lot cooler and wetter than Melbourne.

LEADER: Alan D. and Roger H. | Email LeaderAlanD@nomads.org.au or  LeaderRogerH@nomads.org.au if you have any questions. 
Members can access leader contact details under Members | Leader Contacts when logged in to the website.

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