2011 Route and to-scale map

The 2011 Camp Quality esCarpade route - Bendigo to Bright!! 

(Click for full-size map - warning - approximately 1 MB)

Here is the text stolen... err... borrowed from the Camp Quality website...

From Bendigo to Bright

We kick off our 20th anniversary in Bendigo in central Victoria tracking south through Ballarat and Geelong, following the Great Ocean Road to the South Australian border where it turns north through Casterton, Naracoorte, Pinnaroo and Mildura.

From Mildura it turns west and follows the Murray through Mallee country and Swan Hill. It deviates slightly into the NSW town of Deniliquin before dropping back into Victoria, continuing through Numurkah, Wangaratta and finishing in Bright.

The route has everything, spectacular state forests and national parks between Bendigo and Naracoorte, sandy tracks common to the Mallee from Naracoorte to Swan Hill, a small taste of regional NSW and some rugged pine forests in the foothills of Victoria's alpine region to finish it off.

Day 1 Saturday 15 October
The 2011 esCarpade kicks off in the heart of Bendigo. One of the main retail streets will be closed so we can put our 100 vehicles on display. Traditionally the morning run on day one is relatively short to allow for a late "media" departure from town. Bendigo to Ballarat is no exception - but the route is a ripper.

Within 15kms of leaving town we're on the dirt and from then on we weave in and out of state forests and small Victorian towns for the next 150kms to lunch in Ballarat.
The PM section takes us to the east into the Great Dividing Range before turning south and heading towards Geelong.

Day 2 Sunday 16 October
The day of the Great Ocean Road and an absolute highlight. We start by sneaking out the back door of Geelong and following the coast line to Torquay, the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. We call into the iconic Bells Beach to check out the surf but then head inland, driving past Toyota Australia's proving ground and rumbling around in the state forests behind Anglesea, dropping off the Otway Range to pass through Lorne.

From here we follow the Great Ocean Road for the next 22km taking in some truly spectacular bitumen. At Kennet River we turn right and climb back into the Otway Ranges for some more awesome dirt driving and views before dropping back down into Apollo Bay for lunch.
The afternoon drive includes more the Otways as well as Great Ocean Road highlights like The Twelve Apostles, the Arch, London Bridge and Grotto. The fantastic day comes to an end at Warrnambool.

Day 3 Monday 17 October
For the first part of the morning we head west winding our way through farmland and Blue Gum plantations before diving into Cobboboonee State Forest north of Portland. For the next couple of hours we do a state forest crawl from Cobobboonee to Hostspur, before stopping for lunch at Casterton.

After having lunch at the local sports ground we continue our journey north. Interestingly the pristine dirt roads turn to sand presenting some challenging sections during the early part of the afternoon.
After a quick stop at the very small Dergolm country pub we cross the border into South Australia and enter Naracoorte via the Caves National Park.

Day 4 Tuesday 18 October
We exit the pretty town of Naracoorte to the north and at Frances follow the train line for the next 40km to Wolseley, southwest of Bordertown. We then follow the SA / VIC border until the road turns to the deep sand. At this point head east to link up with a dirt corridor which winds its way between Wyperfeld National Park and Big Dessert Wilderness Area before popping out at the other end for lunch at Pinnaroo.

The afternoon is a spectacular drive through Murray-Sunset National Park, following the Underbool track almost all the way to Mildura. It is a 450km+ day, so a lay day in Mildura will be needed.

Day 5 Wednesday 19 October
Lay day - take all four corners off the car and put them back on again. If this is not required then enjoy the vineyards, orchards and other sights around Mildura.

Day 6 Thursday 20 October
We spend the next day and a half in and out of NSW, so after a lovely breakfast on the banks of the Murray, we cross to the other side, temporarily leaving the Mallee scrub behind. However, after spending just over an hour driving down classic NSW outback dirt roads, we cross back into Victoria at Robinvale and straight into the rolling Mallee covered sand dunes which take us all the way to lunch at Swan Hill.

With lunch complete it's back over the Murray for an afternoon of driving through South Western NSW irrigation country, crossing channels and canals all the way into Deniliquin. The final kilometres follow the pretty Colligen Creek into town.

Day 7 Friday 21 October
Our departure from Deniliquin is to the South East, but just 15km out of town we turn south following the Bullatale Creek all the way into Tocumwal. Here we cross back into Victoria and drive south through esCarpade Central otherwise known as Numurkah before turning left and heading east to Wangaratta for lunch.

Our final afternoon includes an introduction to the Victorian Alps. We pass through Beechworth and Myrtleford before circumnavigating Mt Porepunk and bursting out of the bush to arrive at Bright, our final destination.

Once again this year's esCarpade will put an extra 3,400km on your speedo. Between 70 - 75 percent of those kilometres will be on dirt / sand / rock / scrub. Some of it will be nice, open and flowing... some of it will NOT. One thing is for sure though, esCarpade 2011, like the 19 before it will be a great fun motoring adventure.