GREAT SOUTHERN LAND!
Welcome to another example of the Great Southern Land we live in! This is part 3 and an additional 200+ caches to entice more 4wd enthusiasts to this awesome place! You will need an additional 1-2 days for Part III
PLEASE READ ALL NOTES AS THIS NEW SERIES IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT!
Note: This addition is designed to lead you towards the Jackson Ruins cache, we suggest you complete Part I and Part II then continue on to Part III as a journey out of the ranges and back towards Southern Cross...this is no mean feat, the track can definitely be hairier after rain, use your common sense and we suggest you have some good trail maps, ie MudMaps or similar. There are plenty of open areas that you can camp along the track if you cannot do it all in 1 day but as with the rest of the series there are no facilities so come prepared and leave no trace! We always bring extra fuel as well...you might not need it but better to be safe!
We have added a hike to this part for those hiking enthusiasts....again, use common sense, allow plenty of time and take plenty of water and suncream😁 Do not attempt unless you are capable, the path we took does involve a little scrambling but offers magnificent views along the way as well as an amazing 360 degree view from the top! We have added a link to the bushwalk, we did not do it in the suggested way but it is a helpful link if you would like to explore further.
There is an AdLab as well as a Bonus for the AdLab so make sure you open this when you are in range as there is intermittent reception out here.
There are a couple of Earthcaches as well as another cache at Marda Dam.
PLEASE READ ALL THE INFO REGARDING THE CACHES AND THE DIRECTIONS BEFORE ATTEMPTING THESE CACHES!
We have decided to place a series of caches around the gorgeous Mt. Helena/ Aurora Ranges for all you 4WD/camping enthusiasts out there to showcase another beautiful scenic camping area that many folks may not have been to before!
DEFINITELY 4WD ONLY!
We have been here on many occasions and every time we are amazed by the beauty of this area! The same trees seem to have so many different colours…. Depending on their state of shedding and the light and angle you look at them! The tree trunks vary between green, gold, white, yellow, pink, red, brown…. even silver! You might find you want to stop and take photos all the time! We have been here so many times and still find ourselves coming home with 100+ photos to go through when we get home!
THE CACHES!
We have created a power-trail of 400+ caches around the Mt.Helena/ Aurora Range to highlight the great 4WDing/camping experience. It starts at Barrel Down!.... a great cache already provided by TuffJ80 and continues around through to the peak, then back round to the other side!
You cannot do a complete circuit via car around the Range as the road near the peak has sensibly been closed for many years! We have numbered the caches so that at the turnoff you head round to the top but pass the campsite on your way as it is suggested you take 2 days to do this! If you brought a camper trailer leave it at the camping area! Continue on past the campsite to reach the peak!
You definitely need a 4WD, possibly high clearance, the track can be lumpy and if wet you may not know what is underneath!
At this point, you may want to either walk or 4WD to the top….. we did both and both are achievable, depending on your fitness and 4WDing confidence!
The caches leading down will hook up with the caches coming from the turnoff point before heading to camp so you can leave them for tomorrow!
No. 40 is a Multi - you may want to leave this one as a fun one to do if you are staying in the Camping Area as it involves walking.
No. 59 is at the peak - This was the Winner of WEST OZ GEOCACHING - GEOCACHE OF THE YEAR 2023 - when you get here you will see why!
As per the Note above this new series now continues on towards the Bullfinch - Evanston Rd where if you have good maps you can find your way to the Jackson Ruins cache (GC36666) and then back down to Southern Cross and home.
NOTES FOR 102 - 201:
No. 102 to 157 branch off on a track near no 087
No. 158 to 201 branch off a track near 044.
NOTES FOR 202 - 204:
These are near the camping area, you can also camp on this side of the track.
No. 204 is a BONUS cache for the Adventure Lab
NOTES FOR 205 - 210:
These branch off from a track near 025. These lead to the hike up the West Peak and J5 Monolith
NOTES FOR 211 - 235
Great hike up J5 Monolith and the West Peak which may take approx 1.5 - 2 hours (factoring in caching) and is approx 5.5kms. You will need to solve some jigsaws/puzzles to get the co-ords for these and you will be rewarded with gorgeous panoramic views
NOTES FOR 236 - 409
This track continues on towards the Jackson Ruins cache (GC36666), approx 500m after the last cache there is a Haul Pack road...be sure to STOP as trucks frequently use this, cross this and continue another 7.5kms (via Marda Dam) and you will reach the Bullfinch-Evanston Rd where you will need a good map to show you how to get to GC36666 (directions we took are as follows: turn right, north, onto Bullfinch-Evanston Rd and before you get to Wandering Haul Rd there is a small track on the left towards Jackson Ruins, this is called Mt Jackson Rd – there are tracks leading in all directions off this so be sure you have some sort of map to follow, it is approx. 35kms to GC36666 but it took us approx. 1.5hrs, after logging the cache and signing the visitor book we then continued South on the Mt Jackson Rd which is another 110kms of track to Bullfinch, then on to Southern Cross). Alternatively if you want to head home (and not find GC36666) go south on Bullfinch-Evanston Rd towards Bullfinch/Southern Cross. This road is also frequently used by trucks so take care.
CACHES – IMPORTANT!
We have tried to place the caches in spots that you can safely pull over, hopefully not on a bend, with room for other cars to pass. Be mindful that you may not see another car out here but PLEASE PARK SAFELY as there are still plenty of 4WDS and Quads that do frequent the area! We tried to make them all easy and quick to find but try to leave them as found! All will be pre-form tubes except The Peak (059), the Letterbox (070) the Multi (040), the AdLab Bonus (204) and the West Peak (223)! PLEASE BYO PEN!!! No sign, no log!
INTERNET, CAMPING AND FACILITIES!
You will mostly lose internet somewhere between Southern Cross and Koolyanobbing minesite so you will need to download all the caches before-hand. Although at the higher points you can get internet! There are NO facilities in the campground (no toilets, water, bins etc) so you will have to ensure you factor this in! As always, leave no trace! You will be able to get a camper trailer in to the campsite but I wouldn’t recommend anything bigger than that!
DIRECTIONS!
Perth to Southern Cross is approx. 4 hours via Great Eastern Highway. We get to Southern Cross and fuel up (we also fuel up a couple of jerry cans to allow for further exploring!), then we go left onto Polaris Rd then right onto Phoenix Rd which becomes Koolyanobbing Southern Cross Rd. This takes about 30 mins to get to Koolyanobbing! Be mindful again that you will lose internet shortly after here!
When you get to Koolyanobbing Minesite shortly after the STOP sign, you will have to stop at the Security Checkpoint! Continue approx. 1km past the workers village, then turn sharp right before K Pit, After approx. 1km you will come to a Stop sign at a haul road, cross the haul road and then almost immediately take the track on the left towards Mt. Dimer and Helena and Aurora Ranges.
From here on it is fairly straightforward, stay on the dirt road and don’t go on the ‘NO ENTRY’ roads. There are some stop signs crossing the haul pack roads and definitely STOP as you may be surprised by a truck coming through! Can’t go wrong, keep heading towards the Ranges!
See Notes for 235-409 for directions to Jackson Ruins and back out if you want to go home this way.
I have added a of link of a useful brochure with a map and directions
Bungalbin Brochure | Helena and Aurora Range (helenaaurorarange.com.au)
Maps & Location | Helena and Aurora Range (helenaaurorarange.com.au)
Bushwalks on the Range | Helena and Aurora Range (helenaaurorarange.com.au)
We use offline maps and MudMaps (I think this is now Goat Tracks app which has a free 14 day trial period), which are also helpful
NOTE: PLEASE BE AWARE 1080 Poison is used in these parts so we would not recommend taking your Geopups
Happy caching! 😊