The upcoming ride for the Tambo Upper Trail Riding Club will be on Sunday, November 19. Debbie Carstairs will lead the ride from the corner of Scriveners Rd and Lakes-Colquhoun Rd near Lakes Entrance.
Debbie knows this area well as she lives locally. The ride will consist of ferny gullies, some of them short but quite steep, 4WD tracks and the Discovery Trail.
Lunch is planned at the Log Crossing picnic area at Mississippi Creek on Log Crossing Road. This will be a good opportunity for non-riders to meet the group at lunchtime.
A simple “sausage in bread” lunch will be provided by the club and prepared by non-riding members. Alternatively, riders can bring a saddlebag lunch.
A compulsory unmounted muster will be held at 9:45am. Participants should arrive early enough to saddle up before the muster. The ride-out time will be 10am sharp.
The October ride was led by Andrea Blunden from Seaton Track in the western area of the Colquhoun Forest. The forest is a huge area and provides abundant tracks and riding opportunities. Andrea stepped up for lead ride duties when changes to the location were required due to bushfires threatening the proposed Stockdale ride.
Seventeen riders set out on an interesting ride with a few challenging sections, all handled with ease. It was a very cruisy group of horses, and good time was made negotiating gullies and single tracks.
After a break for lunch, the group made their way along the Lakes Discovery Trail. A total of seven small bridges were crossed with no issues before the riders reached the historic granite quarry.
This granite quarry was opened in 1904 to provide rock to reinforce the man-made entrance to the Gippsland Lakes. Two interpretive signs at the quarry site provide details on how the granite was taken from the quarry and then shipped to the entrance. A tram line was built to transport the rock 13km from the quarry site along Mississippi Creek to barges at the head of the North Arm inlet. The barges then took the rock a further 6km to the entrance site.
The horses sensed they were headed for home and picked up the pace; all soon settled and fell into a good, steady gait. On returning to the floats, the horses were tended to first before the riders enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea. Floats were loaded, and the group headed off home after a challenging and satisfying day.
Tambo rides are held on the third Sunday of every month and are suitable for most standards. Visitors are welcome, and juniors are also encouraged but must be accompanied by a guardian and able to ride independently.
For more information, phone Caroline Driscoll on 0408 963 667 or Sue Cullinan on 0412 526 121.
