Trafalgar/Noojee’s ‘Little India’

Yesterday we continued our reconnaissance of Trafalgar/Noojee’s ‘Little India’, a peninsula of forest which hangs down from the mountains into the lush Gippsland farmland along the upper Latrobe River. Though the Hawthorn Creek Bridge campsite has been closed (too many idiots apparently), there are many beautiful bush camps sprinkled about.

We spent a couple of pleasant hours at one at the end of Camp Rd via Hill End (recommended). You can clearly put in/take out at Connection Rd (via Willow Grove) if you are planning to canoe the Upper Latrobe. I figure it will take (at least) two days down from Noojee. We will try a couple of short sections first (in the pack rafts (see http://www.alpackaraft.com/ ) to establish the degree of difficulty, duration, etc before launching in to an expedition.

I am imagining 4-5 days from Noojee to the park opposite Yallourn PS’s cooling towers. It is a further 5 days from Tom’s Bridge to Longford (bridge), and a further 2 to Batts Landing on Lake Wellington. I don’t know whether you can canoe from Yallourn PS to Tom’s Bridge.

It looks like a fortnight’s canoeing anyway can be had on one of Victoria’s ‘neglected’ rivers. (I cannot find any information anywhere on the canoeability of this river (or many others), though THIS is a useful site for some: https://www.adventurepro.com.au/paddleaustralia/#.VKSPWnspoac I would NOT recommend canoeing the Moroka (as these guys did) though – if you value your life! There is a photograph of them coming over the Moroka Falls. Has to be a 30’ drop!

image138
Moroka 30’ drop
Ferny Track near the end of McKenzies Rd, Neerim East near Noojee.
Ferny Track near the end of McKenzies Rd, Neerim East near Noojee.
Fantail: Ferny Track near the end of McKenzies Rd, Neerim East near Noojee.
Fantail: Ferny Track near the end of McKenzies Rd, Neerim East near Noojee.
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2 thoughts on “Trafalgar/Noojee’s ‘Little India’”

  1. jack van berkel

    kayaked Latrobe river from hawthorn creek bridge to camp creek road. great 4 hour trip using sit-on-top yak,grade2 rapids. have kayaked a fair bit of river downstream from this but would like to try Latrobe upstream.are you game? also have kayaked tyres river below dam.we have a liquidlogic coupe you can borrow if you want to join us on a trip. contact us on 51955379 or0419167507. p.s. Latrobe should be 1 metre plus at willow grove to do section mentioned . cheers jack van berkel

    1. Hi, I am only just getting the hang of how this page works. I have been doing my old pages for years (see Archives) but my daughter has just brought me into the C21st. I WILL ring you for a chat, but it is probably a bit late now at 10:00pm. My number is 0427041253. Thank you for the offer to lend me a canoe. We have about a dozen of our own though, having roughly bought two per decade of my life. I would probably do a new section of river in one of he Alpackas as they are so light when you have to portage. I am a warm weather canoeist though. Cheers.

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