Trip Report Dunback / Macrae's area Sunday 19th May, 2019
After a cancellation the previous Sunday due to ground conditions, 16 trucks meet at the New World car park on a brisk but sunny morning ready to make their way down via Trotters Gorge Road to Steve and Margaret Vickers property at the back of Palmerston.
On arrival, a stop was had for a quick morning tea followed by an introduction to Steve and Margaret who gave members a brief of what to expect and look out for while traveling on their farm, this was followed by Owen Phaup running through club rules and procedures and yours truly putting up her hand (not sure how that happened?? I’m sure I was just swotting a bee away…) to write the trip report.
Steve and Margaret farm a mixture of river flats and hill country on the lower end of the Kakanui Range. They farm 100 beef cows mainly on the hills as well as 1300 ewes and 350 hogget’s. The first part of the trip was to travel into a hut at the back of the property where we were to have lunch. The beginning of our journey took us across the river flats where Steve pointed out the work that was being undertaken by ORC on the creek and explained that it was constantly monitored.
After a very quick but steep climb, we stopped at the top of the hill which was spectacular. It gave us a view South of Palmerston and Puketapu (of course), and further South to the Otago Peninsula and a very clear view of the range of hills on the Dunedin Motorway known as the Sleeping Maori; East, to Moeraki and Oamaru; North to the Humtucker’s and the back of the Dunback Lime Works as well, the area of burnt land that the local fire brigades had been battling with the previous week and finally, West to Stoneburn and Macraes. We spent a bit of time here as there was just so much to see.
On arrival at the hut it was to find that it wasn’t really a hut but a house and very much a home away from home which the Vickers family use frequently as a holiday home and where one of their sons had got married. It was a lovely spot for lunch but the day very quickly was changing so we headed off back up the hill with Steve concerned at the showers he could see coming over and deciding against the planned second 4WD part of the trip and returned us to his house via a different route.
Under Steve & Margaret’s lead we headed off up to the Macraes Oceana mine which was also on the day’s agenda, where we stopped at the viewing platform and had a look into Frasers Pit and watched the machinery at work. We then went across to the Golden Point Historic DOC Reserve. This reserve protects important remnants of Otago's gold mining history and houses unique machinery which is still in working order. This is always an interesting place to visit and members scattered all over the site to look at everything that was on display. It is an interesting contrast from what had been viewed at the modern Macraes Oceana Gold mine.
With the day quickly turning to late afternoon, we headed home via Golden Bar Road, Stoneburn Road onto the Dunback Road. We stopped at the white railings corner rest area to have a debrief and say our thank you’s and good byes before making our way independently home.
This was an interesting day out with a lot of variety. Thank you to the Steve and Margaret Vickers for hosting us and Pam and Owen Phaup for making this happen.
Jennifer Dorsey
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