| Leader | Mentor | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Selwyn | Chris | Warren |
| Alternates | Ali | Bev | Ailsa |
Distance: 13.6/12km, ascent: 254m, time: 4hrs 30mins
Fine weather with a light westerly breeze greeted 41 trampers as we all set off at 10:30am up the Broken River road. The 24 Standards arrived at the Broken River road junction with the Dracophyllum track at 11:05 where we stopped for morning tea. A quarter of an hour later we were on our way descending about 100 metres southwest on the track, through beach forest, crossing Broken River stream at the bridge (one at a time) and onto Dracophyllum Flat, altitude 940 metres, which we reached at about 11:50am stopping briefly.
Continuing south on Dracophyllum track through light beech forest we emerged into a large open area of turpentine shrubs (Dracophyllum, but so named because it burns well even when wet). We arrived at our lunch stop, a shaded spot at 12:30. The 17 Alternates arrived shortly after for their lunch break. Our lunch spot was well chosen as we were rewarded with great views of Mount Cheeseman (2031 metres) and Mount Izard (2019 metres) looming large above us west across the valley.
Lunch over, we continued on the track briefly then turned sharply east following a route gradually ascending a saddle to approx. 950 metres. After a brief short and steep descent, we continued east crossing Broken River then turned north then climbed 100 metres or so onto an area of open level ground where we took a brief rest stop and enjoyed a panoramic view of the Craigieburn range. Then turning east again we walked briefly along an old stock road then down to our pick-up point at a layby area on Highway 73. Our leader Selwyn set a cracking pace throughout reaching our pick-up point at 3pm where we waited for 20 minutes for the bus to arrive. I understand he also found a pair of my socks inadvertently left behind.
Meanwhile the Alternates deviated from the planned route following a MTB track adjacent to Tims Stream ascending to point 910 then descending east to the Mt Cheeseman ski field road and out to the bus waiting at the Broken River bridge on Highway 73.
Text by Stuart Columbus
