mintbush up to monkey gum
About the Track
Track Description
great track starts on top of the escarpment winding it way down to the valley ,camping at the right hand junction about 4km down it is called wombat flat, the track continues to the south crossing small creeks fed from the cliffs above easy going at this stage ,has a couple of camp spots all to the right hand side of the track. It gets interesting about 12km in with a good steep drop down to a shallow creek crossong with a good clay climb out ,from here for the next 8.5 km to the top again we find a deeply rutted selection of swith backs deep mud holes and for good fun some narly rock sections look for the wooden ladder against a large piece of escarpment almost at the top great for views down into the valley, from here 9km section of flat track with solid bottom holes that were yesterday full off water all the way back to braidwood road .reverse this for some down hill fun
Track Logs
User ID Log Vehicle Date
47488 full on track made it up with rear locker on then went back down that was hairy too and camped for few days at wombat flat top trip. Toyota Landcruiser Aug 17, 2014
47136 Track was washed out after heavy rains for last few weeks. was hairy in some spots but fun as hell. Nissan Patrol Dec 8, 2014
15609 No problems down Mintbush and along Wombat Flat. I was a very gnarly ride up to the top of Monkey Gum though. I was on my own, had the lockers in and my fingers crossed...lucky it wasn't wet. My car has no lift and only 31" tyres but they grip like glue and the locker up front is worth its weight in gold. Very glad to reach the top of that one. Massive ruts and boulders in some horrible places, my driver door copped a glancing blow. Jeep Grand Cherokee Oct 10, 2014
50149 If you can do this track, you can do any track Nissan Patrol Jan 10, 2014
43564 Truck is long wheel base and has front Lokker, torsion's on the front wound up 2" but rear is still stock height. Rear is worn out LSD. Tires are 31's, all terrain mud's (hankook RF10's) @ 20 psi. Started off turpentine road onto Deans gap. You go through some twists, cross the power lines going left then back across going right onto a sweeping left then you hit the turnoff to Mintbush track. Be careful as you can easily miss it, the entrance is quite wide and has a short easy decent to kick it off. After following mintbush for a while the road forks, Take the left fork and it will lead you onto Wombats plat. follow this up and down and over couple of fairly shallow river crossings where you'll find at least 3 camping spots spread out all on the right. They can be hard to spot so keep your peepers open. Following that you'll finally meet some uneven terrain that requires a bit of thought as you descend to make the real river crossing. It had a solid bottom and was not real deep. The climb on the other side was dry and no real challenge. Then you'll come up to Monkey Gum. As a novice i found this very challenging and i highly doubt any change of my making it up were it not for the lokker. was on 2 wheels multiple times during the ascent besides this the terrain was solid with plenty of traction. only 2 features form the climb brought me to a standstill as we piled rocks and sticks to try and get traction in some slipper dust and large rocks. Be careful on the flat bits where you can get some speed, there is a water feature over a crest that you'll find yourself stuck in if your too hot coming over. Immediately left of this feature is a kids track that has a very narrow entrance between 2 trees, you'll find this interesting if your in a wider vehicle. Overall there are minor water features, i picked lines to stay out of the muddy ruts and finished the track unscathed but there were a few close calls. Conditions are perfect for camping and the track itself should be passable by any 4x4 with a bit of lift, 31's or bigger and a Lokker. Holden Jackaroo Oct 5, 2013
43564 Truck is long wheel base and has front Lokker, torsion's on the front wound up 2" but rear is still stock height. Rear is worn out LSD. Tires are 31's, all terrain mud's (hankook RF10's) @ 20 psi. Started off turpentine road onto Deans gap. You go through some twists, cross the power lines going left then back across going right onto a sweeping left then you hit the turnoff to Mintbush track. Be careful as you can easily miss it, the entrance is quite wide and has a short easy decent to kick it off. After following mintbush for a while the road forks, Take the left fork and it will lead you onto Wombats plat. follow this up and down and over couple of fairly shallow river crossings where you'll find at least 3 camping spots spread out all on the right. They can be hard to spot so keep your peepers open. Following that you'll finally meet some uneven terrain that requires a bit of thought as you descend to make the real river crossing. It had a solid bottom and was not real deep. The climb on the other side was dry and no real challenge. Then you'll come up to Monkey Gum. As a novice i found this very challenging and i highly doubt any change of my making it up were it not for the lokker. was on 2 wheels multiple times during the ascent besides this the terrain was solid with plenty of traction. only 2 features form the climb brought me to a standstill as we piled rocks and sticks to try and get traction in some slipper dust and large rocks. Be careful on the flat bits where you can get some speed, there is a water feature over a crest that you'll find yourself stuck in if your too hot coming over. Immediately left of this feature is a kids track that has a very narrow entrance between 2 trees, you'll find this interesting if your in a wider vehicle. Overall there are minor water features, i picked lines to stay out of the muddy ruts and finished the track unscathed but there were a few close calls. Conditions are perfect for camping and the track itself should be passable by any 4x4 with a bit of lift, 31's or bigger and a Lokker. Holden Jackaroo Oct 5, 2013
42329 Fantastic track. I took Mint Bush to the river crossing at the start of Monkey Gum a couple of weeks ago but turned back. I was on my own and haven't done much 4-wheel driving. Met up with a 4runner at the same spot today and we helped one another up the track. It was great, very challenging for a novice like me. I've got an IFS Hilux with 2" lift, 31" AT's. Luckily I had a winch as I needed a quick recovery toward the top at the deeply rutted section before the ladder. The stock 4runner turned back at this point. Also a new stock Pajero on 31" AT's got stuck here and turned back. He and his mate in a mostly stock BT-50 destroyed they're steps. I got through unscathed, except for a front mudflap that came off. What a great time! Very challenging track, great fun. Toyota Hilux Aug 25, 2013
13822 Completed this track on Sunday, had great fun, quite challenging but no damage. Climb before the ladder was chewed up but still doable. Mitsubishi Pajero Aug 12, 2013
26511 great track did it twice once down and once up, has deteriorated quite a bit over time and is a reasonably challenging track. Last time we where stopped because a Hilux in our group blew a CV LandRover Discovery Jul 28, 2013
37275 Completed this track with other boys - very nice drive - massive ruts Nissan Navara May 24, 2013
35977 first time off road, no damage. rolled drivers front tyre off rim comming down into a creek crossing( 15psi 80 series). wd40 and lighter to re-seat the bead. Toyota Landcruiser Nov 22, 2012
30180 Best track I have ever done. But I do recommend a lift good tyres and a another 4wd just in case. Nissan Navara Jul 18, 2012
16887 Did the track starting at Yalwal end so the monkey gum track component is an uphill climb and although dry on the day a few deep mud holes remained on some sections. I have done this track a few times now and it has always been a challenge and great fun. Conditions have varied quite markedly between visits over the last 3 or 4 years. It’s preferable to get an early start and to take ones time as choosing the right line for your vehicle is key to getting through this track unscathed. Toyota Prado Jul 16, 2012
17302 The Mintbush decent has some mud holes, ruts, and a few rocks, but mild enough for any decent 4x4 even if stock. I accidentally missed the turn to Wombat Flats. Monkey Gum Fire Trail is definitely "game on" from the bottom to the top. It's an AWESOME climb, but with so many deep ruts, picking the right line is absolutely necessary (especially if you don't have lockers). It's not very steep. I completed it easily with 33's and rarely used lockers, but again, the right lines make all the difference. Another Prado with 32's and lockers made it with some side step damage and occasional locker use. Prado 120's would find this challenging. Toyota Prado Apr 14, 2012
20686 just starting to explore this place Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Dec 27, 2011
6538 Toyota Landcruiser Nov 27, 2011
9956 we started at powerlines and went all the way along past wombat flats onto mintbush and up to monkey gum. rained all week but was a nice day, did it with my paj, 31 inch claws and some lift, 2 isuzu d-max one standard and one raised and 32's. standard isuzu suffered a little sill damage climbing to monkeygum. paj found a puddle and beached, filled itself with water, be careful of monkey gum puddles.. otherwise awesome track! Mitsubishi Pajero Nov 27, 2011
21972 Completed this track in the wet, raining on and off all day after raining all the previous night. Very muddy, the hill climbs on Monkey Gum were a bit slippery but no one needed recovery. Four vehicles, my GQ, a GU, 80 series and Standard Defender 90 all made it. Was expecting it to be much harder after reding these posts, especially after so much rain. Nissan Patrol Oct 3, 2011
14101 Completed this track on my own. Have recovery gear winch, locked, lift and 32" muddies. Mintbush is a nice scenic track but once you hit monkeygum it's game on. Track is very rutted with a few good steep climbs. Fun going up and even more going down. Keen on finding the 6 stager as have seen it on you tube. Need directions to this track? anyone please! Be aware going from deans gap road to mintbush there is a deep water hole probably 3 km in on the left. Don't attempt on your own unless you have 35" and a good lift. Got stuck and had to winch out ... A 75 series tries after me and also failed... All in fun Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Mar 6, 2011
11004 Completed this track along with many others out at Yalwal. Great drive took the pajero up to Dusty's and down the rock steps at wombat. after checking out Dusty's we headed back along Monkey gum. What a great drive this was 6 of us did it from the powerlines on Yalwal road up the rockgarden down wombat up to dusty's with a 80 Series Cruiser 2 inch lift and 33" AT 60 Series Cruiser 4 inch lift 35" Treps and front locker Hilux 4 Inch lift 33" Horns Twin Air locked Pajero 2 inch lift 32" Horns broken front CV with open diff Sierra 29" road tyres open rear locked front Then the Lux Paj and Zook went on to do Monkey gum then back to the campsite along Deans Gap road. Great trails would recommend it to anyone but beware you will need some 4wding knowledge and a tag along vehicle incase of recovery. Mitsubishi Pajero Sep 18, 2010
9805 Completed this on the 24/07/2010 and the climb up Mint Bush is great fun and very challenging. This should only be attampted by those with modified 4wd's, recovery gear and substantial 4WDing experience as the climb is very steep, very rutted and has some substantial obstactals along the way. We had a great time camping and exploring this area. Go the Landcruisers! LandRover 110 Jul 29, 2010
11129 Great track. Second half was very hairy, especially the part where a tree and massive rock semi-block the track just before the ladder. Mitsubishi Challenger Apr 24, 2010
5946 Great fun there. I have explored surrounding areas as well over past 4 years and found some challenging climbs not suited for stocks. Lockers,winch and spare sets of undies are must! Jeep Wrangler