Mt Victory Rd once known as the Bluff road was opened by Lady Somers Mar 1930. This section of the raod is beyond Stoney Creek Gorgephoto shows sweeping bend on Mt Victory Rdaccess routes, mt victory rd, roads

Official opening of Mt Victory Rd People in photo Lord and Lady Somers, 2 Johsons Millie Bowtell, Bessie McKeon, M PawseyPhoto shows group standing on road opening of Mt Victory Rd. Lord Somers in foregroundaccess routes, mt victory rd, people, roads

The road winding up Stoney Creek Gorge with Elephant Hide, the rocky slope in the picture, on the left. Sections of the earlier 19th century bridal track, which was later widened to become a jinker track, can be seen above the new road.Postcard shows Mt Victory Rd unsealed Elephant's hide on leftPostcard Correspondence Address only Kodak Mt Vic Roadaccess routes, mt victory rd, roads

Photo shows Charles D'Alton (left) and Fred Paasch (right & seated) looking at a point in the distance. Fred Paasch has arm raised & finger pointed. Both are standing on new & rough section of Mt Victory Rd. Dog in foreground.Charles D'Alton & Frederick Paasch (white hat)access routes, mt victory rd

The Mt Victory Rd was originally called the Bluff Road After improvements and extension it was renamed at its opening by Lady Somers in Mar 1930Photo shows the newly formed Mt Victory Rd. with the bridle track above it Photo taken from the top of the Elephant's hideaccess routes, roads

Men have started to form the Mt Victory Road. Until the 1900's access to the Stoney Creek gorge was via a winding bridal jinker track. Increased traffic lead to much of this route being widened into what became known as Bluff Road. Within a few years the route was further improved and was officially named Mount Victory Road in 1930.Photo shows 3 men working with pick and shovel on roadPick and shovel Mt Victory Rdaccess routes, roads, access routes, road building

Photo shows 6 people walking up Mt Victory Road Road not sealedaccess routes, mt victory rd, roads

Background on Bridle Path up Stony Creek Gorge Pre 1840 C. B. Hall, squatter on Mokepilly Run 1841-1842, first European to discover the Fyans Creek valley, the entrance of which became known as Hall's Gap. He later recorded that he followed a number of tracks which he assumed had been made by the Aboriginies and described one as "leading up a wild romantic glen and over on to the source of the Glenelg River". This could well have been the route taken up Stony Creek gorge by the first timber-cutters in this part of the Grampians to the saddle between the Wonderland and Mt. Difficult ranges known as Valley Gap 1850s/60s Timber cutters and shingle splitters were reported to be moving into the eastern side of the Grampians and by the mid 1860s there were a number of families connected to the supplying of timber to Pleasant Creek living in the "Hall's Gap ranges". John Wakeham, the first store owner in Pleasant Creek in 1854, established a timer-mill in upper Stony Creek Gorge in the late 1850s. Wakeham is credited for the clearing and levelling of the first bridle-path up the gorge. 1870s By the mid 1870s the track had been extended over Valley Gap to the Victoria Forest (the upper region of the Victoria Valley). McKeon's bullock team was known to have hauled red gum from the Valley to Stawell in the late 1870s and the 1880s. 1880s In 1887 an article in the Pleasant Creek news describes the Stony Creek Gorge track as "being a ledge alongside the mountain range, formed in the early days with the aid of earth and timber, along which the bullock teams used to travel to Horsham and plains of the Wimmera beyond." 1890s Gold was discovered in the catchment area of Stony Creek and by the end of the 1890s a new track was built from "near the junction of Fyan's and Stony Creeks, up the gorge to the diggings settlement. The mining Department had paid L300 for its construction and, when completed, the track was "three miles and 30 chains in length, the side cuttings at the narrowest part being 10 feet between" and "the watercourses which cross the track at various points" having been "filled up with rocks rolled down the sides of the hills, and consequently there can be no damage caused by bushfires which destroyed the former wooden bridges erected on the old track to Wakeham's saw-mill, the remains of which are still to be seen at the side of the diggings" The article goes on to further describe the track as one which "can with ease travel with a two horse conveyance either up or down" and that the workmen engaged in the construction of the track would be attending "a ball that night at McKeon's farm near the mouth of the gap to celebrate the successful completion of the undertaking". 1900s At what time the bridle path was extended beyond Valley Gap to the Wartook basin on the Mt. Difficult Range has not yet been determined. However, it is known that, by the turn of the century, people were travelling between Halls Gap and the caretakers' residence at Wartook Reservoir along what was now known as the "Bluff Road. Wartook's embankment had been constructed in 1887 and at that time there was already a track from Rosebrook Station homestead (near the present day Wartook Pottery) to the reservoir. Philip Rose owned both Rosebrook and Wartook Stations from the mid 1840s to the late 1850s and had regularly leased the Wartook basin to Cobb & Co. to rest horses there. 1920s Following the war of 1914-1918, tourism really took off in the Grampians, and Halls Gap rapidly grew. People would travel as far as they could on the many tracks then hike to the many lookouts being discovered by local tour guides. This led to the need for access across the range so that horse riders and the increasing number of vehicles could travel between Horsham and Halls Gap. To this end, the Bluff Road was improved and extended on 1929 and at its opening in March, 1930, by Lady Somers it was renamed the Mt. Victory Road.Map of Mt Victory Road and othersaccess routes, mt victory rd, bridle path, roads

This is a photo of the Mt. Victory Road under construction. The workers camp can be seen in front of the road. For further information see 'Victoria's Wonderland', pp 102, 112 & 136. Note: The second copy is a transparency held at Slide Box No. 162.The photo shows a slope covered in thick bush. A road can just be seen in the middle foreground and a campsite with many tents can be seen through the bush in front of the road.access routes, mt victory rd

Photo is said to be that of roadmakers camp for workers on the construction of the Mt Victory RoadPhoto shows a number of tents in bush land, said to be road makers campRoad makers camp Mt Victory Rd during the dat 1920sstructures, tents, access routes, road building

Men are working at building a road. Photo relates to the building of the Mt Victory Rd during the late 1920s Photo relates to the building of the Mt Victory Road During the late 1920sPhoto shows three men with 2 horses and carts A third horse is standing behind one of the carts Men appear to be digging access routes, roads, access routes, road building

C 1920s. Photo shows the jinker track which was replaced by the Mt Victory Road (then called Bluff Rd) during the 1920s.Photo shows a track through bush. An old car sits off to side of road just after a bend.access routes, roads, access routes, jinker track