Australia is renowned for some pretty serious 4×4 tracks, with none more so than the Ellis Track in Wesburn in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges which stands out as the most challenging of all challenging – as voted by the Mud Map Facebook Community (the Muddies!)
Despite being less than 2km, the Ellis features massive boulders, highly uneven terrain and gigantic ruts. Its combination of mud and orange clay (mixed with a bit of rain for good measure!) adds to this already brutal difficulty level, which has created its reputation amongst 4WD diehards as not being an undertaking for the faint hearted!
Advice from those who have done the Ellis is that you can never expect to come out totally unscathed — your vehicle will have the marks to prove you’ve done this track of all tracks. And if nothing else, if you’re not put off by its formidable reputation, they say to make sure you’re well prepared with a good set of muddies (minimum 35s) while also ensuring you don’t attempt it without at least one buddy!
Well known 4×4 Adventurer Damian Lucev decided to put the Ellis to the test with his resilient Maxxis Trepadors and took some awesome footage to prove it. Here’s what he had to say:
“I was excited to put my Defender and my Maxxis Trepadors to the test on this track – and I can definitely say this is a track doesn’t let any one off lightly (no matter how experienced you are!) It was one of the most ruthless terrains I’ve encountered, with the mix of hugely steep boulders and intense slippery mud, making it extremely challenging. The Trepadors were up to the task and provided the traction, grip and endurance I needed, getting me through with impressive ease for such a track with this level of difficulty and reputation.”
