Lake Cobbler 4WD Trip Review
Lake Cobbler, Victorian High Country
Location
Lake Cobbler, Victorian High Country
Route
High Country tracks around Lake Cobbler
Terrain
High Country tracks, rocky sections, steep climbs and descents
Difficulty
Moderate — depending on your route and conditions
Vehicle
4WD with proper recovery and touring gear
Would we go back?
Definitely
Lake Cobbler was an overnight stop for us during one of our Victorian High Country 4WD trips, and it's one of those camps that has stuck with us. We only spent one night there, but waking up the next morning with mist sitting across the lake was unreal. It was one of those mornings that made us pretty happy we'd chosen Lake Cobbler as our camp for the night.
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Getting to Lake Cobbler
Part of the appeal of Lake Cobbler is getting there.
There are different ways to incorporate the lake into a bigger High Country trip, which is exactly what we did rather than making Lake Cobbler the sole destination.
Depending on the route you take, you can keep things relatively straightforward or link it with some more interesting 4WD tracks through the surrounding mountains.
That's one of the things we love about travelling through the Victorian High Country. There isn't necessarily one way in and one way out.
You can build the trip around the tracks you want to drive and use places like Lake Cobbler as your overnight stops along the way.
Camping at the Lake
We pulled up at Lake Cobbler for one night during our trip and set up camp near the lake.
It's a brilliant High Country setting.
You're surrounded by bush and mountains, with the lake right there, and once everything settles down for the evening it's a pretty special place to camp.
But the highlight for us came the following morning.
We woke up to mist sitting over the lake, completely changing the look of the place from the night before.
The still water, mist and surrounding bush made for an unreal High Country morning.
Sometimes it's not the hardest track or biggest obstacle that you remember from a 4WD trip.
It's moments like that.
The 4WDing
Lake Cobbler works really well as part of a larger High Country 4WD trip because there's so much country to explore around it.
You can use the lake as an overnight stop while linking together different tracks and destinations through the region rather than simply driving in and back out the same way.
The difficulty is going to depend heavily on the route you choose.
There are easier ways to access the area, while some of the surrounding High Country tracks can add steeper, rockier and more challenging four-wheel driving to the trip.
Conditions also make a massive difference.
Rain, snow, fallen trees and track damage can completely change what you're dealing with in the High Country.
More Than a 4WD Destination
Lake Cobbler isn't somewhere we'd recommend purely because of the four-wheel driving.
The location itself is the reason we'd go back.
It's a great place to break up a longer High Country trip, set up camp for the night and enjoy being out in the mountains.
For us, that one misty morning is probably what we'll always associate with Lake Cobbler.
What we'd take
When we're travelling through the High Country, we carry proper recovery and touring gear regardless of where we're planning to camp.
That includes rated recovery points and recovery gear, recovery boards, tyre deflators, compressor, tyre repair kit, shovel, first aid kit, tools and UHF.
We also carry enough food and water to allow for plans changing.
The High Country can throw plenty of surprises at you, so we'd rather be prepared to spend longer out there than expected.
Things to know before you go
Always check current track conditions and closures before planning a trip through the area.
Seasonal road closures affect many tracks throughout the Victorian High Country, and temporary closures can happen because of weather, fires, storms, fallen trees or track damage.
Your planned route matters too.
Don't assume that because Lake Cobbler itself can be accessed relatively easily that every track you've planned around it will be the same.
Our verdict
Lake Cobbler was only a one-night stop for us, but it ended up being a memorable part of a much bigger High Country trip.
There's plenty of four-wheel driving throughout the surrounding area, but for us the standout wasn't a particular track.
It was waking up the next morning and seeing the mist sitting across the lake.
That's the sort of thing we love about High Country trips.
You can spend all day exploring tracks, set up camp somewhere for the night and wake up to something completely unexpected the next morning.
We'd happily camp at Lake Cobbler again.
A4GW Rating
9/10 🤙
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