They were stranded after dark on the Easter Monday Track for at least four hours after the car ended up over the side of a steep slope on Sunday afternoon.

The alarm was raised just after 5pm.

Blackwood CFA members said one of the people in the car feared that getting out would shift its weight - and send the car plummeting.

In the end the occupants were able to leave the vehicle safely.

Blackwood volunteers tackled the accident scene from the top while Ballan CFA members approached from the lower side.

The Ballarat City Fire Rescue Victoria station sent a pumper and a "technical rescue" ute.

"The callout happened right on shift changeover and because we had no one rostered who had been trained to operate that rescue equipment, it took us 20 minutes to call a trained operator in and then hit the road," Lucas FRV station officer Luke Shearer said.

"That is actually not too bad.

"On average, it can take 40 minutes for that to happen."

RELATED STORY: Firefighters say specialised rescue equipment could save lives

The accident comes as the United Firefighters Union steps up a campaign to move a $1 million Heavy Tech Rescue Vehicle Technical Rescue to Ballarat - and give local firies specialist training in its use.

Mr Shearer said the FRV vehicles were halfway to the scene when they were called back to Ballarat.

The Easter Monday Track is a rough and muddy road which heads west from the Garden of St Earth and into the heart of the Wombat State Forest.

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