Merry Christmas to you all!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas 

and a safe and Happy New Year 

that is filled with many wonderful walks!

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

Bushrangers Bay - Sunday 20th November

Beware! Bushrangers ahead!

Source: found on the net somehwere

Well, not quite. However, if you were traveling along the roads on Mornington Peninsula in 1835, you may have been held up by the notorious pair of bushrangers, Bradley and O'Conner. After 'persuading' the Captain of a ship to take them from Tasmania to the mainland of Australia, they  landed at sandy cove near Cape Schanck, 

now known as Bushrangers Bay.

After meeting at the small car park where the Two Bays Walking track crosses Boneo Road,

we headed south through the remnant tea-tree and banksia bushland 

towards Bushrangers Bay.

Walking was easy with soft sand under foot but the odd tree root here and there kept you on your toes or knees if you were not careful.

 Glimpses of farm land could be seen through the trees, bringing into perspective
just how much land has been cleared in this coastal region of Victoria.

The walking track follows Main Creek, as it winds its way through what is a remaining
sliver of original bushland, wedged in the hollows of rolling hills
that was too difficult to clear for pasture.

I wonder what they are looking at?

 As we continued along the track, distant glimpses of the ocean came closer and it wasn't long before Bushrangers Bay came into view.

Ahh! Bushrangers Bay.

 At the junction where the Two Bays walking track continues on towards Cape Schanck, we took the left turn and walked down the path to Bushrangers Bay.

We enjoyed morning tea sitting on the rocks looking out to sea while trying
to keep our hats on our heads or chasing after them along the sand.

Here are a few photos taken on the beach.

Making sandcastles??

Good thing there weren't any 'freak waves'?!

or were there?... (hint hint)

Looking upstream.

Ocean view.

View towards Cape Schanck

 After eating our morning tea supplies, we climbed back up the path that consisted of overly large steps that seemed to be built for a giant with a limp, we continued along the Two Bays track towards Cape Schanck.

  The only clue to a creek being here was the sign and the wooden bridge.
Burrabong Creek was completely overgrown.

No room for a platypus here!

 Emerging out of the gully we found more giant-like steps that had a special height detecting device at the top of the hill. Standing there for just a few minutes to make camera adjustments proved to be a bit more entertaining than expected. A few over-night hikers who were busy looking at their feet detected the over-hanging branch with their heads. After a few expletives each in turn, they trudged on.

The path meanders across the tops of sand dunes
that were deposited thousands of years ago.  

Changes in the vegetation that grows

on this coastal sand dune environment,

was clearly noticeable.

To the right of the path pasture land expanded to the horizon.

Evidence of erosion that may occur in this fragile eco-system from clearing the natural vegetation and over use was clearly visible.

The thin layer over top soil has broken away exposing the ancient sand dune underneath.

Climbing up over the last sand dune, we were rewarded with

splendid views of Cape Schanck,

 and the Cape Schanck Lighthouse.

Seeing the many steps that was required to walk back up, 

 we decided not to walk down to visit the basalt plateau!

 Instead, we had an enjoyable lunch under the trees.

Our return journey followed the same path that we took in the morning.

So instead of lots more photos of landscapes in reverse and people's backs,
here are some photos of the wildlife we came across on our walk.

An echidna WITH a beak

Large kangaroo

Magpie.

There isn't a picture of the red-bellied black snake...because I ran away...quickly!


It was a truly enjoyable walk. Thank-you to Ian for leading us on this walk.

And thank-you to everyone who came on this walk
and making it a memorable Walkabouters Walk.

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

Walk Notice - Bushranges Bay - Sunday 20, November.

The Walk:

A walk along Main Creek to Bushrangers Bay and then along the cliff tops to Cape Schanck. Return the same way.


Grade:

Medium, about 12km in total.

Did someone say "Lighthouse"?!

Yes, there is a Lighthouse at Cape Schanck.

"But is it a 'real' Lighthouse", I hear you cry.

Well, join us on this walk and we may find out.

Here are some pictures of lighthouses to whet your appetite.

Cape Jervis lighthouse...or is it a beacon?

Cape du Couedic lighthouse.

Cape Borda lighthouse. Now there's a 'real' lighthouse!

Kingston SE lighthouse...on stilts but out of commission.

Beachport lighthouse, dwarfed by Norfolk Island pines.

And of course there will be lots of walking on cliff tops with ocean views!

Hope to see you there!

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

Werribee Gorge - Part 2- Sunday 30th October

Here is Part 2 of the saga that is Werribee Gorge.

For those who have been waiting with trepidation for the 'real' Werribee Gorge walk,
may have had a seek preview over at Hiking Fiasco's walk review. The Walkabouter's walk through Werribee Gorge provided a very different experience of the Gorge, a very wet one!

Werribee Gorge has seen its share of geological event, with volcanoes, glaciers, rock 

sediments and rock foldings over the last 500 million years or so. 

Having read of all this at the information board, six of us set off from the 

Meikles Point Picnic Area on a cool overcast day, for an initial steep uphill climb which, 

after a some puffs, eventually leveled off as we approached the Quarry Picnic Area. 

The vegetation was mainly salt-bush under a variety of eucalypts. 

Through the lush overgrowth

We then followed the Centenary Track for a short while to look at the Myrniong Creek valley 
and across to The Island.  Then on to the Eastern Lookout for morning tea, with views across 

Jack Myer's old farm ("Rosehill"), the grove of trees where we used to camp and the 

cow tunnel under the freeway.  In the distance were old volcanoes and lava flows. 

The raging torrent that Werribee River can sometimes be!

Here we saw some kangaroos and possibly a pair of falcons.  As well, we met an intrepid
walker who appeared over the cliff edge from the valley below.  We walked to Picnic Point and 

looked down the 120 metre cliff to the bends and beaches of the fast-flowing Werribee River 

far below. 

From above.

The wind here was very strong, but luckily blowing up from the gorge or we would not 
have been brave enough to stand there.  By now it was getting colder, windier and drizzling 

so we decided to have a quick lunch on a couple of logs, near a stand of Cypress-pines 

where some-one was growing potatoes over a hundred years ago.

Leaf litter and caterpillars.

We retraced our steps back to Eastern Lookout and then walked/slid downhill on the 

Short Circuit Walk - steep and very slippery in places and some of us were forced to sit 

down in the mud. 

Back at the river, we followed the old aquaduct upstream, marvelled at the spectacular 

anticline and syncline from hundreds of millions of years ago and pondered unfolded rock 

strata on top of folded rocks. 

We listened to frogs, saw river bottlebrush not yet in flower and reached the pool where the 

aquaduct started.  We just made it back to the cars before a heavy shower caught us as 

we were enjoying a cup of tea. 

 Thank-you to Ian, our leader for another great walking experience!

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

Horsing around on Melbourne Cup Day!

Every year on the first Tuesday in November, The Melbourne Cup is run to test the best and fastest three year old and over thoroughbred horses, over a distance of 3,200 metres.

Horses come from all over the world to compete in "the race that stops a nation".

This year, The Melbourne Cup was a close race.

Any one of the horses in the field had a chance to win!    

 This year's race was won by ....

 no, not a kangaroo

(whoops, how did that get there!) ...

 a horse!

By less than a horse's nose whisker!!

Congratulations to the horse that won. 

It will be remembered in the long list of winners alongside Archer and Phar Lap.

Click here for a wrap up of today's great race!

Where were you when the race stopped the nation?

And how many past winner's names can you remember without googling?

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A