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.

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