Walk Notice - Merri Creek Trail - Saturday, 30th April, 2011

Grade: 

Easy walking along a sealed trail, about 13km. A shorter walk is also possible.

The Walk:

Beginning near Heathcote Junction the Merri Creek runs for approximately 70kms, and flows into the Yarra at Dights Falls Collingwood. We will commence our walk in the vicinity of Dights Falls and head upstream along the trail to our lunch spot. After lunch we will return by the same route.

There is an opportunity for part of the group to walk a shorter distance if desired.

If you are interested in joining us on the walk,

contact us by email for details.

 walkabouters@hotmail.com

Dights Falls, 2010.

We would love to see you.

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

Graham Creek Walk, 10th April, 2011

On Sunday the 10th of April, six Walkabouters met at Fridays Camp Ground for a 12km walk through the forest of the Brisbane Ranges.

The Brisbane Ranges are a series of low hills that were formed by the upheaval of land along the Rowsley Fault west of Melbourne. The terrain is rugged with many deep gorges and rocky outcrops. Many species of flora and fauna are particular to the area such as the Brisbane Ranges Grevillea and the Yellow tufted honey eater.

The area is scattered with the remains of mine shafts and diggings left behind from the gold rush in Victoria during the 1850's.

 
This is a close-up of the mine shaft, showing the detail of the hand operated winder used to lift buckets filled with dirt and rock and miners hopeful of finding gold. This mine shaft is safely covered to prevent accidentals falls and is maintained by the Friends of the Park and Parks Victoria.

We walked passed stands of  Grass-trees (Xanthorrhoea spp.) scattered amongst the predominantly Brown Stringybark Eucalypts that make up the forest.

Grass-trees in the area are threatened by  Phytophthora cinnamomi (cinnamon fungus) that attacks the roots of the plant and causes root rot and the eventual collapse of the plant.
Cinnamon fungus has been found to spread through the use of machinery and bush walker's shoes carrying infected soil.

Grass trees may also be severely affected by fire.

 Our keen-eyed walk leader spotted numerous flowering orchids along the side of the paths. The above orchid is called Parsons Bands and flowers during Autumn. We also saw many tiny multi-stemmed Greenhoods which eluded many attempts to be photographed.

After carefully making our way down the side of a rocky embankment and up the next hill, we had lunch beside Graham Creek.

The fallen log would have provided a great resting place if the picnic table and benches had not provided a better one.

There were many photographic opportunities along the track,

 including more stands of Grass-trees....

 ....Silver Banksias (Banksia marginata)...
 

.....and the evidence of recent rains along the creek beds.

The recent deluge appears to have brought much debris down this creek.
This area of Victoria generally receives less than 500 mm of rain on average each year.
The summers are hot and windy, so the recent rains have brought lush undergrowth and vibrant green to the bush.

 We continued along the tracks, through the woody heathland of valleys of Yankee Gully and Grahams Creek. We did not see any koalas in the trees, but we enjoyed the many little birds flittering among the branches and undergrowth.

After arriving back at Fridays Camp Ground, we enjoyed a well earned cup of tea, biscuits from the Malvern Presbyterian Church fete, before an uneventful drive back to Melbourne.

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

WALK NOTICE

Upcoming walk this weekend.

Sunday, 10th of April
Graham Creek, Brisbane Ranges

You never know, you see some kangaroos!



If you are interested in joining us on the walk,
contact us by email for details.

We would love to see you.

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

Limeburner's Cove to Lara, 20 March, 2011

The first walk of the year was from Limburner's Cove near Corio Bay to Lara following Hovell's Creek.

Hovell's Creek meanders through the expansive grass lands south west of the You Yangs. The banks of the creek are lined with Mangroves which provide a rich habitat to local birds and fish.

We walked along the recently upgraded bike paths and afforded views from the well positioned rest stations.

We walked 6 kilometres to lunch at Lara and returned via the same route. It was an enjoyable, easy walk on a bright Autumn's day.

 

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A

Walkabouter's Summer Camp, 2011.

During the first week of January this year, the Walkabouters spent a week in Perisher Valley,
Kosciusko National Park, NSW.

 From our comfortable 'camp' lodgings (see above), each day, a group of intrepid walkers tackled different walking tracks throughout the Kosciusko National Park.

This year, our walks included the Rennix Track, Rainbow Lake, Porcupine Rocks, Blue Lake and Mount Kosciusko via Charlette Pass.

There were an abundance of pink trigger plants, greenhood and potato orchids along the path to the trig point of Rennix Track.

Our walk to the Blue Lake proved to be quite challenging, it included a river crossing and several long steep climbs.

From this vantage point at the beginning of the track, we could see where our path would lead us, over the hills and far away.

The cold, clear waters of the Snowy River.

 We successfully negotiated a dry crossing the Snowy.

We came across patches of snow that still had not melted in the Summer sunshine. 

The pink tinge on the snow is from a bacteria that likes to live on snow.

Lunch was enjoyed near the banks of the Blue Lake.


The track to Porcupine Rocks is a well worn path,

 but it can get confusing with a number of different ski pole tracks leading off the main path

that meanders through the hills.

 Lunch was enjoyed amongst the rocky out crops that make up the Porcupine Rocks.

We ensured everyone was together before heading back to our 'camp'.

A short loop walk started near our 'camp'. It is very important when walking in mist, to keep your eye out for the next ski pole to keep heading in the right direction.

The evenings were spent in comfortable lodge accommodation sharing tales, relaxing and cooking our gourmet meals in the shared kitchen.

We decided on two approaches to the summit of Mt Kosciusko. Four walkers started from Charlette Pass and walked across the plateau to the summit taking in the abundant views and a visit to Seaman's Hut along the way.

Whilst a larger group of walkers drove around to Thredbo and took the chairlift up to the start of the 6 km, more popular, summit track.

The path from the chairlift to the summit of Mt Kosciusko. It is the rounded peak in the distance.

Mt Kosciusko with a snow drift on the side.


Morning tea inside Seaman's Hut.

At the summit of Mt Kosciusko.


We all walked down together to the chairlift and enjoyed hot chocolates, latte's and a pot of tea in Thredbo Village before heading back to 'camp.

 Thank-you to all those members and the committee who helped oragnise the camp, lead the walks and joined us for another enjoyable and successful 'camp' in the High Country.

Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc.

A0019863A