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Last Updated 18th October 2008 |
Warburton / Lilydale Bike Ride
Date: 20/21st September.
Leader: Robert Bentvelzen,
Participants: Andy Runciman, Peter & Robyn Maffei.
We met at the Warburton Caravan Park where Peter and Robyn had already set up camp. The bikes were assembled and tyres pumped up. A start was made about 10am with the weather looking very dodgy. We made good way along the rail trail and everybody was quite happy with proceedings. By the time we had reached Woori Yallock station the rain was slanting down and very windy.
We stopped for a break sheltering under some trees, and when the rain had eased a little we put on rain coats and headed off again. The track had turned mushy and the rear tyre was splashing up gravelly mud onto our bikes and backs. The weather improved as the miles went by, and by 1.00pm it had stopped raining. Robyn stopped at the Cogs café and the three men travelled into Lilydale and up to the college fence.The rail trail has been diverted here and as the track was poor we decided to turn around and go back to the café at Mt Evelyn for lunch. We were back on the bikes at 3.00pm and caught up with Robyn past Woori Yallock station on the way home. A refreshing hot shower at the park (5 minutes for $1) and we were ready to have tea at the Wild Thyme Café.
The next morning Robyn drove us up to the top of Mt Donna Buang and the three men rode bikes down the hill 18km, and back into Warburton for a late coffee and an early lunch. After lunch Peter and Robyn headed into Melbourne for a spot of shopping and Andy and I headed home.
Despite the rain on Saturday we had a good weekend. The caravan park was good, site fees were $12 per tent site, the meals at the café were good, and the Saturday evening in the park was quiet, no noisy neighbours. Robyn had a good training run for her overseas bike riding next month.
Thank you all for your company and a great weekend.
Robert Bentvelzen.
Date: Sunday 17th August
Leader: John Sunderland
Walkers: Eileen Laidlaw, Michael Haynes, Richard McNeil.
Meeting at Mt St Gwinear carpark, we were greeted by John
Sunderland who had the kettle on for us so we sat down to plan
the route of the days activities. We decided to take the track
beside the main toboggan run, back around to the main trail,
past the rock shelter and on to Tullicoutty Glen and return.
Finishing our cuppa we slipped on our snow shoes and started off
for the day. The weather was fine but overcast at this time so
we rugged up. By the time we reached the viewing platform we had
all warmed up so off came the first layer of clothing. Leaving
there we headed in a northerly d
irection until we reached the
main trail.
The snow under foot was deep and solid and there were no
problems with any of us falling through the snow when we hit a
soft spot, as happened last year. With light but dry snow
falling we crossed the summit of Mt St Gwinear and headed for
Gwinear flats for a bite of lunch. But, as the wind blew, the
ice and snow on the trees that we were sitting under started to
drop on us, so we packed up and headed for Tullicoutty Glen. We
crossed the AAWT and only went about 100 metres before we
experienced
a mini white out. So we decided not to go any
further and headed back towards the carpark via the yellow pole
line and then the main trail. Snow started falling again and
this made a great ending for the day. thanks to Parks Victoria
for putting on this very enjoyable activity.
Richard McNeil
Phillip Island - Koala Conservation Centre to Rhyll
Date: Tuesday August 19th 2008
Leader: Ron Cann
Participants: Graham and Liz Duell, Michael and Heather Haynes, Dorothy Sturgess.
We met at San Remo at 9.15 and after a brief cuppa overlooking the entrance into Westernport Bay, we headed to the start of the walk at the Harbison Rd. car park, near to the Koala Conservation Centre. The car shuttle to nearby Rhyll was quickly accomplished and we were soon ready to commence the relatively short walk.
Before we could get underway we were greeted by a rather large walking party coming from the direction of Rhyll. It was a group from the Peregrine Club (who come from Bass Coast localities), out on their weekly Tuesday walk. Their significant numbers pointed to the value of a regularly programmed mid-week activity, enabling members to plan for a walk as part of their weekly schedule.
The track led us through the Oswin Roberts Reserve, the last remaining remnant bushland on Phillip Island. It provides for easy walking through attractive forest, with several optional loops. On reaching the Cowes–Rhyll Rd. it crosses over to a boardwalk and continues through swampy melaleuca scrub.
Conservation Hill is the highest point of the
walk and was a good place for our first break. The Jack Oswin
observation tower enables good views to French Island in the
north and a look over the otherwise restricted Rhyll Wetland and
Bird Sanctuary to the south (a variety of duck species, ibis and
royal spoonbills). Binoculars definitely recommended! Signage
explained the origins and purpose of the dilapidated fence of
concrete posts and steel cross bars that we had passed earlier.
Various theories had been postulated! We learned that it was
built in 1937 to surround the wetlands area, giving employment
for locals during the depression. It was hoped that the fence
design would provide a protective enclosure for the koalas and
wildlife living here.
Soon after, the track leads onto a well-constructed mangrove boardwalk, enabling one to walk out over the muddy shoreline to a small inlet amongst the extensive mangroves. There was discussion about the positives and negatives of mangroves, environmentally valuable for stabilizing shorelines and fish breeding habitats but their spread is not welcomed by canoeists who see sandy landing points becoming muddy and inaccessible!
Dorothy, Heather and Michael, Graham and Liz.
Rhyll Inlet is a significant feeding and breeding area for resident and migratory birds. The remainder of the walk followed its southern shoreline. Along the way we found a spot that matched the criteria we had agreed was desirable for a lunch stop: shelter from the wind, sunshine, and a first class view! On a sand spit in the distance the rising tide disturbed a large flock of small seabirds (Graham thought perhaps plovers). While we ate they whirled as one, back and forth over their former “territory”, as if waiting for the tide to recede! What stamina!
Soon we were passing the first of the Rhyll
holiday homes and a little further reached Michael and
Heather’s
car. They took Graham back to collect his car then headed for
home, pleased to have an early finish with family celebrations
to attend to. Graham returned for the rest of us, now in the
centre of the very quiet Rhyll.
Churchill Island was the perfect place to wind up the day, a cuppa and cake in the visitors’ centre, and a short stroll past the Highland Cattle to the Lt. James Grant Monument (first crops in Victoria in 1801) and the 500 year old Moonah trees. On the way home we took a short side trip to Punchbowl, for views across the waters back to Phillip Island’s Cape Woolamai and to the east along the coast towards Kilcunda and the route of the George Bass Coastal Walk.
It hadn’t been a long walk, but it was great to be out and about for a winter stroll, with very pleasant company and an interesting part of the world to spend a few hours in. Picking one of the only fine and sunny days in a mostly overcast and rainy August was an added bonus!
Ron Cann
Date: 30th & 31st August 2008
Unfortunately we had no takers but Pete and I had a very enjoyable weekend. It was a bit disappointing that no one wanted to join us!!!
We had a slight change of plan, we had booked a cabin at the Warburton caravan park but due to a wrong digit on the credit card number our booking was cancelled. As they had no available cabins we booked a room at the Black Spur Motel.
On Saturday we had a lazy start to the day. We drove to Mt Sugarloaf car park. The sign said
“Mt Sugarloaf, Canyon Track 30 minutes, hard. Wells Cave Track 30 minutes, very hard”
We took the second option, the more challenging approach, which turned out to be more of a climb than a walk. With high open exposed rock faces to negotiate as well as Wells Cave, which is more like a split in a large rock face that you have to scramble through. It’s good to be small at times, Pete had a tight squeeze. It took a lot longer than 30 minutes. From the top we walked along the Razorback Ridge Track to the Jawbones and the Farmyard, which had many exposed rocky outcrops. It was sad to see a plaque on the rocks marking where a 15-year-old boy had died a few years ago.
From the Farmyard we dropped down Jawbone Creek Track, which drops very steeply to the Jawbone car park. Then it was a short 4km walk, all uphill, some gradual and some not so gradual back to the car. A bottle of red and a meal at the Black Spur Hotel completed the day.
It poured rain all night at the motel and it wasn’t looking good for Sunday. However the rain cleared and we made our way to our original destination, Warburton, for a bike ride. Claire took off on her shiny new bike and looked like a demon as she rode down the rail trail towards Millgrove. The weather looked ominous and it started to rain so we sought some shelter at the Sunday Market and decided to cut it short and head back to Warburton. It was a long ride and we were both tired when we got back, we must have ridden 8 km.
A browse of the many art and craft shops on the main street and afternoon tea at “Piglets” in Neerim Sth on the way home ended an enjoyable weekend.
Claire Cassidy and Peter Ryan
The snow arrived and we were off!
Date: Saturday, July 12th 2008
Tim Clarke, Richard McNeil & Michael Haynes
There was a lovely cover of fresh snow – we were able to ski directly from the car park. We prepared in the warm day shelter with hot drinks etc, and then at about 10:30 am set off. There were no other ski trails ahead – just a lone snowshoe walker. All the bushes had snow on them, like a traditional European Christmas card! We followed the main trail for about 3 km, past Jeep Track Flat, and then found a suitable place to flatten out a downhill run suitable for a novice and ‘first time on skis this year’ legs. We played there and had lunch, then continued along the trail to the summit of Mt St Gwinear. That was as far as the Park people had prepared the trail and the wind in our faces coming over the top was icy and fierce, so we returned to our (by-now) nicely groomed slope to play some more, before slowly returning to the car park, pausing to sample each new slope a few times as we went. Richard, being a cross-country first timer, then decided he had pushed himself far enough for that day and walked the remainder of the way to the car park where we again visited the day shelter for a hot drink and food.
Saturday, July 19th
Tim Clarke, Denis Nagle & Michael Haynes
Similar conditions and timing to the previous week. Visited Andy Gillham and John Sunderland at the Park Office, then checked out the visitors’ centre for drinks and preparations. Following the main track, with only short ‘play’ stops on the way, to the summit of Mt St Gwinear, we then continued to Gwinear Flat where we had thought to stay and play for a while. However, the snow there was too patchy, with bushes poking through everywhere, so we continued on to the Rock Shelter where we found John, Marg and other ski patrollers lunching in a coloured patrol tent. We stayed and played for a while, then followed the Australian Alps Walking Track to Mt St Phillack and beyond. At this point, Michael heard a loud crack and found one of his skis, (repaired with Araldite a mere 30 or so years ago!) had finally had enough and was bending ominously, some upward, some downwards! He then started back towards the Rock Shelter where the packs had been left and had coffee. Tim and Denis soon joined him having been busy with impromptu repairs. One of Denis’ ski poles had snapped and had been ‘mended’ with a wonderful “Fred Flintstone” look with a small branch and pliable bark! We then made our way - carefully- back to the car park for refreshments and home.
Michael Haynes
Friday 25th July
John Sunderland, Graham Bolton, Tim Clarke, Michael Haynes, Rob Hooper, Harvey Miller, Ron Cann.
Again the email system worked well, and seven of us organised to meet at the St. Gwinear car Park at 10.30 a.m. Car pooling meant that we were able to access the mountain in just two cars.
By the time we were ready to start, it was after 11, but with icy conditions this was a sensible time. Our ability levels were quite varied but we stayed together as a group through lunchtime at Gwinear Saddle and until reaching the Rock Shelter.
At this stage we split into two groups. Some continued down into Tullicoutty Glen and Thomson’s Run, returning to Gwinear Flat via some lovely “play” at Freeman’s Flat/Phillack Saddle and a challenging Blue Pole Run. The others returned directly to Gwinear Flat for some useful practice runs.
By this stage the day was drawing to a close and the seven of us still had to get back to the cars. Most of us misjudged the difficulty we were to face with very icy conditions on the home run. While Tim and John were comfortable with the speed, most of us were more than challenged. Certainly I would have preferred (in hindsight!) to have avoided the very challenging, narrow and icy eastern descent off St. Gwinear summit and taken the safer yellow pole line.
It was icy all the way back to cars, a matter of hang on for the ride, the emphasis on survival rather than finesse! I could only admire the way Tim managed it all, and climbed back up for another go! Don’t those hips wiggle well!
Thanks to everyone for sharing another really interesting day on the slopes, and special thanks to John who (as a member of the St Gwinear Ski Patrol) contributed additional security to our party with First Aid and Communications equipment, and modelling of lovely telemarking technique!
Ron Cann
Date: Sunday 20th
July
Leader: Richard McNeil
Walker: Ian White
In my opinion the best time to walk is on a cold crisp winter morning when the mist is still settled over the track that I am about to step out upon. This is what met us this morning.
Both walks were easy so we decided to do the falls walk first. Having rained for most of the week the track to the falls was wet and quite slippery in places. And the roar of the river was the only sound to be heard. We reached the falls after a short time and stepped out onto the viewing platform which gave us an excellent view of these raging waterfalls. Leaving there we headed off to the Amphitheatre Falls, making our way along a narrow path winding its way through a variety of bush.
Amphitheatre falls was equally as impressive
as Tooronga Falls, and praise must be given to the D.S.E. for
providing the viewing platforms at each of the falls. Leaving
there we made our way back along the
track which follows the Tooronga River which is full of lichen
covered rocks. With the river, rocks and mist still present this
provided the perfect end to a pleasant walk.
Ralph Cornwell walk is a relatively new track, which has only
been in for about 18 months. It follows the Loch River along a
flat path passing through a variety of flora ranging from tree
ferns to mountain ash. With the track being carpeted with a
thick layer of leaf litter, it makes for a soft and easy walk.
All in all we had a very enjoyable day without getting too wet. So I would encourage all members to pack a coat and enjoy what our area has to offer.
Richard McNeil
To avoid some of Warragul’s cold winter, I spent the last two weeks of June in sunny Kakadu. 30 degrees day after day might have got a bit boring if I had been there longer, but for two weeks it was lovely.
Willis’ Walkabouts runs many different walking trips, and I joined four others and a guide for two - one week walks in southern Kakadu.
The weather was consistently 30 degrees and we cooled down by swimming in the crystal clear streams and ponds that were always nearby. In fact we followed a creek for all of the first week, from Koolpin Gorge to Twin Falls. The second week was from Twin Falls to Graveside Gorge, again camping by beautiful clear ponds each night.
The scenery in Kakadu is fantastic. A lot of reddish sandstone rock, which creates lovely cascades and ponds which were edged with pandanus and water lilies. Apart from the aboriginal art on various rocks along the way, and areas of burnt grass, there were no signs of human intervention.
There were no tracks, no “designated campsites”, no signposts, triangles on trees or arrows on rocks. You chose your own route, governed somewhat by the need for water, where creek crossings are possible and the density of the bush.
Some areas have been burned, to get rid of spear grass, and I did not like walking in these areas. There is powdery ash on the ground and the remaining small trees were black and sooty.
However, most of the bush is beautiful, flowering wattles, orange grevilleas, hakeas and paperbarks along the streams. Other flowering trees were the yellow kapok, orange flowered currajong and the most common, turkey bush with small pink flowers. Lots of other varieties too, but I can’t remember them all.
The walking was easy, the bush is not very dense and the terrain was mostly level, but included quite a lot of rock hopping. There were no mozzies or flies and the chance of rain was minimal.
I would definitely recommend walking with Willis’ Walkabout so that you can get away from the tourists and experience the untouched beauty of Kakadu.
Fran MillerDate: Wednesday 18th June
Leader: Julie Parker
Participants: Heather and Michael Haynes
We left Julie’s place a little before 11am for the 5 minute car shuffle to the start of the days walk. The tracks we took lead us around a little of Blue Rock Lake and then up through the bush winding our way through the undulating terrain. There was much evidence of recent severe wind damage with large trees and huge branches down. These temporarily took us off our course on a few occasions but we managed to sort out our desired track again from all the animal paths without much trouble.
We lunched by the perfectly still Tanjil Pool. The reflections were a delight, with just the occasional fish jumping to set up the circles of ripples around the ghostly tree trunks standing sentinel in the water. The signs of previous human habitation are becoming harder to find as the bush reclaims the land but we did locate some concrete slabs, old bricks and two glass bottle stoppers. Further on, we found the remains of a loading ramp and, of course, many shafts and channels from past gold mining activities. There were plenty of deer tracks and wombat droppings but it was a bit early for flowers. The weather stayed dry. We reached Julie’s place about 3 pm, the right time for afternoon tea.
Thanks H and M for joining me, much better than staying home and getting on with the chores!
Date: Sunday June 22nd.
Leader: Richard McNeil
Walker: Ian White
With predictions of bad weather there was not a lot of interest in the
walk. But the intrepid Ian and I decided to go anyway. As it happened
the day was mild even though it was overcast.
We started our walk at 10 am. The track follows a large concrete water
pipe which is owned by Gippsland water. I am guessing that the water is
now used for Melbourne water.
Leaving this track and joining another which was to take us to the caves the scenery became more lush with a combination of mountain ash, tree ferns and, of course, ti-tree. We continued past the turn off to the caves because I wanted to show Ian the small dam and water diversion plant which was used to supply Drouin district with its water many years ago. Having seen this, and the leeches were getting a bit friendly, we headed to the caves.
The entry to the caves is via a small hole created by several large granite boulders. If you wanted to enter the caves you would have to lower yourself down into the cave. (not for me)
We then went to the outlet of the cave which was a lot easier to access so we poked around for a while, had our lunch and then made our way back to the car. We both agreed it was a worthwhile day.
Richard
Willow Eradication Baw Baw Plateau
Date: Monday 5th May
Leader Andy Gilham PV Ranger
Participants, 4 PV Rangers, 8 FOBB members.
Eileen Laidlaw, Richard McNeil SBWC
Willows are a problem on the Baw Baw plateau. Parks Victoria has
recognised this and eight years ago they started a program to try to
curtail these invasive weeds. FOBB picked up on and offered SBWC a
chance to provide assistance.
On the 5th of May Parks Victoria embarked on this mission. So far over
900 willows have been eradicated. The way these willows are found is
quite easy. In late April these deciduous trees turn yellow which allows
them to stand out amongst the native bush. They fly over the area in a
helicopter while the spotter marks the position of the willows using a
GPS. This is done the day before the volunteers come to do their work.
We met at Parks Victoria office at Parkers Corner. Andy allocated
different crews with a GPS, a map with the location of the willows and
the knowledge that we would be flown in by helicopter and dropped off at
the nearest point possible to the trees.
He
also told us that if the weather turned bad the chopper may not be able
to come and get us so we may have to walk out (not a good feeling). The
pilot gave us the safety instructions and we were off.
The helicopter flight gave us a totally different perspective compared
to what you see on the ground. After our 10 minute flight we were over
Mt Mueller which was our work area. The nearest drop off was Mc
Callister flats so down we went and were dropped off there. The area we
were walking was fairly open for a while, but as we got close, the bush
was closing in on us and getting quite dense.
At last we saw our first willow. Mark the PV ranger showed us what to
do: cut the willow at ground level and paint the stump and the off cut
with roundup. We had four willows to do in this area and soon they were
done. Now off to the next area where there were three willows to find.
Having trouble finding them and with time marching on we decided to head
towards our pick up point. Fortunately we found another three willows
which were not on our list so we rounded them up and ended up with our
seven willows for the day. As Moondarra flats was the closest safe pick
up point we made our way there. Soon we were picked up and flown to
Parkers Corner.
Thanks to my walking partners Mark and Ben.
Richard
Date: Saturday 24th May
Leader: Claire Cassidy
Participants: Peter Ryan, Robyn and Peter Maffei, Fran Miller
We met at Walhalla at 10.30 am and being a cold morning decided to start the walk with a cup of coffee from the café.
About 11.30 we remembered we were there for a walk and set off up (what else do you do in Walhalla) a track leading past a quaint old church.. After a brief squiz, we continued through lovely tall gums with the odd parrot darting about. A bit of pink heath was flowering and there were plenty of fungi to be seen.
The track levelled out and after passing a few burnt out cottages, we reached the stone remains of a stockbrokers residence. (We are not history buffs – there was a sign telling us ). We decided to have lunch there as a huge log was provided for the purpose.
Claire and Peter showed off their new u-beaut cooker, heating a can of soup in a jiffy. How long is that?
We continued on the wide undulating track, passing 3 large water tanks, which had us guessing as to why they were there, but decided they had something to do with the mining activity we had seen. We had passed a couple of core drill sites.
About afternoon tea time we made it to the cricket ground and sat gazing at the empty field imagining fielders chasing sixers down the hill.
The track back to Walhalla has been upgraded and was an easy descent.
We reached the cars about 5pm and I headed home, leaving the others discussing their planned walk on Hinchinbrook Island which is due to start on Monday 2nd June.
Fran Miller
Part One
Date: Friday 25th – Sunday 27th April 2008
Participants: Ed Buller SBWC and Alan Eagle BCBWC
Leader: Denis Nagle
The lead up to this walk looked a bit dicey, one of only three walkers from Strzelecki pulled out a week before which only left Ed and me. As the leader I had to decide if a walk that I hadn’t reccied, known to be very hard and with a forecast for difficult weather condition should proceed. Then an email arrived from Alan asking if it wasn’t too late to join us. (I had listed my walk with the Ben Cruchan Bushwalking Club to try to enlist a bit more interest)
While Alan is a very experienced walker, he like Ed and myself had not walked in this area of Wilsons Prom before. So it would be like the blind leading the blind. I should clarify that when I say I hadn’t done a recce for this walk. In March of this year I had four weeks work at Wilsons Prom, during which time I was able to drive along five mile track on a number of occasions and went by boat to Johnny Souey and Tin Mine Coves and also Chainman’s beach. I also returned to Tin Mine Cove a week before the trip on another unrelated boat trip. On this last trip and at two other locations I had stationed a water dump, as I had heard that good drinking water would be in short supply at most of the camp sites.
We started therefore with a few advantages, the others proving to be our combined experiences, map reading and compass skills and a GPS, but most of all a keen sense of observation.
We made good time along Five mile track to the junction of the Lower Barry walking track, the weather was warm for that time of day and the smoke haze from fuel reduction burns blanketed the views of Corner inlet. The going was easy at first then it became a constant lookout for the at times non-existent or multiple tracks. Fortune was also in our favour as someone had very recently walked the track and replaced the flagging tapes. So this helped us enormously. Even so it was still possible to lose sight of these if you were not careful. We still had much checking of maps and Alan plotted our waypoints on his GPS. We reached lower Barry Creek and found it flowing with cool clear water.
We pushed on after a break and passed through the so called Chainman’s Swamp without a hint of water to have to wade through. Stopping for a leisurely lunch under a large Banksia tree in the middle of an open heathland we chatted and contemplated the distance we still had to travel.
We were glad to leave the heath as it scratched our legs badly but the alternatives were not much better as the thick tea tree was difficult to get through with our heavy packs. Eventually we burst out of this scrub onto a most idyllic beach with hundreds of black swans majestically gathered just offshore. We took stock and began our walk along this beach. Footprints of other walkers only just ahead were disappearing, as the tide was rapidly encroaching, this made the going harder for us as we were forced to walk higher up in the softer sands. This coupled with the weight of our loads became very draining of our energies. I had to stop. As we sat I thought I heard what sounded like a crack of a gun shot, but soon enough we discovered it was the air from the blowholes of a pod of dolphins making it’s way up the inlet, we watched them for some time in their pursuit of prey.
Time marched on and still we had a way to go we finally reached the end of the beach and traversed the next hill and arrive in Tin mine cove for much deserved swim and settled in our camp site for the night. To be Continued next edition.
Denis Nagle
Part Two
Date: 25th -27th April 2008
Leader: Denis Nagle
Walkers: Ed Buller, Alan Eagle
Last
month’s edition of the Strzelecki newsletter had the report of the first day
of this walk, written by
Denis Nagle. Alan sent this to finish off the
remaining days of the trip report.
Despite some overnight sprinkles, Saturday morning was fine and sunny. We broke camp at 8:30am, heading back to Chinaman Long Beach. From there we headed inland along the Tin Mile Track. This was once a road, but is rapidly being overgrown, with quite a few sections of head high (or higher) Ti-tree to push through. Although more obvious than the day before, the track at times still required care to follow. We made good time and by noon had completely crossed the peninsula to Lighthouse Point.
With the tide out, we made good progress south along Three Mile Beach on good hard sand. We had lunch at the southern end of the beach behind a small point and out of the wind, a little after 1pm. With only 2-3km to go to our campsite at Johnny Souey Cove, lunch was a leisurely affair and included time for a swim.
We then tracked across Three Mile Point and down to the camp site, arriving at 3:30pm.
The camp site proved to be rather crowded due to a party of sea kayakers and our ‘friends’ from the Five Mile carpark. Furthermore it was by now threatening to rain, so we elected to undertake the remaining scrub bash to Five Mile Beach, which we reached just before 5pm. We quickly set up camp, and despite the threatening rain headed down for another surf. This proved to be somewhat exhilarating as the surf was rather large and very dumpy.
Denis had also left another supply of drinking water at this campsite, so we were able to dispense with the necessity of trying to find fresh water. The rain gods also smiled on us, so tea was a dry affair, and the rain only started after we had retired for the night.
Despite overnight rain, Sunday morning was again rain free and we broke camp about 8:30am. After a short walk along the beach we found the start of the track, and once across the coastal dune, the start of the Five Mile Road. From there it was just a steady trudge back along the road. We found water at Chinaman creek, and at Barry Creek, where we had lunch at noon. We arrived back at the vehicles at about 1:30pm, having covered approximately 57 km in the three days.
Alan Eagle
Date: 12th-13th April
Leader: Richard McNeil
Participants: Ian White, Eileen Laidlaw, Tim Clarke, Nick Van Ewijk,
Jan McNeil.
An early start ensured that we’d be at Bryces carpark by mid morning. There was some concern about the condition of the Tamboritha road leading out of Licola as the Wellington river had flooded several months ago causing a lot of damage and undermining of the road, but repairs had been done and the road was quite safe. Travelling another 45km past Licola we arrived at our destination. We had morning tea and headed off in overcast weather. The first feature of the walk was arriving at Guys hut. The hut was built in the 1940s and apart from some obvious repairs you can see that it is in original condition.
From there we headed in a northerly direction through Black Sally woodlands,
until we reached the Conglomerate Falls. Even though we have not had rain
the falls still put on a good show for us. And with a little fog starting to
appear this made the gorge appear a little eerie. Light rain also started so
we moved on to Pieman Falls where the views were equally as good even though
we were looking through misty fog. We had lunch here but the rain was
getting a bit heavy so we moved on and headed for the carpark. By the time
we got back the sun was out and the carpark looked liked a good place to
camp. So the tents went up, the stars came out and it was a perfect high
country night.
The next morning we woke to a sunny but cold morning. After packing up we
drove 15 km to Mt Howitt carpark. Setting off almost straight away walking
across the clover plains through snowgums for approx 5 km we made a slight
diversion off the main track so we could get a better view of the devils
staircase. Then on to Vallejo Gantner hut where we had morning tea. This hut
is an A frame design with a copper roof which was built in 1970 by the Myer
family. Leaving here we made our way along a ridge with spectacular views
into the head waters of the Macalister river to the west, and the Terrible
Hollow to the east. Soon after we reached the summit of Mt Howitt and being
fogged in we couldn’t see much at all. We had lunch there and watched the
fog roll up and down Terrible Hollow until it disappeared, giving us
brilliant views to the north of crosscut saw, the Razor and the Viking. And
I’m sure no one could believe their luck. We then made our way back to the
carpark for a well earned cuppa and set off for home.
Thomson Station to Walhalla via
Poverty Point Bridge.
Wednesday 19th March
Leader: Ron Cann
Participants: Jenny Cann, Brigitte Van Pee, Dorothy Sturgess, Ben Aalbers, Graham Dettrick, Ian White, Michael and Heather Haynes and Fran Miller.
Excellent walking weather after the extremely hot days
was very welcome although a few thought it was too cold at 9.30am, when we
disembarked at Thomson Bridge.
We soon warmed up on the gradual climb on a narrow track (an old tramway) about 40 feet above the Thomson river. The vegetation was lovely with tree ferns below us, maiden hair at the track’s edge and the ubiquitous eucalypts (a few blackberries too). We followed the river, on the Mt Erica side up to Poverty Point Bridge.
Along the way, we met several groups of school boys – one lot were doing a ropes activity at Poverty Point bridge – pulling a willing participant halfway across the gorge and lowering him into a leaky canoe at the edge of the river. This provided us with a bit of entertainment and after hearing from Ron, about the Italian wood cutters who had a small settlement here, in 1900, we crossed the historic bridge and continued. .back along the other side of the river
The track is now part of the Alpine Walking track and widened considerably. On this side of the river the vegetation was sparser but included some lovely, healthy grass trees.
We stopped for lunch at a pleasant little gully filled with mosquitoes, so we had a 20 minute break and took off before we became lunch.
After crossing the steep Mormon town four wheel track we
left the river and started on a track which followed the road into Walhalla,
which was a steep drop
about 80 feet below us.
We arrived in Walhalla in time for a quick coffee before setting off to catch the 3.00pm train back to Thomson Station, near the cars. The Walhalla station is a short distance South.
The 20 minute train trip was an enjoyable way to end the walk. The railway track hugged the hillside and the views of the rocky creek bed on the other side were picturesque and tranquil.
A good day was had by all, thanks to Ron for the well researched and planned walk.
Ben, Fran, Dorothy, Ron, Brigitte Van Pee,
Michael, and Ian White at the station.
Fran Miller
Come and Try Day – Gliding Nº1
Leongatha Aerodrome
Date: Saturday March 15th Leader: Denis Nagle
Participants: Rod Brisbane, Ray Conner, Graham Dineen, John Gilcrist, Tom Mildren, Rae Moore (photographer for the day), Henk Pillekers, Lucy and Angus Thorpe
Rod Brisbane getting strapped in.
We all met at 11am for coffee/brunch at the designated café in Leongatha. After introductions and paperwork, directions were given on how to get to the aerodrome. But at the turn off one car was missing (apparently took the scenic route), eventually we were all reunited. We were met and welcomed by Rob and Co from the South Gippsland Gliding Club. More paperwork required and more instructions on how and where to gliding was to take place.
It was looking promising as the temperature was rising and the occasional small whirlwind could be seen (these can assist the glider get lift). But by the time we were ready to take off a thin layer of high level cloud had formed.
When our first volunteer took to the air, they circled a few
times but couldn't find the thermals to get any higher, soon they were lining up
to come in for a landing.This seemed to be the order of the day with take offs
and landings happening at regular intervals.
A momentary thinning of cloud though improved matters and Henk got the longest and highest ride so far. Then Tom’s second attempt came to a sudden end as the towing rope came off just as it was about to take off. Undeterred he got back in and took off again. Some might say that the most exciting part is the take off, and all got at least two chances at this.
The winner for the day though was Lucy , who got the highest and flew for the longest time.
All in all we had a great time and we hope to do so again on Sunday 6th of April as there is another day planned.(there still room for a few more if you are keen otherwise maybe next year).
Lucy in harness with Denis looking on.
Denis
Weatherhead Range and Buttongrass Circuit
Date: 2nd march 2008
Leader: Richard McNeil
Party members; Ed Buller ,Rob Bentvelzen, Christine Clark, Rod Brisbane, Robyn Shingles, Peter Maffi, Ian White, Fran Miller, Catrina Ferguson.
Meeting as arranged we travelled to the carpark next to the start of the Buttongrass nature trail. With a short walk along guide track we soon found the start of the Buttongrass trail. It was a very easy flat walk with a variety of flora including hakeas, wattles, ti-tree, mistletoe and, of course, buttongrass. This section of the walk was only 3 km long and we were soon back at the start having lunch.
After lunch we started on the Weatherhead range circuit. After a short flat walk
we reached the only steep section of the walk, it rose about 180m over 2km and
from there it was all downhill.
As we entered Luptons track we found this was a pleasant walk with an abundance of healthy woodlands and one lookout which didn’t have much of a view. We rejoined the Buttongrass trail and made our way back to the start arriving at 3 pm
Richard McNeil (leader)
Saturday February 23rd.
Leader: Cathy Almond.
Rear: Eric Tyler, Michael Haynes; Middle: Heather Haynes, Chris Clark, Cathy Almond, Ian White. Front: Carlene Tyler, photo by Dorothy Sturgess.
A group of eight gathered at the car park at Punch bowl at 9.30am for the George Bass Coastal walk. Eyes cast towards the heavens trying to decide how many layers would be appropriate for the prevailing weather conditions - overcast skies and gale force winds. Our intrepid leader Cathy led us with a wild wind at our backs.
A gentle winding track led through the grass lands and into occasional gullies lined with small trees and coastal fauna. It was an exhilarating walk, with the crashing of waves on the cliffs and beaches on one
side and the brown rolling hills of farmland on the other. With an occasional break to admire the view, we arrived at the picnic shelter just past Kilcunda caravan park for lunch, just in time to listen to the rain on the roof. Cathy then led us over the road to the coffee shop for great coffee, cake and scones. For new members of the club and those on their first club walk it was an auspicious start to day walks.
Cathy had really done her homework and we were also impressed by her dazzling array of gear (thanks to some secret Santa presents). Discussion was held on the benefits of having a torch on the top of your walking poles with many suggestions put forward on their uses. See Cathy for more information!
We then headed back into the wind to admire the coast from the other direction. The clouds had cleared and we were treated to an ever changing colour scheme of blues, greens, aquamarines and a myriad of colours in between. The sea was wild with crashing waves, large pools of white foam and the spray erupting over the rock shelves. Who wants the gentle lapping of water on the beach? We spotted a few birds and nearly stood on a very sluggish red-bellied black snake sunning itself beside the track.
Thanks to Cathy for a great day walk from both the experienced and the new comers to the club. Chris Clark, Ian White, Michael and Heather Haynes, Dorothy Sturgess
Trip Report –Carlene and Eric Tyler
Boolarra to Mirboo North Rail Trail
Tuesday 19th February
Leader: Ron Cann
Party members: Graham Dettrick, Michael Haynes, Ben Aalbers, Brigitte Van Pee, Dorothy Sturgess, Jenny Cann
Distance: 13 km.
We met at Boolarra for a 10.00 start, but the usual pre-walk coffee saw us getting away a little later than this. It was forecasted to be a hot day, but much of the track is well-shaded so heat wasn’t too much of a problem. It is an excellent walking and cycling track, and as a former railway line has only minor grades, though we did choose to go the uphill way! Evidence is that horse riders also use the track.
The Boolarra to Mirboo North Rail Trail follows the path of the former railway that ran from Morwell to Mirboo North from 1886 to 1974. It contributed significantly to the opening up of the area, and it was a major means of transport for people for many years. It enabled the expansion of settlement in the district, and encouraged the development of new industries in the area. The list is interesting: timber, bauxite, potatoes, chaff, hay, black coal, rabbits, milk products, and willow for cricket bats!
The first three birds listed in the Fauna section on the rail trail website are the Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo, King Parrot, and the Crimson Rosella. And what did we see in the first couple of 100 metres of the track?!! You guessed it, and in that order! The photographers amongst us had a feast. Ben commented that it might be a very long day if we continued at this pace!
There are two bridges along the track, both now at a considerably lower level than what must once have been very long and high trestle bridges. An historical feature of the track are the occasional drainage tunnels which are found under some of the massive earth viaducts. They are round in shape, constructed with small bricks by skilled tradesmen, and perfectly preserved. We looked in vain for one which was specifically marked on a map in a shelter at Darlimurla. Has anyone ever found it?!
We stopped for morning tea at the first bridge, and then lunched further on at Darlimurla. There is terracing here where the railway siding used to be, and it is here that a brick kiln was located to produce the bricks that we saw in the culverts.
Having just finished our lunch we saw a solitary figure walking towards us from the direction of Mirboo North. It was Dorothy, coming to join us for the remainder of the walk - for her “out-and-back” walk. The inconvenience of her morning appointment was an advantage for the remainder of us, as she had driven directly to Mirboo North, thus enabling us to have transport to shuttle drivers back to cars at Boolarra later in the afternoon.
There is a “Big tree” on the
outskirts of Darlimurla, beside the Little Morwell River, a short side trip took
us there. The track into it was lined with black berries and there was some
praise for the leader in providing fresh fruit as an after-lunch snack! The big
tree is not as big as the Ada Tree or the big tree at Mt. Worth, but it is
nevertheless impressive. It looks very healthy in spite of the arrow which has
been shot into it, several metres above ground level. We speculated on the
possibility of a human pyramid to reach the arrow, but there was no agreement as
to whether it would be more dangerous to be at the top or at the bottom, so the
fantasy evaporated!
From here it was a straight forward walk into Mirboo North, and to the brewery conveniently situated at the end of the track. We had ordered a Devonshire tea the day before so were eagerly anticipating afternoon tea. But there are other priorities at a brewery on a hot Tuesday afternoon so a pot of the local brew all round served as a “warm-up” (or “cool down”) for what was to follow. Michael’s creative logic told him that if he chose a light beer he could have double the quantity! The first one was gone before the second could be poured! It was a hot afternoon!
The plate of scones was mountainous, and there were choices of jams and an abundance of cream! We could justify this after walking for 13 km. … couldn’t we? We didn’t manage to get through them all in spite of our best efforts!
Then it was time to move on, the drivers returning with Dorothy to Boolarra to collect cars and head for home. Ron returned to the “Boo” to collect Jenny and Brigitte. All in all, a most enjoyable day. Special thanks to Dorothy for her support with transport. Ron
President’s Weekend at Cape Conran Coastal Park.
Date: 22nd – 24th February
Leader: Ron Cann
Participants:
Marg and Rob Bentvelzen, Wayne and Christine Burge,
Fran Miller, Graham
Bolton and Anita Charles, and Amelia, Zoe, Tom and Chris, Peter Maffei and
Robyn Shingles, Jenny Cann and Brigitte Van Pee
Nous avons quitté Warragul jeudi 21 février et étions à Cape Conran vers 4h de l'après midi. (Cape Conran se situe à peu près à 320km de Warragul 25km d'Orbost.) Le temps n'était pas très bon - avons eu beaucoup de pluie sur la route. Cape Conran où je n'avais jamais été avant, est un endroit superbe pour ceux qui aiment camper dans le bush - c'est moitié bush moitié plage.
Avons aperçu notre premier Kookaburra. Après l'installation de nos tentes, et d'une grande bâche au milieu du camp au dessus d'une table et « fireplace » et une courte visite à la plage, il était temps de prendre l'apéro, puis un bon stew et soirée autour d'un bon feu. Nous avons de la bonne chance - une visite d'un bandicoot et d'un opossum.
Le lendemain, après un réveil pas très tôt - ceci pour Jenny et Brigitte - avons pris notre petit déjeuner et sommes partis voir les cabines et faire une promenade le long de « Swampy Creek » et retour vers le camp le long de la plage. La mer était très houleuse mais splendide. Temps de grignoter quelque chose et après midi relaxante - Ron est parti vers la plage avec son équipement de pêcheur et Jenny et moi avons ouvert nos livres. C'était le paradis. Malheureusement si nous comptions sur quelques poissons pour notre souper ce fut raté car Ron est revenu bredouille.
Wayne et Christine sont arrivés, suivis de Peter et Robyn et Graham, Anita, Amelia, Zoe, et les jumeaux Tom et Chris. Les enfants sont absolument adorables, un vrai bonheur. Malheureusement en fin de journée, la pluie nous est tombée dessus et ne nous a pas quittés pour quelques heures, une vraie horreur alors que nous attendions encore Marg et Rob et Fran. Quand finalement ils sont arrivés, ils ont du installer leur tente sous la pluie alors que Ron et Jenny tenaient une bâche. Et Fran a planté sa tente sous la grande bâche. La nuit fut extrêmement bruyante - beaucoup de vent et pluie.
Mais le samedi matin tout était rentré dans l'ordre et nous avons eu une excellente journée. Après le petit déjeuner sommes partis vers les cabines et le "Swampy creek" pour une promenade - idem à la veille. Lunch avec pour compagnie, un magnifique goanna et puis longue promenade vers « Salmon Rocks » le long de « Cape Conran Nature trail », « Navigation Light » et retour le long de la plage. A notre retour le feu était allumé. Wayne et Peter sont partis pêcher mais sont revenus bredouille - mauvais endroit. Temps pour l'apéritif, souper et une veillée autour du feu. Ron et Jenny avaient préparé la pâte pour cuire des « dampers » enroules autour de sticks. Très intéressant et amusant. Tout cela arrose de bons vins et Baileys.
Ensuite nuit de nouveau très bruyante car énormément de vent. Et dimanche matin après le breakfast nous avons fait une dernière promenade alors que Wayne est parti pêche et est revenu avec quelques « bream » mais c'était trop tard pour nous alors que nous avions apporté plein de citrons - peut-être la prochaine fois ! Ensuite lunch et il était temps de démonter les tentes. Et vers 2 h tout le monde était parti.
Je dois dire que j'ai passe un excellent weekend en très bonne compagnie. Merci à tous ceux qui ont fait le voyage jusqu'a Cape Conran.
Brigitte
And now in English (translation by Jenny)
We left Warragul on Thursday 21 February and were at Cape Conran towards 4:00pm. (Cape Conran is about 320km from Warragul and 25km from Orbost). The weather wasn’t very good, having had a lot of rain on the way. Cape Conran, a place I hadn’t been to before, is a superb place for those who like camping in the bush; it’s half bush and half beach. We saw our first kookaburra. After putting up our tents, and a big tarpaulin in the middle of the camp above a table and fireplace, and a short visit to the beach, it was time for an aperitif, then the delicious stew (which Brigitte had prepared) and to spend the evening around the fire. We were lucky – we had a visit from a bandicoot and a possum.
The next day, after waking not too early – this for Jenny and Brigitte - we had breakfast and headed off to see the cabins and to walk around the Swampy Creek Track and return to camp along the beach. The sea was very turbulent but magnificent. Time to have a snack and relax in the afternoon. Ron went to the beach with his fishing gear and Jenny and I read our books. It was paradise. Unfortunately if you were counting on several fish for supper, you would have been disappointed as Ron returned empty-handed.
Wayne and Christine arrived, followed by Peter and Robyn, and Graham, Anita, Amelia, Zoe and the twins Tom and Chris. The children are absolutely adorable, a real delight. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it rained heavily and didn’t stop for several hours, a true horror because we were waiting for Marg, Rob, and Fran to arrive. When they finally arrived it was a difficult task to pitch their tents in the rain so Ron and Jenny held a tarpaulin up while they did this and Fran pitched her tent under the big tarpaulin in the centre. The night was very noisy with lots of wind and rain.
But by Saturday morning all had
returned to normal and we had an excellent day. After breakfast we left for a
walk to the cabins and along the Swampy Creek track (to show the others) as we
did the day before. We had lunch with a magnificent goanna for company, and
then a long walk to Salmon Rocks along the Cape Conran nature Trail, then to
Navigation Light and returned via Cowrie
Bay
along the beach and boardwalk. The fire was alight when we returned. Wayne and
Peter left to go fishing but they too returned empty-handed – a bad spot!
Time for an aperitif, supper and an evening around the fire. Ron and Jenny had prepared the dough to cook stick damper. Very interesting and amusing. All of this was washed down with good wine and some Baileys.
Later in the night it was again noisy with strong winds. And Sunday morning after breakfast (bacon and eggs for Brigitte!) we had a last walk then Wayne left to go fishing and returned with several bream but this was too late for us even though we had brought plenty of lemons – perhaps next time! Then lunch and it was time to take down the tents. By 2:00pm all had left.
I must say that I spent an excellent weekend in very good company. Thankyou to all those who made the trip to Cape Conran.
Brigitte
Erica - Thomsom Station Rail Trail
Date: Tuesday December 4th 2007
Leader: Ron Cann
Participants: Eileen Laidlaw, Michael and Heather Haynes, David Ferguson, Wendy Hayes, Jenny Cann, Christine Clarke and John Schroeder.
Distance: 10 km
I had thought of running two activities at the same time, one by bike and one on foot, but in the end decided to leave the bikes at home. We met in Erica and after introductions, the traditional cuppa, a shuffle of a couple of cars to the Thomson River road bridge, began the leisurely walk along the rail trail.
The track follows the route of the former Moe to Walhalla 2’6” narrow gauge railway. Commenced in 1904, the line reached Walhalla in 1910, too late to do much but witness the decline of the town as a premier mining location. Ironically it aided the decline of Walhalla, serving as a convenient way to remove houses for relocation elsewhere. In 1944 the service to Walhalla ceased operating beyond Platina, and in June 1954 the line from Moe finally closed. The line was pulled up in 1956.
Though long term plans envisage
that the present Walhalla to Thomson Station Tourist Train will one day run
all the way to Erica, for the present time
this section of the old railway serves as a very pleasant walking and riding
trail. One can only marvel at the engineering feats of the early track
builders - deep cuttings
and huge viaducts, built without the aid of modern earth moving equipment.
One of two steel trestle bridges remains in situ, close to the
end of the walk; another is in pieces in the railway yards at the Thomson
Station, presumably in readiness for restoration at some future time.
The bridge which carried trains across the creek on the outskirts of Erica is
long gone, reputedly blown up as part of a military training exercise!
It is hard to reconcile the luxuriant forest of today with the photos of the bare hillsides which surrounded Walhalla in its heyday. It’s reassuring to have such clear evidence of the resilience of the Australian bush, reinforced by the regrowth already apparent in the areas burnt in last summer’s fires. The “kangaroo tails” of the xanthorrhoeas are quite striking and had the photographers in our ranks enthused, trying to get the photographic angle and the light “just right”. We were puzzled at their absence below the track contrasting with their abundance higher up the steep slopes.
We had lunch beside the exit of
te Horseshoe Tunnel. Those who have visited this area before had expected an
abundance of shade, but recent floods have brought large volumes of water
around the former river course, bypassing the tunnel and flattening most of
the vegetation in the river bed. Options
for a suitable shady spot on a bright sunny day were limited. There was
evidence of flood debris several metres above the river bed!
After lunch we followed the old river course to the tunnel entrance, where we speculated on the dangers it might pose to those entering it, pondering what might be fact and what might be fiction in the stories one hears! Nearby are some old diggings which we explored briefly.
Then it was up a very short but steep track to rejoin the rail trail for a final couple of kilometres to the Thomson Station. A signboard along this section marks the location of a runaway carriage which failed to take a sharp bend and plunged over the edge towards the river. Trees stopped the carriage before it reached the bottom and those aboard apparently survived unscathed!
The walk finished near the road bridge where we had left cars earlier in the day. It was a short drive back to Erica, for a cuppa and farewells.
Ron Cann
Mt Loch - Machinery - Mt Hotham
Date: Australia Day Walk January 25, 26, & 27 2008.
Leader: Peter Ryan, and Claire Cassidy, Wayne Burge, Richard McNeill, and Robert Bentvelzen.
Friday evening all the clan got together in the Omeo Caravan Park and had a sleep over in a six berth caravan. Very cosy -five adults in a small van.
Saturday morning saw us having a
pre-walk breakfast/cuppa chino at the Omeo Bakery. Drove
up to Mt Hotham and parked the cars at Mt Loch car park, and started walking
about 9.00 am. We travelled over Mt Loch and down machinery spur with a side
walk of about 1 km to visit the North Red Robin mine site. Spargo's Hut at the
same site had been burned down in the last bushfire. The mine had been caved
in/blown up as a safety measure, as we later discovered when we were speaking to
Ken Harris. We walked about another hour to find a spot without ants, and prior
to going down the very steep Machinery Spur, to have lunch.
This was probably one of a very rare occasion that we travelled DOWN HILL after lunch. So after travelling down hill for about 3km we arrived on the road near Blair's Hut by about 3.30 pm. A quick bash down the road and we arrived at the hut just as it started to rain very heavily, so a cup of tea in the hut was very welcome.
There was a lovely flow of water in the Cobungra River not more than 10m from the front door of the hut. When it stopped raining about an hour later, we put up the tents and got around to cooking tea, while Wayne wandered off to catch some trout for tea. We enjoyed watching a couple of eagles flying in the distance.
Dibbin’s Hut
My turn to cook. We started with a chicken Cup-a-Soup, followed by pasta with peas and topped with a 180 gram can of salmon, followed by some lovely rainbow trout that Wayne had managed to pull out of the Cobungra. Then for desert we had dried apple (reconstituted) topped with custard (no lumps).
A cup of coffee with some dairy milk chocolate finished tea. It was dark by then so about 9.30 pm we drifted off to bed. So ended a hot muggy day, eaten by flies and ants, we got rained on, and walked about 10km mostly down hill- we all slept really well.
Day 2....
The walk to Dibbin’s Hut via Cobungra Gap, being only about 5km, it was a leisurely start with a stop over at the Red Robin Battery where we caught up with the owner Ken Harris and had a nice chat with Ken. We arrived at Dibbin’s Hut by lunch time, quite fresh, but still chasing flies. After lunch Wayne, Richard and I spent some time fishing for more trout, but only to catch and release. As well we managed a dip in the Cobungra River in a suitable sized swimming hole. Back at camp and after a cup of tea we managed two rounds of 500 (cards) to entertain us to tea time. We found that Claire is a fast learner, but Richard and I still managed to beat Claire and Peter convincingly twice over.
About 4.30pm four young men walked in to find that we had taken up residence (in a manner of speaking) so they set up their camp site a small distance away. They had managed to walk from Federation Hut via Diamantina Spur covering 11km in a very short time. But one of them had blisters on both his heels the size of a fifty cent piece, and this bloke had another 7km to cover the next day back to Mt Loch Carpark. Good Luck.
Wayne cooked tea this night producing a similar culinary delight to compare with last night's meal. Peter and Claire had so much food that they carried out a whole bag, even though Wayne, Richard and I tried to eat as much as we could before bedtime.
Day 3....
The final day with about 7km back to Mt Loch car park. The first 2 km were the hardest as we climbed about 320m up in these two km .We started early in the cool of the morning and get to Derrick's hut about 11.30am which we reckoned was close enough to lunchtime. After lunch we covered the last 4km quickly and were back at the car park by about 2.00 pm. Here we said our goodbyes to Peter and Claire as they were going back via Dargo and the three musketeers went home via Omeo. A lovely three days was had by all.
Report by Rob Bentvelzen.
Date: Sat 1st - 2nd December
Leader: Wayne Burge
Participants: Christine & May Burge, Peter Ryan, Claire Cassidy, Ed Buller, Chris Avery, Ron Cann, David Holroyd, Peter, Christine and Charlotte and friends Marnie, Steve and Toby Jackson.
A traditional club event, the Burge Christmas Camp was held this year at Darmody’s Camp on the Avon River. It’
