Beginners (and advanced) Ski Day at Mt St Gwinear

Date: Sunday 29^th August

Participants: Tim Clarke (leader), Ron Cann, Richard McNeil, Ian McLean and Michael Haynes

After meeting at Erica Ski Hire we travelled in one car to Mt St Gwinear carpark. There was plenty of snow, although not fresh since Friday evening, and we were soon on the trail. We found a suitable gentle slope to play on, and we all stayed there for a while. Then Tim, Ron and I set off to explore some of the more distant ‘flats’ which are not often sufficiently snow-covered to be worth visiting. We were able to travel off-trail between the trees on deep, unmarked snow, navigating with map & compass (aided by GPS) in a large loop. The conditions were very good, making for pleasant and easy skiing. Lunch was eaten sitting on a hilltop, with wide views all around. Eventually we circled around to the summit of Mt St Gwinear, and then enjoyed the run down back to the carpark. Here we rejoined Ian and Richard who had spent the day playing and practicing on the lower slopes, and prepared for the trip home.

Michael Haynes.

Downhill Skiing at Mt Baw Baw

Date: Friday, 27^th August
Participants: Tim Clarke (Leader), Michael Haynes, Graham Bolton
We met at Parker’s Corner (Rawson) and car-pooled, travelling via the South Face Road to Mt Baw Baw Village. Tim met a guy with a 2-for-1 ski lifts voucher, so he quickly became a friend! Graham and I had to pay full price….! The guy’s name was Ralph, and it turned out that his sister was once a member of SBWC. He joined us for the day, and we spent some happy hours trying out all the lifts and ski runs that Baw Baw has to offer. It snowed, off and on, all day – dry, powdery snow that was GREAT to ski on. Possibly the best snow we have ever experienced, and the best in the memory of those we spoke with. You can’t plan times like that – you can only be lucky you were there!

Ski Day for Beginners at Mt St Gwinear

Date: Saturday, 21^stAugust
Participants: Esko & Michael Lossi, Ian McLean, Phil Answer, Rob Hooper, Ed Buller and daughter Charlotte (visitor), Nick Van Ewijk, Tim Clarke and Michael Haynes (leaders).
We met at Erica Ski Hire (now moved into a nice new building) where those needing gear hired it, and then car-pooled to Mt St Gwinear. Tim had to stop and fit chains, but Phil’s 4WD negotiated the snow easily. (Rob was delayed and met us on the trail.) We did not need to go far to find a good beginners’ slope, and we stayed and played until lunch time. After lunch, when billies were boiled, the party split into 2 groups, those feeling more confident climbing higher up the trail to some steeper slopes where the skiing was a little more challenging. All those learning, (or re-learning after a gap of some years,) made great progress in their skills and control. A most satisfying day.

Skiing on the Bogong High Plains

Date: 7-14^th August

This activity was by invitation from a winter group of the Melbourne Bushwalkers to the following SBWC members: Maurice Poulton, Ron Cann, Tim Clarke, and Michael Haynes. The four of us met at Mt Baw Baw on the 2^nd August for a practice ski on the day after the first heavy snowfall of the season as we needed to get our ‘skiing legs’ back and try out some new equipment.

We drove to Tawonga South on Friday August 6^th and slept in a community hall there. Early next morning we left the cars at Mt Beauty bus station and ‘bussed’ to Windy Corner at Falls Creek where we shouldered our packs for the 11 km ski in to the Rover Chalet. The rest of the week was spent exploring the nearby areas of the high plains: Mt Cope, Rocky Knobs, Pretty Valley and the like. Mostly the weather was good and the snow even better, although one day many of the party (of 24) spent the morning looking out the windows at heavily falling snow. Otherwise we packed our lunches each day after breakfast and headed out in groups to explore and play on the slopes. Saturday morning we set out early to ski back to Falls Creek & catch the bus out.

Helens Head and Pyramid Rock, Phillip Island

Date: Tuesday 17^th August
Participants: Ron Cann (Leader), Jenny Cann, Tim and Gayle Clarke, Michael Haynes, Linda Johns, Gayle Shields, Julie Williams, Jan Garden, Carol Pharaoh, Tim Rothberg

Threatened by wet and cold weather that would excite a keen skier, we set off for Phillip Island for a Tuesday walk under the guidance of our miracle-working leader (Ron). Yes you guessed it, as the walk started with a cuppa at Kitty Miller Bay, the sun came out and it stayed fine for the rest of the walk. I don’t know why we bother to carry all this wet weather gear when we walk with Ron? We walked westwards along the rock shelf around Watt Point where, after negotiating a steep slippery decent on a wet clay track, we saw the rusting remains of the bow of a square rigged sailing ship, the S.S.Speke, which was the largest three-masted steel sailing ship of its day.

We pushed on as quickly as possible to beat the incoming tide that was already starting to flood the rock shelves. We climbed Helens Head and after a minor mutiny, found a sheltered place out of the wind to enjoy our second morning tea. We then walked around the back of Hutchison Beach and across Wild Dog Bluff where we had to negotiate some “shocking” farm fences (electric) on the edges of cliffs that blocked our way. The group showed great team work in getting everyone safely through these obstacles. Congratulations to those more cautious walkers who were out of their comfort zones.

Another steep descent on slippery clay led us down to Berrys Beach where we enjoyed lunch. We went inland a little way and then followed a substantial gravel-clad cliff-top track that was unfortunately flooded with water in many parts. We crossed Red Bluff and made our way down to the Pyramid Rock car park and continued on to the rock viewing platform before returning to the car park for the car shuffle. Along the way we were also rewarded by the sight of several black wallabies that seemed to be not that scared of people. We finished the day with hot chocolates and coffees at San Remo. Thanks Ron for another great walk and for your continued intervention with the gods of weather.

Tim Clarke

Wonthaggi circuit walk

Date: Tuesday 27^th July

Participants: Ron Cann (leader) Jenny Cann, Heather and Michael Haynes, Steve Munro, Jan Garden, Carol Pharaoh, Gerry Foxhall (visitor)

Due to a calf injury (mine!) I had postponed this walk to the fourth Tuesday. I had several possible alternative plans in case the 13 km walk threatened to undo some good healing.

We met at 9.30 at the “Guide Park” in Graham St. Wonthaggi, just opposite the hospital. After introductions and a cuppa we shuffled a couple of cars to Harmer’s Haven where the walk was to finish.

Our walk followed the nearby Bass Coast Rail Trail for a short distance before crossing a stile into the Wonthaggi State Coal Mine Historic Reserve (Central Area). We stopped briefly at the entrance to the McBride Tunnel and the nearby Pit Pony entrance before moving on past the former Rescue Station and the Vet’s House to the skeletal remains of the 1910 No. 5 Brace. While track notes (“Day Walks Around Melbourne” – Glenn Tempest) informed us that this was the location where hundreds of 14 year old boys were employed to sort stones from the coal, there was much speculation as to exactly how it all worked and where and how the loading of coal trains occurred. Some research is needed here!

Following well defined tracks, we passed a couple of old safes marking the site of the old mine office. A path through attractive coastal woodland took us westwards, eventually leading to a bird hide overlooking the Baxter Wetlands. Several pairs of binoculars gave us a “birds-eye view” of the locals: varieties of ducks, swamp hens, swans nesting, egrets, ibis, and a striking scarlet robin.

Pushing on past more ruins of former mining activity we reached West Area Rd, a decision point for the walking wounded. Fortunately I was managing quite well and Michael was also happy to continue, in spite of a troublesome blister he had commenced the walk with, a legacy of new plastic ski boots which hadn’t yet been tamed. Soon we were walking near the base of the wind farm, the blades turning ever so slowly in the almost windless and beautifully sunny day. A mob of kangaroos hopped along a nearby sandy ridge.

Consensus decreed a delayed lunch, in the hope of a top 10 beach-side lunch spot. Two fishermen passed us, one with a very heavy looking mesh sack on his back, containing the morning’s catch – the beach couldn’t be too far! It did prove to be a top 10 spot, on a flat topped sand dune overlooking the delightful Baxter’s Beach, with large waves pounding onto an outer sand bar. To the west we could pick out Cape Woolamai, to the east the 3 km of sandy beach which we were to follow after lunch.

The sand was reasonably soft and a bit of a plod, but such was the weather and the glorious views that it didn’t seem too long before we spotted the Beach Location Marker 20 (Cutlers Beach), our exit point from the beach. From here we quickly located Collins track, following it through coastal woodlands past a number of “nature trail” markers. Signage to “Harmers Haven” had been broken off in two places but a clear path and an earlier ‘reccie’ confirmed the correct route. We speculated that perhaps a Harmers Haven resident had decided that the beauty of the local area might be spoiled by excessive through traffic, and had taken preventative action!

Though not seeing much by way of wildlife in the final couple of kilometres, numerous diggings and animal pads suggested an active night life. Wombat holes were widespread and conical holes along the track were likely evidence of a substantial bandicoot population. Jenny spotted a pile of scats that could only have indicated the lengthy resting place of a koala in the overhead eucalypt branches.

Before too long we were back to our cars. With sufficient room for all of us there was nothing left to do but drive back to Wonthaggi, collect the other car, and settle in to a well earned afternoon tea at the Mega Bites restaurant – highly recommended! Ron Cann

Bush Search and Rescue Snow Skills
Weekend 23-25 July 2010

SBWC participants Graham Bolton (BSAR delegate) John Sunderland, Tim Clarke, & Michael Haynes.
We drove up to JB Plain very early on the Saturday morning. The BSAR bus, with about 30 volunteers and organisers had just arrived. The bus had come the long way around and ‘overnighted’ at Bright.
JB Plain is 1.5 km up the road from Dinner Plain and outside the resort (fees) area. There is a charming, clean hut with a fireplace and a long drop. There was only just enough snow for skiing on the trail and patches elsewhere. So, no skis: BSAR handed out snowshoes.
We set up tents in glorious weather before the training exercises began at 11:00am. The group was separated into experienced and less experienced volunteers, with separate sessions organised for each. These covered, emergency shelters, Bothy shelter, radios and GPS. BSAR have enough CB radios to issue one to each of us, which is new to me and helps a lot. After lunch we came back together then sent off in groups of four on a radio and GPS exercise. To my shame I forgot to check the datum in the GPS and we were 200m off the spot! When I compared the grid reference with John’s GPS we realized the mistake. After dinner there was a night practice in Line Searching. We must have made a strange sight for the “victim” as we approached, all with headlamps on, moving slowly forward in line abreast, through the mist. Tim found the missing person.
Sunday dawned sunny again, just lovely. Muster was at 8 am then we had a search for four “missing” people to occupy us for the morning. My group had to stretcher the found “person” out to the road. This went quite well. Lunch and the usual debrief and the BSAR crew roared away on the bus.
We decided to stay another day and went for a gentle ski up the trail. Dinner around the fire in the hut was very pleasant. Monday we drove up to Mt Hotham and skied out towards Mt Locke but the snow was a bit thin even that high. It was another glorious day, sunny and a light breeze, so 3º C was quite comfortable. Michael and I wanted to test our new skis and we found a nice slope with a view of Feathertop and had a play. (John chose to stay at camp, since he has misplaced his ski boots somewhere. We hope they turn up soon.)
We headed back home about 3pm. Thanks to Michael for driving us in his 4WD.

Graham Bolton (BSAR delegate)

Lake Mountain Search

Date: Monday 12 July

This callout was by text. Michael and I had been skiing that day and to Michael’s great credit he packed his gear and set off to the search. As is often the case, there was no time for sleep that night. Please see his report below. Thanks Michael.

I was pleased to be allowed to join the bus at 6:00 am in Healesville, instead of driving to Northcote, the regular pick-up place. We reached Lake Mountain about 7:00am and began sorting gear while the organisers conferred with the Police Search & Rescue and planned the search. We were divided into 6 groups of 3. There were also SES, Police Dog Squad and the resort patrollers assisting. Most groups were told to take day packs and return to base to camp, but my group leader, Rod Costigan, advised us to take full packs, as we would be following a creek too far to get back. We set off about 8:45, and as you may see from the photo, the bush has recovered little from the fires: many large fallen trees, and the smaller ones still standing often toppled if we tried to pull on them. Some places near the creek had escaped unburnt, and these were quite thick to penetrate. We searched for 3 hours. Helicopters passing overhead often made communications difficult. The lost woman was found just before mid-day. M.H.

Mel Morcom (Churchill) and Michael Haynes (SBWC) returning to base

McMahons Creek Goldfield -Yarra Ranges NP

Date: Sunday 27^th June
Participants: Richard McNeil (leader),Graham Duell.
Richard said that the weather would be good; the track would be in good condition, the distance was only 9 kilometres, and that it would be in an interesting area. He got the last bit right!
We drove up through Warburton to the ‘Little Peninsular’ car park in steady drizzle. As we had a cuppa and got organised, I read some of the information signage about the area. The goldfield was developed in the late 1850’s and 1860’s, and to gain access to alluvial gold in the bed of the Yarra, 2 tunnels 30 meters long were blasted through narrow spurs to divert the river. This left a 1 kilometre and a 3 km length of river bed dry and accessible for foraging. (I’d like to see the environmental impact statement they used!). The entire flow of the Yarra still goes through both tunnels.
The signage also indicated that the circuit walk, which we were doing, was 13 kilometres, not 9, and when I turned to tell Richard he had slipped over in the mud.
We inspected the ‘Little Peninsular’ tunnel, which is close to the car park, and then set off following an underground pipeline up a very steep and very slippery hill, and down a very steep and very slippery hill to the dry bed of the river. A short distance further on we came to the ‘Big Peninsular’ tunnel, which has steps down either side of the spur to see the entry and exit points. To get to the entry point, the track crosses the river via a set of stepping-stones. Due to the rain the river was reasonably high which gave our boot waterproofing a bit of a workout.
The track then climbed through bush past several mine shafts, mostly fenced off from curious bushwalkers. After lunch at about the halfway point, the track followed an old water race for several kilometres. This diverted water to be used in mining activities, and was again indication of the effort made to get at the gold. This section of the track was also through a fairly recent fuel reduction burn, and there were many trees down across the path, and many more looking like they were about to come down, making for difficult going. The very slippery terrain also meant Richard had lots of slips and slides.
Returning towards the car park down a long and slippery descent, we were entertained by one (or several?) unseen lyrebirds going through their full repertoire of calls, kookaburras, shrike thrushes, yellow tailed cockatoos, etc which was quite fantastic.
A great walk, interesting area, but very slippery and walking sticks would be recommended.

Graham Duell

Strzelecki Rail Trail and Lyrebird Walk

Date: Saturday 19^th June

Leader: Rachel Davies

Participants: Cathy Almond, Denis Nagle, Rob Bentvelzen

Rachel did the big pick up and had us sipping coffee shortly after 9am at the Mirboo North bakery. (We won't mention the first place we tried, where the chef hadn't arrived and the heater was about to explode). It was a cold, wintery day with heavy clouds overhead, but no rain ensued. As all good leaders do, Rachel had done her homework and we started on the trail shortly after 9.30am.

The trail is only currently open to Darlimurla; two bridges through to Boolara were burnt out in the fires last year, and have still not been repaired.

It is a lovely walk along a flat, well maintained trail, surrounded by tall trees and bird life. The boys discovered a brick tunnel under the trail not yet overgrown with vegetation, although heading that way. We had a very easy stroll to Darlimurla station, where a shelter and table exist for morning tea.

Rachel and Rob had seen a bollard that they thought indicated an entry for the Lyrebird Walk, so we followed the Darlimurla road back. The bollard proved elusive but we did come across an entry to our chosen walk

This is a beautiful walk, some slight uphill sections but a well worn track through the park. We walked the 'Warriors Walk' first (of course), and had lunch on top of the hill overlooking lovely bushland. The table has been replaced since the walk was burnt out, a few years ago. We were disappointed to see few signs of wildlife although Denis did hear a lyrebird. Some wombat holes were in evidence but most appeared old and overgrown.

Fortunately we had two very good navigators on the trip as we did some cross country walking to get back onto the rail trail. We came very close to accessing the trail over the edge of a quarry but stopped short of breaking our legs.

We had heard tantalising tails of scones, jam and cream at the Grand Ridge Brewery, thoughts of which kept us going throughout the day. Unfortunately this was not to be, but we were able to sample some great beers. I can recommend their 'super shine', although at 11% it's not to be taken lightly. As designated driver Rachel tolerated our imbibing, even though she doesn’t drink.

This is an easy, beautiful walk suitable for prams/young children. Rachel did a great job organising and guiding us on her first led walk. We look forward to your leadership on future walks.

Cathy Almond

Great Southern Rail Trail

Date: Tuesday 15^th June

Leader: Michael Haynes

Participants: Ron and Jenny Cann, Rod Catchpole, Julie Parker, Jan Garden, Alistair Carr, Heather Haynes

The eight of us met at the central park in Fish Creek, and were happy to warm up to the day with a hot drink and one of Heather’s freshly baked Anzac biscuits. After a car shuffle, we headed off along the rail trail, passing what used to be the station and siding in Fish Creek.

The Great Southern Rail Trail runs between Leongatha and Foster. It comprises approximately 50 kms of previously abandoned railway land which was converted to crown land and set aside for public ownership in response to community requests. All but 3 kms of the trail has been completed. The original railway took five years to complete. The section from Korumburra to Toora was built using 2000 men, 200 horses and 700 oxen at a cost of 322,693 pounds, 17 shillings and

10 pence. It was opened in 1892, providing a welcome link to settlers in South Gippsland, until it was closed in 1992, a hundred years later.

The trail is a wide, well graded gravel path, providing a good walking surface. It passes through The old Fish Creek station and platform dairy cattle farmland and remnant bush of the Gippsland hills. The vegetation lining the trail changed frequently as we walked, including eucalypt, pittosporum, melaleuca, tree ferns and numerous fungi; a linking corridor for wildlife. Julie, our resident botanist, was able to provide us with the names of much of the vegetation.

We reached Lowry’s Road and at this point Michael and Ron retrieved the car from Fish Creek. Making for a different “walk” we all belted up in the cars and enjoyed the drive to a point near the summit of Mt Nicoll, several kilometres to the south of the trail. It was a short steep scramble up to the summit, and the reward was well worth the detour. We had spectacular 360˚ views including Wilson’s Promontory, Corner inlet, Snake Island and the farmland between. We had question marks about the ‘snowgum-like’ eucalypts on the way up. Julie has since identified them as E. kitsoniana or Gippsland Mallee.

Back to the rail trail and another car shuffle, and we declared lunchtime at a picnic table which had been colourfully decorated by a local school. We then set off once again towards Foster. The track continued to climb and then descended along the eastern side of the Hoddle Range. The numerous cuttings and embankments with the varied vegetation made for an impressive walk.

We chose to leave the rail trail before the old Foster Railway Station, to walk the several hundred metres into Foster, while Michael and Ron did the final car shuffle. We held with tradition by finishing a most enjoyable walk with “coffee and cakes”.

Many thanks to Michael and Heather Jenny Cann

Base Camp - Mitchell River Walk, Angusvale.

Date: 12-14 June, Queens’ birthday weekend

Leader: Andy Runciman

Participants: Megan Major, Rachel Davies, Ed Dyt, Michael Haynes

We all met up at Traralgon McDonalds, and while waiting for a couple of people, had coffee and muffins from the McCafe. Once everyone was there we drove to Billy Goat Bend in the Mitchell River National Park, with a small stop at the Angus McMillan memorial stone. Ed explained that Angus McMillan was one of the explorers of the Gippsland region.

After we arrived at Billy Goat Bend we had a quick look around the camping grounds, set up our tents, had dinner and relaxed around the campfire, where a couple of friendly possums came and said hello. Billy Goat Bend is an excellent camping ground. It has a couple of big square tables with bench seats, campfire which also had bench seats around it, 2 small camp sites and 1 large one for groups, and also had 2 toilets, 1 with wheelchair access.

Sunday morning started about 7.30 with breakfast and organising ourselves for the day’s walk. Our first stop was about 100 meters from camp at the Amphitheatre Lookout, which looks down onto Mitchell River. We followed the track south listening to birds. There was not much wild life to see but a lot of evidence that they are around.

We had a morning tea stop at the junction of the walking track and West Weir Track, and then continued on to Deadcock Den, which is one of the special places for the Gunai/Kurnai Tribe, the local Aboriginal people. We passed through different types of forests as we went downhill, dry rainforest with some Kurrajongs, and warm temperate rainforest in the gullies. Parts of the track were a bit overgrown but we were still able to keep walking without too many problems.

After we had a look around Deadcock Den and filled our water bottles up from a trickling waterfall we headed up hill to Den of Nargun Picnic Area for lunch. Once lunch was finished we walked down rocky steps and had a bit of a rock scramble to reach Den of Nargun, which is another special place for Gunai/Kurnai people. We then continued along the Den of Nargun Loop Walk and followed the track back to camp. Unfortunately it was mostly uphill.

Back at camp we said goodbye to Michael and Ed, as they were just doing the day’s walk, had dinner and started the campfire and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Monday morning we were up, had breakfast, packed up and started our car shuffle to Angusvale Camping Ground by 9.00am, where we left Andy’s car and Megan drove us back to Billy Goat Bend for our 12km walk.

The sign to Angusvale said 6 hrs but we thought we could do better than that, so off we set. The first part of the track was down a very rocky slope, and we were all glad we weren’t doing the walk the other way. After the rocky area the track flattened out and we could pick up our pace. There were a few ups and downs along the way but it was very comfortable walking. We stopped for morning tea on the bank of a river just off the Mitchell, and had a lovely time sitting in the warm sun. We crossed the river by walking along the rocks, and continued along the track up hill.

There were more ups and downs as we followed the track but there were also a lot of flat areas. The track follows parallel to Mitchell River so most of the time when we looked to our right we could see the water sparkling in the sun. There were also a lot of deer tracks and the grass was short in few areas. We only saw one deer and that was when we were driving.

Our lunch spot was on top of a hill overlooking Mitchell River with the sun shining through the trees, it was very relaxing. As we wanted to keep going we had a quick lunch and recharge and continued on, stopping every now and then looking at the Kurrajongs and other interesting plant life.

The rest of the walk was on the flat and level with the Mitchell, and while we were walking along we noticed debris in the trees about 3-5 meters up from previous floods.

We arrived back at Angusvale Camping ground around 2.30pm and were happy with our effort in doing the walk in 4 hours instead of the advertised 6. Andy drove us back to Megan’s car and it was time to go home.

The weekend was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves. Thanks Andy for a great time.

Megan Major and Rachel Davies

Dandenong Ranges Base Camp

Emerald – Belgrave (or the gourmet food and wine tour of Belgrave, with an incidental walk!)

Date: Weekend 5/6th June

Leader: Ed Buller

Participants: Cathy Almond, Rachel Davies, Denis Nagle, Jack de Vries

Denis and I arrived at Ed's Friday night and were able to experience the delights of Oscars Ale House; although I piked early the boys had a late one. They were still bright eyed early the next morning to greet Rachel and an overcast cold Saturday, at Ed's house in Belgrave. We warmed up quickly with a short walk to the bus stop.

A lovely bus trip through green vegetation and around windy roads ensued. It seemed a long way when we finally exited at Emerald (it was)

It was very foggy and cold but not (yet) wet. Ed led us along a few roads but most of the path was well maintained bush tracks, although a lot of the walk was beside roads and houses, the vegetation is such that you were not even aware they were there. The paths were relatively flat and easy to walk on single file, most of the way.

Morning tea was in a large clearing beside the road, lunch at a park beside Monbulk indoor pool. The weather threatened after lunch and it eventually bucketed down and we got thoroughly soaked.

Despite the rain, Ed took us via Sassafras waterfalls. There wasn't much to see as it had been fairly dry until this point. We ‘hooned it’ downhill towards Oscars, where warmth (internal and external) beckoned.

The genial host of Oscars (Brad) gave us bar towels to attempt to dry ourselves. The internal warmth came from the alcohol. A man who knows his products well, even managed to find a beer that Rachel (a confirmed non-drinker of such substances), tolerated. Jack de Vries joined us for drinks and dinner.

Dinner was another Ed find; a quiet, well populated place named Lyrebird, run by Vidas, who offers amazingly simple food at bargain prices. Ed is on first name terms with proprietors of both establishments, indicating how good they are.

We contemplated a return to Oscars after dinner but opted to return to Ed's for some 12 year old Scotch, which sedated us sufficiently to sleep.

Sunday morning dawned wet and cold and completely unmotivated us to walk. Breakfast, glimpses of blue sky and Ed and Jack's urging got us up and going again for a short, easy hike around Birdsland reserve.

It rained (again), but we were mostly better prepared this time, and it wasn't quite as heavy. We were disappointed not to get on a ropes course that was an option for Sunday (it was privately booked), however Ed has promised to organise this as a future one day walk, finishing at Oscars (of course).

Thanks Ed for a great weekend, we look forward to the ropes course and a return visit to Oscars.

Cathy Almond

Chainsaw Course 5^th June

3 Strzelecki BWC members, Rob Bentvelzen, Megan Major and Michael Haynes recently attended a training course in Drouin supported by Bushwalking Victoria on the use of chainsaws. It is now a requirement that participants on Bushwalking Victoria events (eg track clearing) must be qualified before using a chain saw. As some of you may have heard, the willows clearing program had to be postponed this year because the pilot, Andy Gilham, chief ranger of Baw Baw NP (who has been flying workers in to the areas involved for 20+ years) didn’t have the right navigation qualification and was unable to find a vacancy in a course to do so. Denis Nagle from the Friends of Tyers Park said all their workers now require a ‘white card’ i.e. the OH&S qualification which gives permission to be on a worksite. Red tape and bureaucracy!! Anyway, the day was very interesting. The first part involved some instruction videos and “classroom” work, then some hands-on stripping, servicing and reassembling of saws. After lunch we went ‘bush’ and practiced what we had learnt. Since the course cost BWV quite a lot, it was a condition of participation that we undertook to support some of their working parties when possible. Michael Haynes

Bass Coast Rail Trail – Kilcunda to Wonthaggi

Date: Sunday 30^th May

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Jenny Cann, Tim Clarke, Janet Leman, Ed Dyt

It was raining heavily in the wee hours of Sunday morning and flood warnings for East Gippsland were current. Ed was enjoying a lie in, listening to the teeming rain, and hoping to get that early morning cancellation call! Janet called to report heavy rain out Jindivick way … “Was the ride still on?”

With Tim’s bike the third on our bike rack, we left Warragul with windscreen wipers busy, optimistic (do I mean hopeful?) that the weather wouldn’t be too unpleasant.

Janet was waiting for us at Kilcunda where the rain had stopped. We had time for a cuppa before Ed arrived, he having decided that in the absence of a phone call he had better get on the move!

I had originally planned to start at Wonthaggi, with south-westerlies being the typical coastal winds in that area. A tail wind on the way home is preferable! However the BOM was predicting very strong south-easterlies, swinging further to the east and strengthening later in the day. In days gone by the forecasts weren’t that reliable but I wasn’t about to dispute this one – and it proved to be very accurate.

So Kilcunda became the starting point, and we headed off around 10.00 a.m., into a stiff head wind and across the famous trestle bridge.

The smooth gravel track made riding relatively easy, and we were rewarded with wonderful changes of scenery from the rugged coastline at Kilcunda to extensive farmland and coastal bushland. We passed a large herd of Eastern grey kangaroos. Distant views of the desalination plant workings and the majestic wind turbines stimulated environmental discussion.

By 11.30 we were in Wonthaggi, on time for a coffee but too early for lunch. With a “third Tuesday” Wonthaggi walk coming up in July, I was keen to check out a few things, so we headed out to the west along bitumen roads, before following bush tracks behind coastal sand dunes, somewhat of a 4WD experience. Tim was challenged on his road bike, but those who know Tim well will not be at all surprised that he found a way of keeping up!

It was now more than a respectable time for lunch so we returned to the same café for a welcome feed. It was all very relaxing: the satisfaction of a morning’s ride, pleasant company, good food, warmth, and the knowledge of a tail wind “home”!

And that’s how it was on the return journey. After a brief stop to look at the skeletal remains of the almost collapsing “No. 5 Brace” (a remnant of the former coal mines), it was a non-stop, “cruisy” ride back to Kilcunda. The most spectacular views of the day were saved until the last. As we descended towards the trestle bridge the ocean views to the west opened up, and across the wild sea we could see the rugged coastline and the distant Cape Woolamai.

We could have continued on to Anderson, another 4 km (or 8 km return) but our day felt complete. It had been an interesting ride, nicely paced, with excellent company … and it hadn’t rained!

Ron Cann

Mt Worth SP “The Waterfall Bower”

Date: Tues 18th May 2010

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Chris and Steve Munro, Megan Major, Julie Parker, Jan Garden, Gerry Engelstad,

Diana and Alistair Carr, Carol Pharaoh.

After leaving the cheerful sunshine at my place and descending to the damp fog in the valley I was wondering if I really wanted to go for an easy walk in Mt Worth after all. But I was committed now and as it turned out we were in for a much more interesting time than our leader had described. In fact some might be starting to wonder about Ron after Kurth Kilns ‘short walks’ and now today’s venture! Still flexibility and adapting to changing situations are great skills for bushwalking [and life in general].

We headed off from Moonlight Creek picnic area up the Moonlight Creek Track, pausing intermittently to look more closely at the wonderful variety of fungi and the grand tall forests of mountain ash and mountain grey gums with the sunlight streaking through the damp air. Past the sites of Maslins, Seymour’s and Bromfields Mills which operated around 1920–1940, we turned left [south] along the Moonlight Link Track, up and up until we lunched on the cleared grassy track at the top.

Shortly after that the fun began. We were returning to the cars via the beautiful fern gullies and cascades of the area known as the Waterfall Bower. That meant we needed to locate the less frequently used [and maintained] Courtney – Lyrebird Spur Track. This we did. Emerging from lots of fallen trees and regrowth frequently caused us to scout around for the track. There was the occasional orange marker to remind us we were not the first to go through here and on the ridge with ‘ones eye in’ a short section of recognisable tram track. Onwards we pushed and came to the Lorkin Creek and Courtney Creek waterfalls set in magical fern gullies. We eventually arrived at the well-used Gardiner’s Mill Track and back to the picnic area via the Giants Circuit.

It was a great day, those new to off track walking now know they can do it, the rain held off, the leeches left us alone and we had found our way through a very beautiful area of the park. Most satisfying! Thanks Ron.

Julie Parker

Walk around Mt St Gwinear and visit to Jans Hut

Date: 24th & 25th April 2010

Leader: Rob Bentvelzen

Participants: Richard McNeil, Ed Buller, Max Kemsley, Stan Kemsley, Rhonda Kemsley, Rose Dawson, Eileen Laidlaw (Sunday only)

We had quite an interest in this walk with 11 people nominating for the walk. Due to unforeseen circumstances three people cancelled and we were left with a hard-core group of eight walkers who decided to come up to the Mt St Gwinear car park.

We started walking about 10.30 am in overcast conditions and reached the top after an easy stroll up the jeep track. From then on the weather became unpleasant - windy, showery and with low clouds.

Our original plan to visit Jans Hut went out the window and we decided to camp just past Mt St Phillack on the AAWT, where we arrived just in time for lunch. The weather had eased a little so we pitched our tents, and then some of us went on a navigation exercise heading towards Mt Baw Baw Village. It was interesting to match features such as peaks and creeks with those on the map. We reached the outskirts of the Village and as it was getting dark we decided it was time to get back to camp.

The rain had started again at this time and as it got heavier we decided that our dinner was best cooked and consumed in the tent. Most of us were asleep by 7.30 pm.

It rained nearly all night and as the conditions had not improved we decided to head for home. We also met Eileen on the track near the junction of the jeep track and the walking track that heads towards the car park. So unfortunately Eileen missed out on her walk on this occasion and every one was home a lot earlier than anticipated.

Rob Bentvelzen

AAWT Kiandra to Dead Horse Gap

Date: Friday 2^nd – Wednesday 7^th April

Leader: Ed Buller

Participants: Denis Nagle, Cathy Almond, Rob Bentvelzen, Geoff and Wendy Cartledge, Alan Eagle and Esko Lossi.

Day 4 - O’Keefe’s Hut to Grey Mare Hut via Mt Jagungal – 18kms

Frost covered the ground and frozen droplets hung on Alan’s tent, all were still asleep but sounds of movement came from within the hut. Anton was up getting breakfast for his children. Some dry kindling was gathered from near the door and soon the fire crackled. Others emerged from tents and migrated to the warmth of the fire, brekkie bowls in hand. Rosie and Patrick aged 9 and 7 who had the previous day scaled the summit of Mt Jagungal came and joined us and chatted about their hopes of seeing brumbies. We sadly said goodbye to them and they disappeared along the still icy track. Soon after, the party of cyclists also headed out.

We packed our wet tents, returned the sofa chairs to the hut, and bid O’Keefe’s farewell. Not far down the track we came to the weather station that Ed and Rob had seen on their pervious walk in January but now there was a new structure that had not been there two months before. It was a snow measure station installed by Snowy Hydro, consisting of two circles of windbreaks and a collector at its centre. This was to capture falling snow and record quantities that would no doubt be an indicator of predicted melt / run off in the following spring?

From here we went off track and Ed charged me with the task of choosing a path through the thick undergrowth all the while I had Alan, compass in hand, guiding me from behind with bearings. The going was tough and steep. We reached a vantage point and took in the views, dried our gear in the sun and wind and replenished ourselves with food and water. The morning was warming up and so was a tiger snake further up the mountain. It lay sunning itself until I almost stood on it. Esko was excited to have seen it, as he had been somewhat disappointed in not seeing much in the way of animal life; needless to say we gave it a wide berth and pushed on.

Closer to the top the group seemed to have got a bit separated and even after attempts to regroup Alan was far up above us, Rob and Ed had chosen to go to a point just below the summit, drop their packs and return to them after the final assault. We all eventually arrived at the cairn on the top; only Alan carried his heavy pack the full distance.

The track down was easier to find and not as draining. We had our lunch back by the road where it crossed a small stream. While it was good to be on the road again it was a fair slog to go and there were a few steep hills to climb. The scenery though was spectacular, and wildlife, if not obvious, was about. Giant long legged grasshoppers at times were abundant; the females were very plump with eggs and displayed bright red and yellow stripes under their wings, and hairy black caterpillars also congregated in the grass. In some places the grass was all turned over and bare earth exposed - footprints of pigs gave away the cause - they were in search of tubers of native lilies.

We reached a point where we could see Grey Mare’s Hut in the distance, and I could just make out someone walking up the track to it. A half hour later we were doing the same. We stumbled into camp and were greeted by another Ed, the lone walker spied earlier. We were to learn that he was from Sale and was 34 days into his walk from Walhalla. He had had one bath in all that time and in one section not seen another walker for three days. He also carried a large knife on his belt, this was to protect against wild dogs or any other ‘un-frendlies’. In no time we had our tents up, a fire going and dinner on the way. Another day almost over, we sat, ate and talked around the fire till fairly late under the star filled canopyabove.

Denis

Day 5 – Gray Mare Hut to Gungarten Plains 18kms

The day dawned overcast and cold, but a gentle fire warmed us into action, helped by Ed's cry of, “Right, you reprobates, get on with it!” We said goodbye to Ed (the solitary ‘doing the whole track’ walker) and headed off.

We strode downhill to cross a full creek. The girls quickly realised the creek had to be crossed twice, and walked around. The next creek crossing wasn't as simple and required a 'shoes off' approach for some. This was soon followed by an ABH – “another bloody hill”, perhaps one of the steepest we climbed. It did prompt some interesting motivational ideas for getting up hills; Alan counts steps and Ed (from Gray Mare Hut) looked for a point of reference to get to, and then chose another. Most of us just accepted we had to get up it, and kept going. We were rewarded by warming up and protection from the wind, which was fierce at the top of the hill. It dried the tents out quickly though.

The colour of Valentine's Hut caught our attention long before we arrived at its door. It stands out more than others in that it is painted red, as is the outdoor loo! It has red hearts painted on the window awning, 2 rooms of bunks either side of a central kitchen with fireplace, and is very cute and clean. A photo speaks a thousand words, and I am hoping none are submitted for this section of the walk!

Getting to the hut involved a tricky river crossing. Ed dropped his camera in, composed himself, stepped down, slipped sideways and skun his knees, fortunately the only injury at this crossing.

From the hut our esteemed navigators (mainly Alan, Rob and Ed) lead us off track in the direction of Mawson's Hut. This involved lots of uphill, some scrub bashing through dense undergrowth, surrounded by dead snow gums. It was an extremely pretty walk even though we had to watch every footstep because of the uneven terrain. The wind remained fierce and it was cold if you stopped for too long.

A convenient group of rocks on the top of a hill gave us an excuse to sit down for lunch. This was a fortunate stop as the navigators realised we had slightly overshot for Mawson's, and the decision was made to go on to our night camp spot.

We walked through an area called the Kerrie’s, a gorgeous section covered in large boulders, dead snow gums and lush vegetation. Your foot often sank into spongy grass, and you were never sure if you would end up supported or knee deep in a bog. One rest stop prompted the 'morgue photo'; half the group lay out on the ground as though in body bags, stuffed from walking. Ed's version of 'just a couple more klics' (kms), took on a new meaning, as 2 kms turned into what seemed like an endless walk.

We eventually found Gungarten Saddle, our campsite for the night, and what a beauty! A flat, grassy plain, water very close by and surrounded by huge boulders, soft low growth and sheltered from the wind. This was the only night we didn't have a campfire - there was no wood to burn! We were all so exhausted by the walk in that we were in bed by eight pm that night!

Wendy and I are planning to walk the whole track in a few years, which will take about 6 weeks. Anyone interested is welcome to talk to us about our plans. Thanks to Ed for a great walk.

Cathy

The Final Day: Day 6 – Gungarten to Smiggins Holes – 16.5km

Last night we went to bed early as low cloud had come in and it was not a night for sitting out, no wood about, so no campfire to keep warm by.

Well, this morning the weather was no better and visibility was down to about 20/30 meters. We got up in the dark at 6.00 am and had breakfast in the tent. We were away by 7.15 am and walking/navigating by compass. Alan Eagle was navigator and a great job he did. First we walked back up to Gungarten Saddle, a simple exercise, but then we had to find Gungarten itself, and with Alan keeping us on a strict compass bearing it wasn’t long before Denis with his eagle eyes spotted the geodetic tower on top of Gungarten. We dropped our packs and climbed the last 100 meters to the tower for a group photo. The fog was still thick and the weather was cold so we continued on our way. A new bearing was taken and this time we also had some rock cairns to guide us down the spur to the road at Schlink Pass. On the road the fog had gone and there was little rain. However we could see low clouds still clinging to the mountain tops.

So we turned left down the road to White River Hut where we had our second morning tea break and this time we had a discussion about the route to be travelled. Originally we planned to go up and over the Rolling Grounds and follow the peaks for the last two days to Dead Horse Gap. With the inclement weather this was NOT an option and we decided to cut the walk short, and walk out via Guthega Power Station where we stopped for lunch. Then it was off to Smiggins Holes where we were able to contact our taxi man to come and pick us up. As usual Ed had organised some refreshments for the ride home to Jindabyne Caravan.

After a beautiful hot shower we were ready for a good feed, and the local Thai restaurant, immediately next to the caravan park, provided great curries.

So tomorrow we would travel home and complete a wonderful walk. On behalf of all the other walkers I would like to thank Ed Buller for organising the walk, the taxi, the accommodation, and keeping everybody up to date with the progress of it all.

Rob

Kurth Kiln Regional Park

Date: Tuesday 20^th April

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Jenny Cann, Rod Catchpole, Nick van Ewijk, Michael Haynes, Jan Garden, Chris and Steve Munro, Barbara Voegler (visitor)

We met at Barbara’s horse stud at Bunyip, before car-pooling to Gembrook and 7 km further north to the Kurth Kiln Picnic Ground and Camping Area. The Park is quite extensive, covering 3,500 hectares, with a range of forest types and other interesting features.

We were met there by Ursula and Frank Klink, local residents who have a prominent role in the Friends of Kurth Kiln, and Bev, another member of the Friends Group. It was indeed a warm welcome, with a hot cuppa on the go, and a tasty slice that Ursula had baked.

Frank gave us a very interesting account of the kiln, and the role that it played during the Second World War. After an inspection of the kiln and related infrastructure, Ursula led us on what turned out to be a 13 km walk. There is such a maze of tracks through this area that the Parks Victoria map looks more like the scribble of a very young child!

Jenny and I had done an earlier “reccie” and had in mind (due to a lack of knowledge of the area) a lesser distance on some of the better publicised tracks. But to Ursula, the Park is like a very big back yard and there is little of it that she hasn’t explored.

So we were treated to a delightful walk, with Ursula acting as our guide, and Bev as the “whip”. There were many points of interest along the way, and stories to embellish the journey. We followed the Thornton Track initially, through a lovely stand of Hazel Pomaderris, and saw the terracing of an early tramway and a log-loading ramp. Heading south we followed a variety of undulating 4WD and bush tracks, then crossed the main road to enter the Gilwell Scout Camp where we lunched on the steep terracing of their outdoor amphitheatre. We shared this with the local kookaburra population, friendly, but also very keen to share our lunch!

The return journey was equally interesting, at one time passing through a “moonscape” area, which had been the setting for a recent Tom Hanks movie (“Where the Wild Things Are”).

Eventually we reached the western end of the delightful Tomahawk Creek circuit, which we followed upstream a short distance to the kiln area and our cars.

We had been treated to a rather special day, thanks to the generous hospitality of Ursula, Frank and Bev. A very big thankyou to them! It was good to be able to welcome Chris and Steve, our newest members, on their first walk with the club, and to have Barbara along as a visitor. Afternoon tea at Charlotte’s Café in Gembrook rounded off the day very nicely!

# We have been invited for a return guided walk to visit the Shiprock Falls area of the Park. A tentative date has been set for November 16^th 2010 (Third Tuesday).

# Jenny has found gas-producer related photos in her mother’s collection, and these have been welcomed by Ursula and Alfred. I am sure they would welcome similar material to add to their extensive displays.

For more information, just “Google” Kurth Kiln and you will find a link to the comprehensive website of “The Friends of Kurth Kiln”.

Ron Cann

Off Track Walking In The Baw Baws

Date Sunday 18^th April

Leader Eileen Laidlaw

Participants Carmel Arber, Rob Bentvelzen, Gayle Shields, Michael Haynes, Richard McNeil and Julie Parker

Meeting at the St Gwinear carpark we all gathered around so Eileen could let us know what the walk was going to be like and where we were going.So after a quick cuppa we set off up the main ski trail passing Jeep Track Flat and on to the summit of St Gwinear where we stopped to take in the views and have a short break before moving on to the rock shelter. Here, Eileen let us know that for the next two hours or so we would be off track and having to push through several stands of Rickia bush, this is a solid bush with prickly leaves, and one would hope not to fall into it. Having passed through the first stand of this bush we arrived at the open expanse of Tullicoutty Glen. Heading in a south westerly direction we crosed the glen and onto the ridge line that we followed until we found a cleared area with great views of Mt Tyers and Mt Mueller. The day was a perfect autumn day about 21°C with filtered sunlight so we decided that this was the spot for lunch.

After a feed and a few laughs we continued on passing through several meadows,.Eileen and Julie pointed out several species of plants that most of us would have stepped over without giving them a thought. Crossing the West Tanjil River we arrived at the Mt Baw Baw trail just east of the Tors; from here we made our way back over Mt Saint Phillack and back to the car park.

Everyone had a brillant day on this very well thought out walk. A big thanks to Eileen.

Richard Mc Neil

Friends of Baw Baw National Park Track Maintenance

Date: 19^th – 22^nd March

Australian Alps Walking Track – Mt. Whitelaw area

The AAWT, Walhalla to Canberra, is an increasingly popular, but challenging walk; perhaps iconic walk.

But for some years sections of the track at the northern end of the Baw Baw National Park have become increasingly overgrown. This is not surprising given that, according to local sources, the track was last cleared in 1982; nor is it surprising that there are complaints from walkers concerning the overgrowth!

Fof BB have conducted a track maintenance weekend in February for the last decade. But the February 2009 fires changed that. Andy Gillham (Parks Victoria) proposed that this year’s track clearing be delayed until March, and that it be an extended event in recognition of the amount of work required at this more remote northern end of the park. It was also hoped that interest would be generated beyond the Fof BB and the Strzelecki Bushwalking Club: phone calls and emails indicated that perhaps up to 30 people would be participating. The actual number of workers was somewhat less.

PV staff from Traralgon/Erica offices had meticulously planned and prepared vehicles and trailer, equipment, tools, supplies and the weather!

Prior to the event a 7 km overgrown 4WD section of the AAWT between Stronachs and the Whitelaw area had been widened with a slasher, to allow PV vehicular access. Our camping area was at the head of this section.

The Friday workers reached this area about 11.00-11.30, set up camp, lunched, and were ready for work about 1.30. A PV operated chain saw cut and cleared the fallen logs and heavier overhanging vegetation; a heavy duty hedge trimmer cut the larger shrubs; three smaller hedge trimmers cut the lighter and ground level growth; a team of rakers cleared the remnant cuttings. All of it was demanding, back-straining work.

We finished about 4.30-5.00. Most of us felt we had cleared about 2km; discussion among the more knowledgeable, verified by GPS, suggested about 800m. Andy suggested that about 100m per person per day is the norm. About 12 of us worked on Friday afternoon.

Longer working days on Saturday and Sunday, coupled with refinement in our methods and fresh workers, resulted in clearing about 1.5 km each day. By Sunday afternoon we had cleared to the Whitelaw Hut ruins, and the front workers had already gone beyond the ruins. Of course as each day progressed, the walk to the uncleared track lengthened.

With the number of workers having dwindled to 7 by Monday (to 8 as another walker arrived to lend a hand), the objective became one of fine-tuning of the track to where the front workers had reached the previous evening. This was largely achieved by lunchtime, the success of the 4 days celebrated with a well earned break at the Whitelaw hut site and a group photo surrounding the rock carved “Baw Baw Man”. Residual tripping hazards were removed on the way back to the campsite. After a cuppa it was pack up time, and by late afternoon the party was homeward bound, grateful that there were enough spaces in vehicles so that walking the 7 kms out to Stronachs wasn’t necessary!

This was a very successful and immensely satisfying project. Working as a tail-end raker I did not see the uncleared section, but returning to camp each night along the newly cleared track was very satisfying. No less satisfying was the pleasure of working alongside such a group of really committed workers. The talk and sense of camaraderie as we sat around George’s “Whirlpool” campfire was a reflection of the collective response to our working days.

Central to this is the knowledge, expertise and utter dedication that PV staff bring to their job. We are indeed privileged to work alongside such a dedicated group.

Personnel for the 4 days:

PV staff: Andy Gillham (Ranger-in-charge Latrobe Region), George McMahon, Mark Connor, Buffy (and daughters Kimberly and Bianca).

Strzelecki BWC/Fof Baw Baw: John Sunderland, Eileen Laidlaw, Ron Cann, Graham Duell, Maurice Poulton.

Fof Baw Baw: Bill Lay, Neville Daly

SBWC: Megan Major, Jack De Vries

Other Clubs: Oliver Raymond and Steve Lincoln (Ben Cruachan); Michael, Fiona and Di (Peninsular); Monica Chapman.

Maurice Poulton

(Note: It is hoped that there will be a further opportunity at the beginning of May to contribute to the final 3-4 km still to be cleared through to Phillack Saddle).

Yorky Gully, Glengarry area

Date: Tuesday 16 March

Leader: Wendy Cartledge

Participants: Julie Parker, Ron Cann, Jenny Cann, Jan Garden, Carol Pharaoh, Megan Major and Nick Van Ewijk

On a warm and clear blue sky morning we headed up the south side of Wendy and Geoff’s bush property to view, high up in a gum tree, a beautifully built eagle’s nest which is still used in the spring.

Continuing on through a large stand of stringybark and messmate trees we came across a horse corral that has been made and used by the unofficial Glengarry Pony Club. We reached Rifle Range Rd and crossed over to descend Yorky Gully Track. About a third of the way down we then headed north up a very steep and deeply rutted track. We stopped to take in the setting and for Wendy to read us a poem supplied by husband Geoff and written by Rob Prior. The poem suggested that the author had a deep feeling for the native bush.

Lots of up and down walking was done before finding a pleasant grassed area near a dry creek bed for lunch. Before sitting to eat lunch we walked over the dried creek bed and looked at the piled up remains of a wooden hut that had been enjoyed many times by Wendy’s family.

After a lunch break in the stillness of the bush we started to walk back to Wendy’s house via a very rocky and sandy in parts 4WD track. On arriving at a hard top road we crossed back to Wendy’s property and walked parallel with the road for a short time and descended through the bush scrub, arriving at the house where a most welcomed cup of tea was enjoyed by Wendy, Julie, Megan, Carol, Janice, Jenny and Ron and Nick.

We had the pleasure of the family dog “Digger” joining us for the 9.5k walk. She was a delight and of some amusement for us on our walk.

Thanks to Wendy and we look forward to a return walk in spring to see many species of native orchids on their bush property.

What a good penance I received for leaving my walking boots at home: to write up about our most warm but very enjoyable walk in the Glengarry area.

Jan Garden

Presidents Weekend, Bear’s Gully via Tarwin Lower

Date: Saturday/Sunday 13 & 14 March

Leader: Richard McNeill

Participants: Phil Answer, Julie Parker, Rob Bentvelzen, Jan McNeil, Colleen McNeil and Michael Lean.

Most of us arrived at the campsite on Friday night believing that there would be plenty of room but the camp was almost full. Luckily we got a few sites that we were all together. So we set up camp and sat around and had a chat and were soon off to bed.

Saturday morning arrived and after breakfast we walked along the beach towards Walkerville South until we were stopped by a rocky headland, that at low tide we could probably get around. But it wasn’t to be so headed back to camp.

After lunch we set off toward Cape Liptrap with the intention of finding a fishing trawler which had broken in half out to sea and the front section of this boat had washed up onto shore. By this time it was low tide and we could walk around the many rocky outcrops and Grinder point Headland with relative ease.

Finding the boat we checked it out for a while and noticed it had been patched up in its lifetime with strips of copper and fibreglass. It also had copious amounts of foam fill to help give it floatation and water tightness. We only stayed about one hour as the tide was about to turn and we didn’t want to be caught out.

Saturday night was pretty typical of one of our nights with sitting around with plenty of chat and laughter. The night was topped off with Phil and Rob’s pancakes with syrup. Sunday morning soon arrived and wanting to see the limestone kilns at Walkerville South we jumped into our cars and drove there. Whilst we were there we walked to a local historic cemetery, then made our way onto the beach and visited the kilns (very interesting). Walking further along the beach we came across a few caves which we explored before heading back to camp to pack up and make our way back home.

Richard

Mt Feathertop via Bungalow Spur and Surrounds

Date: Saturday 6, Sunday 7 & Monday 8 March

Leader: Peter Maffei

Participants: Cathy Almond, Rob Bentvelzen, Geoff and Wendy Cartledge, Tim Clarke, Rachael Davies, Michael Haynes, Richard McNeil, Denis Nagle, Robyn Shingles

One of the most challenging parts of this walk week-end was the drive to Harrietville, the starting point of our walk. Thick low fog and rain greeted us on our drive over Mt Hotham on Friday afternoon.

Our intrepid group of walkers arrived at various times Friday, camping at the Harrietville Caravan Park. It rained Friday night and this was to be the norm for the week-end; raining mostly at night when we were in the warm and dry of our tents.

The plan for Saturday took us up the Bungalow Spur track to Federation Hut, which we used as our base camp for our climb to the peak of Mt Feathertop and investigative walk to the MUMC hut (Melbourne University Mountaineering Club).

Bungalow Spur track is a relentless climb starting from the Ovens River and finishing at Federation Hut. The climb from the river to Mt Feathertop, if completed in the one session, is a climb from 560 meters to 1922 meters above sea level. Saturday’s walk while only a little over 10 kilometres, was in exhausting energy sapping warm conditions with humidity at over 85%. Only the super fit Tim and Denis continued on to summit Mt Feathertop that afternoon.

The remainder of us enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on a grassy spot with Fed Hut as a back drop. One of the things I enjoy when bushwalking is seeing the creativeness of the meals that appear from tightly packed packs. Mushroom and asparagus risotto, falafels, pasta dishes that have to be seen to be believed, Moonshine Figs…. and the list goes on.

The menu at the Harrietville Hotel looked very limited compared to the culinary delights enjoyed on the grass at Fed Hut. For those readers who remember the flatulence camp fire scene from the movie Blazing Saddles, our Saturday even dinner degenerated into the sequel of this scene. Why do some bushwalkers insist on eating foods that bring on this condition? Richard’s new tent will never be the same, and it was not Richard’s fault.

As with Friday night it rained Saturday night. Sunday morning a group of 5 set off just before 5:30am to summit Mt Feathertop in time for sunrise. Rain and lightning caused this trip to be abandoned about 500 meters into the attempt. After breakfast the sky cleared and the entire group set off for Mt Feathertop & MUMC Hut. Mt Feathertop is a true mountain peak in that from the summit of Victoria’s second highest mountain we get the most magnificent 360 degree views of the alpine country. We all savoured the moment and the views.

Mobile phone service is also available from this point and it was here we received a number of concerned messages from family and friends as to our well being, as they had experienced the driving rain and flood conditions in Warragul and Traralgon and assumed we had received the same. Clearly we had had much better weather conditions than most of the state.

Next on our agenda was the MUMC hut, a 4 kilometre diversion off the Fed Hut – Mt Feathertop track. As we neared the hut heavy rain set in. The MUMC hut is at an altitude of 1600m on the North West Spur of Mt. Feathertop. As you approach it you notice its unusual geodesic dome shape and triangular windows. We startled a lone MUMC Club member who had come to the hut to carry out maintenance. Daniel offered us tea and a brief insight into the hut while we waited for the rain to ease. Brass memorial plaques are attached to the wall in memory of club members who have died. One MUMC Club member had sadly lost his life on the slopes of Mt Everest.

Back to the rain. It was time to head back but the rain had not abated. We could wait no longer and as if by some supernatural power Denis opened the door to the hut, muttered a secret SBWC incantation, and the rain stopped instantly!

We returned to Fed Hut later in the afternoon (slightly wet) to discover that two young walkers had lit the hut’s stove. A clothes line was erected, playing cards produced, pre-dinner drinks and nibbles enjoyed and a wonderful warm and dry afternoon was had (in Fed Hut). During the afternoon 7 other walkers joined us in the hut. The enthusiasm of 3 retired gents from Adelaide who had driven non-stop to Hotham for 5 days walking in the alps was amazing.

Dinner, then a warm dry night in our tents while it rained outside, was again the norm.

Monday, after breakfast, it was a simple back track down Bungalow Spur track to Harrietville in much more walker friendly conditions than the climb up Saturday. The wasp that had bitten Rachael on the way up was nowhere to be seen. Nor was Bruno the Frenchman and his girlfriend who spent a disproportionate amount of time in their tent – even when it was not raining.

Peter Maffei

Punchbowl to Kilcunda and the Mutton birds

Date: Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th February

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Rachel Davies, Jenny Cann, Phil Answer, Lucy and Denis Nagle, Cathy Almond. Saturday: Gayle Shields and visitors Peter, Lucy, Katrina, Jill and Abbey Doughty, and Peter Bryant. Sunday: Michael and Heather Haynes

Fifteen of us turned up to walk from Punchbowl on a stormy overcast day, threatening rain. Fortunately the wind blew the rain away, and we eventually had a warm, sunny afternoon.

The overnighters arrived at Kilcunda Caravan Park early and set up tents (Denis, Lucy, Cathy, Rachel, Phil, Ron, Jenny). We met the day walkers at 11am and completed a car shuffle after introductions.

The walk follows the cliff top to Kilcunda and provides spectacular views over the ocean and surrounding countryside. The track is always mown and very well maintained. There is always something new to see; this time it was seals, although there was lots of discussion about eyesight and whether it was just kelp!

The wind was initially fierce in its intent to keep us cool, but our descent into Half Moon Bay provided shelter and a welcome lunch spot.

The group split briefly after lunch with most continuing along the beach and over rocks, rather than the coastal path. Lucy provided the entertainment for the trip by being swept off her feet by a wave, whilst standing in a rock pool admiring a starfish. A second wave dragged her completely under; our brief concern was allayed when she emerged smiling. She was fortunately forced inshore by the waves and despite a few scrapes and being very wet, was unharmed.

Closer to Kilcunda we came across a set up for a wedding on the cliff top. Ron and Jenny were keen to renew their vows under the arch with the ocean as their backdrop, but the guests were not suitably dressed. We saw the bridal party later that night at the pub.

After an early dinner we drove to the Cape Woolamai car park and walked along the beach to the Short-tailed Shearwater nesting sites. We arrived well before sunset and could see the birds flying back and forth, out at sea, and gradually coming closer. After gathering in huge numbers, with the sun now well below the horizon, they started to come ashore, flying back and forth at great speed before eventually dropping down to their burrows and their now vocal chicks who had waited in silence for the arrival of their supper. What a great experience, witnessing this daily ritual – highly recommended!

A few brave souls (actually only Cathy piked out) returned for sunrise, and to watch the birds leave again.

An early start demands a decent feast and Rachel convinced us all to head to the cafe for breakfast. We were lucky to arrive when we did, as it was a very popular place, although not with all patrons, some of whom left without being served.

After packing up tents we met up with Michael and Heather. We headed to the east initially, along the beach before climbing to cross the old railway bridge at Kilcunda, turning westward. A hand rail has been installed on the bridge, otherwise the wind would have had us all on the ground in no time!

There used to be a railway connection from Melbourne to Wonthaggi via Nyora and Kilcunda, a branch line from the line from Melbourne to Foster (and Yarram?). It was this line, now a rail trail, that we followed for the morning walk. At Anderson Denis discovered the site of the old station. Lunch was, as usual, at the base of a great upwards climb!

We turned inland, walked across and came down into Kilcunda again. The later part of the walk was following farm tracks and roads. We had fantastic views of Kilcunda, the wind farms and the desalination plant.

Both walks were entertaining, without being overly strenuous. We were back at a reasonable hour for a cuppa before heading home. Thanks to Ron for excellent organisation, and showing us the birds.

Cathy Almond

McFarlane Saddle to Mt. Wellington, Miller’s Hut,

The Sentinels & Gable End on the Wellington Plateau

Date: 20 & 21 February

Leader: Rob Bentvelzen

Participants Ed. Buller, Tim Clarke, Alan Eagle, Michael Haynes, Rachael Davies, Ben Aalbers and Steve Lincoln (Ben Cruachan Walking Club)

Seven of us met in Morwell at 6pm, then travelled to the Heyfield pub for dinner. Leaving Heyfield about 8pm we drove to Licola, then along the Wellington River to the Breakfast Creek camping area, where we met Steve and camped for the night. The weather conditions were fine and warm.

Saturday morning we drove to McFarlane’s Saddle and started walking about 9:15am. The day was fine and the ground underfoot relatively damp. We proceeded SW across the Wellington Plain, then through Moroka Gap. Dropping our packs at the road, we walked up Mt Wellington and enjoyed the view, despite strong winds. After lunch we walked south along the road, and after a short detour to Taylor Lookout, arrived at Miller’s Hut about 2:30pm. After setting up camp, we inspected the waterfall west of the hut, then a few brave The party on the Sentinels souls had a dip/wash in Nigothoruk Creek, which was freezing.

Sunday dawned fine, after a very windy night. After packing up camp we left our packs about 8am and walked out to the Sentinels under increasingly threatening skies. The view from the Sentinels was superb although the wind made it difficult to stand. We then walked across the plateau to Gable End for another awesome view south and west. We returned to our packs about 1pm and had lunch at the nearby creek on Millers Track. We finished lunch about 2pm, headed west, then turned north onto the McFarlane Saddle track. At this stage the weather took a sudden turn for the worse, the clouds rolling in with thunder and lightning. Just short of the Wellington Plain the heavens opened and we had teeming rain and hail for about five minutes, walk back soaking everyone. Surprisingly the walk back across the plain stayed dry (but soggy). However, the black clouds everywhere made for dramatic skies and views. We reached the cars at 4:30pm, almost dry again.

Crossing the Wellington Plain

Alan Eagle

Cape Woolamai, Philip Island

Date: Tuesday 16th February

Leader: Graham Duell

Participants: Linda Johns, Ray Johns, Anthony Carr, David Holroyd, Megan Major, Heather and Michael Haynes

Six met at Warragul showgrounds, drove to San Remo where we met Heather & Michael for morning tea. On to Cape Woolamai car park, where there was no obvious start to the walk. Off we went down the steps to the beach on a beautiful sunny day, gentle breeze and not too hot.

Walked along beach until we found track up to “Phillip Island Shearwater Sanctuary” – the rookery is one of the biggest in the southern hemisphere. The short tailed shearwaters (mutton birds) fly 16,000 kms from Bering Strait near Alaska to arrive in September. The signs indicated that the adult birds leave at sunrise to fish in Bass Strait and return at sunset to feed the chicks. We could see hundreds and hundreds of burrows in low lying but good cover of vegetation – no sign of chicks apart from a few feathers, a bit of a smell and no noise from the burrows. We stayed on the track as requested, which led to a convenient seat on a cliff top so we could contemplate the structure of the rocks and watch Pacific gulls. It took some of us a while to work out why some birds obviously flying in tandem looked so different; answer - parent and juveniles flying together.

We then walked on to another seat overlooking rocks and rock cave/blow hole where we ate lunch. Walking up to a higher point, we saw hundreds of burrows, but now the area was quite denuded of vegetation. We continued up to the navigational beacon at Snapper Head sitting at a height of 110 metres, where a lone magpie chortled to us from his spot under the solar panel that now powers the automatic beacon. (The beacon dates back to 1922, when local farmer John Cleeland rode his horse each night to light the kerosene beacon then returned next morning to put it out.)

Now the day was much warmer and the cool breeze was welcome but not when it whipped up sand in the bare open saddle. It was then a matter of stop talking, shut your mouth and look the other way. We did take notice of a big “family gathering” of Pacific Gulls and wondered what they were up to?

Down we went to a sheltered area to see a wallaby amongst many Kangaroo Apples and banksias. Then down steps to site of old pink granite quarry – nothing much left now, just a few old jetty posts in the water, blocks of granite under an old Moreton Bay fig tree. Even the information sign that describes the history is nearly hidden in scrub.

The sign that challenged us was quite clear – Cleeland Bight beach was accessible only at low tide! Was the tide coming in or going out? Seemed to be plenty of beach below dunes, so off we went. Some old dead trees at the high water mark impeded

Overlooking Bass Strait (left) and Westernport Bay (right)

our progress at times and caused a few wet feet, but we had no difficulty in finding the track, which went 400 metres through shady scrub back to the car park.

A quick afternoon tea with a couple of demanding Magpie children and we headed home.

Megan Major

Walk and Snork - Cape Paterson Area- Hamer’s Haven

Date: Saturday 6 February

Leader: Tim Clarke

Participants: Denis Nagle, Cathy Almond, Phil Answer, Richard McNeill & visitors Colleen, Michael and Sally

Adventurers met at Kilcunda and then we drove to the nearby coastal car park to start our walk & snork. Our leader had previously laid down the rule that it is compulsory for the activity to be fun and that under no circumstances should walking get in the way of the fun! With “walk & snorks”, walking is a means to an end (rather odd for a walking club).

We were glad that we had been told of the above rules, as we had only walked for about 5 minutes and we came upon a delightful snorkeling site that was protected from the ocean swells and a suitable place for beginners to have a safe but interesting snorkel about. The tide was low according to months of forward planning and the wind was just a breeze from the South East and the water temperature was not as cold as you might expect in Bass Straight. Everyone got into the water to have a look about.

We managed to collect some abalone which were enjoyed by the whole party, after cooking on the rocks in olive oil by a secret flame thrower recipe which it was said to be stolen from one of those boring television chefs (not true as I don’t watch them). The strips of abalone were eaten straight from the pan after dipping into sweet chilli or ginger sauce. Now Denis, not to be outdone wished to cook a whole abalone after tenderizing by hitting the whole thing with a big rock (stone-age hammer). Right up to the point of impact this seemed like a really great idea. However, as the undamaged abalone flew off into the distance at great speed like a flying saucer, he realized that this method needed some refinement. After retrieving the mollusc’s body the tenderizing was completed by dropping a big rock on it from a height of 800mm. That fixed it! After a quick 30-second sizzle with the flame-thrower it was eaten and judged to be exceptionally tender (more tender than exceptional mind you) and juicy, despite such rough treatment. Well done Denis, this could become the preferred method for the “walk & snork” manual to be used on future trips. By this time the wind and waves had got much stronger and sand was blowing over our daypacks that were up on the beach, so we quickly packed up and returned to the cars and had a late lunch on a grassy lawn beside our cars. After this we walked about half way toward the Punch Bowl to check out other interesting snorkeling sites for future trips, particularly in poorer weather conditions. We returned to Kilcunda for a coffee and a celebration of Cathy’s birthday. This is a beautiful piece of our coastline and well worth more trips.

Tim Clarke

Christmas Camp

Date: Saturday/Sunday 5/6^th December

Leader: Wayne Burge

We arrived at the 1st bridge on the Wellington River on Friday evening and there were already a couple of tents up of those who were there for the weekend. At 9.30pm another car arrived and Peter, Christine and Charlotte were ready to sit round the fire after they had put the tent up. Thinking this was the last of the arrivals I was just about to go to bed at 11pm when Kerry Williams and his daughter Siobhan rocked up.

Saturday was a gentle day walk from Thomastown up the track towards Kelly’s hut then onto the horse trail that runs adjacent to Shaw’s Creek. We crossed the creek a couple of times and arrived at McMichaels hut then up along the creek to take in the small but pretty waterfalls. Upon reaching the track that goes over Mt Arbuckle we walked across Holmes Plain to Kelly’s hut then followed the FWD track back to the cars. The weather was glorious and we even arrived back early which is unusual and had plenty of time to get the camp ovens cracking.

Tea consisted of a big cook up with a Christmas theme, many yummy smells came from the camp ovens, Rob was having his first go at a camp oven roast; it was a raging success. After tea the gumboot and rolling pin throw was enjoyed by all, Kirsty my daughter won the ladies and her fiancé Damien won the men’s, Jack, the Christmas elf’s throw hardly made it over the start line!!!!

Sunday was a very relaxed start with bacon and eggs aplenty.

Three of us went for a look at Dinner Creek gorge but found the track to be over grown or very indistinct, also there was a character there who made us feel a little unwelcome so it was only a brief visit. We then took a stroll along the Wellington River, which has been severely eroded and had a swim; it was refreshing in. Back at camp it was lunch and then home.

Thanks to those 19 who came along. The weather was just right.

Wayne Burge

Wildflower & Natural Discovery Walk, St Gwinear Area

Date: Sunday 17^th January 2010

Leaders: John Davies (botanist) and Greg Hollis, Baw Baw Shire Council

Participants: Alistair and Diana Carr, (Strzelecki BWC) Carmen Arber, (SBWC visitor) members of the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club and Friends of the Baw Baw National Park. 30 participants in total.

On a cool morning about 30 walkers met at the Parks Victoria Erica office to register before heading off to the Mount St Gwinear car park. We were all given a free copy of “Sub-Alpine Flora of the Baw Baw Plateau, Victoria” by Kathie and Peter Strickland, plus a very detailed list of flora in the Mt Baw Baw area. We were lucky to have the knowledgeable botanist John Davies and Baw Baw frog expert Greg Hollis as our leaders.

We set off up the ski trail stopping at several sites to learn more about the plants. Unfortunately most of the wildflowers were over, but there was a nice display of the pink grass trigger flowers and pockets of snow daisies, plus a few alpine greenhoods. On the way up to the summit Greg Hollis gave us an interesting talk about the endangered Baw Baw frogs, which live under the soil. Apparently the frog is only active when the temperature is between 3º and 6º. By now the temperature was falling rapidly and must have activated a few of the frogs, although we didn’t hear any of them. We had lunch in a light drizzle on the summit, admiring the wonderful view from the top. We then set off down the path to the Tullicouty Glen to see the peat bog environment. By now the rain was quite heavy, the mist was sweeping in and not everyone had bought cold weather gear, so we decided to cut the walk short and

retreat to the car park. Last year the same thing happened!

Once we were well below the summit the weather cleared and by the time we got back most of us had thawed out. Despite the weather the walk in this beautiful alpine area was fantastic and we enjoyed meeting people from the other clubs. Thanks to Parks Victoria for organizing this walk.

Diana and Alistair Carr

Jagungal Wilderness Area

Date: 3-9 January

Participants: Ed Buller, Rob Bentvelzen, and John Sunderland

I left early Sunday morning and picked up Rob, and together we overcame the first major navigational challenge - finding Ed's place in Belgrave. We travelled to Round Mountain car park in the Kosciusko National Park via Wodonga and Corryong. Arriving late afternoon, we walked about half way to Jagungal, about 8 km, before setting up camp for the night in a pretty little snow plain by a creek.

The next morning was fine with a little early mist, which soon cleared, and we covered the rest of the distance to the foot of Jagungal fairly quickly, after a diversion to Dershkos Hut. After some discussion about the most likely route up Jagungal, we chose to climb a gully beside the headwaters of the Tumut

River, only to find that it had a nice track going up the intended route. We reached Jagungal in time for lunch, with magnificent views that included "The Main Range" and Mt Bogong in the south through to Tabletop Mountain (near Kiandra) and beyond to the north.

After lunch we traversed the ridge to the "Eastern Summit", and then followed a spur down to the headwaters of the Geehi River, where we camped, in plenty of time to swat march flies for a couple of hours before evening.

Tuesday, as indeed most days, stared with a blue sky, and we climbed up on to the low plateau between Tarn Bluff and Cup and Saucer Hill, then dropped back down to Mawson's Hut, where we had "Morning Tea" and collected water. Then up onto the Kerries, a climb of some 200m. Once on top, we ambled across the shoulder just to the west of the main line of knolls that marks the centre of the ridge. We had lunch part way along, and were surprised to see a large wall of cloud building to our west. Sure enough, by the time we left after lunch, it actually had the temerity to rain on us, quite hard for a little while, but it had largely cleared by the time we reached Gungarten Pass, and by the time we climbed Gungarten, we were back to proper weather. Again the view from Gungarten was impressive, and we then climbed down to Schlink Pass, and followed the road up to the "Schlink Hilton", a large hut left over from the SMA days, behind which we set up camp. This had a creek flowing past, at a very good rate after the rain, and as well as providing good bathing, I made the discovery that if you swatted the march flies into the creek, the fish would rise and eat them before they managed to take off again!

Wednesday morning saw us away fairly early with daypacks to climb Dicky Cooper Bogong. Crossing the creek opposite camp, we climbed the ridge opposite and followed it up to the summit. Again, glorious views, especially as we were closer to the Main Range here. We backtracked to the Schlink Hilton, packed up, and followed the Valentine Fire Trail to Valentine hut, having lunch along the track on a shady knoll not long before the hut. Camp was set up on a flat spot not far from the hut, and, with the afternoons becoming hotter each day, we were happy to swim in the Valentine Creek, and swat march flies. Ed and Rob found ants also were happy to devour the pests, given half a chance, and, returning to the hut for a while, I was privileged to watch one being caught by one of the largest huntsman spiders I have ever seen.

On Thursday, we followed Valentine Creek down to the Valentine Falls, following a reasonable track, once we found it. After a swim and explore around the falls, we continued on to Greymare Hut, which we reached in time for lunch, and then explored the abandoned mine workings for the first part of the afternoon. The environs of the hut were far too pleasant a camp area to consider continuing on that day, and with the afternoon still quite warm, we settled in to swat the dreaded flies.

Friday was our last full day, and the initial plan had been to walk back most of the way to Round Mountain for an early getaway before the drive home the next day. A side trip to see if O’Keefe’s hut (burnt in the 2003 fires) had been replaced was discussed, then we decided that if we were going in there, we might as well take our packs and return via Farm Ridge. This we did, and found O’Keefe’s hut had indeed been rebuilt, so we had lunch there to celebrate. Who ever has built it has done an excellent job. Second hand tin has been used on the outside, so it still looks "old", while the inside has been lined with 1936 newspapers (covered in plastic to protect them). There are some beautiful tables made of slab timber. There are some modern, upholstered chairs that look exceedingly tacky by comparison, but hey, they were comfortable to sit on! It also had a thermometer that showed only 20 degrees, but it felt far hotter than that walking, and we were wetting shirts and hats in the creeks we passed. In the end we walked out to the Tumut River just below Round mountain hut to camp, the promise of a swim making us reluctant to stop any earlier. Getting in to camp rather later that day, at least we didn't have to swat the flies for as long.

Saturday was therefore only a quite short walk to the car, though a visit to Round Mountain hut spun it out for a bit. Alas, I had hoped to get to the car before the march flies came out, but did not quite make it. Then down to Corryong for nibbles, and home. Rob and I passed the second navigational challenge of the trip (getting back to the highway from Ed's place), and we were home at a fairly civilised hour.

The area was really beautiful at this time of year - the whole area was still quite lush and green, and the wild flowers were spectacular. The beauty of walking in the area is you can walk off track without being scratched to pieces, and the altitude means it does not get too hot. There was really only one snag - did I mention the march flies?

John Sunderland

Mt St Gwinear - Gwinear flat

Date: Tuesday 15^th December

Leader: Michael Haynes

Participants: Ron and Jenny Cann, Heather Haynes, Tim Clarke, Kris Good, Glenda de Blauw, Vera and Horst Hartelt, Jan and Glen Garden

We met at Erica Recreation Reserve and then drove in convoy to Mt St Gwinear car park, where the ‘obligatory’ coffee and Anzacs were consumed. It was a beautiful day: warm with blue skies, and the bush setting was equally beautiful, with many wild flowers everywhere we looked.

We set off up the main Nordic ski trail, which generally maintains a steady upward incline past Jeep Track Flat until it reaches the top of Mt St Gwinear, where we had morning tea and looked out at the superlative views, seeing row upon row of blue mountains fading into the distance.

We had climbed just over 200 metres in about 3 km. We then continued on past Gwinear Flat and followed the track through to the Rock Shelter, also known as Camp Saddle, where our track intersected with the Australian Alps Walking Track (which goes from Walhalla to Canberra!).

There we met two guys who had hiked in from Mt Erica car park.

After a rest and some discussion we retraced our steps to Gwinear Flat where we had lunch by the North Cascade Creek. There were numerous clear pools of water with areas of Sphagnum moss – suitable habitat for Alpine and Baw Baw frogs, although we didn’t see any!

The growth of vegetation is an annoyance to skiers, as it requires an ever-greater depth of snow to cover it for good skiing. This growth is due to the plateau escaping any major fires since the 1939 devastation, and hence some lovely big snow gums can be seen. After lunch we took an alternate track, bypassing the Mt St Gwinear summit to rejoin the main track at Jeep Track Flat. Soon after we again detoured to follow a snow pole line to a lookout, and thence back to the car park for more coffee and cookies

For those interested in wild flowers, this is a great time of year and you would be well rewarded by going on the wildflower walk in this area in January. As well as a botanist there will also be knowledgeable people to talk on the local geology and fauna. See the walks preview for details.

Michael Haynes

Freeman’s Mill

Date: Saturday 12^th December

Leader: Ron Cann,

Participants: Michael Haynes, Rachael Davies, Phil Answer, Richard McNeil

Meeting at the Robin Hood Hotel we all got into Ron’s car and travelled to the start of the walk on the Bunyip River Road.

The track follows the original tramway from Freeman’s Mill to Longwarry where the closest rail yards were.

One objective of the day was to see how the bush has come back after the February bush fires. In places the track had disappeared after the fires, but Parks Victoria, along with volunteers from different walking clubs, had spent a lot of time remarking the track with star pickets with yellow tops on them. So for

Revisiting the steps built by Denis and Phil

the most part it was quite easy to follow. White fibreglass electric fence posts, used to initially remark the track after the fires, have been mostly replaced by these more permanent and obvious markers. After the last creek crossing, however, we were unable to locate the track, though eventually reconnected with it after some significant off track climbing.

Even though the fires were devastating, the bush is now alive with new growth. Native grasses, wildflowers and the epicormic growth give a fresh new look about the area. After about four hours of casual walking and a little exploring we popped out of the bush and there was the Freeman’s Mill site. It is a clear area of about three acres. The mill and houses and school were razed to the ground as a result of the 1926 bushfires. The only evidence of them having been there is the massive sawdust pile and a few pieces of machinery.

Later the Bunyip River, which runs beside the mill, was dammed to provide water to service the Lysterfield Reservoir, which in turn provided water to service the Mornington Peninsula.

After having lunch and pondering how resilient these people of the early days were, we retraced our steps. Soon we were back at the car enjoying a cuppa after a very enjoyable day.

Richard McNeil

Tyers River East Branch

Date: Sunday 29^th October

Leader: Ed Dyt

Participants: Rob Bentvelzen, Peter Maffei, Robyn Shingles, Heather and Michael Haynes, Rachael Davies, Chris Clark, Rod Catchpole.

The day’s walk commenced at the Caringal Scout Camp, which was abuzz with leaders & scouts camped for a weekend of activities, which included a billy cart race. The scheduled 9.00 am (ish) assembly dragged out while the “sleepy heads” drifted in to give us a head count of 9 brave enough to walk in the rain under dark threatening skies. We all donned our wet weather gear, boots & packs in readiness, & after a briefing from Ed we were on our way. No morning cuppa & freshly baked biscuits on Ed`s walk, only onwards & upwards! As we made our way Ed pointed out features of interest in the camp, such as the open-air chapel. Leaving the campground we plunged into the dense foliage, which was with us for the rest of the East Tyers Walking Track. At times it was difficult to work out if it was still raining or just dripping off the trees. The damp environment brought out the leeches, & I’m sure that all there would agree that this must be leech heaven!!! Nobody was spared even after copious applications of repellent. Ed, the only one in shorts (brave or silly) seemed to attract the most, but our leaders are an intrepid lot. The track crossed the East Tyers River about 8 times & the wet, mossy, rotten, unsteady logs proved to be a challenge & not for the faint hearted. Walking poles, helping hands & some very unusual methods such as bum sliding were all used in making it safely across with only a couple of wet feet.

Breaks were taken along the way mainly to pick off the numerous leeches and to stem the flow of blood. The spray on repellent proved to be very effective in dislodging the little suckers. The walking track which started out as a logging tramway still has relics of the past, i.e. indentations of sleepers, lengths of railway iron, bolts etc. The tenacity, resourcefulness & ingenuity of these loggers of yesteryear, without the machinery of modern times, can only be marvelled at.

Lunch was taken in a leech-free clearing which was once the site of Nelson’s Mill & is now the usual large sawdust heap with pieces of old metal scattered around. Ed tripped on an old circular saw blade about three feet diameter (no metrics then), which was partly hidden. Luckily there were no injuries otherwise it could have been a “dis-arse-ter.

Refreshed after our lunch break we were on our way with Ed & Rob checking the map & compass readings to verify our new direction. Leaving the East Tyers Walking Track we climbed steadily through a drier more open, leech-free track that led to Monettes Mill Road. A short walk northwards along this road brought us to Monettes Mill Site with old rusty machinery & an old car in a very overgrown area.

We had now reached the return point of the walk & we headed south back to the cars via the road. Although not technically “bush walking” it was very enjoyable & more pleasant than the return from the West Tyers Walk along the Morgan’s Mill Road, which is more open & not as picturesque.

The walk ended back at the Caringal Scout Camp & as we packed away our gear Ed chatted with an official from the Camp who was driving around in a golf buggy, about the improvements to the walking tracks radiating from the Scout Camp. The feeling was that it would be advantageous to all if there was a combining of resources from the scouts, walking groups & government agencies to restore both the East & West Tyers Walking Tracks to a level to allow access for all level of walkers to enjoy the stunning beauty that is only experienced presently by a small number of dedicated bushwalkers.

The day ended at the Erica Café where we relaxed & chatted about the day with a hot drink. Though the coffee proved tasteless it didn’t detract from an enjoyable day with great company. Thanks go to those who participated with a special thanks to Ed for the planning & leading of a great walk in a magnificent area.

Rod Catchpole.

Tyers River West Tram Trail

(It just keeps getting better!)

Date: Tuesday 17^th November

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Jan Garden, Rod Catchpole, Michael and Heather Haynes, Glenda de Blauw, Gerry Engelstad, Jenny Cann, Gayle Shields, Linda Johns, Kristine Good, Tim Clarke, Neville Daly (visitor).

A walk earlier this year followed the old rail trail from Collins Siding, near Erica, to Tyers Junction. Ron’s walk today continued up the west branch of the Tyers River. We marvelled at the beauty of this bushland where the East and West Tyers Rivers meet; tall trees, rocks, crystal clear fast flowing waters, delightful picnic ground and more trails begging to be followed into what looked like even more impressive country. Ron and Michael kindly did a reconnaissance walk up the Western branch of the Tyers River, following an old tram track that once serviced the logging industry, branching out from the previously mentioned railway.

We drove to Erica and then to the Caringal Scout Camp where as part of the Tuesday walk tradition we enjoyed a cuppa. We again marvelled at the beauty of this place. We set off and followed the nicely graded tram trail upwards in a North Westerly direction on the North Easterly side of the West branch of the Tyers River. After about 2K we crossed to the other side of the river (mostly dry), with the exception of one walker who got one foot wet-

very wet. He explained that he didn’t slip - it was the log that moved! We needed to humour him because he was very knowledgeable about the trees and other vegetation, and even the meaning of life. I should point out that while the ‘bridges’ in this area are very interesting in their ‘pig-sty’ crossed stacked log construction, they were no longer an aid to safely cross the river. Nevertheless, we frequently marvelled at the human effort put into these trails in days gone by before the advent of the bulldozer.

We had a late morning tea stop on a beautiful bend in the river and watched numerous trout at play. An hour or so on we stopped for lunch on the rocks by a shady straight section of the river and were entertained by trout and fresh water crayfish in the crystal clear water.

After lunch we continued upwards beside the river until we deviated from the tram trail (southward) as we met private land. Here an exit track to Morgan’s Mill Road was kindly provided. When we reached the road we walked North Westerly to cross both a tributary and the Tyers River to inspect Ingram’s Mill Site, where Ron had some photos of the sawmill settlement in its heyday. All that remains today is a lovely camping ground and some old bits of machinery (and more trout and crayfish!).

We returned to our cars via Morgan’s Mill Road. We had the pleasure of seeing two goannas scurrying up trees, and also meeting a man who was revisiting the area where he had grown up, having lived and attended school in several of the isolated timber settlements during the 1930s. He also confirmed our speculation that people of those times were brilliantly resourceful and tough. He said, “People, who complain today, don’t know how easy they have it”.

The river crossing over the West Tyers River

Thanks Ron for a great walk (this is a must do again walk) and we hope the East branch will be just as good.

Tim Clarke

Mt Erica car park to Talbot Hut

Date: 1^st November

Leader: Cathy Almond

Participants: Chris Clark, Kris Good, Michael Haynes, Rachael Davies, Gayle Shields, Di Caldebella, Raelene & Michael Gleeson, Joe Taylor.

Meeting at Mt Erica car park, the day started out a beauty, plenty of sunshine with no rain in sight. Our total sum of ten walkers set off through the bushland on our steadily upward trek, enjoying the scenery and beautiful shrubs and trees we stopped at Mushroom Rocks for our morning tea, then off we went again reaching Talbot Hut for a well deserved lunch break. We enjoyed cooling off at the lovely stream close by, crystal clear and cool. It was wonderful.

There were a few tents set up at the Talbot Hut clearing but no one about during our lunch stop. We had an enjoyable break and some interesting conversations before our return journey down the mountain. About two thirds of the way down we detoured to have a look at the Rovers Chalet from there back to the car park.

A wonderful walk enjoyed by us all, a really great group of walkers ably headed by Cathy, thankyou

The group at Mt Erica carpark

Chris Clark

Melbourne Cup Weekend Walk: The Grampians, Victoria Range

Date: October 30th to Nov 3rd

Leader: Jack De Vries

Participants: Wayne Burge and Rob Bentvelzen

This is an area not often explored by our club, but every time we visit it surprises all the walkers with its ruggedness, yet providing every type of walk, from camping at cars to extended backpack walks. This weekend was no exception with the walk being set in the Billywing Gorge, The Fortress, Passport Buttress and Mt Thackeray area.

Wayne left Traralgon at 1.00 pm on Friday 30^th Oct, picked up Rob in Drouin, and Jack in Melbourne and off we went on our adventure. After a nice counter tea at Ararat we arrived at the Buandik Camp Ground and picnic area. Tank water and toilet facilities available - an ideal camping area for families. Tents were constructed and off to sleep.

Next morning up at six, breakfast, and we drove off to the start of the walk at the Harrop Track car park. Our aim was to navigate along Billywing Gorge to the Fortress. Easier said than done. This is a distance of about 7 km, and after allowing for hot humid weather, navigating, Rob falling backwards off a rockface straight into the waiting arms of Wayne, and wrecking Wayne’s sunglasses in the process, (Thanks Wayne!) backtracking along rocky shelves, and long stops cooling down by the most beautiful Deep Creek, we made it to The Fortress by about 6.00 pm. The final 500 meters we carried water for the night’s camp.

This is an excellent camping area with great views and shelter if it rains. The Fortress is also accessible by a proper track of about 5 to 6 km and takes 2 to 3 hours to complete.

The next day we visited Passport Buttress about a km from our campsite which provides good campsites and a creek with water, right at the campsite. Then we retraced our steps to the

Fortress and via the 4wd track arrived at Mt Thackeray campsite about 2.00 pm. A quiet afternoon in camp, gather some firewood for the night campfire, and a recce to the top of Mt

Thackeray to prepare for tomorrow’s walk. The evening around the campfire was very pleasant with four walkers from Melbourne joining us and sharing their day’s walk experience, as well as their single malt whisky in our coffee mugs.

Next morning we are up early and ready to go by 7.30 am. This is our big day to try and find a feature known as Hole in the Wall and identified by a one liner in the notes, and a grid reference. All very good till it comes to walking and navigating in probably one of the most rugged areas in the Grampians. This was one of the best navigating exercises I have ever seen, and all credit to Jack and Wayne, using outcrops of rocks, sometimes the lie of the ground, in being able to walk straight to the saddle below the Hole in the Wall. It took the guy who wrote about it, two attempts to find it.

So by lunchtime our mission was accomplished and we descended a very steep tributary of Hut Creek to find a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole in Hut Creek for a cool down swim and lunch. After lunch a further steep drop to an old 4WD track on the Hut Creek where we found a suitable campsite next to another great waterhole. This one had yabbies in it, which Wayne was able to catch with some beef jerky, and release back into the creek. Tonight we were able to finish our tea just before we were threatened with a thunderstorm, but just a storm in a teacup as the saying goes.

Some rain during the night but the tents were dry in the morning and we set off to visit Cave of Hands Aboriginal shelter as our last activity of the walk.

I would like to thank Jack for providing a thoroughly challenging walk and in executing it

in a manner to make it possible for all concerned to enjoy the walk.

Robert Bentvelzen

The “Crinoline" Walk

Date: October 23^rd-25^th

Leader: Ed Dyt

Participants: Peter Dyt, Rob Bentvelzen, Ed Buller, Tim Clarke, and Julie Parker

After some last minute changes as to which vehicles to take we made our way to Heyfield and the Railway Hotel for an enjoyable meal. The next stop was at Breakfast Creek at the Melbourne Grammar School camp where we camped overnight. A few pleasant beers were consumed along with some nibbles and then off to bed.

Saturday morning dawned as a beautiful day. We piled into the cars and drove up to Tamboritha Saddle and commenced walking. We went up over Mt Tamboritha and were rewarded with some spectacular views. There were still a few of the higher peaks with snow on them.

Lunch was had at the Rock Shelter on Long Hill and not long after this, where the track crosses a saddle through regrowth area, we had to navigate with map and compass, as the track was non-existent. This was the case for the rest of the trip until we reached the “Crinoline”.

We finally found a suitable campsite and then had about a 150-metre bush bash to water in Long Hill Creek, which was flowing well. (The last time I did this trip the creek was bone dry). Another pleasant evening was spent cooking and eating around the campfire. A couple of sips of port and we all slept well.

Sunday morning and Mt Crinoline was in our sights - well it would have been, except we were clouded in and visibility was limited. More navigating which made for slow going as well as everything being wet .By late morning while we had a break, and the cloud had not lifted fully, we decided to not climb the Crinoline. We skirted along the side and made our way down to join McMillan’s track and back to the car at Breakfast Creek. The car shuffle took about 40 minutes; we then had afternoon tea (but no scones) and then to Licola store for ice cream and home.

All up a good walk with great views, some navigational challenges and good company. Thanks to the others who came along, I hope you enjoyed it.

Ed Dyt.

Wirilda Walking Track

Date: Saturday 24^th October

Leader: Denis Nagle (SBWC) and Jim Stranger (BCBWC)

Participants: Cathy Almond, Christine Clark, Gayle Shields, Phil Answer and Rachel Davies

As promised, the weather was perfect, everyone arrived on time and except for a very bumpy drive along a badly pot-holed road to the Moondarra Dam we set off without a hitch.

A total of twenty-five walkers made up the assembly, some were members of the Friends of Tyers Park, and the rest were either from Ben Cruachan Bushwalking Club or were friends of Friends.

A newly constructed section and major culvert is the latest change to the track, courtesy of the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

Along the whole length of the track the members of the Friends Group have also undertaken other works in particular the slashing has been done by David McPhee.

A slight diversion was made to view the spillway with sheets of water pouring down it. While it was most impressive, time was pressing and the order went out to get a move on, so we pushed on to our next rest spot at the start of the first of the steepest hills, in hindsight maybe we will make the rest stop at the top of the hill next year.

At the top of the second hill the bush has recovered so well from the 2006 bushfire that the panoramic views we once had are now all but gone. (Just think though, in about ten years those saplings will be tall trees and the view may be visible again between their trunks)

A steep descent brought us back to the river and our designated lunch spot, and at exactly the planned time! We savoured our riparian repast and made conversation. An earlier estimation of our progress according to a GPS turned out to be not quite correct but even so an alternative lunch spot may also be explored on future walks.

It was gratifying to note when I had a quick glance around the area as we left, and not a single piece of rubbish was left where we ate. A shame other users of our natural areas don’t look after them as well.

A change of leader seemed to quicken the pace a bit, and another hill straight after a rest adds to the case for trying an alternative lunch spot. I was deep in conversation with Oliver Raymond from BCBWC about his recollections of walking the track twenty years ago when a call went out that some of the walkers ahead had taken a wrong turn. Thanks to

the backing of the hand held walkie-talkies, the leader was alerted and all were quickly accounted for.

We reached the old limekiln and quarry on W3 and then the river crossing. Fortunately the river level had dropped, had it been the weekend before we would not have safely crossed. As it is, the spare pair of shoes are worth carrying, saves getting the walking boots wet.

The next section follows just above the river, which races through a narrow set of rapids and chutes. I’d imagine it would be a fast and furious ride in a kayak. The track then doubles back on itself and in some places it has fallen away where recent rains have caused landslips.

But there was no stopping, for if you did the mosquitos would almost carry you away! Further on though we did stop just below the lookouts and where a pair of allusive Peregrine falcons should be nesting but alas they have not done so this year.

We arrived back at our starting point after six hours and fifteen minutes. (One hour more than that recommended on the track signs). Two cars took the drivers back to collect cars at the dam and another successful annual walk was completed, thanks to everyone that came.

Gayle Shields and Denis Nagle

Ada Tree and the Federal Mill site

Date: 20^th October 2009

Leader: Julie Parker

Participants: Ron Cann, Graeme Duell, Chris Clark, Linda Johns, Glenda de Blauw, Tim Clarke, Heather and Michael Haynes, Gerry Engelstad

A good crew of 16 enthusiastic walkers joined leader Julie Parker for a stroll down around the Ada Tree and Federal Mill site. In perfect Neerim South weather we left for the Ada Tree. After turning ofF the main Powelltown-Noojee road our journey took us on a 17 km winding dirt road, and meeting up with three log trucks on the narrowest parts, we reached our destination. After recharging our batteries with a nice refreshing cuppa, we set off for the Ada Tree. From the car park we walked 1.8 km along the meandering rainforest crossing many creeks, with Julie pointing out the very rare species of Sassafras, Myrtle Beech and various tree ferns. Noticing many stumps and fallen rotten logs of similar or even larger diameters to the Ada Tree, which were cut down in the 1890’s by early loggers only to find the wood mainly useless. The giant Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus Regnans) is one of the largest trees found in Victoria. It is thought to be around 300 years old, standing approximately 76m in height with a circumference of 15m measured at 1.5m above the ground level and weighing 225 tonnes. Mountain Ash is known to live up to 500 years and is the world’s tallest flowering plant and hard wood tree. As theMountain Ash age they commonly form hollows in which many forest mammals and birds nest. Our Ada Tree has reduced in height over the years due to strong winds. This wonderful part of our history can be found at the headwaters of the Little Ada River North-east of Powelltown. Arriving at the Ada tree we took a short break to sit back and view this magnificent wonder of nature. One could not help but be completely in awe of its resilience to all the elements over its 300 year existence.

After finding our way on to the New Federal Mill track and walking approximately 2km surrounded by flowering strong smelling mint bushes we arrived at the New Federal Mill site in time for the leeches to join us for lunch.

This mill was devoted to supplying staves and other barrel timbers for the company’s cask factory in Footscray. It is believed that “Myrtle Beech” was the unique timber prized for barrel staves. This of 1.5 to 2 metres. This site was a large multi-faceted sawmill site, with evidence of logging, milling, and timber transport and workers accommodation for single and married men. After lunch we strolled down to the Little Ada River to find an unusual type of bridge, which was built of a series of horizontal layers of large logs at right angles to each other, which supported the roadbed. A few of the group were brave enough to attempt a crossing

Returning to the car park via the Federal Mill road with time up our sleeve we headed back to Neerim South for la Coffee with some taking A more adventurous route and doing some sightseeing on the way!!

Linda Johns and Glenda de Blauw

Wilson’s Prom - Oberon Bay

Date: October 19th & 20th

Leader: Cathy Almond

Participants:

A bystander was co-opted to take the obligatory group photo of seven people taking part in the Strzelecki Walking Club jaunt to Oberon Bay Cathy Almond led the outing which also featured first-time walkers Phil Answer and Rachel, along with club members Carlene and Eric Tyler. The other two members of the party were Cathy’s parents, henceforth to be referred to as Aged One and Aged Two.

The first part of the walk was a (you can check distances Cathy) six-kilometre stroll along mostly flat ground on the four-wheel drive track out to the Wilson’s Prom Lighthouse.

Just before Halfway Hut the track turns south towards Oberon Bay, a pleasant three-and-a-bit kilometre section through thick ti-tree on soft, sandy soil, making it easy going.

The track had been recently widened leaving a trail of broken branches and stumps that had many of the party lamenting the National Park’s ban on campfires.

Cathy had ramped up the excitement level by promising a special prize to the first person to sight native wildlife.

Phil and Rachel appeared mightily impressed with a walking club that offered so many extra attractions but their disappointment at missing out (Aged One saw a wallaby) quickly dissipated when they discovered that the “trophy’’ was a face mask (you describe it) that Cathy had scrounged from a medical conference.

The campsite at Oberon Bay is a pleasant area back far enough from the ocean to give some shelter from the wind that was working up a bit of steam by the time our intrepid explorers hit town.

The beach and creek mouth were littered with rubbish suggesting there had been some wild storms and huge tides in recent times.

Phil discovered a remarkably tame wombat (alas too late to collect the major prize) and the birdlife was quite extraordinary.

The forecast was for late rain and even possible thunderstorms and for once that was reasonably accurate, and a series of showers around teatime sent everyone scurrying for wet gear and in one case (Aged Two) the inside of her tent.

Cathy and Aged One had cunningly decanted red wine into plastic drink containers (less weight) but Eric maintained his usual high standards and produced a wine bottle intact.

The rain eased and the gusty wind dried everything out overnight so the next morning pack-up was a lot less messy than it had looked like being.

The walk back starts with a one kilometre beach slog then a tricky little creek crossing before a short sharp climb across a headland then down into Little Oberon Bay. That section is about another two kilometres.

The last four kilometres involves another climb around a headland before the welcome sight of Tidal River.

It was the first weekend of the school holidays and from Little Oberon onwards, we ran into numerous groups doing day walks from Tidal River.

We arrived back in time to have lunch at Tidal River, which did cause one or two group members to mumble under their breaths that they could have left their lunches in the cars and saved a bit of weight.

That aside, Cathy’s organisation was hailed by all, although there was still some lingering resentment over the quality of her “prizes’’.

Rachel and Phil breezed through the two days and hopefully will have been encouraged by the experience to become regular participants.

Cathy Almon

Around the Bay in a Day Bike Ride

Date: 17^th& 18^th October 2009

Leader: Peter Maffei

Participants: Rob Bentvelzen, Andy Runciman, Wayne & Joanne Leviston, Terry & Jan Lewis, Steve & Sandy Gretton

After several months of training and conditioning, our motley group of nine set off for our base at Sorrento from which we were to tackle the Round the Bay in a Day bicycle ride. Arriving Friday night we quickly took stock of the palatial surrounds of the holiday house and started to question the sense of riding over 100 kilometres rather than kicking back at the holiday house.

Friday evening was dinner at the pub on the foreshore and getting to know the members of the group, which included 5 from the SBWC and 6 visitors. (I learnt that everyone likes wine).

Saturday was planned to be an easy warm up ride of 50 kilometres to Dromana and back. It turned out that our weekend ride mishaps were all to occur on the Saturday training ride. We headed off Saturday morning about 10:00am. Wayne had the only puncture of the weekend, which resulted in the need to replace the entire rear tyre. Some people are lucky when you consider that this occurred within 100 meters of the only bike shop we had seen all morning.

The other mishap was yours truly falling off his bike, albeit on the sandy beach and I was avoiding an elderly person who had stopped suddenly. (I know - stop making excuses!) It was at this point our group was split with Terry, Steve and Andy continuing on to Dromana while the rest stopped and watched Wayne change his tyre.

We all arrived back at Sorrento at various stages in the afternoon for a late lunch. Four of us then headed off to Portsea riding to the main beach, London Bridge and Point Nepean to top off a beautiful afternoon.

The plan for Saturday night was a mechanical check of the bikes, a home cooked meal (carbohydrate load) and early to bed. All went to plan except for the wine, before, with and after the meal. The shocked look on the group’s photo on Sunday morning is put down to the challenge ahead and the wine challenge of the night before.

An early start on Sunday soon saw the kilometres quickly slip by. Our first break was an hour into the ride and about 20 kilometres closer to Melbourne. Our nervous energy levels had not even had a chance to wear off as everyone was looking very fit and ready to take on the hills of The Briars at Mornington and Oliver’s Hill Frankston.

The group steamed up the hills and one unnamed rider was heard to remark …”what hills?”

Jan and Sandy our support team had volunteered to carry out a final clean on the house we had rented then follow on behind us. Little did our support crew know that the riders were travelling so quickly and almost without incident that we would not meet up with them until the finish at Alexandra Gardens on the banks of the Yarra River.

Believe it or not one of Bicycle Victoria’s written instructions is “Avoid Obstacles”. Goes without saying doesn’t it!!! Well Steve obviously did not read the riders’ instruction booklet. At the Frankston Foreshore, and watched by 100’s, Steve flattened a witches hat, mounted a steep curb, brushed up against a tree, all the while maintaining his balance and showing off his bike handling skills, then re-entered the roadway as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately this all happened too quickly to be captured on camera.

We all pushed on at a comfortable speed (we had been averaging around 23 kilometres per hour) to our lunch stop at Mordialloc. With only 25 kilometres of the ride remaining we enjoyed a leisurely and lengthy lunch break. The ride along Beach Road from Mordialloc to St Kilda with the bay as a backdrop and a slight cooling breeze made this last leg of the ride a joy (oh well not quite a joy as we were getting a little tired by now).

As we closed in on the finish line the number of traffic lights we encountered caused the previously spread out groups of cyclists to bunch up somewhat. Caution was the order of the day for the last 5 kilometres as people were getting tired and the groups were getting larger.

At approximately 1:30pm we reached Alexandra Gardens and our cycling sojourn was completed. Well not quite, more food and wine at a café in Berwick on our way home and a truly memorable weekend was complete. Thanks to everyone for sharing a great weekend.

Rob with London Bridge in the background

Peter Maffei

Senior’s Walk, Mt Worth SP

Date: Tuesday 6^th October

Leader:

Participants: Tim Clarke, Brigitte Van Pee, Wendy Cartledge, Jenny Cann, Diana Carr, Heather Haynes, Michael Haynes, Linda Johns, Jan Garden, Cathy Almond, Ron Cann, and Ray Johns (visitor).

Hail, rain and some sunshine greeted the 42 senior citizens who came to the Mount Worth bushwalk hosted by the Strzelecki Bushwalking Club and Baw Baw Shire as part of Senior Citizens Week.

Thanks to the valiant effort of Tim Clarke in keeping the campfire alive, the seniors were able to enjoy a cup of genuine billy tea or coffee before setting off on their walk of choice.

Three walks were offered: 2 kms to Giants Circuit, 4 kms to Gardiner’s Mill and 6 kms to the waterfall on the Moonlight Creek track, with the Club providing a leader and helpers for each walk.

Despite the cold conditions and rain everyone enjoyed their day out and Margo, a senior from Warragul, described her walk as “magical” and “something to be enjoyed in all weathers”.

Our thanks go to the Red Cross volunteers (Cath Paynter and “our” Dorothy Sturgess, based in Dorothy’s very swish van), Park Ranger Mark Connor, and Gabrielle McBain from the Baw Baw Shire Council who did much of the background organisation, including the lovely lunch. The day was really enjoyable and well appreciated by everyone attending

Dianne Carr

Emerald to Belgrave

Date: 4^th October

Leader: Ed Buller

Participants: Claire Flag, Claire Cassidy, Peter Ryan, Stuart Williams and partner

We congregated around 10:00 am at the library at Emerald. Claire and Peter were able to join us from Mt Macedon direction, which was excellent.

The walk started at a leisurely pace as we left the township and houses of Emerald behind us on a pleasant spring sunny day. We soon left the road and walked on real ground following a creek side with large tree ferns and some big mountain ash that were to form the environment for the rest of the day. A short hour or so later and we arrived at Butterworth picnic area for a break having observed some fairly impressive uprooted trees on the way (one large specimen would have an upturned root ball about 20 ft in the air) no doubt a testament to the power of the recent storms in the area.

The route now took us towards Monbulk and followed the creek alongside the Emerald to Monbulk road (always nearby but not too intrusive), which unusually had a good volume of water in it. Bayne Picnic Ground at Monbulk and a lunch stop soon beckoned and Stuart's better half decided that she would stop for a restaurant lunch in Monbulk and catch us later in Belgrave.

We soon got the boots back on and in no time at all were up in Kallista at Grant’s picnic ground. Some comments then ensued about going up hills etc but Ed relented and led the group on a more scenic route (albeit involving some rise and falls) arriving back in Belgrave around 4:30pm where a local tavern slaked the thirst quite adequately. About 18 kms covered and a fine way to spend Sunday - thanks to all for participating.

Ed Buller

Fryerstown - Castlemaine Area

Date: Sunday 27^th September 2009

Leader: Claire Cassidy and Peter Ryan

Participants: Peter Maffei, Rob Bentvelzen, Gayle Shields, Ron Cann Ed Buller and visitor Claire

What a slack bunch of walkers is all in can say. I invite everyone up our way for a wonderful weekend of glorious wandering through the local bush and all they wanted to do was sit in the local footy club and drink beer whilst watching the grand final!!! And Saturday night all they wanted to do was go to the local pub for dinner!!!!

Well I made them pay the next day as we walked for 19 kilometres. They suffered too as much of it was an unending uphill slog.

But we did enjoy the day, as it was full of interest and historical sights to see. We found the start of the walk eventually and enjoyed a brisk walk up hill to look at an old boiler and chimney lying forgotten in the bush. We wondered how they would have got such big machinery into these areas so long ago and why they were left behind when the gold ran out. This was followed by an interesting walk along an old aqueduct for a while and we wondered where all the water would have come from, as the area now is very dry. Must have been a lot wetter in the late 1800’s.

Ed kept reminding us of the good beer he had been sampling at his local watering hole. He was trying to encourage us up his way the following week for another slog through the Dandenong’s. He kept talking about a ‘Drunken Duck’ and we thought he had finally lost it, after all who has ever seen a ‘drunken duck’

We spent a little time further on looking at some amazing stone walls built in the middle of the scrub and wondered why anyone would have gone to so much trouble. Must have been something there worth protecting. We gradually found our way to the Spring Gully area where there had been a lot of mining activity and large sluicing of the small creek that flowed through the valley. Not much water in it now to sluice with!

But it was an interesting area with lots of stone foundations and other signs of an earlier golden age. The valley produced an astonishing amount of gold in it’s hey day and was mined until the late 1930’s. Now it is almost abandoned with only a few small cottages left.

We wound our way down the creek valley to find ourselves in the pretty little town of Fryerstown. Now not much happens in Fryerstown and as Claire and I can attest that you cannot even get a cuppa or sandwich here. The weather was closing in on us and we needed to find a bit of shelter for lunch. What better spot than the tennis clubrooms?

They didn’t look like they got a lot of use these days but there were a few photos on the wall from the 70’s of premiership teams. Must have been a nice little club back then but like most tiny settlements in the area they have slowly retreated to quiet little hamlets.

It was a handy spot to sit out of the rain but the seats were covered in dust and obviously hadn’t been used for a long time. When we got up we must have looked a sight from behind.

Rob had the best lunch as usual with four courses. Never seen a bloke eat so much but he never seems to put weight on.

After lunch the weather cleared and we checked out the local cemetery. What a beautiful little spot to be buried, but beware the overflowing toilet. Yuk!

We continued through the rest of the town and wound our way up to the top of the Fryers range. We came across a huge cutting in the ground and found that it was a tunnel built to divert water from the water race on the other side of the range to the local reservoir. Must have been a huge engineering feat in those days.

Meeting the top of the range we basically followed an old aqueduct back to the cars. It took us longer than we thought and at about 16kms’ a few tired feet were signalling they had almost had enough.

But Ed kept jabbering on about Oscar’s and we were wondering what all the noise was about. He was almost frothing at the mouth describing some of the beautiful beer that Oscars can serve up. Holgate Chocolate Porter, Old Speckled Hen, Little Creatures Pale Ale and too many others to mention. No sign of a VB anywhere on their list!

So promising to drive out his way next week, we said good-bye and looked forward to Oscar’s alehouse at the end of another walk.

Thanks to those who ventured out with us. We had a good day looking at an area new to the club and appreciate your support in driving up our way through to the other side of the city.

Peter and Claire

Fiddlers Green Walk

Date: 12th & 13th September 2009

Leader: Richard McNeil

Participants: Kathryn Stolk, Wendy Cartledge, Ed Buller, Claire White (Visitor)

Meeting at the Thompson Dam Wall, we travelled to the intersection of the Walhalla and Mt Selma roads. This was to be the start of the walk.

Donning our packs, we set off along the Short Sur Track for a short time until we reached the Fiddlers Green Track. This is a 4WD Track, so the walking was quite easy which allowed us plenty of time to check out the views.

Even though the walking was casual at this stage, we realized we would have plenty of time up our sleeves so we decided to head across country and pick up the track to Mt Selma where we would have lunch.

Ed pulled out his G.P.S. to check the co ordinate with his map. They were right and after some discussion, he kept it close at hand and we used it a lot over the rest of the weekend so he could become more accustom to its use.

Richard McNeil

Cross country skiing on the high plains

Date: August 8^th – 15th

Participants: Ron Cann, Maurice Poulton, Tim Clarke and Michael Haynes

As part of a group of 18 invited cross-country skiers, we travelled to Falls Creek, carried our packs in to the Bogong Rover Chalet and spent a week ski touring around the Bogong High Plains. There was plenty of fresh snow at the start of the week, but by the end it was disappearing rapidly. The weather was mostly kind to us, with blue skies and light winds predominating. Each day we packed our lunch and skied to points of interest in the area, stopping at intervals where a fresh slope invited us to play.

Michael Haynes

Freestone Creek

Date: August 18th

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Julie Parker, Trish Ryan, Rod Catchpole, Tim Clarke, Linda Johns, Stuart Williams, Jenny Cann, Janet Leman, Diana Carr, Carol Pharaoh, Gerry Engelstad, Wendy Cartledge, Jan Garden, and visitors Gayle Clarke and Ray Johns.

Early Tuesday morning we left Warragul and drove to Dahlsens in Traralgon to car pool, and then proceeded to Freestone Creek in the Briagolong State Forest.

We stopped briefly at Froam Picnic Area 0.6km upstream. During the 1930s a home and garden were established here, and there was some evidence of remnant exotic plants. Heading further upstream, we followed a track with links to 19^th century gold mining, through some very scenic forest with camp and picnic sites along the way.

The Briagolong State Forest comprises of mostly dry forest types with the most common over storey species being Mountain Grey Gum, White Stringybark, Red Stringybark, Yellow Stringybark, Red Box and Silverton Ash.

At McKinnon Point we left the Blue Pool Walking Tracks and followed the gravel road (which heads towards Dargo) to obtain excellent elevated views over Freestone Creek. Our turn around point was the start of Track 96, a 60 km, 3 day walk, retraced and cleared during the 1990s, thanks mainly to the efforts of the Ben Cruachan Walking Club.

Returning to McKinnon Point, we descended to a lunch spot on the Creek. The huge cliffs opposite were impressive.

The day was easy/medium with stunning views, good company, a delightful lunch spot below McKinnon Point by the water, sitting in the sunshine viewing steep cliff faces where the Peregrine falcons may be seen from September to December, during their breeding season.

Crossing the creek after lunch, we climbed out from the stony track, following a small gully which provides just enough moisture to provide a much different range of plant species to that of the surrounding dry ridge. A brief side trip by a small group to find a “Crystal Mine” proved fruitless!

We stopped at Peregrine Lookout: from this point we could view the Freestone Creek below and on the cliffs opposite we could see the Moornapa Telecommunication Tower.

We arrived at a mine site, which was covered with mesh. Tim dropped a stone down into it and he thought it was about 30-40 feet deep, I think he said 4 seconds till it hit the bottom. There were other sites of mines and stone stacks which were remnants of old mine huts.

Enjoying the sunny weather on the Freestone Creek walk

Janet Leman

Snow Shoe Walk

Date: 16^th August 2009

Leader: John Sunderland

Participants: Julie Parker, Tim Clarke, Phil Answer, Kathryn Stolk, Janet Leman, Wendy Cartledge, Geoff Cartledge, Cathy Almond, Richard McNeil

Meeting at the Erica ski hire we pooled cars and travelled to the Mt St.Gwinear car park. The morning was cold, wet and very windy. Nevertheless we decided to set off and enjoy what the mountain had to offer. The weather during the previous week was quite warm and with the rain, this washed away a great deal of the snow.

Walking up the main trail we were wondering if we were going to get the opportunity to put our snowshoes on.

At the jeep track it traversed around the summit and followed the Cascades track, this served two purposes it got us out of the wind and gave us a chance to put on our snowshoes.

Even though the snow wasn’t great every one enjoyed the experience and the relative security of not slipping on the icy areas. Arriving at the rock shelter on the AAWT we decided to have lunch. It was a short stop as it was still raining and we were getting cold very quickly. On the way back we went over the summit of St Gwinear. Just as we got there the sky brightened up and the wind died down but only for a moment giving us some great views for a short time. Continuing on we took the short cut cross country to the viewing platform and then on to the car park where we enjoyed the hospitality of Parks Victoria who offered us a hot drink and nibbles.

Richard McNeil

Clancy’s Cutting Walk

Date: Tuesday 16^th June 2009

Leader: Tim Clarke

Participants: Rod Catchpole, Stuart Williams, Gerry Engelstad, Trish Ryan, Julie Parker, Dorothy Sturgess, Glenda de Blauw, Heather & Michael Haynes, Jenny and Ron Cann and visitors Greg and Virginia Pipe, Jan Garden and Carol Pharaoh.

We gathered for a cuppa at Tim’s place on a cool but sunny morning and it was great to see some new faces (16 walkers!!!! Me thinks this is a Tuesday walk record Ron)!! At 10:30 we walked up the driveway and over a creek and out through the front gate on a carpet of leaves from many deciduous trees (elms, oaks and plane trees). The local story goes that Von Mueller, the inspiration behind many of Victoria’s Botanical Gardens, was involved with this planting at the original Hazeldean Homestead. He also is reputed to have spread blackberries and said “the peasants of Victoria will thank me for this”. “Like hell we do” say the friends of Baw Baw NP during our track clearing working-bees.

From the gate we walked up the Darnum-Allambee Rd that goes from Cloverlea up to McDonalds Track and Mount Worth. This is a sealed road for much of the way and it winds up the side of a steep and shady, tree lined valley in a south westerly direction, and switches back to the other side (sunny) of the valley as it crosses Dingley Dell Creek (which was the one that we crossed in at the start). At this stage we climbed more steeply (north easterly), around several north facing ridges, and each crossing revealed a progressively bigger view of the rich farm land of the Gainsborough Flats. This land is some of the most expensive farm land in Australia, but was actually settled much later than the Strzelecki Ranges on account of the effort required to travel on and drain such swamp land. Several short stops were arranged to enjoy the view, and some walkers also used this time ‘catch their breath’.

We walked past the turn off to Clancy’s Cutting and had our first wide view of Latrobe Valley. As we were making good progress, we all decided to continue to walk up the road (which by this stage had a gravel surface) to Mc Donald’s Track, heading due south.

We retraced our steps back to the Clancy’s Cutting turn-off and headed off through farm land. The very narrow horse and cart track headed slightly east of north and in the steepest section was cut into the soil by 2 or 3 metres. We don’t know if these were ‘deliberate cuttings’ or just erosion from years of use? The first school in the area was on the cutting but was later relocated to the current site at Cloverlea. The primary purpose of the track was to bring timber down from the mountains to the valley where it could be taken to Darnum by steam driven trams that typically ran 4 return trips per day. This part of the walk, with a couple of diversions, provided some wonderful views of various valley folds in the Strzelecki foothills.

Clancy’s Cutting Track joins Hazeldean Rd and we walked along this to the Darnum-Allambee Rd and back to Tim’s place. Just before his gate we visited a giant Red Wood tree, a beautiful specimen, or another of Von Mueller’s weeds, depending on how you view it?

We finished the 9K walk at about 1:30 at an altitude of 188M having traveled 5 K to reach 476M on the outward bound leg. We had hot soups and another cuppa and an inspection of Tim’s veggie garden & chooks. Thanks to all who joined in and a special thanks to Trish for help in the kitchen.

Tim Clark

From all who went on this walk, a special thanks to Tim for his superb hospitality!! You set the bar very high Tim!!

Ron Cann

Blue Jacket, RedJacket, Jericho Walk

Date: 23rd - 24th May, 2009

Leader: Robert Bentvelzen.

Participants: Ed Buller, Michael Haynes, Richard McNeil.

Arriving at the corner of the Walhalla and Victor spur roads we donned our packs and set off on what was to be a really good weekend. Rob suggested that we walk up Victor Spur road and then turn off to go along the dry creek track and check out the Harbinger gold mine site.

The miner that worked there last must have just walked away as there were overalls, gumboots and the like left there. We snooped around there for a while and then went on to the New Chum Roasting Kilns. These kilns were used to crack the high quality ore to make it easier to free the gold in the crushing process. The kilns are similar to the ones at Walkerville South only smaller.

Ed noticed a small chimney on the other side of the creek. We went over for a look and saw that it was the chimney of the cast iron boiler that was used to drive the battery. A little further down the creek we also found many bits and pieces of the battery. Time got away quickly and it was 2:30pm before we had lunch.

Knowing that it would fall dark soon after 5pm we decided to walk off track until we found the AAWT and followed it until we reached the Victor Spur Rd. Upon reaching the road we made our way down to the Red Jacket area on the Jordan River. We set camp up in the dark, had tea, told a few stories and were in bed by 9pm.

The next morning I stayed in camp while Ed, Rob and Michael went to Jericho for a look around. They found a tunnel that the miners had dug to divert the course of the river to try and collect the alluvial gold which may have been there.

They got back around 11.30am and I showed them an old cemetery I had found. We had lunch and Rob suggested we walked out via the AAWT so we could do a little navigation on the way. We were glad we didn’t try to walk the Red Jacket the day before in the half dark as we found several unprotected mine shafts near by.

Leaving the AAWT and back on the Victor Spur road we made our way back to the car, to end a very enjoyable weekend.

Richard McNeil

Mushroom Rocks – Mt. Erica

Date: Tuesday 19^th May 2009

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Dorothy Sturgess, Trish Ryan, Tim Clarke, Michael and Heather Haynes, Rod Catchpole, Jenny Cann, Nick Van Ewijk, Stuart Williams, Julie Parker, Ian McLean, Phil Answer, Taya Aarts, Gerry Engelstad (visitor).

We gathered at Erica for the usual greetings and introductions, and to sort transport. After travelling North on the bitumen of the Thomson Valley Road, passing through a major area of burnt bush around the start of the South Face Road, we took a westerly turn to climb steeply up the gravelled Mt. Erica Rd.

The first stop was at the beginning of the Mountain Monarch’s track. This aptly named 20 minute return walk is well worth a visit, featuring a large number of large and very beautiful Mountain Ash trees. Some party bonding was initiated as many arms linked to encircle the trunk of the largest of the trees at the track end. Julie was able to give us some background into the origins of the track and how and why it was set up as a reserve to protect the “Monarchs”.

Tree hugging on Mountain Monarch’s Track.

Alan McMahon from the Friends of Baw Baw National Park was central to the campaign to save this area from logging. There are wooden tent site platforms at the commencement of the walk, apparently used by those who take the commercial tour from the Baw Baw Alpine Resort through to Walhalla.

From here it was a short drive to the Mt. Erica Carpark. After the usual cuppa we discovered the treasures of the 1.5 km Beech Gully Nature Trail, quite delightful with its array of ferns, and Myrtle Beech, Silver Wattle, Sassafras, Shining Gum and Mountain Ash trees. The mossy granite boulders and the bridges over the crystal clear mountain stream add to the magic.

The Trail circled back to the carpark, where we reorganised gear to move into the main part of the day’s walking. We were now on a section of the Australian Alps Walking Track, leading to Mushroom Rocks.

There was an opportunity to appreciate the blackberry clearing work that has been progressively achieved by members of the Friends of Baw Baw NP, and SBWC members. There was also an opportunity, for those planning to return two day hence, to assess what clearing was still to be done! A challenge awaited!

Tim, Phil and Rod on Mushroom Rock.

Mushroom Rocks provided much interest as a lunch spot. Eastern Spinebills were enjoying the abundant Mountain Correa and there were points of interest to explore after we ‘refueled’. The nearby Rover Hut was visited, and the Mushroom Rock was climbed by some of the more agile in the group. The early days of skiing on the Baw Baws was at this end of the plateau and members of the Mount Erica Division of the Ski Club of Victoria had created a unique shelter under one of the largest of the granite boulders on the mountain, big enough to accommodate some 20 bunks. Little remains except for the boulders, but a telltale line of bitumen shows where walls were sealed to keep out the wind and rain.

The climb to Mt. Erica is steep and it wasn’t long before the Ash and Wattles of lower altitudes were giving way to Snow Gums.

We stopped at the remembrance plaque to marathon runner Geoff Watt, who died while on an alpine training run on the 5th Sept 1969. There was no evidence of our April snowfalls but ice crystals lingering in shaded areas of the track had thoughts turning towards a winter wonderland.

We stopped briefly at the summit of Mt. Erica (1512m.), before going on a further few hundred metres to the Talbot Hut ruin. All that remains is the chimney, of what was one of three shelter huts along the Baw Baw Tourist Track (from Warburton to Walhalla), built by the Government in 1907. Cows had already done much to demolish the hut by the time the 1939 fires roared across the plateau and completed its destruction.

By now it was time to turn for “home”, with little time to dawdle as daylight started to fade. Though retracing our steps, the return trip wasn’t without interest. The array of colours of Snow Gum trunks was accentuated by the setting sun. Michael had a close up view of a Lyrebird flying down from a rock face and across the track in front of him. Other Lyrebirds were in full song as we continued our descent.

It was 5.00 p.m. by the time we reached the carpark, later than the normal finish time for these third Tuesday walks. There was no time for the usual coffee shop debrief so the dregs of vacuum flasks had to suffice!

All in all it was a busy, but very satisfying day, with lots of highlights. Thanks to all the group for sharing a very pleasant few hours – and great to have some new members along on their first walk with the club.

Ron Cann

Bike Ride, Jells Park to Patterson River

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2009

Leader: Richard McNeil

Participants: Wendy Cartledge, Fran Miller.

We arrived at Jells Park south carpark at 9am and after a quick cuppa we were on our way.

Soon after starting we passed Coryhamwarrabul Wetlands. This area was made up of a swamp which fed a small lake. We stopped here briefly then were on our way again as there were 27km to go before lunch.

Riding along the path we passed the Tirhatuan Lakes golf course and the Dandenong police paddocks. As most of the land we were riding along is owned by Melbourne water the area is kept clean and tidy with plenty of rest stops along the way.

We arrived at the start of the Patterson River. This area comprises the National Watersports area.

We were lucky enough to see a speed boat race going on as we rode along this section of the river. Soon after we arrived at the mouth of the river where there was plenty of action happening.

Parks Victoria was officially opening three artificial reefs that they had made to encourage snapper into the bay. Several schools were having a kayak regatta with over eighty boats. We had lunch on the breakwater at the mouth of the river, then rode our bikes back to Jells Park via the same route with a tail wind.

Richard McNeil

Warragul – Drouin Bike Ride

Date: Sunday May 3^rd 2009

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Phil and Julie Waring, Richard McNeil, Fran Miller, Rob Russell, Rob Bentvelzen, Dorothy Sturgess, Deb and Bill Wiglesworth, Jenny Cann, Elspeth Sinclair (visitor)

The recently completed “Warragul-Drouin Two Towns Trail” was the venue for this bike ride. The surface is excellent for smooth riding, a 3m wide concrete path! It parallels the Warragul - Drouin Rd for much of the way, before descending an impressive wooden ramp to pass under the Princes Freeway at Buln Buln Rd, continuing through newly created wetlands in Drouin and on to the town centre.

Riders met at Warringa Court in Warragul and after a cuppa headed down into Brooker Park, linking with Warragul’s linear trail network and the Arts Discovery Trail. We spent quite some time on these smooth gravel paths, stopping at many of the 48 bollards, beautifully painted by local artists, and at other artistic stopping points including the Mosaic Compass Rose.

Elspeth, Fran, Jenny, Deb, Julie

The group had been together up to this point, but some now went ahead while Bill’s bike received some major surgery. By the time Bill had finished the task he was certainly not going to be invited to serve afternoon tea!

We eventually ended up together at a bakery in Drouin for the compulsory “cuppa and cake”. There had been a couple of hilly challenges but overall it was an easy ride. Some had added a little extra excitement as the track left Warragul, with a couple of laps of the BMX track, reminiscent of childhood days!

L-R Bill, Jenny, Deb.

It was an out and back ride, so with different priorities and no longer any questions about the route, riders made their way back to Warragul in smaller groups. The BMX track was again too tempting for some to pass by without another tasting!

Most stayed on for a BBQ, and an enjoyable couple of hours around the backyard drum fire. It had been a very pleasant afternoon and evening with some 26 km covered by the time we added up all the bit and pieces. Phil had managed to clock 9km more than the rest of us – the initial reading on his computer when he took it off the bike rack after he and Julie’s drive up from Melbourne. Seen the spinning wheels of bikes as cars speed past??!!

Ron Cann.

Bushfire Fencing Support

Date: Tuesday 21^st April, 2009

Participants: Gayle Shields, Jenny and Ron Cann from SBWC; other community volunteers were John and Sue.

We were just 5 among the many volunteers who have been assisting farmers in the Labertouche area with refencing of fire-affected properties.

We met Club member Graham Duell at the Labertouche Hall a little after 9 am. Graham has been involved with fire recovery programs since the fires in the Labertouche area, and is the VFF Fencing Coordinator for this zone. In this role he has to facilitate the repair/replacement of all damaged boundary fences by using volunteer labour. There are around 300 properties on Graham’s list with fire damaged/destroyed fencing, with probably 1000km of fencing to do! Much has been achieved but there is much still to be done.

We were given a safety briefing, gloves and safety glasses and after signing on the dotted line for insurance purposes we headed off to a property in the vicinity of Glen Cromie Caravan Park. We three from SBWC were eager to help but somewhat “green” when it came to fencing. Fortunately for us we had been placed with fellow volunteers John and Sue, both of whom had already donated many days and had come to the task with fencing expertise.

The aim was to clear the extensive boundary fence of wire, in preparation for a contractor to come through to put in new posts prior to new wire being run. We were happy to be shown the way by John and after a very short while were working as a well-oiled team of five. John had explained that rolling up the barbed wire followed the same principles as rolling up a ball of wool, and this proved true (just a little bigger, a little heavier and with just a few more barbs)!

We had got right down to one end of the fence line (by the Tarago River) as it approached 12 o’clock, so made our way back to cars for a welcome lunch break. The nearby burnt out remains of the farm house lay in stark contrast to the lush green grass of our lunch spot. A chat with a local Landcare Officer gave us answers as to the remaining fences to be cleared.

The intensity of the February 7^th fires was dramatically illustrated as we continued along the Jindivick Road boundary. Over a distance of several hundred metres there were no staples to be removed to free the strands of barbed wire …there were no posts left at all, absolutely no trace of them, totally reduced to ashes!

By mid afternoon the job was done. We strolled back to the cars, said our farewells to John and Sue, and headed back into Warragul. Much good work had been done and we were left with a real sense of the satisfaction that comes from teamwork in achieving a common goal with good people.

Ron Cann

Post script

This fencing project is continuing and Graham would be happy to hear from you with offers to assist – 56267237.

There are many members further east in the Latrobe area, and the coordinator there is Ben Thexton on thexton@wideband.net.au or 0428 495 691. Graham is “sure he would be delighted if any members were interested in assisting in the Churchill fire areas”.

Kiandra to Namadgi along the Australian Alps Walking Track: The Last Section

Distance 136 km approx.

Walkers: Eddie Dyt, Ed Buller, and Rob Bentvelzen.

Thursday night before Easter, Eddie and I travelled to Cann River Caravan Park to cover the first part of our journey to Tharwa.

Good Friday

The following morning we met Ed Buller at the hotel in Cann River, (Where else would you meet Ed Buller,) and proceeded to Tharwa via Cooma where we stopped for a coffee. From Tharwa we drove to Namadgi Visitors’ Centre to register for our walk in the park, and leave Ed Buller’s car at Namadgi.

From Namadgi via Adaminaby and lunch, we drove to Kiandra and parked Eddie’s car at the NSW Dept of Main Roads depot. The car shuffle was now complete, the time was 3.45 pm Good Friday afternoon and we were ready to commence our walk.

We had to bear in mind that it would be dark soon after 6 pm, so we walked about 5 km to Chance Creek and set up camp on a slight rise overlooking the creek. We managed to hang out until 7.30pm before we went to bed. It had started to rain.

Easter Saturday

The following morning, in fine weather, we walked to the Murrumbidgee River for lunch, and then set off in the rain for Dairyman’s Creek for our next camp. Today we saw our first of many brumby herds. Again it rained right after tea till about 9.00 pm. Bedtime about 7.30pm.

Easter Sunday

We were up each morning by 6.00 am to ensure we covered the required distance each day, and to be at our nominated campsite by 4.00pm to allow us to set up camp and cook tea before it got dark. Today we travelled from Dairyman’s Creek to the junction of Mosquito Creek Fire Trail and Blue Waterholes Fire Trail, about 25km. At lunch time we also took the opportunity to visit Old Currango Homestead, circa 1870, famous for its walls being covered in ancient newspaper.

Easter Monday

This morning (without backpacks) we visited the Cooleman Caves and the waterfall at White Fish Cave, a return journey of about 12 km to the tents. As we had a frost during the night the tents were left to defrost and dry out while we were away. On our return we had time for a cuppa, then pack up the tents and continued with our journey for another 8 km, to the Valve House at the termination of the Goodradigbee Aqueduct. This was a good water point, so long as you have a long rope and a billy. Again a bit of rain during the night, but the morning turned out to be fine.

Tuesday 14 April.

Quite an eventful day as we visited Oldfields Hut for our first break in the morning. A lone walker was still on site having spent a couple of days there. This day we left NSW and entered ACT via Murray Gap . One of our first real climbs for the walk but not as steep as we thought as contours on the maps were at 10m intervals instead of 20m. So we had a lovely little creek to sit by for lunch, and also have a sponge. After lunch we passed Cotter Hut, or house, it is quite a substantial building used by the Namadgi National Park rangers. We decided to camp at Pond Creek Flat as it was the only water we had seen since crossing the Cotter River. This was an excellent decision as we were not to see water until we crossed Sawpit Creek the next day.

As Ed Buller was pitching his tent he realised that he had left his tent pegs at the lunch spot. As it was too far to go back so we gave him four of our pegs and used some small sticks for the rest.

Wednesday 15 April.

We started at 7.30am sharp today as we had to cover about 24km today. Uphill to Cotter Gap and by lunch time we had disturbed a large number of kangaroos in the Orroral River valley. This valley is also home to the former Orroral Space Tracking Station. Ruins of which can be seen from the river crossing where we had lunch. At this point we were discussing the merits of carrying water to the next camp at Honeysuckle Creek. As luck would have it, we met some walkers who had walked from Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station and they advised that it had full camping facilities with toilets and plenty of water. No hot showers, but we were able to have a little campfire and not go to bed until 8.30 pm.

Thursday 16 April

Last day on the AAWT. For a quick diversion we climbed Booroomba Rocks and had a view of Canberra in the distance. The final 20km to the Namadgi Visitors Centre were completed by 3.00pm after a final steep descent down Mt Tennent. A final note was written in the intentions book. The journey which began in 1995 was now completed. As it happened, Ed Buller had a couple of Crackenback stubbies in the boot which were quite refreshing. After purchasing souvenirs from the visitor centre we headed home.

A big thank you to Eddie and Ed who both supplied their cars to enable the walk to be completed, without the need to arrange public transport. Their humour also helped to pass the time on the long easy stretches and their cooking was a delight to eat.

I would like to thank everyone who has participated and assisted in the completion of this walk. It is a wonderful amazing walk to enjoy. I would encourage all members to try and walk all or part of the AAWT. Now is the time to think of a new challenge and another track to conquer.

Forever Forward Rob Bentvelzen.

1000 Steps, Dandenong Ranges National Park

Date: Sunday April 5th

Participants: Gaye Shields (leader), Phil and Julie Waring, Phil Answer, Fran Miller

Even arriving at the Upper Ferntree Gully car park at 9.50am did not give us much of a choice of car parks, but we managed to find a spare one and had a coffee at one of the tasteful wooden tables and benches, while we waited for Phil and Julie and the Ranger. Phil and Julie turned up and introductions were made because we had not met the ‘townies’ before. The Ranger took a bit longer, but arrived with a booklet on the history of the park and maps for all, so was forgiven.

We set out in lovely sunshine along with approximately 3000 others of varying shapes and ages. Many people use the steps as a training ground for their Kokoda track walk. The 1000 steps is also called the Kokoda Track Memorial walk and there are plaques at various intervals along the way describing places on the Kododa track. It is a very steep climb and the steps are narrow, apparently the same width as the Kododa track, but there are hand rails all the way and it only takes about half an hour to reach the top.

We left most of the other walkers behind at the top of the steps as we continued up to One Tree Hill – not so aptly named anymore as there are many trees of a decent size but back in 1850 all but one had been felled to make surveying possible.

After a cuppa in the stone shelter (it was now drizzling) we found Tysons track which is wide enough for a vehicle and followed it around to Mystic track then onto Hansens track and finally a long trudge up Chandlers track to Chandlers hill where we stopped for lunch. The weather had cleared and it was very pleasant walking through open forest.

The route down Macedon track was steep in places, but quite wide and we passed through sparse tree ferns and eucalypts. After threatening for awhile, the rain finally started falling and we walked the last km in the rain.

Back at the car park we said goodbye to Julie and Phil and squeezed into a picnic shelter with a big group of happy Chinese for a warm drink before the journey home.

Thankyou Gayle for a strenuous and interesting walk in the Dandenongs.

Fran Miller

Bushrangers Bay to Cape Schanck

Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Participants: Ron Cann (Leader), Jenny Cann, Dorothy Sturgess, Gayle Shields, Stuart Williams & Michael Haynes.

We met in Warragul at 8:00 am and drove about 1½ hours to Bushrangers Bay Car Park, where Ron and Dorothy ‘car shuttled’ to Cape Schanck and back. After the ‘obligatory’ coffee and biscuit we started the walk in cool, but mostly sunny conditions.

The walk was graded easy, on a sandy well-maintained track between bushland dominated by banksias. We saw (and heard) many wattle birds, and soon after starting we saw the first of several large mobs of grey kangaroos. They were large animals and clearly in no hurry to move away from us. The track stayed within Mornington Peninsula National Park, but was often within sight of rolling green hills with grazing stock. For a while we followed Main Creek, which was in a deep gully on our left (East). Soon after 11 o’clock we reached a track junction

and diverged down to Bushrangers Bay beach. This is a delightful, unspoiled cove and we sat on the rocks in sunshine for morning tea. Ron told us the stories of how the bay got its name from two escaping Tasmanian convicts who had themselves set ashore here, and the various explanations of their fate. After this we retraced our steps to the main track, which now was mostly westward and continued until we reached the Cape Schanck car park. Here we ate our lunch at the picnic tables watched with interest by some yellow robins, grey butcherbirds and magpies.

After lunch we went on a guided tour of the Cape Schanck Lighthouse, followed by a visit to the lighthouse museum. The lighthouse has been fully automated since 1977.

Prior to that it was continuously manned and the keepers’ cottages are now available for overnight accommodation. Later this year it will celebrate 150 years of service. The view from the top was spectacular, though the wind was cold and keen. Our guide told us of the extensive damage caused by strong winds last weekend.

We then followed a boardwalk to the Cape, descending many steps to a neck of land where erosion is very evident and which they are trying to revegetate. Finally, we finished off an enjoyable day with a visit to a coffee shop and bakery in Flinders, before driving back to Warragul.

Michael Haynes

Mt Tanjil Navigation Walk

Date: 21st March, 2009

Leader: Ron Cann
Participants: Denis Nagle, Tim Clarke Eileen Laidlaw, Phil Answer, Jim Stranger, Richard McNeil.

Meeting at the corner of Cervi Road and Merv track Ron gathered us together and explained what he wanted to achieve for the day. Not only was the use of compasses on the agenda but he also wanted us to attain a knowledge of the lie of the land.

So with this in mind we set off on Merv track stopping every now and again to check our location, using the compass and using the visual information on the map, i.e. contours, gullies and hills.

Along the track we came across a mob of trail bike riders. Seeing us they slowed down, stopped and let us know how many of them there were. They rode off without spinning their wheels or raising any dust (so they are not all the same).

After walking on the track for about 4 km we headed off track and started taking bearings.

Consulting map on the track

The bush was quite dense because of the regrowth from the bush fires a few years ago. This made the going very slow. We reached a dry creek bed and Ron declared it lunch time. It seemed like no time at all and lunch was over. Heading south along the creek bed it soon became overgrown, so we followed a gully through thick bush and eventually ended up back on Merv track and made our way back to the cars.

I am sure that everyone who attended this walk learnt a lot from the day. And I know I’ll be looking forward to another navigation day.

Many thanks to Ron.

Richard McNeil

Mt. Baw Baw Alpine Resort to Mt. St. Phillack

Date: Tues 17th March 2009

Leader: Ron Cann

Participants: Phil Answer, Gayle Shields, Tim Clarke, and visitors Greg and Virginia Pipe.

Both vehicles travelled to the Baw Baw Resort Village via the South Face Road. Though a longer way from Warragul (perhaps 15 km) there was little time difference from the conventional route via Noojee, Icy Creek and Tanjil Bren

The village greeted us with misty, penetrating rain and a very cool breeze. We made use of the visitors’ shelter at the car park to change into protective gear, have a cuppa, hand out maps and to make ourselves know to visitors Greg and Virginia.

We left the village along the Village Trail, having viewed, with interest, the infrastructure without its familiar blanket of snow. The wettest part of the track was at Pudding Basin (yes, a soggy pudding at that). We learned afterwards from the resort management that there are plans to reroute the track here onto higher ground, as part of the development of the tourist link for bushwalking between the Village and Walhalla.

At Baragwanath Flat we had a choice of tracks, deciding to take the most easterly, a sometimes ill-defined track that leads across the headwaters of the West Tanjil Creek to Freemans Flat and St Phillack Saddle. The lack of definition led us to a deal more scrub bashing than we were hoping for, especially given the wet conditions! But what would a walk on the Plateau really be without a taste of Richea!

We were interested to see that the signage to the Baw Baw Village at Phillack Saddle pointed to the track we had just come on, the route that used to be marked with a temporary pole line in winter and now remains unmarked over winter and is not maintained as a summer route. Many walkers coming from an easterly direction along the AAWT will have been confused at this point. In fact, the main route to the village, well maintained and marked with tall permanent snow poles, departs from the AAWT just a couple of hundred metres to the west. It is also signposted, but without local knowledge or a good map, westerly bound walkers wouldn’t get as far as the start of this track before heading south.

Phillack Saddle might be a pleasant, grassy spot with lovely vistas, but it wasn’t offering either with the still bleak conditions, so we moved on to the summit Cairn in search of a better lunch spot, passing a more sheltered rocky area which we returned to shortly afterwards. At the summit there was discussion about which of Mt Phillack or Mt Baw was the highest – was the map correct or the signage? Altitude differences between the GPS units that Phil and Ron had brought along didn’t help to clarify the issue. I think that we concluded that Baw Baw was a metre higher than Phillack, but on the other hand I thought that someone with a greater passion for these fine points had said with some authority that it was the other way around … ?!

Tim, Gayle, Phil, Virginia and Greg at the summit of Mt. St.Phillack

The rain stopped in time for us to have a dry lunch, very welcome. It remained dry, though misty, for the return journey towards the village via the main track, well cleared thanks to previous track maintenance operations by Friends of Baw Baw NP, SBWC and Parks Vic staff. At the Village Trail we turned right (west) and continued to 5 Ways from where we climbed steadily to the summit of Baw Baw via the Summit Trail. Before reaching the Cairn, Tim led us on a brief side trip to view an archaeological site.

The cairn is much as it was in the many historical photos that one sees of early visits to the Plateau, facilitated by the opening up of the Baw Baw Tourist Track in 1907. It was used as a survey reference in 1903. After a brief inspection we headed back to the village via the ski slopes. At the “bowl” we climbed again, up the beginners’ slope to Tank Hill, then a short “Home Run” to the modern restaurant which overlooks the valley below. The vistas still weren’t great but the coffee and chatty debrief were.

We went our separate ways from the carpark, Phil and Tim back to the Valley via the South Face Road, the rest of us back to Warragul on the bitumen. After the rain it was a delightfully scenic drive, with several lyrebirds and a wallaby to top off a very pleasant day.

Ron Cann

Razorback Walk to Federation Hut

Date: 14^th – 15^th March 2009

Leader: Julie Parker

Participants: Rob Bentvelzen, Eileen Laidlaw, Nick Van Ewijk, Peter Maffei, Robyn Shingles.

We met at the Caravan Park near Dargo on Friday evening; a lovely peaceful setting on the Wonnangatta River. We awoke to a beautiful sunny day, packed up and headed through Dargo and on to the High Plains road, looking forward to a scenic walk, although as we neared Hotham we hit a heavy fog.

We parked near Diamantina Hut and geared up to set off – walking cheerfully into the eerie fog/low lying cloud as we were sure that it would soon clear to a beautiful day. Following a couple of hours of ups and downs during which we caught glimpses of scenic views through the fog/cloud, we stopped for a leisurely lunch, and to admire Rob’s new toy: the Jet Boil stove, just as the wind started picking up.

As we set off again we noticed dark clouds gathering on neighbouring ridges and hoped that the weather would go around us. This was not to be with a storm starting when we were still over 2 hours from the hut. We quickly donned our wet weather gear and continued on. As we headed across the top of a ridge, we were accompanied by wind, rain, hail, thunder and lightning (a bit scary but also exciting!).

We met a number of day walkers on their way out in quite a hurry to get out of the rain – interesting to see how unprepared they were with some merely wearing ponchos over shorts in a vain attempt to keep out the rain. There was very little shelter too as the area is recovering from past bushfires and most trees were below shoulder height.

Not having done the walk before, Peter & Robyn resigned themselves to missing out on the views and we all put our heads down and plodded on through the rain.

We reached Federation Hut around 4.30, having decided there was little point in climbing to the Feathertop summit as there would be no visibility and we were pretty wet. We took advantage of an easing in the rain to quickly erect our tents then hopped into the cosy hut along with a number of other walkers trying to dry out.

A hot meal warmed us and our spirits and while half opted for an early night, Rob, Peter & Robyn played a few rounds of cards before retiring for the night. The wind and rain continued on for a while but eventually stopped and you could feel the temperature drop (we found out later it got down to -2^oC)

We awoke in the morning to ice on our tents and a relatively clear sky. With some of us with wet gear and lacking sleep, the group decided to split up. Rob and Peter returned to Diamantina Hut to collect the vehicles and then meet up with the rest of us. We opted to walk out via the Bungalow Spur down to Harrietville – a similar distance to the return to Diamantina Hut but an easier downhill walk.

After a late lunch followed by a hot chocolate, we headed back home after an enjoyable weekend.

Robyn Shingles

Mt St Gwinear to Mt Baw Baw to Mt St Gwinear

Date: Mon 9th March, 2009

Leader: Fran Miller

Walkers: Gayle Shields, Phil Answer, Eileen Laidlaw and Eileen’s friend, Bev. McGuire

The 3 day walk planned became a 1 day walk due to lack of numbers for the lodge accommodation.

We had an early start - 9.30 at St. Gwinear car park, because it was a big walk, 18km, but really quite an easy one with day packs and lovely weather.

There were a few wildflowers still blooming – pink trigger plants, the odd everlasting daisy and many small growing gentians. The views were a bit hazy with some smoke still in the air but the weather was great for walking and we made it to Baw Baw in about 3 hours with two stops along the way.

We entered the village by walking down the Maltese Cross ski-run, the tow locked up for summer with the T bars removed. There were a few sight seers in the village, some fit bike riders and also some motor bike riders. We had lunch at a wooden table and bench across from the new café at the top of the old chairlift run.

The return route took us through the village and onto the eastern side of the village trail, past the turn off to Baragwanath Flats and on to where we had joined the western part of the trail in the morning. We retraced out steps to Mt St Phillack and then before climbing to Mt St Gwinear we veered off to the left and followed the yellow snow poles around the northern side of St Gwinear. This route is flatter and has good views. We arrived back at the cars at 4.30 and after a welcome coffee courtesy of Phil, headed home.

Fran Miller

The Overland Track, Tasmania

Date: 22nd Feb - 1st March, 2009

Leaders: Claire Cassidy/Peter Ryan

Participants: Ed Buller, Robert Bentvelzen, Richard McNeil, Cathy Almond, Wendy and Geoff Cartledge

Tuesday, 24 Mar 2009

Having thawed out over night, we left Windemere hut in the cool morning mist. We were heading for Pelion hut some 17 km away. The track passes through lightly timbered country and then opens up onto the pine forest moor where there are numerous tarns. We made a slight turn off to have our morning tea at the fourth gorge lookout where the view of Mt Oakleigh is spectacular and its dolerite columns are easily visible.

Back on track we soon pass Mt Pelioned West (1554m).and we were back into the forest where it was very noticeable that, because of all the foot traffic, the dirt around the trees has been eroded and this has exposed the tree roots for a great deal of the trip

Further on we reached the Pelion Plains where there are two huts. The first one is the old Pelion Hut. This takes a 15 minute detour off the track and the other is the Pelion Hut where we were to stay for the night. Arriving ten minutes later we set up camp and we also found out that there was a good swimming hole back at the old Pelion hut, so we went back for a dip.

The water was so cold we could only stay in for a minute. We had walked a total of 50 minutes for a 1 minute dip but it was worth it. With the weather being fine that night, the animals were out and we spotted possums, wallabies and spotted quolls. Off to bed now to listen to Rob snore all night.

Richard McNeil

Friday 26th was to Windy Ridge hut.

The walk was very up and down, rock and over tree roots. We stopped to view D'Alton hut on the way, an old trapper’s hut that is Heritage listed but only used in emergencies. The area surrounding was very grassy and picturesque, a lovely spot on a sunny day for an extended lunch break.

There were 2 optional side trips to waterfalls. Wendy, Ed and I opted to see the first 2, located on the same path, D'Alton and Fergusson. We thought D'Alton falls were the pick, with rocky outcrops like stages jutting from the main cliff face, causing the water to cascade over them.

According to the guide book, Hartnett Falls (the second option) was the 'not to be missed' spectacle. A photo in the guide book indicates Hartnett Falls to

be most impressive when in full flow, which it wasn't at the time. It was certainly an impressive volume of water, and we were able to view it from top and bottom. The noise made it hard to have a conversation with anyone. It was a lovely spot to sit and contemplate life for a while.

Windy Ridge Hut is amazing, opened July last year and as big as Pelion although seems bigger. There is a large drying are as you walk in, 3 rooms sleeping 16 each and a separate level down stairs for eating. Skylights all around. All huts have composting toilets and water tanks. There were heaps of wooden platforms for tents here too. At night all the packs go into the huts as the possums will eat through the tent if they smell food!

We continued Rob's habit of playing 500 until after dark. None of the nights were very late, as we were all tired from walking.

Cathy Almond

Saturday 28th Feb

A restful night was spent at Windy Ridge Hut – probably the newest and most spacious hut so far. Only a few people in residence, so some put up tents while others went for the in-house option.

We split into two groups at this stage with Pete and Claire staying at the hut and the rest of us heading for the Echo Point Hut (half way down Lake St Clair).

Buoyed by supposedly lighter packs and anticipation of the lake we made good progress and reached the Lake (the deepest lake in Australia at 167m) for lunch and a cool river dip at Narcissus Hut.

Some large serpent like creatures were spotted in the area causing an increased vigil around the lunch area and the walk out along the lakeside as we headed to Echo Hut. This part of the walk was very impressive with lovely forest around the lake side and a good track with absence of tree roots. Echo Point Hut certainly lived up to its reputation and would be one of the best sites on the walk.

Advice that rodents were the dominant hut inhabitants led us all to put up tents and hang packs from branches. A custom made jetty allowed for a relaxing swim by all in pleasant temperate waters and the anticipation of a short walk out the last day led to a most relaxing afternoon. Following dinner Richard was kind enough to provide some catering advice about custard production that proved useful (and tasted excellent also). All then retired after another excellent day.

Ed Buller

The Overland Track, Tasmania

(continued)

Date: 22^nd February - 1^st March

Leaders: Claire Cassidy/Peter Ryan

Participants: Ed Buller, Robert Bentvelzen, Richard McNeil, Cathy Almond, Wendy and Geoff Cartledge

Tuesday 24 Feb 2009.

We woke up with about 30 other people in Watervalley Hut. Very appropriately named. It was wet- rained all night. So it was a bit of a bunfight for stove space to cook our breakfast. Luckily I didn’t have to fight anyone for space, as they were all bigger than me.

Our mission today was to walk 8km from Watervalley Hut to Windermere Hut. Sounds simple, not far to go, but add some strong cold winds, and horizontal rain and the degree of difficulty increased somewhat. We left Watervalley Hut about 8.15am, and were first to arrive at Windermere Hut at 11.30am to claim our sleeping areas in the hut, i.e. bottom bunks, so we didn’t have to climb over other sleeping people during the night. The others arrived in the next hour and the place looked like a laundry with everyone trying to dry out wet gear. Richard, our resident plumber, was given HERO status as he was the only one able to light the gas heater. The gas heater was allowed to be lit as soon as temperature dropped below 10 degrees, which it did for the rest of the afternoon. The heater only went for 45 minutes at a time and had to be relit each time. Well done to Richard. For entertainment during the afternoon we played cards, 500, and it was a delight to beat Peter Ryan. No doubt he will be out for revenge.

The whole trip was well organised by Peter Ryan and Claire Cassidy, and a very enjoyable and challenging trip. Just to see the temperate rain forest gave a new meaning to walking, and understanding why these areas need to be cared for and saved for all time.

Rob Bentvelzen

Warburton / Lilydale Bike Ride

Date: 20/21^st 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.

St Gwinear Snow Shoe Shuffle

Date: Sunday 17^th 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 direction 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 19^th 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

Warbuton Weekend

Date: 30th & 31^st 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

Cross Country Skiing - Mt St Gwinear 2008

The snow arrived and we were off!

Date: Saturday, July 12^th 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 19^th

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 25^th 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

Torronga Falls and Ralph Cornwell Tramway Track

Date: Sunday 20^th 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

Two Weeks In Kakadu

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 Miller

Hill End Bush

Date: Wednesday 18^th 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!

Labertouche Caves

Date: Sunday June 22^nd.

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 5^th 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

Walhalla Circuit

Date: Saturday 24^th 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 2^nd June.

Fran Miller

Northern Section Wilsons Prom

Part One

Date: Friday 25^th – Sunday 27^th 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: 25^th -27^th 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

Mt Howitt and Bryces Gorge

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 19^th 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.

Participants: Rod Brisbane, Ray Conner, Graham Dineen, John Gilcrist, Tom Mildren, Rae Moore (photographer for the day), Henk Pillekers, Lucy and Angus Thorpe

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 6^th of April as there is another day planned.(there still room for a few more if you are keen otherwise maybe next year).

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

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

Party members: Graham Dettrick, Michael Haynes, Ben Aalbers, Brigitte Van Pee, Dorothy Sturgess, Jenny Cann

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’s been an annual event for as long as I can remember and is a great way to spend a relaxing weekend with friends. Last year’s was cancelled due to the fires in the Wellington River area so this year I was determined to get there. About fifteen people turned up this year which was a great result.

There was a mixture of old and new comers but there was one favorite person who wasn’t there for the first time. Wally Burge was a club member from way back and he was sadly missed this year. I missed some of his favorite sayings and May couldn’t tell him to ‘leave the fire alone Wal’.

But she made up for it by reminding Wayne all the time to look after his dear old mother. Poor Wayne, he went for a walk on Saturday and all he could hear was May telling him to take care of her or he would get written out of the will.

Saturday we went for a walk to Mt Hedrick and Huggget’s Crossing and the heat seemed to sap everyone’s energy. A welcome swim was had in the Avon before the climb to the bluff in the searing heat of the early afternoon. The track has all but been obliterated by the recent fires but we were able to find our way without too many problems. The view from the top was well worth the exertion in climbing up in the heat. I never used to think much of the Avon River based on what it looks like at Stratford, but it is a beautiful river, like a mini Snowy River in many respects.

There was a good flow through it and the coolness of the water was too inviting to pass up. After the walk we headed back to the camp site and took it in turns to skinny dip in the river. It was a beautiful way to wash the sweat off after a reasonably hard slog up hill to the cars.

It was then time to put the camp ovens on the fire and relax whilst dinner cooked.

The traditional gumboot and rolling pin throwing contest was held and Ed won the gumboot throw with a magnificent throw of 25 meters, must be a record I think. And Christine Holroyd’s friend, Marnie won the rolling pin throw. After several beers it was time to dish up and Wayne won the job of carving up the meat. He had a lot of admiring fans around him. The flies descended in their hundreds to annoy him, don’t know where they came from, but they can go back to where they belong anytime.

It was a beautiful meal and we all enjoyed the company: must have been fifteen sitting around the camp fire relaxing. What a wonderful way to spend a night.

Sunday dawned hot again and we went for a look at the channel, a short drive from the camp. What a beautiful part of the river, you could see a fair amount of flood debris piled high above the water level which made you realize the power of the river in flood. Ed Buller went for a swim and swam the length of the channel and back, he seemed to be enjoying himself so some of the others jumped in and splashed about. The channel is a narrow passage where the water charges through narrow gaps in the rocks for a hundred meters or so. It is a wonderful spot to while away a few hours on a hot day. The short walk uphill back to the cars had us bathed in sweat so it was back to camp to pack up and have another swim before the hot drive home. Thanks to all for your attendance and for the Burges for putting on another great Christmas camp.

Participants: Denis Nagle; Chris Avery; Richard and Jan McNeil; Kevin and xxxx; Ed Buller and Charlotte.

Tim and Denis set off on Friday to claim some good camp sites for the group for the weekend. We set up camp at a lovely site with a fireplace, protection from wind and also some shade trees. With these duties completed and while we waited for the arrival of Chris Avery we set off on a short walk northwards along the rocky coastline to do some fishing and repair a water collection pipe in a spring. The pipe repair was a success, but we came back with no fish.

On our return from the walk we found Chris boiling the billy and we helped her set up her tent before we cooked our dinner. During dinner Richard and Jan McNeil arrived with their pop-top caravan which Richard masterfully backed into position like a well seasoned ‘grey nomad’. Friends of the McNeil’s Kevin and Axxx were also camping at Bear Gully and joined us around the camp fire.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we set off to walk south toward the Cape Liptrap light house. We were forced inland by the tide blocking our progress along the coastal rock shelf near Point Grinder. This diversion was not so good for us, but it was lucky for a baby wombat that Kevin rescued from its dead mother, ably assisted by Denis in the extraction of Willy from a very tight fitting pouch.

We had lunch on a beach past Point Grinder beside the wreck of the front half of a large wooden fishing boat. We returned to our camp via a more direct route above Point Grinder that kept much closer to the coast line. We finished off the afternoon with a ‘walk & snork’ to the North and dived for some abalone. We returned to camp very satisfied with the day and started dinner with an entrée of abalone which was well cooked by an unnamed team of skilled seafood chiefs. Unfortunately Chris had to depart before the cook up started but we were soon joined by Ed Buller and his daughter Charlotte who set up camp around our central fire place.

On Sunday we took a costal walk (northward) to the historic lime kilns near Walkerville opposite Digger Island. We were all amazed with the human effort that this lime industry entailed. We were also impressed with the natural beauty of the coast with its white beaches, cliffs, miniature lime stone islands and ever changing geology.

We returned to camp, again avoiding an inland diversion around Point YY. We packed up and departed, leaving Ed and Charlotte to stay another night. We had a great time and we left with a feeling that we would be back again to enjoy this beautiful coastline.

A “medium” (rated four) walk down the Snowy River sounded like a good opportunity to get the boots back on and enjoy some great outdoors. Walking downstream would mean no big hills just some rock hopping/scrub bashing and the occasional wet boot. What had been forgotten was the leader's idea of medium and our perception of medium.

The group travelled up on Friday evening and we camped at the Little River Falls. Wayne, John and Ed D arrived late afternoon and set up camp. Wayne went of for a bit of fishing, saying he was going to catch some fresh trout for tea. He returned a while later with a just pan size trout and a story about the one that he let go as it was to big for the pan. A true fisherman complete with all the stories but never mind your mates!

Saturday morning we did a car drop off and headed on to Suggan Buggan where we left the other car and the walking started- up the road and onto Sandy creek track and drop down to the Snowy. We're all set for a bit of a road bash, a good way to warm up, but ten minutes into the walk the leader, with no consultation, takes off up the side of the steepest hill along the road. His story was that it's shorter and he said that we couldn't have to easy all weekend, so there went the perception of medium. What else did he have in store for us? We proceeded up the hill and cut across to a saddle where we picked up Sandy creek track and headed down to the river.

Lunch was on the Snowy just as the first rain shower came over and then we followed the river downstream. The rest of the way was very enjoyable walking as there was a wide bank with good brumby tracks. About fourish we found a nice sandy bank and made camp. The river had a good flow and as a result of the rains was quite murky, so the fisherman had a good excuse not to provide a fresh catch for tea as the leader had promised. We had more rain during the night which didn't cause problems only ensuring a good sleep with the sound of the rain on the tent.

Sunday was a nice morning. The walking became a bit more of a scrub bash as the bank narrowed but the tracks were still quite good. The aim for the day was to reach the junction of the Suggan Buggan river. We found a large pool with a rock bank which made for an excellent lunch spot. Ed Buller could not resist and went for a dip and was amazed at the depth of the water. Up to this point the river had been wide, swift and shallow. We scrambled over some rocky banks during the afternoon and made camp at the junction. We picked our tent spots, set up and then the rain came in earnest. Meals were cooked in tents and under tarps and another early night was ensured.

Monday was dry and the walking was similar to the previous day with some narrow sections encountered. At one point Jack did a bit of fancy footwork as he came upon a not too big red belly black snake. He then decided to delegate the track blazing but got no takers as we thought he was doing an excellent job! Late afternoon we came to McKillops Bridge which was our destination for the day. We walked under the bridge and camped at the camping area on the west side of the river. There were only a few car campers in the camp which was not a surprise as Mckillops road was still being repaired after heavy rains early in the year. A pleasant evening was had sitting around the campfire enjoying our meal and a few stories were told and general obligatory ribbing of the leader’s abilities and his replies of soft walkers expecting an easy walk.

Tuesday and a short 4km walk to the car at Wheelers Gap via Turnback Peak or a 12km walk along the road. These were the options so of course we decided on the shorter route. The leader had his revenge on his unruly group as the shorter route involved a steep 500m climb straight after breakfast which kept us all nice and quiet. John was not feeling too flash as he and his breakfast had parted company. We think that he had a reaction to water as it was quite stirred up. He took his time and made the climb, knocking back all offers by the rest of us for carrying any of his gear- a good effort. We reached the car by 10:30, piled in and drove back to the Little River Falls camp site where we had lunch while the drivers went to retrieve the other car. This took a bit over an hour and then we travelled home with a coffee stop in Buchan.

As we drove through Bairnsdale and onto Sale we were amazed by the amount of flooding that had occurred over the weekend, and realised we had been quite lucky not to have had that much rain.

All up a good walk with pleasant company and thanks to Jack for leading this trip.

Participants: Gayle Shields, Phil and Julie Waring, Chris Avery, Ian and Bryanna Mifsud, Julie Parker, Kath Akarsu, Ron Cann, Jan McPherson, Richard McNeil.

We arrived at the meeting place at the corner of Princes Freeway and Tynong North Road at 9:30.

It had been raining the day before and this day looked like being much the same. So I was surprised to see a total of twelve walkers ready to brave the elements. From there we pooled our cars and drove to the Mortimer Picnic Ground.

Leaving the picnic ground we went along the Mortimer Nature Walk. Towards the end of the track we had a steady but fairly easy climb, until we reached the Tree Fern Track. This track descended through surprisingly open tree fern country, which was very slippery under foot. Soon after we arrived at the intersection of Tree Fern Track and Nichols Hut Track. From here we headed north up Nichols Hut Track which was quite a steep climb up the spur.

The track had a lot of erosion caused by four wheeled drives and the like. After reaching the top of this track we took a short break to catch our breath, and then we strolled down Burgess Road to the Four Brothers Rocks for lunch.

Upon arrival there the sky was covered in cloud, but towards the end of lunch the cloud had lifted and we had great views of the rocks and valley to the north.

Finishing lunch, we retraced our steps back down Nichols Hut Track until we joined up with the Silvertop Ridge Track. At this stage of the walk we were meandering through open forest on a well defined track. The Silvertop Ridge Track soon met up with the Ferres Walking Track. This junction was easily defined as there is a large dam there. Unfortunately it has been blackened by cinders and run off from a recent fire.

We followed this track which runs roughly parallel with the Diamond Creek until we arrived back at the picnic ground. All this and no rain all day!

Participants: Jenny Cann, Heather and Michael Haynes, Rob Russell, Anne Jones

We met at San Remo at 9.30 am after a very wet but green drive through South Gippsland. After having coffee we drove to the beginning of the bridge to Churchill Island where we left the cars. Luckily the skies had cleared and we set off only to find the weather very changeable, with some heavy rain squalls interspersed with windy and sunny periods.

We stopped frequently to observe the large number of waterbirds on the wetlands both on and off the island. We were thrilled to see a family of geese. First was the mother leading four babies in a single row with the rear brought up by the father. We also saw some young lapwings scurrying across to hide in the grass. In between showers of rain and fumbling for cameras and binoculars to see the birdlife we walked around the island stopping for lunch at the new visitors centre in the middle of the island which had a restaurant and very interesting information about life on the island in the 19^th Century.

Victoria’s first crop of wheat was grown here with the seed being provided by an English gentleman, Mr Churchill, after whom the island was named. We were very interested to see wheat still growing in with the native vegetation, with very puny looking heads of grain; perhaps this was the original type of wheat? On one side of the island were the famed Moonah trees. Old knotted, gnarled, trees with trunks looking like twisted rope or braided hair, some of which were 500 years old. They are thought to be magic by the Bunurong, the original Koori people from this area.

Churchill Island is no longer privately farmed but still has a heritage farm. We didn’t visit the farm, (there is an entrance fee) which consists of the original house built in the early 19^th Century, and a number of farm buildings. We did see many highland cattle and some black-faced sheep, including a newborn lamb looking at us.

The narrow bridge has allowed the rangers to eradicate rabbits from the island, which they hope will permit the return of the native vegetation. This, in turn, will facilitate the re-introduction of native fauna, which was largely wiped out by predators and habitat destruction.

Later in the day we spent sometime walking along the coast of Phillip Island toward Rhyll, facing the mudflats of Westernport Bay. The land was alive with rabbits – no wonder everyone’s lawn looked freshly mowed! There was great evidence of the damage they cause to the land, in stark contrast to Churchill Island where there is no longer evidence of their burrowing, scratching, droppings, etc.

Churchill Island is part of a State Park, which includes several sections of Phillip Island, and there is a Marine National Park surrounding the island and including the environmentally significant mudflats of Westernport Bay around Swan Bay. We read that the White Mangrove swamps around the island are the most southerly remnant of swamps, which once were widespread.

Looking at the maps we had with us there are many more walks that can be done in the Phillip Island/ French Island area.

Participants: Claire Cassidy, Fran Miller, Peter Ryan, Ron Cann, Denis Nagle and new members Gayle Shields, Jan McPherson and Chris Avery.

Here is the trip report for a wonderful weekend that was enjoyed by all participants on the Wilson’s Prom hike to the lighthouse. Saturday morning saw us gathered at Tidal River Visitors’ Centre keen and eager to depart on what promised to be a lovely day for a walk. We left our cars parked at Telegraph saddle and set off. We commenced the walk down the management road; the weather was great and walking was easy so we had lots of conversation as we got to know each other. Cathy prepared a challenge or two to keep the interest high while we walked along. Peter was the lucky winner of the mystery prize for spotting the first live wildlife (a wallaby).

We stopped for morning tea at Halfway Hut, a lovely little building made from the local granite. A bit further along we left the road and took off along a bush track which was more varied with an abundance of native flowers giving us a taste of spring. Denis helped us with the identification of these as we were walking. There were some great views from the open plains before we descended into lovely fern filled gullies. There was plenty of evidence of the recent bush fires but fortunately the Australian bush has remarkable powers of recovery. This was apparent in the abundant regrowth.

Progressing on, we reached "Roaring Meg" camping ground where we had lunch. I was grateful that we were going to sleep in the luxury of the accommodation at the lighthouse. At this point, the newcomers in the group and a couple of chaperones (Denis and Cathy) decided to walk to the southern most point of the Australian mainland. This isn't at the lighthouse as you would think. South Point was an extra 7 km return. But we thought we might not get back again as at this stage it had mostly been easy going. The remainder of the group proceeded on to the lighthouse to secure their beds (first in best dressed) and to prepare our dinner (or so we thought).

I think my enthusiasm for the extra walk was misplaced, for when we finally arrived at the lighthouse we had to face those incredibly steep walks up what seemed to be never ending concrete driveways to the cottages. But exhaustion was replaced with joy when we had showers and sat down for pre dinner drinks and nibbles in a truly remarkable environment and wondered about those that lived there for years at a time attending to the light. The others had taken the tour of the lighthouse conducted by an ex-light-house keeper. He entertained them with tales of the past and brought the lighthouse to life for them.

The evening meal was a wonderful group effort and definitely gives a new meaning to hike food. We started with cheese, olives, dips and bruschetta as an entree, then the main meal of special fried rice and tortia wraps with fresh fillings. This was followed by homemade cheese cake and slice and an assortment of chocolates washed down with plenty of red wine, thanks to those who carried in the (5) bottles. The meal was a highlight and was greatly enjoyed by all (except the others who shared the cottage who looked on with envy).

The next morning we decided to sleep in and take advantage of the lovely location and delay our start so we could soak up the views (and have another coffee and pancakes) before heading off to Waterloo Bay. The climb over the hill and down into the bay had me wishing I hadn't walked 25 km the day before! The views along the way were spectacular and had me thinking of the tropics -sun shining, white sand, and beautiful blue water.

The group had lunch at the northern end of the beach beside large granite boulders streaked with orange lichen. The sheer beauty of the place got to Denis and he had to have a swim. We walked out through the valley rejoining the management track again for the final ascent back to the car park at Telegraph saddle. I left a bit earlier than the others because I was worried about making it on time as I was feeling the strain a little. But I made it, getting back just before the others caught up with me.

I would like to thank our leader, Cathy, for organising a fantastic weekend and fellow walkers for their company on my first overnight trip with the club and I hope to have many more. It was fantastic!

(PS by Denis Nagle on Prom walk) As Chris said the wildflowers were in great numbers, but without being able to fully examine each and check reference books I am not able to name all plants to species level. That being said, of particular interest was the 'Running Postman', Kennedia postrata a ground hugging vine like shrub, with a bright red pea type flower, one of its petals stands erect, like the little red flag that you might see on some letter boxes. This plant is usually sighted only occasionally amongst the heath but with the temporary absence of competition, since the recent fire, it has taken this window of opportunity to colonise while it can. One can only surmise that its seed will again lay dormant in the soil until the next favourable conditions.

Elsewhere there was a veritable palette of colours, yellows and oranges, a very prickly shrub possibly a Deviesia, another with a strange shaped leaf of which we finally found a flower, may have been the Large-leaf Bush-pea, Pultenaea daphnoides, a tall bright green leafed shrub with light yellow flowers was Golden-tip, Goodia lotifolia? And twining amongst these here and there were flashes of blue from a vine commonly known as 'Love Creeper', Comesperma volubile. Along the roadside there were white and blue daisies, and behind the beach at Waterloo Bay there were yellow Donkey, Sun and pink Fairy orchids.

In some places the regrowth was so thick that slashing had been carried out by Parks staff or else the track may have completely disappeared. New signs have been erected, some with photos of the aftermath of the recent fire and one also with what the area around Oberon Bay looked like in 1905. Instead of what is currently regrowing, Coast Tea Tree, Leptospermum lavigatum, it was once an open grassy woodland, with native grasses and scattered eucalypts, as the sign indicated. Changed fire regimes and grazing has irreversibly altered this landscape.

New Additions
Beginners (and advanced) Ski Day at Mt St Gwinear	Downhill Skiing at Mt Baw Baw
Ski Day for Beginners at Mt St Gwinear	Skiing on the Bogong High Plains
Helens Head and Pyramid Rock, Phillip Island

Wonthaggi circuit walk	Bush Search and Rescue Snow Skills
McMahons Creek Goldfield -Yarra Ranges NP	Lake Mountain Search

Reviews
1000 Steps, Dandenong Ranges	AAWT - 2007
AAWT Kiandra to Dead Horse Gap
Aberfeldy River Diversion Tunnel - 2005	Ada Tree & Federal Mill
Australian Alpin Walking Track - 2005	Around The Bay in a Day Bike Ride 2009
Base Camp - Mitchell River Walk, Angusvale	Bass Coast Rail Trail - Kilcunda to Wonthaggi
Bear Gully Base Camp - 2007	Beginners Ocean SCUBA Dive
Boolarra to Mirboo North Rail Trail	Bike Ride, Jells Park to Patterson River
Blue Jacket, RedJacket, Jericho Walk	Bushfire Fencing Support
Burge's Christmas Camp - 2007	Bushrangers Bay to Cape Schanck
Canoeing the Wanganui River	Cape Woolamai, Philip Island.
Clancy’s Cutting Walk	Christmas Camp
Crinoline Walk	Cross Country Skiing on the high plains
Cross Country Skiing - Mt St Gwinear 2007	Cross Country Skiing - Mt St Gwinear 2008
Churchill Island - 2007	Cup Weekend Walk 2006
Cup Weekend Walk - Snowy River 2007	Come and Try Day – Gliding Nº1
Collins Siding to Tyers Junction - 2006	Dandenong Ranges Base Camp
Easter Walk 2007: Snowy Mountains
Emerald to Belgrave	Easter Walk 2007 Snowy mountains - Mt Jagungal. (Cont)
Erica - Thomsom Station Rail Trail	Fauna in the Forrest, Rawson
Federation Weekend - 2004	Fiddler's Green Walk
Five Mile Beach Wilson’s Promontory - 2007	Four Brothers Rocks - 2007
Freemans Mill Track – Bunyip State Park - 2007	Freestone Creek
Freeman’s Mill	Friends of Baw Baw Track Work - 2007
Friends of Baw Baw National Park Track Maintenance	Fryerstown - Castlemaine Area
Full Moon on Feather Top - 2006	George Bass Coastal Walk
Gammon & Flinders Ranges - 2004	Girls On Top - 2005
Great Ocean Saga – Otways National Park	Great Ocean Walk – Otways
Great Southern Rail Trail - Meeniyan to Foster	Gurdies Nature Reserve
Great Southern Rail Trail
Hill End Bush	Inverloch to Cape Patterson
Jindivick to Labertouche Caves	Jagungal Wilderness Area
Kilcunda To Punchbowl	Kiandra to Namadgi
Kurth Kiln Regional Park	Labertouche Caves Area
Labertouche Caves	Melbourne Cup Weekend 2009
McFarlane Saddle to Mt. Wellington	Mitchell River Trail
Moe to Yallourn Rail Trail	Morwell National Park
Mt Feathertop via Bungalow Spur and Surrounds	Mt Loch - Machinery - Mt Hotham
Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort to Mt St Phillack	Mt St Gwinear to Mt Baw Baw to Mt St Gwinear
Mt. St. Gwinear and Jans Hut
Mt Erica Carpark to Talbot Hut	Mt St Gwinear - Gwinear Flat
Murrindindi River Walk	Mushroom Rocks – Mt. Erica
Mt Howitt	Mt Howitt and Bryces Gorge
Mt Worth SP “The Waterfall Bower”
New Zealand Adventure	New Years Eve Mountain Retreat
Noojee - 2006	Northern Section Wilsons Prom
Off Track Walking In The Baw Baws
Otways National Park	Phillip Island - Koala Conservation Centre to Rhyll
President’s Weekend Cape Conran Coastal Park	Presidents Weekend, Bear’s Gully via Tarwin Lower
Punchbowl to Kilcunda and the Mutton birds	Rail Trail & Mississippi Creek Tramway - 2004
Round the Bay in a Day - 2006	Reids Tramline and Ralph Cornwall Loch Valley Tramway 07
Sea Eagle Bay (Wilsons Prom)	Senior's Walk, Mt Worth SP
Snow Shoe Shuffle - 2007	Snowshoe Shuffle 2009
Snake Island	South America: Part 1 - Patagonia
South America: Part 2 - Patagonia & The Inca Trail	Strzelecki Rail Trail and Lyrebird Walk
	St Gwinear Snow Shoe Shuffle 2008
St Gwinear Wildflower Walk	Tamboon - 2006
Mt Tanjil Navigation Walk	Tassie Overland Track - 2005
The Overland Track, Tasmania	Torronga Falls and Ralph Cornwell Tramway Track
Two Weeks In Kakadu	Track Maintenance Weekend
Tyres River West Tram Trail	Tyres River East Branch
Walk and Snork - Cape Paterson Area- Hamer’s Haven	Walk around Mt St Gwinear and visit to Jans Hut
Warbuton Weekend
Walhalla Circuit	Wild Cherry Tree Track
Wirilda Walking Track	Thomson Station to Walhalla via
Warburton / Lilydale Bike Ride	Warragul – Drouin Bike Ride
Wilson's Prom - Lighthouse	Wilson's Prom - Oberon Bay
Weatherhead Range & Buttongrass Circuit	Wirilda Walking Track
Wildflower & Natural Discovery Walk, St Gwinear area	Wilson's Prom - Oberon Bay
Willow Eradication Baw Baw Plateau	Wirilda Walk
Wingan Inlet to Red River	Woila Circuit, East of Cooma
Yorky Gully, Glengarry area

Revisiting the steps built by Denis and Phil

Tim Clarke

Gayle Shields and Denis Nagle

Cathy Almon

Peter and Claire

Date: August 8th – 15th

Date: August 8^th – 15th