The sun is shining!

Yesterday, wet again, I drove out to Lake Eildon and wandered along the shore. There are many camping areas popular all year round.

Today I opened the curtains to sunshine and a peeping Tom! This beautiful King Parrot was hoping for some brekky!

From my windows I can see deer and kangaroos grazing in the evening and the trees are full of birdlife.

I left the Howqua Track for my last day's exploring. This area is extremely popular with campers, 4x4 drivers, bushwalkers, horse riders and people who love to fish. Some of the roads are suitable for ordinary vehicles but many are 4x4 only. All are quite narrow with many blind corners, remote and with no phone reception.

Shortly after leaving the main road I ran into roadworks - a grader was working on a washed out section and it was really chopped up, steep and very slippery. "Just put it in second gear love, stay in the middle and don't touch the brakes!", advised the Stop sign operator. Fortunately this section only lasted around a kilometre!

My goal was Sheepyard Flats and a walk along the Howqua river.  Sheepyard Flats is a popular camping spot and even today there were about a dozen well set up camps dotted around.

The Howqua track parallels the river sometimes high above, sometimes at water level. The whole area is rich in indigenous history, pastoral endeavour and the quest for wealth through gold mining. Simple, succinct signs tell the stories as you wander along.

The Taungurung people moved through and lived in this area for thousands of year attracted by a green stone which was useful for spear heads and axes. Examples of these green stone implements have been found as far away as Gippsland and  were obviously prized as trade goods. Green stone was crafted only by men - women would not touch it for fear of bad spirits!

This connection continues today. I met two young men, Jonah and Noah, Park Vic rangers, who proudly told me they were Taungurung men. It was a lovely meeting: they shared their pride in their country, and talked about the bush and possible threats to it. Loggers would love to get their hands on the tall Mountain Ash forests - we fervently agreed this would be sacrilegious.  Whilst we chatted Eastern Yellow Robins and Willie Wagtails flitted around in the low shrubbery  on the riverbank. Jonah and Noah obviously cared deeply about the landscape and appreciated that others loved it also. 

          The Howqua River from the track.

Gold mining took place between 1860 and 1905 in the area with moderate success. The mining enterprises were welcomed and remnants dot the track. The mines introduced machinery and installed water power in the valley via an enormous water wheel.

This brick chimney looms up suddenly: it fed the smelter helping process the Gold.

But Gold mining was a risky venture and gold here was "flowery ", fine and hard to extract and although several companies excitedly thought they would be succesful, ultimately they left disappointed.

Around an hour after beginning  I came out into Fry's campground a vast space dominated by the house that Fred built. 

Fred Fry, a talented and innovative bush carpenter, lived here from the 1940s until his death in 1971. He was a carrier, driving a dray and bringing goods and materials to the people dwelling in this remote area.

Fred's house was made of drop slabs, log rafters and corrugated iron as were several other huts he built in the area.

The area has a number of huts built over the years often for stockman grazing cattle here in the summer - some for bushwalkers, skiers and horseriders.

How long has this beautiful gum stood here?

Back along the track the music of the river beguiles the ear: the peat brown water is crystal clear despite the recent rain flowing swiftly through the fragrant bush. 

Back in the car I drove on to to Eight Mile Camp the start of a 4 hour return walk to Riley's Hut - it will have to wait for another day!

In my mind's eye l can see a mountain horseman galloping down the track and through the river!

A last visit to Mansfield and the bakery for coffee and a Dutch Apple cake (only find this delicious treat in Victoria) and I returned to pack - my holiday is nearly over.

I have had a great time, met some interesting people, enjoyed varied landscapes and explored areas new to me. I will be back - there is still much to be enjoyed here!

Winton Wetlands

I slept in this morning so didn't achieve all I had planned for the day but I did get a taste of an very long term project - a 100 year plan for the restoration and regeneration of Lake Makoan near Benalla.

Completed in 1971 Lake Makoan was an artificial lake formed by diverting Broken River and Holland's Creek into Winton and Green swamps.

Initially Lake Makoan was broadly welcomed for the economic and recreational values it promised. It created a large volume of water for irrigation and added millions yearly to the economy. But it also inundated around 7000 Ha of agricultural land, ancient forests and swampland.

Hundreds of trees (including around 150,000 red gums) in the swamp and nearby farmland died as a result of the flooding. The Lake was wide and shallow so evaporation was extreme and toxic algae blooms meant the frequent closure of the recreational facilities. 

A run of dry years degraded the lake and with research into efforts to save water in the Murray-Darling system decommission was discussed: it was deemed more water was lost than saved from the lake. 

Despite spirited resistance from irrigators and recreational users the lake was decommissioned and in 2010 the Winton Wetlands Committee of Management was charged with the task of restoring and renewing the site. 

The mission : to renew the ecology of the reserve, to grow its natural scientific, cultural and environmental significance through its unique landscape and stories past and present.

What an extraordinary task!

Winton Wetlands is now a large-scale and multi-faceted wetlands restoration project, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It features a number of ephemeral swamps surrounded by approximately 5000ha of grassy woodlands. 

You can explore the night skies, free from light pollution, from the observation pad on the foreshore or watch for some of the 191 bird species . Photographers are in paradise.

Art in the landscape is not only interesting but tells historical stories.

This barge was built to ferry young cattle across the swamp to grassy islands for grazing.

The "fish trees" represent Yellow Belly and Murray Cod now returning to the deeper waters near the dam.

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The painted water tank - a tribute to country fire fighters. 

Cyclists and bushwalkers have kilometres of trails and tracks to explore.

There's a flying fox and adventure playground and the Mokoan Hub and Cafe provides refreshments and information.

                Recovering woodlands.

My kind of windmill - twirling merrily in the brisk wind between the rain showers.

Unfortunately time and weather only allowed me to wander along some of the shorter walks but you could spend all day here if you wished. 

 

Rain, rain go away!

It has been raining all day here: light but persistent and penetrating. A good day to be in the car. I headed out to Jamison some 35k from Mansfield through open farmland and tracts of bush sometimes skirting the edges of Eildon weir.

Jamison is a small town, remnant of a brief period of gold mining and now the jumping off point for serious 4x4 drivers exploring  alpine areas of the Aberfeddy Track. I had thought to travel further but after viewing a number of very dirty, mud-caked landcruisers parked outside the coffee shop and speaking to a friendly local, once a resident of Canberra, I turned back. The roads looked so inviting! Maybe not on my own though!  

Deletite Winery for lunch was my next stop -  regretfully declining the wine tasting I settled for the Vinter's Plate with mineral water,  although I did buy of bottle of their Shiraz for later. Covid has severely impacted hospitality! Something is lost when really great food is delivered in a cardboard box with a paper plate and bamboo cutlery!

Still it was pleasant sitting sheltered from the rain and looking over the vineyard.

Although still raining I drove up Mt Buller - stupid really because couldn't see anything! Numerous road signs warned of kangaroos and lyrebirds, falling rocks -"...do not stop for next 500 metres", hairpin bends and "Slippery when wet". The village is substantial -  buildings of grey-green and brown timber and stone fitting into the colours of the bush. Like most ski resorts in summer pretty much everything is closed with most activity building, renovating or repairing for the coming season. The ski runs look fabulous.

Despite the signage I saw no wildlife until I came across a group of Subocrinus Gnomus or Mountain Gnomes.  Subocrinus Gnomus may be spotted at times in the village but always congregate at a treehouse half way up the road.

Subocrinus Gnomus are approximately 15 - 30 cm tall and may weigh as much as a ski boot! They love the snow but also enjoy summer when they can play with their friends the Mountain Pygmy-possums who hibernate during winter.

What a delightful way to draw attention to the precious Pygmy-possums who are found on the mountain. 

    Deletite River - beautiful despite the rain.

Now I 'm watching a re-run of JAG (remember this show from years ago?) and drinking a glass of that Shiraz!

Craig's Hut

I have had a really wonderful day -  some interesting driving moments, drove through towering forests, walked up through bushland, watched a singer/songwriter launching his new video and met a celebrity! In that order!

Left in soft rain this morning bound for Mt Stirling and Craig's hut but this soon became heavy and visibility was poor as I left the bitumin and started up the mountain. I stopped at Sentry Box Junction which is the VIC for the Mt Stirling ski resort for a chat. The resort is a mecca for 4x4s, horse riders walkers, walkers and campers in summer and all snow sports in winter. 

Circuit Rd circumnavigates Mt Stirling - suitable for all vehicles in summer generally. Somewhere I managed to jam a thick stick up under the back wheel which refused to budge until I got out a tarp to lay on the road and finally managed to dislodge it. 

Shortly after I came up behind another vehicle stopped by a heavy branch across the road. Despite our best efforts we couldn't move it so eventually we managed to drive over it! 

Circuit road meanders through forests of Mountain Ash also known as Woolly Butt - it is incredibly tall and straight. The air is filled with a really pungent fragrance which you can't ignore. The road was a bit greasy from the rain but well graded.

Suddenly the rain stopped, the sun came out and there were the mountains!

Built for the film "The Man from Snowy River" Craig's hut has become so iconic that it was rebuilt after burning down in 2006 and draws many visitors. It is possible to drive up with a 4x4 but you can walk up from Circuit road.

The track climbs steadily with a few steep sections through the Mountain Ash, Mountain Pepper bushes (used as flavouring by indigenous people) and different ferns. 

Bare, white trees stand out amongst the green - victims of fire. Mountain Ash welcomes fire for regeneration, providing the fire storms occur many years apart. It also needs cold and frost. Eventually these skeletons will fall but they provide homes for all kinds of wildlife. There's plenty of birdlife - I could hear the raspy voices of Black Cockatoos and Currawongs calling and flocks of Eastern Rosellas and other small green parrots frequently were startled into flight.

For 150 years stockman bought cattle and occasionally sheep to these mountains for summer grazing - a practice still continued today in places. 

These cows startled me coming out of the bush beside the track.

The track rises over 130 metres from the road to the hut. You walk out of the mountain pepper and there it is!

Imagine the surprise to see Kevin Sullivan with his guitar singing in front of Craig's to launch his new album to an appreciative audience of hikers and 4x4 drivers! Kevin is travelling around Australia with his wife and 3 children. His guest was celebrity Charlie Lovick- iconic horseman and Master of Horse as well as rider in the Man from Snowy River films. Charlie owned the horse "the man" rode in the film. 

I talked with him for quite a while about the mountains and their history. His family has lived here over 140 years through 5 generations and his passion for the high country is deep, sincere and compelling. 

After walking back to my car I continued the circuit of Mt Stirling before heading back to town for coffee.

I can't resist one more picture of Craig's hut.

What a lovely day!

Ned Kelly

The stream of cyclists heading towards Mt Buller and light but persistent rain altered my plans for today - I  joined the crowd in the Mansfield bakery for coffee and the Sunday papers and then headed out of town to StringybarkCreek. 

The name Ned Kelly evokes many images: he was and continues to be a controversial figure. Although undoubtedly a criminal, thief and murderer Kelly had many sympathisers who saw him as an example of the Australian spirit, an underdog circumstantially swept up in crime and one who challenged the authorities. Disputes with police led to Ned, brother Dan, friends Joe Byrne and Steve Hart taking to the bush and ultimately to the massacre of three policemen at Stringybark Creek. 

An uneducated man, Kelly was able to articulate his version of events and justify his actions in his famous Jerilderie letter dictated to an accomplice, despite being  busy at the time robbing the Jerilderie bank of 2000 pounds! Although not published until after his death the letter probably contributed to the folk hero status, many aspects of which remain evident today in presentations of Kelly Gang history. 

Recently a move was made to present a more nuanced view of the Kelly Gang and the police massacre. The memorial at the site, opened around two years ago, attempts to redress the imbalance and speak for the police service and families of the slain. 

The memorial, hidden away in bushland looking much as it did in1878, presents the police story, based on newspaper articles of the day and recollections of the policeman who escaped. It is certainly a harrowing story of death in the bush and the gruesome recovery of the bodies. Two of the policemen were married, the third a respected bachelor. The officer who escaped, Constable McIntyre, found himself negatively impacted personally and professionally for the rest of his life!

Lonigan and Scanlan were the first to die, at their camp. McIntyre managed to escape on horseback, forging a track through the bush which Kennedy followed before being wounded and then killed at close range.

A walking track meanders through the bush to the spot where Sergeant Kennedy's body was discovered.  Ned Kelly admitted to killing him during his trial.

The clearing where Sergeant Kennedy, covered by his cloak, was found. 

The massacre marked a change in attitude from the public and demands for action led to the siege at Glenrowan, the death of gang members and Ned's capture. Still, 30,000 people signed a petition asking for clemency for Ned. It was not to be: "That's life" said Ned and he was hanged at Melbourne Gaol in 1880. In 2013 Ned was laid to rest at Greta beside his mother in an unmarked grave.

A memorial stands in Mansfield where the police were stationed and buried but at Stringybark Creek itself only memorial trees bore witness for many years. The last of these,  selected in the 1930s, had the names Lonigan, Kennedy and Scanlan carved in the trunk.

In the 1980s a metal plate was placed over the name Lonlgan - the only name left visible. 

Today their story is told respectfully and simply reflecting the thoughts of family, friends and colleagues. It is a quiet and peaceful place - no ghosts.

Mt Buffalo

Mt Buffalo's granite face looms over the Great Alpine Road overlooking Porepunkah and Bright. The Great Alpine road attracts huge numbers of cyclists enjoying the coffee shops, wineries and breweries which dot the relatively flat road. The road up to Mt Buffalo and the plateau is not flat! Imagine my surprise when I turned onto the road to be confronted by a sea of lycra. Bike racing is alive and well not only up Mt Buffalo but when I arrive at Mansfield - up Mt Buller. I contemplated giving it a miss but I may not pass this way again so off I went crawling up the mountain overtaking when possible. Fortunately most only completed the 2nd stage ending half way up! Apparently the hard core racers compete tomorrow when the entire road will be closed.

The scenery is beyond spectacular once you reach the top.  The road reaches the plateau and runs pass Lake Catani, ski fields, walking tracks and mind boggling climbs up granite domes.

         Climber on top of Cathedral Rock

Over recent years fire has devastated the plateau and it's evident that recovery will take significant time. Snowgum skeletons are everywhere! 

I drove as far as the road goes - the last corrugated gravel - to reach "The Horn".  The track is steep but well defined and takes around 1.45 hours return. The views are worth the effort.

My photo was taken by a biker in exchange for me taking him and his friends. 

On top of the world and I am only half way up!

Mt Buffalo was the second national park in Australia gazetted in 1898. Tourists began arriving in the 1850s - what a journey up that would have been! 

A small hut was built in 1903 by the Mansfield family on the site where  Mt Buffalo Chalet now stands.

Alice Mansfield known as "Guide Alice" took visitors on guided walks around the Gorge area. Alice was highly sort after as a guide: she loved the bush and had a formidable understanding of the flora and fauna. 

              Alice in her "guide" uniform. 

The whole area attracted botanists, both professional and amateur, drew photographers who immortalised its beauty, bushwalkers and explorers and entrepreneurs seeking to share in and capitalise on the growing public interest in wilderness. The clean, brisk air of the Alpine areas was lauded as beneficial to the health and several hospices and medical sanctuaries also drew people. It was here at Mt Buffalo that Gustav Weindorfer and Kate Crowle met and first shared the dream of a place in the Tasmania wilderness - Cradle Mountain.

The chalet sometimes known as the Grand Old Lady of the Mountains was built in 1910 and quickly became a huge tourist attraction - people travelled from Melbourne by train to stay.

We stayed here in 90s - sadly it is now closed, probably permanently - but as it is on the Heritage Listing it is cared for with the gardens and building well maintained. Even the croquet lawn, where we played many enthusiastic games, looks as though it is just waiting for another match!

Today the view from the Gorge Lookouts was compromised by hazard reduction burns taking place across the Alpine region.

View to Cathedral Rock and Mt Buffalo from the Horn - smoke haze.

The trip down the mountain was not impeded by cyclists - all done for today but back in force tomorrow. The trees which draw hundreds of Autumn visitors to Bright are turning, the poplars more gold than green. Victorians are certainly out and about and most accommodation sites were sporting "No vacancy" signs.

I took the road through Milawa, and the King Valley to Whitfield and then through dense bushland over the hills to Mansfield.  Frequent road signs cautioned me to be aware of wombats, kangaroos and deer.

Mansfield was full of lycra also! From the balcony of my room I may be able to see the cyclists slogging up Mt Buller tomorrow!

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Beginning

I am sitting in a pub in Beechworth eating fish and chips and drinking a glass of local white wine and very good it is too. Beechworth is busy - my motel room the last in town. A live band is entertaining the locals in the bar - great sound.

This morning I drove off still not sure of my route - left to Yass or right to Cooma? The sun was shining - I turned right. 

The rain and roadworks caught me up at Michelago! Cooma was bustling, full of cars so I continued on to Jinderbyne for lunch.

I contemplated the Barry Way down to Buchan. The helpful staff at the Visitor Centre discouraged me: 100k of rough, narrow, corrugated dirt road with long drop-offs, no phone reception and rain expected. I opted for the Alpine Way down to Khancoban. The rain pursued me past Thredbo and beyond to Dead Horse Gap. 

Cresting the Great Divide at 1580 metres the rain stopped.  Patchwork blue and white clouds, a myriad of greens dappled by sunshine and an excellent black ribbon of road stretched away to Victoria. Inexplicable as ever the bushfires of 2020 burned selectively, tracts of green between blackened trees and rocks. Recovery has been slow! Through decimated forest tantalising glimpses of mountains once hidden illustrate the devastation. 

 Plenty of campers at Tom Groggin, Leatherbarrel Creek and Geehi and the rivers are running free. The road surface is excellent although narrow and very twisty with long downhill grades: drivers heading north obviously feel they are entitled to 2/3 of the road! Maybe they have practised on the Boboyan  road!

I stopped at Scammels Lookout to view the main range - Mt Townsend, Mt Carruthers and Watson's Crag look very different from this angle.

Shortly after the mighty Murray 1 came into view - what an extraordinary enterprise this was. Even today it still ranks as 1 of the 7 greatest engineering achievements in the world.

After a chat with the ranger at Khancoban VIC and a free cartoscape map I took the Murray Valley Highway through Corryong -  home of The Man from Snowy River festival. Corryong is full of "the man" - sculptures, cafes, pubs proclaim a loved association. Maybe not the place to discuss the brumby issues! I didn't see any today- not even a sign. On to Bonegilla, Yackandandah and Beechworth. 

A really lovely day - easy driving, beautiful countryside, a  quirky town or two, friendly folk and a comfy bed! 

Off to Mt Buffalo for a walk tomorrow morning.