Saturday 6 November 2021

Philip, Bob, Lesley, Erika, Mary & Stan

A lizard keeping an eye on the walkers

Back into the forest

Heading toward to beach

One of the coves south at Mullimburra

Cleaning the mud off the shoes

Looking back from Meringo

Bob and Philip

Leslie and Erika in the open bushland

Skirting Meringo Creek

Black Snake passing by

Photos courtesy of Donna, Erika and Philip

There is no question that the unpredictability of the weather this spring has certainly impacted on the Club’s walk program. As a bushwalker, if you wake to a drizzly wet morning, then you have a decision to make – head out on a bushwalk, or stay at home?

Well, on this morning 7 club members decided that inclement weather was not going to stop them. So, with raincoats in their daypacks, off they set on the first section of the Dreaming Track at Congo. The Dreaming Track, which winds its way between Congo and Tuross Head, is around 14kms long, though it can be undertaken as several shorter walks.

Personally, I enjoy walking in the bush straight after rain. The trees and plants appear refreshed and the smell of the bush is enhanced. Of course, there can also be small challenges, like the track becoming slippery or black mud building up under your walk boots. However, this is, after all, bush walking! Whether a walk is considered “easy” or “hard” any individual walker may, from time to time, find themselves being challenged. It’s accepting these challenges, big or small, as they present that help us to develop and grow as bush walkers.

As for the “rain”, well by the time we stepped onto the Dreaming Track, the clouds had lifted, and the sun was shining. Indeed, towards the finish of the walk the day had become quite warm and we were all rather grateful for the sea breeze. The return walk today was from Congo to Mullimburra Point, a 10 km walk, taking us through a variety of coastal habitats including forest of stunted black ash and rough barked apple gums, open headlands, and heath communities of flowering dagger hakea and seeding wattles.

Sighting of wildlife was somewhat limited. Though one walker, whilst taking a rest stop, felt she had seen “more than enough wildlife” as she watched a red belly black snake slither past.

After a morning tea stop at Mullimburra Point, where a sea eagle had taken to the sky, we headed back to Congo and, as promised by our Walk Leader Donna, we were back at our cars before lunch.

Mary