Thursday 24 March 2016
Photos by Karen & Bob M
A group of four eager club members were led by Len for the Thursday club walk that started at Pig Road in the Currowan State Forest area. Pig Road is a good forest road that ascends steadily and then rather steeply in some parts, past large Blue Gums and vistas of the forest and the distant ranges. The road follows the valley formation below until reaching the apex of the valley, an interesting feature well illustrated on this walk.
We left the dusty road and commenced the descent along No 4 Logging Road, (where are No 1, 2, and 3?). This is a disused forestry road; now more a track over grown with young She-Oaks and other juvenile native trees and shrubs. On the side of this track we encountered Banksias with golden flowers standing upright a little like lanterns to lighten the way. Delicate ferns, two varieties new to this writer, grew under the deeply cut out sidewalls.
We met up with the creek and began what was for the group the highlight of the day, a walk along the creek bed that would take us back to our cars. The creek started out being dry but as we progressed along its course we encountered water and with it magnificent walls of rock. Filtered sunlight shone on the numerous huge slabs of rock, home to interesting plants and much to our amazement, big trees that appeared to literally sit on the rocks seemingly with very little soil to retain their roots.
The creek meanders along its course and for the most part we were able to stay in it sometimes having to hop over rocks to keep our boots dry and at others diverting a little higher to avoid the inevitable fallen tree across the water. As the light faded due to an overcast sky, the creek and the surrounding area took on a somewhat sinister air that reminded this writer of childhood fairy tales.
Reluctantly we reached the exit track and our leader announced we had to leave the creek and take a good forest track past a property with mowed paddocks to the Western Distributor Road and Pig Road junction where we had parked our cars.
Thank you Len for so ably leading us on another perfect day made possible by our proximity to such an abundance of local walking areas and the Batemans Bay Bushwalkers Club.
Mary