Thursday 27 July 2017

Rare Brogo Wattle (Acacia blayana) coming into bloom

Easiest way down the hill

Bob and Val at Deep Creek Dam

Joan and Karen with native orchid in Sydney peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita)

Jane tries out hollow tree for size

The mob beside one of the Garden’s lakes

Photos by Carol & Karen M

26 members and visitors walked 7 kilometres of tracks through native bushland at the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens last week.  The Gardens have a variety of walk tracks, which bushwalkers strung together to make a circuit from the Visitors Centre, past the Bird Hide and Sensory Garden, beside Rees Creek, around the lakes, over Deep Creek, and through Frog Hollow to the viewing platform overlooking Deep Creek Dam.

All tracks lead back to the Gardens Café and freshly made scones with lashings of jam and cream, whilst sitting in the sun watching the antics of the blue wrens and swamp hens, and enjoying the company of old and new friends.

Karen M

Saturday 22 July 2017

The navigational brains trust

Martin, Brian, Dave, Rob, Amanda & Ian at the summit

Finding a way down

Amanda & Brian admire the only feature of the walk, apart from forest, and more forest

Photos by Brian & Ian

Six BBBW members – Dave, Rob, Amanda, Ian, Brian, and guest Martin – walked to the top of No Name Mountain to see perhaps why it is named No Name Mountain.  The verdict?  Well, we’re still wondering.  But then, it was a perfect winter’s day for climbing mountains so what the hell?

We left the coastal valleys, heavy with frost, and drove to the upper Buckenbowra River area where we left the cars at 200 m asl.  After a short jaunt up a forestry road we launched into a ridgetop Silvertop Ash forest and walked up a main ridge southward to the Mountain’s summit of 720 metres.  There was no clear commanding view, only filtered glimpses of the Monga range to the west and surrounding Gollaribee, Wandera, Bolaro and Misty Mountains.

Descending a separate ridge to the east we encountered one of the few highlights of the walk, a large rock outcrop with an appropriate population of epiphytes, and enjoyed an open tall forest of Yellow Stringybark and Mountain Grey Gum.

Bouncing out onto the No Name Mountain Fire Trail we quickly lost 500 metres elevation and found our cars for the journey home.

This was a pleasantly strenuous walk, mostly ridgetop, with light undergrowth but often with a heavy litter layer.  It cleaned out the cardiovascular plumbing nicely.  Some might say scoured.

Ian

Wednesday 19 July 2017

Reedy Creek

Ferny undergrowth

Climbing out of the gully

Bob refusing to climb any more hills

Assistant Walk Leader and Donna

Casuarina regrowth over the old trail

Group by the creek

Photos by Donna and Brian

The day started well, with the sparkling Tuross River and the rolling hills along Eurobodalla Road providing some of the best scenic driving in the area.

Initially, the walk took us through knee-high undergrowth with just occasional glimpses of where a track once existed but soon we arrived at Reedy Creek, an attractive stream with sand bars and crystal clear water.

Near here, we marvelled at some impressive stands of trees, which included the Blue Box. This eucalypt is unique to the South Coast and not often seen on our walks. It is characterised by small, almost fully circular leaves. Other trees which towered above us included bark-decorated Stringybarks, Woolybutts and River Peppermints. Picking our way through increasingly open forest, we began a long, slow climb up a spur, which took us to the Tuross River Road before turning left down another spur for our descent. After lunch, the track became increasingly less distinct as the young Casuarinas became thicker and more challenging to negotiate, but we found our way back to Reedy Creek for a group photo before returning to the cars.

This was a very enjoyable walk, made more enjoyable by the light-hearted banter between the ten participants and also by the company of a local dog, who joined us near the start and stayed throughout.

This jet-black Kelpie, which some of us named “Blackie”, was very much like a modern-day incarnation of Henry Lawson’s “The Loaded Dog”. Like the canine from the story, she was good-natured and fearless, with boundless energy and a keen sense of fun.  Even more than this, she turned out to be an excellent and reliable navigator, racing in advance of the group to recce the territory ahead, then returning with a wagging tail and a look in her eye that said, “Follow me! I know the way!”

Indeed, Blackie was quickly given due respect as Assistant Walk Leader. One minute, she would be in the lead and seconds later be snapping at the heels of any stragglers at the rear. How many walk leaders do we have with the ability to be Leader and be Tail-end Charlie simultaneously?

Now I’m not saying that the human Walk Leader was superfluous. That would not be fair… Thanks Rob, for your organisation and co-leadership.

This walk is a great addition to the club’s program.

Brian

Sunday 16 July 2017

The 2 Bobs up to no good at the back

Murramarang Canoe Tree

Taken by Fred Kruger in Coranderrk Victoria in 1883, Aboriginal men in canoe

View from the headland

Isolated cove

A big turnout to enjoy this surviving piece of indigenous heritage

Photos by Carol & Karen M

A sunny crisp morning encouraged 26 members to head out with leaders Bob and Joan to make our way from Maloneys Beach into the Murramarang National Park.

The track led through attractive forest where we stopped for a morning tea break, and then made our way to a headland with fine views of the coast.

From there we headed cross country to find the promised surprise of an indigeous canoe tree where many photos were taken.  The theory is that the bark for the canoe was cut by one man standing on the shoulders of another to remove the bark with a stone axe and wooden mallet as he defined the edges with stone wedges. Bark canoes were used by Aboriginals for fishing in calm waters or for crossing rivers, and holes in the bark were patched with glue made from Xanthorea grass trees.

The group then headed back through the bush and down to the beach for lunch before returning to the Maloneys Beach via a clifftop track.  A most enjoyable walk in great company.

Joan

Thursday 13 July 2017

Heather, Bob and Simeon

Entrance to Lake Mummaga

Is this the most scenic pathway ever?

Photos by Donna

Saturday 8 July 2017

Old forest tracks

Creek crossing

Lyrebird

Winter swim

Deserted cove

Sea eagle

Another sea eagle

Fascinating rock platform

Varying geology

Sunbathing kangaroo

Photos by Karen M & Donna

It was a chilly start, but the promise of a fine winter’s day brought 18 bushwalkers out for a leg stretch in Murramarang National Park.

Starting out at Depot Beach we headed uphill to warm up and then followed forestry tracks through some lovely bush.

At Ryans Creek the bridge had gone and we needed to negotiate steep banks, a large fallen tree and thick undergrowth to reach the actual creek, which was easily crossed.

Arriving at Pebbly Beach we saw a male lyre bird in full breeding plumage. Here we had a leisurely lunch allowing for rock pooling or a dip in the sea before heading back to Depot Beach via rock platforms and pebbly beaches, watched suspiciously by a pair of adult white bellied sea eagles.

The Rainforest walk led us back to the car park providing us with a fitting end to lovely walk.

Helen

Wednesday 5 July 2017

King of the Castle Mary

Mark and the monkey rock

Superhero Rob

Burnt out spotted gum finds renaissance

Photos by Carol & Karen M

Fourteen Batemans Bay Bushwalkers and two visitors set out on the 11.5 kilometre Steel Gully and Pistol Shot circuit in the Mogo State Forest. There were several long ascents at the beginning of the walk but at the top we were rewarded by interesting granite formations and sweeping views. Descending into timbered gullies the group cleverly navigated a creek crossing with barely a wet foot amongst our members.

A variety of bird songs, even a lyrebird were heard as well as several sightings of majestic yellow-tailed black cockatoos. The walk was completed just as the winter sunshine disappeared and clouds covered the skies.

Denise