Thursday 14 April 2022
Photos courtesy of Rodney
This walk was a reworked version of an old walk through the logged State Forest in Benandarah just west of the Princes Highway. The group met up in bright sunshine and, although the area had seen three dry days, evidence of the recent record rainfall was everywhere. Normally dry trail bike tracks were muddy and slippery, and creeks usually filled with quiet stagnant pools required significant jumps. But most of all, the low storey undergrowth in the off track sections was thick and luscious. As a consequence, although the walk was only 8.5 kms, the bush bashing and slippery hills made it seem longer and more strenuous.
After a start along Shannons Road, the group turned onto bike trails and soon after were bush bashing through shoulder height regrowth in order to cross between valleys. We visited what we believe is an old gold mine site, freshly discovered on a recce only two days previously and, with careful navigation, did manage to reach the old (and now disused) marijuana plantation in one of the valleys. It is an interesting area, seemingly not burned in the recent catastrophic fires, but certainly burnt, probably from back-burning in previous years.
All in all, a pleasant morning out in an area which offers many opportunities for further exploration.
Rodney