Wednesday 4 October 2023
Gavin, Karen, Lenore and Denise down by Mummaga Lake
Peter, Gavin, Lenore and Denise at Mummaga Lake
Photos courtesy of Peter, Karen, Denise and Gavin. Walk report courtesy Walk Leader Peter
Here I was thinking that the long-awaited forecast of rain would keep fellow walkers away, only to be pleasantly surprised to be joined by four intrepid members of the Batemans Bay Bushwalkers to take on this walk with me – even in the rain!
As we set off we all expected that in half an hour’s time, the heavens would open and this walk would be a wet one! Rain was desperately needed on the South Coast so no one was wishing otherwise, but as we donned our packs there was just 3 drops of rain to greet us.
This walk is certainly an interesting one. It is an old favourite of the club, being well led in the past by Ainslie and Mike. But with lack of maintenance by National Parks to those off-road parts of this walk, its popularity waned in recent years. Having said that, this was my very first walk with the club and that was only 3 years ago. And I for one was pleased to get back on to it.
The walk has a bit of everything. A nice, but not too challenging distance of 13 kms. Some gentle tracks initially down to and around the backwaters of Mummaga Lake and to the lake shore itself. A hairpin turn then has you heading up hill on old fire trails through open bushland before getting to the “bush bash” down to Brou Lake.
The maps show an old road here, but the bush has swallowed that up long ago – although there are odd traces of the road here and there. Thanks to the club’s memory maps a path can be followed through the bush and the “bush bashing” was not tough at all. An effort anyway, that is well rewarded, as the last 500 metres is through spectacular, pristine spotted gum burrawang forest with Brou Lake glistening in the background. And we did see a cheeky flock of yellow tailed black cockatoos grazing on tree trunks!
From the shores of Brou Lake it is an easy walk to the head of the lake, which is where we enjoyed lunch sitting on the grassy foreshore (with a few ticks as well I fear).
The track heads south above the beach. This section was once the highlight of the walk but it has been left to be overgrown, making the going a bit tougher than it was in past times; but still easy walking. And every now and then there are still the vistas down the beach to Dalmeny.
Then it is on the road for the last 3km slog back to the cars. We were all hoping the rain would have come by now, to at least make this section interesting, but not even a drop of rain had hit our caps by the time we got to the cars. So much for the forecast of heavy rains in the early afternoon! The rains, of course did hit our part of the South Coast later that evening, but by then we were all home and I was picking ticks off me!
It was a great walk, and I do thank the four that braved the ‘alleged’ forecast rain to join me on it.
