Sunday 20 March 2022

Happy group by ‘the big tree’

Measuring ‘the big tree’

Shell layers visible in the eroded dune

Enjoying the sunshine at Richmond Beach

Rob with the discovery of the glass float

Eriochilus Orchid spied next to the track

The beautiful twisted spotted gums of the Murramarang

Leaving tracks on the way to Mrytle Beach

Rob giving a talk on the geological features at Dark Beach

Signs of work for the new Murramarang South Coast Track

Remains of indigenous shelters

Photos courtesy of Amanda, Karen, and Peter

Sixteen hikers enjoyed a 12km hike through the Murramarang National Park. After all the rain we have had, this day was all sunshine and a perfect hiking day. There were quite a few leeches down along the creek line but once we climbed up the hills they were gone.

I thought I had seen all the sights in this area but our leader Geoff, a local in the Durras area, showed us some features that were new to me.

I learnt that the huge spotted gum on Beach Road has a circumference of over eight metres which means the tree predates Captain Cook’s voyage up the east coast of Australia and is close to 400 years old.

On the headland at Richmond Beach, we saw indigenous shelters made with tea-tree branches that Geoff informed us were recently made by elders educating the younger generations of their cultural heritage.

Further along the track he showed us spotted gums that had scars from the extraction of surface wood to make coolamon bowls.

At Richmond Beach, the recent heavy rainfall flowing down the creek to the sea eroded a sand dune revealing shell layers in a soil profile that may date back 5000 years.

There was also an old glass float used by fisherman, washed ashore there. Given that most floats these days are Styrofoam it left us wondering how long this object had been afloat at sea before reaching shore.

I am sure this area has lots of other features to show us so I will await Geoff’s next walk.

Rob