The Fungi in Sherbrooke Forest

The Falls

Hikers on Sherbrooke Track

The old weir

On May 29 2010 I went over to the Sherbrooke Falls, Dandenong Ranges National Park, 35 km east of Melbourne town.

I parked at the Sherbrooke Picnic Ground, the followed the Sherbrooke Track to Ridge Track, then to the Falls viewing area.

I returned along Hill Climb Track, and O'Donohue's Track, about 3 km total.

Tgus is the Fungus season and many colorful varieties had appeared!

See all of the Photos, which show the scenery, the Fungi, the ferns, the Forest, the Falls and other hikers!

Fiddler Gully Track, Warrandyte State Park

Old excavations

Fiddler Gully Track

On May 27 2010, I went out to the Warrandyte State Park, 20 km east of the Melbourne CBD.

I parked at the junction of Webb St and Fiddler Gully Track, near the summit of South Hill. I then did a 2 km circuit hike along Wildcat Gully Track.

This track is in the historical mining region, which dates to the 1850s.

Gold panning in nearby Anderson's Creek is still popular!

Sadly, I didn't discover any nuggets - only quartz!

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Exploring the Warrandyte Common

The Warrandyte Common is a large bushland nature reserve in the southern section of the Warrandyte State Park, 25 km east of the Melbourne CBD.

It is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora, and mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos inhabit the cleared private land adjacent to the western perimeter.

Several well-signposted walking tracks pass through the Reserve, once a logging region.

Central Track

Track junction

Dam on neighboring farm

Horseriding is popular on designated trails.

The Reserve is reached from the Ringwood-Warrandyte Rd, then along Johanson's Rd, then into Haslop's Lane. A small car park off Haslop's Lane is a starting point for the gated walking tracks.

I visited the Reserve on May 26, 2010, on a 3 km hike, following the Central Track, the Bridle Track, the Firebreak Track, South Track, North Track, and Haslop's Link Track.

My Photos show the scenery, environment, fauna and flora encountered on my excursion.

Yarra Wetlands Trail - Christmas Hills

Yarra viewed from Main Trail

The Lagoon

Christmas Hills zoom view from the Big Paddock

The Heritage Golf and Country Club is located approximately 45 km NE of Melbourne's CBD, in the Yarra Flood Plains, straddling the outer suburb of Chirnside Park and the Christmas Hills district.

Occupying an area of some 350 hectares (1.5 x 3 km - 800 acres) it opened in 1999 with the release of Stage One residential development, with the Jack Nicklaus-designed St John Golf Course opening in 2000.

The construction of the Stage Two, the Henley Golf Course, has recently been completed, and opened in 2006. The planning of Stage Three: Botanica, a residential development of apartments and villas, is under way.

The complex is huge. The St John Course and Country Club is located in Chirnside Park - the Henley Course is situated in the Christmas Hills district. A road bridge over the Yarra connects the two Courses.

Management of the area is carried out jointly by Melbourne Water, the Shires of Yarra Ranges and Nillumbuk, and the Country Club.

There has been bitter, continuing and strong resentment by environmental groups to this massive commercial development in a rural area which is regarded as one of the few original surviving flood-plain locations near to Melbourne.

There are Wetlands incorporated in both Courses, which I visited on Saturday afternoonMay 22, 2010, as a 6 km hike.

Walking access to the main formed trail is from the stile and gate at the canoe launching ramp at the end of Lower Homestead Rd. This trail follows the Yarra and main wetlands/lagoon next to a high metal fence on the boundary of the St John Course.

This trail continues past a viewing platform, then across the bridge over the Yarra, to the entrance of the Henley Course.

Beyond the bridge, another walking trail then follows the Yarra past a series of billabongs, on the edge of the Course, eventually reaching private property in open farmland. Just beyond are the foothills of the Sugarloaf Reservoir catchment area.

Large mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos were seen grazing in the large cleared area beyond the northern perimeter.

Back in 1973, it was proposed to build a huge reservoir, to be known as the Yarra Brae Dam, as part of the Sugarloaf Reservoir project. This would have flooded all of the riverflats and farmland for some 20 km east of a massive concrete retaining wall just past Warrandyte, out as far as Yarra Glen.

The Yarra Brae Dam was abandoned due to fierce community pressure.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Information about the complex is at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Golf_and_Country_Club

Burke's Lookout - Mt Corhanwarrabul

Melbourne from Burke's Lookout

Mt Corhanwarrabul, 628m, on the western face of the Mount Dandenong massif, Victoria, 30 km from the Melbourne CBD, is the site of the 1938 Kyeema aircraft crash which occurred near the summit on October 25, 1938.

Eighteen people were killed when the Kyeema, an Australian National Airways DC-2, VH-UYC crashed. The aircraft was flying to Melbourne from Adelaide, and was hopelessly off course.

The disaster is blamed on a combination of the presence of a heavy fog and the use of an outdated navigational practice which relied solely on landmarks to determine position. During the ensuing investigation, it was decided that the pilot believed he was descending for a landing at Essendon but was grossly off course causing him to crash into the mountain. While not the first fatal accident in Australian aviation history it was unique because it was the first aircraft in radio communication up to the time of impact.

Those killed in the tragedy included a parliamentarian, a party of barristers and solicitors, a group of wine industry executives, and a young couple on their honeymoon.

By Public demand a Royal Commission into the cause of the disaster was established, the Federal Government appointed an Air Accident Investigation Committee under the Chairmanship of Colonel T. Murdoch DSO, VCE with the public equiry commencing on October 30th, 1938. Because of the crash, regulations were passed which require Flight Checking Officers to monitor the flights of airplanes and advise on such things as position, weather, and alternate landing options. Also implementation of a 33MHz radio range system was recommended to provide pilots with accurate information on their course.

It was not until forty years after the crash, in 1978, that a memorial cairn to the Kyeema and its eighteen passengers was created at the crash site.

On May 20, 2010, I visited the site, which is marked by a badly weathered sign just down from the Cairn - no trace of the wreckage remains.

The Cairn is next to a small car park off Ridge Rd, then along the Kyeema Walking Track, near the TV towers at the summit of Mt Corhanwarrabul, next to Mt Dandenong. The track passes Burke's Lookout, giving impressive views across Melbourne to the north and west, as far away as Port Phillip Bay, the You Yangs, the Macedon Ranges, and the Kinglake Ranges.

A graphic account of the crash disaster was published in Flight Safety magazine, which may be viewed at

http://casa.gov.au/fsa/1998/nov/kyeema.pdf

See also "Disaster in the Dandenongs", by Macarthur Job, OAM, from Sierra Publications Australia, at

http://www.sierraaustralia.com/books.html

Melbourne from Burke's Lookout

Kyeema Memorial

View all of the Photos of my visit!

Gold Heritage Trail, Warrandyte State Park

The Trail

Johnson's Mine

The Trail

The Gold Heritage Trail is a 3 km circuit, in the old gold mining area of the Warrandyte State Park, 20 km east of Melbourne town.

I hiked this Trail on Wednesday afternoon May 19, 2010, starting at the small car park on Gold Memorial Rd.

This led me up a narrow foot-track, past the Monument Mines and the Johnson Mine, to the summit of Fourth Hill.

From there, the track passed the top of the Johnson Mine, adjacent to old excavations, then descended back to the car park.

These dates are significant:

Before 1939: Aboriginal people of the Wurundjeri clan lived in the area which was later to be known as Warrandyte

1839: First selection of land by white settler, James Anderson

1851: Gold discovered in Anderson Creek - first miners arrive

1874: Warrandyte's largest nugget found, over 100oz

1883: Rich returns from Victory Mine

1904: Caledonia Mine, closed 1912

1935: Gold Memorial cairn unveiled

1965: Last gold mine lease in Warrandyte ended

See all the Photos of my visit!

Exploring Flinders in autumn, Westernport Bay

West view to Blow Hole

The Jetty and West Head

East view towards Shoreham

On Tuesday afternoon May 18, 2010, I went down to Flinders, on Westernport Bay, some 70 km south of Melbourne.

This is one of my favourite places, which I first visited in January 1952 on a YMCA beachwalk, on an excursion from our tented accomodation at Camp Buxton, Shoreham, 3 km to the east. Our camp was for disadvantaged kids aged 12-13 from across Victoria.

Now, 58 years later, I still enjoy Flinders!

On this occasion I did the 2 km return hike along the Ocean Beach, which looks much the same as it did back in 1952, with plenty of seaweed and good waves!

The view of the Jetty from the clifftop has changed! In 1952 there were very few houses to the east - now, residential development there has proliferated!

See all of the Photos of my visit!

A Visit to the Kangaroo Paddock.Pound Bend, Warrandyte SP

Kangaroo Paddock

Yarra at junction with Stony Creek

Site of former orchard, Kangaroo Paddock

On Tuesday May 11, 2010, I visted the Pound Bend Section of the Warrandyte State Park, 20 km east of Melbourne town.

My 4 km return hike took me along the Pound Bend Trail, adjacent to the Yarra, reaching the Kangaroo Paddock, next to the Parks Victoria depot.

This Paddock was formerly an orchard, prior to its acquisition by the Victorian Government in 1972 - some of the original fruit trees are present, now wild, at the nothern end of the Paddock.

There were two mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos in their Paddock - it is believed that up to 80 kangaroos inhabit this section of the Park.

See all of the Photos of my visit.

Olinda Falls in autumn

The world-famous Olinda Falls are about 50 km east of Melbourne town, in the Dandenong Ranges National Park.

I visited the Falls on Wednesday May 12, 2010, a very cold, wet and bleak day.

The main walking track, about 2 km return, starts at the picnic ground at the Mt Dandenong Rd Tourist Rd, and descends steeply to the Falls.

There are several observation points, with views of the Upper, Middle and Lower Cascades.

On this visit, the Falls were a torrent, due to heavy rain over the past few days.

See all of the Photos of my visit.

The 100 Acres Bushland Reserve, Park Orchards

Wild Cherry Track

Ridge Road

Site of former Homestead, summit of Ridge Rd

The 100 Acres Forest Park is a large area of preserved bushland, 25 km NE of Melbourne, in the Park Orchards district, near the Warrandyte State Park.

The land was orignally settled in the 1830s, for cattle grazing, logging, farming and apple orchards.

In the early 1940s, the Australian Government acquired 100 acres of this land, and used it for Army military training.

It has also been used for car rallies.

In 1978, after strong campaigns from the community, the land was declared to be a site of significant cultural, ecological and historical significance, originally having a strong Aboriginal presence.

It was listed in 1980 in the National Estate Register, Australia's National inventory of natural and cultural heritage places deemed of importance to our future heritage.

It forms part of the wildlife corridor along Anderson's Creek to the Yarra.

Residential development in the reserve was banned.

It is now managed by the Manningham City Council, with the direct continuing support and involvement by the "Friends of 100 Acres" community group.

The Forest has an extensive network of walking trails (nearly 9 km), some of which are joint-use fire management tracks, and a perimeter track shared between horseriders and walkers.

Many interpretative signs along the main Trails provide useful and informative background of the history, fauna and flora in the Reserve.

The Nature Trail should not be missed!

We are told that most of the forest is regrowth, and that this is what the eastern suburbs would have looked like prior to European settlement.

The main access to the reserve is off Knees Rd. Other access points are around the perimeter.

See all the Photos, taken on a 4 km hike around the Reserve on Monday afternoon May 16, 2010, starting at the Knees Rd entrance, following Green Dam Track, Ridge Rd, Boundary Track and Wild Cherry Track.

Exploring the Hamer Forest Arboretum, Olinda

Yarra Ranges from Dam Rd

Zoom to Yarra Ranges from Dam Rd

Across the Arboretum to Yarra Ranges

One of my favourite places is the R.J. Hamer Arboretum, Olinda, about 30 km east of the Melbourne CBD.

It is surrounded by the Dandenong Ranges National Park, with plantations dating back to the 1975.

Many walking tracks pass through the Arboretum, some of them named after the plantation species.

I visited the Arboretum on Saturday afernoon May 15, 2010. My 3 km circuit hike started at the Chalet Lookout, then descended Dam Rd, passing the Dam and disused pumping station, reaching Sequoia Track, then to the junction of Rock Track.

This Dam is the origin of the scenic Lyrebird Creek, which winds its way down the Lyrebird Creek Valley to its confluence with the Olinda Creek near the Silvan Reservoir.

Then back to the car.

The autumn colors were beautiful!

There were superb views to the Yarra Ranges from Dam Rd and the Lookout.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Australian DX Report 203, May 16, 2010

Australian DX Report 203, May 16, 2010

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Black Flat Trail - Warrandyte State Park

Black Flat Circuit Trail - Warrandyte State Park

Yarra at Black Flat

Old Diggings

Yarra at Black Flat

Black Flat Reserve is in the Warrandyte State Park, 20 km east of the Melbourne CBD.

It is reached from a small car park off Tills Rd.

It is the site of the alluvial gold mining of the 1880s - the only relics are the overgrown diggings.

The Black Flat Circuit Track is a 4 km loop, through the former diggings, along the Nature Trail, and passing the Yarra River. Part of the Track follows the Jumping Creek to Black Flat Walking Track.

The Track passes the site of the Mullen's Orchard, which operated from 1870 to 1914, adjacent to the Yarra.

There are picnic tables at this point, which is used as a canoe launching area.

For the adventurous, a rough foot-track goes from the orchard site westerly through bushland along the river bank, but becomes overgrown near the old watercourse. This links with another track which joins the management road. The remains of old concrete foundations are visible in a cleared area at the end of this track.

I walked the Black Flat Track on Friday afternoon May 13, 2010, a dull and overcast autumn day!

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Hackett Track to the Sherbrooke Falls

The Falls

The Falls

Hackett Track

On Monday May 10 2010 I went over to the Sherbrooke Forest, 35 km east of Melbourne town.

From the small car park at the junction of the Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd and Sherbrooke Rd, I followed Hackett Track to the Sherbrooke Falls, returning the same way.

This was about 4 km in total.

This is the "long path" to the Falls, which passes through fern gullies and tall forest.

See all of the Photos of my visit, which include some archival images showing the Forest and Falls in the year 1940.

Silvan Reservoir Park in early autumn

Stonyford Creek

Stonyford Creek

Preserved section of old Aqueduct

On Friday May 7,2010, a cold, bleak and wet day, I went out to the Silvan Reservoir Park, 35 km east of Melbourne town.

My 3 km  exploration included the Nature Trail, which winds its way over and around the Stonyford Creek, and an inspection of the disused Stilling Ponds and preserved Aqueduct Section.


See all of the Photos of my visit!

Mushrooms at Mt Lofty, Warrandyte State Park

On Sunday aftrernoon May 9, 2010, I went over to Mt Lofty, Warrandyte State Park, 354 km east of Melbourne town.

From the small car park at the junction of Lower Homestead Rd and Stephens Track, I hiked to the summit of Mt Lofty.

On a high point nearby was the fenced section of preserved remnant forest, an example of how this section of the Park looked prior to clearing in the early 1900s.

Around the Summit itself, many large brown/white mushrooms had appeared, the first occasion I had seem them anywhere in the Park!

The views across the Yarra Valley were glorious, to the Yarra Ranges amd Dandenong Ranges.

Mt Donna Buang from Summit

Dandenong Ranges from Stephen Track

Yarra Ranges from Summit

The enormous Heritage and Country Club Resort, with its golf courses, lagoons and lakes, was an impressive site, at the foot of Mt Lofty, just outside the Park perimeter.

I've included some historical images of the Warrandyte district dating back to the late 1800s.

My hiking distance was 3 km total.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Exploring Spadoni's Nature Reserve, Yering

Yarra at the Reserve

Zoom view to Yarra Ranges from the Reserve

Farmland surrounding the Reserve

Spadoni's Nature Reserve is in thei semural district of Yering, 35 km east of the Melbourne CBD. Next to the Yarra River, it features two main walking tracks, footbridges, a billabong, wetlands, footbridges, and views to the Christmas Hills and Yarra Ranges.

It is managed by the Yarra Ranges Shire, and is at the end of Victoria Rd, which starts at Maroondah Highway, Lilydale.

Adjacent to it is the flying area for radio controlled model aircraft, the Lilydale regional airport, and the Melbourne Gun Club.

I explored the 3 km of walking tracks on Tuesday May 4, 2010, which was unseasonally warm at 23 degrees!

The pictures show the scenery and environment in this interesting Reserve.

This area, and surrounding wetlands would have been flooded in 1973 if the proposed huge Yarra Brae Dam had been built. This was to be part of the Sugarloaf Reservoir Project, with a 30 m high concrete wall to be positioned across the Yarra just east of Warrandyte, and woulod have pumped water into the Sugarloaf Reservoir higher up.

The Dam was abandoned as the result of community protests and the Sugarloaf Reservoir was constructed independently.

The proposed Yarra Brae Dam would have inundated all land extending out some 20 km to Yarra Glen, flooding scores of farms, properties, businesses, public land and the white water regions of the Yarra.

Please see all of the Photos of my visit, which includes a map showing the area which would have been flooded (shown in green).

Early autumn hike in the Olinda Forest

These pictures were taken late on Monday afternoon May 3, 2010 in the Olinda Forest, 35 km east of Melbourne town.

I was on a 3 km hike whuich took me along George's Track and Bobcat Link Track, from my starting point on the Olinda Creek Rd.

The first of the autum colorful Fungi had appeared!

By 4 pm it had become quite dark and cold, and I could hear the first stirrings of the forest's nocturnal creatures!

This is a former logging area of the early 1900s, and the spirits of the early woodchoppers are heard high up in the canopy.

Bobcat Link Track

Fungus on George's Track

Ferns on George's Track

See all of the Photos of my trip!