Burke's Lookout, Mt Dandenong, winter visit

On Friday July 22 2011 I went up to the Mt Dandenong summit region.

Leaving the car at the small car park off Ridge Rd, near the Kyeema aircrash memorial, I walked along Kyeema Track to the superb open rocky viewpoint known as Burke's Lookout. This is adjacent to the ABV2, HSV7, and Channel Ten TV towers.

This was originally known as Barne's Lookout, and reamed in the 1920s, 628 metres.

From there, I continued to the Mt Corhanwarrabul Picnic area.

Then, back to the car, after a journey of about 2 km.

The panoramas from Burke's Lookout across Melbourne are excellent - the city skyline, Port Phillip Bay and the You Yangs further to the west were visible. To the north, the Macedon and Kinglake Ranges are prominent, but there was some haze.

A new memorial cairn and information board have recently been constructed near the site of the Kyeema aircrash disaster of October 1938.

The Kyema Track has been rebuilt, having been widened and surfaced with gravel, as a fire management and walking track.

TV Tower heights: .

ABV2 138 metres

HSV7 130 metres

ATV10 189 metres

GTV9 690 metres

The Kyema Track and Lookout is reached from a small car park just off Ridge Rd, not far from the commercial Skyhigh Observatory.

The CBD is 40 km in a direct line from the Lookout.

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Olinda Forest hike in mid-winter 2011

George's Track

Ant House on Olinda Creek Rd

Orange fungus on Olinda Creek Rd

Barge's Track junction

These pix were taken on Friday afternoon July 15, 2011, in the Olinda Forest, 40 km east of centrall Melbourne.

They show the scenery and environment on a 3 km circuit hike in this former logging area, which took me along George's Track, Barge's Track, Bartlett Track, and the Olinda Creek Rd.

Strangely, very few fungi were seen - these are usually prolific in July!

Pumas live in this mysterious forests, but they were in their dens on this occasion!

Some images are fuzzy - the cheap Chinese-made camera has problems in low light conditions.

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Hamer Arboretum at Olinda in mid-winter

Warramate Hills

Nib Nab Nob Lookout

Arboretum from Woolrich Lookout

SIlvan Rd in the gloom!

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 Wednesday afernoon July 13 2011, 2010.

My excursion included the Woolrich Lookout (with amazing views towards the Victorian Alps and Yarra Ranges), quaintly named Nib Nab Nob Lookout, following the unsealed Silvan Rd through the Arboretum and the Yarra Ranges National Park.

Sadly, the weather was bad, overcast, gloomy, and raining, and some of the photos reflect these dismal conditions.

Most of the non-native trees were sleeping, and will awaken in august, generating a mass of color across the Arboretum.

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Warrandyte State Park - Pouind Bend in mid-winter

These pictures were taken on July 11, 2011 in the Warrandyte State Park, 20 km east of central Melbourne.

They show the scenery and environment along the Pound Bend Walking Track, adjacent to the Yarra Rivber (in flood mode).

There are also some kangaroos playing in their paddock!

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Tarrawarra

Tarrawarra is a town 45 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

It was originally known as View Hill estate, and was purchased in 1893 by David Syme, owner and publisher of The Age newspaper, who expanded it and gave it its present name, which is of Aboriginal origin. The name refers to "slow waters", describing the local arc in the Yarra River. The Post Office opened on 4 June 1900 and closed in 1957.

Tarrawarra railway station opened with the opening of the Healesville line on 1 March 1889 and closed with the line on 9 December 1980. The station is now under the conrol of the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway who are working towards reopening the line from Healesville through Tarrawarra to Yarra Glen.

In 1954 Cistercian Monks from Ireland purchased one section of the property comprising 1,000 acres (4.0 km2), including the large house built by David Syme for his daughter and established Tarrawarra Abbey of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists). Since that time the community has built additional buildings including a large library in 2006. The monks support themselves by operating a beef farm and by Tarrawarra Eucharistic Breads.

Another section of the original estate today is a winery which opened in 1993 and which produces chardonnay and pinot noir.


There is also a Museum and Art Gallery,. reached from the Yarra Glen Rd

The Yarra River and extensive river flats divide the Tarrawarra area.

The Tarrawarra Rd links the Maroondah Highway and Yarra Glen-Healesville Rd, but part of it is in private property and is not accessable to the public.

I visited Tarrawarra on July 4, 2011, following the Tarrawarra Rd from the Maroondah Highway past farming properties for about 2 km, reaching the "No public Access" sign.

There were excellent views across the Yarra Valley to the nearby Ranges.

I returned to Melbourne along the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Rd, passing the Badger Creek and the Healesville Sanctuary Reservation, then along the Warburton Highway.

My previous visit to Tarawarra was in 1956 (!) when a mate and I took our bikes on the train to Tarrawarra and camped overnight near the Yarra.

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Warneet and Cannon's Creek , Rutherford Inlet

Warneet and Cannons Creek are small coastal villages located on the Rutherford Inlet, at the northern tip of Westernport Bay, 60 km asouth of Melbourne.

The land was first settled in the 1920s, and the present day communities started to evolve in the 1930s as fishing hamlets.

Fishing and boating are popular.

The nearby Blind Blight is another small coastal community.

I visited Warneet and Cannons Creek on July 2, 2011.

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