Bourchier’s Walking Track at the Yarra - Kangaroo Ground

These pix were taken on September 9, 2012, along the north bank of the Yarra River, in the municipality of Kangaroo Ground, 20 km east of central Melbourne.

They show the scenery, environment and views along Bourchier’s Walking Track, next to the Yarra, which is reached from the end of unsealed Bourchier’s Rd.

A canoe landing is at the start of the Track, which is also popular for fishing enthusiasts.

The 2 km return track skirts private property, offering excellent views across the Yarra rapids to the Warrandyte State Park and Stane Brae on the opposite bank.

Bourchier’s Rd leads off Menzies Rd.

The end of the track is reached at a vantage point, marked by a sign “Warning - beware of the Angus Bull” at a fence crossing!

See all of the Photos of my visit!

London Bridge coast - Portsea

These pictures were taken on Sunday afternoon, January 29 2012.

London Bridge is a well-known rock formation at the extreme easterly tip of the Mornington Peninsula National Park, about 2 km from the town of Portsea, 90 km south of Melbourne.

The Bridge is reached by following the Portsea Ocean Beach Rd, then continuing to the Bridge car park.

A pathway follows the cliff-top, yielding excellent views of the Bridge formation.

Another track descends to the Beach, and from there it is a 350 m hike along the sand to the Bridge itself.

A pleasant 2 km walking path, known as the Farnsworth Track, passing along the tops of the sand dunes, links the London Bridge carpark and the Portsea Ocean Beach.

There is an excellent Lookout on this Track, not to be missed!

After exploring the Bridge, I hiked along the beach to the Portsea carpark,a total distance of about 3 km.

The fuzziness in some photos along the beach was due to a heavy heat haze which had come in from the ocean!

See all of the Photos of my visit, and check out my YouTube video!

Exploring the Werribee South Beach

These pix were taken on January 25, at the Werribee South Beach, 35 km by road south west from central Melbourne.

They shows the scenery, boat launching ramps, the small beach, the mouth of the Werribee River, and the resident pelicans!

A walking trail extends easterly from the beach towards the site of a vast new high-density housing development.

It is proposed to build a new bridge over the river, to take bike and foot traffic to the western bank, which is at the southern extremity of the recently opened Werribee River Regional Park.

See all of the Photos of my visit, and check out my YouTube video!

Exploring Hastings - Westernport Bay

Hastings is a town about 60 km south of Melbourne, situated on an inlet on Westernport, a major port and important environmental area. Hastings has multiple marinas and is home to many recreational boating activities.

I visited Hastings on Tuesday April 13, 2009, exploring the historical jetty, the boat harbour, and the long walking track on the foreshore.

Many pelicans congregrate near the jetty, waiting for scraps of fish given to them from local fishermen, and the nearby Fresh Fish Shop!

Hastings is the starting point for the 26 km Westernport Walking/Cycling Trail which extends to Balnarring.

Other walking trails starting at Hastings include the Bittern Coastal Wetlands Boardwalk, and the trails the nearby Warringine Park.

There were excellent views over the mangroves across the Hastings Bight towards Long Island and Long Point.

I also visited the Yaringa Marina and Boat Harbour, about 5 km to the north of Hastings.

See the full set of Photos of my visit!

Exploring Warneet, Westernport Coast

Warneet is a village about 50km southeast of Melbourne. on the north of Westernport Bay.

With a population of around 460, Warneet is one of the smaller towns in Australia, and is at an altitude of about 9m above sea level.

It's popular for fishing and boating, and is located on the Rutherford Inlet. On the opposite bank is the village of Cannon's Creek.

Several interesting walking tracks start at the South Jetty, around the inlet and through extensive mangrove wetlands.

I visited Warneet on April 5, 2009, and explored the Main Walking Track (from South Jetty to North Jetty), and the interesting Mangroves Walking Track, a total distance of about 4 km.

See the full set of Photos of my visit

Corinella - Westernport Bay

Corinella is an idyllic seaside town, about 110 km SE of Melbourne, on Westernport Bay. It's a small peninsula of land surrounded on three sides by water, and reached from the Bass Highway, along the Corinella Rd.

Corinella is blessed with panoramic picturesque views of the sea and islands along with a very pleasant year-round climate and has ideal access to the bay for most types of boating craft.

A lovely blend of rural grazing and farming land surrounds the Corinella peninsula with a broad range of agricultural production, including prestigious thoroughbred racing horse farms, beef and dairy cattle, red deer farming, flower and herb growers, winery viticulture and many more, all prospering in this ideal seaside climate.

Corinella is a very important historic town, and is one of the first towns settled in the state of Victoria, indeed Australia.

Its historic significance to Australia's settled history is very important and is not widely recognised or advertised. Most historical talk of Australia's settlement birth is always focused on Sydney and NSW; however Corinella was actually the site of the first Government House in Victoria and was a town at federation.

One of the first British settlements in what is now Victoria was established here, albeit briefly, in 1826.

In that year, a French vessel under Dumont d'Urville examined Westernport, arousing apprehensions about French colonisation of the southern coastline. Coupled with this was the favourable report of the Westernport district made by explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell who believed that their 1824 overland journey from NSW had terminated at Westernport.

Unfortunately they were mistaken, having actually completed their trek at Port Phillip.

On the basis of their comments, Governor Darling decided to forestall any prospective French plans by establishing a military and agricultural settlement at Westernport.

Captain Wright was dispatched with troops, 21 convicts and William Hovell. Wright established a small military settlement at the present-day site of Rhyll on the north coast of Phillip Island and called it Fort Dumaresq. However, fresh water proved a problem and the outpost was moved to Corinella which was called Settlement Point.

The above information is sourced to the "Visit Corinella" website, at http://www.visitcorinella.com, and used with acknowledgement.

I visited Corinella for the first time on April 1, 2009, and my exploration took me to Settlement Point, the walking track to the lookout and the jetties.

I found the historical cairn on the hill at the end of Jamieson St, which marks the site of the original settlement, from which a walking track took me to good views of the Bay.

I also visited the nice beach at nearby Coronet Bay.

Two beautiful pelicans were near the jetties - several small fishing boats were in the main channel, and the Corinella to French Island ferry was chugging its way across the Bay.

See the full set of Photos of my visit!

The Werribee River Estuary

The Werribee River Estuary is about 30 km from the Melbourne CBD.

The compact outer western suburb of Werribee South is located on the east bank.

The Werribee Park and Open Range Zoo is about 3 km to the north.

A foreshore, small boat harbour, seaplane landing area, and nice beach are the main features. Fishing is popular.

There is a large bird population, including many pelicans.

The (western) opposite bank is out-of-bounds to the public, being part of the large area managed by Melbourne Water. A new National Park is planned for this area, with walking and bike paths to be constructed. This new NP will be reached by a bridge to be built from the eastern foreshore.

I visited the Werribee Estuary on June 4, 2008, on a very foggy day!

See the Photos