Mt Cannibal Nature Reserve - Garfield, West Gippsland

Pix taken on February 29, 2012, in the Mt Cannibal Nature Reserve, Garfield, West Gippsland, 100 km east of Melbourne.

Mt Cannibal rises some 120 m above the base and the summit is reached by a circuit walking track of about 3 km from the picnic ground/car park, off Garfield Rd. There are many steps on the westerly end of the track to negotiate!

There are spectacular views from two Lookouts - one towards the north, the other (Rotary Lookout) towards the south.

There are many large granite boulders at the summit and nearby.

The track is well signed, and an information board at the start provides information about the Reserve.

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

Mount Worth State Park

Mount Worth State Park, about 125 km SE of Melbourne, takes in 1040 hectares of natural forest, regenerating native bush and cleared pastures in the western Strzelecki Ranges, south-east of Warragul.

A network of walking tracks radiate from the Moonlight Creek Picnic area. These include the Giant's Circuit 1.8 km, Moonlight Curcuit 8.5 km, Gardiner's Mill Track 1.5 km one way, Maslin's Mill 800 m one way.

In the 1920s, 12 timber mills were operating in the region - all that remains are sawdust heaps and rusting machinery.

I visited the Park on Easter Monday April 13 2009, reaching it via Darnum and the Allambee Estate Rd.

There were spectacular views to the north across pine plantations over the Latrobe Valley to the Baw Baw Ranges.

I explored about 4 km of walking tracks.

Visitor Guides are available at the Information Kiosk at the picnic ground.

See the full set of Photos of my visit!

For further information, see Parks Victoria at

http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=159

East Gippsland Rail Trail

The East Gippsland Rail Trail starts at Howitt Park on the east bank of the Mitchell River at Bairnsdale, past farmland for 10 km to Nicholson (sealed surface) with its spectacular bridge over the river. Then 22 km on to Bruthen and across the Tambo River, up into the Colquhoun Forest en route to Nowa Nowa and Lake Tyers at the 59 km mark. The section east from Nowa Nowa opened on 28 January 2006 completing the trail to its the final destination at Orbost on the iconic Snowy River. This completes a nearly 100 km rail trail.

The Trail follows the alignment of the former Bairnsdale to Orbost railway, which opened in 1916 and was decommissioned in 1988.

On December 25, 2008, with my brother, I visited the Stony Creek Trestle Bridge, on the Trail, near the town of Nowa Nowa - this is certainly a huge structure, about 370 km east of Melbourne! It was built in 1916 from locally sourced red ironbark and grey box timber, and the last train over it was in 1988. It is the largest standing bridge of its kind anywhere in Victoria.

Car access to the Bridge is via a dusty 3 km unsealed road which starts on the Prince's Highway, signposted, and passes through the interesting Colquoun State Forest.

An information board at the car park gives details, with historical photos, about how the Bridge was constructed. A viewing point has been constructed, reached via a short walking track. Access on to the bridge is not permitted - short sections of the original iron rails remain.

Please see the Photo Album of our trip - I've included some images in it taken at nearby Lake Tyers, the Colquhoun State Forest, and the Deptford State Forest (Clifton Creek - north of Bairnsdale) for general information.

Information about the Trail is available at
http://www.eastgippslandrailtrail.com/