Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Annulus Billabong Sanctuary - Yarra Flats Park

Pix of a 3 km circuit hike of Feb 2 2015. 

This walk started at the northern end of the main Yarra Flats car park, then along the Main Yarra Trail to a narrow sidetrack leading to the Yarra. This track was followed adjacent to the river, passing the historic windmill.

The track continued around the (dry) Billabong, through sub-tropical bushland, eventually reaching the southern end of the car park.

The bushland is honeycombed with many sidetracks,some leading to the bottom of the Billabong.

The billabong is an "annulus" (ring) and is now overgrown with weeds and dead branches. 

The actual sanctuary is the "hole" in the annulus, which was once an island, which can be explored via foot-tracks. The entire billabong area is fenced off to prevent public access, but parts of it have now disintegrated.

Check the Slideshow (below) for all of the pictures!

The Yarra
 
The Billabong - now overgrown with weeds

The Yarra Flats area was originally used for farming until the early 1970s, when it was purchased by the State Government for recreational purposes. The windmill is a legacy of that era, which was used to pump water from the Yarra to farms.
 
Billabong at left of pic - fence post visible


Circuit Track near the Windmill

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