Mordialloc and Carrum, revisited

Walk overview

Length: 20km (10km and return)
Time: 5 hours
Grade: medium
Ascent: 10m
Maximum height:10m
Region: Eastern shore of Port Philip Bay, Victoria
Map: Melway maps 92, 93, 97

"The eastern shore of Port Philip Bay is a long beach backed by the southern suburbs of Melbourne. The firm sand provides easy walking with views of the bay and the ever present boats and seabirds. This walk follows the beach from Mordialloc to Carrum and then heads inland to the Edithvale Wetlands."

Source: Day Walks Melbourne

My comments

I did only the beach and Patterson River part of this walk, having found the Edithvale wetlands side a little boring and pedestrian last time. I had no one to walk with and my boots are in for repair, so I needed a walk I couldn't get lost on, and a surface that I could easily manage without proper boots.

The forecast was lousy, and probably the reason most of the people I invited ended up declining. It was cold and windy, and there were two showers. The first was quite long and the dog walkers on the beach soon vanished. The second, on my way back, wasn't quite so long, but there weren't many people on the beach by that time.

It was a reasonable walk, and my knees gave no trouble, so it's definitely the decline or incline that causes the problem for my ligaments. My patella tracking problem hasn't appeared in months, thanks either to the knee brace or Glucosamine - I'm not game to give either away, just in case!

My rating

Not bad when you've got no walking boots or partner

Photos from this walk

For more see: Mordialloc-Carrum photo slideshow

Sherbrooke Forest - a third visit

Walk overview

Length: 11.5km
Time: 4 hours
Grade: Medium
Ascent: 480m
Maximum height: 490m
Region: Dandenong Ranges, Victoria
Map: Melway 75, 124

"One of the most popular forests in the range is Sherbrooke Forest. From the 1850s until 1930 this forest was used for logging. In 1958 Sherbrooke Forest was declared a park and in 1987 was merged with other areas to form the Dandenong Ranges Natonal Park."

"Sherbrooke Forest contains some of the finest examples of towering Mountain Ash in this region. These are the world's tallest flowering plants growing to more than 100m in height. Many of the trees in Sherbrooke sprouted after a severe fire in 1926. Below the tall trees in an understorey of treeferns, wattles and shrubs. Birds are proflific with many treecreepers and parrots. The first is also home to the superb lyrebird which searches the forest floor for insects and grubs. This large bird is able to mimic most sounds and is commonly heard imitating other birds and man-made noises. It is sometimes seen crossing the tracks."

Source: Day Walks Melbourne

My comments

This is the third time I've done this walk. Mon and I were walking without someone with a better sense of direction, so we thought we'd do a walk we knew well. For a change of pace, we did the walk in reverse of that described in the book. It's amazing how different things look walking in the other direction!

We got off to a great start, finding a couple of wallabies on the trail within minutes of starting out. They weren't too shy either, and let us get up quite close before scampering off into the bush. But we didn't see any lyrebirds this time.

It was perfect weather for a walk, and the trail wasn't too muddy or slippery considering the heavy rain we've had recently.

I hadn't been hiking for two months prior to this. I hadn't been to the gym either, so my lower level of fitness was quite noticeable and I found myself huffing and puffing a little on the uphill sections. My knee didn't fare well either, starting to get painful just over halfway through the walk. However, it held out without my having to resort to walking backwards. Just as well, since I left my walking poles at home.

My rating

A lovely walk that I'm sure I'll repeat again.

Photos from this walk

For more, see: Sherbrooke Forest photo slideshow