tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-134748702011-04-22T09:30:11.393+10:00I took up bushwalking as training for a trekking trip to Nepal in 2005. Now I'm addicted.Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1158528272566091332006-09-17T19:10:00.000+10:002006-09-18T07:27:08.420+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/werribee-gorge-2.jpg" alt="Photo: Rock layers in Werribee Gorge" height="378" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 10.0km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 405m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 360m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Goldfields, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Meridien Productions 1:20,000 Lerderderg and Werribee Gorges<br /><br />"The dominant geological feature to the west of Melbourne is the Rowsley Fault. East of this fault lies the plains surrounding Port Phillip Bay while to the west is the uplifted plateau that extends to Ballarat. The Werribee River has cut deeply into this plateau creating a rugged steep-sided gorge."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We did just the Gorge circuit walk this time, having done a much longer walk in August last year that took in Falcon's Lookout and involved a couple of river crossings.<br /><br />It was a beautiful day and there were several groups out walking - though many, many more cars parked in the carparks at various picnic spots.<br /><br />We started from the Quarry picnic area and walked counter-clockwise around the circuit. It was great to start the walk with the fabulous views offered by the various lookouts at the top of the gorge. I was worried there would be a lot of downhill, since we seemed to be up so high, but before we knew it we were level with the river and scrambling over rocks or shuffling along rocky ledges.<br /><br />Needles Beach had been claimed by a couple of hopeful fisherman, though I'm not sure they'd have gone home with much. After some more rock scrambling and a few attempts at taking photos that made it look more difficult than it was, we reached Lions Head Beach.<br /><br />After walking along the old aqueduct we reached Meikle's Point picnic ground where we stopped for lunch. From there it was only about a half hour walk back to the car - but a fair bit of it was uphill and I thought the rest of the group were going to mutiny at one point when they thought there was another uphill section coming.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Excellent. The walk seemed much easier this time - not having to cross the river (with my wobbly knees) might have made all the difference.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/werribee-gorge-strip2.jpg" alt=" " style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/wg2/show/">Werribee Gorge photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-115852827256609133?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1157270878536976292006-09-03T17:52:00.000+10:002006-09-05T12:44:08.733+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/masons-falls2.jpg" alt="Photo: wildflower" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 13.5km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4.5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 420m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 570m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Kinglake National Park, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Outdoor Leisure Map, Kinglake National Park<br /><br />"Just north of Melbourne is the Kinglake Ntional Park. It was established in 1928 and has been extended several times since. The park is composed of four large blocks which are separated from each other by private property. The oldest section of the park is the Sugarloaf Block and this contains the popular Masons Falls and a lookout at Mt Sugarloaf. These features are linked by a series of walking tracks and management roads that provide an excellent circuit walk."<br /><br />"A major feature of this walk is the wide variety of plants. The track initially follows a high ridge covered with messmate forest then descends into a fern-filled gully where blackwood, wattles,<br />pomaderris and tree-ferns dominate. Many orchids, lilies, daisies, correas and grevilleas are also found in the forest. This diversity of plant life means there is always something flowering."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>The weather we had for our walk today was almost the same as for the first time I did this walk in June last year. It rained lightly for the first hour or so and the forest was cold and misty. We were soon warm though, and also excited - approaching the top of Mt Sugartop we saw a group of lyrebirds - the first of many sightings for the day.<br /><br />As we headed west along Running Creek Track we started to notice lots of different wildflowers. It was a little hard to photograph them in the rain, but it eventually eased off and we had two camera clicking away.<br /><br />As if by magic, the sun started shining as we descended into the glade known as The Tryst. All the wet ferns glistened in the morning sunlight and everyone was feeling very glad they'd been talked into coming along, despite the doubtful weather forecast. We had patches of sunlight as we made it to Hazel Glade, and took lots of photos of fungi and wildflowers. We also spotted more lyrebirds and were able to get pretty close - close enough to try for a photo.<br /><br />It was quite late by the time we arrived at Masons Falls - we'd been taking so many photos, the time had really flown by. The sun went in long enough for us to get a couple of photos of the falls (they really need to be photographed in the morning, when the sun is in a better position), and didn't really appear much when we stopped for a late lunch at the nearby picnic grounds.<br /><br />We finished the walk along Boundary Road, taking almost an hour more than the suggested time. Everyone agreed it had been worth the effort, and I'm sure I'll not be the only one of us eager to do the walk again some time.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Excellent.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/masons-falls-strip2.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Masons Falls walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/MF2/show/">Masons Falls Circuit photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-115727087853697629?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1156582838151480222006-08-26T18:48:00.000+10:002006-08-27T09:29:59.183+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/cape-schanck1.jpg" alt="Photo: Rocks at Cape Schanck" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 12km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5.5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 250m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 150m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Mornington<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Meridien Publications 1:25,000 Mornington or Arthurs Seat<br /><br />We (Claire, Andrew, Helen and I) met at the carpark at Fingal Picnic Ground - each of us running a little later than our planned meeting time of 9am. A little after 9.30am we set off for Cape Schanck, walking along tracks high above the beach. We made our way through the Cape Schanck carpark to the boardwalk - a large wooden walking platform that lets you get right down to Cape Schanck. We had a wander around on the rocks (see the photo above) trying to spot some of the intertidal rockpool inhabitants, before returning. <br /><br />It was shaping up to be a beautiful sunny day by the time we found the walking track to Bushrangers Bay. We spotted an echidna crossing the walking path (Helen and Claire had a much longer viewing of perhaps the same one a bit later in the day). We walked the 3km to the bay, admiring the rolling green pastures to the left of the track and the sea views to the right.<br /><br />Once we reached the bay, we had a little rock-hop over a creek to get to the main part of the beach. Unfortunately, the tide was high and the rockpools near Elephant Rock were submerged, and unreachable. We stopped for lunch on the beach, joined by a single seagull who was happy to grab the few crumbs we threw his way.<br /><br />Since most of us weren't in the greatest shape, we decided to cut the walk further on from Bushrangers Bay and we also skipped the walk down to Fingal Beach. We retraced our steps back to the Fingal Picnic Ground, finishing the walk just before 3pm.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/cape-schanck-strip2.jpg" alt="Cape Schanck photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/CS2/show/">Cape Schanck photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-115658283815148022?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1156064922058112372006-08-20T18:34:00.000+10:002006-08-20T20:41:34.310+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_1229.jpg" alt="Photo: Treefern frond unfolding" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 11.5km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 480m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 490m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway 75, 124<br /><br />"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 National Park."<br /><br />"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 is an understorey of treeferns, wattles and shrubs. Birds are prolific 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."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>This was my fourth walk through this very pretty part of Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges, and I'm sure it won't be my last. It's a beautiful park and a nice length walk with just enough ups and downs to get you puffing.<br /><br />Today I was accompanied by Claire and we had clear weather that turned into a beautifully sunny day by the time we were done. This may have been why there were more walkers out today than I've ever seen before, and we even managed to bump into my old philosopher friend, Alan. <br /><br />My knee held up, but only just. As we turned into the picnic ground at the end of the walk (with surprisingly few birds today), I could feel it twinging.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>A lovely walk that I'm sure I'll repeat again.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/sherbrooke-forest4-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Sherbrooke Forest walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/SF4/show/">Sherbrooke Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-115606492205811237?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1156067783261866322006-08-13T19:43:00.000+10:002006-08-20T20:38:18.386+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/youyangs.jpg" alt="Photo: Wallaby" height="350" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 10km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 3 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Geelong, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> VICMAP 1:25,000 You Yangs<br /><br />"A series of isolated peaks rise prominently on the long flat plain that stretches from between Melbourne and Geelong. These are known as the You Yangs. The peaks are composed of granite that decomposes into into sands and gravel that wash onto the flats around the range."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We (Claire and I) were planning to walk at Anakie Gorge, but when we got there the park was still closed. With no maps, we decided to head to the You Yangs - a small regional park where hopefully we would be able to find our way around with just a park map. How wrong we were! <br /><br />Within an hour, we were lost - trying to combine a couple of the walks on the park map with no instructions on how to get from the end of one to the start of the next. Fortunately we had a compass and were able to get a vague fix on where we were in relation to Flinders Peak. Eventually we found our way up to The Saddle and picked up the East Walk track and completed a circuit of roughly 10 km.<br /><br />The landscape was way more interesting than you'd ever think from the road, and certainly worth another walk sometime - with a decent map.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Not bad at all<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/youyangs-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from You Yangs walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/youyangs/show/">You Yangs photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-115606778326186632?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1156066721751072092006-08-05T19:11:00.000+10:002006-08-20T19:40:27.203+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_1053.jpg" alt="Photo: View of Horshoe Bay on Magnetic Island" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 6km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 2 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Townsville, Queensland<br /><br />"This track passes through a cool patch of rainforest, then alongside Gustav Creek up a steady climb to the saddle of the ridge, with Nelly Bay on one side and Horseshoe Bay on the other. Many birds and wildlife can be seen, and at the right time of year, bush orchids. Continue along the ridge through open eucalypt forest to an excellent view of Horseshoe Bay."<br /><br />Source: <cite>Magnetic Island Guide</cite><br /><h3>My comments</h3>I was in Townsville on business, so decided to take the opportunity of a short walk - my first in several months. I felt quite unfit struggling up to the saddle, but the views were fabulous. My knee held out on the steep parts of the downhill, but was starting to get sore by the end of the walk.<br /><br /><h3>My rating</h3>Not a bad walk. I'll come prepared with boot and do a longer one next time.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/magnetic-island-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Magnetic Island walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/Nelly+Bay/show/">Magnetic Island photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-115606672175107209?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1145767293635230342006-04-23T14:29:00.000+10:002006-04-23T16:13:18.996+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/mordialloc-carrum2.jpg" width="500" height="289" alt="Photo: A seagull hovering overhead" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 20km (10km and return)<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> medium <br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 10m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong>10m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Eastern shore of Port Philip Bay, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps 92, 93, 97<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Not bad when you've got no walking boots or partner<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/mordialloc-carrum-strip2.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Mordialloc-Carrum walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/MC2/show/">Mordialloc-Carrum photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-114576729363523034?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1145249489655361552006-04-17T14:42:00.000+10:002006-04-17T14:59:54.480+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/sherbrooke-forest3.jpg" alt="Photo: Wallabies in Sherbrooke Forest" height="351" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 11.5km</strong><br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 480m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 490m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway 75, 124<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />It was perfect weather for a walk, and the trail wasn't too muddy or slippery considering the heavy rain we've had recently. <br /><br />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.<h3>My rating</h3>A lovely walk that I'm sure I'll repeat again.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/sherbrooke-forest-strip3.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Sherbrooke Forest walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/SF3/show/">Sherbrooke Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-114524948965536155?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1140352708388995502006-02-19T23:20:00.000+11:002006-02-20T17:02:10.446+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/lake-mountain.jpg" alt="Photo: Rusted ruins on Old Taggerty Road" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 20.5km</strong><br /><strong>Time:</strong> 7 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium - Hard<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 560m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 1476m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Yarra Ranges, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> VICMAP 1:30,000 Marysville - Lake Mountain<br /><br />"This somewhat longer walk provides an opportunity to see the best that Lake Mountain has to offer. Enchanting forests of alpine ash and myrtle beech, crystal clear streams, the headwaters of the Taggerty River, a bush hut and alpine snow gum forests are some of the delights to be found. Suited to most seasons except winter, the region is at its best in late spring and early summer when the wildflowers bloom."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>This is a really lovely walk. The forests are beautiful and the vegetation and track style changes throughout--from 4-wheel drive tracks to begin with, to slim and often overgrown walking tracks in the middle, to wide, green cross-country skiing tracks at the end of the walk--making the walk interesting and varied.<br /><br />We managed to get lost, or rather, we could not find the Gould No. 2 track leading to Keppel Hut. We weren't the only ones who were meticulously scouring the right-hand side of Taggerty's Track looking for it. In the end, we approached the hut from the north (instead of south) via Keppel Hut track, probably having tacked on a few extra kilometres to an already quite long walk (and consequently we finished in 8.5 hours, rather than 7).<br /><br />Fortunately another walking group spotted the track from Keppel Hut that we should have walked in on, and were scheduled to walk back out out on. This led us to the second and eastern stage of the walk via Boundary Track and Echo Flat. <br /><br />We had a further problem with the map (or perhaps the signage on the walk) after completing the Hut Track loop where we were supposed to be walking out on Boundary Trail East to the left of Panorama Track, but ended up walking on Panorama Track to find the Crossroads. <br /><br />The ligaments on the sides of my right knee starting getting sore just past the halfway mark. I was quite frustrated by this, since it has mainly been my left knee causing problems until recently. It held up until the last kilometre, when my left knee joined in on the conspiracy to make the last stage of the walk agonising. Again, I found myself having to walk down a slope backwards! It was the only way of dealing with the excrutiating pain. Argh!<br /><br />The best part of the walk were the gorgeous alpine snow gums. Tall, colourful, and shapely, they were the ultimate tree-hug-inducing trunks. So beautiful! Other highlights were the lookouts and huge fallen trees that we had to scramble over (it's even nice hugging fallen giants).<br /><h3>My rating</h3>A great walk that I'll definitely repeat again some time.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/lake-mountain-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Lake Mountain walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/lake+mountain/show/">Lake Mountain photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-114035270838899550?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1139883689590173462006-02-11T23:19:00.000+11:002006-02-14T14:04:01.536+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/sherbrooke-forest2.jpg" alt="Photo: Lyrebird in a tree in Sherbrooke Forest" height="405" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 11.5km</strong><br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 480m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 490m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway 75, 124<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>It had been 7 or 8 months since I last did this walk. Last time was mid-winter, so it was nice to see it at a different time of year. There wasn't much fungi about, and we were too late for spring flowers, but it was still a pretty walk.<br /><br />The Day Walks book mentions that lyrebirds can sometimes be spotted along Neumann track and this time we were lucky enough to see one. Unfortunately the lighting was quite poor and we couldn't get close enough to get a great shot, but we were all delighted to have gotten as close as we did.<br /><br />One disturbing thing we noticed was a section of bridge railing and a couple of signs that had had huge chunks sawn out of them. They must have been pretty determined vandals to be carrying saws (probably chainsaws given the thickness and amount they cut through) with them. It is really disappointing to see people treating parks this way.<h3>My rating</h3>I still think this is a very pretty walk, and I'm sure I'll do it again some time.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/sherbrooke-forest2-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Sherbrooke Forest walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/SF2/show/">Sherbrooke Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-113988368959017346?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1136786477298631982006-01-08T16:57:00.000+11:002006-01-09T17:21:39.416+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/ferntree-gully-forest3.jpg" width="500" height="364" alt="Photo: 1000 steps" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 11.4km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium <br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 700m <br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 500m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges National Park<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps 65, 74<br /><br />"The forest near Ferntree Gully has always been a popular destination for a brief escape from the nearby city. First reservedin 1882, it became a national park in 1927 and in 1987 was merged with nearby Sherbrooke and Doongalla Forests into the Dandenong Ranges National Park. A network of walking tracks and closed fire management tracks penetrate the forest providing pleasant year round walking."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><br /><h3>My comments</h3>I did this walk for a third time today. I was looking for a shorter walk since the forecast was for very warm weather, and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't get lost since I was walking on my own.<br /><br />Again, I finished the walk in just under 3.5 hours. I might have been quicker except I took the camera and got a few more photos. Also, my knee played up again - this time at the steep descent on View Track. I'll have to get it looked at.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Good. A great training walk and a good way to judge your fitness.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/ferntree-gully-forest3-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Ferntree Gully Forest walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/ftgf3/show/">Ferntree Gully Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-113678647729863198?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1136102135251409932006-01-02T19:28:00.000+11:002006-01-02T19:43:52.800+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/bungal-forest.jpg" alt="Photo: Sign at the entrance to Bungal Forest" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 16km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 6.5 hours, minimal breaks <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Port Phillip <br /><strong>Map:</strong> Vicmap 1:25,000 Yaloak<br /><br />"Upstream of the confluence of Moorabool River West Branch and East Branch is a pocket of attractive forest. It is surrounded by undulating farmlands and bordered by Bungal Creek and Moorabool River East Branch. The streams have eroded relatively deep, creating small cliffs, rock pools, and steep interlocking spurs. The forest seems to be rarely visited by walkers. In spring thousands of orchids bloom; in summer swimming in the rock pools could interest many, while in winter the surrounding countryside is emerald green. The forest covers only 7 square kilometres and lies south of Ballan."<br /><br />Source: <cite>120 Walks in Victoria</cite><br /><h3>My comments</h3>The first half of this walk was quite easy - a couple of short uphill sections, but all along well-defined (mostly 4-wheel drive) tracks. After going bush to walk along the river, the walk got a little more interesting. We had to pick a path to follow the river, taking care not to get too low (we ran out of ground early on), or too high (where later on we lost sight of the river).<br /><br />We heard shooting (prohibited in state parks) and were a little worried about going too much further south in case we got too close. We ended up cutting west a little too early, and probably shortened the walk by a kilometre or two as a result, finishing about 5 and a quarter hours after we set off.<br /><br />It was a warm day after rain yesterday and the forest smelled beautiful - fresh eucalyptus and methol. A delightful day. <br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/bungal-forest-strip.jpg" alt="Bungal Forest photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/bungalforest/show/">Bungal Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-113610213525140993?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1135769768774172652005-12-28T22:30:00.000+11:002006-01-02T19:42:54.566+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/donna-buang.jpg" alt="Photo: trees near Donna Buang" height="417" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 15.2km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5 hours, minimal breaks (we took just over 7 hours)<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Hard<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 1090m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 1250m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Port Phillip <br /><strong>Map:</strong> Vicmap Gladesville and Donna Buang 1:25,000<br /><br />"Climbing 1250m Mt Donna Buang from Warburton is not easy. It involves climbing 1090m through heavily timbered country. The foot track is quite steep and can be slippery even in mid-summer. However, if you want a training trip prior to heading off to a trek in the Himalayas or whatever, this is ideal. Lyrebirds and fine sturdy fine plus views of the Yarra Valley are attractions."<br /><br />Source: <cite>120 Walks in Victoria</cite><br /><h3>My comments</h3>This was a very, very steep walk, and my first in 6 weeks since finishing the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal in mid November. I was pleased to discover I hadn't lost any fitness, and while the walk up was a challenge, it was very doable. <br /><br />The scenery was lovely - treefern canopies eventually opening up to lovely tall and slender gums, and higher up, the sounds of the wind could easily be mistaken as a running stream nearby. It was all very green and lush, and the track in good condition, with only a few sloppy muddy areas. Not a walk to be attempted in wet conditions or mid-winter when the track undoubtedly turns to complete slush.<br /><br />The downhill return from the summit was a killer. I made it down halfway before my knees started acting up, and my left knee got so bad I had to walk the last third backwards (this is not fun anywhere, let alone on a very steep track) to take the pressure off. No prizes for guessing who is off to the osteopath tomorrow!<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/donna-buang-strip.jpg" alt="Donna Buang photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/donnabuang/show/">Donna Buang photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-113576976877417265?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1128230470442819022005-10-02T15:10:00.000+10:002006-01-01T18:36:08.916+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/mt-evelyn-forest.jpg" alt="Photo: A bee pollinating a bushpea " height="352" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 10.4km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 3.5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 280m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 350m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> <br /><strong>Map:</strong> MELWAYS 120<br />"The Mt Evelyn Forest is the latest addition to the Dandenong Ranges National Park and was included in 1997. Some of this forest was previously private land. Most of it was logged but never clear-felled."<br /><br />"The forest is much drier than the rest of the national park as it is located in the rain-shadow of Mt Dandenong. Box stringybark woodlands dominate most of the forest and these open-canopied medium-height trees allow a lot of light onto the forest floor. The result is that there are many more shrubs and bushes in the understorey than found elsewhere in the park. Wildflowers abound - one of the more spectacular summer flowers is the tall hyacinth orchid."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>A short walk to finish our 5 months of training for our trek around Annapurna circuit in Nepal in just under two weeks time. We're going to take a break next weekend to buy last minute things and get packed, seeing we're leaving on the Friday of the following week.<br /><br />This was a fairly easy walk with a couple of pretty fern-filled gullies, but unremarkable other than that.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/mt-evelyn-forest-strip.jpg" alt="Mt Evelyn Forest photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/mtevelynforest/show/">Mt Evelyn Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112823047044281902?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1127477214433004612005-09-24T17:39:00.000+10:002006-01-01T18:38:08.190+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/andrew-hill.jpg" alt="Photo: Wildflowers" height="428" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 11.4km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 450m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 625m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Kinglake National Park<br /><strong>Map:</strong> VICMAP 1:25,000 Outdoor Leisure Map, Kinglake National Park<br /><br />"The Wombelano Block forms the north-eastern end of Kinglake National Park. As it is just north of the Great Dividing Range it receives less rainfall than the rest of the park. The area contains a drier forest of Messmate and supports less understorey vegetation due to the lower rainfall."<br /><br />"For many years this forest was logged until 1980 when it was added to the Kinglake National Park. There are a number of walking tracks which follow old roads. This was follows tracks over the forested summit of Andrew Hill which is the highest in the block."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We drove through rain to reach the starting point for the walk, but the weather cleared just before we began. This didn't last, however, and we had light misty rain for about 2 hours. This made the track a little slippery, but after slipping and sliding last week, this time I was prepared - I bought some walking poles during the week and wanted to try them out before trekking in Nepal. They seemed to save my knee some strain and I managed to stay on my feet for the whole walk. A fair amount of debris on the track led to a bit of tripping, and some large trees have fallen in recent months. A bridge over a gully had collapsed, though we did manage to find an alternative route. A sign would be useful. Other than this, the route was very accessible.<br /><br />An easy walk in pleasant surroundings, but a very long drive to get there.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/andrew-hill-strip.jpg" alt="Byers Back Track photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/andrewhill/show/">Andrew Hill photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112747721443300461?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1127083970261066132005-09-18T20:37:00.000+10:002006-01-01T18:38:43.646+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/byers-back-track.jpg" alt="Photo: Chris walking along the aqueduct track" height="360" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 18.0km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 7 hours (we took just over 6 hours) <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Hard<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 350m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 650m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Goldfields, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Meridien Productions 1:35,000 Lerderderg and Werribee Gorges<br /><br />"In the 1850s gold rush miners scoured the hills and valleys around Blackwood searching for the elusive metal. While not as ruck as other gold fields, the Lerderderg River contained some gold, and miners cleared the forest and dug over extensive areas. After the gold rush the forest regenerated and covered many of the mining areas. The most visible mining remains are the aqueducts that carried water from the river to the mining areas. The water was used to separate the gold from the gravel and dirt."<br /><br />"One of the longest remaining aqueducts is Byers Back Track. The level walking track starts above O'Briens Crossing and follows the Lerderderg River valley north-west towards Blackwood. This walk then enters Blackwood, passes Shaws Lake which was constructed to store water for mining operations, then follows a long ride to The Tunnel. This narrow slot was cut by miners to divert the river so that they could scour the river bed for gold. This diversion of the Lerderderg River has become permanent."<br /><br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>A longish, but otherwise easy walk on mostly level tracks. The Tunnel is amazing and certainly worth a visit to see.<br /><br />I had another couple of slips and falls today. It seems the Lerderderg has it in for me, as it's the only place where I've managed to end up on my backside - and several times at that!<br /><br />Another map-related problem. The right turn at the 6.1km mark on the Melbourne Day Walks map is described in a slightly confusing way. If you do this walk, don't turn right at the wide track here. Walk up the hill in front about 10 metres and then turn right where the aqueduct track begins again. The very obvious track to the right is not marked on the map (or on the Meridien map).<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/byers-back-track-strip.jpg" alt="Byers Back Track photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/byersbacktrack/show/">Byers Back Track photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112708397026106613?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1126337622090651492005-09-10T17:24:00.000+10:002005-09-11T17:10:06.476+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/boar-gully.jpg" alt="Photo: Grass tree" height="406" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 13.8km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5.5 hours (we took 5 hours, walking at a very leisurely pace) <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 310m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 430m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Brisbane Ranges National Park<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Bushmaps 1:50,000 Brisbane Ranges National Park<br /><br />"The forests of the Brisbane Ranges National Park are among the richest wildflower areas in Victoria with over 600 species being recorded including many orchids. Common flowering plants are grevilleas, hakea, wattles and bush-peas. Nobody could miss the outstanding display of grass trees that form an extensive understorey for much of the walk. Late winter and spring is the best time to visit for the wildflower displays. Native fauna, too, is often to be seen including eastern grey kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and koalas."<br /><br />"The main landscape feature is the Rowsley Fault. This runs along the easter edge of the range and has created a plateau to the west which overlooks the plains that stretch towards Port Phillip Bay. Easy walking is available on old roads closed to vehicles and little used bush tracks."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>A fairly easy, flat walk in pleasant environs. The wildflowers (we saw three kinds of wattle and pink and white bush-peas) were in flower, but did not give the kind of presence indicated in the walk description. The grass trees were superb. Lots of controlled burning over the past few months has given the place a slightly eerie feeling.<br /><br />If you do this walk, don't park in any of the numbered parking bays in the Boar Gully camping area. These are frequently reserved by camping groups. Fortunately, we were still with the car when a group who'd booked the area we'd parked in turned up, so we were able to move out of their way. <br /><br />A couple of map-related problems. First, we could not find any 'faint track' leading off to the right of Quarry Track and up to Thompson's Track, despite walking up and down Quarry Track three times and going off the trail a hundred metres or more trying to find it. Late when we walked along Thompson's Road we tried to locate the end of the mysterious track, but couldn't see anything obvious from that end either.<br /><br />Second, we turned onto a track that was not marked on the map and ended up circling back onto a part of the track we'd walked in the morning. When you're walking along Old Thompson's Track, ignore the first turn to the left and go on to the next one to avoid this.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/boar-gully-strip.jpg" alt="Boar Gully photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/search/tags:boar+gully/show/">Boar Gully photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112633762209065149?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1125093290868764922005-08-27T19:48:00.000+10:002006-01-01T18:39:09.670+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/cape-schanck.jpg" alt="Photo: Fingal Beach" height="333" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 20km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 7 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 250m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 150m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Mornington<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Meridien Publications 1:25,000 Mornington or Arthurs Seat<br /><br />Starting from the carpark at Fingal Picnic Ground, we walked to Cape Schanck and along the boardwalk. From there we headed along the walking track to Bushrangers Bay, then further along the walking track which follows high above Main Creek to Boneo Road. The track has groves of banksias and affords good views of the countryside beyond the Cape. We crossed over Boneo Road and into Greens Bush, walking in a kilometre or so before stopping for lunch. After lunch, we retraced our steps back to Cape Schanck and then on to Fingal Beach, walking down almost a kilometre of steps to reach the beach. From there we backtracked and returned to the Fingal Picnic Ground.<br /><br />Note: we didn't follow the walk route for Greens Bush and Cape Schanck outlined in <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a>, but if you took two cars, it would be a reasonable alternative.<br /><br /><h3>My comments</h3>While the walking tracks aren't interesting in and of themselves, the views from the boardwalk at Cape Schanck and Bushrangers Bay are so beautiful that this is a walk I'd definitely repeat. <br /><br />Bushrangers Bay is fabulous, the highlight being the rocky tidal pools around Elephant Rock. One pool looked like it was made for a queen - perfectly clear bright blue water, held in a pool lined with small smooth round rocks, and rimmed with mushroom pink plantlife. Just gorgeous. <br /> <br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/cape-schanck-strip.jpg" alt="Cape Schanck photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/capeschanck/show/">Cape Schanck photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112509329086876492?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1124584749424662172005-08-20T22:27:00.000+10:002006-01-01T18:40:39.653+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/lerderderg-east.jpg" alt="Photo: Sign on walking track" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 12.0km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4.5 hours (it tooks us 5 hours with a short lunch break)<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 300m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 620m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Goldfields, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Meridien Productions 1:35,000 Lerderderg and Werribee Gorges<br /><br />"The Lerderderg State Park was created in 1987 and its central feature is the 300m deep gorge carved by the Lerderderg River. The river has cut into and exposed beds of ancient sandstone and slate. Beside the river are thickets of grevillea, hakea and wattle with large blue gums and manna gums arching over the stream. Higher up the slopes the forest is much drier with stringybark and ironbark gum trees towering over open forest floors."<br /><br />"This walk passes through all the major habitats in the park as it follows the river and returns along a high ridge. Some of the history of the area is evident with aqueducts and diggins from the gold mining era and the old vehicle tracks left from when trees were cut for sawlogs."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We got off to a bad start with a flat battery that delayed our arrival at O'Brien's Crossing. We had two walk options that originally were dependent on the water level at the crossing, but given that I had to be home by 6pm, we had to opt for the shorter, 5 hour walk - Lerderderg East.<br /><br />Just over half of the walk is along a track that runs alongside the Lerderderg River. It had rained the previous day and earlier that morning so the walking surface was quite slippery in parts - I managed to slip over three times! The track led us through lots of rocky sections, a short steep cliff climb and a very narrow, eroding ledge high above the river. <br /><br />It took three hours to reach the end of the river section of the track, where we stopped for a short lunch break. The final part of the walk was along Cowan Track, an old vehicle track through fairly open forest. While not particularly interesting, at least it did give us a few short uphill sections.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Not bad, but I'm not all that keen on walking along vehicle tracks, so wouldn't repeat this walk in a hurry. <br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/lerderderg-east-strip.jpg" alt="Lerderderg East photos" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/lerderdergeast/show/">Lerderderg East photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112458474942466217?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1123921328990996362005-08-13T18:17:00.000+10:002006-01-01T18:43:47.386+11:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/werribee-gorge.jpg" alt="Photo: Cliffs in Werribee Gorge" height="404" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 12.0km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4.5 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium to hard<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 405m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 360m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Goldfields, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Meridien Productions 1:20,000 Lerderderg and Werribee Gorges<br /><br />"The dominant geological feature to the west of Melbourne is the Rowsley Fault. East of this fault lies the plains surrounding Port Phillip Bay while to the west is the uplifted plateau that extends to Ballarat. The Werribee River has cut deeply into this plateau creating a rugged steep-sided gorge."<br /><br />"A series of walking tracks and foot pads visit most of the major features and this walk negotiates both Werribee Gorge and the subsidiary Ironbark Gorge."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We almost always get lost on our walks, and today was no exception. We missed Ironbark Gorge either by taking the wrong track right at the start of the walk, or by missing a turn - we're still not sure where we went wrong. However, our navigation error turned out to be rather serendipitous (Chris P managed to get just the right word) as we found our way to the spectacular views offered by Falcons Lookout - aptly named as Chris J soon spotted a falcon. <br /><br />Chris P had an older walking book that showed a path from the lookout down to the point where Ironbark Gorge meets the river, so we took that option to rejoin the original route. On a steep rocky climb down, Chris J managed to burst the zip of his backpack, sending his water bottle spiraling down. As luck would have it, Chris P managed to spot it at the bottom and hop across some rocks to retrieve it.<br /><br />Crossing the river wasn't straightforward. Because we weren't sure we'd reached the river at the right point to cross (it certainly wasn't crossable here), we took a vague track around the edge of a cliff face to see if we could find a suitable crossing. Chris P scarpered off across a fallen log that provided a bridge over the river and promptly disappeared. In the meantime, Chris J and I found ourselves in the middle of a swarm of bees, one of which managed to get tangled in my hair, stinging me on the scalp in the process! Chris P soon returned saying he'd been able to cross the river and find the track on the other side. So over the river on the log we went. My knees were knocking by the time I was back on terra firma. Although the log was suspended only a metre or so above the water, the thought of falling into a freezing cold rocky-bottomed river carrying pack full of gear and camera didn't appeal.<br /><br />We soon found Needles Beach, a sandy oasis with a fantastic rocky gorge cliff-face as a backdrop and then continued on around the river, scrambling over rocks and negotiating a few rocky ledges--one even had a line bolted into the rockface to hang on to--to reach Lions Head Beach. <br /><br />We then walked alongside an old aqueduct for a couple of kilometres, marvelling at the effort it must have taken to build it in such difficult terrain, before heading up to the quarry picnic area where we stopped for a short while for lunch. <br /><br />The next part of the walk took us along the top of the gorge to the Eastern Lookout, where we could see back over the east to the city--on the horizon in the far distance--and then Picnic Point where we had a fabulous view of the gorge and winding river and the walking route we'd taken during the morning. It was quite impressive!<br /><br />After a long, rocky descent we made our way back to Needles Beach, running into some stinging nettles along the way. A discussion on the beach saw the guys keen to cross back over the river and walk back via Ironbark Gorge, while I was more inclined to take the route up over the Western Bluff. After a consensus decision to do the gorge, my inability to tackle the log crossing had Chris P hunting around for other crossing options before we gave up and decided to go over the Bluff. We headed back around past Needles Beach, back over the rocks to a point on the river where we were able to cross over rocks to reach the vaguely defined track leading up to Western Bluff. <br /><br />It was a tough way to end the walk. Mostly uphill, and a good deal of it on a very thin, rocky ridge. But we all felt a real sense of achievement when arriving back at the cars.<br /><br />I haven't felt this tired after a walk in a long while. It took us 6.5 hours rather than the 4.5 quoted. While taking the wrong route at the start might account for 15-20 minutes extra time, and our attempts to cross the river to take the Ironbark Gorge route back might have cost a similar amount of time, we still have over an hour of extra time to account for. We certainly weren't dawdling or stopping for long breaks. I also thought there was more than 405m of climbing involved. But maybe it was all the adrenaline caused by my fear of heights, maybe a fear of logs or log-bridges?<br /><br /><h3>My rating</h3>Excellent. This is a really beautiful walk through spectacular scenery--the rock faces of the gorge are wonderful--and many changes of vegetation. A little hairy crossing the river, but definitely a walk to do again (when I've forgotten about that log).<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/werribee-gorge-strip.jpg" alt=" " style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/werribeegorge/show/">Werribee Gorge photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112392132899099636?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1123391599845702102005-08-07T15:07:00.000+10:002005-08-07T16:32:38.416+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_9117.jpg" width="500" height="379" alt="Photo: Large treefern" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 11.4km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium <br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 700m <br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 500m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges National Park<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps 65, 74<br /><br />"The forest near Ferntree Gully has always been a popular destination for a brief escape from the nearby city. First reservedin 1882, it became a national park in 1927 and in 1987 was merged with nearby Sherbrooke and Doongalla Forests into the Dandenong Ranges National Park. A network of walking tracks and closed fire management tracks penetrate the forest providing pleasant year round walking."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><br /><h3>My comments</h3>Today we repeated this walk we'd done about three months ago, and which was the first in our series of training walks for Nepal. <br /><br />Chris seemed very reluctant to repeat the walk. I soon confirmed it was because he thinking it was still going to be pretty tough. But we aced it this time! The "1000 steps" section--a set of 1000 slippery, uneven stone steps--was much easier than before: no huffing and puffing or needing to stop every few steps. And I even managed the steep Chandler's Hill without any grumbling!<br /><br />We finished the walk in about 3 hours and 20 minutes (more than an hour faster than the last time), despite stopping to take lots of photos. Our timing was good too - the rain started just as we sat down at the picnic ground near the carpark to eat our lunch.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Good. A great training walk and a good way to judge your fitness.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/ferntree-gully-forest2-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Ferntree Gully Forest walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/ftgf2/show/">Ferntree Gully Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112339159984570210?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1122724712768444452005-07-30T21:56:00.000+10:002005-07-31T10:07:19.543+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/tree-fern.jpg" alt="Photo: Hairpin Banksia" height="342" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 9.3km and 3.5km</strong><br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 235m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 300m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Gembrook, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> VICMAP 1:25,000 Gembrook South<br /><br />"The mountain forests of Bunyip State Park, often overlooked by bushwalkers, have a fascinating natural history with a wide range of vegetation types. these include swampy heathlands of prickly tea-tree and heathy woodlands of taller stringybar trees with an attractive understorey of Hakea, Banksia and Bush-eal. Walking through these forests is always a pleasure, the more so in spring when flowering shrubs and plants add a touch of colour."<br /><br />"In Victoria buttongrass is a rarity but of all places there is a small patch lurking in a swamp not far from Gembrook. The Friends of Bunyip State Park, a volunteer community group, have constructed a first class walking track to ease passage through the wet heathlands."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We combined the Tree Fern and Buttongrass walks to make a reasonably easy day of walking for us. And it was just as well. Chris had sore feet and I had a headache, so something more arduous would have been quite tough.<br /><br />We both enjoyed the Tree Fern Walk with its changing vegetation throughout the walk. We particularly enjoyed the atmosphere in the fern-filled gully between Windy Point and Link roads, though taking photos was a little treacherous due to slippery sloping tracks and the dim light. The track was hard to find in a couple of places (this is clearly not a popular walking track), and the directions a little unclear at times.<br /><br />The Buttongrass Walk would probably be appreciated more by people who are more knowledgeable about native flora. However, I was pleased that there was a pamphlet available that showed the various wattle and hakea species that we saw and photographed.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Not a bad walk, but a little far to travel for a short walking day.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/tree-fern-strip.jpg" alt=" " style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/treefernwalk/show/">Tree Fern and Buttongrass Walks photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112272471276844445?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1121573251249727782005-07-23T22:00:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:13:21.876+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/olinda-valley-falls.jpg" alt="Photo: " height="413" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 16.3km</strong> (two walks combined)<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium to hard<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 500m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 510m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps 52, 66, 120, 122<br /><br />"The Dandenong Ranges National Park was enlarged in 1997 when the forests around Olinda and Lyrebird Creeks were added to the park. These forests have a varied history and were lucky to survive. They were commercially logged from 1855 until 1968 when logging stopped and forest use was changed to mixed recreation."<br /><br />"The native forests that remain feature Messmate and Peppermint gums. The quiet tracks provide good bird watching conditions and lyrebirds, cockatoos, parrots, tree-creepers and honey-eaters are some of hte birds that are commonly seen."<br /><br />"The walk begins at Woolrich Lookout which has good views north towards Silvan Dam. It passes through the arboretum and then descends through native forest following quiet tracks and roads and returns along fire management trails."<br /><br />"On the eastern side of Mt Dandenong hidden in tall forest are a series of small cascades. These are known as Olinda Falls and tracks lead to viewing platforms at both the upper and lower falls."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We combined two walks - Olinda Valley and Olinda Falls - to give us a reasonable walk for the day. It took us just under 6 hours to complete the 16 or so kilometres - largely due to stopping to take photos. <br /><br />Fortunately, the forecast rain didn't appear and the tracks were in pretty good order. The Dandenong Ranges scenery was beautiful, as always. Again we were treated to lush ferny undergrowth and some spectacular treeferns. The Olinda Falls were pretty, and a couple of the tracks ran alongside creeks, so we were occasionally accompanied by the beautiful sound of running water.<br /><br />We saw a few walkers on the shorter Olinda Falls route, but no one on the longer Olinda Valley track. I can't believe these tracks aren't more widely used - I guess winter isn't peak season for bushwalking.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>A good walk that I'd definitely repeat again.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/olinda-valley-falls-strip.jpg" alt=" " style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/olindavalleyandfalls/show/">Olinda Valley and falls photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112157325124972778?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1120982059416692422005-07-16T21:37:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:14:22.596+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/sherbrooke-forest.jpg" alt="Photo: Footbridge over creek in Sherbrooke Forest" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 11.5km</strong><br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 480m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 490m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway 75, 124<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We were really lucky to get fine weather for the walk today. It had been lousy weather all week, and the rain started less than 15 minutes after we'd finished.<br /><br />The walk was quite picturesque, particularly the section on the western side of Monbulk Road where we walked through a gallery of tree ferns under tall Mountain Ash forest. It got quite slippery and muddy on Hillclimb Track near Sherbrooke Falls, but other than that the tracks were in good order.<br /><br />We did an extra little circuit, adding just over 2km onto the walk, and finished in just under 5 hours as a result.<br /><br /><h3>My rating</h3>A pretty walk that I'd rate easy rather than medium, and would definitely do again.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/sherbrooke-forest-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Sherbrooke Forest walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/sherbrookeforest/show/">Sherbrooke Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112098205941669242?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1120649258871841792005-07-09T17:58:00.000+10:002005-07-17T09:40:04.356+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_8792.jpg" alt="Photo: Kangaroos and joey " height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 21.6km km</strong> <br /><strong>Time:</strong> 7 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium to hard <br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 480m <br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 225m <br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria <br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melways 82, 83, 108<br /><br />"Lysterfield Lake Park and adjoining Churchill National Park form a valuable walking area close to Melbourne. Due to its importance as a water catchment, the lake environs were protected from development and remain in their natural state. Churchill National Park came into existence in the 1930s. Both parks retain a precious example of natural forest and bushland and are an important refuge for much native wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, possums, black swans, grebes and pelicans."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>My usual walking partner went skiing this weekend, so I was fortunate enough to have Mark and his daughter Claudine come along for company. I'm not too sure I'd want to do much bushwalking on my own.<br /><br />The forecast was for showers, and it was raining as we drove to Lysterfield to start the walk. Unfortunately, the rain didn't let up all day. As a result, there was no stopping to take photos and only the shortest break for lunch because we couldn't find any cover.<br /><br />While being a good length, the walk was rather pedestrian (pardon the pun). Many of the tracks were vehicle maintenance tracks rather than walking tracks, there was little walking uphill, and the scenery wasn't anything spectacular (a few too many glimpes of suburbia for my liking). Perhaps Lysterfield Lake would have more appeal when it isn't so wet and cold. <br /><br />The main attraction was the wildlife. There were dozens of kangaroos and wallabies, many with young in their pouches. The photo above shows a little joey just poking out of the pouch of the kangaroo in the foreground.<br /><br />According to our guide book, the park is usually so popular that the carpark fills up early. We were the first to arrive today, and there were only 3 or 4 cars there when we left. However, we did encounter several groups of mountain bike riders and a couple of joggers, despite the poor conditions.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>OK. A little mundane to warrant another visit any time soon. We did the walk in 6 hours, and I'd rate it medium because of the length, but easy otherwise.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3>I didn't take any photos apart from a couple of very quick snaps of some kangaroos. It was just too wet to keep pulling out the camera.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-112064925887184179?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118630538158414412005-06-25T23:41:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:15:24.896+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_8425.jpg" alt="Photo: Walking along a track on Mt Dandenong" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length: 15.5km</strong> <br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium to hard <br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 640m <br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 633m <br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria <br /><strong>Map:</strong> VICMAP Kilsyth <br />"Melbourne's mountain is undoubtedly Mt Dandenong. Looming over the eastern suburbs, its slopes contain some fine forested and treefern lined tracks. Being so close to the city is has been extensively developed. The summit contains a lookout and restaurant (currently closed) and there is also a series of tall television transmission towers along its skyline. Less known but just as interesting, are the grounds and gardens of the old Doongalla estate. While the main house was destroyed by bushfire in 1932, the park-like grounds provide an interesting contrast to the surrounding eucalypt forests. Bushfires are regular events on the mountain and a network of management tracks exist to facilitate fire fighting. These tracks are close for public vehicle access and provide good walking."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>Jane and Guy organised this walk, and a bunch of their friends came along (David, who we'd met on the <a href="http://bush-walking.blogspot.com/2005/05/macedon-ranges.html">Macedon Ranges walk</a>, Liz and Andrew, and Judith and Karl), and our colleague Scott, making it a more social occasion than our usual two-person walks.<br /><br />On the advice of a local Parks person, we skipped the first rocky uphill section of the walk and took the road up to the fire station where we found the walking track behind a small reserve. We made our way to the summit lookout at Mt Dandenong without problem and stopped for coffee. <br /><br />Re-starting the walk, we felt a little lost because the track nearest the summit lookout was marked as a short circuit and didn't have signage indicating the track name (Kyeema Track). We walked around a little looking to see if there was an alternative track, and finding nothing else promising, we headed off and soon found we were on the right track.<br /><br />Kyeema track runs along a ridge from where you can get great views of the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The track then turns down to meet Dacite track, and becomes very rough and slippery. A four-wheel drive had recently been over the track making it even more squishy and difficult to walk.<br /><br />Our next navigational challenge turned out to be a physical challenge as well. We took a wrong turn and had to scramble up an extremely steep and slippery track. Several people slipped and fell. I managed to capture a couple of photos of the mayhem, but was too busy gripping a tree fern and trying to maintain my footing to get any more. When we finally reached the top, our error was discovered, and there was some moaning and groaning (mainly from me) about the tough task of getting back down again. Some slid and bumped their way down on their bottoms, others did the downhill partly by walking in the rough off the track. This definitely taught me about the value of walking poles. I'm going to buy some!<br /><br />The weather was fine, and when we rounded the track near Doongalla Estate, the sunlight was breaking through the trees. We stopped in the park-like gardens of the estate for lunch, sampling some of the goodies that had been brought along including craisins (dried cranberries, yum!) and sweet chilli and coriander rice crackers (full of MSG, but tasty!).<br /><br />The remainder of the walk was pleasant and without incident. We finished up at around 3pm (having started just before 10am) and some headed off for tea and cakes, while others went home for a quick nap before going out for the evening. <br /><br /><h3>My rating</h3>Good. Avoid during wet periods because parts of the track are extremely slippery.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/mtdandenong-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Mt Dandenong walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/mtdandenong/show/">Mt Dandenong photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111863053815841441?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118624250324817392005-06-18T22:55:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:15:49.350+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_1459.jpg" alt="Photo: Bridge over creek amongst lush ferns" height="333" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 18.8km<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Hard<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 720m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 505m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Kinglake National Park, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Outdoor Leisure Map, Kinglake National Park<br /><br />"The forest covered hills of Kinglake National Park tower over the northern suburbs of Melbourne and are the start of the Great Dividing Range. The dry ridges and steep slopes were not suitable for farming and early commercial development was limited to some small gold mines and timber harvesting. The open forest and fern-filled gullies were attractive to visitors and in 1928 the national park was established and has been enlarged several times since then."<br /><br />"This walk follows a long circuit based on three of the park's higher forested peaks. While only minimal distant views are seen, the forest shade and shelter provide pleasant walking conditions all year round."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>It took us 6 hours to complete this walk. I can't see how we'd have done it in 5. Sure, we messed around a little taking photos, but took a very short break for lunch and didn't stop long for rests along the walk. (BTW, doing a search turned up a few pages with conflicting stats for this walk. Some claimed in was 19.6km, another said 22km, others said it was a 6 hour walk, not 5. Whatever the distance, I'd definitely plan on needing 6 hours to do this walk.)<br /><br />The start and finish (you walk back along the first 3.2kms) are beautiful, if a little treacherous. In parts, erosion has taken its toll and the narrow walking track is barely enough to get a single foothold on - the rest slopes away sharply and unevenly. Exposed tree roots, small rocks, and many fallen trees mix things up even more. And the track is covered in leaves which can be quite slippery. At the end of the walk, when tiredness and increasing damp and cold saw us both slipping and tripping our way through this section of the walk, I couldn't believe it when I realised Chris was checking his email and making a phone call - and tempting fate! But it is a really gorgeous few kilometres. Dense undergrowth, tall ferns and other greenery give it a jungle feel. We loved it.<br /><br />The remainder of the walk wasn't quite as pretty, but was still enjoyable. There was a mix of walking tracks, maintenance tracks and a short section of unsealed road. There's a very narrow descent just after Mt Everard and while you have to keep your wits about you, it wasn't as technically difficult as the descent we encountered towards the end of the <a href="http://bush-walking.blogspot.com/2005/05/macedon-ranges.html">Macedon Ranges walk</a>. The toughest part of the walk was probably Mt Jerusalem Track because of the long ascent (though it was fairly gradual) towards the end of the walk. <br /><br />There was 720 metres of ascent in total, which is more than we've done before. The gradual incline meant that it didn't seem as tough as climbing the 1000 steps in the <a href="http://bush-walking.blogspot.com/2005/05/ferntree-gully-forest.html">Ferntree Gully Forest</a>. Lots of downhills on this walk got my left knee acting up again - a few stretches relieved it. And it was an 18.8km walk, so by the time we got back to the car, we were both pretty tired.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Excellent. But I wouldn't do it in wet weather, given the condition of the first few kilometres of the walk.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/mteverard-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Mt Everard walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/mteverard/show/">Mt Everard photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111862425032481739?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118391871830308632005-06-11T17:35:00.000+10:002006-08-27T11:21:04.616+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_8360.jpg" alt="Photo: Fungus found on Mason Falls Circuit" height="387" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 13.5km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4.5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 420m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 570m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Kinglake National Park, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Outdoor Leisure Map, Kinglake National Park<br /><br />"Just north of Melbourne is the Kinglake Ntional Park. It was established in 1928 and has been extended several times since. The park is composed of four large blocks which are separated from each other by private property. The oldest section of the park is the Sugarloaf Block and this contains the popular Masons Falls and a lookout at Mt Sugarloaf. These features are linked by a series of walking tracks and management roads that provide an excellent circuit walk."<br /><br />"A major feature of this walk is the wide variety of plants. The track<br />initially follows a high ridge covered with messmate forest then<br />descends into a fern-filled guylly where blackwood, wattles,<br />pomaderris and tree-ferns dominate. Many orchids, lilies, daisies,<br />correas and grevilleas are also found in the forest. This diversity of<br />plant life means there is always something flowering."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>The forecast was "rain clearing later" and it was raining when we started the walk, but I'm glad we decided to go ahead. The messmate forest was misty and atmospheric in the light rain. The light ferny undergrowth became more dense a few kilometres into the walk. When we reached the valley the rain stopped and everything was glistening in the light--green and lush. It was absolutely beautiful. Listening to the water running in the creek alongside the walking path added to the ambience.<br /><br />Masons Falls, which we reached 3.5 hours into the walk, were more impressive than I'd imagined they'd be, but it was hard to get any decent photos shooting directly into the sun (under the shade of Chris's trusty umbrella that we'd used to cover the camera in the rain earlier in the day).<br /><br />The walk felt like it was over not long after we'd begun, probably because we were fairly engrossed in the environment, and I took quite a lot of photos, despite the rain and poor light in places.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Excellent. Definitely a walk I'll do again.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/masons-falls-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Masons Falls walk" style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt;" height="104" width="500" /><br />For more, see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/masonsfallscircuit/show/">Masons Falls Circuit photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111839187183030863?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118189188609958482005-06-05T20:38:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:20:12.246+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_8229.jpg" alt="Photo: birds in the lake at Birds Land Reserve" height="375" width="500" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 10.5km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 3.5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 250m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 230m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps 83, 84<br /><br />"Nestling in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, not far from Belgrave, is a small park with the unusual name of Birds Land. Although rich in bird life, this reserve owes its name not to the birds but to a former owner..."<br /><br />"Two man-made lakes, part of the Monbulk Creek Retarding Basin, are home for numerous ducks and water hens... Entering Lysterfield Lake Park the scenery takes on a more natural feel as eucalypt forest predominates. With luck, wallabies may be seen feeding in the grassland close to the shelter of the forest".<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>We decided to do an extra walk this weekend after yesterday's disappointing effort. The weather was perfect again--clear skies and cool, with just the tiniest sprinkling of rain for a few minutes at the start.<br /><br />The reserve was filled with people walking dogs and feeding the birds, but we didn't see many people once we'd left the reserve: just a couple of guys mountain-biking, and two women who were out for a Sunday stroll rather than a strenuous walk. Chris was happy to see some Tibetan spaniels out for a walk, and their owner confirmed that the females of the breed have less than ideal temperaments (though anyone who has met Poppy would already know this).<br /><br />Chris took his <abbr title="Global Positioning System">GPS</abbr> unit again, and it performed well except for a small map discrepancy - I've no idea whether the GPS or the map was to blame. I was responsible for us missing a turn (and the GPS didn't alert us), and we then had to backtrack up a very steep hill, right after I'd commented that I was glad we were walking down and not up it!<br /><br />I'd grade the walk easy to medium, since there wasn't a lot of climbing and no difficult terrain to negotiate. A good walk to do when you're not very fit or don't have a lot of time.<br /><br />It would also be a nice place to take the family/dogs for a picnic and for those not inclined to exercise to relax and have a read while the walkers do their thing.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Good. I'd happily repeat this walk again some time.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/birds-land-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Birds Land walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/birdslandreserve/show/">Birds Land Reserve photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111818918860995848?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118192477706304712005-06-04T21:47:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:21:07.730+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_8180.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="Photo: boats moored in Patterson River" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 18.8km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5.5 hours<br /><strong>Grade:</strong> medium to hard<br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 10m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong>10m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Eastern shore of Port Philip Bay, Victoria<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps 92, 93, 97<br /><br />"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. The 101 hectare wetlands are a remnant of the Carrum-Carrum Swamp that once covered more than 10,000 hectares. The swamp was drained in 1879 by construction of the Patterson River and much of the area was then used for farming and later developed for housing. The remnant wetlands were first regarded as being just drains for flood control but are now recognised as being important refuges for birds and native vegetation. A combined walking and cycling path passes through the wetlands and is used to return to Mordialloc."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a><br /><h3>My comments</h3>Chris finally succumbed to temptation and bought a <abbr title="Global Positioning System">GPS</abbr> unit that works with his Treo 650. Not that we could have gotten lost on this walk. The route was very straightforward.<br /><br />In fact, the back half the walk was boring. So boring, I'd never do it again. The path was almost dead straight for several kilometres. And the environment was barely wetlands and more accurately described as suburban.<br /><br />I would grade the walk as easy-medium. I've got no idea how it could be rated medium-hard. It was very pedestrian.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Poor.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/mordialloc-carrum-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Mordialloc-Carrum walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/mordialloc/show/">Mordialloc-Carrum photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111819247770630471?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118196753249656162005-05-21T19:09:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:22:59.033+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_8111.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Photo: Sanatorium Lake, Macedon Ranges" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 18.5km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 5.5 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium <br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 550m<br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> (to come)<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Macedon ranges<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps (to come)<br />(Description to come) <br /><h3>My comments</h3>This was a great walk organised by Jane and Guy. We got the hardest part out of the way at the start: a very steep walk up the side of a hill that had most of us panting heavily. Jane seemed to bolt ahead with no problems (though Guy was carrying their pack at this stage).<br /><br />The scenery was fabulous throughout the walk, but the promised wildlife was missing. I only heard one small bird call towards the end of the walk.<br /><br />The steep descent towards the end of the walk freaked me out a little. There was nothing to hang on to, the track was right on the edge of the mountain with a sheer drop over the edge, and footing was a little dodgy. It was pretty hard on the knees too, however I'd been doing lots of stretching so felt OK.<br /><br />We did a car shuffle to avoid having to walk the last 1.5km of the walk which would have been on bitumen and uphill - not a nice way to finish what was an otherwise fabulous walk.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Excellent. I'll definitely do this walk again.<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/macedon-strip.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Macedon Ranges walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/macedonranges/show/">Macedon Ranges photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111819675324965616?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118198241258866682005-05-14T18:17:00.000+10:002005-07-24T18:23:28.463+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_1380.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Photo: Ferny walkway in Ferntree Gully Forest" /><br /><h3>Walk overview</h3><strong>Length:</strong> 11.4km circuit<br /><strong>Time:</strong> 4 hours <br /><strong>Grade:</strong> Medium <br /><strong>Ascent:</strong> 700m <br /><strong>Maximum height:</strong> 500m<br /><strong>Region:</strong> Dandenong Ranges National Park<br /><strong>Map:</strong> Melway maps 65, 74<br /><br />"The forest near Ferntree Gully has always been a popular destination for a brief escape from the nearby city. First reservedin 1882, it became a national park in 1927 and in 1987 was merged with nearby Sherbrooke and Doongalla Forests into the Dandenong Ranges National Park. A network of walking tracks and closed fire management tracks penetrate the forest providing pleasant year round walking."<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a><br /><br /><h3>My comments</h3>This was the first training walk in the lead up to the trip to Nepal that my friend Chris and I have planned for October. Neither of us is horribly unfit, but we certainly need to get fitter than we are now.<br /><br />This walk was recommended by my team member, Guy, as a suitable first walk because we were unlikely to get lost. Guess what - we did! Not totally lost, and it didn't cost us any time as it simply meant that we'd walked the wrong way around the "Nature trail" at the start of the walk.<br /><br />And it was a bit more arduous than either of us was ready for. I think it should probably have been graded medium to hard. The "Thousand steps" section--a set of 1000 slippery, uneven stone steps--had me stopping frequently to rest very weary muscles and catch my breath, occasionally feeling like my lungs were going to explode.<br /><br />It was very pretty, though, with lots of ferns and greenery. The back section of the walk on access roads was less appealing and I remember grumbling quite a bit about having to walk up some long steady uphill sections.<br /><br />My first outing in my trekking boots went reasonably well. I had a couple of sore spots, but no blisters.<br /><h3>My rating</h3>Good. I'll need to be fitter before doing it again!<br /><h3>Photos from this walk</h3><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/ferntree-gully-forest.jpg" alt="Photo filmstrip with highlights from Ferntree Gully Forest walk" height="104" width="500" style="border: none; margin: 0" /><br />For more see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dey/tags/ferntreegully/show/">Ferntree Gully Forest photo slideshow</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111819824125886668?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474870.post-1118543420415677452005-05-10T12:26:00.000+10:002005-07-17T09:49:09.100+10:00<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/deyalexander/Bushwalking/IMG_1222.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Photo: trekking boots" /><h3>In training</h3>I'm heading off to Nepal for a trekking trip with my friend Chris in October. In preparation for the trip, we've taking up bushwalking. This will give us the opportunity to try out the gear that we'll be taking - boots especially - and improve our fitness as well.<br /><br />I've been wanting to get into bushwalking for ages now, but lacked the motivation. Planning the trip to Nepal has given me the focus (or the fear, perhaps) I needed to get moving. I didn't know anything at all about bushwalking, so the list below are some of the things I've found useful for making a start.<br /><h3>Bushwalking basics</h3><ul><li><strong>Don't rush out and buy a whole lot of gear.</strong> Borrow things to try out first if you can. Hiking gear isn't cheap (and the cheap stuff probably isn't worth buying), so you want to make sure you're buying the things you really need.</li><li><strong>Get good boots before going on a long walk.</strong> Don't walk on difficult terrain or in the wet without decent hiking boots.</li><li><strong>Don't be stingy when it comes to buying boots.</strong> I spent almost $AU400 on a pair of gore-tex lined full leather italian boots (La Sportiva's "Tibet", pictured above) and they've turned out to be fantastic.</li><li><strong>Start off with easy-to-navigate walks.</strong> Learn how to use maps. Don't try a difficult walk without the assistance of an experienced walker. Join a club if you can't find anyone experienced to walk with.</li><li><strong>Look out for decent walking books.</strong> Two I'd recommend (if you live in Melbourne) are <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-mday.html"><cite>Day Walks Melbourne</cite></a> and <a href="http://www.john.chapman.name/pub-vday.html"><cite>Day Walks Victoria</cite></a></li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/13474870-111854342041567745?l=bush-walking.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Didihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12129943177841298808noreply@blogger.com