Bungal State Forest Circuit - 12.7 Kms

 U3A Hike No 118.

Photo of Blue Group

Attendance: Twenty-two hikers in three groups. Links for interactive map and downloadable gpx file are afer the photos.

Hike Report by Joan Brick

Our adventure began watching Mt Egerton slowly coming to life as we waited for our fearless leader to give us the signal to “Tally Ho!”.  Because many of us had never been in this neck of the woods, we looked forward to what lie ahead.  Once parked, our first glance was drawn towards the tracks that were carved into the side of the hill from trail bikes giving us a good indication of the users of this forest.  The weather was on our side which made a pleasant start as we set off on our way and we welcomed Sue who joined us for her first hike with the group.

As we entered the forest we were met with tall spindly trees with most of the growth at the top of the trees thus giving us a pretty good view of the low grass and large amount of dead wood and branches scattered on the forest floor.  One can see that the Whipstick Scrub name for this area is appropriate when looking at the undergrowth of the forest.   The “walking” trail consisted of either walking on dirt/gravel roads or tracks formed from the two wheeled bikes that have truly made their mark throughout this forest.  We meandered from one track to another some named, some not, taking in the surrounds and keeping our eyes open especially for any plant species that made itself known to us. It was a delight to hear the conversations emanating from these hidden gems scattered throughout our walk.

Andrew contributed to the discussion in pointing out a plant species that he strongly advised people to remove from their gardens as it grows rampant if allowed.  Our walk wouldn’t be the same without a hill and Andrew did not disappoint with one that was steep, winding and with loose gravel. 

The only piece of history regarding the area that could be found was that there was an initial attempt to mine iron in the area.  We did come across a raised hill with a mine shaft that was meticulously dug in a rectangular shape and appeared to possibly be someone’s dream to strike it rich!  Having been at a rifle range in our last walk at Woowookarung, we know what targets look like but were surprised to see a pair of jeans used as for target practice in this forest!

We continued our ramble around tracks, up and down gullies and finally returned safely to our cars.  We gathered for lunch enjoying just being out in nature in good company with like-minded hikers. 

A big thanks to Andrew, Gordon and Chris who keep us on the straight and narrow path.  A special thanks go Andrew and Gordon who go out of their way under the current circumstances to search out new and interesting trails for us to explore!

Photos by Mark, Andrew and Joan




























LINKS:

                       INTERACTIVE MAP

     GPX FILE

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