Bungal State Forest Loop - 12 Kms

 U3A Hike No. 248


Hike Report by Teena

We set off towards the Bungal State Forest surrounded by a lot of fog which we hoped would disappear by the time we reached our destination. Arriving at the carpark, we were met with drizzly rain, but the fog had lifted and so the twelve of us set off.

First obstacle was the fact that the road was closed due to the bridge being washed away during the floods last year. We followed Andrew’s lead past the ‘Road Closed’ sign and down the bank into the creek, through the creek and up the other side. Watched by a very bemused camper. We continued up into Bungal State Forest following the Moorabool River which offered a perfect opportunity for the group photo. After climbing down to the river and the photo being taken Anne pointed out the face in the rockside opposite. It certainly looked like a Monkey’s face, but not everyone could see it. Anne felt it was a special place so she named it Anne’s Secret Sanctuary, the smell of the Eucalyptus trees were quite fragrant and gave the area a very relaxing atmosphere. All we needed was a few massage beds and some gentle music and that’s where the walk would have ended!

But no, off we scrambled up the bank and continued northwards. Climbing up a steep path, we were all looking forward to morning tea once we got past the top. We stopped for our break at the ‘log café’ where there was plenty of seating to be found and we sat and enjoyed the sun shining through the forest trees surrounding us.

Before starting off again, Andrew found some empty rifle shells on the ground, there were quite a few which held our interest for a while. After we had collected what we could and handed them over to Colin, we walked on through the forest on good walking tracks, cutting across the bush at times. We found an old iron mine, which looked more like a quarry. The lumps of iron we found were surprisingly weighty for their size.

We came across a covering of white on the ground, which Andrew 'tongue in cheek' explained was, ‘sponge’. Most likely a form of coral lichen and possibly 'Pulchrocladia retipora' (see link after photos)  It certainly looked like you could use it for a good rub down. Nearing the end of the walk we discovered a large European wasp’s nest at the bottom of a tree trunk, leaving the wasps in peace we continued back to the starting point. We carefully negotiated the creek banks, and the creek, to safely arrive at the cars again. Getting out our chairs we sat together to enjoy our lunch, a little way from the cars, where we were joined by an uninvited guest, Mr (or Mrs) Rat.  (native bush rat) It certainly enjoyed some of our lunch which we happily donated to our little friend who brought us so much entertainment at the end of the walk.

A great walk, thank you, Andrew, and Jan for navigating our way around the walk and also to Gordon for keeping us together as the whip. It was good to see Mark B back with us again and taking photos for the blog. Congratulations to Annette for completing the London Marathon, it was good to see you back with us again too.

Photos by Mark B and Andrew






















LINKS





Comments

  1. Anonymous20 May 2023 at 16:00

    Unfortunately, all the feedback I've had regarding our 'bushrat' is that it is a rattus rattus (common black rat). The key point of difference is that this one has a tail much longer than its body whereas the bush rat's tail is shorter than its body. The bushrat also has a pointed nose and rounded ears.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jan20 May 2023 at 17:37

    It was a very cute rat.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Berringa Mines and Heritage Walk - 9 Kms

Image
 U3A Hike No 279 Hike Report by Lyn The day was overcast and hazy as our group set out from the Berringa Recreation Reserve and started walking back towards Ballarat. Soon we stopped and marvelled in awe as Andrew waved a $50 note in the air, then a $5 note apparently picked up from amongst the roadside litter. However we were not fooled and Andrew returned the notes to his pocket and we continued on.  Our first mine we came across was the Birthday Tunnel mine set high up the steep sided gully. Since our last visit in February 2021, the mining relics consisting of brickwork and a rusting boiler were still evident but a new addition in the form of a modern looking living transportable container was within close proximity. Not wanting to hang around for too long we then descended the steep sided gully concentrating on our foot placement as it would have been very easy to slip on the downward leaning grasses, although we took time out to look at the impressive mullock heap.  With expert n
Read more

287. Frith Gully - Mt Misery Loop. Enfield State Park

Image
 U3A Hike No 287 Hike Report by Colin Fraser Eight hikers assembled outside the Marty Busch Reserve in Sebastopol for an 11.5 km hike on the Frith Gully-Mt Misery Loop in the Enfield State Park. We travelled in two vehicles to the start of the walk at Bald Hill on Incolls Road, Enfield. The walk was graded as moderate, and described as continuously hilly. We walking paths and rough bush roads through isolated parts of the park. There were deep gullies with lush vegetation, high ridges with open scrub, and areas that still bear the scars of extensive surface mining in the 19th century. We followed Misery Creek Road south then the Misery Creek and Forest Park walking tracks to Surface Point Picnic Ground, where we had smoko. Before arriving at Surface Point we were accompanied overhead by the raucous alarm calls of a group of cockatoos warning of our intrusion into their forest. Coincidently this occurred just near Mt Cockatoo!! We shared the picnic table with a man who was camping there
Read more

305. Fisherman's Bend - Port Melbourne Walk 11.3km

Image
 U3A Hike No 305 Aerial Photo Showing Former Airfield Hike Report By Sharon Moss. On a blustery but fortunately dry morning , 19 intrepid travelers made their way to Southern Cross Station to begin their suburban hike through Fisherman’s Bend - Port Melbourne. We set off at a brisk pace with Andrew capably leading us & Gordon as whip. We had a lovely walk along the banks of the Yarra River, passing impressive boats moored at the marina with one bearing the name Costa Lot ! Andrew pointed out pylons that are decorative rather than functional, as they sit adjacent to the Bolte bridge but are not part of the structure . Passing under the bridge, we then joined busy Lorimer St , where conversation slowed somewhat as noise overtook. We were all alert watching out for bikes , scooters, joggers & traffic ! We passed several landmarks of interest . The  art deco building previously GMH , with one part of the building now occupied by a Ballarat company J King  Homes . Andrew shared inte
Read more