Last weekend was a long weekend - Labour Day in Australia. Hence, the coast was tremendously busy, and I was trying my best to stay clear of people. I'd dreamt of endless lines of walkers through the bush, and woke up crying. Sometimes I long for emptiness, for a world with far less people. I get energised from being alone. Still, I needed some forest time, knnowing the beaches would be packed, and decided to head to some bush near us where there were a few walking tracks that weren't offically walking tracks. I'd found them mushrooming this year, and figured if they weren't marked, no one would know to be on them!
I was right - the track we walked was absolutely and blissfully empty. It was a couple of kilometres along an old forest track that had been used for 4WD - deep tyre gullys scarred the track, but it was impassable now with huge trees laying across it as if to say: ye shall not pass no more.
We certainly tried to imagine driving the old Landie up some of the hills but thought we'd likely have to winch most of the way up. It was quite dry, but in winter, that would all be very slippy, sticky clay. It was a struggle to even walk up it, but I'm feeling pretty fit at the moment and know just to take it slow. Of course, the photo doesn't do it justice.
It had been very dry of course, being summer, so there wasn't the wealth of mushrooms I'd normally find - still, a few caught my eye, brave little things against the wworld. These were the tiniest little polypores.
I think this picture gives a little scale to the giant gums overhead, with Jamie walking in front of me.
There were also some lovely damper gullies with large tree ferns I didn't expect. There's a lot of logging land around so I'm always pleased to see evidence of proper forest soldiering on. The south side of these trees were green with moss and lichens.
Everywhere is the very pretty pink heath flowers. They're endemic to this area and quite loved. It's out of season for orchids, but native ones abound in this area too.
In the distance we could hear dirtbikes, but they obviously couldn't come down this track as it was too crazy and steep and large logs stopped them in their tracks. I'm talking giant immovable logs we had to clamber under to get through.
The track takes to the Hammonds Road campground which was full and then loops back along the road to where we parked Buttercup. It was then I noticed the best mushroom of all.
In the end it was an amazing walk and drive through some dirt forest tracks as well. WE'd had an argument in the morning as the hubs wanted to know the EXACT location of the track but I was being uber vague about it, saying 'oh I can't explain - somewhere off the old Telegraph track' which irritated him no end. Turned out I was right though, so there was that. One does like to be right in a marriage :P
Hammond Road Campground is a free camp behind Wensleydale, half way to the coast. You do need to book in advance on the Parks Victoria website and book in advance as it can get busy. However, there are some lovely walks in the area if you follow an unmarked trail in the forest. Don't get lost - it's easy to do. If you don't have a good sense of direction, take the marked trails closer to the towns. Meanwhile, I'll be lost on a bush track.
With Love,
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