Tuesday 5th March 2024
Leader: Colin A
Participants: Tony, David H, Geoff and Peggy, Graham and Uwe
Distance Driven: 74 km
Time Taken: 6h:29m
Average Speed: 11.42 kph
Minimum Altitude: 296 m
Maximum Altitude: 873 m
The morning was a cool 9 degrees with little breeze and blue skies. We had all dressed appropriately with jumpers or jackets. However we also knew the predicated top temperate was going to be over 30 degrees and it wouldn’t be long before we would be removing our excess clothing layers.
The trip participants were to meet at Castella Central Park, which is east of Kinglake. The park had a memorial to the Black Saturday bushfires back in Feb 2009. This was a bleak reminder of just how powerful mother nature can be.
This trip was also Colin’s practical task for completing his trip leader training. Colin gathered the folks and briefed us all on the plans for the day’s activities which would include driving several tracks and walking to a couple of waterfalls and other points of interest.From our meeting point, it wasn’t long before we pulled over to deflate our tyres.
Our first stop for the day was at the Wirrawilla Walk. This was a pleasant board walk into a rainforest.
We got back into our vehicles and Colin led us a little further into the forest to another walk. This was the Kalatha Giant Tree Walk. Colin cheekily pointed to a dead tree behind the information board and claimed that was the ‘Giant Tree”. Not to be fooled, we walked another 50 metres and found an amazing Mountain Ash, stretching 73metres into the Sky (no, we measured it!).
To increase the driving difficulty, Colin led us down a track with a few small bogholes.
Our tummies were starting to rumble and a timely lunch stop was called. We had our lunch at a nice little picnic area near Murrindindi Cascade Falls. Our lunch provided the necessary energy to walk down to the waterfalls. Surprisingly there was a good amount of water which made these falls quite spectacular (at least by Victorian Standards).
At this point, Colin decided to challenge us all with a track with one tricky section. The convoy got through without any dramas.
It was now mid-afternoon and time to head out of the forest. A quick stop at Yea Rock to enjoy the view before ending the trip at the Murrindindi Suspension Bridge.
A huge thanks to Colin for organising and leading a great trip. It was a perfect way to spend a sunny Tuesday in March.
Text: David
Photos: David