Took the still fairly new Garmin GPS out for a walk yesterday. I started work just after I got it, so have hardly had time to get to know all the cool features it has. So with an unusually warm day forecast for this time of year, it was back to tackle Mount Macedon again.
The main reason I got it was for logging, that is not for telling me HOW to get somewhere, but to actually RECORD where I’ve been. Later on I can take these GPS logs and do a number of interesting things with them, including:
- Show them on a computer map
- View the log (and hence bush walk) on a 3D ‘map’ in Google Earth
Both of which - and photos of the walk - are shown at my Picasaweb album page.
The Mt Macedon walk is very enjoyable and a bit of a challenge. I guess I am somewhat fitter than when I tried it earlier this year, as I found the first bit - a zig zag climb of some 1.5km - much easier this time around. The weather played its part too, it was a sunny, windy day, but the trees protected me from the worst of it. I really felt how strong the wind was at the summit area; on Camels Hump. It was actually getting dangerous being on the exposed rocks, with large drops all around, and the gusts pushing me towards the edge!
Was a sunny but cool day today, so decided to take the new GPS out for a spin and get some exercise at the same time. The Organ Pipes is a natural rock formation quite close to Melbourne; the exit is literally off the Calder Freeway near Keilor. They were formed millions of years ago when lava cooled slowly and cracked into quite regular columns. Erosion exposed them and they are now on the side of a hill on a river bend. And yes, they really do look like organ pipes.
Before I left home I knew there were at least a few interesting things to see whilst visiting this Park; the Pipes themselves plus another interesting formation called the Rosette Rock. I wanted to get their exact GPS locations (latitude and longitude) and put them into the GPS before I left. I’m still searching for a list on the web of such ‘waypoints’, but no luck so far. So went to Google Earth, zoomed in…and using some of the external data (layers) was easily able to find the Pipes and the Rock.
I used gpsbabel to convert their Google Earth co-ordinates to Garmin format, uploaded to the GPS and ta da, they both appeared in the GPS and on its Map.
Anyway I did this very pleasant walk just fine and the pre-loaded values were very accurate; for example the GPS beeped - a proximity alert - when I stopped at the Organ Pipes viewing area itself.
I also logged the walk in the GPS so it could be seen in 3D back in Google Earth; which confirmed what my legs had told me: down a steep hill, along a flat river valley and back up the steep hill.
One final comment on this National Park. When I first visited it in the early 1970s it was very barren. Just bare grassy hills and weeds. Over the following 30+ years a group of volunteers have done a sterling job clearing out the weeds and planting native trees and shrubs. The result is nothing sort of amazing as the ‘before’ photos ot the place show. Barren to living bush again. Well done!
I’ve done a fair few bushwalks, mainly around Victoria and specifically within a few hours of Melbourne.
Overall my favourite areas are:
- The Grampians (mainly the Northern Grampians)
- Wilsons Promontory
- Marysville
This here is my ‘kept up to date’ list of walks.
More details of some of the walks is available in a particular section of my blog. And so to the list…
2008 Walks
- Mt Macedon (village to summit)
- Catherdral Ranges (Jawbones)
- Hepburn Springs
- Marysville, Falls and De La Rue Lookout
- Hollow Mountain (Grampians)
- Sherbrooke Forest (and Alfred Nicholas Gardens)
- Lake Eildon (Auriferiour Spur and Goschnick’s Lookout)
- Wilsons Promintory (Little Oberon Bay, Oberon Bay)
- Warburton (Little Peninsular Tunnel area)
Weather forecast was for fog, then clearing and so off I went to tackle Mt Macedon for the first time. Parks Victoria has a good web page on this, including a PDF that has the walk(s) and a map. It’s called “Macedon Regional Park - Walking Trails”
Beware, however that as of late May 2008 the Eastern Lookout is actually closed, so ignore references to it.
Basically I did a walk that starts right in the main street of the township of Mt Macedon, goes along Douglas Road, then it’s up up up as you ascend Mount Macedon itself via the well-marked Macedon Ranges Walking Trail (MRWT). That ascent is about 1.5 km, but can take from 40 to 60 minutes. It was steep and a bit slippery in places.
You literally pop-out right next to the famous memorial cross at the top. From there it’s a welcome cup of tea or coffee at the nearby cafe, then another 4 km of quite level walking to the Camels Hump. A final short, sharp climb and you are there. Two lookouts here; one is raw, rocks (and marked as dangerous, so take care) and the other is the official one. The latter is looking towards Hanging Rock, has a steel viewing platform and a guide to tell you what you are looking at plus how far away it is.
Use the PDF and walk back towards the Cross, but only a few km along turn left into Clyde Track and descend back to good old Douglas Road. Note: the PDF text instructions are in error - or misleading. They advise you to walk back “to” the Cross then turn into Clyde Track, it should be “towards” the Cross. I’ve done the right thing and called Parks Vic to let them know.
Rating: very good. About 7km one-way from township to Camels Hump. So start before lunch. First track is, as I said, a bit slippery, so take a walking pole and sturdy boots.
Now this was a spectacular and challenging walk. I’d rate it as medium/difficult - for the steepness and terrain - but well worth it. The only hiccup for me was the smoke. A controlled burn-off and still conditions conspired to have the smoke linger for days, so the views were smoke-limited.
Parks Victoria has a web page ,but my main reference was the excellent book Daywalks Around Melbourne, Walk 70, The Farmyard. Please use that for details. The essence is: start at the ground and walk up the ziz-zagging and steep track that runs along one side of the ranges, to the very top. You are pretty much under cover and it’s one of those cool ‘work-reward’ walks; you do all the work (climbing) and it’s only when that’s all done you get the spectacular views. In this case it’s the views from the rock formations known as the Jawbones; actually two sets - North and South.
An added bonus for me was a pair of courting Lyrebirds on the way back down. It’s pure magic to hear the male one doing his impressions of many bush sounds - mainly other birds. Indeed part of this walk takes you through an area known as The Farmyard. Names because the Lyrebirds do imitations of the farm animals sounds, from way below in the valley.
A highly rated walk. You really should wear sturdy boots and take a walking pole. Some of my photos are available too.
Another pleasant walk from Daywalks Around Melbourne ; walk 42 - Hunts Dam and Argyle Spring. Did this as a day trip; drove to Hepburn Springs, did the walk and drove home. Not problems at all.
Not a real ‘gee whiz’ walk and rated medium/difficult not because of terrain or steepness, but navigation. A few tracks don’t have names so instructions say things like about 1 km along turn left into un-named side track. I confess to getting a bit lost, but found my way back on track again. As I said, pleasant and worth the slight challenges of the navigation.
This is all my own doing, as in I didn’t use a book for this one. Rather than drive to the lovely Steavensons Falls, it’s more fun to walk up to them from the main street of Marysville. Then a fun climb up the mountain, reveals great views at the Lookout
Basic route:
- From tourist centre in main street get map of Tree Fern Forest walk
- This walk starts from right there at the centre ; behind it
- It goes near the ornamental lake with its fountain
- Track crosses river and is signed all the way to the Falls (about 1 hour)
- Visit Falls per se and if required, the toilets back at the Falls Cark Park
- Then, between the Car Park and the Falls take the Keppel Walking Track. It will probably say “De La Rue Lookout 1 km”
- This 1km is steep, but made easier by a number of zig-zags (switch-backs) in the track, rather than going directly up the mountain.
- Great views from the Lookout, including Marysville, the ornamental lake and Cathedral Ranges.
- Turn around and return back the same way.
There are walks that continue ‘forward’ rather than returning the same way, but - to be honest - they didn’t add much in terms of interest and the distance was almost identical.
Easter and some (extended) family were off to the Grampians to go camping. I had been invited and - at the last minute - decided to head up that way. On a beautiful Autumn day, I then took a whole gang up the wonderful Hollow Mountain walk at the very ‘top’ (North) of the Grampians.
It was the first time any of them had been up Hollow Mountain and I do believe they loved it ; despite a few obvious reservations!
It’s a magical place and one well worth visiting. Walk is basically:
- Car at Hollow Mountain car park
- Follow signs to Mountain (and not rock climbing area)
- Have a break at the big cave
- Continue along ‘front’ of mountain and around and up to the ‘back’ and then the top.
- Back down to cave
- Go into cave - or around the back of it - to find out why it’s called Hollow Mountain
- Back to car park
A quite hot day; think it was high 30’s C. Summer had a last bite.
But a few of us still made our way up to the Dandenong Ranges and did a fun - and not too hot - walk. It was mainly in the shade.
We basically left the car at Grants Picnic Area and did the walk (Clematis Track, I think) towards the Sherbrooke Falls. Lunch was at the O’Donahue Picnic Ground. We never got to see the falls - the name is almost ironic, it’s a tiny trickle - as we spotted a sign, literally in the bush, pointing to Alfred Nicholas Gardens. We were very happy as we’d planned to drive there after the walk, never imagining the walk itself took us very close to the Gardens.
So we followed the signs to the most beautiful Gardens. Built into the steep hills, they have a lovely, cool and green theme. Lakes and water features just add to the serenity.
Then we made our way back, pretty much the way we had come. I myself used Google Maps to create a map of our route and here it is.
