Autumn Leaves Stroll

Have a few photos from a short stroll in the Dandenongs on Sunday. The autumn leaves are stunning and it is still ok to go and see. But, don't forget to check this out early May next year.

Dandenong Range NPs - Sherbrooke

Moroka Gorge over the long weekend

We arrived at Horseyard Flat campground on Thursday 5th April early enough to find a nice grassy spot.  Good tent-sites along the river had already been occupied by campers and day walkers. 

 ParkVic's map with the marked route taken on the trip

On Friday, it took us about 10 minutes to locate the start of the Moroka Gorge walk with a sign post and an intention book.  The walk starts with a pad leading through attractive bushland to the first waterfalls and ending at Lummican Gully.  

 SVmaps, Horseyard Flat to Waterfalls

 Foot pad near the start

We met a family of four on the track and they were on their way back to the campground.  We were told that there was a brown snake near the track just before the waterfalls and about 150 metres away.  We never saw it!

We had a lunch stop at the first waterfalls, at which we met two overnight walkers, who also stopped here for lunch.  From here, the track became rough (and slippery when wet).

Lunch spot

 First falls in the Moroka Gorge

Just before the Lummican Gully, we met two day walkers, who were walking in the opposite direction to us and warned us of a black snake which was spotted at the Lummican Gully campsite.

Me at a view point near the track

On arrival at the Lummican Gully camp, we found that the track was no longer a track.  Here, we and the two walkers we met at the waterfalls, faced the same problem to locate the route into the gorge: the high route or the one along the river bank.  The high route was rough steep and scrubby.  The low route seemed to be blocked by the high river and boulders.

 View down stream from Lummican Gully campsite

From my memory of a trip with YHA bushwalkers over a decade ago, when the high route had been tackled, I determined to take the high route with the use of a GPS and a compass.  The aim was to head northwest to the junction of the river and Kent Creek, the start of the second day in the initial walk plan.  It was rather slow going on the rough ridge and we had one or two stops to check location.  It took about 20 minutes to find a reasonably safe access down to the river.  A GPS waypoint was marked here just in case it was needed for the return trip.

The fallen log on the right river bank, where we came down from the high route

Once we reached the river bank, we rock hopped and scrambled about 100 metres along the rocky river bank to the second falls with a lookout which provided good views of the river gorge and cliffs.  

Knowing that we were not far from the turnoff to the third waterfalls, and also the access up Dawson plateau and Snowy Bluff, we left our packs here and started looking for a campsite and exploring the river and route conditions for the next day.  A challenging access was chosen for investigation and we found two ways to get down the cliffs without the use of rope. The water level seemed reasonable and looked "do-able" in late afternoon.  We had no luck to find a better campsite than the one where we left our packs; therefore, we decided to pitch tent up there on the rock on the top of the cliffs.

 Me at second waterfalls

Good views from our camp 

We had tuna, coucous, and pudding for dinner.  After the meal, Allan had fun with fishing and one brown trout was unlucky to get caught but it was quickly set free after being posed for the camera.  A bit later we were surprised by a platypus which was zig zagging in front of us along broken rocks to get into the river.  An amazing experience!   

It was so peaceful here, apart from the sounds from the waterfalls flowing in full strength and the high winds during the nights.

 The unlucky brown trout!

On Saturday morning, the river was a bit high and fast flowing and Allan was not keen on a river crossing; therefore, our plan to go to Dawson Range, one of the routes up Snowy Bluff was cancelled.  We could see the third waterfalls from the junction and so there was no need to cross the river.

Kent Creek and the third falls

 SVmaps, Shanty Hollow to Snowy Bluff plan was abandoned

We continued further downstream for about 100 metres and were delighted with the view of the fourth falls.

The fourth falls 

There is a cliff at the bend and the river was high; so, Allan did not want to go on.  With care I walked over the cliff to get onto the other side of the river, explored a bit around there, then came back.

 Gateway to the lower falls, the fifth and we missed it!

Here, we again met the two overnight walkers.  They had spent an overnight at Lummican Gully and took the low route in this morning.  Like us, they abandoned their plan to go to Dawson Plateau and Snowy Bluff.

We spent the afternoon on fly-fishing and checking out the river bank for the walkout tomorrow

Fishing near Lummican Gully

If you look closely ...

With the forecast of rain for the following afternoon, from a very poorly received radio station,  we arose early the next morning, trying to get past the steep and slippery section of the track before the change in the weather.  

 Boulders near Lummican Gully

Cliffs near Lummican Gully

The forecast was right as we were in rain jackets

Light rain started to fall while we were having lunch on the steps near the first falls and it steadily increased during the afternoon and turned to sleet as we approached the waiting car at the campground.  

 Bush land near Horseyard Flat

As we drove home over the McFarlane Saddle, the sleet turned into snow providing a "winter wonderland" end to the trip

McFarlane Saddle, the start/end of Tali Karng's 16 river crossing walk

WATTIES CREEK (Clearwater Crk) and THE OLD RIVER WALK September 2011

3 Days plus

Medium – Hard Grade  steep & rugged terrain, scruby, dry & rocky creekbeds, cliffs, river crossings.

Start / Finish:  Lohs Lane, south of Mt Blackwood

Best time to go:  Spring & Autumn   

Avoid hot days, slippery track conditions and high water in the Lerderderg River

Closest town: Bacchus Marsh (60 km from Melbourne CBD)

Maps:   

• Lerderderg & Werribee Gorges  (1:35k Meridian Maps)
• Lerderderg Gorge (1.25k Forests & Land)
• Watties Gully Falls, Map 17 (150 Walks in Victoria by Tyrone Thomas)               

Half of Day One Lohs Lane – Lower Chadwick  McKenzie Tks  4km, 2.5hrs.

Day Two  Watties Creek – Watties Tk – Hogan Tk No.3

Day Three  The Old River

Day Four  The way up - Lerderder River – Ah Kow Ruin

Day Five  Ah Kow Track

Lohs Lane – Lower Chadwick McKenzie Tracks 4km, 2.5hrs
(Meridian map Lerderderg & Werribee Gorges 1:35k)

I left the car at the end of Lohs Lane, at the track entrance with the signpost, then followed the vehicle track (mainly for Park Rangers & local residents) for about 250m to a gate, at the junction of Great Dividing Trail (GDT) and Blackwood Ranges Tk. Next to the gate is the entrance to a private property. I went through the gate and followed the fence-line heading north for about 800m to the gate with a signpost to Lower Chadwick Tk. There was an orange triangle marker at the start of the track.

It was an open and dry forest and the track is easy to follow to the signpost showing the way down to the McKenzie Tk (Lerderderg River 1.6km, 240m descend).

It was slow going because the foot pad is narrow, loose gravel and uneven. Luckily, it was a sunny day and my walking pole was put to good use. Finally, I got down to the bottom of McKenzie Tk which ends at a large grassy flat with a campsite near the Lerderderg River.

The Lerderderg River from McKenzie Tk

I cooked and ate dinner just before it got dark (about 6.15pm in early Spring). Usually after dinner, I check out the information for the next day walk such as coordinates, maps, and track notes. The night temperature was quite comfortable and I had stayed up late the night before; therefore, it did not take long for me to fall asleep.

Me at the campsite above Lerderderg River.

Lerderderg River


Old mine

Watties Crk or Clearwater Crk – Watties Tk – Hogan Tk No.3

Forests & Land map Lerderderg Gorge 1:25k, and
Explore Australia map 17 Watties Gully Falls in 150 Walks in Victoria by Tyrone Thomas & Andrew Close.

Where Lerderderg River meets Watties Creek

The start of the next day was a bit late due to the time spent on taking photographs of the picturesque Lerderderg River Gorge, exploring the old mine (opposite to the entrance of Watties Creek) and trying to find a suitable spot to cross the river. The water level in the river was just knee-deep; so the crossing was rather comfortable. When I got onto the other side of the river, I was assured that I was right at the entrance of Watties Creek by the notification “beep” from the GPS with the pre-loaded “Walk17 Clearwater Creek” GPX file from the Open Spaces website. Here is the link http://osp.com.au/?page_id=1603

The going was very straight forward, mainly following the dry and rocky creekbed. The first 2km was rather winding and shortcuts could be made by crossing scruby flats. There were also some inviting rockpools on the way and these were opportunites for photos and lunch stops.

Watties Creek

I walked a further 1.7km and reached an old vehicle track crossing the creekbed. Keep an eye open for a large boulder on your right, marking the junction (there is possible camping here for those starting from Lohs Lane).

Ignore the steep track on the left (Lerderderg No.2 Tk) and leave Watties Creek but don’t forget to collect water for cooking dinner and breakfast for the next day. Walk past the boulder and follow a short path which is parallel with the dry creekbed. This leads to a disused vehicle track known as Watties Tk. Walk up the 100m of the steep and eroded track.

Possible camping along Watties Tk

Continue on the track for about 3km of ups and downs through an open and attractive forest.  The track ends at Hogan Tk.  At this junction, turn right and walk 100m further to the No.3 Track.  There are many possible camping spots along this track

Bush camping near Hogan No.3 Tk (Carry water from Watties Creek)

The Old River

Explore Australia map 17, Watties Gully Falls (150 Walks in Victoria by Tyrone Thomas & Andrew Close), Forests & Land map Lerderderg Gorge 1:25k

The No.3 Track is a disused vehicle track. The start of the morning was a very steep walk of about 100m south by south-east down to the bottom of the track which runs across the northern part of The Old Riverbed (Duncan Creek on Forests & Lands map Lerderderg Gorge 1:25k).

Like yesterday, walk along the dry and rocky Watties creekbed. Walking in the northern part of the Old River was somewhat slower due to more scrub; but it is less rockier.

The northern part of The Old River

And also like the southern part of the Watties Creek, the Old River is dry & rocky and has many bends. The going on the grassy flats is rather more comfortable. I took time to enjoy the scenery along the riverbed with gorge views and rockpools.

The middle section of The Old River

I thought of camping at this gorgeous location; but it was still a bit early. Hence, I kept going until I arrived at a spot which was close to the waterfalls, based on Map17 Watties Gully Falls in “150 Walks in Victoria This is the access to the climb up along the spur heading towards Hogan Tk, in order to get down to the campsite by the Lerderderg River. I then decided to set up camp here because it was getting close to sunset and there was a waterhole nearby (some evidence of the dry waterfalls?). It was a quite relaxed evening and I had a reasonably good night sleep.

The "waterfalls" area in The Old River

The way up - Lerderderg River

The option of walking a little bit further to the waterfalls (according to Map 17 Watties Gully Waterfall) and/or following the riverbed was abandoned due to the sudden change in the weather. It is unwise to walk the riverbed in slippery, rainy conditions.

Up a spur to reach Hogan Track

The start of the 400m climb is steep and rocky. A few stops were made allowing me to check the compass and look back down the dry riverbed. At one point, I saw a medium sized, flat stone, that suggested to me that it was intended as a marker.

Looking back down to The Old Riverbed

Further up the spur, I realized that I had made a mistake in attempting to climb the steep slope. I gave up climbing the steep spur and heading to Hogan Tk, following a scrubby pad which turned northwest for a while. I am not sure what went wrong. At the gps coordinate check, it suggested to me that I was located southeast of the waterfalls. At this point heading to Hogan Tk was not a wise option and I decided to go south, heading to the most southern part of the Old River and then followed the riverbed out to the entrance at the junction of the Old River and the Lerderderg River Gorge.

Back to the river's bed

The pace along the Lerderderg River is mainly determined by the level of the water in the river. If the river level is low, the easy option is to wade in the river or walk along the scruby and rocky banks. If the river level is high, there are few cliffs that the walker needs to negotiate.  I climbed over these cliffs to get to the other side.

Lerderder River Gorge

If you find that the cliffs are hard to negotiate, then walk back down to the river and find a suitable spot for a crossing. In this case, walking with few others would allow you to share the task of investigating possible safe routes.

Due to the slow going along the river and trying to catch up with daylight, I kept moving on and a mistake was made that I did not stop at the site of a ruin and so I did not see the path that led to the campsite, above the river, because my eyes were blinded by the sun. I walked a little bit further and ended up camping on an open rocky and scruby flat with a small flat spot that was not even enough space for one person tent. It was getting dark and I had no choice.

Rough camping by Lerderderg River

After a long day filled up with extreme activities, I checked the gps coordinates, and found that Ah Kow Ruin & Mine campsite was just about 70m away and the start of Ah Kow Track was just on the other side of the river. I was tired and retired early; but woke up at about midnight and tossed and turned until dawn. It was a chilly morning. .

Ah Kow Track

Forests & Lands map Lerderderg Gorge 1:25k and
Meridian map Lerderderg & Werribee Gorges 1:35k

Lerderderg R from the climb up Ah Kow Tk

As for the previous mornings, I started a bit late. It took just minutes to walk back to the Ah Kow Ruin where I could have a close look at the river conditions for the crossing, and locate the Ah Kow Track After spending a bit of time checking the campsite area, I walked back down to the river and found a safe spot to cross. The river was knee-deep, hence, the crossing was rather easy.

The first 1km of the Ah Kow Track is very steep and the gravel surface makes the climb harder, especially for those that are loaded with heavy packs. It was not easy to follow the track for the climb. A few zigs zags had to be made to make progress.

After about 200m, I followed a foot pad, heading west, and I went cross-country from there until I reached the top of a knoll where the Fire & Telecom towers at Mt Blackwood came into sight. The forest was dry and open and therefore the going was quite easy, and I finally reached Ah Kow Tk about mid afternoon.

The Ah Kow Track, at last!!

From here, it was an easy walk to the starting point, where I was greeted and given a nice wild flower from a little girl whose father was in a quad bike just metres away.