It was going to be a stinking hot couple of days in Melbourne so I decided to go for an overnight walk above Warburton where it is never hot. A loop using Richards Tramline was my choice because the days are uneven: 8 kms on the first (extremely hot) day and 22 kms on the slightly cooler day.
7 January I parked my car at Big Pats Creek (38 degrees) and asked a couple of SES workers if it was ok to walk the trail to Starlings Gap; they said it was quite hot for doing that! I set out on the first section of the Walk into History trail which is all uphill in this direction. Not hard walking but it was certainly hot and there was no water once the trail climbed away from the creek. It was windy in the tree tops and there was plenty of debris on the trail. I took a few breaks just sitting on logs and was pleased to reach Starlings Gap camping area. Unlike last time I was there, just after Covid, the site was deserted. I put up my tent and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the shade at the picnic shelter. Gradually several lyrebirds came out to stroll around and the trees had a number of kookaburras, sometimes zooming across the campsite at high speed. At 8pm two people arrived by car.
8 January I left early and walked on gravel roads through the forest with a few parrots then had a nice stretch on a service trail through the trees still climbing a little. I stopped for coffee. The trail returned to the gravel road at the junction with Richards Tramline track. At first this was a wide cleared track but it soon became a single track, overgrown with blackberry, and so much bark and debris that I kept tripping. As I descended the heat became more oppressive but it was beautiful forest, tall mountain ash and king ferns. Logs from fallen trees I could see far below were massive. I had another break at the former Mississippi tram crossing, must have been a very steep tramway. I went around the curves at the end of Richards Tramline and was surprised to emerge right by my car.
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