Beeripmo Walk

 A shortish overnight walk in a place I had never been to, recommended on the bushwalking website, interesting name, so off I went. Strangely enough what I gathered is the most amazing feature in the area, a cave, is not quite on the route so I planned to make the detour. The walk is in the Mt Cole and Mt Buangor State Forests near Beaufort. 

April 1 I began with a climb in the forest to Raglan Falls, not much water but enough for a skinny cascade

and continued climbing a little, first among dry stringybarks and then into ferny forest. It was alternately sunny and then an icy wind. I came onto a ridge with views of forest clad Mt Cole and the farmland below, then Mt Langi Ghiran and the Grampians in the distance. 

After 5 kms I stashed my pack and did the out and back to the cave, Bukkertillible. This involved a long descent on loose slippery dirt with many granite slabs to cross and was slow going but when I got there the place was phenomenal: more of an overhang than a cave, it was a massive granite outcrop, maybe 30 metres long, partly cut away to form a shelter over a sloping granite base. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to stumble across this by chance deep within the forest. 

I rejoined my pack and stayed on the ridge getting more views of Langi Ghirang, windfarms and then, after a zigzag climb, Mt Sugarloaf. 

By now it was really windy and I was concerned about camping under trees. When I got to the campsite the wind was loud but mostly in the tree canopy and the spindly trees were swaying without too much ominous creaking. I was definitely not expecting it to be so cold. 11.8 kms 

April 2 The wind gusted and shook the trees all night and in the morning I could see I was just outside a cloud that engulfed the forest. I walked to the Mt Buangor lookout for a surprisingly good view westwards despite the cloud and continued to the peak. The track to the top was fairly non existent through ferns and small boulders The peak was in the cloud and any view obscured by trees anyway but there was a cairn of moss covered stones and the trees were atmospheric in the mist.

Next I took another detour to Dawson Rock, a large granite slab with a view to the east for a change: more forested ranges. When I arrived at the slab two wallabies were sitting at the edge. I descended to Mugwamp campsite, with a corrugated iron hut and toilet but no water and stopped for a break. It was a nice forest enclave with ferns and mixed eucalypts. 

When I left I walked right below Dawson Rock exactly where the wallabies had gone. I could have climbed it from there and saved myself the detour. All downhill after that as I contoured a series of gorges above creeks and then crossed them; closer to the creeks were bright tree ferns. I had seen three people on the walk so I was surprised the car park was full when I got back. 13 kms 

Falls Creek to Mt Hotham to Falls Creek

My plan was to do the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing walk and then return to Falls Creek by a different route. My return route, while harder, was more spectacular. The highlight of the hike was undoubtedly seeing so much of bulky Mt Feathertop. 

March 24 I drove through Falls Creek, parked at Langford Gap, 11 kms into the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing, and set out along the aqueduct on the Australian Alps Walking Trail towards Mt Hotham. At first it wasn’t too interesting since a lot of the trees in view had died after fires. After Cope Hut I crossed a vast expanse of alpine moorland with just low scrub and grass, and some alpine daisies, passing Mt Cope. I stopped at Cope Saddle Hut (a hydro hut) to camp; it was on the flattish plateau, atmospheric, and it was pleasant just sitting in the sunshine. The hut was beside another aqueduct and the sounds of the water sometimes seemed like people in the distance talking. A school group was hiking a loop passing the hut and the kids provided me lots of entertainment. Then I had a chat with a Polish couple. As the sun got lower it soon became cold and before dark I was in a cloud. 9 kms 

March 25 Freezing cold morning, not surprising as I was up at 1658 metres. I continued across the plateau to Pole 333, a big track junction, seeing several little peaks; an illusion that they were little because I was already so high. On this bright sunny day the junction scene could equally have been in the desert. 

Then I descended among snow gums to the Cobungra River and I could see buildings at Mt Hotham across the deep valley. On the way down I met two people marking the route for the Falls to Hotham walking event tomorrow with hundreds of walkers so I was pleased with my timing. I stopped at Dibbins Hut campsite for a break: lovely, in a grassy glade by the river with snow gums. I passed the old Dibbins Hut 

and climbed Swindlers Spur among snow gums with grassy breaks. There were good views back to the Falls Creek range (even Mt Cope) and many other mountains. I was getting anxious to find some water and I went past my intended overnight stop (Derrick Hut) as there wasn’t any. On the edge of Mt Hotham resort area I found a tiny creek so I filled my bottles (with difficulty) and had a coffee. Next I toured the ski runs on my way to the summit of Mt Hotham (1858 m) and had a pleasant stroll with good views of Mt Feathertop and tiers of blue-tinted mountains. 

(Along this stretch was the western end of the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing.) When I reached Diamantina Hut  (which is right by the main road) I was disappointed to see there were roadworks  by the hut but on the plus side there were unexpected portaloos. I found a nice spot to camp behind the hut where I was out of sight but had a view. It had been a hot day and I was tired. I watched the sun set over the mountains and went to bed. 20 kms 

March 26 Time to separate from the AAWT and start on my return to Falls Creek. I headed out on the Razorback trail towards Mt Feathertop - along with a crowd, there were 15 cars at the trailhead when I left - a beautiful walk on an undulating ridge 

with perfect mountain views including Mt Buffalo 

and the range across the Kiewa River valley, and back to Mt Hotham. 

After a couple of hours I turned onto the Diamantina Spur to descend to the Kiewa River. I had been worried about this trail because it has a reputation for being rough and steep and I have a bad knee. It began innocently enough with some ridge top undulations among snow gums and then cleared to give a magnificent close up view of Mt Feathertop. I didn’t like to look the other way down into the valley and see how far down I had to go. I remained on the tops for a while and passed a guy I had also met yesterday who told me to be really careful on the trail. Soon the steep part came, and it was steep, and a few bits were hairy with sharp dropoffs but mostly it was fine if I went slowly. As I descended the vegetation changed markedly from alpine to ferns. I was delighted when I could hear the river and better still when I could see it but access was tricky until I came to a bridge across a tributary; I had lunch there by the water, the first water I’d seen since before Mt Hotham yesterday. 

I went on to Blairs Hut, one of the original 100 year old cattlemen’s huts, in a large creekside clearing and then climbed an unrelenting 430 metres to Westons Hut in a tiny hillside clearing. The climb was in unburnt forest of towering eucalypts but the area around the hut had been burnt and the original hut burnt down in 2006. I plonked my tent right in front of the hut. 17.5  kms 

March 27 It was still good weather but cooler. I continued to climb, getting views of Feathertop with the sun on its higher part and I could clearly see the spur I had come down,

and reached the treeless plateau. At Pole 333 I took the 4th trail (so I’ve used them all) and this turned out to be the best walking on the plateau with views of the Fainters and Mt Jaithmathang, a lot of burnt trees on their slopes, and Mt Bogong in the distance. I descended to Pretty Valley lake and had a break. 

After that I had a long road walk with a nice view of Mt Mackay but sadly Pretty Valley is not so pretty any more as it’s full of dead trees. I walked high above Rocky  Creek dam and then past lots of ski lifts, but avoided the main part of Falls Creek. I walked down a ski run on lovely soft grass and then went right beside the dam, crossing the dam wall to get to the Heathy Spur trail which is the start of the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing. I still needed to do this first bit. 

I walked the Heathy Spur fast, climbing and crossing an almost treeless expanse of heaths with limited views. Then I slowly took the descent through snow gums, part way down stopping at a creek for a coffee break, emerging at the Langford aqueduct. As I walked along here I was in hot sunshine but I could see a strange grey sky and then I saw forked lightening around Mt Cope and heard thunder. I got to Langford hut then my car (and a school group) and decided to camp by the hut. 

(I wasn’t intending to go all the way back to my car today and I had underestimated the distance, but I had no water left at the start of Heathy Spur so in order to camp I at least had to walk until I reached a water source, and by the time I got to the first creek I was almost at the car.) 27 kms

Blowhard Spur Loop, Lake Eildon

The forecast was for a very hot weekend so I thought this was a good opportunity for an overnight walk at Lake Eildon which I wouldn’t normally consider long enough to take two days. 

March 19 I set off from Perfect Cure Creek and from the get go this walk was nice, following the lake edge in dry bush. The lake is very indented so the trail wound around a lot but almost always in sight of the water while remaining shady. Even this early in my hike I was away from any activity on the lake. It was hot from the time I started. 

I had a break at School Point and sat on the stony beach. I was still surprised how quiet the lake was. 

From here the trail moved away from the water. I made a detour to Stones Outstation, an old shed among the trees, and picturesque. It would be a lovely place to camp as it was surrounded by grassy flats, if only there was water in the creek.

Then I had a serious climb above (dry) Mountaineer Creek, first in grassy woodland and then forest, and ended up on a ridge along a spur with views of forested hills and spurs, and a brief view of the lake. The scenery looked quite rugged and I didn’t feel many people come here.

I descended on the slippery trail to Mountaineer Inlet, my campsite. It was hard to find somewhere to sit that was both shady and comfortable because the ground was either muddy (a stale mud from the lake bed) or stony.

I settled on a place to camp by the water (no swimming because the water has algae and the edge was muddy) and I was alone until some people arrived in a tinnie and took over the campsite. I ended up moving my tent away to get some privacy, ironically to the spot higher up where I had initially decided to camp, and then I waited for the wildlife to arrive as there was kangaroo poo everywhere and lots of grass. I saw two yellow robins and one kangaroo. 13.5 kms 

March 20 Some big hills today. I climbed back up the Spur and over the ridge to join the trail to Blowhard Spur and had a long climb (over 300 m unbroken ascent) in the sparse forest to Skyline Road at the top of the Eildon valley. It was peaceful with dappled sunlight but without views of the lake. 

After the road walk I descended a bit on Blowhard Spur with some nice mountain views and stopped at High Camp, where the steep track up to Blowhard Summit was in full view. It was definitely steep, in three stages, and I was not keen on the idea of coming down something like that as it would be very slippery. At the top were tree-obscured views of the lake, especially a nice view down the length with the many spurs and distant mountains, a bit hazy because of the heat. I was still getting the feeling that hardly anyone comes here.

The descent was steep but mainly in the forest and the track was a bit damped down so it wasn’t too slippery. There were good views of the lake as I descended and soon the sounds of boat motors.

 

I had a short walk along the lake to my car. 13 kms 

Burchell Trail, Victoria

The Burchell Trail is an approx 37 kms point to point walk in the Brisbane Ranges National Park which I thought I could incorporate into a three day loop by doing the full trail and returning to my car on forest roads. In the days before my walk the forecast for the three days got wetter and wetter, until the morning I set out when suddenly there was very little rain expected. I have seen the walk described as boring as batshit so my expectations were not high. 

March 14 I parked at Boar Gully trailhead and set out into the forest. It was initially dry eucalypt forest and a bland track. After a while I thought it was odd there were no track markers and I realised I was no longer on the Burchell but on another trail. I was able to rectify this but it meant I was going to walk some extra kms today. 

As soon as I got on the correct trail the walking was much nicer: I descended on single track into a narrow gully with grass trees and ended up at a dry creek bed, where I had a further navigational challenge where the trail must have been rerouted due to a fallen tree. I climbed out of the gully to follow a dirt road with the alarming name Macleans Highway and got to Little River picnic area for a break. 

The next kilometre was lovely as the trail went through a steep sided little rocky gorge, repeatedly crossing the creek which had a small amount of water and easy stepping stones. Then I had a brief foray into a second gorge and climbed back up onto the plateau where I remained. I had one view over extensive forest and ridges. It was by now hot and humid. 

The last few kms were back on a dirt road with a steep descent to Stony Creek picnic area, rife with mozzies. Sophie and I came here last year on a day walk between lockdowns. It wasn’t an official campsite but I thought it would be ok to camp there. The local cockatoos made a tremendous din at dusk and dawn. 19.5 kms 

March 15 There was a lot of stagnant water in the creek which would account for the mozzies. I went past Lower Stony Creek reservoir, pretty with reflections of its rocky sides, and followed an undulating fire trail through rejuvenating forest (2006 fires) and lots of grass trees. 

At the Old Mill campsite I stopped for a coffee break, waited for the rain that was threatening to start and hid my pack in the bush for the next stage. The route made a big 11 km C shape to get to Fridays campsite (only 500 metres away as the crow flies), first in not terribly exciting forest and then following several dry creeks through grassy gullies; those stretches were really pretty despite some unattractive pools of black stagnant water. I stopped at a nice picnic area to sit out some rain. I passed some gold mining remains. Fridays was the end of the Burchell Trail so I ate a nut bar to mark the occasion, and then had a 2 kms road walk (turning the C into an O) to return to the Old Mill campsite. It rained lightly all afternoon. There were lots of very active little yellow birds and a few crimson rosellas. 

I concluded the trail was fairly typical of the bush near Melbourne, unfortunately lacking in major features but pleasant enough. 19.5 kms 

March 16 On my way up the hill from the campsite I was passed by the ranger and a big truck that was arriving to service the toilet. As anticipated the walk back to my car was a bit of a slog. It began nicely, passing close to the Upper Stony Creek reservoirs and through some varied terrain including swampland. Most of the way was on dirt roads (no traffic) through grazing country and flat. In 3 1/2 hours I was at the car. 16.5 kms 

Howqua and Jamieson Rivers - January 2022

 I got into my head that it would be fun to make a loop route out of walking along the river trails beside the Howqua and Jamieson Rivers in the high country using dirt roads to link the trail ends; the west-flowing rivers run parallel, roughly ten kms apart as the crow flies, on these stretches. This looked an irresistible four-sided shape on the map: four sides, four days. The forecast was for much heat.

January 8  I parked near Running Creek campsite and set out on the Howqua Feeder walking track. It soon climbed high above the Howqua River and stayed up there for a while with intermittent river views. I was hot almost from the start. Occasionally I had a view of forested mountains. I saw plenty of crimson rosellas and was startled to see a small brown snake on the trail. There was an awful lot of blackberry by the river but fortunately not on the trail. The trail was a mild roller coaster and came down to the river bank a few times. 

After crossing pretty Ware Creek I was at Tobacco Flat where I planned to camp. The campsite was at first disappointing, lots of litter and horse poo and virtually no grass, and vehicle marks suggested that camping by the river would put me in danger of being run over, so I settled on a patch by the creek where it made pleasant noises. I went around the site to clear some of the litter. I was initially alone then the campsite was visited by several groups of jeeps and trail bikes, and a group of utes came in to do doughies where I had thought it unwise to camp, but by the evening it became nice and peaceful, tall stringybarks and one 4WD. 11.8 kms

January 9  Mist was hanging over the river when I got up then within half an hour the sky was completely blue. I crossed back across the creek (ankle deep) and soon commenced steep climbing on a dirt road heading away from the Howqua in the direction of the Jamieson River. Today’s section of my route was one part I was uncertain about because I had picked dirt roads off the map that went where I wanted to go without knowing anything about them. They turned out to be quiet (2 vehicles only) and scenic. I went up 600 metres in under 4 kms, so reasonably steep, and with nice window views of mountains. Lots of rosellas. I came to the first junction and continued climbing but more gradually. I was just below the ridge line with great views first on my left and then on my right. 

Shortly after the next junction I came to an old slate quarry with the best mountain views yet and beyond there I walked a ridge with fab views both sides.

I figured I had to have a long steep descent to Mitchells Flat and in the last 2.5 kms I got it, very steep but not too loose and I almost didn’t fall over. I had lunch by Mitchells Creek in a grassy bowl beneath the mountains. Then I started on Mitchells Bridle Track and walked two kms of grassy wooded hillsides and crossed the Jamieson River, my focus for the second half of the route. I didn’t enjoy the river crossing - the pebbles hurt and it was fast moving water. I camped in a clearing above the river and spent a hot afternoon resting. 18 kms

January 10  I rejoined the bridle trail and went into light forest; soon I was high above the noisy river with good views of it and the mountains.

It was clearly going to be a really hot day and was already much hotter than yesterday (which had been forecast to be my hottest day). The trail wound in and out of gullies and there was plenty of blackberry near the tiny creeks. I came right back down to the river, noticing an old iron hut close by, and as I left the river bank I was looking around for the hut; I had my closest ever call with a snake, a big black one, when I felt something moving by my foot and then saw it. 

Then the trail was mostly high up and all I could see was forest in all directions with the occasional glimpse of river although I could usually hear it. The terrain was more open and grassy than where I walked above the Howqua. I saw another black snake and surprised a fat lizard. A section was beside the river but without access to the water due to vegetation.

The last part of the trail was well away from the river, up among the gum trees, and I was getting really overheated. I stopped for a coffee by a little creek and then slugged it out to Grannys Flat camping area on the river (with ducks). I need to cross the river here tomorrow and I had not been totally confident that the tracks leading to the river on each side met up so I was pleased to see a ford and a road on the far side. 18.6 kms

January 11  At 5am a thunderstorm started with a lot of lightning although the rain wasn’t heavy. The rain stopped conveniently around 8am and I waded the knee deep Jamieson to begin my return on dirt roads to the Howqua River. I was in for a difficult walk, a seemingly endless succession of really steep hills going ever skyward. Although hard it was a beautiful walk: I had plenty of views through the trees of mountains with mist hanging around them. 

I was dreading the descent because I hate going downhill on slippery loose dirt, and the descent was quite frustrating because after many steep sections I would again have to go up steeply so my efforts in going down felt wasted. But I didn’t fall. I did not see a single vehicle until I was down and I wasn’t surprised because I can’t imagine who would want to drive on such a road. It was very muggy, overcast and I was drenched in sweat. Most of the time I had views of the mountains as I was usually following a ridge line. The last part coming down was in regenerating forest with views towards cleared land. 

At the end I had a couple of kms on the road I had driven and I finished with a coffee by the Howqua at Running Creek campsite; it was packed. As I sat by the river 15 horse riders came past. 12 kms

I had expected this to be a moderately flat hike but I climbed over 2700 metres, only 400 metres less than on my recent hike where I ascended Eagle peaks and Mt Buller from the Howqua over a slightly bigger distance.

Loop hike from Mt Buller

As my swan song for the year I thought I could do a hike from Mt Buller. I wanted to do a loop and not repeat too much from previous hikes, but planning a hike at Buller can be problematic because there aren’t many access trails on and off the mountain and many of the lower trails have been swallowed up by the bush even when they appear on maps. So I went with two options and luckily I was able to do my preferred one.

December 26 I parked at the Summit car park above Mt Buller village and headed off down the Family run and onto Four Mile Spur. It was a beautiful day. I remembered the first part from my Buller Huts hike last year, the winding through the snow gums followed by a sudden surprising scramble, and when I went wrong I immediately realised it was the same place as last time. The downhill was relentless but with good mountain views from several openings in the trees, crimson rosellas, flowering yellow pea bush and blue flax lilies. I passed other hikers. At the bottom the Howqua River looked higher than last time and I didn’t like it that I had to cross with a pair of hikers watching but I got across without falling. (One of the hikers told me where they were headed and when I looked at my map this was where Dom got lost, but it was too late to say anything.) Then I followed the dirt road to Davons Flats campsite. All the campsites along the river were extremely busy. I tucked into a nice spot close to the river. 12 kms

December 27 I started immediately on the Eagle Peaks trail, but I was dismayed to see the sign at the trailhead said it was 20 kms to Eight Mile Gap when my gps and map both showed 13.5 kms. The path climbed steeply from the get go. Two kms in I met a guy descending I recognised from the campsite; he said he had approached, but not reached, the summit from both sides but never been up and over as I intended. The trail was defined, something I had been worried about, but really overgrown and I got many scratches. In places there was grass but enough walkers had flattened it to make the trail obvious. The wildflowers were wonderful. As I climbed I came to a succession of grassy saddles with superb views, at first towards Mt Buller and then towards the Governor and the main Eagle Peak.

It was a perfect sunny day and not too hot. I had been concerned about one stretch of the trail that was supposed to be quite exposed with steep drop offs; luckily the drop offs were never on both sides at the same time. I walked over the two minor summits but the main one was elusive; I stopped one time thinking I had reached it only to have a descent and another steep climb.

I came upon a fat lizard resting on the trail, completely motionless. Closer to the top a black snake was lying across the trail; it was so still I wasn’t sure it was alive and a fly was sitting on its tail, but then it slithered away. The entire 11 kms climb took me five hours. When I reached the highest summit I had great difficulty finding the start of the descent and I was very relieved when I noticed a hairpin trail heading steeply down. This trail was loose dirt and really slippery so of course I immediately fell over and collected a lot of grazes and bruises.

Soon it went into the trees and was easier. There were beautiful grey gums and masses of everlastings, yellow ones and white. At Eight Mile Gap the sign said it was 11 kms to Davons Flats, so a trail that is signed as 20 kms one way and 11 kms the other, but is actually just under 14 kms.

From here I had a long dusty road to follow back to the Howqua River and Eight Mile campsite. Fortunately there weren’t many vehicles. I stopped half way down by the first flowing water I saw and sat to have a coffee. The campsite was again busy but I found a patch of grass by the river. It had been a long day. 22 kms 

December 28 In the morning my legs were sore from yesterday’s exertions. I set out on the high trail along the river and soon climbed high above it; the views of the river far below and the towering mountains was amazing.

The river was a series of wiggles with frequent rapids. I had a brief stop at Richies Hut and went on to Pikes Flats. The river was narrower with plenty of white water. Just before Pikes I had to cross Eight Mile Creek and couldn’t quite do it without taking my shoes off. The confluence of the creek and river was a lively place of water surging against rocks. Pikes Flats was a huge area of grass where the river had widened - deserted. I found some shade by the Howqua and had a long break to prepare for what I expected to be an arduous climb to the Mt Stirling area, if indeed my planned route was walkable, something I was not 100% sure about. Just as I was preparing to wade the river two rangers showed up and were interested in my activities, which I was happy to tell them of, and I also mentioned my findings with the marker signs. What were the chances of bumping into the ideal people to confirm whether I could walk up a logging road that was shown as closed on the map? They said yes. 

The 11 kms climb on Cornhill Logging Rd, a dirt road closed to vehicles, was long and hot. Initially I climbed steeply then tapered off. I had great window views towards the Bluff and flanking peaks. There were huge numbers of fallen trees, which had been partly cut up but couldn’t be moved, leaving giant logs suspended above and on the road. Higher up the road followed the edge of the hillside with a big vertical drop. I was tired. It took me ages to reach the Mt Stirling circuit road. Then after a few kms I got to Howqua Gap hut where I camped beside the separate refuge hut (“maximum capacity 2 people” which sounds unkind if your group is caught in a blizzard). 25 kms

December 29 It was a lot colder up here in the morning than down by the river. I had a heart starting climb in the sunshine to warm up though. I was walking up a mountain bike trail but I didn’t expect to see any bikers so early; at least 15 came hurtling down the trail within half an hour. The trail was lined by snow gums - none grow upright, they all lean off the mountainside. I passed Cornhill and after a shot stretch on a walking trail I was in the Mt Buller urban sprawl. I looked south and thought I could identify the Eagle peaks.

I went into the village and got a coffee as an imposter at the Bike Cafe and relaxed in the sunshine surrounded by dozens of bikers. Then I finished off with the trail to the car park, getting views towards Mt Speculation and a distant Mt Bogong. 7 kms 

Mallee Parks hikes, northern Victoria

Lake Becking

It seemed like I was finally going to be able to make my hiking tour of the Mallee parks (Murray Sunset, Hattah Kulkyne and Wyperfeld) 16 months since I first tried to come here and ended up driving all the way to northern Queensland instead, then in August also being thwarted by the sixth lockdown when I barely got out of Melbourne before turning back for a 4 month stay at home. It was very wet when I got to the Mallee so I stayed overnight in Ouyen. 

November 7 I started my hike in Murray Sunset National Park from Lake Crosbie, one of the Pink Lakes, walking along the lake edge with lots of purple flowering noonflower and heaths, and I saw my first Mallee ringneck parrots. 

At Lake Becking campsite, where the approx 60 kms Sunset Remote trail officially starts, 2 rangers drove up and we had a quick chat. I walked along that lake edge then went away from the lakes. Weather was coolish, few spots of rain, bit sunny, muggy and still. Mainly overcast. The sandy trail, which the rangers had warned me of, was nicely damped down. I saw plenty of yellow and white flowers - everlastings, all sorts of wattles, tiny purple lilies. Little wrens and wagtails. The flies were awful and I regretted not bringing my head net which I've never used. The trail was very straight but quite undulating so gave good views over sandy forest from higher points. I stopped for a snack at a water tank after 8 kms. The water tanks have no way of catching water so hikers have to rely on the rangers topping them up, which made it good luck that the rangers knew I was out there.

The track is the shape of a P starting at the base, and a km from the tank I passed the bottom of the curved bit and continued straight ahead. The low mallee scrub became mallee gum forest later. Some bigger climbs and views to cleared farmland beyond the park and little blips of hills. My back was getting sore and the weather got warmer. I reached the top of (low) Mt Crozier (which is where I turned at the top of the P) then descended steeply to the deserted campsite, which was in a clearing with big puddles and brand new toilet and tank. The facilities and signs on this track all appear new. The evening was a nice temperature with a slight breeze and then a starry night. 21 kms

November 8 Sunny day with a cool breeze at first. More undulations with views to a forested ridge which was like a long bush covered sand dune. The mallee was sparser. I had a coffee break then came to saltbush flats and saw the largest kangaroo I've ever seen, and later several normal sized ones, very shy. The vegetation was changeable, mallee woodland, saltbush, casuarinas, scrubby heath and plenty of porcupine grass. I saw a possible Regent parrot and many ringneck parrots and lots of galahs whose screeching completely dwarfs the gentle sounds of the other birds. My intended campsite at Mt Jess had a tank and nothing else but was in a nice patch of woodland adjacent to sandy flats. 

Mt Jess was a little mound. It was very hot by midday and mallee doesn't give any shade. I sat all afternoon in the crook of various trees. 18 kms

November 9 Going to be another hot day. There were some tiny pale birds, weebills, in the branches above my tent. I walked towards then up another of the long sand dunes and along a ridge with views over mallee forest hearing and seeing lots of little birds. The flies were still very irritating. I saw a few kangaroos and lots of wildflowers. I stopped for coffee near salt flats and saw group of what I thought were emus running away.

I had a short stretch through mature pine forest, quite out of place here, then finished the loop part of the P and returned to the long straight. From the junction I could see Lake Crosbie in the far distance as the track is dead straight. I stopped again at the water tank and decided to take an alternative track which went past extensive salt bush then into light mallee. This was a sandy vehicle track and the only soft sand I've encountered here, but nicely winding. I stopped briefly at an almost dry lake then came back to Lake Crosbie. I could see my car 2 kms away. By the last part by the lake I was hot and tired and glad to reach my car. Later on I went for a short walk to see Lake Becking again as I missed it on my return route and it was very pretty in the sunshine, round and pinkish as the Pink Lakes are supposed to be. 25 kms

November 10 I drove to Hattah Kulkyne National Park and started out on a hike from Lake Hattah. The lakes and associated bird life are the main feature of this park. After only a short way the hike proved impossible as the track was under water. Every few years the lakes here have their water levels topped up because they have become detached from the creeks that run between them and the Murray River and  I hit the week this was being done. This resulted in most tracks being flooded. So I turned and walked in the other direction, planning to tackle my planned walk from the other end and turn back when I had to. I got a couple of kms down the track and it was great, flood plains with salt bush  and I saw first a couple of emus and then a big group of them plus several kangaroos. I was enjoying this and further on I came to a fork in the track where I could potentially do a little loop, but after a few minutes I came to flooding from another lake and had to turn back. I managed another shorter loop which went right by the shores of 2 more lakes (one advantage of this lake filling is that the lakes are much closer to the trail than normal where the trail isn't inundated). 14.5 kms

The campsite there was under water so I drove to Lake Mournpal where there is another campsite. I couldn't quite reach the campsite as there was a causeway under water, so I parked and walked the last half km. As I started walking a couple with a 4WD, who were looking at the flooding, noticed the coffee cup in my hand; at least you've got your coffee they said and I didn't like to tell them it was a cup of wine. The campsite was right by the lake and really lovely: red gums galore, ducks on the lake and parrots.

November 11 I drove to the northern section of Wyperfeld National Park and walked the Casuarina Loop. This solved my problem of how to tag this bit of the park onto my next planned overnight walk in the southern section without a lot of out and back. The walk featured yellow grassland with full size box gums, cypress pines and lots of birds. And flies. It was quite windy and not tremendously exciting because it was all on wide flat vehicle tracks. 9 kms

November 12 Rain was forecast for most of the day. Now in the southern part of Wyperfeld I planned to walk from Black Flat carpark to the Northern Remote campsite on the Cameron and Freeway tracks, passing Lake Brambruk (which I somehow assumed would have water in it) and return on Meridian track, making a big loop plus an out and back detour to the campsite. It was cold as I packed in the carpark and I realised I had left my rain jacket in the pub in Warracknabeal, but luckily I keep my old one in the car. I set out across the lightly wooded grassland, the trees were mostly red gums and impressive. 

Quite soon I saw some kangaroos and emus. Quite soon it started raining. I saw an amazing bright yellow Regent parrot. After 7 kms there was a water tank and a side track to Lake Brambruk, which I followed until my gps told me I was standing in the lake; it was obviously completely dry because all I could see was grassland. 

I went on to the start of the Freeway track. Sadly this track lived up to its unfortunate name: it was a sandy track soon flanked by young pines, constantly undulating without achieving any views and I found the next 10 kms a total trudge. Plus the rain, although light, was unceasing. But no flies whatsoever. I was delighted to reach the junction with the Meridian track and once more grassland, and I stopped to make a cup of coffee under a tree. The rain got heavier then lighter. 

I had decided during the afternoon not to bother with the campsite and turn back towards the car down the Meridian at this junction (just camping by the trail as there were plenty of clearings) partly because of the rain and also wanting to avoid the out and back to the campsite as the track was proving less fun than I anticipated. But seeing grassland and big trees ahead I opted to continue to the campsite and this was a good move. It wasn't far and I saw lots of kangaroos and the campsite had a tank and toilet. The toilet was very handy for changing my clothes, resting and cooking as the rain picked up again. The area where I walked yesterday was only a few kms away. 23 kms

November 13 It rained all night but cleared up around dawn and I had some sunshine as I walked back to the car and saw a few lingering kangaroos. This track was much more enjoyable with a variety of trees, gums and pines, flowering heaths, bush peas, eremophila with red bell flowers, yellow pennants, everlastings and views over the grasslands and several dry lakes. It crossed several dry gullies and it's hard to believe there is ever much water here. I had remembered Wyperfeld as being very sandy but I only came to one place with extensive sand.

The red gums are really impressive, being so big and so many of them in this arid environment which can’t be expected to support such growth. I found it slow going on the sandy track heading straight into the wind. I walked steadily and stopped after 9 kms at a water tank but it was too windy to boil water for coffee. Then I went onto a signposted narrow track which was really nice deep in the bush but wasn't on my gps map, and I managed to go wrong and end up by yet another dry lake; I turned back and found the path that was on my map, but I would have been ok if I'd stayed on that other track.

 I was really surprised to find that my car had company when I got back to the carpark; I had seen absolutely nobody around. As I drove off a big fat goanna was crossing the road and it tried to scurry away with rapid movement of legs but it couldn’t decide which way to go. 15 kms