Wild Dog Track Pics- September 2012

View from Turtons Track - Thanks Patricia for the pics!

Thanks Alan for leading the walk........There was a big hill but we didn't think that it was that tiring!!

Sue and Les ribboning

Wild Dog Track  ~  Sunday 2nd September, 2012.

Walkers: Alan Dow (leader), Sue McKenzie, Patricia Dressell, Les Rowe, Sue Twigg, Sharon & Peter Bray & Elizabeth Anderson

The small group of 8 completed the walk, comprising members from Geelong Bushwalking Club, Otway Ranges Walking Track Association and visitors.  As Spring had arrived on time this year, we were looking forward to a nice day in the bush.  After a short car shuffle, we left Turtons Track heading south along the Wild Dog Track; one of two trails that were hope to have opened for walking in the no-so-distant future.  As some of us were here the week before to remove some of the branches off the track, we made good progress to the old log landing (1 ½ hrs), where we had our first break.  After this, we made steady – albeit slow at times – progress as it has been a long time since we had walked this track.  At times there were steep valleys falling on both sides of the track and you knew you were on a major ridge line.  Finally we came out of the forest, arriving at a farm with the sound of many baa’s to greet us.   After our third break, we started up the ‘4-o’clock hill’; although we were warned, we did not really want to tackle this in our weary state.  Our fourth break was promptly taken once the summit was reached where we enjoyed the great vistas that lay before us.  Then it was off on the last leg that had us walking through a narrow track in dense scrub, through open farmland that we could see the sea and finally on a road up to where our cars were waiting at Crows Nest.  A walk that would have taken just over 5 hours in the past, has taken us 7.5 hours.  No time for a ‘coffee’ as we were running late for the AGM; but the first beer went down well.  Thanks to all who came and toughed it out.

Les Noseda Memorial Walk - Colac Herald

Trek will honour walk campaigner

Story Tools:

• Contact the author
• Comment on this story
• Share on emailEmail to a friend

By Jennifer Chiu, August 16th 2012  Colac Herald            Category: News

Friends and family will take part in a trek to honour Otways walking track campaigner Les Noseda, who died last September.

APOLLO BAY Bay residents will mark the anniversary of walking track campaigner Les Noseda’s death by trekking one of his favourite routes.

Mr Noseda’s sister Glenda Whelan and son Andrew Noseda wanted to have a memorial walk along Apollo Bay’s Highview Walk and they joined with the Otway Ranges Walking Track Association to organise the event.

Mr Noseda, a founding member and former chairman of ORWTA, died on September 15 last year.

Mrs Whelan said the memorial walk on September 9 would be a fitting tribute to Mr Noseda.

“The Highview Walk goes up Old Tuxion Road, it gets up to Crows Nest at the top of Tuxion, overlooking Apollo Bay,” she said.

“This was one of his favourite walks, he used to work up the top of Tuxion at some stage and he used to run past there instead of getting in the car to go home after work.

“I haven’t done the walk, but Les was always nagging me.”

Mrs Whelan said ORWTA members would lead the walkers along the route from Apollo Bay’s visitor information centre from 9am and Crows Nest from 10am.

“We’re estimating we could do it very easily, the whole walk, in four hours,” she said.

“Then we’re heading down to the hotel and having lunch.”

Donations from the walk will go to ORWTA.

The association hopes to name the trail after Mr Noseda if it can attract enough funding to improve the track and open it to the public.

ORWTA has been campaigning for walking trails at Apollo Bay for nearly 20 years.

Association treasurer Sue McKenzie said landholders along the 11-kilometre track had given the green light for the memorial walk.

“Les helped set up the information centre years ago and he used to take any tourists who wanted to go for a walk,” Mrs McKenzie said.

“It was his wish that the track would go ahead, it was probably one of the few things he didn’t get to see in his lifetime but there’s a passionate group of people who are trying to make sure that it does happen,” she said.

Les Noseda Memorial Walk

   

Otway Ranges Walking Track Ass.

                               No. A 0034409H

LES NOSEDA MEMORIAL WALK

Sunday the 9^th of September 2012
Highview Scenic Walk

Invitation to all

Les Noseda had a passion for walking in the Otways. The Highview Scenic Walk was one of his favourites.

Meet at the sculptures near the Info Centre for 9am start (4 hours) or at Crow’s Nest at 10am start (3 hours)

Leader: Alan Dow

If attending please contact Glenda Whelan (info@pointofview.com.au or 0419891685)

Gather at the Krambruk Room, Apollo Bay Hotel after the walk

Please Note:    All participants must sign in before starting at either point. BYO water, snack, camera. Gold coin donation

For more information about ORWTA go to www.otwaywalks.com and check out our updated Blog http://otwaywalks.blogspot.com

August Walk

Allambee Beek Falls, 

Sunday 5th August, 2012
Walkers:  Jack Antonas, Tony Cook, Gabriel Fuller, Andrew Hackett, Nola Hardess, Bernard  Jordan (leader), Sue McKenzie, Jennifer Morrow, Les Roe, Julie Sabol, Stephanie Van Patenhove, Sue Wesson. (Members/ visitors of GBC and Otway Ranges Walking Track Association.)


The walk commenced at the corner of Mount Sabine and Curtis roads. We walked some 2.5km down Curtis "road" to where the "road" turns left, then followed a ribboned route through the forest leading approximately south to Cumberland river. We intended to take the nearby route somewhat east of this route, but missed it! Never mind, we arrived at Staircase Falls, and then moved on to the grander Allambee Beek Falls. Drizzly rain and a howling wind in the forest canopy above accompanied us for the rest of the day. The route south went up, sideways, down to a creek, and up finally to a car on Wye River Road, some 3 km east of Mount Sabine Road.  (In retrospect, I should have left all the cars but one at the end of the walk.) The company was good,  a few great giants among the forest dwarfing us. Most of us ended with coffee at Martian cafe at, of course, Deans Marsh. 5 and a bit hours, including breaks, for the walking. 

July Walk

Lake Elizabeth, Otways.  Sunday 1st July 2012

Walkers:  Bernard Jordan (leader) Vivian George, Jack Antonas, Sue McKenzie, Alan Dow, Andrew Hackett.

The group comprised members of Geelong Bushwalking Club and Otway Ranges Walking Track Association who were not deterred by the drizzly rain that we experienced all day.  We commenced the walk at the West Barwon Dam, which was overflowing for the first time in eleven years.  We followed one of the walking/bike trails parallel to the reservoir for some 4kms to the Kaanglang Road and thence to the car-park picnic area for lunch. 

From there we walked to and around Lake Elizabeth.  The far end was flooded a few days before, but passable for us.  On the return, we chose a different trail on which we saw a solitary cyclist, quite a number of birds, many colourful fungi, and Otway snails that Alan was able to identify.

Although the walk is graded Medium, it took us about five and a half hours to complete, but was, nevertheless, enjoyed by all.

The Apollo Bay Walks Promotional DVD is online thanks to Tim Watters.
See it here:  http://vimeo.com/38484000
Note for faster loading, download the SD file.

‘High View’,
Apollo Bay, Sunday 4th June, 2012
Walkers: Alan Dow (leader), Bernard Jordan, Paul Byrnes, Sue Wesson, Linda Boyd, Sharon Bray, Beth Gilks, Bruce McGuiness, Daniel Thurairatnam, Alistair Elliot, Tim Cobb, Murray Kelser, Graeme Ward, Felicia Ross, Beverly Duffin, Kevin Duffin, James Broadly.

This walk was attended by members of GBC, Otway Ranges Walking Track Association and Camperdown Bushwalking Club.

After what I thought was a really nice autumn, the third day of winter brought things back to reality.  Most of Apollo Bay woke at 6 am to a large clap of thunder followed by nearly two hours of heavy rain. Not a good start when you’re trip leader and you have a long walk planned into the rainforest.   To cut a long & wet story short; one third cancelled and due to the rain, that had fallen and that was about to, I decided to change the walk to the ‘High View’.  The 18 hardy hikers were certainly challenged by the relentless rain on the three hour circuit.  Having survived the ordeal, we all earned our arvo tea from ‘Sandy Feet’.  We also had a stroll to view Carisbrooke Falls some 15 km out of Apollo Bay accessed from the Great Ocean Road.

May Walk Noonday Mill

Noonday Track, Forrest, Sunday 6th May, 2012

Walkers: Alan Dow, Doris Denney, Patricia Dressel, Nola Hardess, Bernard Jordan (leader), Bob Lambdell, Joan McMahon, Leanne Matheson, Peter Morgan, Les Roe, Sue Twigg.

Members of GBC, Otway Ranges Walking Track Association, and Camperdown Bushwalking Club joined this walk - Walking the Otways E11. Some participants are members of all 3 clubs!   We started from the junction of Kaanglang road and Noonday track and continued along K road to Number One Spur Track, where we walked west to take Noonday Track, which initially was a steep, and for us, muddy, slippery downhill. From the junction of Noonday and Monday creeks, the track went uphill (of course) until we met the cars.  We did not see the site of Noonday Mill, which closed some 100 years ago, but we enjoyed the walk through the forest.  The cover photo of the third edition of Walking the Otways features a section of the walk. For added value, most of us drove to the nearby carpark for Lake Elizabeth. We  appreciated the walk to the tranquil lake, before returning, and rewarding ourselves with coffee, etc. at the micro brewery/coffee house in Forrest. We enjoyed the misty day.

Bernard Jordan

Walk Report

Sunday April 1 dawned fine, overcast, perfect weather for waterfall
photography. 10 adventurous souls met their leader at the Mt Sabine/ Kennett
Rd intersection at about the appointed time of 10 am, for the somewhat
challenging walk to Wye Falls. The car shuffle was completed earlier so we
could walk out to the Wye Road via Mud Rd, rather than retrace our steps.
I had not been to the area for several years and was taken aback to find
that a bulldozer had been down both sides and removed all that was familiar
to me. I had to take a punt on where to start looking for the track to the
falls. We started out on an old logging track that seemed to be in the right
spot, but nothing looked familiar. After several hours of poking around I
gave up the search as even if we found it we were out of time to do the
walk.
The moral of the story is we need to be doing each section of the walk on a
more regular basis, and leaders need to scope the walk if it hasn't been
done for a long period.
I later found the start point a kilometre away, but too late to be useful.
The other moral of the story might be never lead a walk on April Fools Day!

Richard Gilbert

PS: Some of the group decided then to walk from where we started along the Kennett Rd and the Wye Kennett Jeep Track past some recent burn offs and along steep gravel roads to the Wye River Pub for a well earnt drink!

Apollo Bay Trails Feasibility Study Adopted

Eight members attended the Colac Otway Shire Council meeting on the 28th of March 2012 at the COPAC in Colac. The Apollo Bay Trails Feasibility Study was passed unanimously 7 - 0. After sixteen years of persistence we finally have taken our first step. Now we will continue to work with the Colac Otway Shire and Parks Victoria to gain funding for walks in the Apollo Bay hinterland.

Feasibility - Colac Otway Shire Council meeting 28th March 3pm

The Apollo Bay Walks Feasibility study report is being presented to the Colac Otway Council at their next meeting at 3pm on Wednesday the 28th of March at 3pm at COPAC. The period for public comment has closed, submissions have been summarised and concerns addressed. A revised document is being presented to Council for approval.

March 2012 Walk

Little Aire Falls after some rain.

Walkers were from GBC and the Otway Ranges Walking Track Association. The walk commenced at the carpark for Triplet and Little Aire Falls, which are some 15 km south of Ferguson, about 5 km west of Beech Forest. We admired the swollen Triplet Falls from 3 separate viewing platforms, and then walked a rather circuitous route leading to Little Aire Falls, where "Little" refers to the river, not the spectacular Falls. On the return, we made a major detour (2 and a half hours return) along overgrown Phillips Track to the Aire river. Brian McKenzie recalled riding a bike along the (then) good track many years ago. Our route was generally obvious along the track, benched on one side and dropping away on the other. Before descending to the noisy, attractive, full Aire River, the track turned sharply left (east). After some 200m we saw minor relics of the bridge and hut.

The forest contained very tall old growth, and smaller regrowth, mountain ash, plus beech trees and tree ferns. A very attractive walk in good company.

Bernard Jordan

Feasibility Study Update

At the last Colac Otway Shire council meeting on January 25th, 2012, the Apollo Bay Walks Feasibility Study was passed unanimously to be placed on public exhibition for six weeks. I attended the meeting and councillors made some wonderful remarks. We need to ensure that there are lots of supportive comments submitted to the council before March the 9th. Call Andrew Nixon, the feasibility project officer on 0417699611 to find out more or to receive a copy of the study on a CD.

Feasibility Study Update

We met today with Tim Watters, who will be making our short promotional video. We hope to begin filming in February.

January Walk Four Falls

Walk Report, Four Falls from TW Spur, Sunday 8/1/2012

Early morning rain cleared to a fine cool day, ideal for walking.

Eight walkers met at the corner of Mt. Sabine Road and TW Spur Track, whence they followed the route shown on the ORWTA CD-ROM and proceeded to Yannathan Falls, Upper Cumberland Falls, Galliebarinda Falls and Brunswick Falls in that order, beginning at 9:40.

There was much to see on this extensive walk. All four falls were most attractive with strong flows of water despite the season. Bracket fungi in a variety of sizes and colours were prolific. Many birds were heard, including kookaburras, and some were also sighted.

Although ably led by Jennifer Morrow, the walkers found navigation somewhat difficult, owing to strong growth in the understorey over the past year which had obscured tracks and ribbons. Much fallen timber also lay across tracks, adding to difficulties.

Having visited Brunswick Falls around 4 p.m., the walkers became widely spaced on the climb back to the TW Spur. Unfortunately the frontrunners failed to see the exit to the TW Spur Track and began to descend once more to Yannathan Falls. Before they realized their mistake, the rest of the party exited via the correct route and was surprised not to find the frontrunners at the starting point. Luckily the frontrunners were able to correct their mistake and return to the starting point before emergency services were summoned. Moral: do not get too far ahead of your leader, especially if there is any uncertainty about the route.

It was 7:10 p.m. before all walkers returned to the starting point, making this a long day. It might have been an hour shorter, if not for the navigational error described above, but this rewarding walk is inevitably one of our longest and most demanding.

Afterwards, most of the walkers gathered at Martians' in Deans Marsh and enjoyed the fare provided by the new management.