Strzelecki Bushwalking Club - Autumn 2023

Michael enjoying Kayaking with SBWC

Autumn has put on some magnificent weather for walking and Saturday May 13 was no exception!

The Strzelecki Bush Walking Club organized a hike beginning at Knots Siding along the old Walhalla railway line and finishing at Thompson Station. The views along the track of the Thompson River and hills beyond are superb. This is a relatively easy walk of approximately 13km and you can expect to see beautiful tree ferns and various species of eucalyptus trees. We even saw several large “grass trees” on the drier sections of the track.

Gippsland really is an exquisite area of Australia.

The Walhalla railway line was the last of four experimental narrow-gauge lines of the Victorian Railways. Construction was commenced in 1904 but was not completed until 1910. The railway was expected to be a boon for Walhalla, which was in a state of decline with gold mining operations becoming uneconomical. After the closure of the Walhalla gold mines, the railway was used to transport timber and passengers around the area until the late 1940’s. The last section of this railway line from Moe to Erica was closed in 1954.

SBWC members braving the weather at the Sale Wetlands

Strzelecki Bush Walking Club had several more activities on offer in May including a 12km hike to Pearson’s Lookout via Rocky Spur Track on May 21. This walk is rated as easy/medium.

On May 27, SBWC held a bike ride from Toongabbie to Heyfield along the Gippsland Plains Rail Trail. This ride was approximately 40km return. A highlight of this ride was viewing the new Cowwarr Bridge.

The Strzelecki Bushwalking Club is an extremely friendly and vibrant club with many different types of activities on offer including walking, riding, paddling and social opportunities. We are always on the lookout for more likeminded members.

Our next Club night will be on June 14, and the guest speaker will be Peter Ware discussing Gippsland’s varied flora.