Category: News

Spring is a magical time for bushwalking in Victoria’s Alpine areas. As the snow retreats and the wilderness awakens, the high country bursts into life with a vibrant display of colors and biodiversity. Whether you’re a seasoned bushwalker or a novice looking for adventure, spring in the Victorian Alps offers a raft of reasons to lace up your boots and hit the trails. Here’s 9 reasons to put the Victorian Alps on your calendar this Spring.

Wildflower Wonderland:

Blanketing the alpine meadows, you’ll discover a tapestry of blooms, from the vivid alpine daisies to the gnarled Snow Gums. Head to locations like the Mt Baw Baw or Mount Stirling for a firsthand encounter with this colorful spectacle.

Mild Climate:

Spring’s mild weather offers the perfect bushwalking conditions. With temperatures rising but still comfortable, Spring is a great time to tackle challenging hikes. Try the Big Walk at Mt Buffalo, pick a section of the Australian Alpine Walking Track (AAWT), like the stunning section from The Bluff to Mt Cobbler, or, if you are keen to venture further afar, Lake Tali Karng.  But make sure you always check the snow cover and weather forecast, this is Victoria after all, and a spring or summer snow dump is always a possibility.

Waterfall Chasing:

The thawing snow and spring rains transform waterfalls into gushing torrents of beauty. Explore destinations like Rollasons, Ladies Bath and Eurobin Falls at Mount Buffalo, Fainter Falls, a short walk near Bogong VIllage, or if you are looking for a bigger challenge, try Victoria’s longest waterfall, Dandongadale Falls, with a drop of 255m, on the Cobbler Plateau.

Birdwatcher’s Paradise:

Spring marks the return of numerous bird species to the Victorian Alps for nesting. For birdwatching enthusiasts, it’s a prime opportunity to spot species like the Gang-gang Cockatoo, Flame Robin, and the Australian Pipit.   

Alpine Vistas:

Spring offers the unique experience of hiking amidst snow-capped peaks while witnessing the emergence of lush alpine meadows. The Razorback Ridge, looking out over Mt Feathertop, Mount Buffalo, and Falls Creek are iconic locations that provide breathtaking panoramas and unforgettable bushwalking opportunities, with both shorter and longer options.

Tranquil Trails:

Unlike the busier summer months, spring brings fewer crowds to the trails. Enjoy the serenity and solitude as you traverse trails like the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing (again, always check conditions!), the Buller Huts Trail. For comprehensive planning, consult the Bushwalking Victoria Bushwalking Manual.

Photographic Adventures:

Capture the ever-changing spring landscapes and the vibrant flora and fauna through your lens. The Victorian Alps offer a treasure trove of photographic subjects. Don’t forget to explore locations like Mushroom Rocks and Mt St Gwinear in the Baw Baw region, Mount Stirling for amazing snowgums, layered sunsets, and cattlemen’s huts, and Mt Buffalo for every kind of photographic opportunity you can imagine.  Don’t forget towns like Bright and Harrietville that fill with spring blossoms at the same time each year.

Adventure at Ski Resorts:

Ski resorts transform into adventure hubs during spring, offering activities like mountain biking and both short and long walks.  Basing yourself in a ski resort offers the epic mountain and skies, coupled with fun walks that feel remote, with the relative safety of people close by, and a hot shower and delicious meal at the end of the day.   Head to Falls Creek, Mount Buller, or Dinner Plain for a unique blend of alpine adventures, delicious food and bushwalking explorations.

Spring Festivals and Local Culture:

Immerse yourself in the local culture and celebrate spring at events like the Mansfield High Country Festival and the Bright Community Picnic. Want to challenge yourself on 4 iconic hikes into the mountains near Bright?  Check out the 4 Peaks Bright Alpine Climb, held on Melbourne Cup weekend each year. Combine these festivities with bushwalking excursions for a well-rounded alpine experience.

Spring in Victoria’s Alpine areas invites bushwalkers to embrace nature’s rebirth and explore the diverse landscapes and abundant wildlife of this pristine region. So, pack your gear, consult the Bushwalking VIctoria Bushwalking Manual for invaluable guidance, and embark on an unforgettable bushwalking adventure this spring. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the transformation of the alpine wilderness at its finest.

All Images:  Richelle Olsen/Escaping Your Comfort Zone

Report on BTAC Firebreak Track activity 22 and 23 July 2023.

For the July track clearing activity BTAC sought a track that was not likely to be covered with snow, something at a lower altitude. We partnered with Friends of Baw Baw to do work on the AAWT within the Baw Baw National Park. Parks Victoria readily accepted the offer to attend to this section of track which was indeed in need of attention.

Over the two days more than 100 logs, some quite substantial, were cleared from the 6.5km section of the AAWT from the Mt Erica Road, down Fire Break Trail to O’Sheas Mill Site and out to the Thompson Valley Road. 15 volunteers, some from as far afield as Benalla, toiled with chainsaws, brush cutters, hedge trimmers and hand tools to clear the many logs, regrowth on the track and the overhanging vegetation to restore the track hopefully for some years to come.

Peter Maffei and Joe van Beek checked out the track ahead of the event. They counted over 100 chainsaw jobs and noted the huge amount of hedge trimming that was needed. On passing through the intended camp site for the weekend at O’Sheas Mill Site, aka East Tyers Camping Area, they declared it as not fit for purpose because of mud, dampness and lack of suitable tent sites.

While a few of the volunteers travelled from home each day the majority arrived on Friday afternoon and stayed in the luxury of the Erica Caravan Park with undercover cooking facilities and hot showers. As this was a last-minute change and an unexpected cost to the volunteers a good rate was obtained from the Park owners, which BTAC further subsidised so volunteers were paying just $10 per night for the unpowered sites and access to all camp facilities. A wood fire in the BBQ shelter provided a focal point for socialising.

We worked as two teams, each with a similiar combination of skills, experience and equipment. On Saturday one team lead by Peter Maffei started on the Mt Erica Road and worked downhill on Firebreak Track while the other team lead by Joe van Beek worked uphill from O’Sheas. The chain sawing was all done by the end of the day. On Sunday Peter’s team, without chainsaws, went back to finish off Firebreak Track while Joe’s team cleared from O’Sheas to Thompson Valley Road. The participants contributed some 200 on-the-job volunteer hours with a further 80 to travel and in preparation.

Although it was cold with temperatures between 2 and 12 degrees, the days were ideal working conditions. Soft misty rain set in around 3 on Sunday afternoon just after our objectives for the weekend were achieved and we had arrived back at our vehicles.

Thanks to Parks Victoria and Friends of Baw Baw for their support for this activity.  Thanks to Peter Maffei for leading the second team and special thanks to all the volunteers for giving of their time, travelling to the site, hard (but hopefully satisfying) work and camaraderie.

Joe van Beek

BTAC Activity Leader

PS: An example of feedback on Facebook:

Jenny Woodhouse

Yippee! Oh heartfelt thanks to everyone concerned for all of those tireless days of hard work. Please know all of your efforts are very much appreciated! You guys are absolutely all legends!

On 9 August, five members of the BCWC assisted Parks Victoria with maintenance work on a significant section of McMillans Walking Track within the Grant Historic Area. The section is a benched track  leaving Brewery Creek Track not far from Talbotville and then follows the embankment of an old water race to the Wongungarra River. As with much of McMillans Walking Track it was constructed in the gold rush era of the 1860s. These tracks were built to a specification which required a minimum width of 4 feet (1.2m) and a steady gradient to facilitate movement by miners with pack horse or on foot pushing a wheelbarrow. To obtain the minimum width it was necessary in places to hew into the rock and build up the outer edge with dry stone walling. There is still ample evidence of this construction work along this 1.9km section of track.

This section of track is also significant in the history of gold mining in Victoria. In 1864 a member of McMillans track cutting party stumbled onto gold bearing quartz at the point where the track departs Brewery Creek Track. McMillan recorded in his diary “Tuesday April 12 Remained in camp. Some of the men found a quartz reef which appears to be very rich … most of them leaving.” McMillan named the reef “Pioneer” after his favourite horse. Whereas the alluvial gold mining rush in the Crooked River Goldfield in 1861 was initiated by Howitt’s find of payable gold in the Good Luck Creek, some 9 km upstream, this event on Pioneer Reef set off the quartz mining rush in 1864 which was to last much longer than the alluvial workings on the Crooked River.

Unfortunately after the March 2019 bushfires burnt through this area blackberry has bounced back in abundance. When BTAC cleared the track in March 2022 the section of track along the old water race  was in places totally obscured by blackberry. Walkers had not been able to find their way through. Hopefully a program of spraying and regular clearance will help preserve this historic section of track.

It was a cold and foggy start on 9 August when the team met up at the depot in Dargo but the day soon warmed to a perfect working day as we made our way through Grant and Talbotville to the start of the track. With lack of rainfall in recent times the crossing of the Crooked River was straight forward. Armed with chainsaw, brush cutter, hedge trimmers, loppers and rake the team cleared a basic way through to the Wongungarra River and then turned back and started attacking the blackberry in earnest. The work by the BCWC and Parks Victoria team involved cutting the blackberry and other vegetation back from the track as well as clearing logs and fallen trees to ensure the track is fit for walkers. A surprising amount of work was achieved in the short working day we had.  Thanks to Gary, Robyn, Tony and Sue for their great effort. Special thanks to Gary for all the driving. Thanks to Bec, Tehan and Camila from Parks Victoria for organising the day, working alongside of us and affording BCWC the opportunity to work on this wonderful historic walking track.

Premiering on Thursday, 10 August at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand, Great Australian Walks with Julia Zemiro sees Logie nominated actor, presenter, and comedian Julia Zemiro (Fisk, RocKwiz) invite audiences on an intimate journey exploring of Australia’s most stunning and historically significant walks.

Watch the trailer HERE

We are excited to announce that bookings for the Federation Walks weekend based at Trentham on 21-22 October will open on Monday 31st July. Don’t miss this popular annual event that brings together members of our bushwalking community for a fun weekend of walks and social activities.

This year provides an opportunity for participants to visit sections of the Wombat State Forest that have reopened after the devastation of the 2021 storms.  The program will include visits to Lyonville Springs, Garden of St Erth, Blackwood township and Mineral Springs, Lerderderg River, Nolan’s Creek Picnic Ground, Balt Camp and Yankee Mine.

The forest offers an extensive network of trails varying in difficulty levels and length – from steep ascents to rocky descents. It promises a diverse range of terrains for us to explore and a variety of flora and fauna to discover.

More information and the booking link are available on the event website.
Bookings open at 9:00am on Monday 31 July 2023.

The illegal clearing of native vegetation along private property fence-lines has become a worrying trend across Victoria. We’re once again warning private landowners and earthmoving contractors to ensure they have the right authorisation before disturbing any native vegetation.

Reports to the Conservation Regulator about the clearing of trees from public land have increased this year, with several cases part of our ongoing investigations.

Last month, a second conviction was handed down for the illegal removal of mature eucalyptus trees in the Annya State Forest, near Heywood, in 2021. A southwest earthmoving contractor was ordered to pay nearly $22,000 in combined fines and legal costs after he was hired by a private landowner to clear trees from the forest along the fence line of their property. The private property owner pleaded guilty to similar charges under the Forests Act 1958 and the Wildlife Regulations 2013 in April last year and was ordered to pay fines and legal costs combining to almost $60,000.

In a separate case, an earthmoving contractor was charged earlier this month with more than 125 offences after allegedly bulldozing 60 large native trees from an area of public land in and around Mount Lawson State Park. The business owner is accused of destroying wildlife habitat and using a vehicle to damage public land without a permit and will face court next month.

Our native trees and other vegetation provide significant wildlife habitat to a range of birds, mammals, and reptile species, some of which are endangered. The removal of native tress like these from public land has lasting negative impacts on the environment and biodiversity.

In Victoria, it is illegal to remove native vegetation on public land without authorisation. Damaging, disturbing, or destroying wildlife habitat attracts penalties up to $9,615 per charge.

Anyone with information about illegal land clearing or other environmental crimes is urged to call 136 186.

Some numbers are beyond calculation, but any mathematical savant who might care to give a really big one a go would be most welcome at Echuca Moama Bushwalkers.

The club this month celebrated its 30th anniversary (including more than 700 events trudged along the way) and more than one member could be heard wondering just how many steps that might represent.  Mathematics beyond the ken of most members, but no question a lot of shoe leather has paid the price for the enthusiasm of the hundreds of walkers who have at various times been part of the organisation.

Club president Julie Smith, explaining they are talking about many more than 100  members, put it more scientifically:  “We are probably talking about a lot of steps across those three decades”.Julie says the club might have had a small, low-key launch with a few interested bushwalkers, back in 1993, but once up and running – well, walking – its numbers grew rapidly and its range of activities expanded with the enthusiasm of its growing ranks.

“We were delighted so many past and present members were able to attend our celebratory lunch in the function room at Echuca Workers,” Julie says.

“Some of them came from as far afield as Ocean Grove (but didn’t walk) to share in this milestone,” she says. “But our footprint extends way beyond that – we received apologies from past members who still keep in contact with the club, and its members have spread as far as Mt Barker in the (appropriately) Adelaide Hills, which is 652 km due west.”

A highlight of the anniversary lunch was the presentation of Certificates of Appreciation to:

• Manfred Lindner, who joined in 1994, and has been the club photographer for many years, regularly producing comprehensive photo albums with locations, dates and names of the people on the walk. He has led 43 walks and participated in many more.
• Richard Wearne, who also joined in 1994, recognising his ingenuity on many walks. Richard has led 33 walks and stepped out in many more.
• Frank Bassett, who became part of the club in 1996, was recognised for persevering across eight years to complete the Great Dividing Trail, despite many Covid setbacks.
• AnneMaree Crosby was also acknowledged for her dedication to the club, being a long-term committee member since 1996 and for making sure club members have a newsletter every month.
• Annette Cowan was surprised and honoured to receive her Life Membership.

Julie says Annette was at the club’s inaugural meeting 30 years ago and has been a paid up and active member ever since. “Annette has been a cornerstone of the club, active in so many ways and always contributing – including two years as president, another year as treasurer and 14 long years as walks coordinator,” Julie added. “Not only has she led 68 walks – and that’s more than two a year, every year – she has been an equally active participant in so many others,” she says. “She has also been an amazing resource for the club, such as her years of volunteer work as a mentor to many of our new leaders over the three decades.”

People at the lunch also got to watch a photo presentation of a variety of activities and walks its members have been involved in during the past 30 years.

As well as crisscrossing Victoria, the club has always understood those members’ boots were made for walking, so that’s just what they do – with events organised in Tasmania, central Australia, South Australia, Queensland and northern NSW, as well as a few trips to New Zealand.

Echuca Moama Bushwalkers is affiliated with Bushwalking Victoria.

Further details and membership enquiries are available at www.echucamoamabushwalkers.org.au

The track from Omeo Highway to Gill Creek forms a 4.5 km section of the AAWT almost half-way along its length.  A BTAC crew had cleared the first 2.2 km section four years previously.  The remaining section was heavily overgrown and had many fallen logs across it.  Parks Victoria had identified it as a track much in need of clearing.

After a reconnaissance of the track six weeks previously, a team of 12 volunteers (including four who were new to BTAC) met up on Friday afternoon to camp at Big River Bridge Campground.  On Saturday morning, we met the two rangers, walked the 2.2 km to the start of our work and began.  There was plenty of work for our three chainsaws, two brush cutters and two hedge-trimmers.  By the end of the first day, we had well passed the half-way point of our intended clearing and walked some 3.5 km back to the cars parked at Omeo Highway.  Once back at our campsite, the rangers kindly cooked a barbecue dinner for us all on the fire.

On Sunday, after a 7:45am start, we were able to complete the clearing of the track down to Gill Creek, followed by the uphill walk back, carrying the tools and fuel bottles.

We are grateful for the efforts of the volunteers giving up their time and for their hard work, and to Parks for their support for the team and for generously providing dinner on Saturday night after a day’s work.

John Green  – BTAC Project Manager

We are excited to announce that a new position has been created at Bushwalking Victoria for an Executive Officer.

The successful candidate will help us design and implement a club development plan, working closely with clubs to identify actions to support their future sustainability.  They will also be responsible for improving our communication and marketing efforts and help us grow our membership base.

If you’re passionate about bushwalking and would like to find out more, the position description is available HERE.

On Friday afternoon nine hearty volunteers (including 3 from BCWC and 3 named Peter) met up with Daniel Ball, Forest Management and Roading Officer, at the DEECA Depot in Dargo for a welcome and briefing in preparation for their work on the Crooked River section of the McMillans Walking Track.  It was anticipated that this would be a challenging weekend of track clearing because of its remoteness, difficult access and unknown condition; and so it proved to be. Capable 4WD vehicles were required to get to either end of the 13km section of the track. All camping gear, supplies and work equipment had to be portaged 4km up the track to a make shift camp.  There are no recognised  camping sites along this section of the track, it took some effort and ingenuity to find and make a camp site not too far from water, tents were strung out along the track. Participants were instructed to “Pack light and compact in a back pack; a small tent, dare I say dehydrated food, limited luxuries. Be self sufficient for camping and all meals except the Friday BBQ”.

The team was pleasantly surprised to find that the first 4km up from the Stonewall end was easy walking having been cleared in recent times, as was the first kilometre and a half from the other end off White Timber Spur Track. Over the weekend the team chain sawed the logs off the whole length of the track leaving some easy-step-over ones and thoroughly cleared a bit over 3km including some dense patches of blackberry. They also did some step cutting and track benching to make walking easier. There is still some 4.5km of track that needs further work in the near future. Blackberry is an issue, it is in patches over the whole length of the track. Spraying would be desirable.

Fine weather blessed the team for the whole of the duration and they enjoyed being on this historically significant track constructed by gold miners in the 1860s through the stunning scenic steep sided Crooked River valley. The benched track was constructed, at places high above the river, to a high standard with dry stone walling still in good condition in some sections.

The volunteers contributed a total of 336, otherwise payable, hours to this activity.

Thank you to Daniel and DEECA for their contributions and support; the BBQ goodies, which were enjoyed on Friday night at Bulltown and on the track for lunch on Saturday, the use of trunk radios and access to their depot at Dargo for getting organised and parking cars and the BTAC trailer over the weekend. And thank you to the volunteers for their time, effort, achievement and camaraderie over the ANZAC weekend on the Crooked River section of McMillans Walking Track.

Joe van Beek  (BTAC Convenor)