The sound of rain on a tin roof has a relaxing
effect on most people; this was the sound heard for most of Friday
night at the start of the Eildon Anzac weekend accommodated trip.
Continuous and heavy rain (20mm overnight) threatened to persist
into Saturday. Fortunately the intensity reduced and degenerated
into showers around breakfast. So everyone was still keen to attempt
the Blowhard circuit walk...at least initially.
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On the way via Eildon
another heavy shower was sufficient to dissuade one car load
from attempting the walk. This was unfortunate as the weather
was mostly fine for the rest of the day, and the Blowhard
circuit is aesthetically pleasing with plenty of views over
the hills and the lake itself. There were also sightings of
numerous kangaroos.
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Lake Eildon from the Blowhard Circuit
- courtesy Olivia B.
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The other group did end up doing a short walk
around midday, but this was interrupted by a torrential downpour,
flash flooding, potential landslides and rising water levels (their
description). This was peculiar as the rest of the group was only
around 5km away and merely experienced a light shower. Weather is
a strange thing, although I do suspect a slight embellishment. The
walk for the Sunday was the Cathedral Ranges Northern circuit (Ned's
Gully, Jawbone Peak, Cathedral Peak). The weather was almost perfect
(fortunate as I found out later that there has been a history of falls
and injuries in this area). The first section was flat and people
took it easy (taking over an hour to travel 3.5km), with some being
besotted by the various fungi and mushrooms erupting from the ground
amid the decaying vegetation.
Rock hopping along the Cathedral Ranges ridgeline |
The real part of the walk began with
a moderate then steep ascent to Jawbone Peak. This seemed
to energise people, with most increasing their pace. Perhaps
it was the incentive of lunch at Jawbone Peak. There were
sweeping views around the Cathedral valley from this peak.
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The next section followed the ridge line to
Cathedral Peak. There were continual views along this section, improved
after the recent fires cleared much of the scrub. The problem was
that one must continually watch one's footing with the rugged terrain
and steep drops off one or both sides of the track. It was a great
walk for those who like a bit of rock scrambling.
As the Cathedral Peak circuit was a hard
walk, most people were only interested in a shorter, easier walk
on the Monday. This was in the Rubicon valley area along a forestry
track. It started from a historic hydro-power station (still in
use) and followed the river via a waterfall to a dam. Unfortunately,
it wasn't possible to get particularly close to either due to restricted
access, but it was a pleasant walk in the forest nonetheless.
David Sale
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