Run Forrest!

And run we did!
This Queen's Birthday weekend saw the staging of a new event on the Barwon: the inaugural "Run Forrest" and naturally, I had to be a part of it!

The calm before the storm. West Barwon River

It was my first official trail run over the half marathon distance. I was seriously underdone training-wise both for the distance and the hills and definitely lacking in pretty much any sort of proper trail running experience. None-the-less it was a great thing to do. With a finishing time of 2:16:40, I was never going to break any records - not even my own - but that wasn't really the point.

Waiting...

The point was to get out and run along parts of the Barwon I either hadn't seen before or hadn't run along. Some of the route I knew quite well, such as the track below the West Barwon Dam and that around Lake Elizabeth, but other sections I hadn't seen.

...still waiting...

...and GO!

Well, Forrest really turned it on. The weather was perfect; clear, cool and without a breath of wind. From what I could glimpse, the surface of Lake Elizabeth was as smooth as glass. This really was a stunning backdrop for a running event and I would love to say that I spent the whole distance admiring the view. The reality was however, that I spent most of the time paying very close attention to the path in front of me or the feet of the runner in front as I tried to avoid the very real risk of a sprained or broken ankle - such are the joys of trail running. However I did remind myself to take an occasional glance as I slowed down a little for the uphill sections, of which there were many!

..and here's one I prepared earlier...Lake Elizabeth December, 2011

It also meant that I did not carry a camera which was a good decision as the majority of the run was on narrow, single-person mountain bike trails with little room to stop or overtake. None-the-less, it was a great run with only one seriously murderous hill as we climbed up the "Red Carpet" trail from the East Barwon back to the West. All the other hills were relieved by short sections of flat or downhill.

The track around Lake Elizabeth December, 2011. It was a little damper than this

As well as being a new thing for me, the whole event was a learning curve both for the organisers and the good townspeople of Forrest. For those who didn't run, there was a band, a few stalls selling food and merchandise, coffee or a meal in town, the opportunity to take a stroll along the West Barwon to the dam and for those in the know even a couple of little log books to be discovered and signed.
For the runners there were the usual check in facilities, race support and post race recuperative beverages. There was also a rolling results tally which was updated as runners finished and displayed on screen which was kinda fun.

Done!

After the event, it was - fortunately - a short walk up to the main street and a wander through the 8th annual Otway Soup Festival before nabbing a table at Forrest Country Guesthouse for lunch. The guesthouse along with every other eatery in town was run off its feet, however the staff were holding up admirably and were still smiling by 3pm when the crowds were beginning to thin a little.
All in all, a great event!

A visit to the Big Lake

Today's expedition took us not to the Barwon, but to the place where much of its water is stored - Wurdee Boluc Reservoir (sometimes also spelt Wurdiboluc). This is, I am informed, an Aboriginal (I assume Wathaurong) name meaning "Big Lake". Which is quite appropriate.

Wurdee Boluc Reservoir

For those who haven't been there, the reservoir is located a short distance to the South West of Winchelsea and can be accessed via Cape Otway Road. Water from the Barwon however, takes a somewhat different route in its approach to the reservoir.
From the West Barwon River, Munday Creek and the surrounding catchment areas, water is collected in the West Barwon Dam (capacity 21,504ML) in the Otways as mentioned in previous posts. But where does the water go from there?
Well, initially, it flows downstream a couple of hundred metres at which point water is taken via the West Barwon diversion pipe to the East Barwon diversion weir which also collects water from the East Barwon River. From the weir, water from both rivers is carried via the Wurdee Boluc Inlet Channel, collecting further flows from several creeks on the way. The channel then makes its way to the Wurdee Boluc Reservoir where up to 38,056ML of water can be stored at one time.

Wurdee Boluc Inlet Channel

The reservoir also receives water from the Barwon Downs and the Anglesea borefields. Once in the reservoir, water is then treated before transfer to Geelong and surrounds for use in the domestic water supply.

A view across the reservoir

According to the information board on site, the reservoir (known as an "off-stream storage" facility) was built in 1929. It was further enlarged to cope with increasing demand in 1955 and then again in 1991 to its current capacity. The embankment which surrounds the reservoir is 8.7km in length and the surface area of the whole is some 564 hectares. At its deepest points, it reaches 12m. In total, this system supplies around 70% of Geelong's water requirements.

Wurdee Boluc Reservoir

In addition to providing water to the populace, the reservoir is a popular fishing spot with the locals as well as being home to a healthy-looking population of water birds and a startlingly large number of kangaroos which we were able to see as we walked along the embankment after lunch.

Kangaroos at Wurdee Boluc Reservoir

Kangaroos at the reservoir

First however, we ate our picnic at the Vines Reserve which has a public parking area and picnic tables just off Cape Otway Road and provides public access to the weir.
The reserve - as the board informed - is named for Dr G.J. Geoffrey Vines who joined the Geelong Waterworks and Sewage Trust in 1965 as Senior Design Engineer. Throughout his career and until his eventual retirement as CEO of Barwon Water on 17th June, 1994 - a position he held from 1984. Dr Vines oversaw the development of many major improvements in Geelong's water and sewerage supplies. These included the sewer outfall at Black Rock, the planning and instalment of sewage to several of Geelong's suburbs, the development of the Barwon Downs borefield and the upgrade of the Wurdee Boluc Reservoir and development of its water treatment plant.





A clear winter's afternoon at Wurdee Boluc Reservoir

So, with our knowledge of Geelong's water supply further increased and the sun beginning to drop towards the horizon, we completed our stroll, left the fishermen to their rods and headed for home.

Firepower

It is bushfire season. As the temperature in Geelong and surrounding districts peaked at 41 degrees yesterday, a small grassfire broke out near the Barwon River outside of the township of Stonehaven. On this occasion, it was contained within a few hours. Despite media and government reports of an aerial firefighting unit, several tankers from Geelong and surrounding towns and the possible presence of smoke, there was nothing to be seen from a distance. None-the-less, the tanker from Gnawarre became bogged and then trapped in the flames. No-one was injured, however the truck suffered substantial damage.

Ten News footage of the Gnawarre tanker in flames at Stonehaven

The potential for danger was clearly quite real and it got me thinking  about what role fire has played along the banks of the Barwon over the centuries. Certainly, the local Wathaurong tribes are known to have conducted burns as part of the land management strategies they used to encourage the propagation of various food sources. Studies have suggested that the current growth of native trees in what is believed to be an untouched remnant of bushland at Ocean Grove - not far from the Lake Connewarre Game Reserve - may have changed over the last 150 years with the cessation of burning by the Wathaurong tribes.

Man-made lake and remnant bushland in the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve

At the other end, near the headwaters of the Barwon, it is rather a different story. The Otway Ranges receive more rainfall than any other part of the state. This has lead to the growth of temperate rainforest which does not burn easily - if at all. I am informed that prior to European arrival, a bushfire could be expected in some parts of the Otways no more regularly than every 300-500 years!
With the arrival of white settlement however, things have changed somewhat. Clearfell logging has had an impact on the ability of the area to withstand bushfire damage and both have had a significant effect on water catchment capacity and water quality. Clearfell logging in the Otways ceased in May, 2008. It is predicted that within 60 years if no further logging takes place that water yields will increase by 10%.
Over time, damaged areas of bushland will regenerate, however even this comes at a cost to short term water catchment capacity. Young trees draw water from the soil, evaporating it through their leaves as they respire and grow. Old growth trees by contrast retard the flow of runoff water through the soil which remains moist, allowing more time for it to drain into the creeks and rivers of the catchment area. Likewise, bushfire can not only damage old growth trees, but it draws moisture from the ground which would otherwise end up in the catchments.

Section of regrowth  and old growth forest at West Barwon Dam

The West Barwon catchment area is largely old growth forest however, parts of this were burnt out during bushfires in the area in 1919 and again in the 1939 Black Friday bushfires when Victoria's rivers were reported to be at their lowest levels for 80 years. One story tells of Bill Kellas, a survivor of the more recent 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires who as a six year old boy, spent two days sheltering beside the Barwon in 1939 with his mother. They survived the bushfires by ducking beneath the surface of the river to avoid falling embers and hiding beneath wet blankets.
Bushfire management has come a long way since then and not surprisingly, the threat of bushfire in the Otways and along the Barwon is very much a "hot topic". So much so in fact that the authorities responsible for developing safety strategies in the region (the Department of Sustainability and Energy and Parks Victoria) have won the Motorola Innovation Knowledge Agency Award for those deemed the most progressive in the fields of fire and emergency.
Let's hope their innovations are effective!

The lady of the lake - part 1

Or the lake which was named after a lady - perhaps even the Queen, although I can't confirm this. This week-end with the family in tow, I finally made it back to the Otways once again. After a quick detour via the West Barwon Dam, we headed over to the East Barwon and down to the bottom of the walking track which leads to Lake Elizabeth.

Lagoon at Lake Elizabeth

View from the bottom of Lake Elizabeth

Lake views

As I mentioned in a previous post, Lake Elizabeth was formed on 17th June, 1952 when a naturally occurring landslide completely obstructed the East Barwon River for a period of a couple of months before water once again broke through. Then, in August, 1953 after heavy rain, the force of the collected water caused a much larger breach in the dam wall, washing away the top 26 metres. The debris from this breach now lies in pieces along the course of the river whilst the remaining portion of the lake was reduced to about a fifth of its original size.

View from the top of Lake Elizabeth

One of the most striking features of the lake would have to be the numerous dead tree trunks which rise from the waters as a reminder that this place was once just another part of the river valley. For nearly 60 years their skeletal remains have survived drought and flood, giving the lake a rather eerie, abandoned feel.

View from above

On this occasion, the weather was quite still and peaceful, with the exception of a couple of distant peals of thunder which amounted to nothing and with the exception of a couple of walkers on their return journey, we had the place to ourselves...

A tale of two rivers

At the end of the previous post, we had stopped for a picnic lunch at the bridge across the west branch of the Barwon at Kaanglang Road outside of Forrest - a pretty spot with large trees rising all around.Next, we headed off, up a walking track which took us along the east side of the river towards the wall of the West Barwon Dam.

The terrain was relatively flat and the walk an easy one. The river at this point is still little more than a trickle, despite the presence of such a large reservoir so close by. This I discovered is the result of a controlled flow released from the dam by the relevant authority -  Barwon Water. What is not explained is how they decide exactly how much water is to be released from the dam at any given point in time and what impact that has on the river further downstream. For that matter, it would be interesting to know what type of river the Barwon would be if there were no dams, no weirs and no Breakwater to control the flows along its course. The Wautharong would have known.

Old apple tree run wild

The scenery along the track is a combination of towering gums to either side, a variety of non-native deciduous trees beginning to show the effects of autumn, clipped park lands and - somewhat incongruously - old apple trees which presumably are the remnants of another era. Regardless of their origins, the apples seem quite at home in their surrounds and are currently fruiting prolifically, cascades of fruit hanging from branches several metres high.
At one point, there appears to be a small weir which restricts the flow of the river and at another, so the visitor information at the dam informs me, is a pipe which feeds water from the West Barwon branch of the river across to the east branch. And so we continued, following the track, but - due to a noticeable lack of signage - not exactly sure where or how far we were going.
Despite this, we found ourselves after not too long at the foot of the dam wall and wondering how to ascend. Immediately in front of us was a wide spillway, obviously designed to carry overflow if the dam exceeds its capacity, however judging from the amount of graffiti to be found up its length, there has been no danger of an overflow in quite some time. To our right was a small foot bridge and a path which, we eventually discovered, would take us to the top of the wall. Another vestige of earlier times took the form of blackberry bushes growing to either side of the path, their fruit almost finished.

View of Munday Creek and West Barwon from the dam wall

The view from the top was, as you might expect, panoramic. The wall is located just below the junction of the west branch of the Barwon River and Munday Creek which flows into the Barwon from the East.

Walking across the top of the wall, we were able to see a short distance up each waterway, both of which appeared to be heavily wooded. It is pleasing to know that logging in the area has finally stopped, giving our most important waterway a chance of survival.

As is to be expected with such a large man made structure, tourist information concerning the history of the area and the dam itself was readily available. From the board I learnt that the dam was built in 1965 by the then Geelong Waterworks and Sewerage Trust (now Barwon Water) and now provides the majority of the water supply for the greater Geelong region.

Whilst boats are banned and swimming or wading is not allowed in the dam, fishing (with a license) is allowed from the bank. The dam is stocked with the expected supplies of eels, both brown and rainbow trout, redfin, and blackfish but other than at the dam wall, access can be difficult from the bank due to the steep approaches and thick tree cover.

Barwon East Branch

Perhaps more excitingly, the dam is also home to a small population of platypus, although I can not say we were lucky enough to spot one while we were there. After reading the boards and checking out the view, we headed back down, this time, taking the path down the opposite bank back to the car.

At this point, we still had a little time to spare, so we decided to head up a little higher and investigate the east branch of the Barwon.

What a difference a few mountains can make! The East Barwon I discover, is quite different from the West. Whereas the latter has been somewhat altered from its native state by exotic plantings, obvious signs of European influence and not to mention the dam, the east branch by contrast, is another world. It is cool, damp and has a distinct rain forest feel to it. Whilst the trunks of soaring gum trees rise above both rivers, along the banks of the east branch, the under plantings are much closer to the water and tree ferns are abundant. There are no clipped park lands, but rather a simple dirt track which winds its way beside the river, rising higher into the Otways as the track makes its way towards Lake Elizabeth.

Billabong beside Barwon East Branch

By the time we arrived at the bottom of the track, we were limited for time. So after another quick cuppa to sustain us, we headed upwards. At one point we came upon a pool - a billabong.

Really running short of time at this point, we continued up the trail, hoping to make it to the bottom Lake Elizabeth which we knew was somewhere up ahead.
Once again, we'd studied up on our tourist information and had been informed that Lake Elizabeth was formed on 17th June, 1952 when a landslide blocked the east branch of the river, forming a natural dam wall. The landslide was not discovered until a party was sent to investigate the sudden cessation of the river's flow. A little under two months after the landslide, the dam overflowed running down a natural channel. A year later in August 1953, the top 26 metres of the dam wall was washed away after particularly heavy rains, reducing the lake to approximately one fifth of its original volume, and changing the course of the river. The resulting watercourse was straighter than the original and lined with boulders and gravel along its length, carried down by the second landslip.
As we walked, the track continued to rise, steeply in places, until it was many metres above the height of the riverbed. Despite this, the gums growing at water level still towered above us. Eventually, with the light continuing to fail, an executive decision was made that we should walk until 5pm and if we had not reached the bottom of the lake by that time, then we would turn back.
Disappointingly, this did turn out to be the case. Whilst the walk was only a couple of kilometers, we were out of time. Lake Elizabeth and the promise of some fairly spectacular photographic opportunities would have to wait for another day. So we turned back and headed down to the car park, which somewhat surprisingly was busier than when we first arrived. Then, after a quick stop to use the visitor facilities, we were on our way home.

Onward and upwards

For some time I have intended to head to parts of the Barwon as yet unknown to me. Being school holidays and the weather reasonably fine, we decided to round up the kids and head upstream. Our first stop was morning tea at Winchelsea. We sat in the park overlooking the river, sipped our coffee and nibbled on biscuits and slices. The weather was cool but fine, well suited to snapping a few pictures.

Barwon River at Winchelsea

This wasn't my first visit to "Winch" and I'd taken quite a number of photos on my previous visit, so after a short walk along this part of the river towards the rail bridge, we decided to leave further investigation of both the town and this section of the river and head off. We dragged the kids off the play equipment, packed up the cups and headed for the car.Our next stop was the little township of Birregurra which has the good fortune to nestle on the banks of the Barwon. We parked near the nondescript bridge over the river and had a look around. We found ourselves in a wide, grassy area where the kids took the opportunity to have a run and in the distance we glimpsed what looked to be the sculpted lines of a golf course. Further investigation proved us correct, although, as with Winchelsea, further exploration of the township of Birregurra and its surrounds will have to wait.
The river itself was actually quite difficult to approach at this point as it is thickly lined on both banks with silver poplars. As is the case with these trees, they had no doubt been introduced at some point and then, as poplars are want to do, they'd taken hold, throwing up countless saplings along the banks, taking full advantage of a ready source of water. In the process, they had created a sizable thicket which made photography difficult and access all but impossible in most places.

Barwon River at Birregurra

Despite this, we did find a little track which allowed us to reach the water's edge where it appeared that a local angler had dropped in a line. Of the owner of the line, we saw no trace. Whilst the others crunched their way through the substantial drifts of leaves under the poplars, I made my way up to the bridge and attempted to snap a few photos looking both up and down river.I have to say however, that there wasn't much to see. Firstly, the bridge is located near a bend which precludes any significant view upriver, secondly it should also be said at this point that the Barwon as it flows through Birregurra is barely recognisable as the same sizable stream which flows through Geelong with enough depth and breadth for rowing, water-skiing, kayaking and a variety of other activities. I guess the weirs and the breakwaters either side of Geelong are doing their job. Here, the river is more like a small creek and were it not for the stranglehold of the poplars, it would probably be possible to jump from one bank to the other with a short run up. Certainly it would not be navigable by kayak - or other any other type of vessel for that matter.
And so we continued on our pilgrimage. From Birregurra we headed over the bridge and turned off on to the Forrest-Birregurra Road. Clearly were were approaching our objective. The only other town we passed along the way was the pertinently named Barwon Downs which is set in the rolling grasslands found at the foot of the Otways. As we travelled, we noticed that the mild season had allowed for a significant amount of back burning, resulting in regular plumes of smoke rising into the air from neighbouring farms.

Restored rail bridge on the "Birregurra-Forrest Tiger Rail
Trail" crossing the Barwon River

Although we couldn't always see it, we were in fact paralleling the course of the river and at one point, just outside Barwon Downs, we came upon another small, nondescript bridge crossing the river. At this point, whilst the riverbed was reasonably wide, it was choked with what was possibly Water Ribbon or Cumbungi and there was barely a trickle of water to be seen.More interestingly, the modern road bridge was flanked by what we discovered was a disused rail bridge. This quaint little red bridge, now restored, forms part of a much grander plan. As is almost de rigueur for disused lines these days, there are moves afoot to make use of the 30km or so of disused line as a riding/walking trail connecting Birregurra to Forrest. The following website indicates that about 5 or 6km of track has so far been laid between Forrest and Barwon Downs, with the rest to be developed along the course of the line to Birregurra.
http://www.railtrails.org.au/states/trails.php3?action=trail&trail=143
Naturally, having discovered a new (to me) trail, I had to investigate its history. This one - now known as the Tiger Birregurra-Forrest Rail Trail - was once used to transport timber from where it was cut in the surrounding bushland, processed in the sawmills at Forrest and then transported to Birregurra. In 1889 the line was opened as far as Deans Marsh and whilst originally surveyed as far as the township of Baramunga, financial limitations instead saw it terminate at what was to develop as the township of Forrest (which incidentally was named for a politician who fought to have the railway extended to that point). Extended to Forrest and opened in 1891, this branch line not only carried timber out of the region, but was also used to transport farming produce out and other needed supplies inwards. Tourists heading to Apollo Bay and Lorne also made use of the line.
Other towns serviced by the line included Pennyroyal, Yaugher and Gerangamete, however with the increasing use of road transport, the line closed in 1957 and was allowed to fall into disrepair. Today, all sidings have been removed and it is not always possible to see where the line once ran, however I gather that it is still possible to see some remains at certain points. The Birregurra Station still stands and is in use on the Melbourne-Warnambool line.

The West Barwon River at Forrest

Returning to our travels, it was only a short drive into the town of Forrest. Rather than stop here, we passed through, by now, following signs pointing us towards Lake Elizabeth and the West Barwon Dam.
Just a little out of town, we once again crossed the river and found ourselves in a picnic area by what had now become the west branch of the river. It was an appropriate point at which to stop for lunch, park the car and go for a wander. At this point, the river had widened a little and was not so overgrown. In some scrub near the opposite bank I came across a section of one of the many mountain bike trails which now form the basis of Forrest's tourist industry. At the edge of the track was a sign post informing me about the many miles of tramways which used to run in the area, all connecting to the rail terminus at Forrest, carrying in the logs, cut by the sawyers.
These days, there is no sign of the rail network which once served the area, however the effects of white settlement were none-the-less evident.

The Barwon River at Forrest

From our picnic table the view across the bridge and into the surrounding gum trees looked like nothing so much as a 19th century Hans Heysen painting, wanting only a drover herding cattle to wander down the unsealed road. However, turning barely 180 degrees and looking a little past the opposite bank of the river where non-indigenous plantings prevail, you would swear you had been transplanted to the England of a similar era.
Pretty as all this was, we had more exploring to do, so once again, we packed up the coffee cups, brushed off the crumbs and headed upriver - but that is a story for another day...