Branching out - the Moorabool

In addition to numerous creeks, the Barwon river has two sizeable tributaries. These are the Leigh and Moorabool Rivers. Lest this blog get out of control, I have so far resisted the urge to say too much about these rivers, however, today I had the opportunity to visit a part of the Moorabool River which I have not seen before. With any luck I will shortly be making a visit further upstream and may blog that too, today however, I was at Batesford.

The Moorabool River below Batesford

But first, a little about the Moorabool River. I have probably mentioned before that this river takes its name from the Aboriginal word Moora meaning ghost, as there was a large billabong on the river where they believed ghosts lived. Another explanation is that Moorabool also means Cooloo which is the name of a night bird, whose calls could be heard but which could not be seen. 

Moorabool River

Like the Barwon, the Moorabool has an east and a west branch which rise on the southern slopes of the Great Dividing Range between Ballarat and Ballan. The two branches meet outside the township of Morrisons after which the river flows to its confluence with the Barwon River at Fyansford.
Alarmingly, the Moorabool is one of the most environmentally stressed rivers in Victoria, with water being drawn from the river from the upper reaches of both the East and West Moorabool rivers, the Lal Lal Reservoir, Sheoaks and Meredith to supply water to Ballarat and Geelong. There is also a significant quantity of water used by farmers and other private operators. It has been indicated that at Batesford at the lower end of the river, environmental flow targets are met less than 50% of the time.
The removal of water from the system is not the only environmental factor affecting river health. The presence of a total of 15 water collection sites along its length impact greatly on the movement of native fish and other river fauna such as platypus whilst the loss of native vegetation for agricultural purposes and its replacement with non-native trees (such as willows) have also had a significant impact on river health.

Dog Rocks Hotel aka Batesford Hotel aka Derwent Hotel

But for now, back to today's adventure. Firstly, I went for a wander along the walking track through the Moorabool Nature Reserve which is located off Dog Rocks Road near the Moorabool Estate Winery. This short trail leads down to the river and then heads north, mostly keeping close to the river bank in the direction of Batesford. This section of the river is bordered by a combination of native and exotic plantings with farms close on either side. Unfortunately the path does not extend as far as the Batesford town which is a pity as it would be a nice walk to the pub for refreshments!
The start of the trail is adjacent to the Dog Rocks Flora and Fauna Sanctuary - an area of 83ha which has been preserved in its natural state by the Belcher family who bought the land in 1856. The sanctuary has river frontage to the Moorabool and is home to a wide variety of natve plant and animal life. The sanctuary is holding an open day within the next couple of weeks on 19th November, 2011. Details are on the above website.
After making my way along the river path and back in perfect, sunny weather, I headed back round to Batesford where I stopped at the pub and investigated the old bridge (I do love an old bridge!).
Batesford is named for the brothers Alfred and John Bates who settled in the district in 1837 at this site where the river could be forded, although the township (first surveyed in 1854) was originally named Hopeton for George Hope who then owned the land.

1859 bluestone bridge at Batesford

This impressive bluestone structure was built in 1859 to replace an earlier timber bridge, located a little above the ford which was built in 1846, destroyed the following year and then replaced in 1848. This structure was also damaged during the floods of 1852. The bluestone bridge is still in use today as part of a service road whilst the newer concrete and steel structure built in 1972 carries traffic on the Midland Highway immediately adjacent to the older structure.

The river is presently flowing along its length due to the rainfall of the past 12 months, however this has not always been the case, especially during the recent drought. For now however, it is lush, green and not too muddy.

Learning to fly...

The foot of a Myrtle Beech tree

The final leg of our grand tour of the Otways was to visit the Otway Fly. This is a unique, tourist-oriented venture which - as is pointed out at the gate - generates a far greater income for its area than logging could ever do.It is located a short drive from the township of Beech Forest where we stopped for lunch prior to hitting the Fly.

The name of this town is not so much a name as a description really, as the surrounding bushland, unlike the eucalypt-dominated landscapes we had so far driven and walked through, consists primarily of Myrtle Beech in its upper story - as I was about to see rather close up. I gather that these trees are native to Victoria and Tasmania and are found in temperate rainforest environments. And this area certainly fit the description. We paid our entry and decided not on this occasion to take the adrenaline-filled, but rather pricey option of a zip line tour during which one is propelled between the trees via an elaborate flying fox arrangement and opted instead to go on foot. The initial part of the walk is at ground level amongst the Myrtle Beech, tree ferns and a variety of other moisture-loving species of plants with which I am not familiar.

Otway Fly treetop walk

One small boy I could mention was particularly impressed with the display of dinosaurs to be seen amongst the undergrowth as we made our way down the path.  Sign posts explained some of the flora and fauna and pointed out some of the more impressive examples of the former to be seen along the path - such as the above tree.
From here, we stepped out onto the treetop walk - a steel walkway standing 30m above ground level and extending for 600m through the upper foliage of the forest.
If you are even slightly prone to vertigo, then this probably isn't the walk for you. I have no such qualms and was happy to be impressed by the view below and then to climb the viewing tower which rises a further 17m above the walkway.

View below from the treetop walkway

After descending, the next nerve test is to walk out to the end of a cantilever span which hangs out over the forest below. The views are impressive to say the least.
From here we continued to wind our way through the canopy back to the path at ground level and from there, trekked back up the hill to our starting point - with of course, another detour via the dinosaurs.
A further interesting little point in our journey was a creek running below the walk. It was helpfully explained that this one - Young's Creek, named for the grandfather of local running legend Cliff Young - was one of the hundreds of creeks which rise along the Otway Ridge. From there, depending on which side of the ridge they fall, they make their way into rivers such as the Barwon. This particular example makes its way to the nearby Triplet Falls

Tree ferns from above

Here, once again, we failed to see a platypus or for that matter any of the aquatic life reputed to live in the creek - maybe next time. What we did see once again was an amazing array of mosses, lichens, molds and fungi an example of which is below.
I was as usual on the lookout for the local bird life, however the significant amount of undergrowth in the forest is rather conducive to hiding any number of small birds, so whilst I could hear them all around, there were few to be seen.
And so we came to the end of the walk and much to the consternation of one queasy stomach, headed once again for the hills, and those winding roads...

Moss and lichen dripping off every available
surface

The lady of the lake - part 2

Fungi

...and so to our adventure...
The weather was overcast but mild and an earlier shower had cleared, making conditions perfect for a trek up the track and around the lake - something we had failed to achieve on our previous visit. So off we headed.
The walk was not too difficult despite being rather damp underfoot at this time of year. In fact, it was rather damp everywhere. You got the distinct impression that anything which stood still for more than five minutes was likely to end up covered in moss, lichen or some other odd fungus. Just to make sure, we kept up a reasonable pace with me stopping here and there to snap a few photos.

Mossy rocks

The forest through which we were walking seemed to consist mainly of eucalypts and fern, unlike other parts of the Otways where Myrtle Beech trees predominate - but I am no expert on the topic. With three kids in tow I could hear but not see the birds which inhabit the trees so when we reached the foot of the lake, I let them go on ahead and was soon rewarded with some sightings of birds I'd not seen elsewhere on the river: the Eastern Yellow Robin and a single Rose Robin (which have duly been added to my Barwon Birds page).
On the lake itself I also spotted Eurasian Coots and a pair of Chestnut Teal Ducks who had certainly chosen a more spectacular part of the Barwon River system to inhabit than many of their compatriots.

Fungi and moss everywhere

By far however, the most populous birds seemed to be the Grey Fantails. They particularly liked a secluded section - almost a billabong - right at the bottom of the lake. I've never seen birds do somersaults before, but these little guys seemed to be doing just that and were happy to pose for the camera if I was quick enough, as was the Eastern Yellow Robin I spotted a little further up the track.
Of course, in addition to the bird life, there is all manner of other wildlife. I could hear - but not see - a pair of Koalas calling from opposite sides of the lake. Wallabies are reputed to live here too as of course are perhaps the lake's most famous inhabitants - a colony of platypuses. To see them and probably the wallabies too, you need to be around either at dawn or dusk and as it was neither when we were there, no photo-opportunities were to be had on this occasion. Perhaps a late afternoon paddle on the lake in one of the two canoes tied up at the little dock might be in order at some point in the future.

Eastern Yellow Robin

And so after a tangle with some rather nasty stinging nettles, the discomfort of which was relieved by some conveniently located bracken, we made our way up and around the top of the lake. From here we made our way along the conveniently placed boardwalk which presumably crosses the river at some point, although it was impossible to tell exactly where, with all the swampy growth covering the bottom of the valley floor.
From there it was back in amongst the ferns and the gum trees for the walk back to the bottom of the lake where I once again hung back to photograph the locals.

Grey Fantail

On the trek back to the car I could hear and even occasionally see the bird life in the canopy above, however with the exception of a solitary kookaburra, I didn't have much success with the camera. Aside from the foliage providing excellent cover for small birds to hide, it also reduced the light levels to such an extent that it was hard to take crisp, clear shots of anything much. Perhaps I should try for a sunnier day next time.
And so, just as a search party was issuing forth to ascertain my whereabouts, I made it back to the beginning of the track, ready for the next leg of the journey.