Neil Phillips (TL)
1744
Patrol
Participants
Mbr
Number
Vehicle Details
James Cooke
1855
Pajero
NT Pajero
Charlie Cooke
1855
Passenger
Ian Street
446
Mazda
MaryAnn Street
446
Mazda
Pajero NX
Pajero NX
Tallarook 6 Natural History
6th October 2018
Trip Reports
The first week of October is one of those in-between periods on the Tallarook plateau with many of the tracks still closed for winter but trip leaders needing to be aware of bushfire risks (it was the first week of October 2015 when the Mt Hickey fire burnt much of the southern scarp). The situation in 2018 was accentuated by a dry Winter so we chose a fine weekend with mild sunny weather and very light NE winds.
Our first stops were along the scenic Ennis Rd as we climbed onto the plateau from the Hume freeway turnoff. Both the geology and vegetation were changing with altitude as we left the River Red Gums behind on the flat and climbed through metamorphosed sedimentary rocks and then the sharp contact with the granite. At one stop 2.6 km along Ennis Rd we could see the ripples formed under the ocean 400 million years ago as the sedimentary rocks were laid down on the ocean floor. This was also flowering time for wattles and we saw half a dozen different species throughout the day.
As Ennis Rd changed its name to Main Rd on the plateau most of the tracks to the north were closed so we turned south, ascended Caddell Track and paused for photos and a walk around the Mt Hickey summit. The scars of the 2015 Mt Hickey fire were still visible on the north side of the access road, but it has been quite remarkable the changes that we have witnessed on six consecutive trips to this area. There is now a thick understorey of bracken, dogwood (Cassinia) and silver wattle that makes walking quite difficult in places. Most of the large eucalypts had survived and were recovering by generating their epicormic shoots part way up their trunks.
generating their epicormic shoots part way up their trunks.
From the summit we descended past Freeman Camp 1ARC for another break before heading south along Horan Track and Tehan Tracks Nos 4, 6, 5 and 3 which we found steep, dry and relatively easy after some grading. It was then northward to Warragul Rocks and its outstanding views over the Goulburn River valley and Terrangaville Highlands plateau. As we left Warragul Rocks we made our small contribution to cleaning up broken glass though it remains a considerable problem unfortunately.
Back on the track it became clear that our Pajero had an unexpected and unwanted rattle so after an extended series of tests we found some bolts holding the wishbone were loose and needed tightening before we proceeded. We re-adjusted our plan by postponing any more 4WDriving that day and it could wait until another trip, and we proceeded east and off the plateau on the well-made Fairview Rd. We re-inflated our tyres, stopped for a direct view of the eponymous Mt Marianne just to our east; much farther away Mt Buller with a covering of snow was discernible. Soon we reached the black-top and headed homeward after a pleasant outing. Photos kindly provided by Ian Street.
Neil Phillips 1744
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