Month: September 2009

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Surf Coast Walk (p28)

Most of the walk as described is fairly accurate although there is a bit of confusion resulting in some trail and track realignments on the final section Aireys Inlet (Painkalac Creek) to Moggs Creek on p35. The following is an entirely new description and is accurate as for September 2009.

SPLIT POINT LIGHTHOUSE Continue along the main walking trail which passes the lighthouse keepers cottage and descends down to a toilet block and a turnoff left leading down to the mouth of Painkalak Creek and the lagoon. Cross the creek on the sandbar (usually dry) and walk west along the beach. After 1.4km you will reach the Fairhaven Surf Lifesaving Club and the bitumen road that provides boat launching access to the beach. Walk up the road to the Great Ocean Road where you will find toilets and a V/Line bus stop. Nearby is the Sunset Bar (attached to the lifesaving club). Cross the road with care and walk north along gravelled Yarringa Road. After 450m you will reach Forest Road turnoff. Stay on Yarringa Road for a further 30m to where it hairpins back towards the beach (and becomes Lialeeta Road). At this point a sandy (and soon very eroded) vehicle track heads off left (north) into the bush. It also seems to be a popular bridal path. Follow the track as it winds up through coastal scrub passing some spectacular grass trees. After 770m the track emerges on to the heath at the crest of the ridge at a crossroads. There is a Surf Coast walk sign and another sign pointing the way to Moggs Creek. Follow the track northwest down the hill to Old Coach Road.

OLD COACH ROAD Turn right and walk 200m to turn left into Gentle Annie Track. Walk a further 1km to an intersection of tracks. Turn left and enter the bush at a Parks Victoria gate proclaiming this to be private property but that walkers may enter. The track soon becomes a pleasant walking trail as it descends steadily for 1km through open bushland to emerge at Boyd Avenue (the main gravelled road leading to Moggs Creek Picnic Area). Turn right and walk a further 450m to the picnic area, a lovely quiet spot with picnic tables scattered among the trees. Definitely the place for a gourmet lunch.

Check out the further details on http://www.surfcoast.vic.gov.au/walkingtracks.htm

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Walks 68 to 73 (Cathedral Range State Park)

Walks 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 and 73 (all within the Cathedral Range State Park). The park is closed. Roughly 92% of the Cathedral Range State Park (including the visitor facilities at Sugarloaf Saddle) were burnt by the February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Parks Victoria have indicated that the park will be reopened progressively from December 2009.

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Walk 58 (Tanglefoot Track)

Despite the fires nearby, this trail is still open to walkers.

From David Lau in January 2013. I thought I’d drop you a line concerning walk 58 in Daywalks Around Melbourne. My wife and I did the walk recently and there have been some track changes since your last edition in 2005. We started at Tanglefoot Car Park and planned to follow the walk as per your book. After the intersection with Myrtle Gully track about 1km in, your map shows Tanglefoot track running without any junction down to Monda Road, about 8kms in. In fact after around 60 minutes walking we hit a T junction which was unmarked apart from two small arrows on a post, one pointing the way we came from and the other pointing straight on. The path off to our left was unsigned. In the absence of any other signs we decided to walk straight on, only to find ourselves at Wirrawilla rainforest walk about 10 minutes later. It turned out we should have taken the left turn, as this turned out to be the continuation of Tanglefoot track to Monda Road. Obviously the track linking the Tanglefoot track and Wirrawilla is fairly new. It doesn’t appear on the DSE maps of the area, either during the walk or online; I have attached a DSE map that I downloaded. However, note that this new track is not the track on the DSE map joining Quarry walking track and Tanglefoot track – that track is a second “link” track about a km further on.

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Walk 56 (Masons Falls Circuit)

Kinglake National Park is closed due to the February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Approximately 98% of the park, including the office and most visitor facilities, were completely burnt.

UPDATE (April 2010): Currently all of the walking trails are closed in the park. Masons Falls Picnic Area and Mt Sugarloaf Picnic areas are also still closed (although the road to Mt Sugarloaf is open).

UPDATE (Jan 2013): The Masons Falls area has just been reopened to the public. The Masons Falls Circuit (12.6km) is not open however as the Running Creek section of the trail is still currently closed.