English (part 10): The Australian Alps

Saturday 15th of November 2014: Bright – Bogong High Plains – Bright
After a good night’s sleep Klaas is luckily fit enough for our first excursion into Alpine National Park. The weather is cloudy, but dry and at about 20 degrees Celsius the temperature is perfect for hiking. Across the Tawonga Gap we reach Mount Beauty in the Kiewa Valley. From here we follow the Bogong High Plains Road across dense forests with lovely fern gullies to the ski resort of Falls Creek. Now in spring most of the snow has gone though and many of the resort’s hotels are closed. Falls Creek, a bustling ski resort during winter time, now looks deserted and even a bit spooky. The spookiness of the place is enhanced by the grey skeletons of trees surrounding the resort. These toothpick-like tree skeletons is all that is left of the vast forests, which used to grow here before a devastating bushfire destroyed them back in 2003. Leaving the town of Falls Creek behind us the road gets a lot more narrow and soon we reach the Bogong High Plains, a tableland with soft mountain peaks in the heart of the Australian Alps. Except for a few patches of snow gums the plains are treeless. Most of the vegetation consists of small shrubs and bushes, which now in spring are beautifully blooming. Our first destination today is Mount Cope. From the parking lot a gently climbing path takes us to the top of Mount Cope at an altitude of 1837 metres above sea level. Although Mount Cope is one of the highest peaks on the high plains, it is reached by a relatively easy 1,5 kilometre hike from the parking lot on the Bogong High Plains Road. Although there are still quite a few clouds around, the view from the top is fantastic. If it wasn’t for the annoying flies, I could have stayed here admiring the panorama all afternoon. Although we return the same way down as we came up, it takes us almost as long. The reason for this are the beautiful wildflowers catching the photographer’s attention all along the way down to the car park. Next on the agenda is a walk to Wallace’s Hut. This hut was built in 1889 by the Wallace family in order to house the stockmen herding their cattle on the high plains during the summer months. Surrounded by snow gums it is an idyllic spot to have a picnic. Unfortunately we just had lunch in the car, so no picnic for us. After a short visit to the hut and the nearby aqueduct built in the fifties to feed the Rocky Valley Reservoir near Falls Creek we return to the car and drive back to Bright. After getting some supplies at the supermarket we have dinner at our cabin. As it is still early, we go for another walk following the Ovens River into town and Mores Creek back to the campground. Using the free wifi-connection of the park we then try to make a reservation for the Penguin Parade and accommodation on Phillip Island, where we plan to arrive next Saturday. Unfortunately all tickets for the small group penguin viewing tour are already gone and so are most of the affordable accommodations. All we can get are general admission tickets for the Penguin Parade, which means we will be viewing the little creatures’ nightly arrival together with hundreds of other tourists seated on big stands along the beach. Not really what we had in mind, but we have no choice. Instead of an expensive hotel room or cabin, we choose to book a camp site at Amaroo Park in Cowes. Once all the reservations are complete, it is time to hit the sheets.

Sunday 16th of November: Bright – Beechworth – Mount Buffalo NP – Bright
Today’s plan was to go hiking in Mount Buffalo National Park. However the rainy weather forces us to change our plans. We decide to follow the Golden Heritage Drive instead and visit the former goldmining town of Beechworth. Our first stop is in Yackandandah though, another little gold town reminding us a lot of Maldon, the town we visited a week ago on our way from Ballarat to Moama. They even have the same kind of Sunday market as they had in Maldon. We have a quick look around and then continue heading to Beechworth. The hilly landscape around here reminds me a lot of the Tösstal, the region my mum was born in Switzerland. If it weren’t for the different species of trees and the red soil, one could actually forget we are on the complete opposite side of the world right now. Our next stop is Beechworth, a town which is not only known for the gold which was found here at the end of the 19th century, but also for Australia’s most famous bushranger Ned Kelly. Robbing banks and killing policemen with his gang Kelly might be seen as a common criminal. However lots of Australians also see him as a kind of hero, a man who rightfully rebelled against the English-based law and police authorities. Some even call him the Australian Robin Hood, as in one instance, the Kelly Gang burned a bank’s records of outstanding loans, so they no longer had to be repaid. When Kelly was finally captured at nearby Glenrowan in winter 1880, he spent some time in jail at Beechworth, before he was brought to Melbourne for his final trial. He was sentenced to death and executed on the 11th of November 1880 at the Melbourne Goal. The Ned Kelly Legend still living on to this day, lots of tourists follow his footsteps across Victoria visiting sites related to the Kelly Gang like the Beechworth Goal and the town’s court house. For some of the Kelly fans following the Ned Kelly Trail has become kind of a pilgrimage. Even the local bakery sells items like Ned Kelly pie and bushranger’s focaccia and while we are certainly no addicts to the Kelly story, they make a very tasty lunch for us. In the meantime it has not only stopped raining, but the sun is actually shining again. We complete the historic walk from the map we picked up at the local tourist office when we arrived.
Back at the car we decide to make the best of the sunny weather and drive on to Mount Buffalo for a short visit to this national park. Following the narrow and winding C525 we return to Myrtleford. Then we take the Great Alpine Road back to Porepunkah, where we turn onto the Mount Buffalo Road. As soon as we enter the national park, the road starts to climb. The higher we come, the more spectacular the views get. Unfortunately the first part of the drive is so narrow and steep, there isn’t any room to park the car and make a photo stop. Only when we reach Mackey’s Lookout, we are able to stop and enjoy the spectacular views of the Ovens Valley and the surrounding mountain ranges. Climbing further up we pass Lake Catani and the turn off to the Chalet. Driving in a sort of valley now the spectacular views are gone. Instead we drive through a mysterious landscape scattered with huge granite boulders forming the most interesting formations. It looks like a giant’s playground with gigantic marbles scattered all over the place. As we climb higher and higher towards the Horn, which marks the end of the road, we enter a wall of clouds. The mist closing in around us makes the boulders looking even more mysterious. Unfortunately by the time we reach the viewing platform at the Horn, the fog around us has become so dense, we can’t experience any of the panoramic mountain views the guide books promised us. The only wildlife we encounter on the way to the Horn, are somewhat surprised looking little rabbits and a few crows. The kangaroos, lyrebirds and wombats, which supposedly inhabit the park, remain hidden to us. On the way back we take the turn off to the Chalet, a former hotel which is now restored to its old glory and is supposed to house the park’s information centre and restaurant in the near future. However the main attraction in this area is not the Chalet but the nearby viewpoint, which sits atop the sheer cliffs of the Mount Buffalo Gorge and offers superb views of the peaks and valleys of the Australian Alps. Luckily the lookout at the Chalet is at a somewhat lower altitude then the one at the Horn, which means we are now beneath the layer of clouds, which blocked the view at the latter.
After an extensive photo stop it is time to return to Bright. Although it is late afternoon by now, we are still not able to spot any significant wildlife on the way down. Too bad, because I really want to see a wombat, before we return home at the end of the month. So far the only wombats I have spotted, were the ones on traffic signs. But on the way back to Bright we are ‘lucky’ and spot a ‘sunbathing’ wombat on the side of the road. The poor creature has probably been hit and killed by a car. A good reminder for all of us to drive very carefully on Australia’s roads, especially at dawn and dusk when the wildlife comes out of its hiding places.
Back at the campground I have the tickets for the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island printed for us at the reception desk. Then we walk into town to have dinner at the Thirteen Steps Wine Bar and Bistro situated in the basement of a house on Barnard Street. The bar offers a wide range of local wines as well as an interesting fusion kitchen. We order a local Shiraz from Glenrowan, crab dumplings with beans and spare ribs with fries. The wine as well as the food are quite pricy. On the other hand you can taste the wine, before you order a whole bottle and if you are not able to finish it, you can take the rest home with you. The food comes in generous servings and you are offered to share dishes. Sharing an entrée and a main course, there is enough room in our tummy to finish dinner with a dessert each: While Klaas orders the ice cream with chocolate sauce and brandy, I have the pear with ginger bread ice cream and rum jelly. It all tastes wonderful and is well worth the price! While we are waiting to order dessert, a group of 5 Australians enters the restaurant and is seated at the table next to us. They are on a wine tasting trip to the King Valley and before we know it, we are engaged in an interesting conversation about wine and travelling. Klaas is even offered to have a little taste of the pricy Shiraz they ordered. A little bit tipsy but very satisfied we finally return to our cabin on the campground.

Monday 17th of November: Bright – Paynesville
Today is our last day in the Australian Alps. We will follow the Great Alpine Road eastwards to the little town of Omeo, then turning south towards the coast. The first kilometres to Harrietsville the road is wide and flat, but soon after that it gets a lot more narrow and starts to climb steeply towards the ski resort of Mount Hotham. While the first miles of the climb are in a forested area and don’t offer any views, about half way up we reach a region which was recently devastated by a bushfire. Across the blackened tree skeletons we get the first glimpse of a truly stunning mountain panorama. The last kilometres to Mount Hotham the road follows the top of a ridge, which is above the tree line and offers superb views to both sides. From here you can see some of the highest mountain tops in the State, like Mount Feathertop at 1922m the second highest mountain peak in Victoria. On a clear day like today you can see as far as Falls Creek and Mount Buffalo from here. Just before Mount Hotham Alpine Resort we reach the highest point of the Great Alpine Road at an altitude of 1840 metres above sea level. Just like Falls Creek Mount Hotham Resort unfortunately is a quite ugly looking ski resort, which is pretty much deserted in summer and does not tempt us to make a stop. Instead we follow the now descending road to Dinner Plain, where we hope to walk the Paw Paw Plain Trail. Unfortunately we can’t find the trailhead and after a short stop at a picnic area a little bit further on, we continue our way down to Omeo. Just before we reach this former goldmining town, we stop at another lookout with a panoramic view of Omeo and the peaks of the Australian Alps in the background. Even Australia’s highest mountain top – Mount Kosciuszko (2228m) – is visible from here.
Our next stop today is in Omeo. Unfortunately none of the historic buildings built during the gold rush have been preserved in this town. They were all destroyed during the devastating Black Friday bushfires back in 1939. We stretch our legs in the lovely park built on the former mining sites along the river. In the early nineteen-hundreds the people of Omeo built a swimming pool in the river, which is still in use today.
Back in the car we continue our way south on the Great Alpine Road. Having left the high alpine zone we drive now through rolling grassland with lots of grazing cows. On a lookout with picnic area near Swifts Creek we stop for lunch. After lunch the road follows the idyllic canyon of a river with lots of blooming wattles and other trees along the river banks. Across a huge forested area we finally reach Bairnsdale, where we planned to stop for the night. Although there are tons of motels on both sides of the main road, none of them has prices advertised outside. Unfortunately we didn’t do any research on the internet this time and therefore we have no idea where to start. As we planned to visit the koalas of Raymond Island this afternoon, we decide not to search any longer, but to drive on to Paynesville and look for accommodation there. This water sport town in the heart of the Gipsland Lakes Area is only a short ride from Bairnsdale. Unfortunately a first glimpse of the town learns us, that there isn’t much in term of suitable accommodation here. The only motel we can find is right on the water’s edge and looks far too pricy for us. That’s why we end up camping at Resthaven Top Tourist Park, a caravan park in easy walking distance of the ferry to Raymond Island.
So as soon as we’ve set up our tent we walk to the ferry, which takes us to Raymond Island. The ferry runs every 20 minutes from early morning till late at night, it is free for cyclists and pedestrians and it takes only about 5 minutes to get to the other side. Except for tourists wanting to see the island’s famous koala population, the ferry mostly takes local residents to their homes on the island. So first of all the island is not a wildlife sanctuary but a residential area with lots of private homes on it. The koalas were first introduced on the island in the 1950’s. Back then koalas on the mainland were almost extinct. As part of an early conversation program koalas were relocated to islands in order to breed in a safe environment. The ones on Raymond Island have done so well, that the current population is actually too big for the island. In order to reduce the impact on the remaining habitat, birth control has been introduced and some of the island’s koalas have been sent back to the mainland. On the positive side the huge koala population on the island means they are very easy to spot. The signposted 1,2 km koala trail, which takes visitors along some of the koala’s favourite trees, starts right behind the ferry shed. By following the green arrows you are almost guaranteed to see a few of these cuddly, cute, little creatures. It doesn’t take long, before we spot the first one and there will be at least half a dozen following. The warm light of the late afternoon sun is ideal to take pictures and our cameras have to work hard to capture them all on film. Except for the koalas the island offers an abundant birdlife too: colourful lorikeets, bronze winged pigeons, pelicans, sea gulls and even black swans are just a few of the many species that can be seen in the island’s gardens and along the water’s edge.
Back on the mainland we order a big pizza at the Ferry Café and have dinner seated on one of the benches closed to the marina. There aren’t too many food places around here and the few we could find were almost all shut on Mondays. So while Paynesville is a top destination for water sports and for spotting koalas, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to foodies. After a short walk back to the campground, we end the day with a cup of coffee at the camp kitchen situated right behind our tent. Unfortunately a couple of annoying mosquitoes prevent us from sitting outside.