What luck..our mid-week bushwalking outing was held on the last fine day before the big wet.
The Underground River Walk up on Mt. Buffalo is a pleasant 4.5 circuit from Lake Catani picnic area, past swampy bits, roughly hewn rock steps, several scenic viewpoints, and then down to the Underground River and its cave entrance. A fetid smell (origin unknown) dissuaded us from lingering there, so we tackled the roughly hewn rock steps leading up to the Chalet picnic area, sharing this with city day trippers.
John gave us a bit of extra time to check the panoramic views from the Lookouts. The new one even has a small glass-bottomed square panel. No hang gliders were operating that day. The return 1.5km walk, via the Gorge/Lake Catani track, was interesting, with huge granite boulders bordering the track.
We trooped across the bridge and skirted Lake Catani, stopping to photograph wildflowers, especially some lovely swathes of Violet Hovea. Afternoon tea spread out under Lake Catani shelter was much appreciated by us and also by a newly arrived Parks Victoria Summer staff member, who was on cleaning duty.
This story does not have a happy ending however, due to Robyn's pesky VW reminding her that it has a self-locking mechanism, meaning keys can be locked in a backpack in the boot (a helpful feature). Oh dear. RACV couldn't offer any assistance, so Les came to the rescue, driving all the way out from Benalla with the spare key. Lesson learned.
The Underground River Walk up on Mt. Buffalo is a pleasant 4.5 circuit from Lake Catani picnic area, past swampy bits, roughly hewn rock steps, several scenic viewpoints, and then down to the Underground River and its cave entrance. A fetid smell (origin unknown) dissuaded us from lingering there, so we tackled the roughly hewn rock steps leading up to the Chalet picnic area, sharing this with city day trippers.
John gave us a bit of extra time to check the panoramic views from the Lookouts. The new one even has a small glass-bottomed square panel. No hang gliders were operating that day. The return 1.5km walk, via the Gorge/Lake Catani track, was interesting, with huge granite boulders bordering the track.
We trooped across the bridge and skirted Lake Catani, stopping to photograph wildflowers, especially some lovely swathes of Violet Hovea. Afternoon tea spread out under Lake Catani shelter was much appreciated by us and also by a newly arrived Parks Victoria Summer staff member, who was on cleaning duty.
This story does not have a happy ending however, due to Robyn's pesky VW reminding her that it has a self-locking mechanism, meaning keys can be locked in a backpack in the boot (a helpful feature). Oh dear. RACV couldn't offer any assistance, so Les came to the rescue, driving all the way out from Benalla with the spare key. Lesson learned.
Bev Thornell
(Source: U3A Benalla and District Facebook Page)
(Source: U3A Benalla and District Facebook Page)
