Thursday 16/03/2023 Echo Bend Campsite – Echo Bend Campsite Walking Track – Bluff Lookout – Deadcock Den – Mitchell River Walking Track – Amphitheatre – Billy Goat Bend Lookout – Billy Goat Bend Road – Park Road – Woolshed Creek – Wallers Road
Mitchell River National Park, VICTORIA
Brayakoolong Country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
With a local forecast for 30-degrees today we aimed for an early start, our intention being to walk far enough along the Mitchell River to get a good feel for it and its surroundings. We were underway at 7:05am, not long after the first flicker of daylight. The air was still cool and we had walked the first part of this walk yesterday we made good progress. After a brief stop at Bluff Lookout we proceeded down through Deadcock Den and on the Mitchell River Walking Track. The Mitchell River is the last remaining wild river in Victoria.
Max elevation: 279 m
Total climbing: 1428 m
Total descent: -1428 m
Average speed: 4.19 km/h
Total time: 06:16:53
As we continued along the Mitchell River Walking Track the impression of it we had gained yesterday was reaffirmed. Mitchell River Walking Track has become quite rundown, the track itself is narrow and often has a sideways, downhill slant. There are lots of rocky sections and fallen trees and branches to clamber over or walk around. In places, often hidden by obscuring vegetation, it falls away at the side with multiple metre drops to the river or rocks below. A lot of the under-storey is reedlike if not actually weed infestations.
The views of the Mitchell River are few and far between. Even in places where the track is relatively close to the river, there are so many trees and low shrubs between you and the river you can only catch tiny glimpses. The track itself has a number of climbs and descents as it negotiates a route around the river bends, spurs and cross creeks along the way. Access to the river itself is not an objective of the track, there are no access points unless you find your own. We managed to get to the riverside in one spot, but despite our intentions for a swim were not tempted by the shallow, muddy entry.
Mitchell River
There are also many trip and fall hazards in the form of concealed rocks, tree limbs and slip-aways. The worst however are some of the long grasses where your lead foot holds the top of the grasses to the ground, whilst your following foot gets caught under the ensuring loop whilst your balance is severely challenged.
On the brighter side, there is a significant variety of plant life along the way and it did provide very welcome shade as the morning warmed up. Another positive is that there was no one else walking the track. We also sighted a small ground bird walking along the track before we started our climb to Billy Goat Bend Lookout.
We were dismayed once we reached Billy Goat Bend Lookout to find a campground with good gravel road access. The view from the lookout was easily the best we had of the Mitchell River the entire walk, the only thing close were views through breaks in the trees not far before the lookout. We could have driven to the lookout and still caught the best views of the river.
With the track as it is, we decided which would return to Echo Bend Campsite via the gravel road. Of course, this provided much safer footing than we had experienced along the track, so our progress was faster. Now out of the river valley, the vegetation had changed significantly. With larger and more widely spaced trees and a much more open ground cover, you could have taken off for an off-track walk in most directions with relative ease.
We still had patchy shade most of the way back but from where we crossed Woolshed Creek it opened up and was very hot. We were very pleased when got back to camp and spend the rest of the afternoon under the shade of a tree.
Company at Echo Bend Campsite after our walk.
Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)
Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
Information on National Parks signage along the way
Mitchell River Walking Track
Mitchell River Walking Track is now open from Angusvale to the Den of Nargun Loop Walk.
The section from the Den of Nargun to Final Fling is now closed.
Please take plenty of drinking water when undertaking any walks or hikes.
The track is remote, and conditions can change quickly – please check the latest local weather forecast conditions before your hike.
The local flora, fauna, geology, history and some other walks (ChatGPT)
Mitchell River National Park, located in Victoria, Australia, is a protected area with a rich diversity of flora and fauna, shaped over millions of years by geological processes. The park covers an area of 10,515 hectares and is situated on the eastern edge of the Australian continent.
Geologically, the park is located on the Gippsland Basin, which is composed of sedimentary rocks, including sandstone and mudstone. The Mitchell River has carved its way through the sedimentary layers, creating deep gorges, towering sandstone cliffs, and waterfalls that are a hallmark of the park’s landscape.
The flora of Mitchell River National Park is diverse and includes tall forests of mountain ash, which can reach over 100 meters in height. The park’s forests also feature a range of eucalyptus species, including snow gum, manna gum, and candlebark. The park’s understorey is dominated by ferns, including the giant fern, which can grow up to six metres tall.
The fauna of the park is also diverse, with a range of bird species, including the lyrebird, which is known for its incredible ability to mimic a range of sounds. The park is also home to a range of marsupials, including the agile wallaby and the Eastern grey kangaroo. The rivers and streams that flow through the park are also home to a variety of fish species, including the Australian bass and the Murray cod.
The park’s history dates back over 40,000 years, with the area being inhabited by Indigenous Australians. The first European settlers arrived in the area in the 1840s, and the park was established in 1915 to protect the unique environment.
For visitors, Mitchell River National Park offers a range of walks, from short, easy strolls to challenging multi-day treks. The Mitchell River Walking Track is a popular route that takes in some of the park’s most stunning scenery, including the Mitchell Falls and the Billy Goat Bluff.
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