Category Archives: Panorama

Bakers Beach – Archers Knob – Springlawn Lagoon – Springlawn Bird Hide Lookout

Saturday 3/02/2024   Bakers Beach – Archers Knob – Springlawn Lagoon – Springlawn Bird Hide Lookout

                                        Narawntapu National Park, lutruwita / TASMANIA

                                         Larapuna Country                                  

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies, Geri Louis, John Louis

Departing from Narawntapu National Park Visitor Centre Parking at 1:10pm we first headed along the road towards Bakers Beach. Being just past low tide on a clear, calm day we had very easy walking on firm sand. Here, there were lots of seashells along the high water mark, interspersed with cuttlefish remains and fragments of seaweed. There were also interesting wind ripples in the dry sand creating artistic patterns where the highest wave of the morning tide had partially wet the sand. John and Sue powered ahead as Geri and I lingered, looking for the most interesting, intricate ephemeral details.

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Mitre Rock

Tuesday 24/10/2023   Mitre Rock 

                                         Mount Arapiles – Tooan State Park, VICTORIA

                                         Wotjobaluk Country                                  

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report)

Our last, very short hike in Mount Arapiles – Tooan State Park was to Mitre Rock. We had earlier seen Mitre Rock from a couple of different viewpoints and were inquisitive as to how the views back to Mount Arapiles might appear from this perspective.

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Balconies Road Carpark – Reed Lookout – The Balconies Lookout

Monday 30/10/2023   Balconies Road Carpark – Reed Lookout – The Balconies Lookout                                                                            

                                        Grampians National Park, VICTORIA

                                        Gariwerd Country                               

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

This is a very short tourist walk. Just off the carpark at Reed Lookout, there are excellent views of much of the Grampians Ranges. Moving further along the track there is one nice pedestal-style rock formation and nearby a notable section of mossy ground interspersed with some small flowering shrubs, which looks a little Arctic in nature. 

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Mount Zero Picnic Area – Mt Zero Walk – Mount Zero

Saturday 28/10/2023   Mount Zero Picnic Area – Mt Zero Walk – Mount Zero

                                          Grampians National Park, VICTORIA

                                          Gariwerd Country                                

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

This was our second attempt at this walk, on the 20th we had driven to the start after lunch but decided against it as it was already 32C, calm and cloudless, a little too hot for our liking. At least for this 3:00pm departure, it was only 25C and breezy. 

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Stapylton Campground – Mount Stapylton Loop Walk (Upper) – Grampians Peak Trail – Mount Stapylton – Taipan Wall – Mount Zero Picnic Area – Mount Stapylton Loop Walk

Sunday 29/10/2023   Stapylton Campground – Mount Stapylton Loop Walk (Upper) – Grampians Peak Trail – Mount Stapylton (Gunigalg) (518m) – Taipan Wall – Mount Zero Picnic Area – Mount Stapylton Loop Walk (Lower)

                                       Grampians National Park, VICTORIA

                                       Gariwerd Country                                       

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

After being disappointed last week on the Hollow Mountain walk when we couldn’t find the cave, as per the photograph captioned “Hollow Mountain” in the Parks Victoria Grampians brochure, we thought we might further explore the area in a determined attempt to find it. Inquiries at a National Parks office during the week didn’t throw any further light on where to look. However, having been atop Hollow Mountain last Friday and observing the cliff of Taipan Wall from above I speculated that the cave in the photo may be somewhere along that wall. So off we went on our quest, departing from Stapylton Campground in the cool morning air at 8:40am.

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Troopers Creek Campground – Dead Bullock Creek – Gar Waterfalls Walk –  Grampians Peaks Trail – Briggs Bluff Track – Gar Campsite – Mount Gar (Mount Difficult)

Thursday 19/10/2023   Troopers Creek Campground – Dead Bullock Creek – Gar Waterfalls Walk –  Grampians Peaks Trail – Briggs Bluff Track – Gar Campsite – Mount Gar (Mount Difficult)

                                          Grampians National Park, VICTORIA

                                          Gariwerd Country                                   

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

We made our start today by 8:30am, as we had a long walk ahead of us. As this started with an ascent, we thought it would be expedient to get at least some of the climbing behind us before it got too hot. The first couple of kilometres is a gradual ascent through forest along a sandy track, following Dead Bullock Creek upstream. Four waterfalls are encountered along the way, progressively increasing in the height of their drops as you progress. The first barely counts but the last two especially have very decent drops. Today there was just a trickle falling over each, making each more like a weeping wall than a waterfall. Much more interesting today was the colouration of the cliff walls behind these waterfalls, with vertical bands of black, various reddish tones, through to light tans and greys, some broad and others narrow, reflecting the long-term water flow from above.

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Sundial Lookout Carpark – Sundial Lookout

Tuesday 17/10/2023   Sundial Lookout Carpark – Sundial Lookout

                                         Grampians National Park, VICTORIA

                                         Gariwerd Country                                   

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

On our way back from our morning walk to Mount Rosea we pulled into Sundial Lookout Carpark, set to complete our day with the 2km walk out to Sundial Lookout (also known as Lakeview Lookout). A glorious blue sky day with an occasional very light breeze saw us leave the carpark around 2:00pm. A hundred metres in, Sue sighted a very dark Singleback lizard basking in the sun trackside. After briefly observing it we moved on. Continue reading

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Rosea Carpark – Mt Rosea Track – Gate of the East Wind – Mount Rosea

Tuesday 17/10/2023   Rosea Carpark – Mt Rosea Track – Gate of the East Wind – Mount Rosea (1009m)

                                         Grampians National Park, VICTORIA

                                         Gariwerd Country                                  

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

We were very pleased this very chilly morning to see nothing but blue sky, after five days of cold, heavily overcast and windy weather this was a pleasant change. Our first target today was Mount Rosea, starting with a twenty-minute drive from Halls Gap. We were at the Roses Carpark and walking by 9:30am with no one else or any other vehicles in sight. The first couple of kilometres of this gravel track is relatively level, wide and easy walking through a forest with a heath understory. It then gradually changes into a rougher track with plenty of rocks and slabs as it begins its climb to the ridge above. It was along this section I spied three small yellow canary worms on the track.

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Mount Abrupt Carpark – Mount Abrupt Walking Track – Signal Peak Walking Track – Signal Peak – Mount Abrupt – Mud-Dadjug Hike-in Campground

Wednesday 11/10/2023   Mount Abrupt Carpark – Mount Abrupt Walking Track – Signal Peak Walking Track – Signal Peak – Mount Abrupt (825m) – Mud-Dadjug Hike-in Campground – C216

                                                Grampians National Park, VICTORIA

                                                Gariwerd Country 

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

We departed the carpark at 9:00am, keen for the earlier start as a day reaching the high twenties was forecast. This walk commences climbing immediately from the trailhead and as we found yesterday, passes through a lot of different ecosystems in one day. These often came and went over short distances but the changes were much more noticeable than in many other places we have hiked. The tracks today were not new as they were for The Piccaninny and Mount Sturgeon sections yesterday but these are still high-quality tracks with many sections of steps formed from large flat boulders which have been positioned to make staircases on steeper sections. 

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Sligachan Hotel – Glen Sligachan – River Sligachan – Allt nam Fraoch-choire – Loch na Creitheach

Tuesday 23/05/2023   Sligachan Hotel – Glen Sligachan – River Sligachan – Allt nam Fraoch-choire – Loch na Creitheach

                                         Isle of Skye, SCOTLAND

                                    

Participants: Caroline Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies and Sue Davies

We headed off as a party of five from Sligachan. To access the track we crossed a lovely stone bridge, dodging the gauntlet of tourists grabbing their Instagram shot before returning to the Sligachan Hotel or their cars. Then we passed a statue of two old white men before leaving behind the vast majority of people.

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Holyrood Park – Arthurs Seat – Edinburgh

Monday 15/05/2023   Holyrood Park – Arthurs Seat

                                        Edinburgh, SCOTLAND

Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies 

Back in Edinburgh, we would venture up to Arthur’s Seat regularly for our runs and walks. Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano that last erupted 350 million years ago and is now a grassy hill in Holyrood Park at the end of the Royal Mile. 

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The Prison – The Needle – The Table – Quiraing 

Wednesday 24/05/2023   The Prison – The Needle – The Table – Quiraing 

                                               Trotternish Ridge, Isle of Skye, SCOTLAND

                                    

Participants: Caroline Davies, Paul Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies (Report, Photos), Sue Davies

Today’s walk began with very cold windy conditions. The first challenge of the day for many people was to chase their parking receipt the parking meters were spitting out directly into the breeze before most people could get a hand on it! We watched half a dozen people running along the road as their tickets blew away. I wonder how many people needed to buy a second ticket because of a poorly designed ticket machine.

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