I have chosen the Victorian High Country as my first tribute, as my youngest daughter works at Mt Hotham and has had to evacuate to Albury.
In January 2011, we stayed at Mt Beauty and, whilst there, took a day trip along the Great Alpine Road from Bright to Omeo.
The road took us upwards through alpine forests (still featuring the bright bike gear of the ever energetic cyclists), where tall trees clung to the sides of sheer drops and we were tossed from side to side like ships on a stormy green ferny sea. but the views were amazing, with mountain ranges parading across the deep, deep valleys from a road that was all corners and clung tenaciously to the edge of the mountain.
A picnic area on a hairpin bend provided an opportunity to pause and take in the scenery, and here we were introduced to the Woollybutt with its furry looking orange trunk (and apparently it is Australia's tallest flowering tree). Another couple of small roadside pull over areas allowed for some more photos -- but nothing that could come close to doing justice to this "oh wow" spectacular scenery.
We passed over Mt St Bernard and then climbed Mt Hotham
amongst mountain scenery that could only be described as superb (if I don’t
want to use that “spectacular” word again)! At Danny’s Lookout we experienced
refreshingly cold winds, but realised that we had passed the Blue Rag 4WD
Trail. So we retraced our steps to Saint Bernard’s Hospice Hut to take the Dargo High Plains Road ,
which immediately took us down a little ways to then wind for 12 kms around the
mountain and along a ridge top through deceased Snow Gums, which stood sentinel
to the new growth beneath them, until we reached the Blue Rag Range Track.
This track truly lived up to its iconic status, taking us
initially down a steep incline into a saddle and then just as steeply up the
other side before winding through Snow Gum forest to an intersection, where we
continued onwards to climb on upwards across alpine meadows to the trig point.
The last few knolls featured parked vehicles whose owners had chosen to walk,
but we continued on in ignorance to a totally hair-raising section called “The
Staircase” – a very steep and very rocky section with sheer slopes falling off
both sides of the track and no place to turn around and chicken out. I was
truly terrified.
The journey back out to the Dargo High Plains Road was less
exciting (except when I chose to walk down “The Staircase”, finding this a real
challenge on crumbly loose rocks and at an incline that elsewhere would require
a walking track staircase), and we made it unscathed back to the tar to return
to Mt Hotham and then travel further on to the alpine village of the same name
(for a brief stop).
After this, the Great Alpine Road took us past Dinner Plain
Alpine Village and gradually downwards, even though orange snow poles still
edged the side of the road. Flour Bag Plain (an open area surrounded by Snow
Gum forest) did feature a huge lump of white quartz, but we did not stop even
when we reached Victoria River, where we turned off onto side tracks to search for Victoria Falls .
A narrow dirt track took us initially through fairly tame
countryside but then winding around a mountainside where one side fell steeply
and deeply to the narrow valley floor far below. When we reached the remains of
an old pondage, a map on a small information board told us that we had come too
far, and the lookout over the falls was back along the track. And, lo and
behold, soon after we turned around, we could see the falls from the road and, further along, a short unmarked walking track did take us to a makeshift
lookout point.
As always, the road out seemed much shorter than the inward
journey and now I could enjoy the small babbling creek which we followed for a
while. We re-joined the Great Alpine Road and zoomed towards Omeo
across very undulating pastures as mist descended and the temperature cooled.
In fact it was quite cold when we stopped in Omeo to purchase tea (knowing that
we still had about 100 kms of twisting mountain roads to navigate before we
returned to Mt Beauty).
As we climbed up the Omeo Highway the mountain ranges were
softened by mist and their tops were concealed in cloud cover – and I never
cease to be amazed at the number of roads and tracks that have been constructed
through this otherwise almost inaccessible High Country. At tiny Anglers Rest we crossed the Cobungra River
and then passed a series of camping areas alongside mountain streams which
promised excellent trout fishing, and then later followed the Big River
Shortly after the turn off to John’s Flat we turned onto the
Bogong High Plains Road
which took us higher above the forests of tall trees and onto the plains, where
cattle grazed in occasional clearings between forests of more stunted trees, that have probably felt the touch of snow. But, surprisingly, taller trees
reappeared higher up – perhaps on a more sheltered range, and these continued
until we were still much higher and back amongst the Snow Gum forests, alpine
meadows and into the clouds, which drifted across our path in transparent veils
of white to obscure the distant vistas when we reached the land, that was all
alpine meadows, just before Falls Creek.
Here we paused briefly at Rocky Valley Dam to capture a
different mood on camera (and to allow John to give the Cruiser yet another
drink – a monotonously regular occurrence all day and especially since Omeo).
The road down to Mt Beauty from Falls Creek was crossed with
shadows from the forest which filtered the light from the lowering sun and made
for trickier driving conditions. So it was after 7.15 p.m. before we reached our caravan – a
long day’s drive, requiring a short stroll by the river to stretch our legs
before retiring inside.
Remember: Caring for your body, mind and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. it's about listening to the needs of your soul, and then honouring them. Kristi Ling
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