Melbourne to Moruya via the Den of Nargun

Billy Goat Bend on the Mitchell River

Monday, and I said my farewells to Christine and Brian and left more or less within my planned time, heading eastwards out of Melbourne.  My usual technique of staying in a middle-ish lane on the multi- laned roads prevented any further unplanned diversions.

The interminably flat landscape gave way to low rolling hills and added interest.

I was headed for Moe and the Old Gippsland Heritage Park and while it took me quite a few minutes of walking too and fro to locate the entrance, I then realised the sign told me it was closed on Mondays.  Another time!  I drove through Moe, which was a little underwhelming, and decided to head early for my next destination and do the walk I had planned for the following morning - the Den of Nargun.  

Cliffs on the way to the Den of Nargun

Google decided, rather than return me to the Princess Highway, to take me via a series of backroads, which was more interesting driving than the highway, though the coal fired power stations and open cut coal mines were not a picturesque addition to the drive.

As I continued it was apparent that autumn was well and truly with us and while many trees were showing their autumn colours some had already shed all their leaves.

Well past the normal lunch time I diverted into Maffra to find somewhere to eat my lunch and buy milk for my morning coffee.  Maffra seemed to be a small country town of some substance with some substantial stone buildings.

The Den of Nargun

Strangely enough, at one point, Google maps took me back onto the A1, the Princes Highway, and I passed through Stratford and yes Stratford sits on the bank for the Avon River!

It was a little interesting passing through other places that rang a bell: I crossed the Snowy River and passed through Bellbird.

On my way into the Mitchell River National Park, I spotted some stunning Crimson Rosella and a sizeable Eastern Grey Kangaroo hopped across the road.

I arrived at the Den of Nargun picnic area later than anticipated so chose to just walk to the Den and back rather than do the circuit: setting out on a 1.5km walk at 3:30pm as we approached the shortest day did not seem a great idea.

The Den of Nargun

On my way I chatted briefly with another walker before remarking on the need to keep moving before darkness descended and he inquired as to whether anyone knew where I was headed. A fair enough question since he was not to know that I had no intention of attempting the full circuit.

The smells of the bush were simply delicious.

It really was a fabulous location: quiet, peaceful and only the sound of a small waterfall trickling into the pool. I can see why others have considered this a sacred place.

I then headed to Billy Goat Bend campsite - only about 9km away but a 20 minute drive as the route was definitely of the 'roads less travelled' variety. I arrived to find only 2 other campers and one 4WD set up with his awnings and swag-tent thinggy on a raised platform under the awning. This belonged to a kind and friendly young man named Nathan who came over to see if I needed a hand with my awning as I set up my camp in the fading light. We chatted for a while as I continued with camp preparations and then he returned with a light, as I was about to extract mine from the car.

Correa

A large school group turned up just on dark - having walked in; they were not particularly quiet. Nathan had cooked his meal and came over to ask if I wished to share, as he had too much. A very kind offer but I declined on the basis of needing to stick to dietary restrictions for comfort sake.

My chair and table and butane stove make for simple but effective cooking arrangements.

An encounter with one of the teachers on my way to the toilets resulted in a major subduing of the noise level. They had been outrageously LOUD.

I was in my sleeping bag by 9pm, after having adjusted my awning to ensure run off from any showers; there had been some light rain in the early evening.

My campsite at Billy Goat Bend

It must be a universal truth that the frequency of the need to pee in the middle of the night is directly proportional to the level of inconvenience involved...

I woke about 6:30am and got up to heat water for my coffee. The mist from the river started to rise and moved towards me, enveloping the tent camping area. I was very quiet and peaceful with a few bird calls, and even the school students, once they were stirring, were much more subdued than they were the previous evening. I shared my second pot of coffee with Nathan, who seemed quite impressed with my having packed a coffee plunger for camping, and who later came to help me pack up my wet awning.

The short walk to the Amphitheater lookout was most rewarding: a panoramic view of the Mitchell River at Billy Goat Bend.

Billy Goat Bend on Mitchell River

As I retraced my drive, I saw a sign for the Old Weir Track, which stirred a memory of something I had read, so I stopped and checked how I might get to the start of the lookout. The information I had was scanty, but I thought I had the location pinned on Google Maps, so I set the route and proceeded. At one point, I turned onto Weir Road - with a sign indicating that the Old Dam Site was in that direction. So far so good. Maps was trying to direct me one way, but Weir Road was going another, I chose the latter and in due course came to the Old Weir Track - hmm - promising! Maps told me that in 3km, I would be at the target spot. Well, I might have been if the track had not had such deep washouts after about 1km. Since I was not driving a big boy 4WD and I did not have time to do the return walk and drive another 500km before dark, I allowed discretion to be the better part of valour and I turned around and headed for Jane's place on the southern NSW coast.

Maffra

As I drove through rural Victoria, I noted the very sensible naming of the backroads: the Lindenow-Glenendale Road does, of course, connect those two small towns.

I enjoyed the scenery on the road to Jane's though did expect more of a definitive sign at the border crossing into NSW.

I made a brief stop at Nowa Nowa and walked to the lookout but compared to the Amphitheatre lookout it was a little less spectacular.

A comfort/lunch stop at Cann River and I wandered across to look at the church, which I thought had a definite Scandanavian appearance.

It was later than I had hoped when I finally arrived, but I had driven further in one day than I had ever driven before.

The gorge at Nowa Nowa

It was a delightful evening catching up.

The church at Cann River