Strzelecki Ranges

Heading north away from the Gippsland Coast, we crossed through the magnificent Strzelecki Ranges to visit a few places including Agnes Falls and the Tarra-Bulga National Park.

Tarra-Bulga National Park

This National Park is compact and not as widely known or visited as others, but it certainly packs a punch. We had a wonderful time wandering through the various walking tracks, admiring the lush fern gullies and ancient myrtle beeches, surrounded by giant Mountain Ash trees. The park has some of the best examples of cool temperate rainforest in this mountain range and is jointly managed by the Gunaikurnai people.

Our first walk was to Corrigans's Suspension Bridge which stretches through the rainforest enabling spectacular views of the fern gully on the forest floor. We then settled down to a picnic lunch to admire the giant. mountain ash trees whilst listening to the myriad of birdsong in the rainforest.

After lunch, we went searching for the elusive lyre bird. Whilst we did catch a few glimpses of this iconic bird, we were delightfully entertained by a 15-20 minute symphony of bird calls as we slowly walked along the track. We eventually found a male bird scratching around on a display site with feathered tail fluttering in a mating ritual, singing his little heart out. Unfortunately, our presence ended his repertoire and he disappeared into the bush. Lyrebirds can replicate the calls of many other birds and even human-made sounds. In this performance, we distinctly heard the kookaburra, black cockatoo, currawong and a few other bird species. It was an amazing experience. I do hope he won-over his girlfriend.

Strzelecki Ranges

The Strzelecki Ranges run east-west about 100km east from Melbourne and extending for a further 100km. The tallest peak is Mount Tassie at 750m. The ranges are named after Polish explorer, Paul Edmund de Strzelecki who also climbed and named Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciusko, famously bringing the Polish language into the Australian lexicon in the 1840's. The drive around the ranges is spectacular, with mountain ridges, hair-pin bends, thick mountain forest, and massive fern gullies giving way to green-rolling hills, lush farmland and cute mountain villages as you descend into the valley.

Join us on a drive through the ranges:

Agnes Falls

Winding through the green rolling hills of the ranges, the Agnes River tumbles and cascades over a mountain ridge into a deep gorge, forming Agnes Falls. It's a lovely pocket of serenity protecting a small remnant of forest that once covered the entire ranges. An easy walk provides access to the river and views of the cascading water and the picturesque gorge.

Walhalla

Travelling further north, we visited the historic town of Walhalla located on the southern edge of the Victorian Alps and surrounded by lush rainforests and fern gullies. Like many towns in Victoria, Walhalla became rich and famous during the gold-rush of the 1860's as thousands of poeple flocked to the town to find their fortune. The drive to the town is very scenic and the mountain town has been beautifully preserved with its heritage buildings that include old hotels, banks, schools and churches.

It now thrives on tourism and after watching the train depart, we enjoyed morning tea in a lovely, rustic local cafe. The train journey is part of the restored Walhalla Goldfields Railway that travels through Stringers Creek Gorge and was full of excited family groups. As the temperature was starting to cool, we were able to see some beautiful autumn colours appearing thanks to the colourful deciduous trees that line the town's streets. It would be a wonderful destination at any time of year, but it certainly conjured up images of brisk mountain walks followed by a log fire, a hearty meal and a good red wine.

On the way back to our campsite, we visited Tyers Park, a lovely reserve in the foothills of the La Trobe Valley. It provided some insight into the former biodiversity of the region and a glimpse into the natural past.

To experience more of our odyssey, visit our YouTube site @astaceodyssey where you can watch a video of this region and lots more across many parts of Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/@AStaceOdyssey

Next time, we will be visiting the Macedon Ranges to explore the natural wonders of Mount Macedon, including the famous Hanging Rock, whilst enjoying some of the wine and food delights of the region.