Explorations South West of Sale

We launched off-road from the Longford Rosedale Rd into the Holey Plains State Park taking the Chessum Rd. All these unsealed roads were marked tracks. Could you resist taking the Seldom Seen Track? The tracks were all good but we were comfortable in our 4 wheel drive vehicle. Our worry was would we meet a log truck! This State Park has some pine plantations at various stages of growth and logging, but mostly it was natural forest of not very tall gum and banksia. The first destination was The Holey Hill Fire Tower, which was an OK camping spot (* long drop toilet, no water, firewood available, fireplaces, some good walks) It would have been good if we could have at least climbed to level one of the fire tower for it was a high spot with views down south to Merriman’s Ck valley and north towards the LaTrobe River. From ground level the trees were in the way!
We continued travelling south on tracks. Crossed Merriman’s Ck -Narrow, with water in it, looks long, but too many willows (obstructions) for kayaking! Through a short stretch of farming country and then into The Stradbroke Flora and Fauna Reserve – looked similar environment – not too high gums (12m?) and complimentary undergrowth. We continued south on the North South Rd in the now Mullungdung State Forest. The gum trees were a bit taller here. Were they mainly iron bark? The trunks were rough bark. We diverted a bit to Kangaroo Swamp – no tall trees, a boggy grassy and some ti-tree wetland. Hard to “see” amongst trees. We didn’t see any kangaroos – it was midday! We were travelling about 8kms west parallel with the South Gippsland Highway, the main Sale/Yarram road. All these tracks were good.
We came to some farmland again. Crossed the Bruthen River (miles from Bruthen town and wrong direction too!) onto the Carrajung Woodside Road then crossed into the Won Wron State Forest. We lunched at our destination White Woman’s Waterhole. Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? Legend had it that a young white woman was shipwrecked and rescued by Aborigines. This place is about 20kms from the sea. It was a lovely camping spot (***long drop toilet, no water, firewood available, fireplaces, many good walks, including about 2kms of the “Great Southern Rail Trail” – old railway from timber getting days. Very pretty. No water in the waterhole though. We’ll go back to this place one day!
We headed north on more unsealed tracks until we came to the Hyland Highway, between Traralgon and Yarram. This was a good sealed road with some fantastic views. At Willung South, where there were a few houses, we turned east onto Willung South Road which was 80% sealed to Hiamdale, then back to Rosedale. We had intended to go back through the western side of the Holey Plains State Park but it was raining so heavily we could hardly see and we thought we ought not go on slippery dirt tracks. We got back to Sale and there has not been any rain!
A highlight was seeing an echidna and a goanna. It was a good fun day to spend our last day together exploring Sale surrounds in our 4 wheel drive. We had considered a bike ride to celebrate but honestly my style of riding is a bit slow and boring around the flat farming land around Sale. S went for a ride with the speedies this morning (suffered the ignominy of a puncture) and now he has gone riding again with another group! I have to spend tomorrow packing for Japan. I am going there for 3 weeks to see THE family AND a big Taiko drumming show.

Bike ride - Gormandale

Rosedale – Gormandale return loop – 51kms
Drove the car to Rosedale. Started riding south along the flat, straight, open farming land on the Willung Road. Soon we entered more interesting pine forest and natural bush and GENTLY undulating. At the Stradbroke/ Gormandale Road we turned right and travelled among small dairy farmland that reminded us of southern Fleurieu Peninsula in SA. Gormandale was a disappointment – a has-been town with dirty public toilets and no rainwater tanks for us to refill our bidons. We were now on the Hyland Highway which goes up and over between Yarram in the south and Traralgon in the north in the LaTrobe Valley. It was a good road with a shoulder suitable for us to ride in as it was busy with traffic. We past a freshly devastated completed logged area of forest. However the 9km downhill towards Traralgon was a pleasant ride! Our map was inadequate for us to find the correct road back to Rosedale. The pamphlet said the whole route was on sealed roads, but the first signed one to Rosedale was unsealed. It looked pretty scenery but not nice to ride on. The 2nd turnoff had no signage but was again unsealed. The 3rd road was sealed but by now we were back on the flat open farming country. We were speeding along these flat roads but we were not riding on roads we should be! We ended up riding about 3 km on unsealed road, and THE Princes Highway! It was very busy but there was a very wide shoulder, the wind was behind us and it was only for 6kms back to Rosedale. It was an enjoyable exploration!