The walk started in drizzling rain which soon stopped, and although it did not rain again it was extremely wet underfoot.
We set off on a track to the north just outside the Scout Camp gates and headed towards a large dam. Along this track we saw Ploughshare Wattle Acacia gunnii – not flowering yet, and many small fungi. At the dam we turned towards the Great Ocean Road, and walked parallel to it until we came to Forest Road where we turned inland a bit onto a track still parallel to the road, but thankfully further away.
All the way along here we passed through Messmate Eucalyptus obliqua forest with Dusty Miller Spyridium parvifolium understory, and some Sweet Wattle Acacia suaveolens just coming into flower. We also found a couple of Anglesea Grey-gums Eucalyptus litoralis.
Just before we reached Hurst Road, we turned south onto a mountain bike trail which wound around and down through gullies. It is a most beautiful track, still in Messmate forest, and the Dusty Miller here is spectacular especially in the gullies.
We had a lunch break here with White-eared Honeyeaters and Scarlet Robins. As we headed further towards the coast after lunch we came to an area filled with Xanthorrhoea australis, in fact there were so many, so closely growing that there was no room for anything else.
As we walked up the hill and looked back we could see a sea of Xanthorrhoea.
Almost back to Hurst Road South, we came across the old Scout Camp chapel last used in the 1960’s.
The last 50 metres of the walk was through a sea of slippery mud, and we were glad to see our cars parked in Hurst Road.
This is a lovely walk and well worth doing again in the spring when it will be spectacular.
Jill and Geoff Giles