A creek a day 10: Yarra River

Today I finally caught up with an old mate and we went for a ride along The Yarra River.

Yarra River - From the bridge @ Diamond Creek trail Lower Eltham Park

Having traveled back and forth across the city I'd caught glimpses of the river from the train but until now I haven't actually spent any time around the Yarra in the whole two weeks I've been here.

We commenced our ride at Lower Eltham Park from Homestead Road and followed the river past the Rosanna Golf Course then doubled back the way we came and headed east along the river and followed it through to Mullum Mullum creek until we reached the old Hill Climbing track in Templestow.

 

Never even heard of the Templestowe Hill Climb... apparently it was huge 'In the day'

After attempting the hill climb at first on our bikes and then struggling to even walk up it! I had my bike in low gear but couldn't get enough weight over the front wheel to stop the bike from flipping! (A Hill Climb is a motor sport race where people attempt to achieve the fastest time driving a car up an impossible grade/hill)

We headed back again toward Lower Eltham Park. About half way along the track we pulled into Petty's Orchard for a coffee... or two and a yarn. 

Swing Bridge - Ruffy Trail

View from Ruffy Trail bridge

 As we crossed the final foot bridge... it was a very High bridge, we came across a couple of young blokes who looked like they'd been swimming. 

A very High bridge... What the?!

  

My mate and I both looked down at the water, way, way down below us! We looked at the guys on the bridge, they seemed like they'd just had the thrill of their lives, we looked at each other.... "No Way!"

 Yep they'd jumped! And they did it again. They reckon it was a three to four second fall.

This ride was about 26km

A creek a day 9: Diamond Creek

Quick one...
Diamond Creek, at Wattle Glen.

Caught the train to Wattle Glen. Had a serious time constraint, I arrived at Wattle Glen at 10:00am, I wanted to visit my grandparents grave in Kangaroo Ground but had to be back in Watsonia by 11:30am for an important appointment. 

It was an uphill ride most of the way I had to climb 166 meters over 7km... I pumped it! The final few hundred meters was downhill... which of course became uphill on the way home.

Diamond creek @ Wattle Glen

Before cycling up the hill I quickly ducked down to the Wilson's Rd bridge, from which I snapped off this image... Is it out of focus? To bloomin bad! 

The sign above my rear wheel advises that poison is used to kill the rabits. (Not impressed!)

Remnant bracken undergrowth huddles unmolested around tomb stones

Kangaroo Ground cemetery is a very quiet and special place. A nice spot to sit and mull over the great questions of life and death while surrounded by the most beautiful views of the foothills surrounding the Yarra Valley. Unfortunately time didn't permit such luxuries on this occasion, but I did take a moment for a walk around before getting back on my bike.  

Gan Gang checking out a nesting site

Gang Gang coming to say hello

This ride came with a great reward! Gang Gangs! My favorite bird and a bird my grandmother had told me the most amazing story about. (no time here for the story) There were about half a dozen Gang Gang cockatoos searching nesting hollows in the large eucalypts near the cemetery. The best way I think I can describe these birds is Delightful! 

Wild forest folk sculpted in pine

So anyway... 'Whatever goes up, Must come down'. After a brief rest I needed to turn around climb the hill to Eltham War Memorial Park (and fire lookout tower) before taking the fast track back to Eltham proper. What a ride! I don't know how long it took me but I think the distance was nearly twice as far and I must have done it in half the time! I was flying! Cars couldn't pass me on the windy roads... not because I was in their way but because they had to brake for the bends! 

Got home easily by 11:00am! 

Thank you Very Much!

A creek a day 8: Merri Creek

Did a loop ride around Darebin Creek to Cere's and then followed the Merri Creek north to the Western Ringroad.

  

Merry creek was flowing strongly but was not high, it had previously been in flood as could easily be deducted by the amount of plastic and crap clinging to the trees on the upper banks. (I neglected to photograph the flotsum, preferring an idealist view of the creek)

The downstream part of this creek is far from clean, it was obvious that drains carry a lot of hard rubbish into the creek, the water was quite muddy and smelly in places.

I followed the creek as far north as I could before it met the the Western Ring Road.

Merri Creek by the dam wall at Coburg lake (Opposite the notorious Pentrige Prison)

Little fella catching some rays

One of many pedestrian bridges

An old bluestone bridge

Another dam wall

Upstream things didn't look any better, too many houses and factories.

Then I discovered this....

Interesting graffiti - shame  about the filthy crap this drain is spewing

Foul smelling foamy slush pouring out of a local drain!

One of the many drains emptying into the creek was spewing some disgusting filthy sludge directly into the creek! Right beside it was the number for a water quality hotline! Must happen all the time! I  called the number, there was no response just an answering machine... I left a message.

There were a few other interesting scenes. I was most impressed with the amount of food produced in the high flood plain river soil and the edible 'weeds' lining the drier banks near the industrial zone. I reckon a lot of it was planted out years ago.

Local small holding farm

Black Berries (on these fairly long rides I always manage to find enough to get me through)

In this section there were: Blackberries, Prickly pair, Cherry Plums and Fennel

Delicious Plums!

After making my way back through an industrial zone at Thomastown I headed back to Watsonia along the Western Ring Road bike path. I'd taken this rout by foot from the airport on a previous visit, along the way I discovered a couple of plum trees hanging over a fence, laden with ripe fruit, after a couple of hours riding on a fairly hot day these fruit really hit the spot!
(edited) 

A creek a day 7: Plenty river again

OK, I know I've already done the Plenty River but I did intend to visit here again. There are some special places along this river I'd like to share some stories and photos of. Unfortunately I couldn't reach those parts of the river. Because of the heavy rainfall yesterday and through the night the Plenty River is swollen and flowing fast!

Plenty River with good flow of water

Pebbles Crossing, Plenty River with a decent flow of water

These photos are of a part of the river known by the ratbag local kids of my vintage as Pebbles Crossing. It is a point in the river where several tracks converge at a shallow bar in the river where the opposite bank has been cut away. 

The track we used to take through the cow paddocks is still there, it used to follow the fence line past the cattle yard and troughs and linked up with an old roughly cobbled path, we were never sure of the history of that track but the new sign they installed when the area was turned into a park calls it Cobb and Co. Track... Well that's pretty interesting! We always imagined it was used by horse drawn carts.

Cobb and Co. Track

For most of the year this is an easy place to cross the river and follow the bush track north toward what is now signposted as Janefield Ridge. It's a good steep climb up the other side but once over the creek the country changes dramatically. Thick clay and black soil gives way to a much thinner profile which barely covers a rugged quartz and shale hillside. Beyond that a volcanic igneous rock starts making an appearance.  

When I arrived at the creek I took one look and knew I would not be attempting to cross! When we were young, my mates and I used to have a lot of fun crossing when the river was high, or even in full flood! We'd try to get across with our bikes and too many times one of us would get dragged a long way downstream, bike and all. There were too many close calls! We nearly lost a few bikes at that crossing and once or twice came close to losing more than that. At my age, level of fitness and sundry adult responsibilities, with no pier pressure to inspire me into an act of utter stupidity, the decision was simple. Turn around and enjoy the civilized side of the river with it's paved bicycle paths and street signs and fresh water drinking fountains. 

As I headed back along the paved path I did get to see some pretty cool birds. 

Crested Pigeon

Red-Rumped Parrots

Rainbow Lorikeet

Corellas

Boy did we have some fun back then... (Idiots!)

A creek a day 6: Sheepwash creek

I don't know a single thing about this creek. I was pedaling along Marine Drive when I saw the creek, the day was getting late and I was headed to Frankston train station, I figured I probably wouldn't see another decent water way and so I took a couple of photos.

So here it is folks, Sheepwash creek: 

The sign beside the road

The bridge

The outlet

 

A creek a day 5: Chinaman's Creek

Well I've strayed outside of the Melbourne metro area again and I'm a day behind.

This post is from Yesterday, Saturday 4th Feb.

I returned home from Geelong and Ballarat on Saturday morning, packed my bike and caught the train  back to Geelong to ride the Ballarine Rail Trail.

Caught the ferry across to Sorrento and then pedalled down to visit friends in Rosesbud.

When I was a boy my mate Robbie used to speak fondly of the creek which ran through the campground where stayed at Rosebud during school holidays, Chinaman's creek. I've always wanted to see this little stream in the middle of the tourist town. When I finally got there I was so happy to find the creek and riparian vegetation have been well looked after by the foreshore committee and parks department.

Here's a few pictures.

Chinaman's creek looking upstream

Loaded bike looking relaxed

Chinaman's creek looking toward the turquoise waters of Port Philip Bay on a magical day

A creek a day 4: Yarrowee River

Post from Yesterday 3rd Feb.

Had to do a run to Geelong yesterday, didn't even get a photo of the majestic Barwon River,

headed off to see friends in Ballarat and was driving through Buninyong when I realized I hadn't visited a creek yet so pulled over at a roadside stream just out of Buninyong (OK double bad, 1. not a Melbourne creek, 2. I didn't travel by bicycle).

The water in this  creek was very clear, the bottom of the creek was heavily laden with pebbles of quartz... Gold country here, I reckon if I'd had a pan with me I could have got some colour.

A creek a day 3: Darebin Creek

When I was a kid Darebin Creek was considered little more than an open drain and in the areas close to Northland and the Olympic Village it was used as a dumping ground. There is now a bicycle and walking path covering most of the creek and attempts have been made to clean up weeds, remove rubbish and replant native trees. The creek was actually flowing while I was there and I did manage to find some macro invertebrates under rocks near the Plenty Road bridge, tiny crabs actually. I had no idea crabs could be found in fresh water south of the equator. 
Anything living in there would have to have a high tolerance for heavy metals. Just in the spot where I was looking I found a discarded car battery.

A creek a day 2: Plenty River

OK, when I said creek what I meant was watercourse... i.e. fresh water stream/creek/river/brook...

Day 2: Plenty River

The Plenty River is my place. My country, it is etched deeply in my heart... I'll probably post more than once about this one!

The view from cliff edge toward a quiet bend in the river

A creek a day 1: Maribyrnong River

 (Erratum: Original posting named the waterway as the Merri Creek. I had been at Merri Creek later in the day and intended to write about that first... To much haste in writing. Sorry)
While in Melbourne I have set myself a few challenges. Well not really challenges but activities that I think will add value to my life and an opportunity to explore some of Melbourne's pretty awesome wild spaces and waterways. Each day I will try to visit one 'creek' in the greater Melbourne area (including surrounding towns) I intend to travel mostly by bicycle.

The bike I'll be riding posed on the Maribyrnong River ford at Brimbank Park

There's plenty of other stuff I'd like to post about, I'll do my best and write when I can. Unfortunately not everything I have come here to do is fun stuff, I will respectfully not be writing about everything.

Day 1. Maribyrnong River

I arrived at Tullamarine at midnight and graciously accepted a lift and cozy place to sleep, on the couch at my sister and brother in law's place in Kealba. Next morning after an awesome breakfast of bacon, eggs, spinach, tomato and philli cheese, I hung out with my nephews for a while and was lucky to wish the eldest luck and blessings for his first day at school. 

Although you can't see the water from this view, that valley in the background is the Maribyrnong River

From there all I had to do was roll down the hill and pretty soon I was in Brimbank park and fording the upper Maribyrnong River.