Australia | The Ultralight Hiker

Rail Trails

Leave a Comment / Australia, Backpacking, Camping, Coastal Areas of Victoria, George Bass Coastal Walk, Gippsland, Victoria, Walking Tracks in Victoria / admin

https://www.railtrails.org.au/ Our taxes have been busily at work creating these lately. There are now some really long ones http://www.murraytomountains.com.au/the-rail-trail/ http://www.greatvictorianrailtrail.com.au/ https://www.railtrails.org.au/trail-descriptions/victoria/gippsland?view=trail&id=143 Some could be combined with an existing hiking trail to make an interesting loop walk, eg the George Bass Coastal Walk and the Bass Coast Rail Trail: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/352803/Park-note-George-Bass-Coastal-Walk.pdf & https://www.railtrails.org.au/index.php?option=com_railtrails&view=trail&id=203&Itemid=244

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Jeeralang Deer

Leave a Comment / Farming, Home & Gardening, Gippsland, Hunting, Victoria, Wildlife (Australia) / admin

It is now common to encounter deer sign on our evening walks though when we moved here a quarter century ago it was exceeding rare: you could search all day for sign and yet be in doubt. Now FOUR species of deer inhabit the forests behind us: red, sambar, fallow and hog deer. During WW1

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Invisible Worlds

Leave a Comment / Farming, Home & Gardening, Wildlife (Australia) / admin

On Sunday I noticed one of these (a Grey Butcher Bird) killing one of these (an Indian Spotted Dove) as I emerged from my shift at the Yinnar General Store. The former are fearsome predators of small birds and other critters, often impaling their carcasses on branches, etc in order to devour them later, but

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Ion Idriess: The Desert Column

Leave a Comment / Australia, Farming, Home & Gardening, Inspiring People / admin

Facsimile CoverWhen I was a lad I thrilled to the works of Ion Idriess http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_Idriess (and Nevil Shute: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute ‘A Town Like Alice’, ‘On the Beach’, etc) I still wonder at his retelling of the Kidman story (‘The Cattle King’) I confess I have not read the wonderful book reviewed so capably here: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2011/09/ion-idriess-and-the-desert-column/ regarding

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Anzac Day

Leave a Comment / Australia, Hunting / admin

(VICTOR FRANK) LAWRENCE JONES (25/04/2015 – 28/07/1963). My beloved dad would have been 100 years old today (having been born on the first Anzac Day), if he had not been stolen from us just days before my fourteenth birthday (brain cancer) fifty two years ago. Tomorrow I will be able for the first time to

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Forestry Tracks (Jeeralangs)

Leave a Comment / Australia, Gippsland, Hiking, Victoria, Walking Tracks in Victoria / admin

Everywhere just behind where we live at Jeeralang Junction there are endless miles of forestry tracks. Some are very beautiful making anything you might find on those famous hikes in Tasmania fade into insignificance. For us, it is only a matter of a few minutes’ drive to be somewhere we can let the dogs run

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Tyers River Training Walk

Leave a Comment / Australia, Camping, Canoeing, Fishing, Gippsland, Hiking, Tyers River, Victoria, Wirilda Track / admin

Yesterday afternoon on the Wirilda Track. We spent a couple of hours or so walking downstream (& back) along the Tyers River from the W3 Track. I should have taken more photos. Forgot my camera, and forgot that my phone has a camera. Wirilda is a well-made and pleasant track with many lovely views of

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Upper Yarra Track Mementoes

Leave a Comment / Australia, Gippsland, The Upper Yarra Walking Track, Victoria / admin

A ‘correspondent’ writes: I returned from yesterday’s foray with these two. This afternoon my daughter was alarmed at what she saw as injuries to my right arm, what to me were just scratches, or badges of pride. Swinging my machete, the blasted ‘lawyer’ or ‘wait a while’ vine (so named ‘cause it won’t let go!) cut

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Yarra Falls 2

Leave a Comment / Australia, Gippsland, The Upper Yarra Walking Track, Victoria / admin

A reader writes: ‘Spent another seven hours yesterday pushing ever closer to this ‘lost’ treasure. From the top fall, the prostrate scrub was unbelievably thick for the next kilometre or so. I was wondering whether I should give up. I guess I spent three hours hacking my way through it, then after about another kilometre

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Pristine Beaches

Leave a Comment / Australia, Coastal Areas of Victoria, Farming, Home & Gardening, Gippsland, Victoria, Wilsons Prom / admin

It would be nice to see a lot more of these (and the same goes for eg riverbanks). I am sick to death of people being allowed to blot out the landscape with their monstrous tasteless, flashy holiday homes, condos, restaurants etc. I am all for banning of all permanent buildings, towns, cities, villages along

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