Meehan Range 2017

Today we're heading for the wilds of the Meehan Range near Cambridge, led by Bob.

It's a cold day with frost to start as we head off to Belbins Road. On arrival some were concerned that, despite it being the eastern shore, it was still cold. Bob had a cure for that though, it's called a hill. After only a short time gloves and outer ware were being removed as the day continued to improve.

Ready for the off. As you can see, it's a sunny day

This area has been used for many things over the years

Why walk on a wide track when you can have a narrow one

It's not long before we climb up to a main fire trail to follow it along.

After a while, we make our way down, through an open gate and along a flat track past a dam. This takes us to another gate and onto a forest reserve. Continuing along the road, we look for a Morning Tea spot soon finding a comfortable place.

Afterwards, we continue along until we come to another sign into the Meehan Range Reserve.

Morning Tea in a minute

Up hill

Back on the range

We pass areas of old quarrying, probably for road gravel. The area is very dry as you can see from the empty creek bed running beside us.

Dry creek bed. I think this is Cross Rivulet

We're at the bottom of the gully

Our first challenge

Obstacle conquered, we head for our first warm up climb. 

It's grown up more, but I remember this hill

Wayne admiring the view

 In a parody of the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman this hill is a "Slippery little sucker". Steep grade and loose gravel make it so.

It lessens a bit and then starts up again

Steep and loose it is hard to get started again if you have to stop and lose your momentum. We continue on before we take a track leading off to the left. As we do we spot a mountain biker on a higher trail.

There's a bike track up there

It's easy walking now as we traverse Simmons Hill, looking for lunch.

Very dry

Not far from here, we cleared the track for a couple of mountain bikes

Lunch spot

Using my monopod as a giant selfie stick

Food taken, we move on passing several junctions with tracks heading everywhere.

We come to a turn off I recognize from previous walks. The track we're on continues on...up hill, but we turn left to head down.

The difficult warning applies only to bikers, not walkers

It's not really difficult for us

We have also climbed up this route in the dim past.

We get near the bottom, crossing over a dry creek onto another bike track. Shortly, we come upon these signs.

Cheap warning sign

In case you have trouble reading it

It's warning about a very steep, direct descent down across and up to the main track. There is a choice which we took that is still very steep but leads around to the bottom of the gully, where we climb up to the road.

Steep decent on left, we're taking the further route around and down

Looking down. The walkers have just entered from the right

Down and then up

I was tempted to take the direct route and I really don't see much difference from that and the alternate way down we did use.

Short climb to the others and then down the road.

This takes us past mysterious cleared spots and the remains of foundations on both sides of Barilla Rivulet and questions were asked about their use and history. I was able to tell them that it was an ammo dump in WWII. I haven't been able to find any photos (it was secret) from the time. But if you CLICK HERE it will take you to an interview with Adrian Belbin who grew up in the area. It was called Air Force Gully by the locals. 

Best looking, but probably most unnecessary sign on the walk

This gentleman lives at the parking area and there are few things that annoy me more than people dumping or mistreating animals. Unfortunately, we haven't got a spot for him even if the whippets could be persuaded to accept him.

Unwanted rooster

We had 9 walkers and covered 11.04km in 4:14hrs. We last did this walk in 2014. A good, interesting walk with a couple of stiff climbs to raise your temperature and beautiful blue skies to boot.

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