Woodbridge Wanderings -12 Dec 2021

 Today's walk will be led by Jack around the environs of Woodbridge a small village on the edge of D'Entrecastreaux Channel.

The weather for today is mild but overcast.

Heading away from the car park along the foreshore.

Looking back up the Channel to Peppermint Bay Wharf.

The bridge made it easier to do a head count and make sure everyone was accounted for.

Heading away from the Channel into the back roads of Woodbridge.

A very well organised eucalypt forest with straight lines of trees.

The entrance to the Woodbridge Community Centre.

 Mum and Dad Turbo Chook (Native Hen) running away from the walkig group . 

There are 7 chicks trying to keep up - can you find them all.

A number of houses had bird sculptures around the gardens. This is a Forked Tailed Bearing Bird.

This one is a Pink Tailed Bearing Bird.

One of a number of very well kept gardens we passed in our walk.

Fancy gates seems to be another quirk of the local residences.

Lots of native trees and bushes in full flower.

A very large eagle overlooking a dam.

Climbing past the remnants of one of the old remaining orchards in the area.

A panorama showing Bruny Island in the background.

Local orchards getting ready for the coming season.

Heading up to the end of the road.

Jack thought he had made a major find by the side of the road only to be disappointed.

Wall of a house that is probably the result of an unfilled dream.

Someone's quiet time seat at the top of their bush block looking down over the Channel.

I think Sue is trying to work out where to from here.

Contented wallabies feeding in their marsupial lawn.

The answer to Sue's considerations was back down the hill.

Another fancy gate.

And a Blue Crystal Tailed Pheasant.

Heading back towards the center of Woodbridge.

The pace has picked up.

Lunch was very pleasant by river although there was a bit of an Aussie BBQ feel.

There were 17 walkers for our last walk of the year who climbed 148 meters and walk 6.7 kms in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

 A fitting end to a successful years walking program.

 

Pelverata Falls - 7 Dec 2021

 Our walk today is a return walk into the Pelverata Falls from the car park at the end of Crosswell's Road.

The weather is overcast with the threat of rain at some time during the walk.

An enthusiastic group of walkers ready to leave the car park.

Some were worried about the mud as this clay patch was within less than 100 meters from the cars.

Then the track improved significantly around the corner.

There were some rocky bits.

Some boardwalk above the mud.

And some up hill and this was only in the first 20 minutes.

One lonely orchid by the track.

Then we were traversing across steep rocky slopes.

With a view of Slippery Falls across the valley.

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There was quite a bit of water flowing from the plateau above the falls.

A couple of bird orchids.

Then we were going down steeply.

Pelverata Falls with a fair bit of water coming over the top.

We elected to have morning tea on the viewing platform to celebrate Chris's birthday with some very welcome smoke trout pate (compliments of Chris's fishing and smoking skills) and Corine's cooking skills.

The Santa pate knife made it a duel birthday Xmas feast.

The Birthday Boy.

Climbing up from the viewing platform on the return journey.

 A view back in the direction of the car park.

Climbing down the steepest part of the track.

I think Ron's worried look was because he thought we might have lost someone.

Mother Nature's attempt at a plumbing U-Bend.

 

 

 This photo goes to show the length that some people will go to amuse themselves and we thought it might be a challenge for Chris to make a tower of stones as high as this with its crowning Kookaburra.

We did have a couple of intermittent showers that seem to appear every time Bob put his raincoat back in his pack but they were only a small inconvenience.

We had 10 walkers who walked 6.5 kms in 3 hours and 12 minutes.