Holly Cow

Green Gully Track Day 1: Friday December 21, 2018

Cedar Creek Cottage to Birds Nest Hut – 17.5km

Despite the huge downpour last night, the morning dawned to brilliant blue skies. We were keen to start early to avoid the heat of the day. It was a beautiful start, leaving the clearing and the grazing kangaroos, as the sunrise lit up the surrounds. All of todays walk was along open fire trail with towering eucalypt trees providing shelter from the sun. Flowering wattle trees gave off a faint scent as we passed. The understory was lush and green and in large areas dominated by bracken fern. A few understory plant species were in flower which provided a nice contrast.

The trail was quite undulating and it took me a few hours to find a comfortable rhythm. Once we settled into the day, it was relatively easy hiking.

The highlight of todays section was a view of the fog filled Kunderang Brook valley which we passed early in the morning.

We arrived at Birds Nest Hut by lunchtime. It is an old galvanized iron stockmans’ hut built on the banks if Brumby Creek. It was sunny and hot so it was nice to stop, have lunch and have a wash in the cold water of the creek. We spent a couple of pleasant hours sitting in the shade reading a book. The sound of rushing water water was punctuated by occasional buzzing of blood sucking march flies trying to land on bare skin.

The hut had an information sheet giving its brief history. A relic of the pioneering cattle grazing activities carried out by the the white settlers in this area. It’s wonderful that this history can preserved and that it can exist along with the regeneration of the wilderness.

By mid afternoon the clouds started to roll in and we could hear the sound of distant thunder. We went to bed just as the rain arrived.