First posted on May 7, 2013
y margcalFirst posted on May 7, 2013
It was a watery day today – admiring waterfalls and getting rained on. And admiring the countryside too. Followed by another yummy family meal with the Boston babies and their rellies. Thank you so much!
The second of the trio was Zillie Falls.
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| Zillie Falls, top |
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| Zillie falls, bottom |
And third of the three was Ellinjaa Falls.
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| Ellinjaa Falls |
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| Looking away from Ellinjaa Falls |
Last of the waterfalls was Mungalli Falls but I only saw the rapids properly. Walking down to get a view of the falls proper would have meant walking back up again – at a seeming 60 deg slope, I thought 'No'.
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| Mungalli Rapids |
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| Mungalli Falls |
It wasn’t cold when visiting all these falls but it was so grey that to sit by them, where that was possible, wasn’t appealing, as it would have been if it had been sunny. It was very much a ”now you see it, now you don’t” day as far as low clouds and mist hanging about went.
The countryside between Millaa Millaa and Zillie Falls was typical of so much around this area.
After a brief stop at Crawford Lookout …
… it was on to the MaMu Rainforest Canopy Walk.
I heard of a similar one in WA quite a long time back and it sounded a lovely thing to do. But I haven’t been there. Closer to home, there is the Otway Fly just off the Great Ocean Road. I’ve been close, but not close enough, to it. Now was my chance. The huge black clouds some distance off didn’t seem to be a problem although the ticket seller said she couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t rain. Just as well!!
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| Rain clouds |
I got through the entrance gate and the skies opened up. I was lucky on two counts. I wore my rain jacket. I had a book with me. (I was expecting a cafe there and was hoping to get a bit of lunch. I almost returned the book to the car so I didn’t have to carry it. Thank goodness I didn’t.) When I got to the first shelter I was pretty wet apart from where the jacket protected me. I sat and read while waiting out the downpour. I found out “who dun it” so not a wasted break in my walk!
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| Rain! |
Most of the walk is in fact at ground level. At a guess, 20% max is on the elevated walkway. But it’s no less enjoyable for that.
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| Elevated walkway |
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| Ferns ... obviously! |
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| Long since fallen tree - not a lot of tree roots and soil left |
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| Giant funghi, with my foot for comparison |
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| Cyclone damage |
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| Trees, river and misty clouds |
I got to the farthest end of the walk – where there’s a 100 steps, 37m viewing tower to climb. I’m not good with heights so stood there for some time telling myself not to be pathetic. I could also hear Piers (father of the Boston twins) saying “Oh come on! Don’t be so pathetic Margaret.” So up I went! My legs were a bit wobbly and I wasn’t feeling too well when I made it so staggered to the welcome seat that was there … making the tower move and me feel even worse! But after a while I recovered enough to appreciate the views – until the patchy mist turned to solid cloud and whited it all out.
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| Looking to the path at the bottom of the viewing tower |
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| Now you see it - sort of! |
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| Now you don't - and it got worse!!! |
Then the rain bucketed down again. Thanks again for the book – and for the roof over the viewing deck! I finally realised the rain wasn’t thundering on the roof any more. The “rain” I could still hear was all that water dripping from the trees. And the cloud had move on again, a bit!
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| Not forgetting the ubiquitous bush turkey! |
In spite of the rain, mist and clouds it was a terrific day, seeing some of the best the environment has to offer.
