australian
PLACES
Victoria's best weekend drives & heritage towns |
|||||
WHY GO: one of Victoria’s most scenic mountain drives leads to picnic sites and walking tracks amid towering gums and cool ferny gullies. DISTANCE FROM MELBOURNE: about 110km to the Cathedral Ranges. TIME: allow about two hours, as the Maroondah Hwy is narrow and winding in places. If taking the alternative route or a bushwalk in the ranges, allow a full day ROUTE: take the Maroondah Hwy through Healesville over the tall-timbered Black Spur but watch your speed on this narrow stretch. From there on, it’s a scenic doddle to Cathedral Lane on your right, just before Taggerty. Take another right into the National Park along a dirt road which can be a bit pot-holey in places. Alternative route, especially if you have a 4WD vehicle of any kind, is highway to Narbethong then Marysville, get a local map from the info centre in town, head out along Lady Talbot Drive to Mount Margaret Road and Cerberus Road into Cathedral Ranges. This is dirt the whole way, awful if wet, and adds about two hours to the journey – but is thoroughly worthwhile. WHAT TO DO: The Maroondah Hwy passes some of the best wineries in the Yarra Valley, but don’t tarry for beyond Healesville is the cool eucalyptus-scented mountain air of the Great Dividing Range. The road soon descends into rolling farmlands; you could stop at Narbethong for morning tea and feed the king parrots, but if heading straight to the Cathedrals, the next village is Buxton and its trout farm (catch your own). Rising above the patchwork green of farms between Taggerty and Buxton, the Cathedral Range soars to impressive peaks often shrouded by winter cloud. Some of the sheer rock faces here are a challenge to experienced climbers, but for others the attraction of these mountains is exploring a treasure-trove of bushwalks and scenic drives. From Cathedral Lane at the Taggerty end of the ranges, a bumpy dirt road arrives at the popular campsite of Ned’s Gully. Fire risk days excepted, boil the proverbial billy by the banks of the gurgling, crystal-clear Little River or continue to Cook’s Mill. From here a number of walking tracks radiate: two hundred metres through the camp site, the scant remains of the old Cook’s timber mill can be found. If you choose to hike The Farmyard track be prepared for a steep one-hour-plus climb (more in hot weather). But it’s worth it - a bird’s-eye view from The Cathedral’s rocky peak extends across patchwork farms and forested slopes of nearby ranges, and you’re almost assured of seeing lyrebirds and dozens of other native species, including satin bower birds wombats, wallabies, echidnas, king parrots, eastern rosellas, plus wildflowers including rare native orchids. For any of the longer walks here, be prepared: take water and food, plus warm clothing in case the weather changes. The reverse of the alternate route (see ROUTE above) heads south along Cerberus Road to the heights of Sugarloaf Hill, and joins with Mount Margaret Road. Suited to conventional vehicles only in dry weather, this sometimes graded dirt road traverses ridgetops and saddles of alpine forest above 900 metres - where snow often falls in winter - and gradually loses altitude. Lady Talbot Drive finally follows the Taggerty River, popular with trout anglers and campers, before arriving at Marysville. You can make this a great mountain bike ride, and return via the Buxton Road from Marysville. EATING AND DRINKING: pack your own picnic, especially if taking one of the longer walking tracks. You could catch your own trout at Buxton on the way through and char-grill it to have with bakery bread bought in Healesville. There’s a pub in Buxton. I have fond memories of a juicy char-grilled steak devoured with pleasure at Willowbank at Taggerty, where the bistro is open for lunch and dinner Thursday to Sunday (phone 5774 7503); they also have an art gallery to browse through – the owner being an accomplished artist. The Taggerty general store is good for take-aways.
|