Tuesday 21 May 2013

Walking from Marysville to Steavenson Falls

Penny and her doggie friends had a long walk from Marysville on Sunday. After the awful destruction of the Black Saturday fires, the community is slowly recovering, and the tracks around the town have been remade.



It's good to see that dogs are allowed to walk on the new paths, all the way to Steavenson Falls.



The new growth is green and lovely, and we saw a baby kangaroo apple plant, with its leaves that look like a kangaroo footprint,



Penny appeared to be having lots of fun and walked jauntily along with her 'pack', although she wasn't too happy to walk across this grid. But she bravely made it across.



In the township we saw some lovely autumn foliage, presumably on the few trees that weren't incinerated in the fires in 2009. (But maybe this tree is only four years old and was planted after the fire.)


On the drive across the mountains to the Upper Yarra Valley, it was disturbing to drive for kilometre after kilometre through burnt-out forests. I knew the fires were extensive, but to travel for an hour through blackened, dead trees is a strange and disturbing experience, even if the new, green growth points to a brighter future.




6 comments:

Mary said...

Those trees were really killed weren't they, not just burnt so they can germinate and get new growth. It was a terribly HOT fire too.
Good to hear that the community is reviving - and that people are going there with their tourist dollars.

parlance said...

Yes, they haven't regrown, by the looks of it. They also tend to fall across the roads, so I was warned that if I took a smaller route across the mountains, I should have a chainsaw in the boot of the car! I don't have one, needless to say.

Johann The Dog said...

Great place for a hike!

Unknown said...
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parlance said...

Wow, Sonja, that is a scary legislation!! Shoot a dog! Horrific! I notice it does say you can go 'through' the reserve on a route open to the public. I wouldn't be wanting to take a chance, though. When I went, it was not long after the fires and maybe regulations were more relaxed, but I was with a dog trainer and she is very careful about legislation, so I think there might have been a sign saying dogs allowed on the path, but I would definitely check and check again, if I were you. I think you should ring the Marysville tourist office and ask specifically.

This site says pets and bicycles not permitted:
http://www.visitmelbourne.com/Regions/Yarra-Valley-and-Dandenong-Ranges/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Steavenson-Falls-Trail.aspx

parlance said...

Wow, Sonja, that is a scary legislation!! Shoot a dog! Horrific! I notice it does say you can go 'through' the reserve on a route open to the public. I wouldn't be wanting to take a chance, though. When I went, it was not long after the fires and maybe regulations were more relaxed, but I was with a dog trainer and she is very careful about legislation, so I think there might have been a sign saying dogs allowed on the path, but I would definitely check and check again, if I were you. I think you should ring the Marysville tourist office and ask specifically.

This site says pets and bicycles not permitted:
http://www.visitmelbourne.com/Regions/Yarra-Valley-and-Dandenong-Ranges/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Steavenson-Falls-Trail.aspx