Reefton Goldfields Walk

The hike was actually not that difficult other than the river crossing at the very start. When we arrived at the site there were several cars in the parking area but most people were leaving as soon as they arrived. This was a little confusing but as soon as we went down to the river we understood why. The river was actually higher than normal. The water was flowing over the crossing which was made up of concrete blocks. This made it dangerous to cross, in my opinion. It could have been crossable but it's better to be safe than sorry.

The hike itself was a loop over the Yarra River and we soon realised we would have to find an alternate route to the track. Luckily I have a subscription to the All Trails app and we soon found a way back to the trail.

We went in an anti-clockwise direction and we straight into the climb. The climb was not that difficult but we soon started to lose our extra clothing as our heart rates increased. The uphill section was about 200m meters 4wd track and then it turned sharp right into the undergrowth. The track was hardly visible in the undergrowth and we were not too sure if we should go in. We did see a snake basking in the sun, so we knew they were around.

However, the part of the trail that was deep in the undergrowth was the best section as it was in a subtropical rainforest-like environment. The eucalypts still dominated the area but there were parts of the trail that were temperate rainforest-like. As it did rain, leeches were around. Angela is not fond of leaches and tries to shake them off as fast as possible. I try to deal with them calmly as possible. If you ever walk in the Australian bush be prepared for leeches, especially after any rainfall, they come out in numbers. wear long clothes and long socks.

We did spot a few birds in the area including King Parrots and Fairy Wrens and also spotted Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos. We also spotted a Pied Currawong (below) which was fairly curious about our presence. They have the best song in the world. They are the sound of Australia.

The hike down back to the parking lot was down a 4wd track and was fairly straightforward. We did want to see what was at the end of the Yarra river which we could not cross. It's actually an interesting place and the river is diverted through a man-made tunnel.

Nobody is sure when and why it was diverted which was also an interesting fact. They believe it was to find gold in the river bed.

Gold fever was real in the late 1880s if you went to the effort of diverting a river.

All Trails Link
Reefton Goldfields Walk