THE WRAP
The temperature gauge showed a brisk 9 degrees as the van plunged into the thick fog that had consumed Gembrook. We motored on through, leaving the clouds behind, entering the sun drenched Bunyip State Forrest for a hiking adventure.
The group was in for a challenging day of hiking through the hills. We set off through the lush ferns of the temperate rainforest before heading up hill into the lands of the stringy bark trees and drier bushland.
After a brief snack the trekkers set off on the main part of the hike deep into the bush. We hiked alongside the creek, following its lead weaving through the iconic bushland. We bid farewell to the bubbling little creek and began our gradual climb up towards the towering mountain ash. We stopped by a little waterhole to share the fearful Aboriginal legend of the ‘Bunyip’ which was said to roam the creeks, swamps, rivers and waterholes of the Bunyip State Forest.
The trekkers showed tremendous character and stamina to power up and down with the rise and fall of the land, not even the presence of a few leaches here and there could deter these brave adventurers. The final push to the top was the most challenging of all as the group pressed their way up through the beautiful, yet tough fern gullies that climbed their way to the upper reaches of the mountains, while keeping a wary eye out for the bunyip.
We descended back to the camping ground to recover and eagerly tuck into our lunch. With our batteries fully charged we headed off for the final push up to the ‘Four Brothers Rocks’, a selection of giant granite boulders that overlooked spectacular views of Bunyip State Forest.
