Walking our Iconic Hughes Creek

On Saturday a group of over 20 assembled at the Boathole to revisit one of our most popular past walks, the Boathole to Mineral Springs walk along the Hughes Creek. Organised by the Strathbogie Ranges Conservation Group, (SRCMN), the walk was almost cancelled due to the unfavourable forecast of strong winds and rain. We were lucky the forecast was ignored as we walked along country burnt in last summer’s bushfire under brooding and threatening , but dry skies. These conditions highlighted the special granite colours along the Gorge as we drank in lush banks, grey rock faces and bright green, almost luminous moss covered rocks along pools of water, rapids and the deeply incised valley. Light rain after a lunch break brought an extra dimension to the vistas, turning the landscape into Tolkien-esque hues of darker and more vivid greens and browns.Although the waters seemed an ideal habitat for platypus , none were spotted, although there were some massive wombat holes being homes to what could only be imagined were Australia’s biggest wombats!

A sample of the mineral waters at the end of the walk drew mixed reactions-but many did fill their water bottles to take home a bit of Tablelands Aqua Pura.

Grateful thanks to Michael for allowing us to access his property once again. Keep an eye open for the next riparian, (Creek) walk on the SRCMN website or this one . Keep an eye out also for photos of some of our walks soon.