Barwon walk report 2015

The BIG BARWON WALK 2015

REPORT

Stage Two ‐ Birregurra to Inverleigh 15th ‐19th April 2015

This project was funded by a Victorian Landcare Grant in Corangamite 2014 ‐2015 The Big Barwon Walk 2015 Report

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On day two ‐ walkers posing by a fallen Giant Redgum

Produced by the Upper Barwon Landcare Network December 2015.

Based on a report written by Peter Greig in May 2015, with input from the Big Walk Committee.

Committee Members; Jennifer Morrow, Jill Stewart, Jim Lidgerwood, Rod Stone, Claire Cotton, Lach Gordon, Janet Gordon, Richard & Pat Gilbert and Stewart Mathison.

Additional information ‐ Fiona East

Photographs ‐ Special thanks to Alan Low.

Title Page photo ‐ Walking between trees and rocks , day two.

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We are all part of the Barwon River Catchment and yet few of us have an opportunity to truly connect with this significant river. This river, life blood of many native flora and fauna, provides Geelong and the region with fresh water and has been instrumental in defining our landscape.

In 2013 a group of passionate Landcare members, mainly from the East Otway Landcare Group based in the Deans Marsh/Bambra area, decided to walk the length of the Barwon River from its source in the Otways to the mouth at Barwon Heads. The reason? To increase the local communities’ awareness of this important feature of the landscape, to talk and walk, connect with the landscape and each other ‐ and learn along the way.

So in 2014, twenty intrepid walkers, mainly members of the Upper Barwon Landcare Network, took three days to walk the approx 43km first leg of the 'Big River Walk" ‐ along the Barwon River from its eastern branch headwaters at the top of the Otways near Thompson Track, to Birregurra.

In 2015, the second leg was conducted, with over 50 walkers over three and a half days ‐ walking from Birregurra to Inverleigh.

This report endeavours to make an accurate record of the activities of the second leg, the people involved, the places visited and things seen along the way. In addition, an appendix outlines the results of bird surveys conducted, names of participants in the walk, and names of the landholders who kindly allowed the walkers to access their properties.

Map of the Walk Route 2015 Birregurra Kilwarrie Cottage Winchelsea Falls Reserve Inverleigh

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The Big Barwon Walk 2015 ‐ Birregurra to Inverleigh 15th ‐ 19th April 2015

The first leg took us from steep wet forests to wide flat floodplain; the second from floodplain to steep‐sided valleys carved out of rolling volcanic plain. As each landscape morphed dramatically into the next, we walked, looked, listened and talked about the Barwon River’s story as it unfolded before us. And we came away feeling we’d learnt a lot about the river, and each other.

It’s a story of mankind’s interactions with nature, both ancient and modern, and luckily, we had some wonderful storytellers:

Fiona East recounted with words and a movie the extraordinary story of William Buckley and his Wathaurong friends in the Barwon valley; Josh Griffiths gave an expert account of the life and times of platypus in the Barwon and elsewhere; Roger Blake explained the geology underlying the river’s changing landforms; Susan Harris helped us identify local flora, both big and small; Sophie Naylor, Jennifer Morrow, Janet Gordon and others made sure that all bird sightings were recorded; Mick O’Mara told us of the early stonemasons’ craft; Stewart Mathison summarized the changing patterns of agriculture and property ownership, as well as the results of years of Landcare effort; and Lachie Gordon reminded us of the varying water condition in the river, and causes.

(Several self‐proclaimed experts failed to locate a bunyip, but there were credible accounts of the famous Otways black panther.)

Last year’s walk covered 43 kilometres from the headwaters to Birregurra over three days and 22 properties, with 20 walkers (Greig, 2014). This one went from Birregurra to Inverleigh over three and a half days (April 15‐ 19), across 48 properties, involving a total of 43 walkers, and a distance of about 63 kilometres. The idea appears to be gathering momentum – a bit like the river itself.

Also evident were three examples of baton‐passing. First, we were lucky to have Lynda Murray on the walk, who had been part of an earlier exercise along the Hopkins River, from Warrnambool to Lake Bolac. (An even earlier walk went from its headwaters near Ararat, to its mouth at Warrnambool). This inspired Jennifer to try the idea here.

As well, we had Kaye Rodden and Geoff and Joan Anson, from the Barrabool Hills Landcare group, both with properties on the Barwon downstream, and later Maxine Campbell from Geelong Landcare Network, all aiming to help with the third leg next year.

And thirdly – importantly – we had four teenagers, the youngest at 13 (Alice Phillips and Annabelle Naylor). At the other end of the scale, we had the redoubtable Pat Gilbert who turned 75 at the start of the first leg.

But back to the story.

William Buckley (1780 – 1856)

Probably the first European to see the Barwon, Buckley escaped as a convict from the first (failed) settlement in Victoria in 1802, near Sorrento. He lived off the land for a year before being rescued by the Wathaurong people, with whom he lived and learned for most of the next 32 years before encountering John Batman’s new settlement in 1835. By then he was awkwardly bi‐cultural, and, finding himself unable to cope with the conflicts that followed, he repaired to Hobart, where died aged 76 from a road accident (Morgan, 1852).

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That’s the bare bones of a much more colourful story, which was filled in by Fiona East, who with husband Richard, had produced a movie broadcast on television, which she replayed for 32 of us assembled at Kilwarrie Cottage. Fiona’s ancestor George Russell arrived in 1836 and saw Buckley making the chimney for Batman’s house, sparking much later the couple’s interest and research, eventually leading to the film.

Buckley’s story set the scene for the walk we were about to make.

Birregurra to Kilwarrie Cottage

Twenty three walkers were encouraged by Lachie Gordon to look out for the effects on the river’s condition of land‐clearing, water extraction, drainage schemes, stock access, and invasive weeds. We would pass two tributaries – Pennyroyal and Birregurra Creeks – the latter sometimes carrying loads of salty water diverted from Lake Corangamite, via the Lough Calvert drainage scheme.

Roger Blake pointed out that we were in a flood plain – or more accurately, an ancient lake bed formed when the river was dammed further downstream by lava from volcanic eruptions a million or so years ago. The lake sediment has been augmented by about a metre since European settlement, from high run‐offs and erosion caused by land clearing in the upper catchment.

A big “turkey nest” dam (maybe 200 megalitres) was visible near the river, to supply a travelling irrigator on a local dairy. It was just the most obvious example of many stream‐side extraction pumps, providing stock and domestic water. Though most extractive pumps were powered by small petrol or larger diesel engines, we saw a few solar pumps, one of which automatically tracked the sun’s diurnal trajectory.

Elsewhere, livestock access to the river was very apparent, with consequent bank erosion and water turbidity all too evident.

Punting across the river Illiff property

As we walked, we noticed a river gauging station near Conns Lane, and some excellent examples of riparian fencing, weed removal, and revegetation. (By agreement, we agreed not to name property owners who were not on the walk, out of respect for their own individual methods of farm management).

David and Pat Illiff kindly hosted lunch on their property which has been dramatically transformed by 3500 trees, and associated fencing. Next door, the Gordon’s property is equally inspirational, right near the Birregurra creek entrance, where willow removal and revegetation have been assisted by Landcare and the Corangamite CMA. On‐going weed control was mentioned by both property‐owners as critical, and both rejoiced at the subsequent proliferation of birds and wildlife, and the aesthetic enhancements.

Downstream from Birregurra Creek, the first red‐gums appear along the Barwon, leaving the manna and swamp‐gums behind. Sadly, in some places there are daunting infestations of gorse near the river, apparently spread by floods. By contrast, Fiona and Richard East at Kildean have for over 20 years been clearing seven‐ metre high stands of gorse all along the river, starting with a small Fisheries and Wildlife Grant shared with the Leaks. Since then, largely with their own funds, they have treated seven kilometres of river, with fencing, gorse removal, and revegetation, and more importantly, maintained the banks.

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At Kilwarrie Cottage, Elizabeth Leak kindly supplied roast dinner for everyone (with acknowledgement to Corangamite CMA) and a few camped in the grounds, woken early by the deepest‐voiced rooster on the earth, and lots of ducks.

Kilwarrie Cottage to Winchelsea Roger Blake pointed out that the river channel cuts through the volcanic plain near Kilwarrie Cottage. After a million years or more of weathering to clays, the basalt lava was finally soft enough to allow the lake waters to break through the lava dam, cutting characteristically steep‐sided banks downstream of Kilwarrie, with basalt outcropping on either side of the river.

By contrast, the channel through the flood plain upstream, or back to Birregurra, is shallow and over‐tops regularly in floods, with silt levees near the river and many abandoned channels (‘billabongs’) further from the river channel.

Such a flood on Cup weekend in 1995 trapped 88 cattle further upstream, and left most of them stranded high up in the red‐gums on Kildean, the East’s property next door to Kilwarrie Cottage.

Ken Daniels set up lunch for the group on his property along the Deans Marsh‐Winchelsea road, in a gracious park‐like setting near the river, amid majestic red‐gums. Ken purchased the property from the late Julian Doyle who had planted 8500 natives, created the riparian park, and built a splendid home, all of which Ken maintains in Julian’s honour.

9 people measuring redgum ‐ East property

At this place, Alan Dow spotted in a red‐gum at eye level a hollow, housing a wide‐awake brush‐tailed possum, emphasising the value of tree hollows in these gnarled old veterans.

Rowan Mackenzie, Surf Coast Shire’s Manager of Environment and Emergency Services, joined us for lunch. A relative of his once owned Ingleby, one of the properties selected from the Wormbete station, after the Closer Settlement Act in 1868. Before then, Wormbete ran from Barwon Park to Aireys Inlet.

Mick O’Mara also joined us. He was injured on the earlier ‘proof walk’, which he did with Jill Stewart and her daughter Michelle, who also hurt her leg badly. We paid homage to their dedication, and resolved to watch our steps carefully.

Further downstream, Mick showed us a little rock quarry still showing evidence of the original stone‐masons’ holes, hammered in with a ‘star drill’. These allowed the insertion of wooden plugs which swelled on wetting to split the basalt. Basalt building‐blocks were split, and sometimes dressed with chisels, in either case very laboriously. To have created enough blocks to build Barwon Park homestead in two years (in 1849) must have required lots of Scottish stone masons.

The buildings were lined on the inside with rubble held together with flexible mortar made from crushed limestone and sand, then rendered with solid plaster. The same mortar used in blocks was mostly effective, but not when cracks were filled with cement mortar, which is inflexible.

Further on, Mick showed us a stable clay river bank (not sand), which was probably a Wathaurong cultural site, and may have been a ford for the early settlers.

On Mick’s property we also saw flood‐proof fencing, willow and gorse removal, and some largely intact native grasslands, which Sue Harris identified.

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Nearer Winchelsea, Stewart Mathison described the massive Landcare work done on the river reserve over many years by the Barwon Rivercare Group. Gorse, blackberries, hawthorn, and willows are gone, and natives especially wattles have been established (not helped by local wallabies).

Barwon Hotel at Winchelsea provided showers and meals, and some refreshments, which Roger blamed for confusing his tent with Jennifer’s, and her sound asleep inside. (‘Both tents blue, and it was dark’ he said). The issue was resolved without a further blue.

Winchelsea to Falls Reserve

Before continuing the walk, Mick O’Mara showed us stonework on the beautiful old bridge across the Barwon at Winchelsea, soon to be superseded by two bridges for the new dual highway.

Stewart walked us through the west side of the Barwon south of the town, where the Rivercare group had cleared extensive weed patches and replanted with natives. You can compare the previous condition by simply looking over the fence at the end of the public land, and marvel at the difference.

Twenty five walkers set off through the Naphthine Reserve north‐east of the bridge, and were soon at the original Barwon Park wool‐shed, a crumbling old stone‐walled high tin‐roofed structure, near where Thomas and Elizabeth Austin built their first modest cottage, in which they bred eleven children before moving to the much grander new homestead, to host visiting royalty in 1850.

Stewart advised the group that after years of subdivision, land parcels are now being re‐aggregated, by individuals and companies with capital and a vision for profitable yet sustainable farming (like Dennis Family Homes, a property developer).

And he pointed out farmers’ efforts to keep more carbon in their soils, with the effects easily detectable by the softness underfoot. The key appears to be compost, and attention to soil biology, rather than relying only on artificial fertilizer, and tillage. These things have consequences not only for productivity; they affect run‐ off, erosion, and river condition as well.

By agreement, we detoured off the river into Barwon Park homestead, now a grand National Trust property, which was hosting not only a Gallipoli centenary display of old military ordnance, but a national rally of 132 Austin‐ Healey sports cars.

Seeing the homestead’s history and its stonework set the detour firmly in the context of the river walk, and the displays, being a rarity, were a bonus.

By the time Falls Reserve was reached, darkness and rain were falling, and the group had what Jennifer called ‘destination desire’.

Neil McInnes of Winchelsea SES kindly provided a marquee and flood‐lighting, so a terrific paella dinner prepared by Claire Cotton, and including locally caught rabbits, could be enjoyed by all.

Thus sheltered from a cold wet night, Josh Griffith was able to captivate the crowd with tales of his research into Platypus, including: . Its super‐dense fur (second in the world) . Its unique status as a monotreme (one of only five egg‐laying mammals) . Its amazing rubbery bill which detects electro‐magnetic signals emitted by muscle movements in its prey (mostly bugs) . Its huge consumption (one third of its body weight per day normally, and full body weight per day for mothers) Not so nice camping! ‐ Falls Reserve The Big Barwon Walk 2015 Report

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. Its vulnerability to heat, dogs, foxes, and rubbish (especially anything that can encircle its neck, such as six‐ pack plastic holders) . Its males’ venomous hind legs for which there is no effective painkiller . Its need for water (so drought and over‐extraction are bad) . The extreme difficulty of breeding them in captivity.

We were all inspired to re‐double our efforts in riparian care and restoration, and to register platypus sightings on the platypusspot website.

Falls Reserve to Inverleigh

The group had dwindled to just 19 for the last stage, but we had a splendid view in the early morning of the falls (just a rock cascade separating two tranquil pools in the river) in a peaceful sunlit pause between squalls.

The venerable red‐gums and steep basalt banks continued, but on this stage we found serrated tussock, much of it sprayed, but clearly a pest.

Not far south of Inverleigh, we came upon the Leigh‐Barwon confluence, and followed the beautiful Leigh River to our endpoint, the Inverleigh Hotel. There we lunched and met up with the Leigh Catchment Group, themselves fortuitously on a tour, only for them in a bus. This included Maxine Campbell, President of the Geelong Landcare Network , whose farm will potentially be the starting point for the third leg.

Conclusions

The original aims of walking the Barwon River from its headwaters to the sea were to re‐connect its beneficiaries to each other and their natural environment, the condition of which is often best seen in the river.

The second leg of the walk has clearly achieved these aims. Numbers of walkers and helpers have multiplied since the first leg; restorative actions in the valley have been stimulated; and there is no sign that enthusiasm for the next leg is waning. Quite the contrary.

An enormous debt is owed to Jennifer Morrow, who brought the idea to us from the Hopkins River walk, and enthused enough people to turn the idea into reality along the Barwon. The planning committee put in countless hours of work including reconnaissance walks and contacting all the landholders on this stretch of the Barwon.Those many landholders who allowed us on to their properties are warmly thanked too.

Many thanks to the members of the organising committee Jennifer Morrow, Jill Stewart, Jim Lidgerwood, Rod Stone, Claire Cotton, Lach Gordon, Janet Gordon, Richard & Pat Gilbert and Stewart Mathison, and UBLN facilitator Mandy Baker.

For practical help on the walk, grateful acknowledgements are due to the Barwon Rivercare Group (particularly Rod Stone, Jim Lidgerwood, Don Smith), and Neil McInnes for helping with mobile toilets, tents and lights, not to mention ferrying walkers’ gear between campsites.

In a small way, this walk has symbolically made the world a better place.

References

John Morgan (1852) The Life and Adventures of William Buckley: thirty‐two years a wanderer. Published in Hobart.

Greig, Peter (2014) Walk the Barwon, first leg, Upper Barwon Landcare Network, 17 June, 2014.(unpublished)

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Appendix 1 Bird list

16/04/15 White Eared Honey Eater Whistling Kite Swamp Harrier White Faced Heron Bronze Wing Pigeon

Trevor Pescott Transect Magpie Welcome Swallow Willy Wagtail Superb Blue Wren Red Brown Finch Thornbill?

Silvereye Corella Crimson Rosella Black Duck Blackbird Red Wattle Bird New Holland Honey Eater Brown Falcon Wood Duck Sulphur Crested Cockatoo Kookaburra

17/04/15 Purple Crested Lorikeet Corella Wedge Tailed Eagle Galah Eurasian Skylark

Trevor Pescott Transect (near Burong) Whistling Kite Black Swan Short Billed Corella (200‐300) Welcome Swallow Black Duck White Faced Heron Willy Wagtail Egret x2 Pelican x4 Royal Spoonbill (Red Bellied Black Snake) Teal x8 Wood Duck x8 Fairy Martin x3 Black Fronted Dotterel x10

(site after lunch) Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike Tawny Frog Mouth Wedge Tailed Eagle Black‐Shouldered Kite

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18/04/15 Crested Pigeon Whistling Kite Kestrel New Holland Honey Eater Willy Wagtail Mudlark Cormorant White Faced Heron Skylark Flame Robin Swallow

19/04/15 Superb Fairy Wren Teal Shag Coot Galah Reed Warbler Black Duck x30 Thornbill?

Red Rumped Parrot Lorikeet White Naped Honey Eater Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

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Appendix 2 Walkers

Stefan Carey Jess Lill Jo Wade Peter Greig Roger Blake Henrik Netz Jill and Andrew Stewart Jennifer & Richard Morrow Janet & Lach Gordon Pie Earles Claire & James Dennis Richard & Pat Gilbert Stewart Mathison Claire Cotton Joan & Geoff Anson Veronica & Alice Phillips Sue Harris Alan Dow Don Smith Fiona & Richard East Kim Attard John McIntyre Penny McEniry Lynda Murray David Illiff Kate Shinners Kay Rodden Sophie & Annabelle Naylor Michelle Ezzy Rowan Mackenzie

Picnic on the river bank at the East property

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Appendix 3 ‐ Property Owners

Pat Whelan Alister Coulson Margaret Trigg D & J Lidgerwood Justin & Sarah Casman Dave & Pat Illiff Noel & Julie Lidgerwood Rob & Penny McIniry CJ & RL Aumann Bruce & Judy Rowan Corna & Philip Eyers Gary & Lorraine Battye Ian & Leah Taylor Dan & Susie Ritche John & Clare Cotton Richard Chin & Leena Pradham Richard & Fiona East Elizabeth Leak John & Rosie Vella Barry McVilly Tim Southern Tony Blakely Ken Daniels Dot Spackler Roger Mathison P & K Benton T.A. Fernandez Ewan Peel Colin & Lorna Gardner Dale Haywood David Leigh Michael & Anna Tucker Gary Bowkett Jan Rayner Mick O’Mara Doug Burns John Burhmann Maria Aisbeth Colin Richmond David Cross Luke Trezise Richard Hollingsworth Geoff & Isabel Oliver Scott Brown Barry Shultz G & D Morgan Graham Whitcombe Dick & Caroline Falston

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