Tooronga Falls, Noojee

The scenery along the drive from Noojee to Tooronga Falls is almost as good as the destination. The road hugs the Tooronga River, as the river snakes its way through lush green farmlands that touch the edge of the forest.
The timber industry the town was built on is still alive and well and these logs were stacked up like pick-up-sticks at the local sawmill.

Arriving at the carpark, we headed up to the 750m track to Tooronga Falls. The path took us up the hill, past massive boulders and alongside leafy ferns and tall Mountain Ash.

Some parts of the track were on even ground, while other sections had rocky steps to climb.

 

We were so busy chatting and listening for the bird calls, that we barely noticed how many steps we climbed. My legs told me later that it was A LOT OF STEPS.

 

We chose not to take the longer circuit track up to the Ampitheatre Falls, instead we came back on the same track.

The sun peeking through the fern fronds gave the whole place a lovely dappled light. The sound of the water rushing by was a nice soundtrack to the walk.

I'll do the longer walk next time, when I come back during the cooler months.

What: Tooronga Falls, Noojee 

Where:Tooronga Falls Rd

When:Daily

Why: walks, scenery
How Much: FREE 
Nearby:Noojee Town,  Noojee Trestle Bridge

Noojee Trestle Bridge

A very short drive from town, or a nice flat walk/ride along 2km Rail Trail, is the Noojee Trestle Bridge.

 

The historical bridge served the local area from the early 1900's until the railway line closed in the 50's.

Bushfires have blazed their way through the area a number of times and the bridge was destroyed and rebuilt.

The massive expanse is 102m long and 20m high and is worth a visit for the treetop views and fresh mountain air.

A short steep track up one side and down the other allows access to the bridge from the car park. We drove on this occasion, but I'll definitely do the Rail Trail next time.

 

What: Noojee Trestle Bridge  

Where:Mt Baw Baw Tourist Rd

When:Daily

Why: history, scenery

How Much: FREE
Nearby:Noojee Town, Tooronga Falls

Noojee Town

Noojee - "place of rest". 
And what a beautiful place to rest. 
We arrived mid morning and stopped at the park next to the Latrobe River. The horseshoe bend of the river provided a great grassy expanse to stretch our legs and dip our toes in the cool waters.

There was just us and a family of ducks at the time of our visit, but apparently this is a great place for trout fishing.

Noojee is also a Timber Town and the rumble of an occasional log truck across the bridge was pretty much the only sound we heard, apart from the orchestra of birdsongs.

Down the road, the Noojee Heritage Centre is located at the former Railway Station and a  1950's steam train sits proudly outside. I didn't have time to visit the centre itself, but I did get the chance to wander around the perimeter and read some of the information boards located alongside the track, which tell the history of the area.

The Centre is open weekends and public holidays.

Lunchtime arrived and we headed to the  Noojee Toolshed for a very tasty burger of epic proportions. (I think it was around $22)

The former chook shed has a great photographic display of Noojee throughout the years...

...and lots of old timber industry artifacts adorn the walls of the rustic old building.

What: Noojee 

Where:Loch Valley Rd

When:daily

Why: scenery, history

How Much: FREE to walk around town - the burger is not.
Nearby:Tooronga Falls, Trestle Bridge

Raymond Island

We arrived at Paynesville Jetty around 9am, to catch the ferry across to Raymond Island. The ferry, carrying vehicles and foot passengers, chugs nonstop back and forth across McMillan Strait from around 7am to midnight. 
Vehicles pay around $10, but for foot passengers and cyclists, it's a free ride on the 5 minute journey.
We met a lady on board who has lived on the island for many years. She'd just popped across to the shops at Paynesville for some groceries and was heading back home.  She seemed to fit the profile of a Raymond Island resident and I felt a twinge of envy at the relaxing life she must have, living on this beautiful island, surrounded by nature. 
 
We were here to meet the other locals, though -  the 300 odd koalas that also inhabit the island. I'm not sure if they nick over to the shops or not, but they must live a pretty good life here, too.

In the 1950's,  a resident of the island sent a letter to the Fisheries Dept, asking for koalas, please. 32 koalas were sent here from Phillip Island in a bid to help the numbers increase, and bring them back from the brink of extinction. The numbers are now carefully monitored, to manage habitat and maintain a steady population on the island.

We followed a bit of a Koala Trail from the Ferry, meandering through residential streets before heading through parklands. We spotted about 20 on our walk through the bushland areas.

The beach terrain changed from pebble covered sand...

 

...to a million tiny sea shells crunching under our feet.

We caught glimpses of sailboats on Lake Victoria...

...before hitting the winding boardwalk back to the Ferry, to arrive back in Paynesville in time for lunch.

What:  Raymond Island
Where: from Paynesville

When:  Daily
Why: koala conservation, nature
How Much: FREE 

 

Nyerimilang Heritage Park, Nungurner

We arrived at the historic property around 9am and found ourselves to be the only ones there. 

Just us and the birds.

The homestead itself wasn't open at the time, so we visited the old farm buildings instead. The property has been in various hands since it was first owned in 1884. From 1964 it was a cattle stud, until it was sold to the Government in the late 70's.

We headed off to explore the five walking tracks that cover the property.

The clifftop walk was my favourite. Sweeping views of the lakes system, boats cruising by and waterbirds everywhere.

The track hugged the clifftop, before veering off through the Kurrajong Trees and down to the saltmarsh......before heading back towards the homestead, via the old cattleyards and farm dam.

The dam was alive with some of the 166 species of birds found at Nyerimilang, and we watched from a bird hide alongside the water.

The grounds are maintained well, and I loved the colourful flowers everywhere - especially my sentimental favourite, Hardenbergia Violacea, aka False Sarsparilla, aka Happy Wanderer.

Friends of Nyerimilang help maintain the park and there are events on throughout the year, like Pioneer Days and Opera by the Lake. 

We finished off with our morning tea picnic, and headed off to Metung for some more happy wandering. 

What:  Nyerimilang Heritage Park
Where: Myer Rd

When:  Daily from 8:30am-sunset
Why: historical property, gardens
How Much: FREE (donation box)

Lonsdale Eco Cruises, Lakes Entrance

We boarded the Lonsdale at 1pm, excited at the thought of a 3 hour cruise around the beautiful lakes system.

We headed for the narrow Entrance, where the ocean meets the lakes.

The boat sat between the two rock walls and we were able to observe Australian Fur Seals sitting in the sunshine.

We chugged off towards the pretty village of Metung, where sail boats were anchored in peaceful inlets.

The waters of Lake King were calm and the cruise was smooth and relaxing.

Skipper Tony told us about places of interest and pointed out the many types of birdlife along the way. We saw Swans, Pelicans, Oyster Catchers, Cormorants, Plovers and Sea Eagles on the water, as well as many Kangaroos along the shore. A seal swam alongside the boat for a short time.
The sun was shining on the Lake and the we thought the cruise couldn't get any better...

..and then Melinda whipped up a batch of scones - in the boat's oven - and we were given these light and fluffy, delicious strawberry cream treats for afternoon tea.

We finished off the cruise by swinging by the Fishing Co-Op, the largest in Australia...

 ...where these guys were waiting for their own fishy treats to arrive.

Captain Jack Sparrow must have heard about the fresh baked treasures and requested permission to come aboard, but there wasn't a single crumb left as we arrived back at the dock. Arrrgh.
We loved the cruise and look forward to doing it again next time we are in Lakes Entrance.

What:  Lonsdale Eco Cruises
Where: Cunninghame Quay Jetty

When:  Daily at 1pm (except wednesday)
Why: cruise
How Much: Prices vary