Our recent travels have taken us through the heart of central Victoria - an area rich in diversity, boasting fabulous granite outcrops, a myriad of lakes and wetlands and the mighty Murray River basin.
Kerang Lakes
The Northern Victorian Wetlands, also known as the Kerang Wetlands, comprise an extensive series of over 100 freshwater, brackish and saline lakes and swamps on the floodplain of the Loddon River where it enters the Murray valley in northern Victoria. Our primary focus was to capture images of the plethora of waterbirds that live or migrate here, but it was also great to visit the lovely country towns that are dotted around the region.
The wetlands are recognised under the International Ramsar Convention as being of great importance to waterbirds, supporting large numbers of endemic and migratory birds as well as supporting rare and vulnerable plant species. We visited several areas including Reedy Lake, Middle Lake, Tragowel Swamp, Fosters Swamp and Lake Meran which all had their own, individual beauty.
Creatures of the wetlands
The lakes and wetlands were teeming with life, including marsupials, raptors, waterbirds and bush birds. It was exciting to spot and photograph a Pink-Eared Duck at Fosters Swamp (Top Row, Middle).
Murray Valley
We criss-crossed the border between Victoria and NSW several times to visit some interesting places in the spectacular Murray Valley, including Swan Hill and Murrabit. Swan Hill is a bustling river town with lovely parklands adjoining long stretches of the Murray River that encourages locals and visitors to walk, swim, cycle and paddle. A great stop for a yummy picnic lunch.
Murrabit is a small country town situated 27 km north of Kerang and within close proximity to the Murray River. The township and railway station was established in 1924 on the Kerang-Stony Crossing Border Railway. Murrabit’s location on the Murray River and natural bush setting attracts visitors for camping, boating, day trips and fishing. The beautiful Murrabit bridge was constructed in 1926 and was the first all steel bridge over the Murray River between New South Wales and Victoria. The bridge was designed for road and rail, and was integral in linking Victoria to the rich Riverine Plains of New South Wales.
Just near the bridge is a lovely picnic area that is dedicated to Miss Margaret Keats M.B.E. who was the first woman to graduate with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Melbourne in 1923.
Margaret grew up in the region and her career spanned not onIy the immense social changes wrought by the 1930s Depression but also changes in animal husbandry practices associated with land clearance and the growing professionalisation of veterinary science in Australia.
Lake Boga
At Lake Boga, the silo art was quite wonderful with its vibrant sunset colours and parallel imagery of a famous aviator and the superb natural aviator, the pelican. Designed and painted by artist Tim Bowtell, the silos showcase the towns history including the Catalina Flying Boat and its commanding officer George Urquhart, also known as "Scotty" Allan who had a remarkable career as an aviator.
Granite and Gold
Rocky peaks, massive boulders and beautiful scenery are stunning features of the many impressive outcrops across the Victorian Goldfields. The geological history of Victoria has made its mark with a vast range of magnificent boulders, caves and volcanic lakes spread throughout the heart of the State. We've explored some great examples of this unique landscape from Mount Korong and Kooyoora State Park in the south west to Mitiamo, Boort and Kerang Lakes in the north. At some sites, it has been a relatively easy uphill walk to get to the top of these rocky outcrops and the resulting views over surrounding plains and valleys are a great reward. Check out the view from Mount Korong, nestled between the towns of Inglewood and Wedderburn.
Below are some images of these magnificent rocky landscapes throughout central Victoria.
On our travels in Victoria, we have come across quite a few marker points for the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition that started in Melbourne in 1860. As the expedition party headed north, they passed through many of these familiar landscapes, crossing the Campaspe and Loddon Rivers, and making their way to the top of the granite outcrop in what is now called Terrick Terrick National Park, near Mitiamo, to view the track ahead as they trudged towards Swan Hill on the border of Victoria and NSW. Once at the top of the huge granite boulder in the park, their artist, Ludwig Becker, sketched a picture of Pyramid Hill in the distance. So I climbed the hill to check it out. This photograph is almost certainly what they would have seen.
It's hard to imagine how strange and fascinating it would have been to see this party of 19 men, 23 horses, 26 camels and 6 wagons loaded with equipment and other paraphenalia slowly making their way north through these vast landscapes into the unknown. Below is an image of a painting done by Ludwig Becker as the party crossed the Terrick Terrick plains. Sadly, Mr. Becker died on the journey north.
Lakes galore
Another interesting feature of the heart of Victoria is the myriad of lakes that have been formed as a result of ancient volanic activity in the region. Many of the waterways, such as the freshwater oasis lakes at Boort, now provide havens for wildlife and birds.
Birds and animals of the Goldfields
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