One of my favourite walks in our beautiful New England high country is the journey from the car-park at the base of Mount Yarrowyck to the Aboriginal rock art in a little cave about 1.5 km from the starting point. A week ago, in mid-May, the day dawned bright and amazingly warm for this time of year. Looking for something interesting to do in our district, but within permitted travel distance given the COVID-19 virus, I selected the trip to Yarrowyck and back.
Travelling westwards along the Bundarra Road about 12 km from where I live takes me to this spot. We're on the continental divide - the point on Great Dividing Range where water flows westwards through the Murray-Darling system to the southern ocean near Adelaide, a distance of maybe 1400 km in a straight line. Given that the point where I'm standing is about 1150 m above sea level, that means the river, for much of its course, is very gently sloped. To the east, where I am looking, the rivers flow to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of only about 150 km.
Travelling about another 12 km to the west, I arrived at the Mount Yarrowyck nature reserve to start my walk.
The minimal facilities include a toilet and a table to rest and maybe eat, but the notable thing is the jumble of massive rocks all over the area and along the path leading to the rock art. These would have fallen off mount Yarrowyck over tens of thousands of years and I had fears for my safety!
Upon starting my walk, I admired the view to the south across the pastures where cattle graze. The path up to the rock art winds through attractive landscapes and eucalyptus forest.
And Mount Yarrowyck itself, shown here, lay northwards from the path. As I travelled along the 1.5 km long path, it got progressively steeper. And eventually I approached the rock shelter shown below.
The art itself appears to me getting fainter over the years. According to information provided at the site, the ochre sketches may be several hundred years old.
After looking over the art-work maybe 15 minutes, I turned for the walk back to the car. But the landscapes I saw as I walked east-wards seemed extremely picturesque.
And after getting back in the car to drive home I admired the wide open countryside to the east, with the top of the Great Dividing Range rising and falling in the distance.
Our region is a great place to live with its great landscapes, marvelously clear air, abundant sunshine, and high amenity.
Come all ye relatives and join us in paradise.
AS
Travelling westwards along the Bundarra Road about 12 km from where I live takes me to this spot. We're on the continental divide - the point on Great Dividing Range where water flows westwards through the Murray-Darling system to the southern ocean near Adelaide, a distance of maybe 1400 km in a straight line. Given that the point where I'm standing is about 1150 m above sea level, that means the river, for much of its course, is very gently sloped. To the east, where I am looking, the rivers flow to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of only about 150 km.
Travelling about another 12 km to the west, I arrived at the Mount Yarrowyck nature reserve to start my walk.
The minimal facilities include a toilet and a table to rest and maybe eat, but the notable thing is the jumble of massive rocks all over the area and along the path leading to the rock art. These would have fallen off mount Yarrowyck over tens of thousands of years and I had fears for my safety!
Upon starting my walk, I admired the view to the south across the pastures where cattle graze. The path up to the rock art winds through attractive landscapes and eucalyptus forest.
And Mount Yarrowyck itself, shown here, lay northwards from the path. As I travelled along the 1.5 km long path, it got progressively steeper. And eventually I approached the rock shelter shown below.
The art itself appears to me getting fainter over the years. According to information provided at the site, the ochre sketches may be several hundred years old.
After looking over the art-work maybe 15 minutes, I turned for the walk back to the car. But the landscapes I saw as I walked east-wards seemed extremely picturesque.
And after getting back in the car to drive home I admired the wide open countryside to the east, with the top of the Great Dividing Range rising and falling in the distance.
Our region is a great place to live with its great landscapes, marvelously clear air, abundant sunshine, and high amenity.
Come all ye relatives and join us in paradise.
AS
