Mundy Gully, Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve - July 2017

Spring Plains Nature Conservation Park, Mundy Gully Two Dam.

Now while I haven't done a google search I'm thinking that there is a fair chance that no one has written up a walk in the Springs Plains Nature Conservation Reserve before. Mundy Gully doesn't immediately spark recognition like maybe Oberon Bay, Mount Feathertop or Bogong do. Now I could crap on a bit and tell you that Mundy Gully is an undiscovered gem just waiting to be discovered by masses of intrepid bushwalkers, yeah I could say that but that would be stretching things a little too far, even for my fast and loose style of blogging;) What Mundy Gully is though, is a pleasant place for a fairly easy stroll in some nice open, dry eucalyptus forest. With a fair bit of historical mining interest to be discovered as well, Mundy Gully is worth a look if you're in the area.

Hmm, it was lucky I'd come prepared for the cold I suppose.

To get there today though meant an early morning drive through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and wanting to avoid the worst of the suburban traffic mayhem it was indeed another early start. My two hour plus drive up to the start of the walk was enlivened by listening to the young Forest Trump on news radio and his verbal contortions over the latest Russian revelations. At the same time I was watching the ambient temperature read out in my ute plunging south. After touching -3 around Kilmore it had heated up to a relatively balmy -1 by the time I started the walk.....yeah, yeah I know I'm an old fart and I need to get a life! In the usual Feral way I'd come prepared for the frigid temperature today, yep shorts and a summer shirt, hmmm. So after pulling on my boots I was pretty keen to set off and warm up a bit. 

The view from the start of today's walk first thing this morning, the ground was still covered in frost.

My route today basically had me following the gravel Mundy Gully Track north for a few kilometres before turning around and heading back. It wasn't exactly a retrace though, I made a few detours off the Mundy Gully Track (which forms the spine of the small park) to check out the lasting remnants of the old mining industry. Passing by some blue police tape, hanging limply off a tree in the still morning, I turned off Mundy Gully Track and wandered east down an old 4wd drive track. With the early morning mist still lingering in the open forest and a bit of police tape scattered about, Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve was a little bit freaky this morning I reckon, a situation not helped by the old open mine shafts now largely being used as a dumping ground for all sorts rubbish. After checking out a few of the open shafts and their mullock heaps I figured that it was time to head off to my next attraction.

Heading down past the police tape to my first historical mine site, with the mist still rising and the police tape scattered around it was a bit of a creepy spot this morning.

The old open mine shafts make the perfect spot to dump rubbish apparently, is it any wonder I've got so little respect for most of humanity.....

There are a phenomenal number of old mine shafts in this park.

Passing over the wall of a small dam I now started a short off track section, I was climbing gently up onto a low ridge where I intersected with another old track at another old mine. The go on this short off track section is to head north from the dam wall, initially there is a bit of a pad but it disappears in the light forest further up the hill, but by then you will probably be able to see an old dumped car, it's rusting upturned body not only marking the old track but also the old mine site. After checking out this second site and checking to see if anyone was living in the old car, I headed west back towards Mundy Gully Track again. 

When you spot this old wreck through the trees the short off piste section is over.

The second mine site has some fairly big mullock heaps scattered around the forest.

I now set off north again, the wide gravel Mundy Gully Track making for delightfully easy walking. Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve is a fairly narrow park, basically it occupies the rocky ground that the local cow cockies didn't want, so it's not unusual to be gazing out over open paddocks. Along here the track borders an area that the local parks people have set aside for ecoligical thinning, apparently it's for research which I presume is to see how the country bounces back from logging. Climbing up a little after passing the ecological thinning area I arrived at what was probably the biggest mining area that I would visit on this walk, and yes this one came complete with more police tape, maybe rubbish wasn't the only thing getting dumped in these old mine shafts. This old mine site comprises a large number of old shafts spread out through the forest and down into a gully, the area covered would be at least two football fields worth, I would think.

With the park being fairly narrow I was sometimes looking out over the rural landscape as I made my way north along Mundy Gully Track.

This is a section of the forest that was cleared for ecological thinning.

Mundy Gully Track rises and falls very gently making for great walking.

Maybe it's not just rubbish being dumped in those old mine shafts.....

This old mine site, which is basically just to the left of Mundy Gully Track, is the largest one I saw in the park, there are numerous open shafts scattered around the forest.

After passing by a picturesque dam below the old mine I once again set off north along Mundy Gully Track. I was now looking for a track climbing away to the south-west. Finding the likely looking track I once again detoured off Mundy Gully Track, this time I was on my way to find an old water race. After climbing up over a low spur I did indeed find the old water race which confirmed that I was indeed actually on the correct track, so it was all good then! With it now being mid-morning the sun was starting to light up the surrounding forest a bit which gave me something else to try a take a decent photo of. I was climbing up towards a low saddle where the water race passes through a tunnel underneath the high point, interestingly the tunnel was still open although I wasn't overly keen on exploring it's depths.

Mundy Gully One Dam

Don't miss this un signposted track heading south-west off Mundy Gully Track if you want to visit the best preserved tunnel.

The old water race is still recognisable in the open forest.

This old tunnel is very well preserved.

Although the north side is looking a bit more dodgy.

After checking out the old tunnel I continued on around my side trip, this area of the forest featured a lot of yellow flowering wattles, I'm guessing that it's got slightly drier soils. After meeting the boundary to some private property I started west along the fence line, once again heading back onto Mundy Gully Track. Once I was back on Mundy Gully Track again I headed north again crossing a damp gully before before turning off along the signposted Tunnel Track. You'd never guess but Tunnel Track also featured the water race passing through a tunnel under a low saddle, this example though isn't as good as the previous tunnel that I'd already visited, although you could drive a soft roader to this one so it's probably more frequented. This marked the northern extremity of today's walk though, after checking out Tunnel Track's tunnel I turned and retraced my walk back down to Mundy Gully Track, which I then followed all the way back down to the ute at Hardings Dam.

Apart from the mining history the forest also provided a few other points of interest if I looked.

Some of the gully's supported a damper environment.

The Dirt.

I walked 11.8 kilometres on this stroll at an average speed of 3.8 kph, with 261 metres of climbing, a short off track section and a fair bit of navigating I'd rate this as a medium walk, although physically it's a pretty easy stroll that would be suitable for most people. There is no protection around the numerous old mine shafts scattered through the open forest so care should be taken when off track or exploring. I'm thinking this park should be avoided in summer as it would be a pretty hot, dry and dusty spot I would think. Parks Vic have a page about Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve online, but really it's got bugger all information on it. The best walking information that I've found is from the oracle of bushwalking in Australia Tyrone Thomas, his map and notes are all you need, although good luck finding them as all his books are now out of print I think. For what it's worth I used the notes and mud map out of Mt Thomas' 150 Walks in Victoria.

Relevant Posts.

Kilmore, 2014.

Bendigo, 2015.

Macedon Ranges Circuit, 2016.

The tunnel off Tunnel Track was partially collapsed.

By late morning I was making my way south, back down Mundy Gully Track to the ute.

The end (and start) point of todays walk at Hardings Dam on Hardings Lane.