Hattah Nature Walk, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park - August 2017

This is quite possibly the shortest walk that I've ever written up I think. A one and a bit kilometre nature walk through some Mallee scrub is going to present a few challenges if I want to make this even slightly interesting. This walk is near the main entrance to Hattah-Kulkuyne National Park and I guess it would make for an informative first introduction to the park, particularly if you haven't experienced the Mallee country before. Of course being the Feral walker meant that I'd driven past this walk on the way into the park in the wee hours of the morning and instead of walking it first up I was actually checking this small walk out as I left the park on my way home, slightly backwards I know but hey, no one ever accused me of being particularly smart!

There are no real navigational issues on this walk.

Being a nature trail the walk was punctuated by quite a few of these information signs.

With Sam staying in the ute I headed off with just the camera and the GPS, reasonably confident that I could complete this walk without mishap. The short loop track heads off west from the sealed access road and then slowly arks around to parallel the main Robinvale Road as it heads back to the car park. After passing the information board at the start of the walk I was soon back in what is for me fairly familiar country, chances are if you've travelled a bit in Australia then you've experienced a bit of Mallee scrub on your travels. Mallee Eucalytus forests stretch from Western Australia through South Australia into Victoria and New South Wales so you might say that they are fairly extensive. In my opinion the mallee scrub is best appreciated on foot, as from a moving vehicle the country can appear as a bit of a drab green smudge. Once you're on foot though you can appreciate the contorted trunks of the trees, the many animal tracks in the sand, the anti social porcupine grass along with the wildflowers scratching out a short existence.

Judging by the foot prints in the soft sand I don't think the walk sees too many walkers.

While it resembles a grass this Iron-grass is actually a Scented Mat-lily.

Trudging through the soft red sand I was soon heading back in the direction of the ute, the odd car on the nearby Robinvale Road reminding me that I wasn't really that far from civilisation. This area was extensively burnt in a big fire back in 1972 but being Mallee scrub the bush has regenerated extremely well, in fact after the fire numerous plants germinated here that hadn't been seen in years. After passing a small patch of Iron-grass I soon arrived back at the ute. Taking off my walking boots for the last time today I settled in for the six hour drive home.

I had great weather on this visit to Hattah.

The Dirt.
I walked 1.3 kilometres at an average speed of 2.8 kph and with an anorexic 16 metres of climbing you'd definitely have to rate this as an easy stroll. This walk is easily do-able by the elderly or the very young. I suppose that the only real issue is the soft sandy track, although in the cooler months that isn't really much of a problem. Parks Vic have heaps of information online and the Daly's have written up this short stroll in their Take A Walk in Victoria's National Parks, either of these resources are enough to safely complete this little adventure.
Relevant Posts.
Lake Mournpall Circuit, Hattah-Kulkuyne National Park, 2017.
Tyakil Nature Walk, Wyperfeld National Park, 2016.
Wyperfeld Walk, Wyperfeld National Park, 2016.

My short stroll is coming to it's end....time to head home.

The walk starts to the east of the car park in the middle of the photo, you can just make out the track wriggling through the scrub on the west side of the entrance road.