Kangerong Nature Conservation Reserve - May 2019.

You are never far from private land on this stroll.

Today was the second time that I’ve tried to do this little walk. A few weeks ago I’d dragged Sam down here on the promise of lunch in Flinders after the walk, my plans on that day were thwarted by not actually being able to find the start point, or anything else resembling a track for that matter. Figuring that maybe things were a little overgrown I decided to head down again on my own and do a bit of exploring and try and pick up the route as it was described in my walking notes.

It took awhile but I eventually found the start point.

Cruising down the dirt McIlroy Road at not much more than walking pace whilst closely watching my GPS and rudimentary map I spied a Parks Vic emergency marker buried in the scrub on the side of the road. With the topography more or less matching my map I parked the ute and headed into the scrub to check out the marker, yep this was the spot. Now while I was at the correct marker where my track was meant to head into the reserve I was still missing the actual track. Not to worry, I figured that things would get clearer once I headed into the bush.

According to my walking notes this was the marker that I was looking for, although there wasn't much in the way of a track.

Things started off pretty grim.....

...at least I had a nice day for it.

My notes describe a slightly overgrown track heading along Dunns Creek so I figured if I followed the creek for awhile I’d pick up something resembling a pad. Well I did pick up a pad, in fact I picked up many different pads but they were all animal tracks I think, occasionally I came across an old cut log, some flagging tape and I even found another abandoned bush shelter in one spot, but there really wasn’t a track linking them all together.

There wasn't really a track but there are plenty of clues that people had been through here before.

Pushing through the scrub along Dunns Creek.

Dunns Creek

It looks like there may of been a track through here as some stage.

After following the creek flats for awhile I started to see some cleared land through the trees, that was my signal to leave the creek and swing south up the hill to hopefully meet up with McIlroy Road again. Leaving the creek flats the scrub opened up a bit and even though there was little resembling an actual track the open forest made walking pretty easy. This is a very short walk ( 750 metres according to my dodgy notes) and it was only around ten minutes after I’d left the Dunns Creek that I arrived back onto McIlroy Road, coming out right beside another Parks Vic emergency marker and some private land.

With cleared land visible through the trees I left the creek flats and started to climb a bit.

I followed a variety of different animal pads back up to McIlroys Road.

The park mostly consists of dry Stringybark Forest.

McIlroy Road is a fairly quiet dirt road so it wasn’t a bad way to finish off my stroll I suppose. I’d emerged near the top of a low hill so I was now faced with an easy ten minute amble back down to the ute, this section of McIlroys Road is actually bordered on both sides by Kangerong Nature Conservation Reserve and the road was probably the best spot to view the forest, in hindsight. Soon enough the ute came into view and it was time to head off for some lunch.

There was even a gate up at this end of the park.

McIlroys Road isn't too bad to walk on.

Kangerong Nature Conservation Reserve

The Dirt.
I walked 1.5 kilometres and climbed 20 metres on this easy stroll. Now my notes suggested that this walk was a lot shorter than that, but then again they also said that there was a track! I was using Ken Martins notes out of his Walks of the Mornington Peninsula book and the book dates back to 2012 so that’s probably why things are a little different to described I’m thinking. Really at the moment this walk isn't worth it, while it’s still doable if you don’t mind a bit of pushing through the scrub and navigation it’s not really worth the effort in my opinion. I suppose the creek side flats might be a good spot for a secluded picnic, you’d definitely be able to spread out the picnic blanket and not be interrupted - we’ll except by the Kangaroos!

Relevant Posts.
Bald Hill Conservation Park, 2014.
OT Dam to Eatons Cutting, Arthurs Seat State Park, 2016.
Friends Track, Arthurs Seat State Park, 2018.

Kangerong Nature Conservation Reserve

I've mentioned it before but gee I'm lucky to live down here.

The start/finish spot on McIlroy Road is pretty vague and informal.