Edithvale Wetlands
This little stroll is another of my Coronas Walks, we are in tenth week of lockdown in Melbourne (ha ha, little did I realise what was still to come!) as I write this and the way things are looking we'll be locked down for another ten I'm thinking. If I add the week that Sam and I were marooned in Perth in January due to bushfires, floods and a cyclone then I guess you could say this year has been a bit sub optimal. Listening to the daily Corona Lottery news conference a couple of days ago and hearing that around 25% of the people with the fucken' virus aren't staying at home in quarantine and are instead heading out and about and spreading the virus around the city hasn't filled me with good cheer either.
So, with all that cheery news floating around my head I was in a fairly melancholy mood as I slipped out my front door, shuffled passed the ute, (which is slowly being covered in spider webs) and then meandered my way through the empty pre dawn suburban streets. Arriving at Thames Promenade twenty minutes later it was still pretty much dark, although with the first bit of the walk following the wide crushed granite Long Beach Trail that wasn't too much of a problem - and at least social distancing wasn't an issue. After the obligatory crappy start photo I headed north into the gloom... for a few minutes. After a few minutes I picked up the first substantial path heading east through a row of trees, crossed an open paddock and then picked up an informal pad along a small slice on no mans land wedged between the Edithvale Wetlands and the back fences of the suburban houses of Chelsea Heights.
Setting off from Thames Promonade first thing this morning it was pretty well dark still.
I crossed this paddock to pick up a narrow section of land between the wetlands and the houses.
This first section of the walk was a little frustrating in that while I was always right beside the extensive wetlands there was also always a two metre high fence between me and the wetlands, which kinda took the edge of any decent photos. Still this part of the walk did have a couple of things going for it this morning, the first being that I was now getting a look at nice sunrise lighting up the eastern sky which always helps my Feral mojo. Secondly, this grassy pad was far enough away from any formal paths that it was still deserted so I was able to amble along without glancing around furtively worrying about social distancing.
Edithvale Wetlands
At least I had the sunrise to keep me interested.
Edithvale Wetlands - pity about the fence.
Arriving at Edithvale Road I wandered through the deserted car park for the Edithvale Wetlands Discovery Centre before crossing the road and once again disappearing back into the bush beside the wetlands. The good news now was that while the wetlands were still fenced and I was still following it, the fence was only around 1.5 metres high, so now photos were possible. Not only were photos now a viable option but the sun was now making itself known, bathing the swaying reeds in a nice golden light. I haven't mentioned it yet however it was a bit of a strange winters morning in Melbourne with some fairly mild temperatures (we'll relatively - it was around 7˚) along with a fairly strong northerly wind blowing. While I was walking the rough pad beside the fence line there is also a more formal pad along here that runs a little further away from the wetlands.
Edithvale Discovery Wetlands Centre
The parkland is a little more extensive north of Edithvale Road.
Looking back down to the south along the Edithvale Wetlands.
Edithvale Wetlands
Less than an hour after setting off on my stroll I rounded the northern end of the wetlands and started my return journey south. The easier option now would of been to pick up and follow the Long Beach Trail back to the start of the walk however the sight of big mobs of joggers, dog walkers and bike riders convinced me to stay off the trail for as long as possible. Thankfully I was still able to follow my fence side pad for awhile, I even had a small lookout to stop and check out. Continuing south the good walking continued as I passed through a revegetating wetland area which also allowed for some nice views over the Edithvale Wetlands, before I eventually arrived back at Edithvale Road.
Heading south I checked out this little lookout.
The Long Beach Trail runs on the other side of these wetlands.
Edithvale Wetlands
Safely negotiating Edithvale Road I decided to head into the Edithvale Wetland Bird Hide to check things out. The sign at the carpark informing me that the bird hide was closed however I think that there are two bird hides here and while the flash one might of been closed it looks like the utilitarian structure is open 24/7. The Edithvale-Seaford Environmental Area is an area of International Significance when it comes to bird life and from this bird hide it was easy to see why, as there were hundreds of waterbirds enjoying the early morning sunlight and even a hack like me could manage to photograph them.
Edithvale Wetlands Bird Hide
There was no shortage of waterbirds here.
Early morning on Edithvale Wetlands.
The good news pretty much finished at the bird hide this morning though. After leaving Edithvale Road I was now limited to walking the Long Beach Trail for the rest of the walk as I made my way back down to Thames Promenade. Now the Long Beach Trail isn't the worst walking in the world it's just a little...I dunno...I suppose you could call it boring. Still while the arrow straight trail lacked in scenic delights it did make for a quick walk back to the end point of my walk I suppose. Arriving back at Thames Promenade I saved the route on my GPS as shuffled off home, walking in the door just before 9am I settled in for some more quality Iso time.
I followed the Long Beach Trail shared path on the last section of my stroll.
The Long Beach Trail is a little further away from the wetland fence.
The Dirt.
I walked 6 kilometres and climbed 15 metres on this very easy stroll this morning. Now while navigation was pretty easy, as for long sections as I just followed the fence line protecting the wetlands, the pad itself was a little rougher than is normal on these suburban strolls. There were a few damp and muddy sections and at other times there was wet grass to push through. No one has published walking notes for this stroll as far as I know although I guess if you trawl the inter-web there might be something floating around the ether somewhere. I just used my GPS maps along with Google Maps this morning and that was more than enough to get me through safely. This is another stroll that is pleasant enough, however unless you are a twitcher then I think the walk is best considered if you are already in the area and not having to travel too far to reach it. There should be parking near the start of the walk at the Chelsea Bicentennial Park.
Relevant Posts.
The end is in sight - time to head home for some more Iso time.
I'm really hoping this is a snap shot in time and not a long lasting thing - wearing a face covering on a 40˚ Melbourne summers day doesn't sound very pleasant!
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