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Stage 37 - Wonboyn to Little River

We awoke to a crisp sunny morning, feeling very “toey” and eager to resume our walk after our four day layover at Wonboyn. Our respective shins were still a bit sore, but we had to go – there was a 3-day window of opportunity with the fine weather and our daughter Robyn and her husband, Salim, would be waiting for us in Mallacoota, 60 km to the south.

For the first time we zipped the long legs on to our shorts and wore a warmer top as we loaded up our packs with full camping gear and headed off from the cabins toward the coast, quickly cutting through a small stretch of private land to pick up the Lookout Trail in Nadgee Nature Reserve. This well-formed dirt fire trail led us up and over a long ridge through a dry sclerophyll forest. Eventually the road descended down to the lush vegetation along the Merrica River. We crossed a deep dark pool in the river on an old suspension footbridge to reach the Merrica River Ranger Station. We had already walked 9 km to reach the official start of the Nadgee Wilderness Track.


Fire trail to Nadgee


Suspension bridge at the Merrica River


Reflections in the Merrica River

We topped up our water and commenced the steady 4 km climb up another fire trail along a spur to just below Tumbledown Mountain, stopping to chat near the top with a couple of mountain-biking fishermen (or were they fishing mountain-bikers) who were riding out from Newton's Beach. To the west the view through the trees was of a long ridge covered in eucalypts and to the east, we had glimpses from time to time of the sea between the trunks of the tall trees and underbrush. Finally we crossed the ridge and started a steep winding descent that brought us back to the coast at the northern end of Newton's Beach.

Forest near Wirra Burra Creek

The road however kept away from Newton's, heading south to cross a small creek. At the creek a walking track led us through the dense understorey, with woody vines and other rainforest vegetation making an appearance, before finally bringing us out at cool, fern-lined Wirra Burra Creek near the southern end of the beach. Either side of the ford were deep clear pools in the creek, so we took the opportunity to top up our water and fill some more bottles for the evening. Just beyond the creek the track opened into a grassy clearing, surrounded by lush dense forest, the camping area at Newton's and a perfect spot for a late lunch and rest.


Clearing in the forest behind Newton's Beach
Back on the track again, we climbed up out of the beach flats and continued south through thickets of paperbark. We could hear the waves on the nearby shore below the low cliffs, but rarely saw the sea. If there were one word to describe this whole first part of the walk, it would be “enclosed”, as most of it was spent beneath a canopy of trees or tall shrubs. Even where the canopy opened as we passed through a head-high mixed heath of banksias, acacias, hakeas, tea-trees and casuarinas, the plants intruded from the sides across the narrow track.

It became a guessing game as to which shrub would next spread out across our path; would we smell the lemon scent of the tea-tree leaves as we brushed them aside – very nice, or the caress of soft casuarina needles – not bad at all, or the 2 cm long spines on the end of a stiff woody hakea branch – very, very bad!



A glimpse of the ocean over the heath


Passing through a hakea thicket

The track crossed a series of small dry creek beds before finally descending to the Little River Estuary where we planned to stay for the night. Rounding the corner at the estuary, we were overjoyed to find a beautiful campsite on the edge of the lagoon overlooking the sandbar to the ocean beyond. Finally the landscape had opened up for us.


Late afternoon at Little River Estuary


Looking south from the beach at Little River

We felt content; we had covered 22 km, climbing over two ridges, to reach our campsite, and, despite some soreness, our shins were holding up. In the late afternoon light, the still waters of the lagoon reflected the luminous green of the surrounding vegetation. Past campers had set up a quasi-permanent site with wooden benches and stone tables around a fireplace. We soon had a fire going and, not long after sunset, were sitting back comfortably sipping our coffee as we watched the full moon rising up out of the Pacific Ocean, its rays reflected in the still lagoon waters. Some moments should last forever.


Camp at Little River

Moon rise over the lagoon
     
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