Sheepstation Creek Track

 The new project continues!  The plan this time got changed a trifle as we decided to do an out and back on the target track rather than a car shuffle involving leaving one car where the Miners Track comes off Genoa Rd.  Here is the route (the arrow will be explained later).

The change of plan meant the walk went from 5 km - uphill all the way with a gain of about 60m - to 8km and only gaining about 30 m.  However the second half should be downhill all the way.  Indeed so it was, apart from a small rise for the last 100 m.  

Despite the small change in elevation the vegetation changed quite a lot.  I haven't got photos to show it as I haven't quite worked out what needs to be shown but essentially the understorey to the eucalypts changed from Banksias to Acacias and ended up in a Xanthorrhoea plain. There were few additional flowers around.  This is Pimelia linifolia.

A feature of the first 3km was the number of seedcases of Lomatia ilicifolia.  I regard this as relatively unusual (and the holly-like leaves are quite distinctive) but there were many specimens along this track.

A bean, that for once wasn't Dillwynnia sericea.  INaturalist has suggested Bossiaea heterophylla which seems a reasonable suggestion on reviewing the material on Flora of Victoria.

It was past its prime and had some seed-pods.

The track seemed to be getting a bit like the conclusion of The Hobbit, with the road going ever onwards so I consulted Google maps on my phone which suggested we were at the arrow - quite close to the end of the track at the powerlines.  That kept us moving!  The shape of the track is rather different to that recorded by eBird but I suspect the Google Map is based on something drawn from a satellite image by someone in Melbourne - or a council person many years ago, suggesting where a fire trail might go.  The key point is that we were close to the end.

The heath under the powerlines had a good display of rather tall white Epacris.  I have tried hard to turn it into another species but have concluded that it is the default E. impressa.

Also an attractive Leucopogon ericoides.

A nice sprig of Hibbertia acicularis.

It was then a turn round and plod back to the start.  It was surprisingly quick and as hoped for largely down hill all the way,