Tag:mushrooms
At the end of Mangalore Road, just off the Goulburn Valley Highway, between Seymour and Shepparton, lies the Mangalore Flora and Fauna Reserve. As it’s only 78 hectares, it’s not a huge reserve. However, this makes for a pleasant walk if you don’t like long distances.
I visited in early June as winter was just starting to bite, and apart from the quiet serenity, there wasn’t much else. I did manage to find a few teeny tiny mushrooms, but they were certainly few and far between. Considering it was damp with puddles, moss and loads of lichen, I would have thought there would be more. Unfortunately, it seems the other side of the Great Dividing Range isn’t the best spot to go fungi hunting.
Birding Hotspot
Mangalore Flora and Fauna Reserve is on eBird but barely qualifies as a ‘hotspot’. It has 156 species of birds seen, but to be a genuine hotspot, it requires 200 species or more. Typically, as is usually my experience, I didn’t see one bird on the day I was there.
Flora Walk
The flora walk at Mangalore Flora and Fauna Reserve is 3.5km long on a well-defined, firm track of sandy clay and quartz pebbles. Rated easy on walkingmaps.com.au, the track is a circuit taking you through a Grey Box Eucalypt forest with native grevilleas and acacia trees. In spring, it’s said to be a wildflower haven with the native orchids, daisies and Lillies flowering. However, the brochures say fungi are found in winter, so maybe I was there too soon. According to the same brochure, echidnas, goannas, and kangaroos also inhabit the reserve, but again, they were invisible the day I was there.
Amenities
The car park at the end of the road will take about four cars; from there, it’s an easy walk into the reserve. There are no toilets, and you must take all your rubbish with you. Dogs, 4wd and dirt bikes are not permitted.
In autumn, Mount Macedon is at its best when the town dons its technicolour coat. Just 64kms from Melbourne, it’s nestled at the base of the mountain that gave the town its name. It’s a pretty town of stunning mansions, boutique wineries, gorgeous 19th-century gardens and incredible views. The town was established by Melbourne’s wealthy elite in the post-gold rush era of the mid to late 19th century and used by them as a summer retreat from the city’s heat.
Due to its high elevation, the area is much cooler than Melbourne, and snow in winter is not unusual. However, it also has much higher rainfall than Melbourne and the surrounding area, leading to excellent conditions for the stunning formal English gardens, fern gullies and fungi in the winter months.
Autumn Colour
In Autumn, Mount Macedon becomes a riot of colour as the leaves turn and take on red, yellow, and orange shades. In the cooler, wetter months, the Macedon Ranges and the area around Sanatorium Lake becomes a mecca for fungi hunters.
This was the purpose of our visit time. We were hunting fungi and hoping to spot the elusive blue mushrooms. Consequently, we took the Eco-forest walk from Lions Head Road car park, a 923m walk to the lake. We usually take the Days Picnic Ground track but opted this time to explore the Eco-forest walk.
Macedon Ranges Fungi
The walk was longer than the track we usually take and very pretty. Mushroom wise, however, it was slim pickings. The first noteworthy thing we came across was a cicada exoskeleton.
Walking deeper into the forest, we came across several varieties of mushrooms growing along the trunks of mossy trees.
Mushrooms can be deadly, so a policy of look but don’t touch is wise. Unfortunately, many mushrooms are toxic, and it’s best to leave picking them to experts, or the consequences to health can be dire, ranging from gastro to death.
The blue mushrooms remained elusive. We didn’t spot one on our walk to the lake – so it looks like we will be going back to try again before the season is over.
Sanatorium Lake
Historically, Sanatorium Lake was purpose built to provide a water source to a hospital specialising in the treatment of tuberculosis, which was never built. Now the lake is a beautiful setting for a number of self-guided walking and horse-riding trails.
Visit Macedon Ranges
At the end of the walk, the lake is the small but beautiful Sanatorium Lake surrounded by dense forest and snow gums. You are usually rewarded with beautiful mirror reflections as it is reasonably protected from the elements. We sat awhile, took images of the lake and rested up for the walk back to the car park. Covid-19 and the stay at home rule had left us a lot more unfit than we anticipated.
While sitting there, I also played with ICM (intentional camera movement), a technique I like but don’t do often. As a result, the images take on a painterly look, particularly suited to shots of trees.
All fungi images taken on Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and 60mm macro, mounted on tripod and focus stacked. Tree shots taken with Olympus 12-100 F4 Pro
Queens Birthday weekend 2019, the King Valley Balloon Festival was held at Brown Brothers Winery at Millawa. I made the journey up the Hume Hwy to Millawa in the King Valley for the Balloon Festival. There were mass ascensions at 7 am each morning, Friday to Monday, plus a Balloon Glow on Saturday night at Brown Brothers and the opportunity to visit friends.
Packing and Planning
Tickets to the Balloon Glow sold out a few weeks ahead, so we knew it would be packed out. The week before the event was freezing cold and wet in Melbourne, and we were concerned about the weather. So everyone planned their night around chairs, hand and toe warmers, a thermos of soup, lap rugs, gloves, and beanies. As it turned out, while it was cold in the mornings, it wasn’t too bad, and we had sunshine each day.
Morning Acsenions
On Saturday morning, we stumbled out of bed in the dark at the ungodly hour of 5 am, and with multiple layers of clothing and headlights on high beam, we drove from our accommodation at Cheshunt to Brown Brothers for the launch. I and some others were spectators, while a few other members were going up for a balloon ride with Goldrush Ballooning. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a sunrise on Saturday. Still, the atmosphere was excellent. The sounds of the balloons being inflated bursts of colourful flame as they warmed the air in the balloon. A myriad of colours coming to life before your eyes.
By 7.30 am, all balloons were in the air. We walked through a decommissioned balloon to see the inside (incredible), then headed back to the car with the plan to go home for breakfast. A fellow member, Mark Busittil from Mark at Melbourne Landscapes, took a great drone video of the departing balloons. Watch it HERE.
Leaving the carpark and driving down the road, we spotted the balloons over the fields, so we delayed our breakfast and had a fun half-hour balloon chasing.
Back for the Balloon Glow
Around 2.30 pm, we headed back to Brown Brothers Winery for the balloon glow. Gates opened at 3.30 pm and while the parking was easy – the queue to get in was horrendous.
A plodding shuffle that took 40 mins from the end of the queue to entry put a damper on the afternoon. Places against the barrier were very limited by the time we got through. Fortunately, members had saved spots for each other, and we shimmied in. By around 5 pm, it was four deep behind us, and the “Glow” show didn’t start till 6 pm.
The ‘Man In Grey Felt Hat Balloon’ modelled on a self-portrait by Van Gogh was over from the Netherlands and set up early – and the rows of photographers amused themselves by taking pics of it from all angles as it gently spun around.
At 6 pm, the music started, and the balloons followed in – one hour of balloons glowing synchronized to the music. Still have ‘Sweet Caroline” running through my head. Finally, at 8 pm, it was all over – and we started piling out of the car park for the trip home. Headlights and spotlights again on high beam, and eyes peeled for suicidal kangaroos or deer, of which we saw none. Made it back safe and sound.
I had a nice sleep in next morning. I’m told which was poor planning, as the sunrise was spectacular. A few more members went up and got incredible shots over the valley with the sun rising. Next year – I’m definitely going up!