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Shaded Rail Trail
Warm enough in the winter sun, and soft with pine needles underfoot, the converted railway line between Merricks and Red Hill, Victoria, is a pleasure to walk.
Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula is the very best of boutique backyards!
Part of Metropolitan Melbourne, this magical peninsula just over an hour south of the city centre is home to history (see: Point Nepean National Park), wild places, cool-climate vineyards, and countless farm-to-table restaurants.
Last winter I managed to squeeze a visit to the region between Covid-19 lockdowns: while we have all been doing it tough, Melbourne shut down six times for a total of 267 days. At one point it was leading the world for the dubious status of having the most cumulative time in lockdown.
When I was there, restaurants were still operating on strict Covid spacing rules, so I had to make sure to think ahead and book my lunch and dinner spots carefully. What a good excuse to plan my day around food! Fortunately, the local tourism authority (Mornington Peninsula) produces a terrific map which includes a variety of walks, so I could earn my meals. After all, the best place to be during a pandemic is out of doors.
One of the walks I enjoyed was the thirteen kilometres (8 mi) up-and-back the Red Hill Rail Trail. Once upon a time this was a railway line, taking fresh apples and other farm produce to the markets in Melbourne. The line closed in 1953, and eventually was reclaimed as an equestrian, walking, and cycling trail.
The next day, I sampled more local wine and produce at Foxeys Hangout before taking a short (2 km; 1.2 mi) afternoon stroll around Endeavour Fern Gully, the 27-hectare (66 acre) National Trust property preserving the last pocket of the Mornington Peninsula’s original lush rainforest habitat.
Join me for a couple of walks in very different vegetation zones:
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Signposts
Naturally, I didn’t see this sign until after I had parked my car at Merricks General Wine Store. Still, I was planning to eat there later!
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In the Pines
A thick growth of pine trees keeps the track shaded and soft with fallen needles underfoot.
Winter Vines
This is cool-climate wine country, growing pinot noir and chardonnay in particular. But, it is winter: the vines are trimmed back and nothing is growing at the moment.
Dog Walkers
It is a Sunday: everyone is out with their dogs.
Australian Green and Gold
A number of wattle varieties flower in autumn and winter, so the bush is always colourful.
Shared Pathway
Although most path-users are on foot, there are a number cycling, and a few on horseback.
Paddocks
Horses graze in nearby paddocks. I’m told there is a deer farm near here; I didn’t see it.
Pittosporum Berries
Vines and Poles
I love the patterns made by the bare vines against the sky.
Red Hill Mural
At the turning-point of my walk, I come across the mural on the side of the Red Hill Trading Company depicting the old steam locomotive that operated this rail line.
Willie Wagtail – Rhipidura Leucophrys
On the walk back, I try to catch the little Willie wagtail – Australia’s largest fantail – chirping in the pittosporum.
Pine Forest
The shadows have lengthened in the tall pine forest …
Fallen Log
… and the fallen logs are left to nurture the darkening ground.
Fairy Mushroom
Apparently these are quite common, but I only know them from children’s story books, so I was enchanted.
Eastern Yellow Robin – Eopsaltria Australis
Birds are not my forté, so I was happy to spot this little fellow – and even more thrilled to get a photo!
Into Endeavour Fern Gully
The start of the 2 kilometre (1.2 mi) walk around Fern Gully was a bit vague and very wet. I was glad to be bearing sturdy shoes.
Walkway around Endeavour Fern Gully
Once I was into the property, the elevated walkway was easy to navigate, …
Fern Information
… and well marked with interpretive signage.
Path in the Ferns
It was lush, and cool, and quite magical!
Fern Patterns
I was entranced by the patterns in the tough, but delicate looking ferns …
Manna Gum – Eucalyptus Viminalis
… and by the colours in the tall gum trunks.
Peeling Bark
It is for good reason that manna gums are also called ribbon gums.
Gum Forest
Dappled light plays with the patterns on the tree trunks.
Messmate Stringybark – Eucalyptus Obliqua
Long shadows allow mosses and lichens to flourish.
Tall Trees
There was a time when most of Mornington Peninsula was covered with indigenous bushland like this.
Gum Leaves in the Sun
Murnong Yam Daisy?
I took this photo as I was leaving Fern Gully because I thought it was a Murnong yam daisy – a popular Indigenous bush tucker – but now I’m not so sure. It might just be a dandelion!
Wildflower or weed?
To me it is all the same, in the search for light, patterns, and colours.
It is all natural beauty – and in the picturesque Mornington Peninsula, it is all around: preserved and yet accessible.
Until next time,
Tread softly!
