Day 5: Sheep Station Creek

chris2429
Nov 19, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Feb 12, 2023

My Route

19/11/22 - Distance: 25km

I left Nungatta creek at 545am after a protein shake and muslie breakfast. I found mixing coffee into the protein and having an iced coffee protein shake was the way to go. A lovely day today. A very slow gradual slog uphill along old dirt roads to the juncton of Laings rd and Nungutta Creek Rd. Looking north you can see the peak of Wog Wog Mountain the route heads east from here to avoid the ruggered mountains ahead. Following Liangs Rd to the east I see many kangaroos and beautiful tall eucalypt forest which did not suffer heavily in the recent fires. I follow along the road on ridge lines over to Surveyors Creek, basically anywhere north/north east fo the rd junction is likely to take you to sheepstation creek and then onwards to the pass through the ranges to White Rock River, which you follow until you reach a waterfall, from here you head north through rolling hills to Craigie (another aboriginal camping place and fishing hole). From Surveryors creek to White Rock Riveryou pass thorugh an old quarry used to build Imlay Rd and then into Sheep Station Creek. This area was rediscovered recently as a major gateway (or pathway) through rough country to get to the high country (for the bogong moths). The area is strewn with artifacts, old camp sites, yam and other food farming sites, scar trees and signs of early pioneers. This route strategically follows weaknesses in the ridge lines and dodges steep and ruggered mountins like Mt Wog Wog and Nungatta Mt and White Rock Mountain. When I got to the head of Surveyors Gully x Laings rd there was not an obvious track at all. According to the map, this was where the original road went through to get the bullocks to/from the high country. It followed the traditional route of aboriginals which was hown to early pioneers in the 1800s. I bash through scrubby regrowth trying to find any signs of an old road. I bash on unsuccessfully until I hit the creek where there were slight indications of an old road like structure over the creek marked by pink flagging tape and some metal markers, nothing too interesting, but this was the old way. A lot of the surveyors creek had been badly eroded, no help from recent heavy downpours which proceeded a year after the severe fires. I proceed up to a ridge from Surveys gully just across the Imlay rd and to an old Quarry, used to build Imlay Road. This quarry boarded Sheep Station Creek, a very important aboriginal sight and unfortunately was partially bulldozed as a result of the quarry use for the building of Imlay Rd. Walking from the quarried area down to the creek where there are lush streams and river flats, tall trees and resource galore it starts getting a little bit over grown but you can imagine back when it was maintained and burnt periodically with cooler burns. Oh it would have been a magical spot teaming with food. As I proceed down to the creek I pass a few Scar Trees and find a few artifacts. At the creek I search around for evidence of old rocks placed across the river to help the old bullockies cross so they wouldn’t sink. After some time I find some evidence of this, there are a few rocks precisely placed across the river, however, the recent floods have really washed away a lot of the river banks and sections of the river including the very old crossing bolders. This is where the path used to cross before heading up through a low point (saddle) in the mountains to get over to White Rock River. As I make my way down to white rock river I discover a load of orchids, particular duck orchids and sun orchids. It makes me think of indigenous foods in the area (of these orchids both have edible tubers). As I continue along I come to an old primitive camp site and some artifacts, look like stone spear heads. I also pass many scar trees and potential yam daisy farm sites. The bush here is beautiful. The area is almost totlly void of Yam daisy which were a very important food source to aboriginals before white settlement. Today, they are rare to find as livestock and feral animals have a preference for the and so they are hard to come by. They used to be more prevalent than the amount of dandelions and cats ear weeds we see today. But now cats ear and dandelions are much more prevalent and less desired by livestock. I arrive at the white rock river and cross it, I find a fallen tree and walk along it, plenty of them around. Im now in state forest with tall pine plantations but looks rather old and disused as I am finding myself climbing over many fallen pine trees. Lots of black cockatoos and lyrebirds making noise as I wind through the forestry roads to Nalbaugh falls. I arrive Nalbaugh falls around 5pm aver a short and very steep climb beside an ugly open hill void of trees due to logging operations in one direction. And beside a nice wooded forest with a river and water falls going through it in the other direction. There were many nicer camp sites along the river further down stream especially on the Eastern side of the river below the falls.

Looking north toward Wog Wog Mountain. Liang Rd x hungutta Ck Rd

Bush alongside Laings Rd

Bush above Surveyors Gully

The Bush along here was much more walkable and not as dense.

Surveyors Ck

Old Quarry/Sacred Site

An old quarry, used to build imlay rd, lots of artifacts around, unfortunately high disturned due to bulldozing of this sacred site.

Vegetation around Sheep Station Creek

Sheep Station Creek - A major indigenous camp where they would camp for week harvesting nearby foods. Such as Murnong (yam Daisy), Kangaroo/Wallabies, Koala, Bulbine Bulbosa and many others.