Lerderderg Gorge Picnic

Yesterday we spent the day at Lerderderg Gorge and had a picnic at Mackenzie's Flat (we actually had our wedding photos taken here, when there was water). We live on the edge of this State Park but we travelled over to the other side for a picnic with the family.

What was once a gorgeous FLOWING river is now a dry river bed with the odd water pool. The park is still beautiful even though the lack of water is so evident. Such a sign of our times these days. Lots of dead and dying gums.

The gorge represents 500 million years of geological history. The river and lesser streams have eroded strata dating back to Ordovician period. Lerderderg State Park comprises 20,546 hectares and stretches some 20 km between Bacchus Marsh and Blackwood. Rising in the Great Dividing Range, the Lerderderg River has cut a 300 metre deep gorge through sandstone and slate, almost bisecting the park.

We spent the day with Mich, Lee, Mary, Eddie, Cassi, Wendy, Daryl, Megan and Zac as well as Cassi's friend Vicki and her family dropped by for a quick visit. We had a tasty BBQ followed by a bush walk.

We walked about a km into the bush along the edge of the river on the Graham Dam circuit walk. There was the odd water pool here and there. We reached a larger pool of water that looked quite deep in the centre surrounded by reeds and and lovely rounded stones. On the edge of the water and over the rocks were lots and lots of tiny frogs. They were hopping everywhere. The kids had a great time catching them and putting them in the water to swim.

Megan has been talking lately about going to the woods (taken from the American storybooks she has been reading) so to finally go out in the bush and spend that day playing cricket (Megan is pretty good at throwing the ball), footy, relaxing, chatting and catching frogs, she was in her element. She paddled into the water and loved catching all the tiny baby frogs.