Changed Location for April Excursion
Where: The Falls and Central Mines Trail, Mullion Range SCA
When: Sunday 12 April
Time: 9.00 am
Leader: Marita Sydes
Grade: 3, moderate
Meeting place: Orange High School Bus Bay
NB. Due to the issues occurring with fuel the committee has decided not to do the exchange excursion to Dubbo reserves with Dubbo Field Nats. Instead this local excursion has been chosen. Thanks Marita for leading this.
Meet at the bus bay at 9am sharp to carpool. Bring morning tea, water, and any essential medications you may need. You can also bring lunch if you wish to go on to the Fourth Crossing Picnic Area. Please wear closed walking shoes and clothing suitable for the weather.
Instead, we will do a half day excursion to the Mullion Range SCA, which many people will have visited. The excursion will be along The Falls track to view the waterfall and then down the Central Mines Trail to Summer Hill Creek. We will also walk off track to look for autumn flowering orchids, fungi and bryophytes that may have responded to the recent rain. It will be interesting to compare the eastern side of the track, where a control burn occurred a few years ago, to the unburnt western part of the reserve.
The main vegetation communities in the Mullion SCA are Inland Scribbly Gum Eucalyptus rossii and Red Stringybark E. macrorhyncha Woodland, Red Stringybark and Bundy E. goniocalyx Woodland and River Oak Casuarina cunninghamiana Riparian Communities along Summer Hill Creek.
After returning to the vehicles those wishing to have lunch can drive another 5 km to the Fourth Crossing Picnic Area. The SCA was once an important gold mining area. At the picnic area there is evidence of a water race, constructed by miners during the gold rush to transfer water from the creek to mining areas. It is now a rough walking track. The picnic area has a toilet and picnic tables.
The SCA is approximately 20 km from Orange along Ophir Road.