Outing report from September, Dip Falls and Little Gibson Falls

A bit chilly and cloudy today but a delightful outing first to Dip Falls then to Little Gibson Falls.

We all met in our 4 cars at the turn off to Mawbanna on the Bass highway to Stanley then the drive is about 27 kms to Dip Falls, all sealed and meanders through open farmed paddocks and forest. There is a picnic shelter, toilets and two platforms with many steps leading down to the lower platform but well worth the view on arrival. The drop is approx. 30 metres with a wide cascade, very full flow today and spectacular, looking up at the basalt hexagonal columns that form a stepping effect for the cascade, the bottom platform is good for viewing lower half than climbing those pesky steps again to view the top half, of the two tiered falls. Across the road is another small track leading to an old steam boiler, Andersons sawmill was operating here 1938, quite a few houses and post office and school for the families in the small township of Mawbanna.

We then walked to the BIG tree, amongst other large trees that are the last surviving group of logging in this area. It’s a Browntop stringbark eucalyptus about 62 metres and 16 metres diameter, we measured it once with a group of ladies and it took 18 ladies to touch fingers around the tree.

Spotted a Ziera, Stinkwood fully out in flower along the road.

After a chilly lunch in the shelter we then headed off to the Little Gibson Falls, back to the highway and along to the Forest turnoff travelling to Mengha, good general store for our delights later. Followed a map that Geoff had kindly provided, along logging roads and not very scenic with a few turnoffs to an area of stacked up piles of logging. Parking our cars we followed Geoff through these piles of waste but very quickly entered a pleasant green forest, a little slippy in places but after a few minutes we heard the falls, a delightful hidden cascade glimpsed through the trees, was quite a scrabble but managed a few photos , under and over fallen branches but well worth it to view the falls, Geoff had marked the way with tape as a little difficult to find otherwise. Made our way back to Mengha and the ice-creams, hot coffee. Etc…A great day out and thankyou to Geoff and Caroline for leading us today. from September, Dip Falls and Little Gibson Falls

A bit chilly and cloudy today but a delightful outing first to Dip Falls then to Little Gibson Falls.

We all met in our 4 cars at the turn off to Mawbanna on the Bass highway to Stanley then the drive is about 27 kms to Dip Falls, all sealed and meanders through open farmed paddocks and forest. There is a picnic shelter, toilets and two platforms with many steps leading down to the lower platform but well worth the view on arrival. The drop is approx. 30 metres with a wide cascade, very full flow today and spectacular, looking up at the basalt hexagonal columns that form a stepping effect for the cascade, the bottom platform is good for viewing lower half than climbing those pesky steps again to view the top half, of the two tiered falls. Across the road is another small track leading to an old steam boiler, Andersons sawmill was operating here 1938, quite a few houses and post office and school for the families in the small township of Mawbanna.

We then walked to the BIG tree, amongst other large trees that are the last surviving group of logging in this area. It’s a Browntop stringbark eucalyptus about 62 metres and 16 metres diameter, we measured it once with a group of ladies and it took 18 ladies to touch fingers around the tree.

Spotted a Ziera, Stinkwood fully out in flower along the road.

After a chilly lunch in the shelter we then headed off to the Little Gibson Falls, back to the highway and along to the Forest turnoff travelling to Mengha, good general store for our delights later. Followed a map that Geoff had kindly provided, along logging roads and not very scenic with a few turnoffs to an area of stacked up piles of logging. Parking our cars we followed Geoff through these piles of waste but very quickly entered a pleasant green forest, a little slippy in places but after a few minutes we heard the falls, a delightful hidden cascade glimpsed through the trees, was quite a scrabble but managed a few photos , under and over fallen branches but well worth it to view the falls, Geoff had marked the way with tape as a little difficult to find otherwise. Made our way back to Mengha and the ice-creams, hot coffee. Etc…A great day out and thankyou to Geoff and Caroline for leading us today.