Summary

A walk along paths and grassy verges highlighting a ecucalypt corridor with many habitat trees. Easy walk with gentle uphill slopes. Distance: 1.5 km

Description

This walk starts on the south side of Binbeal Rd at the corner of Kamanari Crt. At a leisurely pace, this walk should take around 30 minutes..

Walk south down Kamanari Crt. Enjoy the views across the rural landscape.

Continue past the playground and follow the road uphill.

Stop along the way and look back over the 'plains' of Drouin. Note the remaining forest vegetation forming large corridors for wildlife. In the distance is the old Drouin Nature Reserve.

This housing development exists on what were the old slaughterhouse areas of Drouin. The Matkovitch family, who were the last owners of this land used names for the streets from their Montenegro history.

At the end of the road is a walk link up to Binbeal Rd.

Binbeal Rd was once called Slaughterhouse Rd. Along its road sides are corridors of remnant Mountain Grey Gums and Messmates. Messmates have consistent bark over the length of their trunk and Mountain Grey Gums have bark which falls in long ribbons. Some of these old trees are 'giants' in excess of 4m trunk girth.

Turn right and walk on the wide grassy verge along Binbeal Rd. The Mountain Grey Gums and Messmates form a very valuable shady, environment corridor.

Keep walking. Look carefully and try to find the trees which Baw Baw Shire has preserved for wildlife habitat. These trees, which have been ring barked, would otherwise have been removed but they now continue to provide shelter and nesting for wildlife, as well as mutual support for the other remnant trees in the corridor.

Research shows that trees are interdependent on each other via their root systems, as well as their tree canopy. These old trees have been supporting each other in a community since before European settlement.

At the corner, turn around and retrace your steps back to the starting point and look back to enjoy the view east again before leaving.

Eucalyptus cypellocarpa or Mountain Grey Gum

- 'Monkey Gum' for the koalas that lived in them
- In Drouin about 30 - 35 m tall
- Fibrousy, rough bark, at the bottom
- Smooth trunk above - pale grey with whitish-yellow-cream streaks
- Long, 12-35 cm lance shamped leaves
- Buds and fruit on flattened stems
- White flowers in Autumn


Eucalyptus obliqua or Messmate

- Brown, thick, rough, strongy bark in longitudinal furrows
- Drouin: about 25-30 m tall
- Prefers open forest and foothill situations
- Glossy green, curved or 'oblique' shaped leaves
- White flowers in summer

A Drouin Tree Walks booklet with details of all the Drouin Tree walks including excellent photo's of the walks, trees and wildlife is available at many of the shops in the shopping centre and it and can be downloaded as a PDF from: http://www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/Things-To-Do/Leisure-and-Recreation/Walking-and-Cycling/Walking-and-Cycling-Trail-Maps

A facebook page about Drouin's trees is here: https://www.facebook.com/DrouinsTrees/

3479 Views

Points of Interest

1. Rural view of Drouin

Stop here to look over the rural views over the 'plains' of Drouin, to the south.

2. Playground

Playground

3. Remnant Mountain Grey Gums

Remnant Mountain Grey Gums and Messmates line both sides of this road

4. Habitat trees

Ring barked trees left in place as habitat for local wildlife.

5. Habitat trees

For local wildlife

6. Habitat trees

Hollows in eucalypts also provide habitat value for wildlife.

7. West view down Binbeal Rd

Looking west down Binbeal Road alongside large trunk giants

8. End of the walk

Look west down Binbeal Road to see the tree lined view.

Features

Playground

Pram friendly

Historical interest

Local treasures

Nature trail