We had never been to Yarram before – in fact had never even heard of it. But we wanted to see Port Albert and the Tarra Bulga NP, and Yarram seemed to provide a good base. It is a nice town with so many historical buildings, and the caravan park was really good – open and spacious. Port Albert has a special history wth the development of the Gippsland, and the NP is a brilliant place to walk through with its proliferation of mountain ash and tree ferns. We has a good couple of days there – despite the weather.
We were in Yarram on 11 – 12 February 2019
Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia
Getting There
Lakes Entrance > Bairnsdale > Sale > Yarram ~ 177kms
History
The traditional custodians of the land surrounding Yarram are the Kurnai First Nations people, who resisted the invasion of their lands, and sustained heavy casualties. Yarram Yarram, as it was known until 1924, is from an Aboriginal phrase thought to mean ‘plenty of water’ or ‘billabong’.
The site of Yarram had first been sold for farming in 1853. John Carpenter established the town’s first industry when he built a flour and saw mill on the north side of the Tarra River. The first shop was opened by Charles Devonshire in 1857.
The township grew quickly. In October 1859 W.H. Waite noted that whereas three years earlier there were few houses and not an infant to be seen, the population had quadrupled “and children have sprung up so fast that almost every female between 15 and 50 is to be seen nursing a fine looking infant or well-shaped little yearling.”
The town of Yarram was gazetted in 1893. The town’s growth related to the preference of local farmers for Yarram as a marketplace, rather than the more distant Port Albert. Being close to one of the first Victorian trade ports, the town grew quickly after settlement, as a result of the rich dairy country that supplies milk products to Australia, and to the timber industry.
The post office opened in February 1861 as Yarram Yarram and was renamed Yarram in about 1924. The railway arrived in 1921; the line between Welshpool and Leongatha was closed in October 1987.
Today the population is a little over 2,100 (2016 census). Yarram is known for its proximity to Ninety Mile Beach, Port Albert, neighbouring Tarra-Bulga National Park, and heritage architecture along its Main Street.
Day 1 – Mon 11 Feb – To Yarram and visit Port Albert
It was a clear but cool day as we left Lakes Entrance for Yarram. We retraced our drive of yesterday to Bairnsdale before heading for Sale.
The landscape was mostly flat farmlands, with none of the rolling hills we had enjoyed further east. We passed a lovely church or cathedral – think that was at Sale. Also the Criterion Hotel.
We arrived in Yarram late morning and were immediately impressed with some of the historic buildings in the town. We will be back later to have a good look. The Yarram Holiday Park is on the other side of town and we immediately see the difference from the last park at Lakes Entrance – lots of space, trees and large sites. We were given a drive through site with heaps of room and plenty of trees to provide shade. The facilities are also good – you even get a fresh bath mat when you have a shower. The park was about one-third full. We got both Optus and Telstra coverage.
Setting up caused a few problems initially because the front wheels of The Cruiser were in the gutter on the far side of the site and the centre of the site was slightly domed up. We had our trailer mate at maximum height but the hitch could not quite disengage but had lurch forward about 30mm – enough to cause tricky problems. As well, the hitch and tilted forward and now would not lower. So we had to do a fair bit of inch by inch adjustments to finally get Mobi hitched again in order to move it slightly. We then were able to move it back on the site and get some more timber to put under the jockey wheel to get the extra height we needed. And if you think the above paragraph sounds confusing, you are right, but not as confusing as trying to get the van level and still be able to unhitch it from the car. 3 science degrees needed for this!!!
Once set up, we went to Port Albert – only about 12km away – passing the historic Victoria Hotel on the way. Port Albert was one of the earliest ports established in Victoria. In 1841 the Gippsland Company investigated the area following favourable reports from explorer Angus McMillan. In May of that year the first settlers arrived.
The Post Office opened on 1 November 1842 as Alberton (it was renamed Port Albert in 1856). It became the administrative centre of Gippsland and a transport hub for cargo between Melbourne and Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), thanks to its 250-metre timber jetty.
As the Victorian Gold Rush began in the 1850s, traffic through Port Albert increased, bringing prospectors from Europe and China, many of whom were headed for the Dargo goldfields. This further added to Port Albert’s prosperity.
During the 1870s and 1880s, Gippsland was gradually settled, and connected to the railway network. This reduced Port Albert’s role as an important transport hub, and the population subsequently decreased.
Today the town had only a few hundred people and acts as a commercial fishing port. It is popular with fishers and surfers. Little remains of the old town or port – only 5 or 6 scattered buildings.
But the area is today clearly a fishing mecca with a new 2-lane launching ramp and good modern facilities in the port area. There is also a substantial jetty for larger boats. We saw 5 or 6 caravans congregating at the facilities near the waterfront – clearly settling in for a free camp.
We spent a good hour looking through the maritime museum – well worth the visit as the area and the people were so intrinsically linked to the seas and oceans. Back in the day the only transport to the Gippsland was via boat to Port Albert. There is an amazing range of memorabilia as well as various boats in the area outside.
One stand out is the story of the sinking of the Clonmel, the first steamer brought to Australia in 1840. Built at Birkenhead in 1836, it arrived in Sydney on 5 October 1840 and left on 31 December 1840, and after rounding Cape Howe in fine conditions set a course for Wilsons Promontory. However, it ran ashore near the entrance to Corner Inlet on 2 January 1841. Some cargo was jettisoned but when she refused to move anchors were dropped allowing passengers and crew to land safely on the beach where tents were improvised from sails and stores brought ashore and placed under guard. Two passengers and five crewmen set out later in a whale boat for Port Phillip to seek assistance, leaving the ship’s passengers and crew to explore the nearby coastline. The Sisters and the Will Watch left for the wreck on 9 January with the Harbour Master and a detachment of the 28th Regiment. The favourable reports of those left to explore the region resulted in the 300 ton vessel Singapore being chartered some months later to Corner Inlet, after which Port Albert was founded, and the Gippsland region to be developed.
A sadder story concerns the SS Cambridge, as per the photo below. I was shocked to learn that German boats were operating so close to Australia.
We were surprised to see copies of the Government Gazette dating from 1851 to the first World War. We would have loved to look through some of these.
The Maritime Museum was one of the best I had seen – especially for such a small village. Some really interesting items in here, and really well maintained. Obviously some local pride has gone into this place which is wonderful to see.
Back to Yarram, and on the way we say an immaculate looking old Morris car, and in town a more modern sportscar that took Kerry’s fancy.
We walked around and looked as some of the amazing buildings in Yarram. Some of the older buildings in town include the Court House, the Regent Theatre (1928), the Yarram hotel, built in 1912 and more recently renovated as a government office, and the churches in the eastern end of town.
The pick for us was the Court House – an absolute gem of a building. Needing a bit of work on the foundations as a couple of courses of bricks have cracked through. But a gorgeous building.
At the eastern end of town are two lovely old churches. How do so many small towns have such spectacular churches?
Day 2 – Tue 12 Feb – Tarra Bulga NP
It was a lovely day when we woke but the forecast was pretty grim – severe winds and rain. But we were determined to get up to see the Tarra Bulga NP – it is only 35km away to the north. 1903 the Alberton Shire Council asked the State Government to reserve an area of forest with fern gullies near Balook as a public park. Twenty hectares were reserved in 1904 and given the Aboriginal name Bulga, meaning ‘mountain’. Five years later, 303 hectares of forest within the Tarra Valley were temporarily reserved. This park was named after Charlie Tarra, an Aboriginal guide. In 1986 the national park was joined with nearby the Strzelecki Ranges reserve and enlarged through a land exchange with private industry. Tarra-Bulga National Park now protects over 2,000 hectares of Mountain Ash Forest and Cool Temperate Rainforest.
Once we are clear of the flat coastal lands, the landscape changed with the mountain ranges increasingly clear. The second half of the drive up to the NP is really beautiful – a narrow windy road. threading up the hills with trees and tree ferns on either side. Really lovely.
On the way we stopped to look at the Tarra Falls. A short pathway and steps took us down to a platform from which we could just see the falls – there was not much flow. But they were quite high so would be spectacular in the wet.
We had checked out the brochure of the NP before we set out, but found the maps totally confusing and unhelpful. Many tracks could just be an extension of other tracks, or a seperate track altogether – we just can’t work it out. On the way up we passed Tarra Valley picnic area but did not stop there, agreeing that we would do that on the way back.
When we reached the visitors centre at Bulga – which was closed – we could see how fiercely the wind was blowing, moving substantial tree branches all over the place. We just hoped that a branch would not fall on us or The Cruiser, which we had parked in the open.
There was a sign listing many of the tracks to one side and we went down that. But then there was a sign saying the Lyrebird Track. We followed that for a while, through some massive Mountain Ash trees and so many tree ferns. The track is really well made – fine gravel and easy walking. The trees are waving hugely above us though.
Then we came to a junction with the Lyrebird track off to the right and a sign to the Ash Track and also to Corrigan Suspension Bridge to the left. We took that track – the bridge is 1.2kms from the Visitors Centre. More enjoyable walks through this lovely forest.
We came to another junctions of tracks but fortunately there is a much clearer map on one of the interpretative panels. We were at the junction of the Hash and Willis Track (not named on the Parks map). There we came to the “King of the Forest” – the tallest tree. Incidentally the scientific name for the ash means “royal” eucalyptus. This tree is 75m tall, which is only two-thirds the size of the largest recorded trees in the forest, which were felled. It is one of Victoria’s oldest trees, probably mature when the first white settlers arrived.
From here we could look down on the Corrigan’s Suspension Bridge, which stretches through the rainforest canopy. We made our way down to it. The bridge was built to give visitors a unique view of the fern gully and the surrounding treetops. The then Shire of Alberton moved a suspension bridge to the site form Alberton West near Yarram in 1938. It is named after the shire engineer who built it. Today the bridge at the site is a replica of the original, and was built in 1982 by the Army Reserve.
Crossing the bridge certainly does afford lovely views of the lush fern gully on the forest floor below. Given the winds, the bridge was remarkably stable.
After this we followed the Scenic Track back to the information centre. All in all, a really enjoyable walk.
From the Balook car park we drove down to the Tarra Valley picnic area and had a tea/coffee there.
We then walked to the Cyathea Falls – lovely walk.
On the way we came to an information board next to a gnarled old tree. This is a “forest dinosaur” says the board, a Myrtle Beech. This is estimated to have a root system possibly 1,000 years old. These beeches are being forced out by the Mountain Ash. What a wonderful old tree gnarled and interesting – so different from the vertical Mountain Ash which is prevalent here.
Half way to the falls – the total distance was only 1.4km – it started to rain. So near but so far. Kerry decided to scamper back to The Cruiser while I decided to keeping going to the falls, hoping the forest canopy would shelter me. The falls only had a very small flow in the river and were small and picturesque rather than big and bold.
I ran most of the way back to the car park and got pretty much soaked.
I ran most of the way back too – and was absolutely saturated by the time I reached the picnic shelter near the car. 3 more cars pulled in while I waited for Des, but wisely decided to drive on further given the weather conditions.
We then went back to the van park doing a bit of shopping on the way. We filled up with fuel at Lucknow and the economy rate since the last fill was an amazing 10.67 L/100km over 252kms. Clearly no towing was involved. This is by far our best economy rate ever, showing that we have really cleared out The Cruiser for this trip.
It then poured all afternoon and everything was wet. We had to take the awning in because of the wind so there was no protection.
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