Before Christmas, I wrote that the view of Winton Wetlands from the Hume Hwy lay-by just north of Benalla prompted me to think about revisiting them.
They were full of water and looked very pretty.
I have not been there for years and my friend had never been.
So we went on Thursday, February 9, saw much more than we expected and had a great day.
There is not as much water now, but it appears that Sergeants, Winton and Green swamps are now one large water mass, and that numerous other named and unnamed swamps are still holding enough to attract wildlife.
We were armed with two brochures from the visitor information centre on Bridge St.
One, a tiny pocket size for cyclists, shows 10 cycling trails of various lengths. Some start and finish at the Mokoan Hub and others from the outlet channels.
Cycling is not our thing but we did notice two bits of advice — take your own water and what to do if you see a snake.
The other brochure suited us better with its map and list of on-site things to do and see.
It included numerous walks, art and bird-watching information.
But first we headed straight for the Mokoan Hub and Cafe for coffee.
Being coffee princesses we were very happy with the coffee and lovely cakes, all made on-site.
You can see the water through the trees at the cafe, which encouraged us to want to explore everywhere.
We discovered there were better maps, walking guides and other information available at Mokoan Hub and Cafe, including a map with details of the new sculpture walk, or Lotjpatj Natjan Danak, that is located outside.
This short, easy walk for all abilities has 15 fabulous sculptures by 15 different Yorta Yorta artists.
Each sculpture tells the story of their ancestors, special places, history and the environment. There are ‘must read’ interpretative boards beside each artwork.
From the air, the walk and layout represents a turtle, symbolic of the area. We especially loved the depiction of the rainbow serpent as the turtle’s head.
Among the brochures is a list of 82 birds you might see, yet we were told that bird counters have now identified 191 different birds. Of great excitement this year was spotting a rare blue duck.
Winton Wetlands is the largest wetlands restoration project in the Southern Hemisphere, covering more than 5000 hectares. Its eventual completion date is not even hinted at, but it has Ramsar listing aspirations.
It’s not only an ecological and landscape education site but, with Yorta Yorta input, the traditional ownership and use of this area is being revealed.
After walking the sculpture trail, we got into our car and drove about 5km to the official wetlands entrance road. We were careful not to miss the sign.
The internal road is dirt and mostly single lane but at present it is dry and well graded. After rain it can be problematic.
Almost immediately there were novel art works. In the centre, a painted water tank formed part of the regional silo art trail.
We carried on to find the curiously named Lunette area, having been told it was historically a very important meeting place for local Indigenous communities and the site of an old homestead.
There is a huge painting of Mrs Hilda Bain on stacked freight containers. The adjacent boarding shows how primitive her homestead was.
This area is a ‘work in progress’ and will eventually reveal more artworks and story-telling.
Brochures and word of mouth had suggested camping sites, even ‘glamping’, within the wetlands, but the COVID-19 pandemic and rain have not kindly supported these.
We retraced out steps and happily returned to the Mokoan Hub and Cafe for lunch, which was simple but delicious. Both of us agreed we were pleased we visited and will return to see progress developments.
In the meantime, I will take my five-year-old so we can ride the flying fox together and view the night sky from the viewing area at Duck Pond (corner of the Thoona and Lake Mokoan roads). It is reputedly the least polluted and darkest sky in Victoria.
It was another wonderful day trip without travelling far from home.
– Suzie Pearce