VISIT VICTORIA (Tourist Website) TO FIND MORE DETAILS ON GALLERIES AROUND WARRANDYTE
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More on Warrandyte Attractions:
Pound Bend Walk
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Drive to the end of Everard Drive to find Pound Bend, which is situated in a large, narrow-necked loop of the Yarra River.
In the years of early European settlement, the land was used as a pound for cattle, hence its name. With luck you may spot a koala high in one of the smooth-barked manna gums. The picnic area attracts many birds, including colourful parrots, honeyeaters, kookaburras and noisy miners.
A short walk from the picnic area leads to the unique Pound Bend Tunnel (shown here). This amazing venture was created by David Mitchell, father of singer Dame Nellie Melba, in 1870.
The tunnel, six metres wide and almost five metres high was dug through 145 metres of solid rock at the neck of the loop. A dam was build across the river and the water was diverted through the tunnel, leaving exposed a five kilometre stretch of river bed, which was dredged for gold.
While no remains of the dam can be seen today, the tunnel, in which a colony of bats live, looks as if it was caarved through only yesterday.
A walking track along the Yarra River, to the north of Pound Reserve, crosses various gullies by wooden bridges and ends aat a large open area. The track continues to the south east past the plaque dedicated to the site of the first youth hostel in Victoria, then joins the entry road to the park office, and turning south continues to Pound Bend Road.
Details for lots of walks such as this can be found at the Historical Society on Yarra Street.
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MORE ON WARRANDYTE STATE PARK
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