SPRING AT ITS BEST: RAILWAY DAM

If you happen to be heading to Castlemaine from Melbourne, chances are you'll pass through Chewton, an historical gold mining town on the traditional lands of the the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples. Well, keep an eye out for Railway Dam, a quiet spot on the edge of the Fryers Range State Forest, between Chewton and Elphinstone. It's a sharp turn to the left as you head north of Elphinstone. The day we visited, Railway Dam was showing spring at its absolute best.

​Railway Dam is also a free camping spot though there are no facilities. The dam is quite small, and actually the regional railway runs right alongside. Even so, it's delightful.  There are tracks such as Junction Walk which look very promising - we'll try that one next time. You may like to check out this site for more background information, and this one for maps showing walking tracks.

Here's a visual summary of what we saw on the day...

It's especially encouraging for novice birders when birds - any birds - appear to greet you on arrival. A very cute eastern yellow robin was most obliging in this respect, also showing of his leg band.

We did a short walk, inspecting the banks of the dam for promising future camp spots (and yes, it does look promising), but we were soon distracted by seeing two crimson rosellas, one a juvenile.

But this day was all about spring and given the gentle warmth, the absence of rain, the carpet of flowers and the symphony of birdsong, this visit really was showcasing spring at its best.

Among the birds that we saw, there were plenty of  wood swallows, honeyeaters and red-browed finch. We also saw a treecreeper.

The dam itself was alive with swallows skimming over the water.

This visit really lifted our spirits, as only nature can. We're looking forward to trying an overnight camp one of these days when our rig is ready - we're looking forward to waking up with the birds.