After much begging and pleading, (or negotiations for shift swaps with my agreeable colleagues) I had a week off to see some of this fantastic Island, Macca — Land of the Green Sponge.
First up was a walk in windy conditions up Doctors and along the Island Lake Track (ILT) to Bauer Bay with Clive and Bianca. There we were met by Kris and Keith, and a loaf of fresh bread that quickly disappeared. The next two days were spent on the marine debris clean up, cleaning up along the featherbed to Aurora Point and the monthly collection and tally of rubbish that has washed up on Bauer Bay Beach.
The walk out to Aurora Cave is across the Featherbed; a vast moss and peat bed down the west coast that is soft, squishy and very, very wet underfoot. Hence the name the Featherbed and the Macca being known as the Green Sponge. Kris wisely wore a pair of rubber boots while I took a few unplanned dips in the creeks along the way.
At Aurora Cave we emptied out the marine debris cache and ate lunch before heading out to the coast and along to Aurora Point collecting any debris we found on the way. Kris states that this is his favourite part of the coast and as one of the Parks Rangers he’s seen much of the island. Climbing amongst the volcanic rock, moss and cushion plants it’s easy to see the appeal.
The next morning, five of us walked transects along Bauer Beach, collecting any bits of rubbish we saw, no matter how small, mostly pieces of long line fishing line and micro plastics. Keith and Kris then classified and counted the pile of rubbish before packing it away for collection and removal to Australia during resupply.
Keith, Clive and Bianca headed back to station while I went across the island, up the Bauer Bay track, through Fourways and down the Sandy Back track. The sun almost shone and the rain didn’t start until I was on Sandy Bay beach, so it was a great walk admiring the vegetation and watching the royal penguins walking up Finch Creek and their highway to their rookeries, several hundred feet above sea level.
After a night in Brothers Point smartie, I spent the day wondering along Sandy Bay, watching the king and royal penguins, the elephant seals, giant petrels, kelp gulls and sooties (albatross) going about their business and taking many photos. That evening Dave B, Dave H and Goldie turned up Brothers Point, keen for the trip down to Green Gorge the next day.
After a big breakfast of spaghetti on toast we headed along the Brothers track up into the mist and along the Over Land track (OLT) and to Green Gorge. Green Gorge is many people favourite hut, spacious, warm and just like a log cabin in the Alps. It’s location is fabulous too, tucked in picturesque though marshy Green Gorge and just above the beach, you have a view of the kings and elephant seals out the front window.
After a string of reasonable weather the rain and sea fog reappeared the next day, giving us the excuse for a lazy day, with french toast for breakfast, a few photos on the beach, some reading and many games of Cribbage, and Euchre. There may have been a bit of snoring coming from the bunks too.
Mike C arrived, having hiked in from Waterfall Bay, adding a new challenger to the Cribbage competition and champion Bananagrams player.
The next morning we were up early, packing up and getting ready for the big walk back to station, some 18km along the OLT, through Fourways, down Doctors and on to station. Despite the forecast for a blustery, wet Southwesterly, the front had passed overnight and we had a very scenic trip back, with the wind only pushing us along for the last hour or two. We had views of the mountains and coast and were able to gaze down on the royal rookeries along the way. Once past Square Lake and climbing ‘Heart Break Hill’ we passed many a person heading out, with the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Programme break over, they were all heading back to work.
Vicki Heinrich
