Eight members of the Geehi Bushwalking Club set off to walk down a fire trail in the Coornartha Nature Reserve on Saturday the 13th July. The day was sunny but very windy with the start of the walk high on the exposed range between Cooma and Numeralla. Although the view was stunning, the walk didn’t look all that exciting as it was all downhill and on a bulldozed track. The leader explained tracking and other bushcraft with special reference to koala sign as a means to promote some interest. Within 200m of starting the hikers found fresh koala sign in the form of bite marks, scratches on trees and scats on the ground. A short time later a mob of feral pigs woke up in a hurry from their haunt in dry bark beside the track and quickly vacated the area.
A free coffee was offered as a reward for the first person to spot a koala and soon a koala was spotted high in a big eucalypt swaying in the strong wind. This was a first for the Geehi Bush Walking Club in at least 50 years of monthly walks – finding a koala in our local area. As the hikers vied for the perfect photo the koala was clearly unimpressed and climbed even higher. As the excitement level subsided the hike continued north, crossing some private property (permission required) eventually hitting the Numeralla River where much feral deer sign was evident. Our route then progressed along the Beresford Road to the beautifully kept Numeralla Cemetery. A car shuffle before starting meant we had vehicles in Numeralla to save a long hike back to the start.
Although short in terms of distance, it turned out to be an extraordinarily exciting walk in pretty country.
Leader: Peter Davis 13.7.24