ME SMERI SI NG MO UNTAI NS The Hoddle Mountain Trail WORDS BY DANIELLE RALPH / PHOTOS BY DOUG PELL & DANIELLE RALPH
At the base of a 200-metre steep incline up another impressive hill, all I could think to say was… “wow”! This challenge is definitely relentless! I’m asking a lot of my legs. Even more so, I’m asking a lot of my mind to complete this hike. But those vistas were calling. The expansive beauty of South Gippsland will be worth the effort. I will get what I came for. The allure to take on the Hoddle Mountain Trail is the promise of stunning panoramas of Wilsons Promontory, Corner Inlet, Shallow Inlet, and the Strzelecki Ranges. The diverse flora and fauna, rolling hills, lush fern gullies and farmland along the journey make this track a glorious, natural wonderland.
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Officially opened on 20 January 2019, the Hoddle Mountain Trail had a passionate committee approach the South Gippsland Shire Council back in 2017 to seek support for development of the trail. Richard Dargaville, President of the Hoddle Mountain Trail Management Group (HMTMG), names locals Tim Farrell, Gary Wallis, and Barry McGannon as key figures in the early advances. “My introduction to the route was on a Fish Creek Landcare walk in 2012,” the HMTMG President begins. “I had a lifelong interest in bushwalking and the idea of helping the further development of the trail was appealing. My personal passion relates to the pleasure I get from walking the Hoddle Mountain Trail, and especially hearing of the enthusiasm of others who have had the same experience.”
