VICTORIA'S CATHERINE RIVER 



I'.y Jo 1 1.\ Gin i\s* 



Tile parliamentary exploration pam -.urveyini: tin- riant* \Si the 

 ;ii'm]mnci] new r* -ad aI"n r L, r the Wontian^aua River linking the 

 Xortb Ka-t with I jippsland aroused much interest in Victoria** 

 ■Catherine [&VCir« 1 h<- mutt* covered the HufTalo Kivcr valley, cross- 

 ing the* llarrv Mountains to die Womiaugatiu KJYtf on the sunt!) 

 -ide of the Range. The Catherine has its, hcadwater> in die liarn 

 Mountains mid joins the Ihitialo River, it<elf a tributary nf the 

 f iveiw. at Catherine Station. 



During KaMer, 1^55, Donald Spriggins, Steve Herrigau and the 

 writer planned to negotiate the Catherine River fri.ni 1»»th eJV-ls 

 Steven was to make the approach from Mansfield liy walking along 

 flit lh>wqua Kivcr, over Mount Howiu, ;it« nit; die Consent Saw 

 to Mount Speculation and (hence ujt lo .Mount Despair where Don 

 and 1 were lo meet him on Easter Satvirdav. We two lefl Wan- 

 gairaua on »iyr tiuUttf cycles on ( iood Friday and proceeded 10 

 Catherine Station du-«-ugh DaudongaOale an<] Abbeyard. After 

 Dand"ngadale die road narrows to harelv die width of a si&lgje car 

 and winds in and ont of rhe hillside making progress extremely 

 difficult. 



We left onr Uikttif at Cadterine Station, having covered the -ixiy- 

 tive miles [nun Wangaratta in just under three hours. We then 

 proceeded up the Catherine valley illicit for the first three miles 

 had been cleared of undergrowth. After \W\< the undergrowth along 

 the river flats became very douse and we had fren.uentlv to wade 

 across the river. There is supposed to be a track all the May up 

 the river hut it was difficult to follow and. when we did strike n. 

 we could not follow it for hmg\ 



As evening drew uear we made our camp on a grassy tvhtit. The 

 vallev floor had widened considerably fit i*^ about half a mile across 

 at its widest point / and at ilus particular spot, it would be over 

 300 yards and stretched for some four miles, making die area suit- 

 able for cattle grazing, and more than once, while moving through 

 the undergrowth, we came suddenlv upon startled animals whn 

 seemed resentful of our intrusion into their grazing land. At night- 

 fall the call of the Hoobook Owl heralded the rising moon over the 

 eastern ridge and from the nearby hills the eerie howl of a dingo 

 could be heard. 



On Easter Saturday we continued up the river, intending to 

 meet Steve at Mount Despair. However we took a wrong branch 

 of the river and headed up a tributary. Fortunately it was not long 

 before we discovered our mistake and wo decided to cross the 

 ridge between ua and the main stream. Thi- was a grout error in 



■ >lttii&V 'at Salin.il hf Foif-sm, I >i'Moek r 



