Mount Scott – 13 May 2023
Article submitted to the NE Advertiser by Mike Douglas

A popular walk amongst both locals and interstate visitors is to Mount Scott, which overlooks South Springfield and gives extensive view of the Scottsdale district.

The May outing of the local field naturalists was to this track, which dates back to 1982 and is one of several walks in local forest reserves established by Sean Blake, now retired, of the forest service. The track ascends through an informal rainforest reserve within state forest, then at altitude 860 metres passes into the Mount Maurice Regional Reserve.

This reserve was established in 1979 by the forest service now within the purview of the Parks and Wildlife Service. In addition to rainforest conservation. this large reserve protects an important water catchment including the headwaters of the Forester and Ringarooma rivers.

The track Passes through beautiful forest dominated by the tall Myrtle and Sassafras trees with an open understory of Man Ferns and Mother Shield Ferns, classified as Callidendrous rainforest. Higher up amongst outcrops of Granodiorite, there is a narrow band of high altitude Callidendrous rainforest with scattered old Myrtles over native Pepper.

The summit ridge has huge old Tea Trees on clean trunks above native grassland and Pepper Bushes. Most walkers take one and a half hours to reach the lookout area, altitude 960 metres, where there is a logbook in a weatherproof container. Confident navigators can attain the main summit (984 metres) via an easy 30-minute walk along the ridge on an unmarked route.

An information sheet for the Mount Scott walk is available at the Art Gallery Cafe in Scottsdale and the Pavilion in Bridport.