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Walk 10: Distillery Creek – Ted’s Ridge Track Circuit
A walk through open heath woodland, with a variety of wattles flowering in late winter and spring. Teds Track on the ridgeline is a great place to admire terrestrial orchids especially in the springtime. The walk takes you into a forest area where Mountain Grey-gums are a feature. Heathland and forest birds are attracted to the various flowering plants.
STARTING POINT:
Distillery Creek Road
TIME AND DISTANCE:
1.5 hr – 4 km circuit
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY:
Easy to moderate
How to get there

Turn off the Great Ocean Road at Bambra Road, just east of the bottom shops in Aireys Inlet. Follow the bitumen road alongside the Painkalac Creek valley for 2.5 km to the junction of Bambra Road and Distillery Creek Road. Continue along Distillery Creek Road for another 0.5 km and park in Distillery Creek Road.

Walk Notes
Blue-winged Parrot

Begin the walk on the right side of Distillery Creek Road just past the end of the private property. Follow the wide firebreak track, watching for the stand of Spreading Wattle which is not common in the Park, and past some quite tall messmates with an open varied understorey that includes Silver Banksia, guinea flowers, Horny Cone-bush and Austral Grass-trees.

The track has two uphill climbs – one quite short, and the other much longer as you approach the top of the ridge.

Once you reach the ridgeline there are some fine coastal views and a small plaque explaining why the track is called Teds Track. Turn left and continue along the top of the ridge taking time to admire the different types of vegetation and the birds that are attracted to the area.

At the end of Teds Track turn left at Snakey Gully Track and walk downhill for about 640 m where there is a track to the right into a forest area that was once a private settlement and is now a pleasant spot to have a rest and perhaps some refreshments. Take some time to admire the Mountain Grey-gums and the Rusty Pomaderris that flowers profusely in the spring.

Having rejoined Snakey Gully Track, proceed downhill to Distillery Creek Road where you will be in ironbark territory. Turn left and walk back along the narrow walking track beside the road until you reach your starting point. Between October and December, you may see some duck orchids as you walk above the cutting.

Bird Calls
Eastern Yellow Robin
Crimson Rosella
Grey Shrikethrush

Eastern Yellow Robin (Recording by Vicki Powys CC BY); Grey Shrikethrush (Recording by Marc Anderson, CC BY); Crimson Rosella call (Recording by Marc Anderson, CC BY)

Check Out Fauna & Flora Below
Horny Cone-bush (Photo by Margaret MacDonald)
Austral Grass-trees (Photo by Gail Sluikhuis)
Rusty Pomaderris (Photo by Murray Fagg CC BY)

Flying Duck Orchid (Photo by Margaret MacDonald)
Ironbark (bark) (Photo by Ethel Aardvark, CC BY)
Silky Guinea-flower (Photo by Gail Sluikhuis)

Messmate (Photo by Arthur Chapman, CC BY)
Banksia (Photo by Margaret MacDonald)
Mountain Grey Gum (bark) (Photo by Poyt448)
Spreading Wattle (Photo by Ellinor Campbell)

More details about this walk including a species checklist can be found on the Angair Nature Show website.