Field Trip to Mt Buffalo

Some Geology of the Region

Our Australian Alps were formed by different plate tectonics to the towering European mountains and have been moulded by different weathering agents.

When Australia was taking shape as part of Gondwana along with Antarctica, India and New Zealand, the area where the Alps are now was a flat plain of sedimentary rocks (from being ocean floor). As the land masses of Gondwana moved apart (India moving westward, Antarctica south) it stretched the Earth’s crust to become thinner and weaker. A large plateau started to rise in this thinner crust and hot magna rose up heating the surrounding crust and allowing lighter rocks to also rise. A plateau of nearly two kilometres high was the beginning of the Australian Alps.

The stretching continued causing faults within the plateau and then caused a rift (our own Rift Valley) which allowed in sea water which further expanded the rift (we are now up to 80mya). New Zealandia sank away to the east and the western side of the plateau became our Eastern coastline. Further uplifts, injections of lava along fault lines, as well as frost, wind and water over the next 60 million years formed valleys and smoothed sharp peaks. The granitic plateau of Mt Buffalo has now become quite isolated and surrounded by beautiful valleys.

https://theaustralianalpsnationalparks.org/the-alps-partnership/education/geology/ makes interesting reading.

Field Trips are open to any member of ANPS Canberra and on the latest trip there were 21 of us. Participants came along for a range of reasons and on this trip, we were able to manage a range of people’s preferences.

Enjoying the Environment

The organised walks were:

Old Galleries Track — a 1.3km loop walk through huge granite tors and snow gum woodland.

Dickson Falls Nature Walk — 4km return through a frost hollow and alpine swamp to granite cliffs, a waterfall and beautiful views.

View Point Nature walk — 4km return, through mixed Eucalypt woodland and up boulders to lovely views above the eucalypts into the Buckland Valley.

Bushwalkers were able to go at their own pace as trips were return routes. Others of us turned around when physical limits were being stretched. Those wanting to relax, sketch or write could pick a comfortable spot along the route. Those wanting to enjoy plant identifying had many discussions over the days.