Growling Swallet

I could not resist a day trip to a place called Growling Swallet. A friend in our walking group had told me about it several times before, so when it was added to the walks schedule for April, I had to go. It is a beautiful rainforest walk, especially in autumn, with abundant colourful fungi along the track, moss-covered logs and some huge trees including my favourite, the Myrtle Beech. It's only a short walk - a little more than 4km return - but worth the drive to see this unusual feature. A 'swallet' is a place where a river disappears underground. At Growling Swallet, the water plunges down into a cave, to reappear more than 30km later as the Junee River at Junee Cave, a short distance from Maydena. To visit Growling Swallet, you first need to stop at the visitors' centre at Mt Field National Park to collect a key for the gate (deposit required) to the F8 East Road off the Florentine Road. On the way back, a stop at the Possum Shed in Westerway for scones and tea is a must.