Dave Roberts led a group of us to have a look at the damage at Venus Baths. It was a new experience to be invited to climb over a closed gate. We walked up on the south side, where the track is hardly affected, until we reached where the bridge used to be. It is now metres downstream. We gazed at the sight above us where so much rock and mud had come down from the road above. We then gingerly crossed over the ford to the baths themselves. They are hardly changed, except for the sandblasting they received. Apparently straight after the event they were pink; now the lichen is coming back slowly. The path on the northern side is damaged, but not hugely. (Upstream towards Wonderland there is quite a bit of damage.) But for now the reason access to the Baths is denied is the danger of further rockfalls while VICROADS work on the road above. Once they have completed their work, Park workers can get in and fix the paths and the bridge.
We had the opportunity while walking to start the conversation on FOGG ‘s contribution to recovery efforts, which will be continued at our next meeting in August.