WAYPOINTS
WHERE TE ARAROA TRAIL passes through the southwest corner of the Richmond Range towards St Arnaud, jumbles of curious rusting red rocks, stunted beech trees and boggy alpine wetlands combine to form unique natural landscapes.
The red rocks are part of an ancient and long arc of rocks called ophiolites or ultramafics that are high in minerals such as (2015) offers an absorbing explanation of the geology of Red Hills that far exceeds my ability to describe it, but here's my attempt: iron lends these rocks their literally rusty colour, while the other minerals create toxic soils that make plant colonisation difficult. Hence the stunted beech trees and curious alpine plants that have adapted to the soils.
