Jagun is Gumbaynggirr Country. The conical Picket Hill, a significant Gumbaynggirr place called Nunguu Mirral, overlooks the coastal forests, Oyster Creek and the dunes of the Jagun Nature Reserve which lie to the north of Valla Beach.
The land was previously used by European settlers for logging, grazing and some market gardening until acquired and declared a reserve. The walking here is easy, on flat wide tracks on sandy soils. We follow a track through the forest, then across the dunes to the beach before returning to the forest to complete our loop. There is a dense understory of bracken, bloodwood, banksia, paperbark in wet areas. The birds are cheerful on a clear, sunny, autumn day, something scuttles in the under-storey.
A side trip takes us to the upper tidal reaches of Oyster Creek where the train tracks glint across the water until suddenly a train appears and shatters the peace. Turning onto Mirral trail, we climb a small rise with a lovely stand of Blackbutt before following the boundary trail behind the houses back to our car.
