U3A Ballarat Hikers

 U3A Hike No 365 Hike Report by Colin Fraser Leader: Gordon Talbett Whip: Mark Hawley Distance: 13.8 km Weather: fine   Ten hikers met at Ballarat Railway Station and travelled by train to Melbourne, followed by a suburban train to Newmarket, where we commenced the walk.   We walked through the old Newmarket Sale Yards site, which closed in 1987.  Decentralisation of the livestock industry and expansive urban development directly contributed to the closure of the Saleyards.   After almost 130 years of cattle and stock trading, the Newmarket Saleyards were handed back to the State Government to be redeveloped into a private and public housing estate under the Lynch's Bridge Project. The reconstruction of 80 hectares of land cost $100 million over 10 years. Some buildings were retained, renovated and incorporated into the development.  The redevelopment retained some of the old infrastructure – bluestone paving, stock pens, and the auctioneer’s office.  ...

 U3A Hike No 364 Hike Report by Sharon Moss On a crisp 2 deg Ballarat morning, 11 keen hikers set off for the Rhinoceros walk in the Brisbane Ranges , named in honor of its outline on the map. There was not a safari suit or pith helmet to be seen!  We were certainly all  over -dressed leading to frequent wardrobe stops along the way. We soon warmed up with a steady climb, as we left Friday’s Campground. The Rhinoceros walk is part of the Burchell trail which is a multi day hike of 33 km. Not far into our walk, we decided to stop for morning tea at the lovely Old Mill camping ground. Then we reluctantly left our sunny picnic spot and headed off. Once a popular area for gold mining, the Brisbane Ranges offer a wide variety of hiking trails. There is an abundance of Australian native flora, with grass tress, eucalypts and masses of wildflowers in Spring. Previous mining is evidenced by the deep gorges, old mine shafts and relics along the way. We detoured to visit The Centen...

U3A Hike No 363 Hike Report By Deb Karmouche  12 Hikers rallied on a bleak, cold morning for a walk in the Creswick State Forest.  Roads were a bit muddy as we travelled to our starting point at Wolfes Road.  John Wolfe apparently developed the Slatey Creek Hydraulic Sluicing Company and there is evidence of water sluicing throughout the hike. In 1868 there was a reported 3,916 km of water races in the area and indeed evidence of extensive mining activity in the area was a highlight of the 14km hike. We started out on a bush road, hilly, and with deep gullies. On either side of this track were 2-to-3- metre cliffs which were a consequence of mining activity when they excavated the surface in order to find and extract gold.  Rain fell softly at one stage but by the time we put our waterproof layers on it had stopped and the day remailed dry. Morning tea was at Slatey Creek Camp ground No 1 in the rotunda which was very civilized and from there we joined the Goldf...