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403. Yarra Bend Hike - Abbotsford to Rushall 11.9km

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 U3A Hike No 403 Hike Report By Mark Hawley 🚂 ‘Quality over quantity’ could have been the theme this week with just 6 making the free train trip to Melbourne. From Southern Cross Station, we took the tram to Victoria St, Abbotsford.   🏙️ After admiring the Skipping Girl sign nearby, Gordon led us towards the Yarra River. It was not a ‘walk in the park’ for the first few km as we navigated rough, hilly dirt paths along the river across from the Abbotsford Brewery.   🔄 A better name for the area might be Yarra Bends, as the Yarra twists, turns, and loops through city bushland.   📸 There were plenty of sights along the way: 🌉 Johnson St Bridge, under which we walked.   ⛪ View of Abbotsford Convent at one of the bends, with the Collingwood Children’s Farm in front.   🌊 Dights Falls, which marks the high point of the river’s tidal back flow.   🏊 Deep Rock swimming and diving area—where 70,000 people gathered in 1918 to w...
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402. Upper Yarrowee River Trail. Out&Back 10.2km

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 U3A Hike No 402 Hike Report by Fiona Deutscher 🍂 A group of 14 hikers met on a mild autumn day to commence the circuit trail along the Yarrowee River from Brown Hill Reserve to the Gong Gong Reservoir and return. The Yarrowee trail is part of the Goldfields track, being mostly a flat gravel path. It follows the Yarrowee River/Creek with pleasant bushland surrounds within Ballarat's outer residential areas. 🛤️ Initially, the track passed the Brown Hill oval then along the river before leading upwards and through the tunnel running underneath the freeway. Then it opened out into a cleared area before passing through the Ditchfield Bush Reserve. This area is renowned for its birdlife. 🏡 Once we crossed over Springs Road, it was interesting to view the various gardens of properties backing onto the trail. The track became more undulating and climbed gently upwards with various cross tracks and bridges. It was helpful to have interpretive signs displayed indicating native wildlife i...
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