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395. Frith Gully-Mt Misery Loop 11.4km

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 U3A Hike No 394 Hike Report by Lyn  ðŸŒŦ️ After a foggy start, 19 hikers gathered at Bald Hills in the Enfield State Park. With the briefing out of the way, we were introduced to our newest member Greg (2). The weather was ideal for hiking. ðŸĨū Following Kim, we headed down Mt Misery Road only to stop and pause to confirm our route before turning off the road and proceeding down the single file track. ðŸŒļ Soon some of us stopped and paused to admire our first hyacinth orchid which was keenly spotted by Gordon. Some of us also stopped and paused to admire and photograph the complex, lacy and intricate spider webs of the leaf curling spider that were glistening with the dew in the morning light. ðŸ•ļ️ The quiet ambience of the forest also made us stop and pause as we soaked in our peaceful surrounds. Our final stop and pause on our southerly route was for morning tea. 📍 Further on Greg (1) also spotted a hyacinth orchid. This section of the track took us down and up many gullies and...
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394. Nuggetty Gully - Linton Hike 12km

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 U3A Hike No 394 Hike Report by Alan Evans 📍 The Meet-up & "The Rogue Turn" Twenty hikers, including one visitor from Canada, gathered at Bunnings in Delacombe before making the trip out to Linton. We set off from the Linton Oval, making the short connection to join the historic Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail . However, the planned route didn't last long; Mark, living up to his rebel reputation, decided to go "rogue." He flipped the script and led the group in the opposite direction of the original plan! ðŸŠĶ Reflections at the Cemetery Our reversed route soon brought us to the Linton Cemetery . We took some time to wander between the headstones, reading the names and dates that tell the story of the region’s early settlers. Leaving the grounds, the atmosphere shifted from somber to cautious as we navigated a track flanked by several deep, uncovered mine shafts—a stark reminder of the area's golden but dangerous past. 🚒 Morning Tea & Memorials We paused...
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393. Hard Hill and Watsons Hill Diggings 10.9km

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 U3A Hike No 393 Hike Report by Sharon Moss ðŸĨū The Expedition   18 happy hikers  headed off under cloudy skies to explore a “new” walk in  Ross Creek State Park .  This particular adventure came about thanks to Gordon’s fascination with historic water channels!   ⛏️ Engineering History   The route took us along a water race engineered by  Thomas Boden  in the 1870s. These hand-dug channels—stretching  32 km  in total—were designed to transport water from various catchment dams to support high-pressure gold sluicing.   The scale of the operation was massive: approximately  22,000 kg  of alluvial gold was discovered in the Linton- Smythesdale  area. (Refer to the podcast for further  details .)   🧗 Terrain & Safety   The walk was gently undulating along well-made bush tracks, though it turned hilly in sections with  steep, slippery  ascents  and descents . The landscape  rema...
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