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390. Jubilee Mine-Jubilee Historic Area 7.5km

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 U3A Hike No 390. Hike Report by Joan Brick ⛏️ The Journey Begins: Italian Gully The Era of Alluvial Gold (1850–1882) The hike started with a history lesson at Italian Gully. Unlike the massive operations later in the day, this area was defined by "easy" gold. Method: Shovels, picks, and pans. The Boom: A rush of hopefuls arrived to work the surface earth, but the area was eventually abandoned once the easy gold and water supplies vanished. 🌸 Unexpected Finds & The Birdtrail Nature Among the Ruins Before hitting the heavy industrial sites, the bush offered up its own treasures. Spotted Hyacinth Orchid: A rare, leafless find that stood out against the summer scrub. The Rainbow Birdtrail: We spotted the distinctive blue posts marking this 35km historical hiking and riding loop. 🧱 Scaling Up: Mullock Heaps and Dams Signs of Underground Mining As the trail progressed, the landscape changed. Huge mullock heaps (piles of waste rock) signaled that we were entering an a...
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389. Two Lakes - Daylesford 8.8km

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 U3A Hike No 389 Hike Report by Anne Ottrey 🦚 A Colourful Welcome Twenty hikers turned up for this walk on a surprisingly cool January day. We welcomed 4 new members to our group – Sally, Paul, Pauline, and Pauline – easy names to remember! The walk commenced at the Jubilee Lake Reserve with a welcoming call from a peacock as Andrew started to introduce the walk. 🚂 Bridges and Brambles We began at the trestle bridge, a remnant of the North Creswick to Daylesford Railway. We crossed on the low-level bridge provided for pedestrians, thinking about the trains which once would have travelled above us on this bridge. From here we entered a very prickly section of the walk, as blackberry canes reached out from either side of the track, trying to ensnare unwary hikers. ☕ Lake Views to Mine Shafts The track undulated along, crossing the Ballan-Daylesford Road and branching around the back of Victoria Park onto Basin Road. We arrived at Lake Daylesford and followed the Lake track to our m...
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