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429. Williamstown to Newmarket 12.8km

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 U3A Huke No 429 Hike Report by Sharon 13 happy hikers made their way to Williamstown under cloudy but promising skies. This was a walk with great diversity …significant history with multiple information boards throughout the walk, a lovely coastal stroll, delightful, shady paths through native gardens &   wetland areas, meanwhile constantly on the lookout for cyclists of which there were many! The whistles were put to good use ! Williamstown has a rich maritime, engineering, and cultural history. Indigenous Australians occupied the area long before the  1st European arrived in 1803. Williamstown boomed during the mid 19th century with the influx of gold miners, many of Cornish descent. By 1870 Williamstown was known as the major cargo port of Victoria.  Our walk along Hobsons Bay took us past the Timeball Tower built in 1940 as a lighthouse, on past Fort Gellibrand, a previous quarry where convicts, including Ned Kelly were put to work. Continuing our walk, ...
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428.- La Franchi's Hut 8.6km

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U3A Hike No 428 Hike Report by Mark Bulldust! Some of this was present on our hike. On the roads and occasionally the verbal variety. Enough to coat the hiking boots and totally obscure the cars driving around you. Fortunately, it was patchy and most of the walk was on the usual gravelly clay paths we are more used to tramping. We welcomed new member, Helen as well as Aaron, Andrews son-in-law. Many of us have been to Lafranchis Hut before in Hepburn Regional Park – not to be confused with the one in Switzerland. It was built in the 1920s by Victor Lafranchi, son of Giulio Lafranchi who built his goldrush era homestead nearby and subsequently burnt down in the early 20 th century. The anticlockwise circular 9km hike track started next to Werona Road and sections followed the edge of the Regional Park.  Outside the bushland were cleared grazing areas with scattered tree stumps which resembled kangaroos from a distance ( Wood y roos ?) A vote was taken to schedule morning tea a...
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