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410. Hepburn Springs-Hunts Dam-8KM

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 U3A Hike No 410 Hike Report by Anne O Nine fearless hikers m et at Kirks to carpool and travel to Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve .  With 10-25 mm of rain predicted, the most common comment was “We must be mad!” As it turned out we were lucky, with lightly spitting rain the worst we experienced. Andrew had already decided to shorten the walk to avoid the heavier falls likely to come late morning. This worked well as the rain started to intensify just as we reached the carpark at the end of the walk. A short distance from the start , t he walk passed Wyuna Springs , then followed Wild Cat Gully to Argyle Mineral Springs. We passed a couple of mine adits . New signage along the way, attractive seating areas and carvings of native plants and animals showed that some money had been spent on this section of the track. Much of the walk followed rocky walking tracks and we needed to concentrate on where we placed our feet. A well-placed tree saved one hiker from a slide do...
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409. Ingliston Gorge - Falcon Lookout Werribee State Park 7.8 km

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 U3A Hike No 409 Hike Report by Lyn Hooper WOW is the word I would use to describe this hike. WOW - The Weather - It was incredible for a winter's morning. As we headed down the highway towards Ballan, the sun was shining with lots of clear blue sky and for this time of the year not too chilly. ( What a difference a week makes!! ) WOW - The Hike - It consisted of two parts (3.8 km and 4 km respectively). The first part was a visit to Falcon's Lookout. Leaving the cars at the Ironbark Gorge carpark we headed down the path into a shady gully concentrating on our foot placement as the track, rocks and logs were all wet and slippery. However needless to say there was constant chatter as Leona and Geoff had just returned from their trip and we were all eager to hear about their exploits.  Then, as with most downhills there was an uphill. As we were nearing the ridge sunlight dappled through the trees. Just before the lookout we took a short side trip to enjoy the vista over farmlan...
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408. Jessie McIntosh-Buninyong Walk 7.7km

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 U3A Huke No 408. Hike Report by Sharon Moss Our first winter hike this year delivered all that Ballarat is sadly known for: wet, wet & more wet. Eleven hardy or maybe crazy hikers met at the Buninyong Cemetery. We visited the grave of Jessie McIntosh, a 4-year-old girl who went missing in 1867. She had wandered from her home on the outskirts of Buninyong, with her body found 4 days later near Durham Lead, despite having been seen by several witnesses. This was a tragic situation, as it was not long after three children were lost in Daylesford, their bodies found several months later. A brief car shuffle & we were underway. Beanies, scarves, gloves, coats & overpants was the dress code for today, with none of the usual wardrobe adjustments required! We wandered along well-maintained roads through the bush with the occasional climbs to help keep us warm. Not a lot to report in terms of flora & fauna. Several kangaroos were spotted in a paddock & lovely pops of pi...
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