18. Rail Trail Hike - Pittong to Nimons Bridge

U3A Hike No 18


Hike Report By Alan Pittard

Thursday 20th July saw 8 ‘weather brave’ U3A hikers commence an 18 km section of the Ballarat to Skipton Rail Trail. 

We began at Pittong, halfway between Skipton and Linton. Our destination was Nimmons Bridge, which is one of the largest timber trestle bridges in Victoria. It crosses the Woady Yaloak River near Newtown. 

During the hike, heath, bracken fern, wattle and varieties of eucalypts compelled camera buffs in our midst to capture the many joys of the Aussie bush. Nearing Linton, we passed the Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary, which has seventeen notable bird species. 

The entire 53 km trail was re surfaced, profiled, compacted and drained in 2008 at a cost of $700,000 for the use of hikers, cyclists and horse riders. 

Lunch at Linton provided energy and inner core warmth from a welcome cappuccino before ascending the locomotive friendly slope to Nimmons bridge. 

As if pre-programmed, our cars mysteriously almost self-navigated to the Smythesdale pub for a final cappuccino or long black and a world problem solving session. 

The rail between Skipton and Linton was opened in 1916, with Pittong being the only intermediate station. Pittong originally had a long passenger platform and a loop for loading goods and livestock. By 1956 the goods and livestock facilities had been removed, but from 1975 until the line’s closure in 1985 the rail served a kaolin plant at Pittong. The line to Linton from Ballarat and Scarsdale had been completed by 1891, with stations at Newtown and Happy Valley. 

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