Dry Diggings Track Stage Four - Mt Franklin View Walk

July 04, 2019

U3A Hike no 70

By Dick Patterson

Leader: Gordon Talbett

Weather: Fine and sunny. No wind. Temperature 12 degrees to 14 degrees.

Distance covered: 14.8km

Walk Commenced: Porcupine Ridge Road. 9.00am

Walk Concluded: Hepburn Springs carpark. 1.45pm

Walkers: 15

The walk for this week was through the southern section of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, one which contains significant geographical and mining features.

We thought of Andrew and Ingrid as they head north and we hoped that the hotter weather doesn’t hinder the walking.

The sprightly group gathered at the Gong car park at 7.45am. Eight cars were driven to Hepburn Springs car park and then four cars with all the walkers drove to the commencing spot, Porcupine Ridge, which intersects with the Great Dividing Trail.

The group set off in perfect weather along the 4 wheel drive track, Dry Diggings Track, which gave good views after a short climb. The track was very good and the pace was brisk. A perfect pace for early morning blood circulation.

The Dry Diggings Track turned to the west and the southern section became Sawpit Gully Road. We continued along the more scenic route until we then joined Sawpit Gully Road. The ridge we walked along was quite dramatic with steep sides, one of which became a tributary of the Tarlita Creek.

Gordon did a fine job deciphering the map and the clues on the signposts which were at times ambiguous.

We then left the Box forests and came to open grazing land and continued on a good firm road through open grazing country. The sides of the road supported a good mix of eucalypts.

We left the Dry Diggings Bushland Reserve and crossed Leslies Road. Mount Franklin was the dominate feature to the west. The open land, the Elevated Plains, provided ample accommodation for the sixty plus kangaroos.

We wound our way through more bush until we exited at the Midland Highway which we followed to the northwest for a kilometre. Just as thoughts of coffee were being considered we stumbled across the Midland Highway towards the Chocolate Mill

….and without a murmur we simply walked straight by…. and headed towards Shepherds Gully. After a short climb we were at the Elevated Plains.

We stopped for morning tea at Tarlita Creek and lunch at the highly eroded area of the dry diggings. This was the area that received waters via an aqueduct built by Hunt. It carried water from Musk, south of Daylesford to the area for sluicing the banks of the streams.

For a short time we walked west on Mannings Road and then left it to join the Dry Diggings Track again. From there we went to Widows Gully and Womans Gully and into Hepburn Springs carpark.

Mount Franklin, provided a good and changing view. It was active 470,000 years ago until about 5,000 years ago. The Aboriginal Farmers at the Mount Franklin Protectorate and Dja Dja Wurrung had stories of the smoking mountain, an oral history that has been passed down for thousands of years.

One story told by the Dja Dja Wurrung people relates how two volcanoes, Tarrengower (big, heavy but wise) and Lalgambook (young, loud and cheeky) got into a biff. The older one began to grumble and build up anger when challenged by the younger, but – being wiser – he then chose to ignore cheeky Lalgambook,

Thus treated, the younger mountain put on a threatening display – smoke, ash, brimstone. Rocks were thrown, things boiled over and Lalgambook (otherwise known as Mount Franklin) blew his fiery core all over the place while the more restrained Tarrengower (an extinct volcano near Maldon) continued to just grumble.

Lalgambook to the Dja Dja Wurrung, or Mount Franklin to us, was originally known as Jim Crow Hill until Governor LaTrobe climbed it with Sir John Franklin in 1843. It is one of 400 extinct volcanoes in western Victoria.

The Aboriginal protectorate was reduced and then removed as gold activities increased in the area. The chief activity was the sluicing which created the horrendous damage which we saw.