Garfield Wheel and Welsh Village Hike

U3A Hike No 98

Report by Ken Dickson
Six middle-aged men from Ballarat U3A travelled in convoy to Chewton and started their hike at the site of the old Garfield Water wheel which was constructed in 1887.  It was 22 metres in diameter and powered a 15 head quartz-crushing battery, the largest water wheel ever constructed in Australia. The foundations are all that remain.   From there, we walked up steps and initially followed the Goldfields Track along a water race which provided pleasant walking in mild conditions.    We came across several abandoned slate quarries where some of the well-known ‘Castlemaine Slate’ came from. 

We explored the ruins of an old Blacksmith Shop.   In this area there was a circular depression which was the remains of a puddling machine. These were used by miners to separate gold particles from clay and heavy soils. By the middle of the 1860s puddling machines were a thing of the past. As the alluvial gold deposits ran out, the miners turned their attention to quartz reefs and underground operations. There were many mine shafts in the area, and some were fenced off for safety.  

Eventually we found ourselves at the ‘Welsh Village’ and the remains of Welsh workers cottages which were quite extensive over a relatively large area.   From there we continued to Expedition Pass Reservoir where we rested and had lunch and had a long men’s chat.
  
After lunch we continued our walk along a track parallel to Forest creek and made our way back to the Garfield Water Wheel. The walk was very interesting with water races gullies: deep cuttings into the hills and mullock heaps. There was some banter between the boys (Men)along the walk which could not be printed. 

Also, Gordon was joking about me knowing people everywhere we go and guess what?  On the walk, we met a guy I worked with over twenty years ago was training some SES guys in abseiling. 

Photos by Andrew Parker
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