Jubilee Heritage Area Circuit

May 21, 2020

U3A Hike No. 103

Andrew: Our thanks go to Gordon who conceived, researched and prepared this hike.

Hike Reports by Chris, Marianne and Jan

Chris: Three groups congregated in Smythesdale for the drive to the Jubilee Reserve, about 8km to the west. We all had our wet weather gear. Although there proved to be lots of surface water on the tracks, it turned out to be fine, if cool. My group, led by Gordon had the advantage of including Ken who is descended from a line of local miners. He was sure this would enable him to readily identify any nuggets uncovered by the rains.

Surface gold mining in the region in the 1850’s was followed by deep lead workings from later that decade. The Jubilee Quartz Mining Company, formed following the discovery of a “new” deep lead reef in 1887 was the biggest and most technologically advanced. There were dozens in the district. The area, now deserted, was then a thriving European community with up to 800 students at the school. There is little evidence of the community infrastructure remaining, however, the reserve contains one of the best collections of historic mining features in the state, now nestled among the forest.

Marianne: With Tim as our very capable leader we followed the tracks and trails to the site of the Jubilee Mine and viewed the remnants of the buildings and read the information plaques about the workings and lifestyle of that bygone era.

Jan: The six hikers in White Group met in Smythesdale at 8.30 am then drove about 9 kms in convoy to the start of our walk at the Jubilee Mine Historic Area. It was a bit chilly with a suspicious 'rainy' feel in the air but ended up being a mostly bright and sunny autumn day; perfect for a walk through the bush. Particularly as the bush was peppered with deep mine shafts, dams, mullock heaps and interesting artifacts from bygone gold mining days. We stopped and read the informative signs along the way and tried to imagine a bustling settlement that has largely vanished.

Chris: There are many remaining dry water channels and dams which were constructed at the time. The brick and concrete foundations of the mine’s water tanks, boilers and a giant array of crushing batteries remain largely intact. The remaining mullock and sand heaps along with distinctive clearings are also evidence of the nature of the mining activity. Display posts with photographs and drawings of mining methods help to describe life in an earlier time. We also saw the cyanide tanks which workers used up until the 1930’s to extract residual deposits.

Chris: Following morning tea by an intact dam, we continued along a trail past some more smaller scale workings. Lots of heath and various fungi along the way. Lunch at a ridge just past the eponymous Gordon Gully, then a pleasant walk through the eucalyptus back to our starting point for a cuppa, content but no richer.

Marianne: Morning tea was enjoyed on the bank of the Jubilee Dam, with bright sunshine and a cloudless sky creating beautiful reflections on the water.

Jan: Every now and again we caught a glimpse of another group of U3A hikers up ahead but were able to avoid contact by stopping for a while and having morning tea or lunch (using the logs recently vacated by Gordon's group).

Marianne: I found this hike thoroughly enjoyable because of the many varieties of flora. On both sides of the track there was an abundance of varying shades of pink heath as well as many different types of colourful fungi. The hike took us through areas of previously burnt trees, evidence of the bushfires that raged through there several years ago. It is always pleasing to witness the regeneration of natural bushland.

Jan: Walking was mostly along flat paths and tracks with the occasional very large puddle to dodge. The pink Common Heath was in bloom and looked very pretty. At one stage we caught up to the Gold Group and people mingled enthusiastically and caught up on each other's news (and reunited Marianne with her mat). We learned that they had left an arrow on the path pointing to some interesting fungi, but we'd been completely oblivious of their creative signage.

Marianne: A red robin and two female robins delighted us with their presence at our lunch spot.

Chris: Thanks to Gordon, Tim and Andrew for this exploration of a bygone era.

Marianne: On our return we followed part of the Rainbow Bird Trail to arrive back at our cars after a hike through history and an extremely enjoyable meander through beautiful natural bush.

Jan: A few people stayed back a bit so that the group did not exceed 10 people - the current limit set by the Victorian government. After having a bit of a catch up our groups separated and not long afterwards we saw our cars at the end of our circuit walk. The six of us then got folding chairs and extra refreshments from our cars and sat in a pleasant grassy spot and enjoyed relaxing at the end of our lovely hike.

Thanks everyone for another very enjoyable Thursday.

Photos by Gordon, Andrew and Marianne