Leonards Hill - Sailors' Falls Loop
U3A Ballarat Hike No 115
Hike Report by guest hiker Ebony Herperger (27)
Start Location: Sailors Falls
Length: 16.2-17.6km (depending on the satellites and the opinion of your device)
Route type: Loop
Time: ~5 hours (feels like 3 with good company)
Elevation: Go and find out!
Thursday morning dawned, frosty and soggy. Low clouds loomed ominously but to our great surprise they stayed civil and we managed to roam the countryside without getting damp from the top down (however the frequent and expansive puddles tried to make us damp from our toes up).
From Kirks the first convoy of cars zoomed away, led by Gordon. The second group waited an appropriate amount of time to give them a head start, however Andrew led such a hasty pursuit that we arrived almost simultaneously. We convened at Sailors Falls Mineral Spring on Ballan-Daylesford Rd and struck out west through an overgrown discreet vehicle track. We panted up "the short steep bit" and found ourselves on the Three Lost Children's Walk (story in link). We paused to catch our breath and catch sight of some birds in the nearby shrubs. The loop bent south, and we wended our way mostly downhill through areas of open woodland frecked with manna gums and ever-present acacia species. It took a long while but after an hour and a half of anticipation Gordon finally spotted the remains of an old water run coming off the Lerderderg Track. The mud to solid ground ratio increased drastically as we walked through a gully system before ascending back up through dry sclerophyll forest to a much-appreciated morning tea spot. We found our way to Gambles Lane where we learned about Hepburn Community Wind Park, the first community funded wind farm in Australia and established in 2007.
The original plan to follow the discontinued Ballarat to Daylesford train line was foiled by an unfriendly "Do Not Enter'. Private Property" sign, so we turned onto Sailors Creek Rd and joined up with the Wallaby Track. Along the way we found the Leonards Hill natural amphitheatre. (a dry dam) and decided it was a good lunch spot. No one entertained us with their talented hip hop moves, so we moved north along the edge of a recent planned burn and towards Sailors Falls. Keen eyes and curious minds picked out some freshly budding orchids, which was a welcome distraction from the growing weariness in our (well at least my) legs and gave us renewed vigour to climb the last 143 stairs back to the cars.
All in all, it was a lovely walk with varied scenery and topography. And boy was the cup of tea and biscuit at the end worth it! Many thanks to the whole group for being so welcoming and letting me join for a hike. From what I experienced; I can't wait for retirement!
(conversation when Ebony made the previous statement)
1st. 'by the time you are old enough to join this group, none of us will still be members'
2nd 'we might be wheelchair hiking though'
3rd 'underground hiking more likely'
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