Mt Egerton Forest and Lanes Circuit - 11.4 Kms

 


U3A Hike No. 129

Hike Report by Lyn Hooper

This was my first hike since restrictions had been significantly eased and it was wonderful to see so many fellow hikers congregating at Kirk’s Reservoir.

After a brief welcome and recap on directions to Mt Egerton Recreation Reserve, 26 participants headed off.  Most of us made it to the reserve in a timely fashion but one group insisted on going the scenic route and arrived about 10 minutes later, probably seeing parts of Mt Egerton that they had never seen before.

Once we were all together again, we left our cars and headed off using the bush tracks to reach our first destination – the top of Mt Egerton.  The climb was not too challenging with a view limited by trees although on the way up you could see many wind turbines.  The weather was just perfect with blue skies and an ideal temperature for walking.  Leaving the summit, we continued on bush tracks going up, going down, going around.  I had no idea where we were and as normal, was trusting in our very competent leader.

Before I knew it, we were at the Mt Egerton Cemetery.  Situated on the side of a hill, it was a lovely spot to have morning tea.  I was impressed that so many headstones were still intact.  Andrew gave an insight into the history of the Cemetery, informing us that it was in use before being gazetted.

We continued our walk around the outskirts of Mt Egerton.  I noticed that some bluebells (Wahlenbergias) were in flower together with blue pincushions (Brunonia) and button everlastings (Helichrysum).

Soon we came to the Mt Egerton Gold Battery, a corrugated iron structure in excellent condition although no longer operational.  Hopefully it will resume its Open Days in the near future. 

Continuing on, we found ourselves tantalisingly close to our cars but most of us decided to walk another two kms.  We arrived back to the cars just in time for lunch.

A big thank you to Andrew once again for organizing this walk together with the history snippets.  It was lovely to finally catch up with everyone again.  I hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as I did. 


Message from Noel Andersen at the Gold Battery 'Our Open Days are back on for the last Sunday of the month from January 2021 from 10am to 12.30pm. If any of your members are interested we would be chuffed to see you visit.'






Photos by Mark Bevelander

























LINKS




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Berringa Mines and Heritage Walk - 9 Kms

Image
 U3A Hike No 279 Hike Report by Lyn The day was overcast and hazy as our group set out from the Berringa Recreation Reserve and started walking back towards Ballarat. Soon we stopped and marvelled in awe as Andrew waved a $50 note in the air, then a $5 note apparently picked up from amongst the roadside litter. However we were not fooled and Andrew returned the notes to his pocket and we continued on.  Our first mine we came across was the Birthday Tunnel mine set high up the steep sided gully. Since our last visit in February 2021, the mining relics consisting of brickwork and a rusting boiler were still evident but a new addition in the form of a modern looking living transportable container was within close proximity. Not wanting to hang around for too long we then descended the steep sided gully concentrating on our foot placement as it would have been very easy to slip on the downward leaning grasses, although we took time out to look at the impressive mullock heap.  With expert n
Read more

287. Frith Gully - Mt Misery Loop. Enfield State Park

Image
 U3A Hike No 287 Hike Report by Colin Fraser Eight hikers assembled outside the Marty Busch Reserve in Sebastopol for an 11.5 km hike on the Frith Gully-Mt Misery Loop in the Enfield State Park. We travelled in two vehicles to the start of the walk at Bald Hill on Incolls Road, Enfield. The walk was graded as moderate, and described as continuously hilly. We walking paths and rough bush roads through isolated parts of the park. There were deep gullies with lush vegetation, high ridges with open scrub, and areas that still bear the scars of extensive surface mining in the 19th century. We followed Misery Creek Road south then the Misery Creek and Forest Park walking tracks to Surface Point Picnic Ground, where we had smoko. Before arriving at Surface Point we were accompanied overhead by the raucous alarm calls of a group of cockatoos warning of our intrusion into their forest. Coincidently this occurred just near Mt Cockatoo!! We shared the picnic table with a man who was camping there
Read more

305. Fisherman's Bend - Port Melbourne Walk 11.3km

Image
 U3A Hike No 305 Aerial Photo Showing Former Airfield Hike Report By Sharon Moss. On a blustery but fortunately dry morning , 19 intrepid travelers made their way to Southern Cross Station to begin their suburban hike through Fisherman’s Bend - Port Melbourne. We set off at a brisk pace with Andrew capably leading us & Gordon as whip. We had a lovely walk along the banks of the Yarra River, passing impressive boats moored at the marina with one bearing the name Costa Lot ! Andrew pointed out pylons that are decorative rather than functional, as they sit adjacent to the Bolte bridge but are not part of the structure . Passing under the bridge, we then joined busy Lorimer St , where conversation slowed somewhat as noise overtook. We were all alert watching out for bikes , scooters, joggers & traffic ! We passed several landmarks of interest . The  art deco building previously GMH , with one part of the building now occupied by a Ballarat company J King  Homes . Andrew shared inte
Read more