U3A Ballarat Hikers

 U3A Hike No. 135 Hike Report by Martin This was an interesting walk in a remote location in an out-lying section of the Lerderderg State Park, north of Bacchus Marsh.  The walk was described as a trek that mainly follows rough bush tracks through hilly terrain, with short sections where there was little or no track.  Eight intrepid walkers set off from the gateway leading into the park and immediately encountered a long uphill climb as we headed north along the Antinomy Mine Track – a vehicle access track.  Whilst Gordon referred to the terrain as “hilly”, as a group we agreed it could be referred to as at the steeper end of the “hilly” spectrum. Along the way a variety of flora was observed, however I will have to defer to the botanist as to the species.  Of note however, was what I think were banksia trees and some significant mushroom specimens.  We continued uphill and then down dale along the Antimony Mine Track, eventually arriving at the Sugarloaf Track.  With each successive

 U3A Hike No. 134 Hike Report by Chris Charleson Due to concerns about rising temperatures, 18 hikers left early from the revised starting point in Valley Drive. We followed the Canadian Creek to the south, then westerly beside Whitehorse Road to the Yarrowee Trail. While we noticed land degradation from earlier la d use and the settling ponds on our right, we appreciated the more recent clearing, revegetation and trail works. The Yuille and Redan wetlands are now bird refuges and popular photo spots. We saw the bench dedicated Jack Adams who had the vision to lead these efforts. Groups such as the Ballarat Environmental Network, Friends of the Yarrowee and Friends of The Canadian Creek Corridor continue this work and welcome volunteers.  Recently erected display boards towards Golden Point give a great insight into earlier days.   Andrew told us the story of the Sunnyside Mill, with its magnificent brickwork and striking chimney stack. The wrought iron cut outs around the prope

  U3A Hike No. 133 Hike Report by Jan H Eight hikers gathered at the pre-arranged meeting spot in Lucas and then piled into two cars to drive out to the Ben Major State Forest which is north of Beaufort. On the way there, the clouds were looking pretty low over the hills and we wondered whether we'd see the wonderful views from the top, but the day turned out to be a perfect day for hiking - mostly sunny with a cool breeze. We set off along Granite Track and walked easily along an undulating vehicle track noticing the abundance of yellow everlasting daisies. After an uphill section we stopped and caught our breath at a T-intersection and then turned right onto the Ben Major Track and followed this until we found a suitable log (burnt) for morning tea. There were many dead trees from the (Lexton) bushfire on 20 December 2019. Although it meant that we could see through to the shape of the surrounding countryside it was heartening to see that many of the trees had lush new growth s