Antimony Mine and Mt Sugarloaf Hike - 13.6 Kms

 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 up and down leading us higher and closer to Mt Sugarloaf.

As we climbed, we would periodically look back over our shoulders and witness the magnificent views over the valley that lie to the north of Bacchus Marsh.  Hopefully the photos accompanying this Blog will show the views in their full glory.

Onward we trekked, finally arriving at our morning tea destination – Mt Sugarloaf lookout.  The discussions whilst having morning tea included the theory behind the cuboid shapes of wombat scats, which we had spotted just prior to arriving at the lookout.  Academic research has led to the conclusion that the cubed shape is the result of the wombat need to extract as much moisture from its food as possible.  A quick “google” delivers other theories, however the moisture extraction one appears to be the most plausible.  It was also interesting to note that this topic featured in an ABC News broadcast that very night.

Having rested, and completed our morning tea, we retraced our steps back down along Sugarloaf Track to the Antimony Mine Track,which we followed. It commences as a narrow vehicle track and eventually narrows to a single file walking track. And then,.......we arrived at 'The Bridge!!' The bridge consisted on lightweight steel mesh wired together and suspended over the creek ravine, anchored on each side by star pickets.  One by one we crossed the bridge which presented a trampoline like action as you took each step.

It turns out that this narrow vehicle track was in fact the track used for the light gauge rail system that was installed as part of the Antimony mineral transport system - remnants of the steel rails could be seen at many spots along the way.

At the mine, we observed solid concrete foundations of what would have been the processing infrastructure.  We also inspected one of the larger mine entrances that Gordon had located, whilst there were a number smaller versions scattered around the area.

After inspecting the mining infrastructure, we continued to trek further north west along the creek, enjoying the remoteness of the area and the changing vegetation. 

Eventually we arrived at a pretty little valley, with suitable fallen trees that served as seat and had lunch.  After lunch Andrew and Gordon quizzed the group on the use of a compass – we need further instruction!

It was now time to retrace our steps, noting the wreck of what appeared to be a mini minor along the way.  We crossed back over the creek and up the last torturous hill to the main Antimony Mine Track for a leisurely walk back to where the cars were parked.  The walk was finished off with the customary comfort of our chairs, a brew and conversations.

Thankyou Gordon and Andrew from another great hike.

Interactive Map, Downloadable GPX File and Historical Notes via links after the photos

Photos by Andrew and Marianne

Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature    mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite. Antimony compounds have been known since ancient times and were powdered for use as medicine and cosmetics, often known by the Arabic name kohl. Metallic antimony was also known, but it was erroneously identified as lead upon its discovery. The earliest known description of the metal in the West was written in 1540 by Vannoccio Biringuccio.

LINKS

INTERACTIVE MAP

DOWNLOADABLE GPX FILE 

HISTORICAL NOTES