Blackwood-Lerderderg Tunnel Circuit - 15.6 Kms

 U3A Hike No. 143



LINKS to interactive map, gpx download, historical notes and track notes after the photos

Hike Report by Joan Brick

Gordon may have thought that all of his warnings may have put a few people off from doing this walk but it did not deter ten of us that were looking forward to this adventure.  It truly lived up to the description given with steep ascents, steep descents , narrow water race trails with steep drops, open mine shafts near the tracks and walking through a river bed which thankfully was dry!

The hike began at the Blackwood Mineral Springs Reserve.  Our first steady climb was on the track  to Shaws Lake.  The view of the Lake as well as the lovely picnic area made it well worth our while.  Remnants of gold mining were evident with the wide area of sluicing that occurred as seen in the area adjacent to the Shaws Lake.  There was also the evidence that a bushfire had gone through this part of the park though the regrowth on the trees and snippets of heath flowers and banksia cones were encouraging signs of nature’s resilience.

We continued our walk  to Tunnel Point enjoying the surrounding forest and experiencing  the uphill and downhill nature of the track of which we were forewarned.  The downhill part gave us a few problems due to the slippery clay, the loose stones and the steepness of the descent.  An interesting sight in this area was a short 4 wheel drive track that had logs across it similar to those put across the mine shafts.  Maybe it was a message….”No 4 wheel drive tracks wanted here!”. 

Finally reaching higher ground again we were able to catch glimpses of the somewhat dry creek bed below. The reason for this was that the water in this part had been diverted through a tunnel to the other side of the ridge.  We carefully began our steep descent down and arrived at the Lerderderg River.  We ventured into the dry river bed and arrived at the tunnel though which the water was being diverted.  Though we were unable to see the tunnel due to the amount of logs and tree litter that blocked the entrance we could still hear the water rushing into it.  This turned out to be a perfect place to have lunch and enjoy our peaceful surroundings.

Another steep ascent brought us to a narrow winding ridge with steep drops making it important for us to keep our feet planted on the ground and our eyes glued to the track.  As we walked along the ridge we noticed a change in the vegetation that included ferns, tree ferns and some grass trees.  Our attention was also drawn to a very well preserved mine entrance as well as a mine shaft,  hidden by the overgrown weeds, next to the track. 

Having safely returned to our starting point we were happy to relax with a cuppa and thank Gordon for another adventure story to share with the family!


Photos by Mark Bevelander




























LINKS 

INTERACTIVE MAP

GPX FILE DOWNLOAD 

HISTORICAL NOTES

TRACK NOTES



















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