U3A Ballarat Hikers

U3A Hike No. 154 Hike Report by Mark H Thursday morning saw 13 of us led by Gordon meet at Kirk’s at 7.45 sharp to head to Shepherds Flat northeast of Hepburn. After parking at the edge of Shepherds Flat-Werona Rd we headed from about the ‘3 o’clock’ part of what would be a circular clockwise hike.   Following roads and tracks the walk headed east then south along a ridge with great views to the east then downhill to cross a creek (Stringers Creek – thanks to Essendon’s Jake for the memory jog on its name) The ruins of at least one house at Welcome Gully gave us a brief excuse to rest up before continuing west-ish and loosely following Stringers Creek and Welcome Gully.    Typical of many areas of bush in central Victoria is the remains of gold mining activity and this was no exception. Evidence at Scorpion Gully was the remains of a stamping battery wall plus outlines of various buildings. The sludge pool from this must have made an awful mess in its day and even now you can see how i

 U3A Hike No. 153 Hike report by Jane Seventeen hikers met at the Buninyong tennis courts, carpooled to Lal Lal, then on to the start of a circular hike in the Lal Lal State Forest.  After a short talk by Andrew outlining the wonders ahead of us, we set off along a muddy track into the forest.  It was a perfect day for hiking; cool, dry and still with a good cloud cover and occasional bursts of sunshine.     This was not merely a pleasant hike, but one filled with sites of historical interest, to wit, the Shepherd’s Daughter’s Grave, the Lal Lal Reservoir, an Historic Iron Furnace and the Lal Lal Iron Mine.     The Shepherd’s Daughter’s Grave, south of the Bungal Dam near Lal Lal, is believed to be the burial place of six year old Mary Paterson who may have died of pneumonia while droving sheep with her family in July 1867. However, there are inconsistencies about the facts due to 19th century record keeping inaccuracies.  The site is well maintained by the local people and is v