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 visited regularly. Andrew brought along a bunch of durable red and white flowers which Janet placed on top of the grave.

Further along the track which is lined by gum trees, pink and white heath and the odd fungus, we came upon a large hole, at the bottom of which was a sign saying, ‘You are standing in an old iron mine’. Victoria’s only attempt at mining and smelting iron ore took place in Lal Lal in the latter part of the 18th century. The Lal Lal Iron Company brought in machinery, built a tramway and erected a blast furnace. Much of the blast furnace is still there, and its shape, a sort of cross between a chimney and a beehive is very pleasing. It is one of only three remaining 19th century furnaces in Australia. Lal Lal iron was used by many Ballarat foundries, and features in the gates and railings at St Patrick’s Cathedral and the gates at the Old Cemetery. The works is of historical, archaeological and scientific importance to Victoria, according to the Victorian Heritage Register.

Nearby is the Lal Lal Reservoir and Bungal Dam which is provided with a lookout and very welcome lavatories. Ballarat and Geelong receive much of their water supply from here. We fell upon our morning tea at this point, sitting on damp railings in the sunshine.

Up until then we had enjoyed easy going and painless effort. But suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an enormous hill reared up in front of us, which Andrew refferred to as 'Heart Health Hill'. Janet misheard him and thought he said 'Hard as Hell Hill' That was the end of painless effort. Girding our loins, we lowered our heads and trudged forever upwards, shedding jackets and beanies as we crawled to a stop on the top of a ridge. Not only was the track steep, but the surface was also rough with erosion and rocks, requiring eagle-eyed attention. We ought to have been warned given the hike’s preliminary descriptors: moderate difficulty, steep, hilly, rocky.

We enjoyed a bit of relief along the ridge top, eyed a large mullock heap, dealt with a few nasty little hills then hit the welcome downward run towards our cars. The hike was listed as being 15kms but was acually 13.5kms. Dare I say it, but there is generally a little fairy dust sprinkled on mileages. However, there is no doubt that the sight of the sudden appearance of our cars brings with it unalloyed pleasure. And our picnic lunch at the finish only adds to the bliss.

Many thanks to Andrew for a most enjoyable and educational hike.