Woowookarung Regional Park Circuit - 10 Kms

 U3A Hike No. 177

Hike Report by Martin

The leadership team:  Mark H took the lead on this hike, with Ken as whip.

We numbered around 21 as we gathered across the road from No 10 Valley Drive.  A short pre-hike briefing from Andrew and we were on our way towards Canadian Lakes, passing a bevy of swans that had taken up residence in the front garden of the properties facing the lake.  We continued on up Canadian Lakes Blvd, on through a laneway between houses and onto the track that ran along the boundary of Woowookarung, which we followed until reaching Katy Ryan Road.

The it was then on to the “Dementia Friendly Forest and Sensory Trail”, (Dementia Friendly Forest and Sensory Trail | Goldfields Guide) opened in recent months to provide sensory experiences for those affected by dementia.  This is a fabulous new addition to Woowookarung.  Please encourage family and friends to visit, you don’t need dementia to enjoy the benefits.

Continuing along the Sensory Trail, we enjoyed walking through the natural bush of the park that has been slowly reclaiming its rightful place – with the help of the Friends of Canadian Corridor (FOCC), Parks Victoria and many volunteers, including our Hiking group.  We continued on alongside Bakers Roads until we reached the lookout – with fabulous views (looking to the west) out over Ballarat.  The rate of growth in the trees that have been planted as part of the natural revegetation program to rehabilitate the park form its days as a pine plantation was clearly evident.

After taking in the views and photo opportunities, we crossed over Bakers Road to pick up the “Grass Tree Trail”.  This was a fabulous section of the hike that took us through an area abundant in Grass Trees.  A beautiful walk of some distance that eventually placed us back on Katy Ryan Road.  Whilst we took a pause here, Andrew provided a brief history of who Katy Ryan was – a store keeper in the early history of Ballarat.  Her store was at the end of Elsworth Street where it becomes Katy Ryan Road.  Why locate a store there?  Well, during the gold rush it was the main road leading out of Ballarat towards Geelong.

After travelling some distance back along Katy Ryan Road, we stopped for morning tea and Andrew took the opportunity to assess the many young trees the Hiking group had been involved in planting during the 2021 planting season.  He reported back, no obvious casualties.

Continuing along Katy Ryan Road, a sharp hairpin bend onto Dozer Road, and then on to Hocking Avenue we soon found ourselves on Horwood Avenue and then back at the starting point and time to enjoy our traditional end of year BBQ lunch and what a feast it was.

A big thank you to Ingrid who spent the morning preparing for our arrival.  Also, a big thank you to those who contributed some of the fabulous dishes.  After a short speech from Andrew – never one to miss the opportunity – Geoff, on behalf of the group, offered a few words of thanks to Andrew, Gordon and Theresa for the work they put in over the last 12 months.

Another fabulous day!

Thank you to all and Happy Christmas.

Photos by Mark B






















Comments

  1. Jan19 December 2021 at 21:30

    Thanks for a great year of hikes, Andrew & Gordon 😊

    ReplyDelete

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