Dead Horse Gully Circuit - Glen Park State Forest - 11.2 Kms

 U3A Hike No. 180

Hike Report by Anne

12 hikers met for this walk in the Glen Park area west of White Swan Reservoir. Our 11.2 km walk started at the intersection of Codes Forest Rd and James Hill Rd, on a section of the Goldfields Track. It was a sunny, blue-sky day with a freshness in the air that was just perfect for walking. Andrew soon announced that we were at the watershed of the Great Dividing Range, with the Yarrowee/Barwon catchment to the south and the Loddon/Murray to the north. Amazing to think of the very different paths water might take from this location!

We were following a circular route around to Dead Horse Gully and back – we smelt a dead roo at the start and passed a dead burnt out car along the way, but thankfully found no dead horses. We walked on tracks and dirt roads, occasionally crossing major roads, through attractive open forests and formerly mined areas. Mostly the walk was gently undulating with two short sections of steep, deeply rutted road. As the surface was dry, these were easily negotiated. Part way through the walk, a new hiker was finding the going a little tough, and Andrew and Ingrid left us to accompany her back to her car.

Wildflowers were sparse - we passed blue pincushions at the start and saw some very small yellow flowers and everlasting daisies. During our morning tea stop, we questioned Lyn about the likelihood of finding orchids at this time of year. Shortly after the walk recommenced, an excited squeal from Lyn alerted us that we had indeed found one of these elusive flowers – a pink spotted hyacinth orchid! Gordon found the next exciting botanical specimen – a flowering small grass tree, Xanthorrhoea minor.

Andrew and Ingrid rejoined us for the last 4 kms or so of the walk. There were some lovely outlooks along this walk – over the green hills of Invermay, distant views of the city, and glimpses of White Swan Reservoir through the trees. We were back at the cars by 11:30 for an early lunch, beating the promised 27 degree heat of the afternoon. 

Thanks to Andrew and Gordon for organizing the walk and taking care of the hikers as needed.

Photos by Andrew and Martin








PHOTOS BY JOAN





'Gold and Relic Sites, Metal Detecting Map, Creswick-Ballarat Map’, Doug Stone, Outdoor Press.


Comments

  1. Jack Russell22 January 2022 at 15:32

    Great report Anne - good idea to include a map of the Gold Leads.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jan22 January 2022 at 16:19

    Anne, your hike report made me smile. I felt as though I was there.

    ReplyDelete

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