Hike Report by Fiona

The circuit walk explored Glen Park Forest tracks north of the White Swan Reservoir. Our hike generally followed the path of the Sawpit Creek and traversed quite a few different tracks. Throughout the walk we discovered evidence of early gold mining activities in the area.

We commenced walking along a 4WD track close to our starting point at Codes Rd and soon observed some deep mining shafts. Once we reached Shuttleworth Rd, we turned left and walked 700m along it - passing further mine shafts and mullock heaps.

We then turned right onto another 4WD track and followed it down to a flat area and bridge crossing the Sawpit Creek. As we walked northward up the hill from the creek, the track intersected with Wolfes Rd. We walked along this road to a gully where the Sawpit Creek crossed once more. We stopped here for morning tea- imagining the gold mining sluicing activities which had occurred here in the 1800’s.

We continued in a westerly direction along Wolfes Rd until it intersected with the Goldfields Track. We followed this track along the bank of an old water channel until it reached Shuttleworth Rd. We weaved our way along the Goldfields Tack which closely followed Shuttleworth Rd. Then we followed another water race along Sawpit Creek until the track flattened out to a large cleared area. This was once was the site of a mining village and chapel in early gold rush days. Since then the area has been known as Chapel Flat. We weren’t able to locate any ruins associated with this settlement.

We returned on the southward loop walking on both 4WD tracks and the Goldfields Track until we reached a pine plantation and a multi-track junction. We diverged from the normal hiking route to climb a small steep hill to a spectacular vantage point at the edge of the pine plantation above Alkera Rd. We were able to identify many recognizable landmarks of Ballarat city and its surrounds. We returned to our cars parked nearby and enjoyed lunch together before returning home. Many thanks to Mark Hawley for leading such an enjoyable walk.