U3A Ballarat Hikers

 U3A Hike No. 215 Hike Report by Geoff 17 hikers arrived at the Ballarat station for our hike on Thursday morning and soon after were on the train headed for Southern Cross, changing to the Craigieburn line to continue onto Jacana, reached soon after 10.30. We were met at the station by local, Oak Park residents, Sue and Allan, friends of Mark Hawley.  Sue and Allan walked with us and pointed out some of the sites along the way.   Our 12.7 Km walk took us along the Moonee Ponds Creek, starting near the northern Ring Road, winding south through parts of Broadmeadows, Glenroy and Gowanbrae before heading through to Strathmore. The path was well made, mostly being a concrete, joint path for cyclists and pedestrians. We maintained an eye out for cyclists to ensure no accidents took place.  Major sites of interest included the dam wall, part way down the creek which provided a significant flood retention basin, constructed to protect property downstream. Although the water level was l

 U3A Hike No. 214 Hike Report by Leona What a cracker of a day this was, as 15 enthusiastic hikers set off from our parked cars on Porcupine Ridge Rd - Goldfield's Track intersection.  From the day's beginning the weather offered mild temperatures, with fog clearing to brilliant sunshine, bright blue skies and no wind. Consigning wet weather gear and woolies to our backpacks, we traversed a section of the Goldfields Track with the words "Slippery When Wet" coming readily to mind. We deftly negotiated our way through an obstacle course of slippery clay and large water puddles.  The first loop of the walk included an exploration of Mr Hunt's Two Chimneys Hut and Brown's Gully. Mr Hunt, apparently, owned the water races and sold water to the 1850's gold diggers. While examining the remnants of stonework we pondered the style of residence that might have adjoined the chimneys. Some delighted in throwing rocks into the extremely deep nearby mine shafts. Upon re