U3A Ballarat Hikers

 U3A Hike No. 220 Hike Report by Leona Well, we thought we were an organised sane bunch of walkers, though the walkie talkie confusion with Geoff /Jeff  on route, and the Where's Walkie Gordon? incident at the start could lead one to think otherwise.  Anyway, from that most memorable beginning this walk promised and delivered amazing diversity of scenery and wildlife as well as stunning natural features.  At the White's Beach start the juxtaposition of a quaint historic stone cottage against towering wind turbines alerted us to the contrasting nature of this walk. Those turbines were initially shrouded in mist as we meandered over alternating rocky, grassed, and "bonsai - ed" native vegetation. Layer upon layer of basalt and sandy limestone, along with evidence of lava flows, and features formed from water percolating through limestone has produced intriguing geological formations. These include caves, springs and blow holes which were much admired, photographed and p

 U3A Hike No. 219 Hike Report by Fiona This pleasant  and scenic 13 Kilometre coastal walk commenced at Murrells Beach Carpark (after a car shuffle had left other vehicles at Cape Nelson Lighthouse Carpark). There was a positive vibe amongst the walkers today - following a cancelled walk yesterday due to inclement weather. We were fortunate the wind had died down but heavy fog surrounded the coastline for much of the day. A path of wind turbines also accompanied the walking track along this section of the coastline. The walking track commenced on the west side of Cape Nelson State Park. It took us along coastal scrubland  before heading easterly and cutting across Cape Nelson road several times to reach the easterly aspect of the Cape. Vegetation along the way included wildflowers, coastal gums, grass trees and melaleucas. We also encountered a couple of snakes (copperheads) along the path. Volcanic Isle Lookout gave us an extensive coastline view around Nelson Bay toward  Portland Sme