258. Lincoln Gully - Wrights Gully Rd, Creswick Regional Park Circuit - 12.4 Kms

 U3A Hike No 258 

Hike Report by Kath

Eight of us met at the Selkirk Stadium for the 12 kilometre circuit hike in the Creswick State Park in a freezing wind, wondering if we had enough warm clothes with us.  Being only a small group, I realized that 50% of us would have to take on one or other of the tasks associated with a U3A hike and with a sinking feeling thought it might be my turn to do a hike report!! However, on the drive over, my mood lifted at the sight of a beautiful sun rise over the horizon. By the time we arrived at our starting point, Slaty Creek Camp Ground No 1, the wind had dropped, a duck was calling out to us high up from its eucalyptus perch and we were all set for a lovely winter day’s hike through the forest led by Mark.

The start of the walk commenced on the Goldfields Track, heading east from the campground to reach Slaty Creek Road, crossing into the forest, passing a dam, then crossing and recrossing dirt roads and descending and ascending a steep and very muddy gully until we reached Humbug Road.  We walked along Humbug Road for about 500 metres before crossing Lincoln Gully Road and continuing on an un-named track to cross Lincoln Creek to the Central Highlands Water Service Basin, a very well protected, if not particularly attractive edifice, near Creswick-Melbourne Road. From there we walked to Lincoln Dam. 

The walk was easy enough up and beyond this point for us to be able to really savour the beauty of the forest in the glistening sunlight with all its shades of green from the mosses, grasses, and bracken and when we got to Lincoln Dam to enjoy the reflections on the water. Mind you, we had been slightly alarmed on the approach to see a signage saying dam wall temporarily closed due to storm damage as we knew the track crossed the wall. However, Mark assured us that there was no reason for concern and he was indeed correct.

In some areas of the forest, even outside of the starting point at the Camp Ground, we saw a few semi-permanent campsites and wondered what might be the stories and experiences of its inhabitants living out in the forest in the mid-winter. In other places there was some unsightly traces of rubbish – perhaps from deserted campsites, perhaps just dumped there and then after we had left the dam, strode up Lincoln Gully Link Track and started walking on more indistinct tracks we spotted a mysterious sign saying Dora Dora MMXXI. We wandered what it meant – although I was pretty convinced it was shorthand for saying Dora the Explorer had been here in 2021 – even more so as, after the sign, the trail was interspersed by a range of soft toys with very piercing blue eyes and some carefully placed pieces of quartz in tree stumps to further mark the way.

Our meanderings along these mysterious paths finally led us to Wrights Gully Road where we viewed a couple of old deep mine shafts.  I do hope Dora the Explorer hadn’t fallen down one of these on her visit to these parts in 2021!

After following Wrights Gully Road westwards for about two kilometres we arrived at Slaty Creek Campground 3. We were glad we didn’t have to cross the creek there as the causeway had fallen away in quite a spectacular fashion! We followed the Slaty Creek River down it’s stony river bed on the Goldfields track. 

As we arrived back at Slaty Creek Campground 1 a cacophony of kookaburras opened their beaks and laughed at the sight of us!  We had our lunch at the campground and the wind started to pick up. We had caught the best of the day on our walk.

Thanks, Mark, for leading us on this pretty, only occasionally muddy walk, interspersed with remains of gold rush activities. 

Photos by Mark B