Nolans Creek - Balt Camp, Wombat State Forest Circuit - 12 Kms

 U3A Hike No. 278


Hike Report by Joan

The Fallen, the Survivors and the Remnants....

This week, with Mark as our fearless and capable leader, 14 of us ventured off to Wombat State Forest on a 12km hike to explore an area filled with natural beauty, a first had look at an “Act of God” and remnants of historical significance. 

After our brief of the day’s adventure at Kirk’s Reservoir, we were ready and rarin’ to go hoping that we would be leaving the drizzle behind us.  Our first stop was Balt Camp which was a camp built in 1946 by the Forestry Commission after World War Two to provide employment for young Northern European Immigrants who had been displaced.  There we viewed two large chimneys and other foundation stones used for other buildings for this camp.  We then strolled across the road to see the remains of the Able Mine which appeared to be quite deep.  Back on the road again we drove to our starting point for the day which was Nolans Creek Picnic Area.   

We started the hike on a track that was part of the Lerderderg Track.  We were overwhelmed with the sight of so many trees that were “the Fallen” and result of a terrible wind storm.  As we continued we came across an unusual yet eye catching feature which was the formation of what looked like red oxidized moss growing on the trees.  We appreciated the array of wildflowers blooming which was a nice distraction from the steep hills that lie head of us.  We left the hills behind as we started to descend into a beautiful lush section of our walk filled with a variety of  ferns and trees covered in thick green moss.  The trees here were very tall and so healthy and were the survivors.
   
We  enjoyed walking along this section as it was the former tramway that took the trees to the sawmill.  Eventually we left the Lerderderg Track and it was a relatively short hike to our lunch and final stop, Nolans Creek Picnic area.  

After lunch we took a stroll around the Pioneer Sawmill Loop where we viewed the area where the huge saw was located as well as walked on the thick layers of sawdust ... remnants of the former timber industry.  

Thanks to Mark and the rest of the group for making this a really enjoyable walk in the park!

Photos by Andrew


























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