U3A Ballarat Hikers

 U3A Hike No 296. Hike Report By Teena Evans We met at Kirks Reservoir; 13 keen hikers carpooled to Castlemaine for the start of the 13k hike. The start was at Pennyweight Cemetery in Colles Street. Led by Mark, we set off northwards to Quartz Hill Track on our right. We continued North to Pikestreet Road and turned right. After 500m it became RB Hotel Track, 600m along we came to a hairpin bend where we turned right. Following the track, we came to a T-junction, which was a major dirt road. We turned right into Folly Track and went SE for about 100m where we then followed the dam on our left. We came across a very faint footpath on our right, which we followed, taking us south and uphill, one of the many that had been promised. We then went on to Toby’s Track to our left, a rough 4WD Track, which got even rougher as we carried on. We continued downhill, having to be very careful, it was easy to slip as the track was very dry underfoot. We arrived at Welsh street where there were notic

 U3A Hike No 295 Hike Report By Chris Charleson A dozen hikers enjoyed what was indeed a varied walk from Lake Jubilee. The temperature, terrain and the outlook varied greatly in different locations along the route, which included sections of the Lerderderg Track.   We began at the trestle bridge and followed a well maintained section of track above the trickling Wombat Creek, accompanied by plenty of birdsong. The eucalypts and pines in this area are imposing.  We branched along Basin Rd behind Victoria Park where the bush gave way to stylish gardens and houses as we descended to Lake Daylesford.   We enjoyed the elevated path to the north of the lake where we had a pleasant outlook for morning tea. This lake was formed above Central Springs in 1929 to cover an area along Smiths Creek which had been massively scarred by mining works. Local schools and community groups revegetated the surrounds with European and native vegetation.  It has been a most popular venue for swimming, fishing