314. Lincoln & Wrights Gully Hike - Creswick Regional Park 12.2km
U3A Hike No 314
Hike Report and Photos by Gordon Talbett
The Ballarat/Creswick
area seems to specialise in wintery winter days, but sometimes it produces a
magic winter day; a freezing, frosty morning followed by brilliant sunshine
slanting through the trees, perfect weather for bushwalking. This is what
happened today. There was frost on the ground all the way to Slaty Creek and
the temperature when we arrived was probably sub-zero but there was no prospect
of rain.
We set off along the
Goldfields Track beside Slaty Creek with frost-nipped fingers and noses but then
the steady ascent along Wrights Gully Road soon warmed us up. We stopped to
inspect the cluster of deep mine shafts near the junction of Wrights Gully Rd
and Bush Inn Rd and the leader was pleasantly surprised to discover that the
shafts had been capped with steel mesh. Dropping stones down the shafts to
gauge their depth was now possible without offending Risk Management policies.
Then there was an
extended ramble along foot-tracks through beautiful forest with dappled light,
but there was a catch! A little blue dragon sitting on a tree-stump, probably a
sphinx in disguise, demanded that the leader answer her riddle before we
passed. The wrong answer was given and we were doomed to follow the wrong path
until science and rational thinking prevailed. (See below for the riddle etc.)
From there the route
was mainly downhill on old 4WD tracks, passing old and new reservoirs and a
network of old water-races dug in the 1800s, to return to Slaty Creek and a
picnic in the sun.
Thank you Mark for
leading the walk and for providing such pleasant weather.
In ancient Greece the
sphinx guarded the road to Thebes and required travellers to answer her riddle.
Travellers who gave the wrong answer were hurled off a cliff. The riddle: ‘What
creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and on three legs
in the evening?
The answer, which all
travellers and hikers should have ready-to-hand, is: a human, who crawls on all
fours in the morning of their life, walks on two legs in the noon of their life
and on two legs and with a cane (or walking pole) in the evening of their life.
LINKS
The Ballarat/Creswick area seems to specialise in wintery winter days, but sometimes it produces a magic winter day; a freezing, frosty morning followed by brilliant sunshine slanting through the trees, perfect weather for bushwalking. This is what happened today. There was frost on the ground all the way to Slaty Creek and the temperature when we arrived was probably sub-zero but there was no prospect of rain.
We set off along the
Goldfields Track beside Slaty Creek with frost-nipped fingers and noses but then
the steady ascent along Wrights Gully Road soon warmed us up. We stopped to
inspect the cluster of deep mine shafts near the junction of Wrights Gully Rd
and Bush Inn Rd and the leader was pleasantly surprised to discover that the
shafts had been capped with steel mesh. Dropping stones down the shafts to
gauge their depth was now possible without offending Risk Management policies.
Then there was an extended ramble along foot-tracks through beautiful forest with dappled light, but there was a catch! A little blue dragon sitting on a tree-stump, probably a sphinx in disguise, demanded that the leader answer her riddle before we passed. The wrong answer was given and we were doomed to follow the wrong path until science and rational thinking prevailed. (See below for the riddle etc.)
Thank you Mark for leading the walk and for providing such pleasant weather.
The answer, which all
travellers and hikers should have ready-to-hand, is: a human, who crawls on all
fours in the morning of their life, walks on two legs in the noon of their life
and on two legs and with a cane (or walking pole) in the evening of their life.
LINKS
That was a fun hike report Gordon. You just might get voted to write all of them!
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