317. Three Lost Children Walk 15.3km

 U3A Hike No 317






Hike Report and Photos by Andrew Parker

Eleven of us commenced the walk in Daylesford at the Lost Children Reserve which commemorates a truly tragic event in Australian history. The story of the three boys—William Graham, Thomas Graham, and Alfred Burman—who went missing on June 30, 1867, is indeed heartbreaking. Their disappearance and the subsequent search efforts deeply affected the local community. The boys aged 4,5 and 6, wandered off into the bush looking for feral goats. Their adventure ended tragically with their death from exposure, and their bodies were not found for three months, despite extensive searches. 

It was cool and sunny with traces of mist as we commenced our trek.

The route roughly follows Sailors Creek south, upstream through the Hepburn Regional Park then east through Wombat State Forest, and finishes at the Wombat Creek Picnic Area near the Wombat Reservoir.
The walk is well marked, and shares some of the Goldfields Track and signage. A lot of the walking is gravel road, but single track as well. The diverse flora, including candlebarks, peppermints, manna gums, and messmates, which made for a scenic trek.


























 








LINKS


BLAST FROM THE PAST Three Lost Children Walk 2019



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