321. Kalimna Park Loop.11.7km

 U3A Hike No 321


Hike Report By Deb Karmouche

Nine of us travelled to Castlemaine in 2 cars to the start of our walk at the Pennyweight Flat Childrens Cemetery. The weather was mild and the sun shining. This cemetery dates back to the goldrush era when up to 30,000 people were settled in the Castlemaine area for the gold diggings. Miners and other settlers, children and Chinese were buried here .
We then ascended the hilltop to the monument to Burke and Wills ill-fated transcontinental
expedition where we stopped for an early morning tea. Burke was the police commissioner for the Castlemaine area before he left to become an explorer.

We continued on quite a rocky undulating trail until we came to the Kalimna Circuit Track, which is a sign posted bush trail. Colin found a wonderful pamphlet at the start of the walk which had numbered points of interest along the track describing the different areas and vegetation. 

Kalimna Park is described as a heathy dry forest with mixed eucalypts and an understory of grasses and shrubs. Several varieties of Box and Eucalypts were described as well as Hakeas and the Native Cherry Ballart, my favourite as it can be used for food , spears and its leaves are used for smoking ceremonies. 

Quite marked erosion and evidence of bushfires were apparent. Currently the area is
being monitored for the effects of controlled burns. Interesting conclusions so far are that erosion is greater in the burnt area and burning often removes habitat for wildlife.

We diverged from the Circuit track and followed 4-wheel drive and even mountain bike tracks
arriving at the Unknown Miners Grave where we had another stop for coffee and food.
The Unknown Miners Grave has a date of 1850 -1854 but appears to have been rebuilt at some later stage out of concrete. Faded carved initials are present on the rocks that lie on top of the grave , possibly from the persons who constructed the grave.

The last part of the walk was past an old house ruins and farmland where a huge mob of kangaroos, a few horses, a magpie and a rabbit provided an audience as wandered past them and returned to the cars . 

It was a most enjoyable walk and Gordon did a remarkable job to map out and guide us on such an interesting walk in an area with a bemusing number of paths without any signage.

Photos by Andrew Parker


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