381.O’Shannassy Aqueduct

 U3A Hike No 381


Hike Report by Teena Evans

🚗 Meeting & Carpooling

22 keen hikers met at the Ottrey's carpark (named for the former hardware store here in Warburton), ready to start the first hike of the week. After parking at the Redwoods Forest, we then took half the cars to reach the starting point.

🥾 Setting Off

We commenced our hike along a 3‑metre wide, hard‑surface track shared by walkers and cyclists. Although the morning was cold, we soon warmed up — prompting several wardrobe changes along the way.

🌳 Forest Highlights

Magnificent Mountain Ash trees, over 100 years old, surrounded us. Tree ferns were abundant and provided many photo opportunities. Andrew pointed out a very large nest, sparking discussion about its possible owner — perhaps even the infamous Dropbear!

🚴 Encounters with Cyclists

Two large groups of cyclists from NSW stopped for a chat. We later caught up with one group at a set of steps, where they had to carry their bikes down. The steps had been installed after the wooden bridge was closed for safety reasons. We paused to take photos of the unsafe bridge above us.

☕ Morning Tea & Wildlife

During our tea break, Mark discovered a small leech on his neck. Was this the only leech of the walk? Everyone stayed alert for the rest of the day.

💧 The O’Shannassy Aqueduct

We continued alongside the historic O’Shannassy Aqueduct. Completed in 1914, it once delivered 90 million litres of water daily to the Surrey Hills Reservoir. Decommissioned in 1997, it was handed to Parks Victoria in 2005 and is now part of the Yarra Ranges National Park.

Evidence of deer crossing the track was visible, with damage to the aqueduct embankment. A notice also warned of deer culling during October and November.

🥪 Lunch Break

We stopped for lunch in peaceful surroundings, gathering our strength to carry on.

🌲 The Redwoods

Further along, we reached the amazing Californian Redwoods, planted in 1930. There are 1,476 trees ranging from 20 to 55 metres tall — another spectacular photo opportunity for the group.

🔑 A Lucky Find

On arriving back at the Redwoods carpark, Gordon discovered he had lost his car keys. Fortunately, Andrew found them safely in his car.

🌟 Conclusion

A truly lovely hike to start our week. Many thanks to Gordon for all the planning and research, and to Kim for keeping us moving along. All’s well that ends well!


Photos by Andrew Parker

































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