393. Hard Hill and Watsons Hill Diggings 10.9km

 U3A Hike No 393



Hike Report by Sharon Moss

🥾 The Expedition 

18 happy hikers headed off under cloudy skies to explore a “new” walk in Ross Creek State Park. This particular adventure came about thanks to Gordon’s fascination with historic water channels! 

⛏️ Engineering History 

The route took us along a water race engineered by Thomas Boden in the 1870s. These hand-dug channels—stretching 32 km in total—were designed to transport water from various catchment dams to support high-pressure gold sluicing. 

The scale of the operation was massive: approximately 22,000 kg of alluvial gold was discovered in the Linton-Smythesdale area. (Refer to the podcast for further details.) 

🧗 Terrain & Safety 

The walk was gently undulating along well-made bush tracks, though it turned hilly in sections with steep, slippery ascents and descents. The landscape remains a time capsule of the gold mining era, featuring: 

  • Steep undercut cliffs 

  • Large, scattered granite rocks 

  • Deep mine shafts (we were urged to remain mindful of these exposed hazards throughout the walk). 

🌿 Flora & Refreshments 

We enjoyed a welcome morning tea perched above a cliff top before winding our way back through lush tree ferns and eucalypts. 

While wildflowers were scarce this time, we spotted several orchids. Andrew also pointed out a favorite flowering shrub: Billardiera heterophylla, commonly known as the Bluebell Creeper. Interestingly, this plant is a native of Western Australia that has found its way to Ross Creek! 


Photos by Andrew Parker






















LINKS

INTERACTIVE MAP

START POINT GOOGLE MAPS

DOWNLOAD GPX FILE

PODCAST

GREAT OCEAN WALK DAY ONE 2018  A BLAST FROM THE PAST




 





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