423. Jackass-St George-Humbug Walk. 10,8km

September 17, 2026

U3A Hike No 423

Hike Report by Monica

As so often happens, a nippy wind and a ‘feels-like’ zero degrees greeted 20 hikers at Selkirk Stadion. As also frequently happens, no sooner had we arrived at our destination, things warmed up. Pale sunshine broke through grey skies at Creswick Forest and its dense tree cover offered protection from Ballarat’s gnawing winds.

After the obligatory safety warnings and ‘who’ll-write-the-blog’ decision-making – executed with ruthless efficiency by Leader Kim – it was time to move.

Despite ever increasing knee and hip replacements, scraped-out cartilages, re-attached rotator cuffs, a spinal fusion or two, and bodies merely held together by gaffer tape, the troops set off at a cracking pace along the Goldfields Track. This is a former water race and dedicated mountain bike track, just off Jackass Road, leading to the Koala Park.

A kilometre or two on, and requiring several attempts to find it, we followed a single-file grassy pathway and wound our way towards St George’s Lake. The Goldfield's Track here is deeply gutted and riddled with protruding tree roots, requiring ankle-locking boots especially when one is still half asleep. Winding through pleasantly undulating terrain, the track roughly follows Creswick Creek where, according to Hiker Chris, black fish used to breed prolifically hiding from predators under redgum logs which had fallen into the creek.

Signs of spring were evident everywhere, especially at ground level amongst dense shrubbery and leaf-and-cone litter. The naturalists in the group, ignoring the hideous clumps of yellow-flowered gorse, soon discerned brilliant splashes of pink Tetratheca bells and the vibrant purples of Hardenbergia (Happy Wanderer) peeking through the forest floors. Resident orchid-ist, Lyn, spotted at least nine Green Cap Orchids along the way.

With temperatures rising to a near-tropical 13 degrees, most walkers began to strip off the early morning layers. By the time we reached the back of St George’s for morning tea brilliant sunshine allowed for a pleasant tea break overlooking greenery – on grounds often baked hard on a summer day – and a glassy lake.

Continuing along the GoldfieldsTrack away from the lake, we diverted slightly off-track to observe the distinctly green layer of Blue Waters, an old quarry. Was it algae? Green dye perhaps? Natural ageing? Speculations offered, but no definitive answer was forthcoming.

Resuming our rambles the group had by now splintered unevenly into three: the race-horses, the chatterers and the nature observers, proving that a good, old-fashioned hike provides something for everyone, even for the bionically reconstructed.

Our next stop overlooked a gaping white hole representing the now defunct Selkirk Bricks Quarry. The clay pit once supplied brick making for the gold rushes. A substantial area to the right of the quarry is now being reclaimed for what one hopes are plantations of native trees.

After crossing Humbug Road we followed the somewhat steeper but equally gutted Lincoln Gully Track complete with small lakes of ochre-coloured water. Along the way we encountered several trail-bike riders before finally crossing Creswick-Dean Road to our parked cars. Lunch was a welcome chance to sit after 11.5 kms of steady walking.

Thanks to Kim for leading a truly delightful and not-too-testing hike, and to Gordon who, patient as always, brought up the rear as whip

Photos by Alan