U3A Ballarat Hikers

 U3A Hike No. 225 Hike Report by Anne 16 walkers turned up on this cool, cloudy day for the first walk of summer. Starting from the Linton footy ground, we set off north on the rail trail. A short stop at the handily placed toilets and we were off.  We followed the rail trail for a short distance then headed north towards Nuggety Gully.  We were walking on bush tracks that were somewhat eroded by the recent rains, with squelchy, muddy patches at the bottom of each gully. Up and down, up and down, until we stopped to investigate a mine adit. It had a beautifully arched profile, but we resisted the urge to enter. Wildflowers along the way included trailing Goodenia, milkmaids, yam daisies, chocolate lillies, pink triggerplants, native violets and towards the end, some egg and bacon were flowering.  We stopped at the Linton Firefighters Memorial, on the site where 5 firefighters from Geelong West CFA died in a bushfire on December 2, 1998. The truck had been directed up...

 U3A Hike No. 224 Hike Report by Annette At last we seemed to have a day for our hike when the weather was NOT going to be an issue!   Ten of us met at Kirks to travel to Guildford where, after a quick toilet stop, we travelled in convoy  through Vaughan and Fryerstown to park at the side of the Vaughan-Chewton Rd near the scout  camp. Packs on and walking poles ready, we headed off into the bush, following our leader Gordon. Not too far in, Gordon headed off the track and lead us down over a small running creek, then up a  steep bank (a little challenging, being slippery with blackberries and prickly boxthorn to dodge).   Shortly after, we paused by the remains of a slate quarry where most took advantage of removing  a layer of clothing! As we continued on, there was the eerie sound of what seemed like a large pack of dogs howling,  not too far away. Apparently, there was a dingo refuge close by. (Glad I wasn’t living out near them)....

 U3A Hike No. 223 Hike Report by Ken On Thursday 17 th  November, 2022, 14 enthusiastic walkers met near the Little Bendigo Primary School in Nerrina.     Nerrina  is an area six kilometres north-east of Ballarat.   The historical notes say that the name is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal expression and is an alternative for the original name of the Little Bendigo gold diggings.   An Anglican school was opened in Little Bendigo in 1858 for the children of the gold miners.  It was a very busy mining area in the 19th century. While the population of Little Bendigo was 3,000 around 1890, this fell rapidly as mining declined.    As we headed off from our vehicles, we walked for one kilometre to look at a pumping station which pumps water from the White Swan to header tanks in Invermay.  This provides water pressure to the northern parts of Ballarat to this day.    We walked into remote bus...