U3A Ballarat Hikers

 U3A Hike No 404 Hike Report by Marianne Kennedy To quote the hike description: “On this walk we will explore the area of Bungal State Forest to the East of Mt. Egerton. This is a patch of native forest partially bordered by the Moorabool River east branch and pine forest, surrounded by farmland. As we often see, the remains of 19th Century mining are present “  Unquote. The Experience: As with all our weekly walks, this one was interesting, informative and enjoyable. The tracks were a variety of steep, narrow, muddy tracks and wide bush tracks. Along the way we were walking through the pin e plantation that backed onto the Bostock Reservoir. We also saw the remains of gold mining from the 19th Century. Morning tea was enjoyed while sitting on fallen logs and chatting beside the track. We were fortunate to see wallabies bounding through the scrub and up the steep embankments to the side of the track. We were also fortunate to enjoy the entire walk ‘rain free’ ....we...

 U3A Hike No 403 Hike Report By Mark Hawley 🚂 ‘Quality over quantity’ could have been the theme this week with just 6 making the free train trip to Melbourne. From Southern Cross Station, we took the tram to Victoria St, Abbotsford.   🏙️ After admiring the Skipping Girl sign nearby, Gordon led us towards the Yarra River. It was not a ‘walk in the park’ for the first few km as we navigated rough, hilly dirt paths along the river across from the Abbotsford Brewery.   🔄 A better name for the area might be Yarra Bends, as the Yarra twists, turns, and loops through city bushland.   📸 There were plenty of sights along the way: 🌉 Johnson St Bridge, under which we walked.   ⛪ View of Abbotsford Convent at one of the bends, with the Collingwood Children’s Farm in front.   🌊 Dights Falls, which marks the high point of the river’s tidal back flow.   🏊 Deep Rock swimming and diving area—where 70,000 people gathered in 1918 to w...