Eighteen courageous members braved the cold and wet Melbourne morning, expecting to walk in rain. But, Lo and behold, crossing the Great Divide brought fine weather and smiles.
In our acknowledgement of country, we remembered that the gold rush was catastrophic for the Dja Dja Wurrung people. Previously ravaged by deadly introduced viruses and the appropriation of their land by settlers, they now witnessed 40,000 miners removing topsoil, chopping down the forests, reshaping watercourses and the landscape until it became unliveable. As a result, on the scoping walk we saw only one cultural heritage site- small rock pools gouged out of hard rock to reserve water.
Staying as one group, we set out along Jacob’s track to the start of the Eureka Reef Walk. We encountered a convulsed landscape which resembled an overgrown WW1 bombardment area. There were bare embankments, stone walls, aqueducts, dams, the walls of ruined miners’ huts, the remains of large batteries, and lastly cyanide tanks from the nineteen thirties.
We were lucky to meet a prospector who showed us his metal detector in operation and the meagre amount of gold now available in these over worked fields. He answered about thirty questions on the area and was very entertaining. Few of us were contemplating prospecting after this talk.
The 175 years since the start of the gold rush had softened the landscape and it was a beautiful experience to walk on the undulating track in grey misty regrowth forest and then go up ‘The Monk” to view the Central Victorian ranges.
The hardships faced by the miners and the families were very apparent, and had we visited the Pennyweight flat cemetery we could have indulged in melancholic reflections on this theme; Instead, we cheerfully repaired to the Red Hill hotel in Chewton to enjoy some local ale and lively conversation.
A good day.
Tony ,Peter and Kikki
Castlemaine Goldfields Heritage Park Walk on 17 May 2025
Eighteen courageous members braved the cold and wet Melbourne morning, expecting to walk in rain. But, Lo and behold, crossing the Great Divide brought fine weather and smiles.
In our acknowledgement of country, we remembered that the gold rush was catastrophic for the Dja Dja Wurrung people. Previously ravaged by deadly introduced viruses and the appropriation of their land by settlers, they now witnessed 40,000 miners removing topsoil, chopping down the forests, reshaping watercourses and the landscape until it became unliveable. As a result, on the scoping walk we saw only one cultural heritage site- small rock pools gouged out of hard rock to reserve water.
Staying as one group, we set out along Jacob’s track to the start of the Eureka Reef Walk. We encountered a convulsed landscape which resembled an overgrown WW1 bombardment area. There were bare embankments, stone walls, aqueducts, dams, the walls of ruined miners’ huts, the remains of large batteries, and lastly cyanide tanks from the nineteen thirties.
We were lucky to meet a prospector who showed us his metal detector in operation and the meagre amount of gold now available in these over worked fields. He answered about thirty questions on the area and was very entertaining. Few of us were contemplating prospecting after this talk.
The 175 years since the start of the gold rush had softened the landscape and it was a beautiful experience to walk on the undulating track in grey misty regrowth forest and then go up ‘The Monk” to view the Central Victorian ranges.
The hardships faced by the miners and the families were very apparent, and had we visited the Pennyweight flat cemetery we could have indulged in melancholic reflections on this theme; Instead, we cheerfully repaired to the Red Hill hotel in Chewton to enjoy some local ale and lively conversation.
A good day.
Tony ,Peter and Kikki
