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Travel by train is NOT recommended, due to sgnificant train disruptions on 7th December - see Public Transport travel update below - therefore travel by car to Castlemaine is recommended, and enjoy a day walk in the historic Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and your BYO picnic lunch. We will also invite members of 'The Alluvians', Castlemaine's gay men's social group to join the walk.
GRADE | LENGTH | TYPE: Grade 3: Medium walking - approximately 10 km circuit walk on paths that are at times rocky and steep (graded according to the AWTGS: Australian Walking Tracks Grading System).
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: Meeting at 10:31am outside the Midland Hotel (2 Templeton Street, cnr Templeton & Kennedy Streets) just opposite the Castlemaine Station car park. If you are travelling to Castlemaine by train, PLEASE tick the 'public transport' option when you register.
We introduce ourselves and then car-share with those who have driven from Melbourne or are Castlemaine locals. If there are insufficient cars, then a taxi mini bus will be pre-booked (small extra shared cost). There are NO lunch shops near the railway station, so you will need to bring your lunch, snacks and water with you.
It is about a 15-minute drive to the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. We leave our cars, admire the ruins of the massive 1887 Garfield Water Wheel, and learn from the information boards the scale of development that was once there.
We commence the walk uphill through the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and past the remains of many mines, some surprisingly deep. We are heading for the stone-hut ruins of the Welsh Village, and here we will take a break to inspect the remains of a once-thriving community. Continuing to gain height, we reach our highest point, the banks of the Expedition Pass Reservoir, the source of water for the waterwheel, and locally known as ‘The Rez’, named after it was noted on Major Mitchell's 'Australia Felix' expedition. We will stop for lunch at a suitable spot along the way.
The walk is easier now, returning downhill on the easy Forest Creek Track, and at Chinamans Point Road taking the track back to the Garfield Water Wheel.
We leave the Garfield Water Wheel by about 4pm, and we travel back to the Castlemaine Station where some will board the 4.49pm train to arrive at Southern Cross at 6.24pm, and others drive home.
BOOKING: By 6pm Friday 6th December. To register click on Get Tickets.
Unsure if you've already booked? Click View my bookings.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
MEETING TIME | LOCATION: Meeting outside the Midland Hotel, 2 Templeton Street; cnr Templeton and Kennedy Streets) just opposite the Castlemaine Railway Station at 10:31am. For those tempting fate and PTV, and travelling by bus/train service from Melbourne .. the train now arrives at 9.50am, so you will need to wait and meet us at 10.31am NOTE: You need to bring lunch, snacks and water with you to this meeting point as there are no food shops near the station and we will not be stopping to buy food or drink during our short drive from the station to Garfield Water Wheel.
MAP REFERENCE: Melway map X909 grid C6 | Google map maps.app.goo.gl/93kAUPqBE8NUKt4r6.
DISTANCE | TIME FROM GPO: Castlemaine is about 130 km, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes by train or 1 hour 30 minutes to drive via the Calder Highway, exiting at the marked B180 turnoff to Castlemaine. .
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: NOTE: On Saturday 7th December train travel to Castlemaine is disrupted by two events - (i) level crossing removal at Diggers Rest and (2) Metro tunnel works. See the PTV Journey Planer for more information. As of this morning, 30th November, if you hope to depart from Southern Cross plan for the 7.50am express bus to Gisbone (New Gisborne) then a 9.05am Bendigo line train will take you 3 stops to Castlemaine, arriving at 9.50am. There regular ~ hourly train service from Southern Cross Station to Castlemaine (the Bendigo line) that takes about 1 1/2hr is not running on the 7th December 2024!
FOOD: Bring picnic lunch and we suggest you carry snacks and at least 1 litre of water. Note: we will not be stopping in Castlemaine township to buy food or drink.
APPAREL | FOOTWEAR: Comfortable walking boots/shoes, jacket, hat and dress according to the Castlemaine (not Melbourne) weather forecast.
Average daily temperatures for Castlemaine in early December range from 11 - 26 degrees C, but it may be hotter. Therefore you should consult the Castlemaine weather forecast (not Melbourne) a day or two before the event and wear weather-appropriate clothing and footwear for walking.
LEADER: Ian G. | Email LeaderIanG@nomads.org.au if you have any questions.
Members can access leader contact details under Members | Leader Contacts when logged in to the website.
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