Scotch College

A long way from Tipperary

Sunday 19 May dawned bright and sunny in Melbourne. It looked an ideal day for a bushwalk; so forty-three members of the Old Scotch Bushwalking Club needed no persuasion to set off for Daylesford, where our central highlands walk was to begin.

But the closer we came to Daylesford, the lower the clouds became. Undaunted, the forty-three walkers arrived by 10am to tackle the Tipperary Track between Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. We waved goodbye to Graham Stanley and David Norton (both recovering from heart surgery) and Lach McLean (dicky knees).

We started the 16km walk in single file, along one of the old water races, dug by the miners to bring water to their workings in the gold mining days. Reminders of those old days were everywhere, with mullock-heaps still easily recognisable. We realised that just to get to the diggings the pioneering goldminers probably had to do every day what we were now doing just for a day's fun and relaxation.

We stopped at Tipperary Springs to sample the mineral waters of the area, with some perhaps hoping that this was the legendary 'Fountain of Youth'.

The lunch stop was at the Blowhole, fashioned by the miners to divert water in the search for the elusive yellow metal. After lunch the track became a little steeper and narrower, as we followed the creek to Breakneck Gorge over Newstead Road and on to Golden Spring. Here the choice was five hundred metres downhill to the entrance of the Hepburn Springs car park or a further 2.8km via Jackson's Lookout to complete the walk. Some took the easier option, and these not so robust walkers shuttled cars to meet those who had taken the longer option.

It was another great Old Scotch bushwalk, well organised by Pam and Norman McLeod.