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Walks, Blog, Glenn's Blog

Masons Falls Circuit walk

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A walk not too far from Eltham, the wonderful Masons Falls Circuit in Kinglake West.

Mason Falls Circuit at Kinglake.
Mason Falls Circuit at Kinglake.

This walk is a good 13km from start to finish and it winds its way through a variety of terrain and scenery.

The first part following Sugarloaf Ridge Track was a pleasing descent through the burnt remains of gum trees. Green was everywhere and the forest has recovered well from the bush fires of 2009.

Next begins the descent down towards Running Creek. At the end is a beautiful place where the track meets Running Creek and it’s a great place for a break.

The Tryst and Hazel Glade

After resting at The Tryst, we continued on to Hazel Glade and Ferny Nook. These places are marked with signs and the book has a great photo of Hazel Glade and I assume that the fires made the areas look just like everywhere else instead of a track enclosed beautifully by trees and ferns.

Hazel Glade in 2005.
Hazel Glade in 2005.

A short distance after Ferny Nook the tracks climbs up and higher than the Masons Falls lookout. This was a long climb and it seemed much longer and steeper than it actually was. A few walkers from the Masons Falls car park had the sense not to descend too far down the hill, it’s a long way back!

Masons Falls

Masons Falls are just beautiful and are well worth the effort. You can also drive to them and have a nice picnic. In fact, this would be a better starting place than the Blackwood Picnic area that the book suggests. As the falls are fed by a small stream they are best viewed after a heavy rainfall.

Gradient profile for the Mason Falls Circuit at Kinglake.
Gradient profile for the Mason Falls Circuit at Kinglake.

 

Lyrebird Circuit and History

After Masons Falls is a pleasing loop which takes you past a nice stream and then the historical site of Carman’s Mill. The only thing left is a sawdust mound; and this was well overgrown. Further along and across the stream is the start of the tramway which transported items up and down the hill. Due to the vegetation I could not see anything. I didn’t see any Lyrebirds either!

Boundary Track

Boundary Track departs from the picnic ground (the facilities are new since the book was published) and once the bush is behind you there is farmland adjacent to the track reminding you that your time in the wilderness is coming to an end.

A sign says “Blackwood Picnic Area, 600m” and you feel relief that the walk is nearly over. Being tired the distance seemed to be well over a kilometre.

The Photos

Conclusion

A great walk that is best done when there has been plenty of rain to make Masons Falls be at their best. To skip the walk have a picnic using the excellent facilities at Masons Falls. The facilities at Blackwood are very basic and there’s not much to see nearby.

Reference

Day Walks Melbourne by Chapman, John. Book – 2005

 

 

Vacations

Milton, Old Sydney Town and Timber Town, March 1991

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We were invited to a friend’s wedding to be held in Queensland. We decided to drive and visit some relations on the way up and after the wedding to check out some of the Queensland tourist attractions.

Milton Farm

Milton, the place where my father grew up. I always loved coming here in the January holidays when my father’s factory always took their annual break. The trip in the car seemed to take forever but seeing my father’s side of the family, the farm and the country town of his childhood made up for it.

Old Sydney Town

A more recent shot of the windmill. Possibly taken around 2005.

Old Sydney Town (original site offline since March 2019) is a historical theme park representing Sydney some years after the first convicts arrived at Botany Bay. It’s not as well-developed as Sovereign Hill but it was on the way.

Sadly on Monday January 27, 2003 the park was closed to the public. Two years later and now it’s oddly being marketed as a movie set. The website photos (original website offline since March 2019) show that the buildings have deteriorated but the weathering makes them look more authentic.

I suspect that visitors did not want to be reminded of Australia’s dark past which included imprisonment and capital punishment. Compared to Sovereign Hill and Timbertown the era covered by Old Sydney Town is rather bleak.

Leyland Brothers

In the 70’s the Leyland Brothers answered a viewer’s request and made a visit to Old Sydney Town. It’s interesting to note how much live action was being provided to keep visitors entertained and possibly educated. By the time of our visit this had dwindled down to performers roaming around saying the the odd thing to each other and visitors.

Timbertown

Timbertown in Wauchope, Queensland is my second favourite historical theme park (my favourite is Sovereign Hill). The buildings look authentic and there’s even a steam train to ride. The scones made there were some of the best I’ve had, at least when we went. Well worth a visit.

The Photos