Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Walk into History - Big Pat's Creek Sector




The Walk into History is a 38 km trail extending from Big Pats Creek to Powelltown.

The small settlement of Big Pat's Creek is about 80 km east of Melbourne, not far from the town of Warburton.

The trail is considered by a number of forest planners to be one of the best scenic forest walks in Victoria.

The two day walk follows old tramway tracks passing through Mountain Ash forests, via old mills and past old logging equipment. The walk can be undertaken in small sections from several access points.

The timber tramway, known as the Federal Mill Tramway, linking Big Pat's Creek and Starling Gap, ceased to operate in 1950, but a few relics remain. Big bushfires in 1983 destroyed most of the remaining infrastructure.

I hiked the northern route of the Federal Mill trail on August 26 2008, as a late-winter review of track conditions, about 4 km return. The trail starts at the junction of Big Pat's Creek Rd and Smythe Creek Rd, at the old bridge, and follows Big Pat's Creek, crossing it at several points.

A small picnic ground, with facilities, suitable for camping, is located about 1 km from the start of the walk.

My objective is to complete the entire trail in stages - I have already done the 11 km southern sector from Powelltown to the High Lead carpark on the Noojee Rd.

Very little evidence remains of the former tramway infrastructure along this section of the walk, apart from some iron rails at the side of the track, near Big Pat's Creek Rd.

See the full set of
Photos

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