Croesus Track map
Last week our walking group went up the Croesus Track from Blackball. Unlike the last time we went, in September, the weather was perfect: sunny, warm but not hot. Most of the way we were under a thick canopy of trees so we didn’t feel the heat.
Our group walked at a fairly fast clip so it was not possible to stop to take photos. If I had, I would have been left far behind.
Most of the walkers went as far as the Ces Clarke hut where we stayed in September. Instead of going up to the big hut Cliff, Kevin, Christina and I decided to check out the historic Garden Gully hut and the Garden Gully Battery site as we hadn’t seen them before.
The historic Garden Gully hut.
This track comes off the Croesus Track at the Garden Gully junction and is quite different to the main track. An old miners hut dating from the 1930s stands in a grassy flat. The government had a work scheme during the Depression where men were sent out to mine gold. They lived in huts like this—it wouldn’t have been very comfortable with its canvas walls.
Sign on the door of the historic hut.
You’d have to be really desperate to want to sleep in this hut.
This roof wouldn’t keep much rain out.
A forestry-style swing bridge.
This is an extremely basic bridge, definitely a one person at a time experience. It is made of netting, wire, slats and mesh fencing.
Closeup of bridge.
Christina and Kevin study the sign at the stamper.
This fairly elaborate machine crushed quartz in the gold mining process. Most of the pieces are still there.
Some interesting historic goldmining junk.
Blackball Creek
Cliff tightens his shoelaces at the site of the 2nd Hotel.
We were on our way back when this photo was taken, an hour back from Garden Gully. The footing on most of the track was fairly tough on the feet as it was composed of sharp rocks of many sizes and shapes.