The slow fading summers and a nice long weekend called for a celebration. The beautiful begonias were not late to the party and indubitably the best dressed. In case you missed the
party, you will have to wait patiently till next year for the pretty begonias to bloom.
The picture does not do justice to what your eyes can see. theeconomicsocio
What you can do, however, is a lovely walk around a parkland which offers some incredible views over Ballarat. We were looking for a quick hike and came across the Black Hill Reserve. It is just minutes from the Ballarat CBD and my first thought on reaching there was - sunsets would be so great from this hill!
What make it outstanding though is, mountain biking.
Mountain bike trails . Picture courtesy-theeconomicsocio
Most of the walks around the reserve are mountain bike trails. However, if you want to flex those calves, it really doesn't matters which path you take here. Throughout the incline is quite steep and slippery so make sure you have some good shoes to strengthen your grip.
The walking tracks head off around the reserve in all directions, the bike tracks are marked with signs - walkers must avoid these tracks for safety. The walks are very scenic. Since it is the start of fall, the ground was covered with pine cones and the air was full of the woody savour.
You have towering pine trees all around as you descend into the beautiful open cut gorge, a remnant of the site's mining days. All along the walking tracks, you will find gorgeous scenery and some parts open up to offer fantastic views.
Towering pines .Pic Courtesy-theeconomicsocio
: Black Hill forms part of the auriferous quartz ranges in the Ballarat region. Black Hill was a difficult area to mine, as the area had no water supply to wash dirt and remove the gold. Miners had to bag the dirt, roll the bags down the hill and wash it in the Yarrowee Creek.
Key remnants of mining activity remain including the visible scarring and debris from the open cut era, vertical and horizontal shafts, foundations that may be attributed to the crushing battery, two concrete structures possibly used to house explosives and brick kerbing. The Black Hill precinct is important as one of the few visible and generally untouched mining sites left in Ballarat.
Currently, there are no toilets or barbecues around the park but that should not stop you from having a good time at the top.
Such lush green heady sights. Picture courtesy-theeconomicsocio
