Ballarat Part 2 Exploring Creswick

 Today we headed out to  explore Creswick about 20 minutes out of Ballarat. We checked out Calembeen Park, did the La Gerche Gully walk, indulged in some delicious pastries at La Peche Patisserie. I decided I wouldn't have minded studying at the Victorian School of Forestry. Creswick is a delightful town with delightful old buildings, lots of gold mining history. We had a fun dinner that night with Kerrie's grandkids (8, 5, and 3 months) and her son and daughter in law at a sushi train restaurant, it was a fun night.

Calembeen Park was the location of alluvial gold mining, worked by the Chinese and the site of a Chinese settlement. Hard to believe this area was covered in tents, mines and huts. Later this area was mined to deeper level by a mining company. Now it is filled with water and used as a swimming basin and lake for fishing and boating. It was lovely with the wattles in bloom and the birds chirping.

This area would have been filled with mines, tents and huts

We then headed out to Creswick Woollen Mills, it was started in 1947 by a Polish immigrant, it still operates today. The owners were early adopters of recycling, reusing old jumpers and blankets, shredding them to create new yarns. They very much believed in giving back to the community.

They had a self guided tour that took you through the spinning and weaving process

Of course we needed to support the local economy so sampled some of the pastries on offer at La Preche, needed to refuel before doing the La Cherche Gully Walk.

The La Gerche walking track took us through the forest area restocked by John La Gerche, after it had been ravished by mining practices. He prevented illegal logging, grew useful trees for commercial use, hand raised seedlings to plant in the forest, then slept in the forest to prevent the theft of the young trees.

Some of these trees were planted in the 1880's

I loved the bark on this Canary Island Oak Tree

Kerrie and Sue- partners in crime

Creswick is home to Melbourne University School of Forestry. It had a beautiful grounds and a lovely old building as the main office, previously the Creswick Hospital

Some of the lovely old buildings around the town- Former School of Mining, it had been used as an undertakers business, a drapers, a bank. When it was the School of Mines it was also used to teach telegraphy, surveying, and also drawing and painting lessons. The Lindsay family were from Creswick,  a very artistic family.

Ballarat at night.