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we started off from the station at around 9:15, debating whether to put our jackets on or not - a debate that continued throughout the day, although there was only one section where it rained with any particular ferocity. i took the following photo during our first tea break, but i've played with the levels so the cloud actually looks more threatening in the photo than it did in real life!
i've always held some kind of anti-laburnum feeling in my heart. probably in part because the word lends itself so well to being spoken in a super-bogan accent, but also in part because, just before arriving at laburnum station, the train goes through a cutting that has been covered in poured concrete, and it one of the ugliest cuttings in all of melbourne. however, once away from the station, the suburb itself is quite pretty - lots of trees, quite sheltered and tucked away among small hills, and the walk immediately joins some lovely parkland. oh, and there is a weirdly pruned tree to laugh at, too:
it's not too long before you join gardiners creek, although first you need to cross a major road and walk down beside the park where people practice archery!
the creek wends its way through suburbia, golf courses and light industrial spaces, and you get a good mix of native trees, parkland, etc. the creek itself changes from a concrete drain (reminiscent of moonee ponds creek in places) and a delightful, grass-trimmed stream.
the path passes through deakin uni before crossing burwood hwy. i was at deakin a couple of weeks ago and noticed this path, so decided to devise a walk that used it, as it looked so nice. on the other side of burwood hwy is the location of australia's first drive-in cinema, opened in 1954 (i think).
the path then continues on alongside the creek, eventually turning west opposite the malvern east golf course. we walked right down beside the creek, where there is no paved path. looking this up online, i think there are a lot of cyclists really pissed off that the new cycle path follows the streets further away from the creek. sucks to be them - this is gorgeous walking material (although i'll bet it gets muddy after a bit of rain!)
we had our tea break under the verandah of one of the sports sheds beside an oval . . .
. . . and joined the anniversary/outer circle railway trail for a bit, before re-joining the creek.
i'm writing this at night, and i really just want to go to bed, so i'm going to skip through the last bit! suffice to say that the sections along the creek are lovely!
and the bits turning back east in along ferndale trail are also lovely!
and it was great to walk along the outer circle trail the other way. dan helped me notice more things, like these cute beefeaters outside one of the stations:
we got cheese and tomato toasties and a big m from a suburban milk bar for lunch, and it was genius. no photos, because it was a bit too cold and drizzly. but it was great anyway! we ended up finishing the 25kms at about 4:30pm from memory, which puts our speed at a bit under 4km an hour, with a few tea/lunch breaks.
we then dropped in to see my grandparents, had a cuppa with them and chatted for a while before getting a taxi home and ordering curry. it was, all in all, a delightful day!
Thanks for writing the update! (As always...)
ReplyDeleteYou are the best! It was indeed a lovely walk.