2025-05-30 -37 144
| Fri 30 May 2025 in -37,144: -37.0168600, 144.1176658 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox |
Location
In Smiths Reef bushland, a couple of kilometres east of Maldon.
Participants
- Tom
- Max
Expedition
Today was a curriculum day for Max, and we had planned to visit a friend and climb Lalgambook (Mount Franklin), an extinct volcano not far from Daylesford. We don’t usually like to drive to geohashes because of the associated environmental impacts, but as this hash was near the route home, and took us near Max’s favourite steam train route, we decided to go for it.
We left Lalgambook in the early afternoon and drove towards Muckleford. We had no idea of the quality of the dirt roads in the area, but given the straightness of Carpenter Lane, we figured it was likely passable in our Honda Jazz with its very low ground clearance. Luckily for us, the interestingly named Donkey Farm Track also proved navigable in our car at slow speed. The first part of it is also the route of the Castlemaine-Maldon Rail Trail. We stopped as close as we could in the car, and Max ate some peanuts to fuel the upcoming trek.
The walk was a little over 500m through bush which my research suggests is called Smiths Reef and forms part of the Maldon Historic Reserve. There were no paths, but the undergrowth was sparse in most parts, and there were many animal pads. Quartz rocks were scattered all round and small patches of burnt undergrowth were common, which I guessed were either weed suppression or managed burns. Max enjoyed carrying the phone and watching the distance to the hash decrease as we headed west. We reached the hash without much difficulty with a little help from Dad. Max was a little concerned that we were lost on the way back to the car, but with Dad holding the phone, we had little trouble finding the way. We saw a flock of kangaroos on the walk back, and a fat-tire recumbent bike on the rail trail.
Photos
Geohash GPS result
Tom and Max at the hash.
Max standing at the hash.
