The Loddon Race: A Walking Guide: Fook Farm Bridge to Head of Race

This building, emblazoned with the name 'Fook Farm' is guaranteed to catch the eye when driving along the Vaughan Springs Road between Glenluce and Glenlyon. It looks like an old shearing shed and perhaps it once was, but it's actually now part of a farmstay business. I've always liked its quirky charm and mottled exterior. It's near here where the second in our Loddon Race walks begin. The map below shows the route we will take, significant features are numbered on the map and in the text. 

    So, first up, we'll park at the bridge near Fook Farm (790 Vaughan Springs Rd), on an old road reserve, and follow the Loddon River down its west side until we reach the very head of the Loddon Race. We'll then return up the east side. And like the previous field ramble along the channel maze at Red Hill, this walk is for fit adventurous walkers, with the additional caveats that walkers need to be prepared for rock scrambling, some steep hill climbs and, as a bonus, a wade across the river. That's right! In this walk we will need to take a change of shoes, preferably waterproof, a small towel to dry off after our dip, and a plastic bag to store the wet shoes. So a pack will be essential on this walk as well as water, lunch, hat, and all the other things one normally takes on a long walk. In addition, a walking pole will help at the river crossing, although there's plenty of good sized sticks lying around closer to that point.

    But first it's good to look around the area before starting out. The Loddon Race crosses the road near Fook Farm and disappears underground for a considerable distance before re-emerging high on a hill, north of the Loddon River, not far east of the Doxa Youth Camp. Here, below, you can see how the race, after traversing the Fook Farm property, emerges on its east side.

    The above photo is of the siphon inlet (Siphon 6), on private land, which once took the race water under Boundary Creek. The roads in this area were once very different to how they are today. Compare the straightforward route of Vaughan Springs Rd in the map above to how the roads were in 1914, in this excerpt from a tourist map of the area.

    In particular, take note that, apparently, there was a State School close to the head of the race. I can save you the search, the only remnant of the school that I could find there was a single brick. It doesn't exist on the Education Department's list of closed schools so the story behind it's location, there, in the middle of nowhere, is likely to remain a mystery.  

    Also, note the convoluted path the road took crossing the Loddon River near its confluence with Boundary Creek. This dogleg can be seen in this aerial map from 1979, before the new bridge was erected.

    Perhaps the new straighter road was being cut through about this time; on the upper left hand side there appears to be the start of excavations. It seemed that here, travellers coming from Glenluce once had to make quite a sizeable detour if they wanted to reach the Daylesford Malmsbury Road because of a large hill which stood in the way. Eventually a deep cutting was made to allow the Vaughan Springs Road to be straightened. In fact, Google Maps and Google Earth still label that looping track, Vaughan Springs Rd, which in those days also included the Doxa Youth Camp driveway. Later, in 1982,  the current bridge over the Loddon was built, which must have made the crossing a much drier affair. We shall see why when we start walking.

     A good parking spot is at that old dogleg road reservation. Park just off Vaughan Springs Road next to the bridge on the east side of the Loddon River. I'd recommend not blocking the road in case the local farmer requires access to a farm gate. 

    This walk is about 9.5 km, a little more if you choose to hunt for the site of the mysterious State School. Start by walking the old road as it curves around to descend to the previous crossing, which is barely above a moderate river level. 

   

      Upon crossing the old bridge (1) we turn hard left to walk along the river bank. It looks like fisher folk drive closer to deep water along this grassy track.

     On the west side of the river there are sections of small ditches which seem to be only three or four metres above the river. Not far into our walk someone has gone to a lot of work to excavate a race that leads to an interesting rock formation near here, perhaps to feed a small dam. Why they would do that when the river is so close is unclear.

        The grassy track peters out and the going gets a little rougher. Soon you reach your first hurdle, a rock bar blocking your way (2).

    This is where you can try out your rock climbing skills. If it's wet and the moss is saturated, the climb might be tricky but, hey, this is what field rambling is all about, testing your ability to problem solve.

 

       It's probably easier climbing the cleft in this rock with a group of walkers who might offer a helping hand. The descent on the other side might also prove interesting for those who aren't used to complexity in their walking.

    At this point I should remind ramblers that they take on this adventure at their own risk. The good news is that this is the most difficult barrier you'll face. Which is not to say the walk gets any easier. Here is what you now face.

   You'll encounter a couple more rock barriers along the way but they're less intimidating than the earlier one. The river environs are quite beautiful here, especially when the River Callistemon (C. sieberi) is flowering (seen here lining the river, left of photo).

    In places, the races and main Loddon Race along the river are supported by stone ledges. A little further along there's a quarry (3), perhaps the source of that stone.

    At a hairpin bend you'll come to a camp site (4) complete with fireplace, access road and mined landscape, the result of sluicing enabled by the water brought along a small race from higher up the Loddon catchment.

     If you look across the river you'll be able to see the Loddon Race high up on the opposite slope. You'll be picking your way back along the channel up there later on. You should be able to get a good view of two metal siphons, just a sample of the 1200 m of rivetted galvanised iron piping that was used during the reconstruction of the channel in the 1930's by the Bradfields.

    We now follow the bend of the river and find ourselves faced with a snake friendly tussock field. 

    However if we keep to the right and follow the race that had carried water to the mining site just encountered, the going is a little easier.

        Actually, it's mostly easy walking. The river is very pretty here with a tall reeds providing habitat for Reed Warblers.

     This is a long stretch of about 1200 m, but eventually you reach a large clearing at a point where the river bends to the east (5). A handy fallen tree makes a good seat.

          But just ahead we hit a major snag, a rock barrier which can't be passed.

    We can either return to our picnic spot and follow a spur up and over the hill or we can scramble up the slope here. Near the top of the ridge there's a rock outcrop.

        If you pick your way up through these rocks and over the rise you'll be rewarded with a great view of the Loddon River down below. On the left you can see the race resuming after its journey under the river. In the 19th century the channel crossed the Loddon here, high on a large wooden trestle bridge. Later on, a siphon (Siphon 2) replaced the flume and so, at this point, the siphon is partly buried in the river bed.

     And now our adventure really starts because we're about to begin following the Loddon Race. But first we have to get down to the riverside again. It's not a difficult descent, there's a track of sorts which leads down a gully and ends at a delightful meadow bordered by cliffs and a cave! This is a perfect place for lunch and some relaxing exploring.

        The cave, seen here on the left, isn't very deep but it might keep the rain off in a sudden downpour. Inside on the wall there appears to be some old graffiti.

         A little further on, the inlet siphon sits high on a stone embankment (6). Here, you can see part of the buried siphon, about to dive under the river to continue on the other side of the Loddon.

     In the river itself there are some interesting artifacts related to the race. I'm not sure if it was rust that created these holes in this section of piping, or someone with a shotgun. But if the latter, I'd like to give them a spray!

    Nearby there appears to be a piece of notched wood left over from the days of the trestle bridge that once carried a wooden flume, as well as a rock with an embedded iron hoop, perhaps some kind of anchor point?

      Time to resume the walk. The siphon inlet is worth checking out and if you've climbed up to take a look, an option here is to continue by walking along the embankment.

   

    The alternative is to continue walking next to the river. Here's what the stone embankment looks like from below.

    This lone section of the channel on the west side of the Loddon River ends (or starts, as we're heading upstream) at what looks to be another sluicing site. The race then crosses back to the east side of the river again via another siphon (Siphon 1). The outlet is rather nondescript.

    Now, remember when I said we had to cross the Loddon River at some point? This is the point! Unless you want to return the way you've come, there's no getting around it. If the river is in flood then your walk is at an end. (If you don't want to return via the river you might choose to head pretty much due west where you'll come out on to an extension of the E49 track. Follow that northwards and you'll eventually reach the Vaughan Springs Road, where you can then turn right and back to your car). If the river is low, you're in luck, you might be able to get across on stepping stones. But generally, at a normal river level, you'll need to get your feet wet, so continue along the river until you find a likely shallow area. Here's where I crossed (7). This is looking back from the east side. It's about knee deep in the middle, and the stones are fairly slippery, so this is where a walking pole or a stout stick will come in handy to steady you. It's easier in a group because you can toss your gear across the river. This means that if you end up having a swim, nothing other than your pride will be hurt. Remember to change to those waterproof shoes! And take it slowly...

    Of course, experienced bushwalkers do this kind of thing all the time, but that river water never seems to get any warmer. Back in 2015 these bushwalkers found themselves in deep water while aiming for their Wineglass Bay campsite at Freycinet National Park, Tas. (I'd made it through on a lower tide).

    Back in dry shoes you can now inspect the siphon inlet, perched high on another impressive stone embankment.

    Not far now to the head of the channel. Follow the embankment southwards. As it bends around a corner, the weeds threaten to take it over and in the end succeed.

    Sadly, the Loddon River offtake has disappeared (8). It's now a challenge to find the exact point at which water flowed into the race. An aerial photo from prior to damaging floods shows how the river once looked here.

     In this Google Earth image from January 27, 2012 it looks as if there was once a pool with an outlet to the race. Major floods occurred later that year and subsequent Google Earth views show a transformed landscape. 

    It seems a weir was never constructed on the Loddon River to regulate the flow of water to the race. In the early 20th century a gauge box was installed at the intake to the race to ensure that no more water than allowed by the licence could be diverted from the river. Later on in the 1930's, when the Bradfields renovated the Loddon Race, two siphons sunk into the bed of the river regulated the flow to the race. 

Loddon River near Loddon Race intake

    The furthest point of the walk has now been reached but there are still plenty of adventures to come. Time to head back, but, thankfully, there's no need to ford the river again. Head up through the grassland, trying not to annoy the wild goats that you might find grazing here, as I did on my visit. I haven't as yet been attacked by a wild billy goat but it seems like a good thing to avoid.

    There's an old road leading up the hill from here. We can follow it for a while until it diverges from our path because we need to detour north past the sheer cliff face that had prevented the race builders from remaining on the east side of the Loddon. As soon as we get past that cliff we can drop down to the river again (and so avoid the cabin perched up the top).

     Pretty soon we reach an impasse. We find we're facing a dangerous obstacle. There might be the odd walker who will risk continuing past this rock face, sloping down to the water's edge, but I'm not one. Much safer to scramble your way to the top of the ridge.

    Once you reach the top, follow a spur down to the siphon outlet and the continuation of the Loddon Race. If you look over the edge of the cliff you'll be able to see an unusual rock formation. It almost looks as if the workers made their own swimming hole, so regular is the stone work.

        Fallen trees make it hard to get a good view of the outlet (9).

        It's amazing how much the river has dropped in such a short distance because we now find ourselves high above the Loddon. For a while, following the race makes for pleasant walking.

        Soon you come out onto the edge of a deep gully (10). Most of the pipeline of Siphon 3, that once straddled this deep gully, has been removed although there's a remnant lying on the bed of the gully closer to the river. 

    You'll have to clamber down this gully and up the other side to continue your walk. On the far side there's a section of rusting spiral wound steel pipe. This type of pipe predates the Bradfield's work and is almost certainly a leftover from the early 20th century when the Symes brothers operated the race. I remain in awe of the mid 1860's builders of this race which predated the construction of the Coliban Scheme. With the simplest, primarily hand, tools they carved this 24 km race through some of the most rugged country imaginable.

        In about 200 metres the Loddon Race heads right (east) into private property to circumnavigate a hill (11). As we can't follow it we'll have to turn left and follow the boundary fence down to the river reserve.

     In a couple of hundred metres, the race circles back and exits the freehold land (12). It can be seen in the distance following a line of trees.

        We're now following the hairpin bend we were at earlier, but now on the east side of the river. Our heading is southwest and it's not long before the embankment is more like a ledge. Those who dislike heights might feel safer descending down to the river bank and following it back to the starting point. In fact, the wise walker will need to do so within metres. The first of two siphons encountered can be walked fairly safely. Seen below is Siphon 4, the shortest of the siphons along the race.

      But the next siphon, Siphon 5 (13), seen below, is a different proposition. There may be those who think nothing of walking the tightrope here but I advise against it. If you slip off it's a long way down. In addition, the integrity of the rusting pipe joints is doubtful. If your weight breaks a pipe connection, then even if you survive the fall you might wish you hadn't.

    The only wise option is to backtrack past the previous siphon and descend a relatively gently sloping gully.

     Once down the bottom you can look up at the second siphon, happy to be alive and injury free!

    That cliff might not look steep but I can assure you it is. A little further on there's a fairly gentle slope which allows you to climb back up to the race embankment again. 

        It's not far back to Siphon 5 to have a look from the north side.

    Someone here is building a shelter in the channel. If you spent a night here you wouldn't want to be a sleepwalker.

     You're on the home stretch now. In about 800 m the race again veers off to enter the Fook Farm property, at which point it is necessary to follow the fence down to the river (14) and follow the river reserve back to your car.

    And so ends one of the most interesting and lesser known walks in Central Victoria, where the hint of danger heightens the sense of the fun and challenge. The next walk in the series isn't quite so entertaining. However it contains some of the most spectacular ruins of the entire Loddon Race. See you in our next adventure!    

    Postscript: So, have we now found the locations of all of the Bradfield's 14 siphons? It would seem so. The only segment of the Loddon Race I was unable to follow was in the freehold land north of Boundary Creek (near the extension of Hopkins Road). The reason I'm puzzled is that in the 2017 'The Loddon Company' paper by Turnbull, Davies and Lawrence, previously cited, there's a diagram (Fig. 44, page 70) which purports to show the location of all 14 siphons measured from the head of the Loddon Race. Here it is below.

Elevation profile of the Loddon Race showing locations of 14 gullies crossed originally by flumes.    

        While Siphons 7 through to 14 could well align with their approximate distances from the head of the race, Siphons 3 to 6 don't, at least according to my calculations. (The diagram states that these were the locations of the original flumes which were replaced by siphons). If this diagram is accurate, then more research is needed. Another excuse for a walk!