The Golden Triangle Bicycle Paths

50 kilometres west of Bendigo lie the historic goldfields of Dunolly.  In the 1980's bicycle trails were marked over the District.  In spring time the Acacia gold replaces the golden metal that has long since disappeared.

low acacias form the golden understory .. where the miners once stripped the ground of its metallic gold Echidnas spoil the grave of Jesse Turner who died in 1867 and was buried in the cemetery of the abandoned gold town, Waanyarra the circular hold of the puddling wheel showed that quartz was once crushed here
the chinese were reputed to build round mineshafts .. was this one? the matted pea Pultenea pedunculata now covers the ravaged soil of the gold fields The Astroloma conostephioides or "Flame Heath" had almost finished flowering in October
mauve, pink and purple the Caladenia orchid grows profusely amongst the mining rubbish not the gold of the Acacia but the golden Guinea flowers of the Hibbertia matted the ground below the iron barks Grevillea alpina grows almost everywhere in Victoria .. and here the colour of the flowers contrasted with the yellow of the Acacia

These pictures were taken in early October 2000