A Morning Walk along the banks of the Campaspe River

I don't think that you will ever discover the hidden pleasures of a location unless you actually live there. Visitors help you discover these hidden pleasures as you find ways to entertain them. 

This weekend we had guests of which one is an avid photographer and I took them on a morning walk along the Campaspe River that circles our town of Kyneton. 

The Campaspe River begins its journey from the foothills of the great dividing range, within the Wombat Forest not that far from Trentham where we are building. It meanders to Woodend and then to Kyneton while continuing all the way to the Murray River near Echuca on the border of Victoria and New South Wales - a journey of 232 kms.

The general area has suffered from 2 years of minimal rainfall and so the Campaspe is currently a series of billabongs or areas of water not going anywhere. As you walk along the river path, you discover that in the early part of last century, the town's folk built a river swimming pool, bridges of bluestone pillars that allowed you to cross the river and overlook the pool where the locals could cool off during the peak summer season.  As we walked along the river path, I meet one of my recent cycling friends who is part of the "Friends of the Campaspe" and he was able to enlighten us to the work that the group are undertaking to improve the quality of the river.

We saw many trees stumps along each side of the river bank and wondered why you would do this. We were told that these trees were willows and that they clog the river-way. Having felled these trees, the group have begun to plant many more eco friendly trees, more suitable to the river. 

It certainly is quite idyllic and as we walked the river path, we discovered many of the locals walking their dogs, jogging or riding their bikes and each had a friendly hello for us. So much different from the big city.

The still waters of the Campaspe River due to two years of drought.

Between these two concrete barriers is the early swimming pool from early last century.

High on the hill overlooking both the Campaspe River and the town of Kyneton is the first hospital built (1859) of the most common material available in the district - Bluestone. It was where we began our walk.

High on the hill overlooking the Campaspe River in Kyneton is the derelict hospital made of bluestone with an iron lace veranda.