Inglewood Tracks and Trails
The Inglewood to Bullabul track follows quiet country roads, railway service tracks and well-worn paths through attractive bushland.
The track starts at the town hall in Inglewood, winds through the historic Morning Star Mine and ends in the pleasant surrounds of the Loddon river at Bridgewater. Mid way is a picturesque old timber bridge over the Bullabul Creek. The Bullabul rises in the foothills north of Dunolly and joins the Loddon River downstream of the basalt bar at Bridgewater.
Both Bridgewater and Inglewood are attractive towns with rich histories, interesting architecture and a warm country feel about them.
If possible take time to explore both towns to learn about the history and enjoy the attractions of the area. Good quality trails with excellent facilities may be found in both towns and offer an ideal way to experience them.
The distance of the trail is 13.4 km one way so if you have not arranged to be picked up at the other end you will need to be prepared to complete over 26km. A mountain bike is the ideal way to enjoy this trail but walking will allow plenty of time to appreciate the environment and attractions along the way.
Things to see
The track takes in a variety of environments from the riverine community of the Loddon River, through rural farmland, bushland reserve and the ephemeral Bullabul Creek.
Notice the changes in vegetation and the birds and animals living in each environment. Along the river and creek you may see galahs and cockatoos, ducks, egrets or rosellas. Farmland is more likely to attract magpies, ravens, or hawks while the bushland may bring tree creepers, honey eaters, pardalotes or robins. At the Inglewood end you will see stands of Mallee trees and tall Yellow gums.
The farmland will display a different character depending on the time of year, varying between lush green fields through fallow paddocks to dry crops or pasture in summer.
Inglewood Reservoir Track - Inglewood is perhaps the most charismatic town of the region, with its remarkably well preserved streetscape and many fine old buildings scattered across the town.
Once an important gold mining centre with a population up to 50,000, the number is now closer to around 1000 residents. The town was first surveyed in 1860 but in 1862 most of the buildings were destroyed by fire. The district has a long history of extracting high quality eucalyptus oil from the locally abundant Blue Mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea) and is often referred to as the 'Blue Eucy' town. Originally constructed to secure water supply for the town, the reservoir became redundant when the town was connected to the Loddon System via a treatment plant near Bridgewater. In 2009
a pipe was laid connecting the reservoir to the recreation reserve on the southern side of town, to keep the grounds in a playable condition. The track around the reservoir provides for a pleasant stroll of 1.5 - 2.0 km depending on the route chosen.
Things to see
The trail commences at the old Botanic Gardens though only a few of the original pines remain. Skilled hands have created interesting and colourful carvings in the trunks of the older trees that died in the recent drought, with one featuring a lone Nankeen Night Heron that was fond of perching in the tree.
Just to the south of the car park you may detect the remnants of some small ponds; try to visualise the hospital patients that were once brought here to enjoy the environment and aid recuperation.
Heading north along the track to the reservoir you'll notice the many small mounds beneath the stands of Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) that provide testament to the activities associated with 'gold fever' that gripped this area in the past.
As you complete the trail around the reservoir be alert for wildlife such as the many small birds, lizards and frogs that are attracted to insects living around the Reservoir. Fine stands of stout Melaleuca shrubs can be seen including Totem Poles (Melaleuca decussata) and Violet Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca wilsonii). In early Spring the squat rough wattles (Acacia aspera) carpet the trail with yellow blossoms.
Location
120 Inglewood-Powlett Road, Inglewood 3517 Map
Web Links
→ Bullabul Track from Inglewood to Bridgewater (PDF)
→ Inglewood Reservoir Track (PDF)
