Taieri Recreational Tramping Club

No. 58 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Taieri Historical Park. Farm”

Judy and Adrienne did a great job of organising a rather complicated end-of-the-year gathering at the Taieri Historical Park when it didn’t all go to plan. Indeed the ordered trestle arrived, Judy had the key to the historic church where we had planned to lunch later, but there was not promised entry to the park museum, although happily the Machinery Museum at the top was there for us to wander around and gawp at. We we a goodly-sized group – forty-five of us. We were split into three groups:

Trampers went up the “Outram Glen” track, in the event stopping just short of Lee Stream lest they should find themselves getting back late for lunch.

Hikers (group one) went up the Whare/Traquair Creek track where we were informed through some 1912 cell-phone photos that the true “Outram Glen” spot was just across the creek adjacent to a flour mill, sadly burnt down about 1916, an area resorted to by picnickers, now built over by the more sweeping corner of the George King Memorial Drive just where it begins to climb the hill. The group went on to have morning tea at the track end, enjoying the bush and stream setting, and speculating where the dray track must have continued on to, perhaps up the side stream there, over a bridge that Jim noticed traces of. But click on here to see the probable true explanation. As depicted by the route map below, the track is just under a kilometre long. The group wandered back down to what is now termed the “Glen”, splitting up, some to explore where the Trampers had gone and others to wander where they willed. There was ample time to kill before  the midday lunch.

GPS route map

Hikers (group two) resorted for a morning tea picnic at the “Outram Glen” Taieri River beach before returning.

Come midday, and others arrived. Many clustered round Jill’s ” bookstall, (an Altrusa project, proceeds to the Mosgiel  Swimming Pool). We drifted into the church building and were greeted with a most attractive layout of the shared  food we had brought.

The goodies (Helen pic)

Early fears that the pews would inhibit social intercourse were quickly allayed. Fred pointed out to this reporter how blokes at the “shed” had cunningly resized some longer pews so that the collection of pews presented a most genuine setting.

Munching and meeting. (Helen pic)

Munching and meeting. (2) (Helen pic)

To round off the day, Bruce and his ukelele led us in singing a number of old unchurchy songs, to two of which he had added clever tramping verses of his own. Well done, Bruce!

Bruce and a couple of ring-ins leading the singing. (Helen pic)

Well, that winds things up. – Except! Plans to “coffee” at Outram were amended to Wal’s Topiary because of its larger size,  but which we discovered upon reaching there had been taken over by a group for a Christmas get-together. So nine of us ended up at the Blackstone Cafe for our coffee chat. All in all, the day was a good occasion to finish off the year’s tramping and to wish each other a good holiday season and  a good meeting together in the New Year. – Ian.