Waihola Walk

4. 21/02/2024. Hikers. Waihola/Milburn Area. Grade 2 Leaders: Bill and Jill

Bridge Square Thumb22 hikers assembled at a car park in Limeworks Road, Milburn on a rather grey morning with a cold head on sou’wester blowing into our faces. After traversing a farm track, we joined the Clutha Gold Trail in Circle Hill Road and began what Jill quite accurately described as a day of quirky bridges and old fossils!

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Waihola Area – Information and Trips Library Post

Scope:

This page of club tramps and hikes in the area South via SH1 and groups together trips to the area around Lake Waihola, including Waihola Hill and Lawlor Farm. (map)

Background Information:

Road distances from Mosgiel carpark.

Access Permissions are required for trips incorporating Lawlor Farm – refer guidelines

Links to tramps and hikes in this area:

04/12/2024. Waihola – new cycleway/walk. Trampers.  Leaders: Heather Kirk and Jenny Wilton

Waihola Walk. 2024 – 2010. (4 trips, 3 with reports and photos, 1 with photos only)
Waihola Hill and Lawlor Farm. 2023 – 2022. (2 trips with reports and photos)
Finlayson, Wilkinson, Waihola, Skyline Roads. 2012 – 1988 (16 trips, 1 with report and photo, 1 with photos only, 14 no reports or photos)

Midwinter Dinner Occasions

6. 1/7/2020 Midwinter Luncheon. RSA. Leaders : Eleanore and Jill.

Due to  the abysmal weather yesterday afternoon, we cancelled the planned walk along the Silver stream, thank goodness we did because the rain kept going last night and today.
Instead, It was lovely to be greeted at the Mosgiel R.S.A. restaurant by 60 Happy faces, particularly our Senior Members, who always enjoy our shared occasions.  We were all  ready for a good catch up after the Coronavirus lockdown.
Past President Jill welcomed everyone along.  Also, on behalf of the Club Jill passed condolences onto Margaret Smith, due to  the recent Passing of her  beloved  Husband Les.

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Photo and Caption Helen – ” Vice President Jill welcoming everyone.”

At our 30th Anniversary, Jill as President, had the honour to present both  Les and  Margaret with Life Membership.  Margaret  joined in 1988 and Les in 1990.   Both dedicating many years of service to the club.
President Arthur thanked both myself and Jill for organising the venue and meal.  Also, he mentioned about the trampers’ track clearing trip set down for 8 July.
Grace was delivered by Ian Fleming, another Life Member of the Club.

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Photo and Caption Helen – ” Enjoying the lovely food.”

It was now time to enjoy tasty, well presented Dinners.   Choices being—Hot Ham, Fish, Braised Steak or Wiener Schnitzel.  Followed by beautifully presented Fruit Crumble or Ice Cream Sundae.  Tea, Coffee and Chocolate to finish off with.

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Photo and Caption Helen – “Enjoying seeing everyone.”

Full credit must go to the chef, manager and staff for their effort they put into the meal, and service given.
I hope you all enjoyed the outing as much as Jill and I did.
Eleanore Ryan and Jill Dodd


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Horseshoe Bush

South of Lake Waihola in the region known as Waihola Gorge, a road branches off the Main South Road by the brick Ewing Phosphate Company building. At the end of this, a left-hand turn marked ‘Drivers Road. No Exit’ leads to this stable where Mr P J Heffernan, owner of Horseshoe Bush Estate since 1967 keeps his racehorses.
This stable, completed in 1884 with stone from the hill behind, took two years to build and consists of 12 stalls, 2 loose boxes, living quarters for two men, harness and storage rooms. The concrete floor laid over 18 inches of blue metal hammered into the swamp ground, the joinery by Mr Littlejohn of Milton and the masonry by Mr Lothian of Burnside are still in excellent condition; and the original spouting and Scotch iron roofing are still there. …
… It was built for Henry Driver who, born in the U.S.A. came to Otago as a youth from the Australian gold diggings. A merchant in Dunedin, he served on the first City Council and the Provincial Council and for a number of years was the member for Roslyn in the House of Representatives. …
… in 1884 he retired from public life. With the eye of a perfectionist, he supervised the completion of the stable and the area adjacent to it was divided into eight 22-acre paddocks with hawthorn hedges, each one with a heavy oregon gate with a number. …
… W H Valpy [when he] settled on the property in 1853, calling it ‘Horseshoe Bush’. …
… Another point of interest at ‘Horseshoe Bush’ is the ‘mound’, Waihola Gorge (now Clarendon) cemetery, which is on top of the knoll reached through a gate where the road marked Circle Hill joins the Clarendon-Berwick road. There are several unmarked graves, but names of several well-known families and people in the area can be read on the remaining tombstones. These include Yorston, Young, Bell, Fryer, Sinclair, Sutherland, Craigie, Donald McMaster, Rev. John McNicol and H B Flett. – “More Taieri Buildings” by Daphne Lemon, 1972.