Logan's Run

nev

Super Térrarist
Not working today and the weather was too good to ignore, so I perused the map and picked a spot for lunch. The Logan Pub. Little town with a pub and not much else I've been through a few times, about 3 hours northwest of Melbourne.
Rather than plan a route, I just set a few parameters on the GPS such as No motorways, take a winding route, and then I let it take me whichever way it chose. Occasionally I ignored it's instruction and took a different turn, but once I was out of the burbs I was heading out towards Gisborne. The GPS sent me up one road it thought was a through road (Sandy Creek Rd, Riddells Creek), but I turned back at the first site of a No Road sign. Instead I took the Mt Charlie Road, which winds it's way through the Mt Charlie Flora Reserve.

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It was a nice dirt road, but obvious that when it gets wet it would be slippery and muddy. Fortunately today the ruts were solid. It took me out to Mount Eliza Rd in Kerrie, which is my normal route to get to Woodend.

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Past the school portable classroom graveyard in Kyneton

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The bluestone buildings of Malmsbury

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The mechanics institute in Taradale

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The Elphingstone pub

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The old town hall in Chewton

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The remains of the old school in Gower

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The Athenaeum hall in Maldon

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The anvil on which the world's largest gold nugget (72kg) was cut up in 1869

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Around 12:30 I reached Dunolly, with still another 40kg to go to Logan. I was hungry, and it was probably time to turn around so I dumped my plans to head to Logan and started heading south. In the mid 1870s when the train line was first opened up in this region, my great great grandmother was a railway gatekeeper at Carisbrook. Not sure if this was the specific gate that she kept as there are a number of rail crossings in Carisbrook, but the railway station is about 100 metres to the right of this crossing.

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A little bit down the street is the old log gaol.

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Carisbrook Town Hall constructed in 1859

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I stopped for a good lunch at the Britannia Hotel

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Water in the Cairn Curran Reservior (almost 100% capacity).

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Mechanic's institute in Yandoit

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Another detour - Carlsruhe Station Rd.

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Mount macedon centre, Hanging rock right, and new picnic shelter on the left in one of the parking facilities serving hanging rock.

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I took the Mt Charlie Road back towards home again. Mt Teneriffe Rd was a bit of an uphill climb that's I'll probably explore next time I'm there on a bike weighing 100kg less. Likewise, at the next intersection I turned left into Kent Rd, which deteriorated into a bit of a rutted track. Right where this started was an area I could turn around so I didn't continue, however it would have taken me back to Mt Eliza Rd. Another day, another bike.

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Almost home, a snap over the northern subs down to the City from the top of Mt Ridley Rd.

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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Took me a little while to string it all together on Gmaps, trying to follow the route and geography of the places.... sweet, little loop, that one! :drool:

As a non-native...what actually does a Mechanics Institute stand for?

Yes, I googled and wiki'ed and knew the basic gist of it before I did...but what did they MEAN to the community, what impact did they have on the locals, did they achieve anything in a historical/ community context?
Just curious...
 

nev

Super Térrarist
Yes, I googled and wiki'ed and knew the basic gist of it before I did...but what did they MEAN to the community, what impact did they have on the locals, did they achieve anything in a historical/ community context?
Just curious...

Back in the day, when most working men had a trade, Mechanics Institutes, also known alternatively as Athenaeums, School of the Arts, Literary Institute, or Free Library were places where they could learn and study. They were the earliest version of public libraries in Australia. They stocked publications for tradesmen and other learning materials for adult education (back in the day "mechanic" was a much broader term and included many types of trade). Every town had one. They were also early versions of a public library. Prior to about WW1, almost every town had one. Most are now just used as community halls.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Back in the day, when most working men had a trade, Mechanics Institutes, also known alternatively as Athenaeums, School of the Arts, Literary Institute, or Free Library were places where they could learn and study. They were the earliest version of public libraries in Australia. They stocked publications for tradesmen and other learning materials for adult education (back in the day "mechanic" was a much broader term and included many types of trade). Every town had one. They were also early versions of a public library. Prior to about WW1, almost every town had one. Most are now just used as community halls.

Thanks, gotcha.
It's just that I've never seen an open, "functioning" one...but tripped over them in the most unlikely places.
 

wintrmute

dryfter
I've been through those roads near Riddells Creek - Mount Charlie Road, Kent Rd, etc.

Mount Charlie road does indeed get bad in the wet -- I've turned back before when encountering very deep mud.

Despite what google thinks, Kent Rd does *not* make it through to anything else. It just comes to a dead stop in the middle of a forest. And that's after dealing with some seriously rutted tracks.

Mount Tenerife Road is blocked, as is Mt Kent Road.

All in all, massive fail for google maps in that forest. Can I ask that you use the feedback option on gmaps to report them? If enough people do, eventually the data might change to reflect the truth...


Gap Road and Cherokee Road are good though!
 

Paul n Dixie

Part of the furniture
:clap: Excellent ride report as always :thumbs:
I love your theme with the "Mechanic Institutes" and I got to learn something as well! which is fitting..
:):chug:
 
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