We hopped off Puffing Billy at about 11:30 and had an early lunch before exploring the lake area. The paddle boats were ready to hire from 11:30 and made Lake Treganowan light up with their coloured reflections.
We crossed the bridge and headed over to check out the parklands on the other side.
Six concrete murals were installed in the 80's, depicting various locals scenes like Puffing Billy and the founder of the area, Carl Axel Nobelius.
There are five ampitheatres in the park, and each can be hired for the day. The Gus Ryberg Amphitheatre is the biggest, and a great place to sit and watch the activity around the lake.
We set off on one of the many walking trails at the Lake, and made our way to the Wishing Well Track.
The tracks were easy to walk and it was lovely and cool under the shady canopy of the forest. The historic bluestone Wishing Well had a stagnant puddle of foul smelling water and a heap of rubbish in it, so hopefully plans are in place to get it cleaned up, as it is in such a pretty location.
We walked up a steep section of path to the Nobelius Heritage Park. Nobelius made his fame and fortune in the fruit and ornamental trees business, becoming the largest exporter in that field, in the Southern Hemisphere.
A stunning Rhododendron tree was in full bloom in the sunshine, its white and pink flowers floating onto the grass below.
The Emerald Museum on site was holding a ceremony at the time of our visit, so we didn't go inside. It's open Wednesday 10.00am-3.00pm and Sunday 1.30-4.00pm.
We continued our walk and arrived at the tracks just in time to see Puffing Billy chugging towards us. He gave us a toot as he went by and we followed the Nobelius Track along the railway line, back to Emerald Lake Park.
Some tracks went off the main path and linked up with others, but we chose to stick to the larger track, in case we bumped into a snake enroute.
This guy followed us for a little while, but then found something more interesting in the bush.
We arrived back just in time to catch the 2:30 train back to Belgrave. We could have easily spent the whole day here, so much to do and see.
Next time.
What: Emerald Lake Park
Where: Emerald Lake Park Rd, Emerald
When: Daily from 9:00am (summer times vary)
Why:parks and gardens, walks, nature
How Much: FREE to walk
Related post: Puffing Billy, Belgrave to Lakeside
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