Sailors Falls

Eight kilometres/5 miles to the south of the central Victoria spa town of Daylesford drop the 30 metre/98 feet Sailors Falls. Reputedly named after a crew of sailors who in 1850 deserted their Ship moored in Port Phillip Bay in order to seek their fortunes in the Gold rushes that were sweeping the then Colony. On their journey to find riches they came across the site of the Falls and undertook prospecting near the Creek below the Falls.

From that time, the Falls have become a popular calling card for visitors coming to and from Daylesford from Melbourne some 113 kilometres/70 miles distant being just off the main Ballan to Daylesford Road, one of the major thoroughfares into Daylesford from the south.

At the Falls there is a concrete stepped though quite sharp descent to the Creek and Gully below that offers fine views on the descent and some huffing and puffing on the ascent. A 10 kilometre/6 mile walking track then proceeds into Daylesford where you pass through robust stands of tree ferns, wattles, and towering eucalypts whilst also coming across remnants of mining activity. The Falls are often dry, due to the constricted nature of the creek that feeds the dual cascades. The mainly basalt ledged Falls at present are experiencing a veil of gorgeousness following recent rains and with 2-3 inches (50mm to 75mm) rainfalls scheduled this weekend should assume an even more exquiste bridal. Interestingly, Ballarat, (my favourite regional city which I often write upon) 46 kilometres/29 miles to the south-west has been issued with flood alerts, whereas 6 months ago the landscape was somewhat parched due to decade long Drought. Nature turns! As I write, much of the State of Victoria is experiencing its deepest low pressure system in 20 years, bringing heavy storms and winds - winter not quite done yet!

I visited these Falls as part of my sojourn in central Victoria, which is turning out to be quite a serendipitous discovery and a fine tonic now that calendar spring is proclaimed. I never realised so many picturesque waterfalls are just over an hour's drive from Melbourne!

The image presented is an uncropped photo +/-1 EV bracketed and merged into a HDR shot taken using a tripod mounted Canon G10 set to Av priority.