Essendon Bushwalking Club

Travel by Train to Waurn Ponds and walk through some back streets to Waurn Ponds Creek to join the Barwon River.  Walking beside the river we then cross over on a foot bridge, continuing past Kardinia Park and finishing at Geelong Station.  There is an option to return from Geelong to Docklands (via Portarlington) on the ferry,

Members can join the train at Foostcray, Sunshine, Deer Park, Tarneit, Wyndham Vale, or drive to Geelong and meet us on the train at 9:35am.

This walk commences at the Eureka Reef Heritage site, part of the Castlemaine diggings.  Drive to Chewton and then turn into Eureka Street which becomes Dingo Park Road once you cross the train line.  There  is  a sign post showing the entry to the eureka Reef site.

As the name suggests we will be walking along some of the many water races that wend around the dry diggings area (water races are flat, but somewhat overgrown)  When not walking on races, we will be walking on sections of the great divide trail, and one short section that is off track but very easy.  There are some ups and some downs, but nothing too taxing, and along the way we hopefully will enjoy what spring in the bush has to offer us as well as some mining relics.  Afternoon tea will most likley be at the Taradale Food and Wine store.

Gaiters and poles will come in handy

Whipstick Loop & Lerderderg Heritage River Walk. Approx 14ks

Finally, the Whipstick Loop Walk has been reopened after the devastating storms of 2022.

See relics from the region’s gold mining past, when mining in the area was conducted by hand in very difficult conditions. Check out evidence of vertical and horizontal mine shafts, including one that you can see safely from a viewing platform on the walk.

The walk loops down around Whipstick Creek through beautiful open eucalypt forest, to bring you back to your starting point at the Jack Cann Reserve for morning tea.

From our cars, we  then commence the Lerderderg Heritage River Walk. 

Looping along the Lerderderg River, enjoying a leisurely walk through changing forest landscapes and along the mountain ash-strewn ridges above the flowing Lerderderg River. There is a wide variety of flora to be seen, and sometimes Koalas can be spotted in the area.

The area has a gold mining history, and there are some deep unfenced mine shafts. The track can get muddy after heavy rains, and there are a few fallen trees and overgrown sections, but it is otherwise well maintained and easy to navigate. 

Maybe muddy in places, boots and poles highly recommended 

A medium to hard 12 km walk. If coming from Melbourne, drive along Greendale Trentham Road and turn right at O'Briens Road. Travel along 5.9 kilometres of unsealed road to O'Brien's Crossing Picnic Ground, our starting point.  For the first six kilometres the walk follows the Lerderderg River with some walking over rocks and along steep sides of a hill before heading inland.  Along the way are magnificent views of the river and surrounds.  The return leg along Cowan Track is less rocky but numerous hills will get the heart pumping before reaching Short Cut Track. From here we descend a few kilometres on a rocky 4WD track before arriving back at the cars.  Refreshments will be in Bacchus Marsh.  Boots and poles are recommended.  

Note: Where required, drivers for car pooling would be appreciated. 

A suburban, public transport walk. Starting at Dandenong Station, walking to Carrum Station - following the Dandenong Creek Trail. Flat, easy walking and good tracks (but be wary of bikes). Just over 14km.

Meet at "Foster St Cafe" (8/50 Foster St, Dandenong) just NW of Dandenong Station. Walking will start at 10am, so get there a bit early if you want a pre-walk coffee. Coffee also an option in Carrum after the walk.