this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2023
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If you don't mind cold & wet, then the back end of the Dandenongs might suit. From Emerald, Cockatoo and generally around there. There are some good walks around Kinglake, Toolangi and Flowerdale but you'll freeze your tits off in that area at this time of year. Mind you, the Flowerdale Pub is worth it as an overnighter. Consider the Acheron Way too - wonderful on foot but a serious challenge in a motor vehicle rn.
I would not recommend the Lerderderg Gorge - it's dangerous at the best of times and kills people at this time of year. Got the worst fatality rate of all Vic's national/state parks
You are the best to ever do it 🥰
Used to train my horse around the Wombat State Park and Lerderderg River for nearly 10 years. I quite tired of being called out to help search for missing hikers - particularly in the cold and rain. Horse was an ex-brumby, and needed to be to handle the conditions. Yes, it's high enough to snow occasionally though not as much as Trentham. Nasty ground in the wet - very slippery. Getting the corpses and their gear out was particularly grim. This sort of thing isn't advertised and you can't really blame Tourism Victoria. For a nice bushwalk in winter, I'd go almost anywhere else.
Damn, that's intense. You have successfully convinced me to stay far away from Lerderberg, in winter at least!
It's much nicer in summer. Don't get me wrong, I love the area. I just don't love that people seem to think it's tame and safe. It isn't. Still, the fact that it's not safe is at least half the fun. Come summer, try walking up Goodman's Creek from the Lerderderg entrance. It's a fascinating walk, but not signposted and is physically challenging. The creek runs through a deep gully with lots of pools, gold mine tunnels (there's still gold to be found there) and magical plants and wildlife. Zillions of eastern grey kangas and black wallabies. More echidnas than you can shake a stick at. Excellent redfin fishing. Hard to find and no phone coverage but worth it. Ends roughly at the Bacchus Marsh Gisborne road at Bullengarook. Margaret's Corner and the O'Brien crossing are good halfway starting points.
Another place nearby that's not well known is the Antimony range on the eastern side of the road roughly opposite Bullengarook on the northern side of the reservoir. Most southerly outpost of the Mallee scrub and relatively untouched. When the reservoir is low, you can see and explore the old buildings of the previous Coimadai township that was drowned when the reservoir was built. Completely different from the Wombat State forest just over the road even though it's less than a kilometre away. When the black wattle blooms is quite quite magical. Rare orchids too.