A Traveler’s Guide to Hiking in Melbourne, Australia
Hiking enthusiasts headed to Melbourne, Australia will not be disappointed with the available trails in the area. If you’re making plans to visit the land down under, it’s best to have an idea of where to start for planning accordingly for the types of trails. Our guide to hiking in Melbourne, Australia will let you know where the best hiking areas are located. We’ve included the best trail options with varying difficulty to suit the skill levels of all members of the family.
Bushrangers Bay Trail
The Bushrangers Bay Trail is rated as an easy to medium difficulty hike of just under 1.7 miles one way. It’s approximately an hour and a half walk both ways. The walk takes you over coastal clifftops for panoramic views of Bass Strait. The most notable features of this hike are the sandy outcrops, grassy clearings, and a sandy beach with ocean access. You might even see a kangaroo or two on your hike. It’s a 1 hr 30-minute drive from Melbourne. Parking is available at Cape Schanck.
Burchell Trail Camping walks
These hikes are intended for those who enjoy hiking into spectacular campsites. The Burchell Trail Camping walks are an hour and 15 minutes drive out of Melbourne to the Brisbane Ranges National Park. There are 2 campsites at each location of the Burchell Trail. You must book the campsite in advance. There is a limit of 6 adults per campsite per night. Little more than an hour’s drive from Melbourne takes you to the state’s richest wildflower habitat. Set in a low range of mountains dissected by rocky gullies, the unusual geology of Brisbane Ranges National Park has preserved plants that have long since vanished from the region, together with a correspondingly diverse bird population and the greatest density of koalas in Victoria. The Burchell Trail Hike-In sites have 2 campsites at each location for up to 6 persons per site. Bookings are per campsite for up to 6 persons per site. The trail winds around fromBoar Gully or Steiglitz to the Little River sites. There are 2 predominant trails. The trail that starts at Boar Gully is a 10 km walk to the campsite and the Steiglitz is a 29 km hike, both across grassy meadows and varied terrain. It takes a great deal of stamina to walk for this distance, so it gets a more challenging rating on difficulty because of the distance.
Deadman’s Loop Hiking Trail
Deadman’s Loop is an hour and 15-minute drive out of Melbourne to the Brisbane Ranges park. To get there, travel from the Stieglitz Courthouse and continues through Stawell Street to the creek. This is where the hike begins. Plan on spending an hour and 45 minutes on average for the 5.4 km hike. The difficulty is medium to hard so it’s recommended for more experienced hikers who don’t mind a challenge. You’ll traverse rocky gullies and a variety of geology along with way. If you want to extend the hike to 9.5 km while you’re there, you can add the Beards Gully to the Deadman’s Loop hike and increase the duration to 9.5 km. Plan on about 5 hours completion time. It’s advised that you pack a lunch and ample hydration for the trip.
Point Nepean Walk
This is easy to medium in difficulty. The entire walk is 14.3 km and it takes on average 3 hours. It’s an hour and 40 minutes out of Melbourne. The hike begins at the Point Nepean entry gate. It takes you over bush tracks and coastal areas. You’ll pass the old Quarantine Station with some old military buildings from World War II. Most of the walk is flat but there are some variations. If you get tired, you can turn around and return at my point in the hike.
Hanging Rock Summit Walk
This hiking trail is situated in the Macedon Ranges. It’s an hour’s drive from Melbourne. The trail is 1.8 km and takes about 40 minutes. It’s a medium level of difficulty trail with some steep points and hills to climb up and down. You’ll see some of the most beautiful and unique ancient rock formations as you climb the summit of Hanging Rock.
Organ Pipes circuit walk
This hiking trail is located in the Organ Pipes National Park off of the Calder Freeway. It’s 20 km out of Melbourne to the north and takes about 30 minutes to reach. This trail is rated as easy to medium and is 1.5 km in duration. It takes on average 30 minutes to complete. The Organ Pipes, Keilor Plans, and the Tessellated Pavement are the most notable attractions. The Pipes are basalt columns that resemble organ pipes and they are estimated to be 2.5 million years of age.
Fingal Beach Walk
The Fingal Beach Walk is an hour and 30 minutes out of Melbourne, situated in the Mornington Peninsula National Park. The hike is 5 km in duration and it takes an average of 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. You can extend the trip to 10 km if you prefer to extend the loop to Gunnamatta. The level of difficulty is rated as easy to medium. It tasks you from the Fingal Picnic Area through a scrub forest and over clifftop views of the beach, and down to Fingal Beach.
Lerderderg Gorge Circuit Walk
This hiking trail is situated in Lerderderg State Park. It’s a 50-minute drive out of Melbourne. The difficulty level of the trail is medium, traversing from the Mackenzies Flat picnic area over plenty of rocks, and possibly the need to cross a river if there’s been ample rain. It takes you through the sandstone and slate of the park which features a 300-meter deep gorge. The circuit is 13.5 km in duration and takes between 4 to 5 hours to complete.
1,000 Steps Kokoda Walk
This hiking trail is situated in the Dandenong ranges National Park. The duration of the walk is 4.3 kilometers and it’s rated at a moderate level of difficulty. It will truly give you a cardio workout as the memorial walk features a lot of stone steps leading to the amazing views of the Dandenong Ranges. The hike concludes at One Tree Hill. A note of warning: This trail is popular with athletes training during the off-season. It gets intense.
La La Falls and Walk
La La Falls and Walk is located in Warburton Valley. This is a moderately difficult trail that is 6 km one way. It’s located in the Yarra State Forest. It will take you through deep rainforest territory traveling by Four Mile Creek on your way to the Falls. When you arrive, you’ll find a spectacular view of the falls.