February 04 2018News

Walking Trails and National Parks Victoria: Part 2

After exploring the National Parks and trails from the Grampians, and the Yarra Ranges last week, it’s time to drive South, and see what else Victoria has to offer. In the East, travel down towards Phillip Island and you will find the amazing coastline and trail walks of Cape Woolamai. While to the West, towards Geelong and the Bellarine peninsula you can find the You Yang’s National Park. Whether you choose to explore the East or West both can cater to all abilities with a variety of trails from easy, to moderate and hard trails to try. Challenge yourself with a difficult track or take a leisurely walk through the outdoors. Either way exploring Victoria is the best way to experience the unique landscape, get some fresh air, and soak in some Vitamin D.

SOUTH-WEST

You Yangs National Park
Distance from Melbourne: 70km 1 hr

Big Rock Walk
Distance: 3.0km
Return Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Start: You Yangs Visitors Centre car park, wind your way around Big Rock and then back down the same path.

East‐West Walk
Distance: 4.5km,
Return Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate-Hard
Start: The Turntable car park
This is a challenging walk but provides excellent views of the park and surrounding countryside.

Flinders Peak
Distance: 3.2km
Return Time: 1 Hour
Difficulty: Hard
Start: Turntable car park,
There are 450 steps along this path, which will take you up steep gradients to the highest point of the You Yangs.

Branding Yard Trail
Distance: 5.0km
Return Time: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Although it is moderate in length, this is a fairly gentle walk to complete.

SOUTH-EAST

Cape Woolamai, Cowes
Phillip Island
Distance from Melbourne: 129km 1hr 40 minutes

The complete Cape Woolamai track is approximately 10km, that can either be taken as one long walk or split into smaller sections. Each of the separate tracks begins with a 1km walk starting from the Cape Woolamai Surf Lifesaving Club car park

Pinnacles walk (green markers)
Distance: 4km
Return Time: 2 Hours
Difficulty: Easy

Old Granite Quarry Walk (blue markers)
Distance: 6km
Return Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate

Cape Woolamai Beacon Walk (black markers)
Distance: 6.6km
Return Time: 3.5 Hours
Difficulty: Moderate

Whether you decide to tackle the entire 10km outer loop or try a shorter distance, each track has the same start and finish point to make it easy and simple to navigate. Follow the colour coded markers to make sure you’re on the right route, or mix it up and explore the entire Bass coast line.

Photo Courtesy of visitvictoria.com

When walking or hiking make sure to always bring water and wear appropriate clothing and footwear. We also recommend to look at the forecast before embarking. Trails and tracks should be avoided during freak storms, heavy rain and especially through thunder and lighting. They should also be avoided during severe heat. Extreme temperatures can lead to severe dehydration very easily, as well as make the area prone to bushfires. For weather warnings and daily forecasts visit bom.gov.au.

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