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  • Length: 22.6km

  • Duration: 6hrs

  • Grade: 3

  • Style: Circuit

  • Start: O'Brien's Crossing

  • End: O'Brien's Crossing

  • Location: Lerderderg State Park

  • Closest Town: Blackwood

  • Distance from CBD: 90km

  • State: VIC

  • Latitude: -37.48730911

  • Longitude: 144.3379724

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Lerderderg State Park...

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Blackwood Circuit is a 22.6km, grade 3 circuit hike, located in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria. The hike should take approximately 6hrs to complete.

Hike Summary

Although fairly long, the Blackwood Circuit is easy to navigate and is a great showcase of the Lerderderg River's gold mining past. There are all manner of mines, mullock heaps and water races as well as a couple of mineral springs, attractive picnic areas and even a small lake. The village of Blackwood and its wonderful goldrush era buildings mark the halfway point of the walk (and a great place to stop at the pub for lunch). This also makes for a relatively easy overnight hike. For this you would commence at the town of Blackwood and camp overnight at O'Briens Crossing where there is a river, flat camping areas and toilet facilities.

Overnight hike for kids

This makes an excellent overnight hike for kids as it is not too long, the terrain is relatively flat and the river at O'Briens Crossing will keep them entertained.

About the region

Rising in the Great Dividing Range, the Lerderderg River has cut a 300 metre deep gorge through sandstone and slate, almost bisecting the park. The park has a wide variety of vegetation and wildlife and some interesting relics of gold mining. Lerderderg State Park encompasses scenic and geological gorge formations surrounding the Lerderderg River as well as the volcanic cone of Mount Blackwood. The adjacent and separate block called the Pyrete Range forms part of the park. The Lerderderg is known for its remote setting and the 300m deep Lerderderg River gorge is a dominant feature. Private land abuts the park to the south and the Wombat State forest abuts to the north and west.

Lerderderg State Park (incorporating the former Pyrete State Forest) is a 14,250-hectare park located between Bacchus Marsh and Blackwood, an hour's drive from Melbourne, Australia. There are several maintained tracks for walking through the park and camping is allowed.

The park is named for the Lerderderg River which has cut the 300 metre deep Lerderderg Gorge through sandstone and slate, almost bisecting the park. Parks Victoria maintains six designated walks: three short walks of 3.5 km or less; Blackwood-O'Briens Crossing and return (22 km); O'Briens Crossing-Cowan Track loop (14 km); and the overnight walk O'Briens Crossing to Mackenzies Flat (20 km).

In addition, one leg of the Great Dividing Trail, the Lerderderg Track, passes through the park, entering from Blackwood in the park's northwest, and exiting south towards Bacchus Marsh. Bicycles are prohibited from one section of this track, due to a conservation area.

Getting there

From Melbourne follow the Western Freeway for 67Km and take the Greendale exit. Continue on for 6.5Km to Greendale. Turn right along the Greendale-Trentham Road and follow it for 7.5Km towards Blackwood to O'Briens Road (on the right). Continue down O'Briens Road to O'Briens Crossing. Park at the crossing.

Tips

  • Get an early start as this is a good day hike so need to allow time to stop and enjoy the scenery.

GPX File

Total distance: 22667 m
Max elevation: 671 m
Min elevation: 449 m
Total climbing: 916 m
Total descent: -923 m
Download file: Blackwood Circuit.gpx

Hikes Nearby

Previous
Byers Back Track (12.5km)

19 thoughts on “Blackwood Circuit (22.6km)”

  1. Hi, very keen to do this trail. Does the app EveryTrail come from the US, is that what you are using, I can’t seem to find it on Australian I Tunes.. thanks, Alison

  2. I don’t understand why but trip Advisor purchased them and then discontinued support. If you download the GPX file from the everytrail site you can follow it using the ‘trails’ app which is available on iTunes. This trail is very well market so you can navigate it by following the signs.

    1. It is a great hike. I have never experienced leeches in this section of the Lerderderg and the trail is mostly along water races so not too damp. You may find them as you get closer to Blackwood though. Sorry, but cant guarantee they wont find you.

  7. hi there, are there any camping areas on the way. Im thinking of doing half day out, camping and then half day back. IM with a friend and her 7 year old kiddlet. Neither of them have done much walking.

    1. Hi Dassi. If you start the hike at Blackwood you can camp half way at o’Briens crossing. It is right on the river and there are toilets as well. Quite a nice spot but it is accessible by vehicle and is a popular spot so expect other people to be around.

  8. My partner and I did it as our first overnight hike, probably the perfect distance for it to get us used to our packs and weight without too much stress of distance or time. Walked from Blackwood past Shaws Lake, up Golden Point Road and right onto Tunnel point track, a 4×4 track which ends abruptly, but continue down the hill ahead and the single walking track will become clear.
    The walk back to Blackwood along Byers Back track the second day was much more visually interesting, highly recommended!

    1. Thanks for the heads up. I don’t think it ever was a campsite officially.

  10. Hi guys! Just wondering if this walk is well sign posted or the directions are obvious? Or do we need to use map/compass ? Thank you!

    1. The walk is not extremely well sign posted but there are a few signs along the way. Once you have found the water race you follow that the entire length. There are also a few intersecting tracks so best to take some form of navigation. A map and compass will help a lot in determining the correct trail at such junctions.

    1. Hi Nicola no river crossings for this one and is certainly a good one to do any time of year.

  13. Thanks for your answer Darren…but now I am a bit confused as one of the pictures shows a person actually walking inside the river 🙂

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