Hike Summary

For a great walk that gives you a little taste from all of Warburton's major natural attractions you can't go past the High-Low Aqueduct & River Walk.

From the idyllic river and the feeling of peace you get on the valley floor to the historic Aqueduct and its impressive fern walls between which you snatch wide vistas over the Upper Yarra Valley and plenty of native bushland, this is a great walk.

This loop takes walkers first out west along the riverbank towards the golf course. Crossing the river on Mayer Bridge, it heads back towards town before turning off and up a short but tough climb, one of the bonuses of which is the bragging rights you get at having marched up one of the Southern Hemisphere's steepest residential streets.

From there it's on to the O'Shannassy Aqueduct Trail. Carved into the mountainside and benching along its contours, this trail was once the access road for one of Melbourne's most important water supply routes, an open concrete water race built between 1911 and 1914 to service the city's fast-growing eastern suburbs. Today the Aqueduct makes for a wonderful, mostly flat walk from Don Valley all the way out to O'Shannassy Weir, with Warburton placed roughly in the middle.

As you head east, you'll cruise past peaceful and tranquil forests of bright green understory watched over by impossibly tall and straight trees, maybe even spying a few lyrebirds, for which the Warburton Valley is famous. Remember that the Aqueduct Trail is shared-use, be mindful of runners, riders and horse-riders in addition to other walkers.

Just before crossing the Donna Buang Rd at the eastern end of Warburton, the route exits the Aqueduct Trail, linking a short roadside stretch back to riverside trails that lead you back into the township.

For more information about this trail go to Visit Warburton