Cobungra Ditch is a 22.6km, grade 4 hike located in the Alpine National Park, Victoria. The hike should take around 8 hrs to complete.
Hike summary
One of the few interpreted historic walking tracks in the area, the Cobungra Ditch follows the course of an abandoned water race which supplied water for the hydraulic sluicing operations at the Brandy Creek mines. The ditch was cut by the Cobungra Gold Mining Company in 1884 at the cost of £11,000, and employed upwards of 120 men in its construction. Today interpretation signs along the course of the Ditch describe the history of the water race and its construction. The feature is retained for much of it length by ancient looking dry-stone walls and passes through snow gum and mountain ash forests.
Option
If walking back to Mount Hotham (the 18km option), it is a 5.5km walk along the Hotham - Dinner Plain Trail which parallels the Great Alpine Road. This is an undulating but generally uphill climb back to Mount Hotham.
Getting to Mount Hotham
Option 1
Follow the Hume Freeway north past Benalla, turning off onto the B500 exit to 'Beechworth/Bright'. Follow signs to Bright and continue through Bright To Harrietville and eventually Mount Hotham on the Great Alpine Road.
Option 2
Follow the M1/CityLink/Monash Freeway east towards Gippsland and continue on this road to Bairnsdale. In Bairnsdale follow signs to Omeo or Great Alpine Road which will take you north to Mount Hotham.
Getting to start of walk from Mount Hotham village
Walk or drive to the Davenport Access Track. This is at the Dinner Plain end of Mount Hotham opposite the Tanderra Ski Club Lodge and is well signposted. There is space for a number of vehicles to park here.
Route and GPX file
Max elevation: 1716 m
Min elevation: 1516 m
Total climbing: 894 m
Total descent: -902 m
Gear you might need
As well as including the Ten Essentials, my planning, food and packing checklists provide an summary of things to consider on your day, overnight and multi-day hikes. Every person and every hike is different, so customise your kit according to your needs. Download your free checklists here >>
Location
Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.
Sorry, unable to load the Maps API.
Let someone know before you go
It’s a good idea to let someone know where you’re going. Fill in a trip intention form to send important details about your trip to your emergency contact. If you are lost or require help and have phone reception, call 000 and ask for police. The international standard emergency number is 112, if you dial this number in Australia you will be treated exactly the same as a 000 call. If you believe your life is at risk, activate your personal locator beacon (PLB), then make your position visible to rescue teams and keep warm and dry.
About the region
The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The 646,000-hectare national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the higher areas of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, including Victoria's highest point, Mount Bogong at 1,986 metres and the associated subalpine woodland and grassland of the Bogong High Plains. The park's north-eastern boundary is along the border with New South Wales, where it abuts the Kosciuszko National Park.
Gallery
If you have any great photos from this hike and are happy to share them, please upload your .jpg files here.
Please note: Uploading photos does not transfer ownership of copyright away from you. If requested, you will be credited for any photos you provide and can ask they be deleted at any time.
Let someone know before you go. Register your trip intentions here. Your trip intentions will be emailed to your emergency contact.
Does this hike info need updating? maybe the route, features or access conditions have changed? Suggest an edit here.
Acknowledgement of Country
Trail Hiking Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we hike and pay respects to their Elders, past and present, and we acknowledge the First Nations people of other communities who may be here today.
0 Reviews on “Cobungra Ditch (22.6km)”
Done it. It’s a great walk.
Emma Mickle add this ditch to the list ?
Oliver Bonaccorso
Sascha Hovens what a ditch, consider it added!
This is a great walk and isn’t to strenuous. It is a bit of a hill coming back up to the Great Alpine Rd at Mt Hotham village. An extension to this can be a quick walk up to a couple of the mountain huts that are close by.