Grade 5

Lake Tali Karng: Tamboritha Road & Mount Margaret Hike (42km)

Alpine National Park

Victoria

42km

3 days

Grade 5

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Hike at a Glance

Quick overview: Explore the hidden beauty of Lake Tali Karng, nestled deep in Victoria's Alpine National Park, a challenging, 42km hike perfect for seasoned bushwalkers. Starting and ending at Tamboritha Road, near Licola, this Grade 5 trail takes you over Mount Margaret and the Dolodrook River before reaching the tranquil lake. Remember no horses are allowed, and camping is available by the river. Embark on this 3-day adventure and witness the birthplace of the Wellington River in the Valley of Destruction.

Max elevation: 1084m

Min elevation: 234m

Total Ascent: 2894m

Hike overview



Trail features


Walk map and GPX file

Lake Tali Karng: Tamboritha Road & Mount Margaret Hike (42km)


Content use


Every trail on this site has been personally mapped and refined to support Australia’s hiking community. While some info comes from land managers, each listing reflects significant personal work. Please don’t upload GPX files or content from this site to AllTrails or any other platform. This is a free community initiative—your respect helps keep it that way.

Getting there


Closest towns to this walk: Benalla, Bright, Dinner Plain, Falls Creek, Harrietville, Hotham Heights, Mansfield, Mitta Mitta, Mount Beauty, Mount Hotham, Myrtleford, Omeo, Porepunkah, Tawonga South, Wangaratta

Getting to the trailhead in Alpine National Park.

Get there with Google Maps

About the region


Similar trails nearby


Looking for hikes and trails in Alpine National Park or nearby? Try these walks with a similar grade.

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Track grade


Grade 5 (Difficult) - Walks for the Most Experienced: Grade 5 represents the most challenging walking tracks on the AWTGS. These are only recommended for very experienced and fit walkers with specialised skills, including navigation and emergency first aid. Tracks are likely to be very rough, very steep, and unmarked. Walks may be more than 20 kilometers. These challenging walks demand a high level of fitness and experience to navigate difficult terrain, significant elevation changes, and potentially unformed paths.

Explore safe


Plan ahead and hike safely! Carry enough water, pack layers for changing conditions, and bring safety gear like a torch, PLB, and reliable communication device. Check official sources for trail updates, closures, and access requirements, and review local weather and bushfire advice. Most importantly, share your plans with someone before you go. Being prepared makes for a safer and more enjoyable hike! Stay Safe, Explore More, and Always #ExploreSafe.

Packing checklists


What you carry in your pack depends on factors like weather, terrain, and your adventure type. Not sure what to bring? My free planning, food, and packing checklists are a great starting point, covering day hikes, overnight trips, and multi-day adventures. Use them to customise your kit and always prioritise safety.

Let someone know


Before heading out, take a moment to fill out your trip intentions form. It’s a quick way to share your hike details with family or friends. If something goes wrong, they can notify emergency services, ensuring a faster response and peace of mind. Stay safe and enjoy your adventure

Reviews

Lake Tali Karng: Tamboritha Road & Mount Margaret Hike (42km)


9 Reviews on “Lake Tali Karng: Tamboritha Road & Mount Margaret Hike (42km)”

Overall rating
  • Avatar of philip oude-vrielink Philip Oude-Vrielink

    This is one of my favourite hikes – and the lake a simply stunning and refreshing place to be

  • Avatar of hayden tribe Hayden Tribe

    Such a great spot/hike!

  • Avatar of ian wilson Ian Wilson

    Only 12.5km round trip from Millers Hut… Chantelle Waters, Jim Spiers, John Williams I want to do this sometime in 2017…

  • Avatar of michael dawson Michael Dawson

    Shayne Gillings

  • Avatar of tania cake Tania Cake

    Is this on our bucket list Erin?

  • Avatar of freya chipperfield Freya Chipperfield

    Hey Darren this is a great hike but I wonder if it should be mentioned that there is no camping within 1km of the Lake and that it has a strong indigenous connection.

  • Avatar of paige van der pligt Paige van der Pligt

    Charlotte Miller Looks amazing! I’m in!

  • Avatar of rik van Rik Van

    Been there.

  • Avatar of mandy stowe ellis Mandy Stowe Ellis

    Belinda Issell Heafield Alli Trigger Erin Rainbowburn Sally McLaren Caroline O’Brien We should put this on our must do list, too

  • “The difficult route to Tali Karng via Mount Margaret is unmaintained and poorly defined for much of its length between Tamboritha Road and Dolodrook River. Remote navigation skills are required and thick vegetation makes progress slow. From the Dolodrook River it follows a 4WD track past the Chromite Mine then Brandy Pinch Track to join the Clive Lanigan Walking Track below the Valley of Destruction.”

    This is a pretty spot on description of this section of the track.

    We just completed the walk along the Mt Margaret Walking Track (closed track but still accessible) to the Lake via Clive Lanigan Track returning via Riggall Spur then out via Wellington River Walking Track to Tamboritha Rd. We had no GPS – just compass and map for this trip.

    It was a tough hike especially on the first 2 days along the Mount Margaret track. The track starts okay following the creek with some tape markers. Once off the creek it is quickly very overgrown and you’re bashing most of the way through. There is a section with tape that makes it easy to follow but we lost both it and the trail quickly and then had to bash all the way to the first 4×4 track using our bearing set to this point. Took us about 7 hours to do 5.5km in the rain and we were knackered – it’s mostly climbing and bashing – definitely grade 5.

    We ended up about 700m to the left from the track exit onto the 4×4 track and we scouted around, found the entry point on the other side a little further up and planned the next days hike, camping on the side of the road for the night. This was awesome – a true hiking/camping experience. Loved it.

    Day 2 we decided to continue to Chromite Mine and Brady Pinch on the same Mount Margaret walking track. The going was really tough and we took our time, which meant we didn’t get lost too much except at 2 critical turning points where we took our time to get it right having to back track and scout options a bit until finding the trail. There is no tape and you really have to rely on the compass and map and check every 100m or so. But you’re mostly along ridge lines so it is fairly stress free as long as you keep that in mind and make a strong continual effort to check for the trail. A really hard but rewarding walk. (Note there are some spray painted markers and also a few cut logs which indicate the trail). Once you see the big square yellow marker with the arrow on the tree – pointing in the wrong (confusing) direction – you need to head directly to the tright alonga faint overgrown trail and then make a sharp right turn and it almost feels like you’re heading back in the wrong direction but the trail quickly becomes visible – it is crucial you get this part right.

    Once at Chromite Mine it is easy to follow the Brady Pinch track to the campsite. This track is along a parks maintenance track and is steep and long. Arrival at the campsite is the junction for the rest of the trails – a nice clay rich, swampy site along the river and really serene and pleasant. We stayed here for 2 nights. It is wet but you can have big fires so it is worth it.

    Day 3 we left the packs and took the Clive Lanigan track to Lake Tali Karng via the Valley of Destruction. The first km is 4×4 and easy walking. The next 1.5km of the track was easy to follow, but lots of tough walking here as it is really overgrown and it was also very wet due to the rains and we were soaked due to the fact that you’re bashing through wet bushes. Then once you cross the creek/river the last 2-3km is the Valley of Destruction and this is hard slog up hill to the lake – but by far one of the most beautiful rainforest walks I have done. Feels really wild and very isolated and is really quite magical (reminded me of parts of the Overland). Arrival at the lake is exceptional and I won’t ruin it for anyone with my bad descriptions. Suffice to say this is totally worth the effort and I recommend Clive Lannigan to get there.

    The return back to the campsite at the junction was via Echo Point from the Lake for a km and then west via Riggal Spur – a very easy and well maintained slow descent – a welcomed change from what we had done thus far.

    Last day was out to Tamboritha Rd via Wellington River Track 13km. Easy to follow so a pleasant walk but there are something like 13-14 waste deep river crossings and they are all really fun. So expect to be walking with wet boots the whole way. We then walked the full 13-14km back to the car at the entry to Mt Margaret along the road (I wouldn’t recommend this but we wanted to get into Licola General Store for a beer – closes at 5pm). Mostly a safe walk except for a few crazy 4×4’s.

    A few notes:

    The Mt Maragert track is officialy closed but you can still walk it.

    A very hard grade 5 slog but super rewarding – you need good fitness and strong experience and navigational skills (unless using a GPS) and I would not recommend doing this part of the hike alone.

    It is mostly wet so prepare for that (start of November).

    Gaiters recommended.

    Heaps of water along the way so we got away with having a half to 1 litre at a time making the packs much lighter.

    I highly recommend this if you want a – for lack of a better word – truly hardcore hike. It is not a 2-3 day hike – more like a 3-4 day hike if you want to visit the lake too.

    Hope more people do this trail. It is so much fun.

  • Just wondering if the GPX file is right?
    Trail info says circuit, but map file/chart seems to show return.
    Is it possible this was switched with the other Tali Karng hike (that one says Return, but looks to be a circuit?)

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Spotted a change on this trail? Maybe there are new features, the route has shifted, or the trail is permanently closed. Whatever the update, I’d love your input. Your feedback helps fellow hikers stay informed and ensures that our trail info stays fresh and reliable.

Acknowledgement of Country

Lake tali karng: tamboritha road & mount margaret hike (42km)

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.