Grade 1

Mount Donna Buang Hike (18km)

Warburton

Victoria

18km

7 hrs

Grade 4

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Quick overview: The Mount Donna Buang Hike is an 18 km return trek with a steep ascent through mountain ash and ancient myrtle beech forests. At the trail's end, a 21 m viewing tower has expansive views. This challenging hike includes sections of steep terrain that require good fitness. Mist can create a unique atmosphere, particularly in cooler months. The trail suits those seeking a rigorous workout or a longer bushwalk.
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Length

18km

Duration

7 hrs

Difficulty

Grade 4 (Hard)

Trail type

Return

Trail details

Max elevation: 1260m
Min elevation: 152m
Total Ascent: 1181m

Start: Warburton Main Street
End: Warburton Main Street
Location: Warburton
State: Victoria
Nearest town: Warburton
State capital distance: 92km
Latitude: -37.70664386
Longitude: 145.6813819

Check current conditions
Track conditions, access and closures can change quickly due to weather, fire, maintenance or safety concerns. Always check the relevant land manager’s website and conditions before you visit. Trail Hiking Australia does not provide real-time track and closure monitoring, and land managers remain the authoritative source for current alerts, closures and access restrictions.

About the trail
Difficulty
Route map
Preparation
Getting there
Photos
The region
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About this trail

Route in detail

Whether you're training for a seriously steep overseas trek a la Kokoda or Kilimanjaro or just want to complete the best mountain climb close to Melbourne, the Mount Donna Buang Walking Track is for you.

Donna Buang boasts enough natural beauty in its own right to guarantee it is a bushwalking gem that can be done at a leisurely pace. However, shooting up 1170-vertical metres in 9km, the Track comes into its own as a hill training venue.

Located only an hour (80km) from Melbourne's CBD, the sheer slopes of the mountain deliver an ascent profile that gets lungs bursting and thighs burning, making it prime training ground, especially for hikers heading to Kokoda in Papua New Guinea or to overseas mountain summits. Indeed, Donna Buang's jungle-like environment make it the perfect Kokoda preparation.

Those tackling its length rise up through towering mountain ash and ancient myrtle beech trees, pushing on into a dense rainforest jungle populated by gigantic tree ferns. The trail reaches Mount Victoria before nearing Donna's summit (1245m), the prior saddle featuring a mystic atmosphere, especially when the mist rolls in, as it often does.

The finale is stepping up the viewing tower, a 21m rise that on a clear day delivers views across the Upper Yarra Valley.

For more information about this trail go to Visit Warburton

More information

For more information about this trail go to Visit Warburton

Walk features

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Trail difficulty

Grade 4 (hard) badge

Grade 4 (Hard)

For experienced bushwalkers

Grade 4 walks may be long, rough or very steep, and directional signage may be limited. Bushwalking experience is recommended, along with the ability to be self-reliant and manage navigation, weather and emergencies. Walks may exceed 20km.

Good to know: Not every Grade 4 characteristic will apply to every walk, so check the route description for the specific challenges of this hike.

Map and GPX file

Mount Donna Buang Hike (18km)

Map of the route “Mount Donna Buang Hike (18km)”: 9.23 km, 1,181 m of climbing and 76 m of descent, elevation between 152 m and 1,256 m, time 01:52:10. It starts at -37.75395, 145.68813 and ends at -37.70659, 145.68133 (latitude, longitude).

Total distance: 9.24 km
Max elevation: 1260 m
Min elevation: 152 m
Total climbing: 1181 m
Total descent: 76 m
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GPX files, maps and content are copyright Trail Hiking Australia. Not to be copied, redistributed or uploaded to other platforms including AllTrails.

Alternative Trail

For an easier, shorter walk that does not require a car shuffle, drive to the summit car park. Walk back along the trail towards Mount Victoria, eventually popping out on Mount Donna Buang Rd. Walk roadside uphill for approximately 1km until you reach the 10 Mile Picnic Area. Pick up the linking trail at the rear of the car park taking you back on to the main Donna Buang Walking Track you came down on. Walk back to the summit. Approximately 6km.

Map of the route “Mount Donna Buang Hike (18km)”: 6.48 km, 290 m of climbing and 290 m of descent, elevation between 998 m and 1,252 m, time 00:42:08. It is a loop that starts and ends at -37.70664, 145.68138 (latitude, longitude).

Total distance: 6.51 km
Max elevation: 1253 m
Min elevation: 998 m
Total climbing: 290 m
Total descent: 290 m
Login to Download GPX

GPX files, maps and content are copyright Trail Hiking Australia. Not to be copied, redistributed or uploaded to other platforms including AllTrails.

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Preparation and safety

Trail tips

Best completed in summer and shoulder season; muddy, slippery, potentially snowbound and difficult going in winter; car shuffle required if walking one way.

For more information about this trail go to Visit Warburton

Plan and prepare

Australian conditions can turn a small oversight into a serious situation faster than most walkers expect. For a day hike, that means the right gear, weather-appropriate layers, enough food and water, and allowing time to finish in daylight. The day hike planning guide walks you through it.

The Hiking Safety Systems and planning calculators help you understand and close the gaps before you leave home. The Interactive Safety Scenarios show how small gaps turn into real incidents. If you’re new to planning hikes, start with the hike preparation guide.

Download the free hiking preparation and safety checklists before leaving home to help you think through your plans. They help ensure important considerations are not overlooked and support safer decision-making on the trail.

Let someone know

Before you go, complete a trip intentions form and share it with a trusted contact. Agree on a Late-Back Time and ask them to call 000 (Police) if you have not checked in. A clear trip plan is one of the simplest and most effective safety steps you can take, and it only takes two minutes.

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Heading somewhere remote, off-track or overnight? Use the comprehensive trip intentions form instead, as your emergency contact will need more detail. Register your trip plan here →

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Getting there and where to stay

Directions

From Melbourne City to Yarra Valley (via Eastlink Tollway) - Make your way onto the Eastern Freeway and travel towards Ringwood. The Eastern Freeway turns into the Eastlink Toolway after Springvale Road. If you have an Eastlink or Citylink pass, continue on the Eastlink Tollway and go through the Mullum Mullum tunnel - make sure to stay in the left lane as the turnoff is straight after the tunnel ends. Turn left after exiting the tunnel towards Ringwood. Turn left onto the Maroondah Highway towards Lilydale. Once past Lilydale, turn right at the Warburton Highway turnoff to explore the Warburton Valley. Pass through the villages of the Warburton Valley, arriving at Warburton, about 40km from Lilydale. The Donna Buang walk can be commenced from anywhere within the Warburton township, and is reached by walking up Martyr Road, beside the golf course.

By Public Transport Public Transport Victoria has regular trains heading to Lilydale Station. From Lilydale Station, catch a Martyrs bus to travel to Warburton .

Get there with Google Maps

Accommodation nearby

Search accommodation in nearby towns: Gembrook, Healesville, Marysville, Seville, Warburton, Woori Yallock, Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction

Find somewhere to stay near the trailhead. Click the button below to open an interactive map automatically centred on this hike's location.

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Travel arrangements

Whether you are travelling from across Australia or exploring closer to home, these options can help you organise your journey to the trail and make the most of your visit.

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Explore the region

About the region

Warburton sits where the Yarra River is still a cold, fast upper catchment stream, hemmed in by steep forested slopes and the western edge of the higher ranges. That setting gives the town a different feel from the lower Yarra Valley: narrower, wetter and more obviously mountainous, with the river, creeks and surrounding bush never far away. It is also part of Wurundjeri Country, within the broader Aboriginal cultural landscape of the Yarra Ranges.

The landscape around Warburton is shaped by the southern reaches of Yarra Ranges National Park and by the headwaters that feed the Yarra. Mountain Ash forest dominates the higher slopes, rising above dense fern gullies, cool temperate rainforest pockets and clear streams that drop quickly towards the valley floor. Mount Donna Buang is the major landform above town, reaching 1,245 metres, and its elevation is enough to bring a marked change in climate, including regular winter snow. Across this part of the ranges, the forests are not just scenic backdrop but part of the water-producing country that supplies the Yarra and important reservoir systems further west.

That mix of steep terrain, tall wet forest and river flats also explains Warburton's history. The wider Upper Yarra developed through successive phases of gold, timber cutting and then tourism, with the railway's arrival in 1901 helping turn the valley into a long-established mountain retreat for Melbourne. Even now, the town's character is closely tied to that geography: a small settlement pressed into a narrow gorge, with older buildings, river edges and remnants of transport history sitting against heavily treed hills.

For walkers, this broader setting matters because Warburton is less an isolated township than a gateway into one of Victoria's most distinctive mountain forest regions. Nearby are dense ash forests, mossy creek lines, the upper Birrarung catchment and a chain of public lands that connect the town to Donna Buang, the Upper Yarra and the deeper ranges beyond. The result is a place where the natural character is defined by water, elevation and forest, and where even short outings tend to feel part of a much larger upland landscape.

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Weather on the trail

The map shows the rain forecast for the trail area. Use the toggle in the top right corner to switch layers, including wind, temperature, UV index, thunderstorms, fire danger and weather warnings. Windy is a forecast model, not an official warning service. Check the Bureau of Meteorology for current warnings before you go.

Trail reviews

10 Reviews on “Mount Donna Buang Hike (18km)”

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Acknowledgement of Country

Mount donna buang hike (18km) - trail hiking australia

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.

Curated by: Darren Edwards | Trail Hiking Australia
Last checked:
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