Hike at a glance
Length
Duration
Difficulty
Trail type
Route details
Max elevation: 811m
Min elevation: 226m
Total Ascent: 1301m
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 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 this trail
Trail difficulty
Steep, rough, and demanding
These are challenging walks suited to experienced hikers. Expect sustained climbs, rough and uneven terrain, and longer distances.
Tracks may be less defined, and signage can be limited, so navigation awareness is important. These walks require good fitness, confidence on difficult terrain, and the ability to manage fatigue over time.
Safety note: Fatigue, poor navigation, or a sudden weather change can turn a hard walk into a serious situation.
Planning information
Preparation matters: Plan your overnight hike well and bring the right gear, weather-appropriate layers, food and plenty of water. Before you head out, read up on bushwalking safety and use this overnight hike planning guide to make sure you're ready. Need help getting started? Check out the full hike preparation guide.
Map and GPX file
Safety and preparation
Think safety first
Australian conditions can turn a small oversight into a serious situation faster than most walkers expect. The Hiking Safety Systems and planning calculators are designed to help you identify and close those gaps before you leave home. Work through the Interactive Safety Scenarios to see how incidents unfold, then use the tools to build your plan and make sure a trusted contact has your trip details before you head out.
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.
Heading somewhere remote, off-track or overnight? Use the comprehensive trip intentions form instead — your emergency contact will need more detail. Register your trip plan here →
Free checklists
Download the 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.
Getting there and where to stay
Need a rental car to get you to the hike? Find one here →
Accommodation nearby
Find hotels, cabins, and campgrounds near the trailhead. Click the button below to open an interactive map automatically centred on this hike's location — no searching required.
Or search accommodation in nearby towns: Ararat, Cavendish, Dadswells Bridge, Dunkeld, Halls Gap, Horsham, Landsborough, Pomonal, Stawell, Warracknabeal, Wartook, Wartook Valley
Explore the region
About the region
Explore nearby hikes
Photo gallery
Do you have any photos from this hike?
Your photos can help others plan. Share shots from along the trail so fellow hikers know what to expect.
Weather on the trail
The map below shows the rain forecast for the trail area. Tap the toggle in the top right corner to explore other layers including wind, temperature, UV index, thunderstorms, fire danger, and weather warnings — all useful for planning a safe hike.
Trail Reviews
Notice something different about this trail?
Whether it’s a new feature, a route change, or a closure, share your update so we can keep our info accurate and helpful for fellow hikers.
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.
5 Reviews on “Mud-Dadjug Walk (22km)”
This was an incredible hike, thank you for clear and useful info on this site!
Fortunately we had two cars, so chose to leave a car in Dunkeld and then we could drive to the starting area. There is only room for a few cars in the carpark, so drop-off is more ideal like suggested on this page.
The views from Signal Peak and Mt Abrupt are just phenomenal… absolutely breathtaking! Well worth the challenge. The second day in particular is challenging going up Mt. Sturgeon, but it’s a really interesting peak with plenty of little nooks to explore if you’re confident enough to climb around a bit (don’t fall!). We ran into a few day hikers, but minimal traffic during May. The hardest bit of this hike personally was the decline from Signal Peak…. ow, my knees!
The camp ground is GORGEOUS, with high quality facilities and great views. Well worth the hefty price tag for a spot! We were the only people at the campsite, which was an absolute treat but I imagine it gets BUSY during summer/spring. There’s a shelter with doors that close, solar powered lights and USB chargers. You’re not allowed to sleep in the shelter so DO bring a tent! Toilets did have toilet paper but of course good to still bring your own just in case. We were fortunate enough to have water in the rain water tanks but even after some rain they seemed fairly low. I read some reviews about crazy winds in the evening/overnight that I gawked at, but no word of a lie we thought our tents might be blown off the cliff during the night – be warned!!! a 5-6 hour hike after very little sleep was rough. There are clips to attach to your tent at each individual site (presumably because of the high winds) but it was still quite an experience. I’d even recommend putting up your tent on the backside of the shelter, where it was a little less windy.
At the end of the hike there was a beautiful walk through some private farmland, with HUNDREDS of kangaroos! This was pretty fun to see, but if I was to do this again I’d leave a car at Mt. Sturgeon carpark instead of Dunkeld, which shaves off about an hour right at the very end when you’re exhausted.
Really glad you found the info useful and I’m even more pleased to read about your adventure. Glad you enjoyed it.