Hike at a glance
Length
Duration
Difficulty
Trail type
Route details
Max elevation: 520m
Min elevation: 358m
Total Ascent: 396m
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
Gentle tracks with some variation
These walks are still accessible for most people, but introduce mild hills, occasional steps, and slightly uneven surfaces. No prior bushwalking experience is required.
Tracks are usually well-defined and hardened, but you may need to manage small changes in elevation and footing. Distances can extend up to 10km, making these a good step up from Grade 1 for those building confidence.
Good to know: Small hills and longer distances can add up quickly if your fitness or pacing is off.
Planning information
Preparation matters: Plan your short walk 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 day 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: Belgrave, Emerald, Kallista, Kalorama, Monbulk, Montrose, Olinda, Sassafras, Tecoma, Upwey
Explore the region
About the region
Explore nearby hikes
Photo gallery
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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.
4 Reviews on “Olinda Falls & Mechanic Track (4.4km)”
ohhhh is Mechanics Track back open now?! Happy days! The last time I went there (Dec 2021) the track was a disaster zone! I ended up traipsing very quickly and embarrassingly through someones garden to get to Dandenong Tourist Rd!
Liz Owen not sure if it’s back open or not. You’d have to check with the land manager
Liz Owen It was closed when I visited earlier this year also – will be v. glad if it’s open again 👍
Liz Owen just looked up the Parks Vic website. Sorry, bad news.
Mechanics walking track from the Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd through to Falls Rd is closed due to significant damage from the June 2021 Storm. Parks Victoria is currently working with contractors on a plan to re-open this severely impacted walking track.
Works completed so far has been the replacement of a timber bridge that was destroyed along with most of the large fallen trees having been cut through, the remaining walking track requires re-benching and tree branch removal where limbs have been partly buried due to the force of the impact with the ground.
Trail Hiking Australia thanks for looking that up and sharing ❤️ I’ll avoid it for a while longer
Liz Owen No worries. I wish there was a way for these updates to automatically appear on my site but parks Vic don’t have a facility last time I checked with them.
Trail Hiking Australia not surprising given that the PV website is a crime against the internet! 😂
Liz Owen hahaha. They almost told me the same thing many years ago when I tried to join forces with them. They looked at me across the table and whispered ‘you’re better off going it alone’.
Easy walk achievable for most people.
The Olinda Falls section is very short from the car park and the falls themselves are more like a rushing creek.
Mechanics track (hiked Sept 2023) is open again and the highlight of this as families and children can enjoy rainforest-type surrounds on an easy trail.
Even though it’s a large sign, the sign into the track is in an odd location. I watched quite a few walkers stroll past without realising.
Even on a dry day, the track is muddy in places.
A good introduction to bushwalking for kids.