Heritage and Whipstick Circuit is a 17.4km, grade 3 hike located in the Wombat State Forest, Victoria. The hike should take around 5 hrs to complete.
Hike summary
The Heritage and Whipstick Circuit is a combination of the Whipstick Loop Walk and the Lerderderg Heritage River Walk. The trail can be taken in any direction. This version was hiked anti-clockwise starting and ending at the Blackwood pub.
Heritage trail: Most of this section of the walk follows old water races along the upper reaches of the Lerderderg River to Crown Dam (site).
Whipstick trail: This section of the walk is situated in the Wombat State Forest and traverses part of the Great Dividing Trail but then loops down around Whipstick Creek through some beautiful open eucalypt forest, to bring you back to your starting point at the Blackwood Pub.
Along the walk there is historical evidence of various types of mining with both vertical and horizontal shafts. All of the mining in the area was conducted by hand in very difficult conditions. There is a fenced area with a viewing platform along the track, where you can safely view one of the old mine shafts. Take the time to look and appreciate the extent of works undertaken but for your safety, please stick to the track.
Further along the trail you will also get to walk along the remnants of a water-race, Miners hand dug these trenches to direct water both to and from their mine workings. At one section of the track a boardwalk has been constructed around an old tree through which the miners once diverted the water course.There is also evidence of a structure that once spanned the creek that may have been a tramway or bridge foundations.
Route and GPX file
Max elevation: 647 m
Min elevation: 573 m
Total climbing: 551 m
Total descent: -550 m
Tips
- An easy walk which should take 4-5 hours depending on group size and level of fitness.
- This was not a strenuous hike and would be rated easy/moderate.
Gear you might need
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Location
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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 “Heritage and Whipstick Circuit (17.4km)”
Both lovely tracks. I have been thinking of posting this combo up with the Wanderers soon.
Did this hike on the weekend 19/05/18. Nice track and and not to hard. Plenty to see and explore, lots of Mushrooms and fungi about jyou just need to keep your eyes peeled. Not to much in the scheme of uphill/ downhill. some nice vistas along the way especially the Heritage river track sections. saw 1 large tree that had fallen over one of the creek crossing bridges that needs to be removed. overall a good hike and perfect for young bushwalkers. Added bonus was the Blackwood hotel celebrating 150 years so a well deserved pint at the end of the walk.
Done deal. Going to be a big day haha
D’Wayne Saunders
For those that like to hike/pack with their dogs, you will potentially lose this option IF it has a change of status to National Park per interim VEAC recommendations.
Grant Smith
Jill when??
I need this on my life (followed by a parma)
Jordy Pilgrim
Love whipstick loop! Great with kids and with lovely orchids and a great cafe at the end to boot!
Just completed this hike over the long weekend. Really enjoyable. Worth noting that the GPX file is valuable. There are a number of tracks leading off in other directions particularly in the Heritage section. Even with the GPX we still managed to go off course a few times!
Josh Mitchell
Kate Southall have you done this one before?
Liz Maggs Smith time for a hike
No but I’ll check it out!!
Paul Noy James Thomas looks good
Planning this in the next few weeks.
Rosemary Andrykanus Hi there,
Trail Hiking Australia is currently offline due to the introduction of new search tools.
I had hoped this would be completed yesterday but seems not to be the case. I am sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
If you need anything urgently for this weekend, please email me at [email protected]
Cheers
Darren Edwards
I hope there are wombats and it’s not just a name
Jill
Serene Silva add to list! 😀
Shane Mervin dude this isn’t too far from ya!
Yes!!!!