The ultimate Victorian High Country hike. The Viking Circuit takes in perhaps the greatest alpine scenery Victoria has to offer. The Viking Circuit is located in the Alpine National Park north east of Melbourne. The area is famous for the inspiration to the land-forms in Tomorrow When The War Began. With some inviting features such as The Crosscut Saw, Mount Buggary, Horrible gap, Mount Despair and The Viking this is not an easy hike.
Over 4 days you will cover close to 40km in distance which includes approximately 2,700m of accumulated vertical ascent. Oh yeah, and all that with a full pack.
The trail passes near Mount Howitt, before traversing the Crosscut Saw to Mount Speculation. It then continues through to Mount Despair and the Razor before ascending The Viking then down to the banks of the Wonnangatta River. The final day will see you ascend back up Wonnangatta Spur to your start point.
Alternatively you can do this hike in reverse which would see you start at the Mount Howitt Car Park in Victoria's Alpine National Park. It then goes down the Dry River Track to Wonnangatta Valley and then to the top of The Viking. It then passes over The Razor, Mount Despair, Mount Speculation, The Crosscut Saw, Mount Howitt and Macalister Springs. Then returns to Howitt Car park.
Total distance: 40740 m
Max elevation: 1676 m
Min elevation: 643 m
Total climbing: 2669 m
Total descent: -2667 m
Download file:
The Viking Circuit.gpx
- Rough Trail
- Undefined Trail
- Alpine Region
- Alpine Huts
- Exposed Ledges
- Rock Scrambling
- Steep Terrain
- Off Trail
- River Crossings
- Scenic Viewpoints
- Untreated Water
- Overnight Campsites
Warning
This walk is rated as difficult (Grade 4 and 5) and varies from well marked trails to lightly trekked wilderness. You will need to be fit, well prepared, possess excellent navigation skills. there is very little water along this trail so you will need to carry adequate supplies or have a good understanding of water procurement.
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- 4WD Access
- Gravel Road
- Steep Road
- Winding Road
- Large Car Park
- Accessible Parking
- Public Toilets
Drive to Licola and at the road junction near the bridge take the Tamboritha Road (don't cross the bridge). You will drive past bush camp sites before the road will turn into a dirt road. 48km from Licola you will reach the Arbuckle Junction, turn left and follow Howitt Road for another 37km to the Mount Howitt Carpark.
It’s a good idea to let someone know where you’re going. Fill in a trip intention form to send important details about your trip to your emergency contact. If you are lost or require help and have phone reception, call 000 and ask for police. The international standard emergency number is 112, if you dial this number in Australia you will be treated exactly the same as a 000 call. If you believe your life is at risk, activate your personal locator beacon (PLB), then make your position visible to rescue teams and keep warm and dry.
The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The 646,000-hectare national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the higher areas of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, including Victoria's highest point, Mount Bogong at 1,986 metres and the associated subalpine woodland and grassland of the Bogong High Plains. The park's north-eastern boundary is along the border with New South Wales, where it abuts the Kosciuszko National Park.
0 Reviews on “The Viking Circuit (40.7km)”
A good training walk for us Bev Gaylene
Aaron ?
Adam. This looks great.
Adeline Dickson
Alan Dow
Amy Brown let’s set a weekend maybe in November??
Andrew Chau – another “lazy hike” to talk the ladies into for a long weekend?
Angelo Garlitos
Any update on the Viking Saddle to Wonnangatta River section as per tien nguyen’s comments on 1 February 2017? Heavy undergrowth and blackberries seem to rule this route out except for the most adventurous, or foolhardy.
Awesome feedback. Thank you Tien. Wow, day 3 was a massive day for you.
April Watson
Brenda Belfield 🙂
Cameron Forrest
Chris Smith quite possible.i would have to have a look at map first. in general i want to do all great alpine hike
Could just run it and be done in 6hrs
Craig Grant
Craig Thomas Irvine
Damian Hess
done! i’m up for some trail inspiration.
Alicja Alice I like the sound of this….think we could do in 2 days! ?
Patricia Pringlez
Patrick Cooley
Pepper Carroll
Phil Hunter
Rodney how are your navigation skills?
Short by 60k and no ‘Bastard’ in it
Shunyo James
Shayne Gillings get on it
That section of the hike has always and will probably always be over grown simply due to the number of people who attempt this hike. It is only for experienced hikers (not necessarily foolhardy). It is the only route you can take to complete the circuit.
Sascha Hovens ok! Next hike after the lake!
Suzie Sharp one for when I get all of my overnight gear?
The access road is usually closed until the end of October and sometimes longer. It is a long drive when the road is in poor condition so allow plenty of time to get there but you can camp at Howitt carpark to get an early start in the morning. Not a walk for beginners unless they are fit and guided by a competent person.
There is a section so dense we averaged 1.5k for 6 hours. if you could run the whole thing I will shave off all my hair
Thijs Baarda
This time of year would be ideal due to the increased likelihood of water sources due to snow melt. My only concern would be the Wonnangatta river as this would be impassable after heavy rain or snow run off. We are heading up this way in November for this reason.
Three hard, full days. A lot of people choose to do it in four for this reason.
Samuel Jc…good times
Suzie Sharp it’s only 10kms per day so what’s the problem ??
Romana Hoffman
Spring is a good time as it is more likely that there will be water around.