Upper Yarra Goldfields Walk is a 11km, grade 3 hike located in the Yarra Ranges National Park, Victoria. The hike should take around 5 hrs to complete.
Hike summary
The Upper Yarra Goldfields Walk is a highly varied walk that passes through some very pretty areas, great views, plus many remnants of the gold mining history of the area.
There are a few variations you can do, but this version uses a combination of the easements and trails. But do bring a good map with you, as there are various choices with which trail to take.
Whatever route you choose, it is quite a fascinating walk to do and well worth the time to explore.
Route and GPX file
Max elevation: 466 m
Min elevation: 230 m
Total climbing: 532 m
Total descent: -534 m
Tips
- Leeches can be encountered so remember to take your favourite leech remedy/repellant.
- Stick to the marked trails in the area as there are mineshafts that are not signposted and are well hidden.
- This is also known as McMahons Goldfield Circuit.
Gear you might need
As well as including the Ten Essentials, my planning, food and packing checklists provide an summary of things to consider on your day, overnight and multi-day hikes. Every person and every hike is different, so customise your kit according to your needs. Download your free checklists here >>
Location
Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.
Sorry, unable to load the Maps API.
Getting there
Use the Maroondah Hwy/State Route 34 . Continue onto Warburton Hwy/B380 past Warburton then to the right onto Warburton-Woods Point Road. Take this for approx 13kms to the picnic area and car park at Little Peninsula tunnel where there are two signposts. Ignore the first indicating a car parking area on the side of the road and continue a further 200m then turn left into the second car park where there is also a picnic area.
About the region
Situated between Melbourne and the Victorian Alps, the Yarra Ranges National Park is a place of epic views, majestic rainforest scenery and fun-packed snowplay. Enjoy the panorama from Mount Donna Buang, or go deeper into the park on the Black Spur Drive, and wind through towering Mountain Ash forests to Lake Mountain.
The Yarra Ranges spans an extensive, mountainous area of cool temperate forest around the three towns of Marysville, Healesville and Warburton. This national park is home to the world's tallest flowering tree, the Mountain Ash, which towers over lush tree ferns and mossy Myrtle Beech. Dark gullies are home to clear streams which feed the Yarra River and major reservoirs from which Melbourne draws its drinking water.
The Yarra Ranges boasts some stunning lookouts, one of the best being Mount Donna Buang. From here you can see awesome views of Westernport Bay and Port Phillip - or walk the Rainforest Gallery and see the Mountain Ash from a different perspective. In the winter, Mount Donna Buang is Melbourne's closest winter playground. Many Melburnians have enjoyed their first sight of snow here through the years.
Healesville is the start of the Black Spur Drive, a short but beautiful scenic car journey. The road winds through majestic Mountain Ash forest to Narbethong, passing a number of pleasant walking trails and picnic areas, such as Donnelly’s Weir, Dom Dom Saddle and Maroondah Reservoir Park.
Gallery
If you have any great photos from this hike and are happy to share them, please upload your .jpg files here.
Please note: Uploading photos does not transfer ownership of copyright away from you. If requested, you will be credited for any photos you provide and can ask they be deleted at any time.
Let someone know before you go. Register your trip intentions here. Your trip intentions will be emailed to your emergency contact.
Does this hike info need updating? maybe the route, features or access conditions have changed? Suggest an edit here.
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 “Upper Yarra Goldfields Walk (11km)”
Did this yesterday. Would have been better to start from Big Peninsula and leave out the pipeline section.
Track in quite poor condition. I walked the closed section, well worth it if you are a history buff. I suspect this section will never be reopened.
A June 2020 update.
A lot of the track is still closed. Mainly due to exposed mine shafts. (these are deep).
Notably the first bridge from the car park is still closed, but can be avoided if walk is started from the first car park on the side of the road.
Many of the sections are still closed, but easily bypassed by using other tracks. We walked all of the closed sections with great care to check it out, regardless of risk.
A lot of climbing over trees and scrub in the closed sections, due to zero maintenance being done.
Apparently this walk is closed until further notice. Parks are yet to make safe some of the walkways near old mine shafts. Extreme caution should be taken if venturing in to this closed area. ( so I’ve heard)
I walked this today clockwise from Little Peninsula car park and the only closed section is a very short loop off Peninsula Road and back. We followed the gpx track posted above mostly but the walking track as currently marked follows the road from Big Peninsula towards Little Peninsula, rather than the Water Easement which runs straight over a steep ridge, disregarding topography. We chose to walk up the steepest section rather than descend it on wet ground, hence our clockwise direction.
A really nice walk!
Yes it is closed. Needs a lot of maitenance. Still a walk good though 🙂
There are a couple of updates on the Parksvic site. One from 2018 saying the bridge at little peninsula tunnel is closed for repairs, and another from May 2019 saying the platform at big peninsula tunnel is closed due to vandalism.
I’m heading over there tomorrow for an exploratory walk before, potentially, taking a group there next week.
Has anyone been there recently, any advice?