Hike at a glance
Hike length
Average duration
Trail Difficulty
Hike Type
Hike details
Max elevation: 1250m
Min elevation: 534m
Total Ascent: 805m
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.
Trail details
Hike summary
Track difficulty
Remote, unmarked, and high consequence
These are the most challenging walks and are only suited to highly experienced and well-prepared hikers.
Expect very rough, steep, and often unmarked terrain, with limited or no signage. Navigation skills are essential, and you must be self-reliant, including emergency preparedness. Distances may exceed 20km, and conditions can quickly become serious if things go wrong.
Safety note: There is little margin for error. Mistakes in navigation, weather judgement, or preparation can have serious consequences.
Planning essentials
Preparation matters: Plan your day 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 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
Small oversights can compound quickly in Australian conditions. See how it happens in the Interactive Safety Scenarios. Then refer to the Hiking Safety Systems, planning calculators, and make sure a trusted contact has your trip plan before heading 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
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 browse accommodation in nearby towns: Belgrave, Emerald, Healesville, Lilydale, Marysville, Monbulk, Montrose, Mount Dandenong, Olinda, Warburton
Discover more
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.
Share your photos here →
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.
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.
5 Reviews on “Mount Donna Buang to Dom Dom Saddle Hike (22.7km)”
Mt Boobyalla track cleared by Parks Vic and volunteers from Melbourne Walking club!
The key variable with this walk is how long it has been since the walking track over Mt Boobyalla has been cleared. If it has been a long time, you will need hot-pink plastic coloured tape to tie to bushes to mark the trail, because you will be following a single rut through impenetrable chest high undergrowth. If you lose that rut, you need to be able to back-up to where you had it. The problem is worse where a 70m eucalpt has fallen across the track, creating a slippery mess of broken branches and crushed undergrowth. Bashing your way around the mess and finding that rut as it continues on the other side of the mess is difficult. However, if the path has recently been cleared it would be a walk in the park. As for the other bits – the fire-breaks are really hard yakka, but impossible to lose. The roads are beautiful.
That’s a great comment and update. You are right, this is not often walked, so its a lot about picking your timing or expecting a lot of challenging navigation.