Olinda Falls and Valley (14km)

Summary

The Olinda Falls and Valley Circuit is a very picturesque walk through the Olinda Forest area. This is a highly varied walk through some really beautiful native bush, but the R.J. Hamer Forest Arboretum provides some highly varied introduced trees. It can almost feel like a walk around the world. This version includes a short side trip to the Olinda Falls. You’ll likely hear and see a lot of birdlife here as well, especially the Lyrebird.

Start at Woolrich Lookout, near the toilet block you’ll see the Dam Rd track, follow that then follow Sequoia, Rock, KC, Rifle Range Gully and then Bartlett to reach the road. Follow that briefly looking out for Cascade Track on the right. Follow this until you see the side track off to the Olinda Falls to the right. The falls are quite small, but a worthwhile short visit. Return back to Cascade Track to follow that north until you reach Barbers Road. Turn right and shortly you’ll see VW Track to your right. This is a fairly gentle walk uphill until you reach Barges. Take this left, follow to the junction to continue on Barges until you reach the junction with Georges. Continue along this, note it passes some junctions and eventually meets Eagle Track to take you to Valley Picnic Ground. From here you can take Black Hole Track, then Yallambee Way to join Matthias then back up to Woolrich Lookout.

Getting There

Make your way to Olinda, follow the Olinda-Monbulk Road for 900 metres approx, turn left onto Chalet Road. Look for the carpark at the lookout.

Tips

The area is a real maze of trails with many possible combinations to take. It is essential to take a map to ensure you don’t get lost.

• There tends to be a lot of vandalism of signs, so don’t rely on these being there.
• Leeches can be encountered so bring your favourite leech repellent/remedy.