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Length: 8.5km
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Duration: 4hrs
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Grade: 3-4
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Style: Circuit
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Start: Blackwood Hotel
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End: Blackwood Hotel
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Location: Wombat State Forest
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Closest Town: Blackwood
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Distance from CBD: 89km
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State: VIC
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Latitude: -37.46689382
Longitude: 144.310574
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2WD Access
4WD Access
Public Transport
Bitumen Road
Gravel Road
Steep Road
Winding Road
Speed Bumps
Vehicle Ford
Entry Fee
Large Car Park
Small Car Park
Accessible Parking
Accessible Toilet
Public Toilets
Drinking Water
Untreated Water
Picnic Shelter
Picnic Table
BBQ Facilities
Campfire Pit
Camping Area
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Wombat State Forest...
Select items to indicate features found along the trail.
Concrete Path
Timber Boardwalk
Gravel Path
Sandy Trail
Rough Trail
Undefined Trail
Prams & Strollers
Manual Wheelchair
Motorised Wheelchair
Bicycle Trail
Mountain Bike Trail
Historic Rail Trail
Dog Friendly
Urban Walk
Coast & Beach
Historic Lighthouse
Waterfalls & Lakes
Rainforest Walk
Goldfields & Mining
Heritage Walk
Aboriginal Art
Alpine Region
Alpine Huts
Exposed Ledges
Rock Scrambling
Steep Terrain
Bush Bashing
River Crossings
Scenic Viewpoints
Well Marked
Drinking Water
Untreated Water
Fishing Spots
Swimming Spots
Overnight Campsites
Trail Running
Horse Riding
Hike Summary
The water races surrounding Yankee Creek, on the northern edge of Blackwood, bare witness to a much busier gold rush past. This hike will take advantage of the water races to explore one of the lesser known tributaries of the Lerderderg River. The hike passes through Mineral Springs Reserve and visits Shaws Lake along the way.Most of this walk follows water races and foot trails but there is the occasional fallen tree to scramble over. There is also a section of off trail walking down an open spur and along Yankee Gully, which will require basic navigational skills. One short but very steep hill is also encountered.
Getting there
From Melbourne follow the Western Freeway for 67Km and take the Greendale exit. Continue on for 6.5Km to Greendale. Turn right along the Greendale-Trentham Road and follow it for 11Km to Blackwood. Park near the hotel.
Tips
Be careful of mine shafts in the area. Walking Poles are useful. Carry water.
GPX File
Max elevation: 649 m
Min elevation: 524 m
Total climbing: 342 m
Total descent: -342 m
Hikes Nearby
3 thoughts on “Yankee Creek (8.5km)”
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We did this hike with 20kg backpacks load with water.
The 2 km riverbed section is very slippery when damp. The sky was blue but everything was damp which made it interesting. I would save this section to last as it takes it out of you climbing over slippery rocks and fallen trees. Lots of blackberries when you have to climb out of the riverbed and pass sections blocked by trees or full of water.
We had great fun (My wife, 11yr old daughter and myself) and enjoyed every bit of it but is hard going when wet and I wouldn’t do it if it is raining!
10/10 walk.
We did this circuit today, starting from the marker for Great Dividing Trail off Whalebone Road. For some reason we had a lot of trouble finding the trail after the lake – shortly afterwards, it kind of petered out and we didn’t see a clear trail again until the northern-most section where you cross the creek with a steep downhill/uphill. From there we followed the track to the end of Moonlight Trail but again lost the path and ended up wandering around down in the gully for a while until we gave up and made our way back to Moonlight Trail and walking back to town via Old Blackwood Road. Not sure where we went wrong considering we tried to match our Google Maps location to the OCM marked trail exactly but still managed to do a whole lot of off-trail hiking that we probably weren’t supposed to do! In any case, the terrain is not too difficult although everything is damp/wet and most of the logs are very slippery, so caution must be taken when climbing over them.
Yeah. It is a difficult trail to follow. It is not a commonly hiked trail so does become overgrown quickly and is a challenge to find the Trail again. It follows old water races at times too but even they can be overgrown. I generally drop down into Yankee Creek and just follow the creek. There are also a handful of animal trails and motorbike trails that can be misleading. Glad you enjoyed the day all the same.