Wombat State Forest

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Wombat State Forest

Postby Empty » Mon 31 Mar, 2014 11:04 am

Wombat State Forest Camp.jpg
Great Divide Elevation.jpg
If you are looking for a nice walk through beautiful forest relatively close to Melbourne this one might be worth considering. It forms part of the Lerderderg Track of the Great Dividing Trail and I travelled the section between Blackwood and Jubilee Lake in Daylesford as a solo overnight trip over the weekend of 29 & 30 March 2014.

The Walk: Garden of St Erth (2.7 km's from Blackwood) to Jubilee Lake, Daylesford

Distance: 35.9 km's

Map: Wombat State Forest 3rd edition. Not a bushwalking map but adequate for this walk. Toppos not required

Transport: No public transport in this area and because it is a through walk you would need to either car shuttle or get dropped off and collected at the other end

Navigation: Mainly along well formed tracks, forest/fire trails and dirt roads. Adequate sign posts and GDT markers. Some distance posts.

Mobile coverage: Virtually none near Blackwood and 1 to two bars once I climbed to the top of the Great Divide just after Nolan's Picnic Ground. One to two bars intermittently as you get closer to Daylesford.

Landscape and elevation: Beautiful old growth forest, river valleys, rainforest pockets, dry sclerophyll forest. Undulating and generally hilly climbing up to around 850 metres from a base (Blackwood) of around 590 metres.

Points of Interest: Heritage River walk at start, Nolan's Picnic Ground (site of old saw mill) ruins of Balt refugee camp.

Water: Very dry at the moment and what water there is in the river is inky black and difficult to reach. After prolonged rain most of the creeks and rivers in this area would be reliable but until then, you would need to carry your own. (I carried 4 litres and took food that did not require cooking or reconstituting and even then it was only just enough).

Camping: No picture perfect camping spots beside a trickling stream but there are plenty of flat clear spots along the way. Most of them are towards the Blackwood end which did not help me but would justify doing this trip by starting at Daylesford instead. I managed to find a reasonable spot about 1 kilometre before Werribee Creek (marked on map - Blackwood side) but no water.

General Comments: This is a very enjoyable walk through magnificent forest. There are no elevated views but the forest is uniquely beautiful - enormous trees, ramrod straight with a forest floor of bracken , lomandra and a thick layer of leaves. Dappled light filters through the canopy to create an ethereal effect. In other areas rain forest closes in with a dark, damp gloomy aura. Plenty of ups and downs and very easy navigation.

I only saw two car campers ant Nolan's and not a soul otherwise but over a long weekend or during holidays it may get busier.

It is a fairly long walk and requires a moderate level of fitness and, because there are no designated camping spots or permanent water sources you can fall into the trap (as I did) of walking too far on the first day. The closer you get to Daylesford the harder it is to find a spot to camp so you tend to keep going until you do. As I mentioned you may be better doing this walk in reverse to avoid this problem.

Balt Camp Sign.jpg

Balt Ruins.jpg
Balt Ruins.jpg
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Empty
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