Trip Overview

This is an accommodated trip to Warburton for the Anzac Day long weekend (3 nights) arriving Thursday evening.

Accommodation is provided by several holiday houses with multiple bedrooms. Each room will have a maximum of 2 people allocated.

There will be 3 full day walks during the weekend. These are Starlings Gap<->Ada Tree, Mt Donna Buang & O’Shannassy’s Weir.

Saturday night will be a group dinner at a pub or similar (participation optional, cost not included).

Accommodation

Three holiday houses have been booked in the Warburton area.All include kitchen, cooking facilities, lounge areas, and a number of bedrooms. The bedroom configuration varies but generally consists of a mixture of double and single beds. A maximum of 2 people will be allocated to each room.

Itinerary and Walk Descriptions

The planned walks are as follows. There may be changes due to weather, track closures, and group preferences.

Day 1: Big Pats Creek to Ada Tree – this follows the old tram tracks used to haul timber from the forest to the saw mills. Remnants of the rails, bridges and sawing equipment can still be viewed. The walk is through a temperate rain-forest area with pockets of mountain ash and tree ferns. The Ada Tree is near the end of the walk at 76m in height and 300 years old [19km 5h with a car shuffle]

Day 2: Warburton<->Mt Donna Buang – this is a return walk starting from the north side of Warburton with a sustained climb of 1100m over 6 km via Mt Victoria. A fire tower at the top of Mt Donna Buang gives stunning views. [12km 6h]

Day 3: Cement Creek<->O’Shannassy’s Weir – this return walk follows the former aquaduct to the weir through the forest [16km return]. (This may be substituted for a shorter walk if people want to leave for Melbourne at an earlier time.)

Some possible alternative walks:

Back stairs – This combines several shorts walks into one. Start from Dolly Grey Park & follow the rail trail towards Melbourne. After the bridge, turn left along the boardwalk to the Back Stairs track. Follow this to the La La Falls circuit and then La La Avenue back to Warburton (10km, 3.5h)

O’Shannassy (Yuonga Rd)<->Californian Redwood Forest – Follows part of the aquaduct then to a loop walk through a Redwood Forest (16km, 4h rtn) [Also other aquaduct sections.]

Transport

Transport to and from the walk location is by car. Please indicate your transport requirements and preferences on the booking request form when you book in.

If you don’t have a car, we can’t guarantee to provide you with a lift – this will depend on available drivers and their locations.

Passengers must pay the driver their share of car-pooling costs as described on the Car-pooling page. Please discuss the preferred method of payment with your driver.

Booking

Booking is required for this walk. Please indicate what similar walks you have done recently (i.e. in the past few months) to give the leader confidence that you are capable of doing this one. Refer to Walking Grades which, in conjunction with the walk description, will help you assess whether you have the required walking fitness and experience to do this walk.

The Leader will confirm your acceptance on the walk, or not, via email.  The leader will provide details of where and when to meet.

By booking into this event you acknowledge that you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct.

Trip Price:
Members:  $200 + Booking fee (nil) = $200.
Non-members: $200 + Booking fee ($12) = $212.

Payment:
Members and non-members are required to pre-pay the trip price for this event.
You can pay by Paypal. If you are not a Paypal member, you can use Paypal to pay by credit or debit card.

Cancellation:
If you need to cancel, please advise the leader as soon as possible, so that someone else has the opportunity.
We will only be able to provide a refund if we can find a replacement for you.

What to Bring

• All the equipment, clothing, food and water you will need for the walks and overnight stays (refer Trip details above).

• To help manage the Covid risk, the following may be useful: Hand Sanitiser, Face Mask(s), RAT test(s).

Refer to our Gear Checklist page for more details, or discuss with the leader.  If you are not properly equipped, the walk leader can decide not to let you participate on this walk.

Safety and Ambulance Insurance

We strongly recommend that you have Ambulance cover. If conditions are hazardous, the walk may be cancelled. If any doubts at all, check your emails the night before and the morning of the event. For more details refer to: Joining a walk and your safety

If you are Covid-19 positive, have any Covid-19 symptoms or are a contact of someone with Covid-19, please follow the instructions in the Coronavirus Victoria website.

Still have questions?

Check out What happens on a walk.

Check out Weekend and extended walks.

Contact the leader using the “Enquiry” button.

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Members who wish to submit photos for social media or Yeti should refer to Member Resources.