Trip Overview

Wyperfeld National Park, 450 kilometres North West of Melbourne, is mallee country.  No spectacular mountain scenery here.  The central feature of this huge park, Victoria’s largest, is a chain of lake beds connected by Outlet Creek.  But it has beauty in its magic sunsets and starry nights, its mobs of gentle Western Grey Kangaroos, its wealth of bird life, including the amazing Mallee fowl, and emus with their very cute little chicks … masses banksias in full bloom, and wild flowers galore.  It is a magnificent long weekend hideaway.

An easy overnight pack carry is proposed for Saturday and Sunday, some on track, some quite sandy … and quite a bit off track.  The proposal for Monday is to spend a couple of hours exploring Eastern Lookout and its environs.

Camping

As outlined in Itinerary below.

Itinerary and Walk Descriptions

Distance: 31 kms

Saturday.  Black Flat – Meridian Track – Outlet Creek – Lake Jerriwirrup –

Old Be Al* – Meridian Track – Remote Camp / Nine Mile Square Track Camp.

*Old Be Al is a giant 900 year old river redgum whose habitat covers about one third of an acre.

Distance: 16 kilometres, some of it in heavy sand.

Sunday.   Remote Camp – Lost Lake – Wonga Lake – Lake Jerriwirrup – Lake Brambruk – Devil’s Pools – Wonga Campground.

Distance:  15 kilometres.

Monday.  Eastern Lookout Nature Drive.  En route, a short climb up Eastern Lookout is rewarded with one of the best overviews of the surrounding park.  Further on, another short walk through the mallee will give walkers the opportunity to see one of the amazing mallee fowl mounds in the area.

Maps.  1:100,000 Hopetoun National Mapping Sheet 7326

Facilities for Campers:  Facilities for walkers are basic.  At the base camp, there is a large picnic shelter, tables, fireplaces, toilets, and water for drinking, cooking, and washing … but no shower facilities.  At the Nine Mile Track camp, facilities are limited to fireplaces, toilets, and water for drinking, cooking, and washing.

Water:  There is no water anywhere in the park except at the designated camping areas and two other points along the way.  Its recommended walkers carry a minimium of two litres of water each day, depending on their needs.

Equipment:  Boots with gaiters to keep the sand out of your boots.

The mallee country has a continental climate.  It can be pretty warm during the day and very cold at night.  I recall a temperature up there of minus 7 at 7am. one morning some years back.

Food:  You will need food to cover breakfast on Saturday to breakfast on Monday.  The plan is to be at a town on the way back for a late lunch on Monday.

Transport

Car pooling to be arranged by leader. Please indicate your transport requirements on the booking request form when you book in.

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:  $12 + Booking fee (nil) = $12.
Non-members: $12 + Booking fee ($12) = $24.

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.

Emergency Club Contact

The emergency club contact for this walk is Andrew.  The leader can provide you with the contact’s phone number, if you wish to pass this on to any friend/family member who may be concerned if you return late.

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.

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

Contact the leader using the “Enquiry” button.