Yea River Hike, Tooolangi State Forest

An excellent walk in the Toolangi State Forest, 50 km north of Melbourne, is along the seldom used Yea Link Rd and Cockpit Creek Track.

This 4 km (return) walk starts at the junction of Yea Link Rd and Sylvia Creek Rd, and passes through excellent tall forest and fern gullies. There are many birds!

The walk finishes at the Yea River crossing.

Cockpit Creek Track is gated during the winter, and is suitable only for heavy 4WDs, as it is very steep, rutted, and muddy after rain. At the time of the visit, a notice on the gate advises that the track is being upgraded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

Yea Link Rd can be very slippery after wet weather, and care must be exercised in conventional 2WDs.

I did this interesting hike on May 22, 2008.

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Hiking the Xanthorrhoea Tk, Toolangi State Forest

The Xanthorrhoea Tk is in the Paul Range State Forest, part of the large Toolangi State Forest, near the settlement of Chum Creek, 50 km NE of Melbourne.

"Xanthorrhoea" is the botanical name for the beautiful Grass Trees, which proliferate in the Forest.

The Track is a former logging route, about 4 km return, starting at the Chum Creek Rd, 10 km north of the town of Healesville, with a rise in altitude from 291m to 468m.

It winds its way up the Weasel Creek Gully, through splendid forest, with good views down the valley towards Healesville.

Entertainment is provided by the calls of the Black Cockatoos, which reside in this nice forest!

I hiked this interesting track on April 8, 2008, which also took me along the eastern section of the adjacent Weasel Creek Tk.

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Blue Mouintain Summit Hike, Toolangi

Blue Mountain is a 615m peak in the Toolangi State Forest, 65 km east of Melbourne.

At the summit is the large Potato Research Farm, operated by the Dept of Primary Industry.

The Weasel Creek Track, 4 km, is the main walking route to the summit from the west, which starts at the Chum Creek Rd, about 10 km north of Healesville.

This is an old logging track, which winds its way up and around the steep western flank of the mountain, through forest and grass trees.

The starting point is at 329m, and the climb is nearly 300m to the top. Good training for Himalayas Trekking!

At the summit, good views may be enjoyed from the perimeter of the Potato Farm across the Yarra Valley towards the Warramate Hills and Dandenong Ranges.

The area has many tracks and is popular with trail bikers and 4WDing.

Weasel Creek Tk is a public 4WD track, not gated, but a chain saw and axe would be needed to remove fallen trees, as DSE patrols are infrequent.

Instead of returning to the car via Weasel Ck Tk, it is possible to continue past the Potato Farm and follow Spud Tk and Ray's Tk back to the Chum Ck Rd. Ray's Tk is almost perpendicular, dropping 300m in 1 km!

An easier option for the summit views is to drive up from Healesville on the Myers Creek Rd and take the turnoff to the Potato Farm near the Mt St Leonard rd. This is about 1 km.

I did this hike on April 6, 2008.

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