The You Yangs, Victoria: What are the best activities and things to do?
The best things to do in the You Yangs Regional Park in Victoria include wildlife-spotting, walking to the Flinders Peak Lookout and tackling the mountain bike trails.
Where are the You Yangs?
The You Yangs liven up the otherwise flat landscapes between Werribee and Geelong. This series of granite ridges is not particularly high – the summit of Flinders Peak is only 319m above sea level. But they are prominent, simply because the surrounding plain is pancake flat.
You Yangs Regional Park walks
The You Yangs are protected within the You Yangs Regional Park, and the most popular spot is the highest – Flinders Peak. From the Turntable car park, there’s a fairly easy and family-friendly walk up to the Flinders Peak Lookout at the summit. There are fabulous views of the plains along the way. The Flinders Peak Lookout walk is 3.2km long and should take about an hour. There are 450 steps on the way, and the occasional steep gradient.
Once at the top, look for the Bunjil Geoglyph below. This large rock sculpture depicts Bunjil, the creator spirit of the Wathaurong people, in the form of a wedge-tailed eagle.
There are other walks in the You Yangs, some easier, some tougher. Simplest is the 100m walk to Big Rock from the Big Rock car park. Tougher is the 4.5km East-West walk from the Turntable car park, which should take around two hours return and has some properly challenging sections.
You Yangs wildlife
One of the main advantages of taking a You Yangs walk is the amount of wildlife you’ll probably see on the way. More than 200 species of birds have been spotted here, while the marsupials hanging out in the You Yangs Regional Park include kangaroos, koalas, possums, wallabies and echidnas.
The You Yangs are also popular with mountain bikers. There are two areas set aside for mountain bike trails, of which the Kurrajong Plantation MTB Area is more beginner-friendly. This Kurrajong Plantation MTB Area is largely flat. If you want tougher challenges, downhill and cross-country trails, plump for the Stockyards MTB Area.
The You Yangs are roughly 55km south-west of Melbourne and 22km north-west of Geelong. For more information, visit the Parks Victoria website.
More Australia Travel Questions
What is the Brisbane to Sydney flight time?
What is double cream in Australia?
How many Australians died in World War I?
70 USD to AUD: What is the dollar exchange rate?
What are the best Australian beaches for wildlife?