Lerderderg State Park near Melbourne: Gorge walk & camping
Top Lerderderg State Park walks include the Lerderderg Gorge Walk, the Byers Back Track and the trail to Sweets Lookout from Blackwood Mineral Springs. The only drive-in Lerderderg State Park camping is at the basic Lerderderg Campground.
There’s no real argument about what the star attraction of Lerderderg State Park in Victoria is. Lerderderg Gorge splits the park in two, carved 300 metres deep by the Lerderderg River over millions of years.
14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne
- Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
- See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
- Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
- A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
- The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
- Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
- Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
- Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
- Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.
Lerderderg State Park hiking
If you’re coming from Melbourne – it’s just over an hour’s drive – there’s an 8.4km loop walk to Lerderderg Gorge from the car park at the end of the Lerderderg Gorge Road from Bacchus Marsh. There’s some occasional hazardous terrain on this walk. It’s quite difficult, but the Lerderderg Gorge walk is by no means one that requires oodles of experience.
The Lerderderg Gorge Walk is by no means the only walking trail in the Lerderderg State Park, however. Easier routes include the walk from the Mackenzies Flat Picnic Area to Grahams Dam. This takes about an hour, walking 3km return along a gentle track beside the river. It might be tempting to go for a swim, but Parks Victoria recommends that you don’t – there might be slippery rocks, hidden debris and deep, cold water.
👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇
- Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
- Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
- Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
- Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
- Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
- Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
- Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.
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Sweets Lookout Walk
Another option for Lerderderg State Park hiking is the trail from Blackwood Mineral Springs to Sweets Lookout via Shaws Lake. Accessed from the caravan camping area in the north of Lerderderg State Park, the Sweets Lookout walk is 3.5km long. Budget two hours.
For something a bit trickier, there’s the walk from O’Briens Crossing to the Tunnel via the Byers Back Track. This is 3km long, and should take about 1.5 hours for the return journey – but there’s a steep descent and climb involved.
Camping in the Lerderderg State Park: Lerderderg Campground
Camping in Lerderderg State Park is permitted, but only the Lerderderg Campground can be driven into. The Lerderderg Campground is a basic bush camping experience with minimal facilities, and you’ll need to bring your own drinking water.
If camping at the Lerderderg Campground doesn’t appeal, you can always come for a picnic. There’s a fairly large picnic area at Mackenzies Flat in the south of Lerderderg State Park, while the smaller Shaws Lake picnic area does the job near Blackwood in the north.
An easy day trip from Melbourne or Ballarat, Lerderderg can be tackled as a detour on the Melbourne to Ballarat drive. Alternatively, fit it in on the drive from Melbourne to Halls Gap in the Grampians.
It can also be included in a touring route with nearby attractions such as Trentham Falls and the Organ Pipes National Park. O’Briens Road provides a suitable scenic drive through the northern area of the Lerderderg State Park. It’s unsealed, but conventional two wheel drive vehicles can get along it just fine.
More things to do in Victoria
Go for a swim in the Harold Holt Pool, Melbourne.
Enjoy the view from the Boroka Lookout in the Grampians.
Go walking at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island.
See kangaroos on Ulupna Island in the Barmah National Park near Echuca.
Visit the Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve in Koroit – one of the best things to do in Warrnambool.