Mount Disappointment, Victoria: Walks, scenic drive & how it got its name

Mount Disappointment in Victoria got its name in 1824 when explorers Hume and Hovell couldn’t see Port Phillip Bay from the summit. These days, the Mt Disappointment State Forest is popular for walking, camping and picnicking.

Mount Disappointment in Victoria is the centrepiece of the Mt Disappointment State Forest, an 82km drive north of Melbourne. But that’s a weird name, right?

800m-high Mount Disappointment in Victoria got its name in 1824, when Hamilton Hume and William Hovell climbed it. The two explorers were on a mission to find new grazing land in the south of what was then still New South Wales. Hume and Hovell climbed Mount Disappointment in the hope of seeing Port Phillip Bay. But when they got to the summit of Mount Disappointment, they found their view was blocked by the forest.

Walking in the Mt Disappointment State Forest

These days, the Mt Disappointment State Forest is a popular walking, camping and picnic area. But you can follow in the footsteps of Hume and Hovell on the Mount Disappointment Summit Walk.

This fairly 3km return walk departs from the Blairs Hut Picnic Area – the main hub of the Mt Disappointment State Forest. The walk follows a tree-lined valley, and has signs on the way telling of the Hume and Hovell expedition. The Mount Disappointment Summit Walk should take about an hour.

Other walks in the Mt Disappointment State Forest include the Strath Creek Falls Walk. This occasionally steep 1km return walk has plenty of steps, but offers excellent views of Strath Creek Falls.

Mount Disappointment Forest Drive

Both walks can be built into the Mount Disappointment Forest Drive, which is about 40km long. It kicks off from the Hume Highway at Heathcote Junctions, passes through the Mr Disappointment State Forest and emerges at Whittlesea. From there, you can drive back into Melbourne through the city’s northern suburbs.

Being just off the Hume Highway makes Mount Disappointment a possible journey-breaking stop on the drive from Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga, then on to Canberra or Sydney.

More day trips from Melbourne

Walking in the Lerderderg State Park.

The best Cape Woolamai walks on Phillip Island.

Trentham Falls on the Coliban River near Daylesford.

The Organ Pipes National Park near Melbourne Airport.

Sorrento snorkelling tours – swimming with seals on the Mornington Peninsula.