Great Australian Walks
with Julia Zemiro

On Episode 3 of Great Australian Walks, Julia walks a short section of Central Victoria’s long-distance Goldfields Track, visiting Vaughan Mineral Springs, Chewton and Castlemaine. This article covers the entire track but see the Dry Diggings section (specifically ‘Cry Joe’ Walk) below for Julia’s route. I can’t help you out with meeting people as interesting those she meets along the way, though. For that, you’ll have to watch the show.

One of Victoria’s lesser-known hiking trails, the 210-kilometre Goldfields Track links two iconic hubs of the Gold Rush – Ballarat and Bendigo.

The trail starts just south of Ballarat at Mount Buninyong, and takes in smaller historic towns like Creswick, Daylesford, and Castlemaine before conveniently ending at Bendigo Railway Station.

Goldfields Track is broken down into three stages, but some sources break it down further into four. Since the tourist signs detail three sections, we’ll go with that option here.

Within those sections, the track can be divided into any number of shorter day hikes (or half-day hikes). We’ll cover some of those here, too.

Thru-hikers usually walk from south to north (Mount Buninyong to Bendigo), which makes for less taxing ascents, but there’s no reason it can’t be walked in the opposite direction. To avoid confusion, this guide will describe the trail from south to north.

There is, of course, also the matter of where to sleep at night. Unlike other more popular long-distance hiking trails, you won’t find strategically placed campsites at the end of every day of hiking. I’ll include a separate section on the sleeping options below, once we’ve had a look at the trail.

The Goldfields Track will take you on a journey into Victoria’s gold mining past and beyond, traversing fields that yielded more than 2500 tonnes of gold between 1851 and 1860, and left the Dja Dja Wurrung’s country turned upside-down.

While I discuss hiking the Goldfields Track in this article, I should mention that this is the longest shared-use trail in Victoria. It’s quite popular for off-road cycling. However, those on two wheels will follow a slightly different route, so if that’s you, then you’ll need to do your own research.​

At only 745 metres above sea level, Mount Buninyong doesn’t feature views all the way to Bendigo, but you’ll still feel compelled to pause here and take it all in before you start your hike. On a clear day, you can gaze across volcanic plains from the lookout near the summit.

Descending Mount Buninyong, you’ll pass through the township of Buninyong and the gold rush-era regional city of Ballarat before passing under the Western Highway and into Ballarat’s far-reaching goldfields. First, Ditchfield Bushland Reserve with its hyperactive Blue fairy-wrens and Grey fantails, then into Nerrina Historic Area where you’ll first glimpse the meaning behind ‘Upside-Down Country’.

After passing by White Swan Reservoir, you’ll find yourself in Creswick Regional Park, walking between Messmate and Stringybark. Keep your eyes peeled for Swamp wallabies bounding away through the scrub as they hear you approaching. Passing through the historic township of Creswick, the trail loops back through Creswick Regional Park and, after a brief country road section, skirts Mollongghip Valley and follows a section of the state’s longest timber tramway.

Into Wombat Forest and Hepburn Regional Park, you’ll stroll between tall Eucalypts where those with a keen eye might find a lazy koala or two. A side trip to Sailors Falls is a must before the long uphill trudge to Daylesford. On the upside, you’re in the heart of ‘spa country’, so visiting one of the rejuvenating mineral baths is an option if that’s your style.

Note: This is the section that, according to some sources, is broken down into Eureka Track (Ballarat to Creswick) and Wallaby Track (Creswick to Daylesford). At 96 km, it’s easy to see why a fourth section makes more sense.

Daylesford’s popular Tipperary Walk is a pleasant start to a more challenging section of the Goldfields Track, skirting the mini canyon that Sailors Creek has carved through the landscape.

The dry, rocky terrain of Beehive Gully will challenge your feet, but its steep rock walls are a worthy reward. These dry gullies cradle gold heritage museums – each remnant you stumble upon is an eery reminder. As you traverse them, the haunting calls of distant birds echoing along the canyon walls send goosebumps down your weary legs.

Follow makeshift water races – built to supply the alluvial diggings of the 1850s – through Box ironbark forests, traversing one mini gorge after another until you reach Vaughan Mineral Springs. To taste the water or not to taste the water… That’s the question.

The 20-kilometre final stretch to Castlemaine – remember, ‘there’s no R in Castlemaine’ – might just be the most gold mining heritage-packed section of the entire Goldfields Track. As you approach and enter Castlemaine Diggings Heritage Park, relics like Irishtown’s gold sluicing site at Red Hill, the stately buildings at Fryerstown, and the Deadmans Gully Burial Ground offer a glimpse of the frenzied gold rush that, for better or worse, helped shape the Australia we know today.

A hike here in spring will impress wildflower and orchid enthusiasts. Those seeking wildlife encounters will be happy to know that sightings of Swamp wallabies, Eastern grey kangaroos and echidnas are common here. Unfortunately, you’re more likely to step in a wombat’s carefully placed, cube-shaped poo than you are to see one in the flesh.

As Castlemaine draws near, the gold mining remnants decrease and after all you’ve seen, the mullock heaps and rubble will be less than impressive. The arid landscape is no less enjoyable, though, at least until you hit town. If you’ve planned a side trip to Chewton or just have no wish to visit Castlemaine, you can veer north just after Eureka Reef onto the somewhat oddly named Chewton Bypass Track – which leads to… Chewton – and pick up Leanganook Track just to the north.

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The 58-kilometre final leg of the Goldfields Track continues through Castlemaine Diggings Heritage Park, visiting Garfield Water Wheel – a technological innovation introduced to extract gold (obviously). Another spot where you can marvel at how the chaotic human urge for wealth transformed this rugged landscape.

I recommend a brief detour to the Pennyweight Flats Children’s Cemetery, where the few remaining headstones weave tragic stories of a tragic time when average life expectancies were far too short. You’ll find toys and flowers on some of the graves – left in recent times – by the friendly strangers who volunteer their time to upkeep this special place.

The ascent to Leanganook (Mount Alexander) is one of the most challenging and rewarding sections of the entire Goldfields Track. Hikers zig-zag steeply up this sacred mountain, a special men’s place, through rugged forests dotted with Ironbark and white-trunked manna gums, passing unfathomably massive granite tors.  The far-reaching views over the central goldfields aren’t even the most beautiful part.

After descending steeply on Leanganook’s eastern slope, join the Coliban Main Channel – contouring across hillsides, this water race was built in the 1870s and is amazingly still in operation.

After Leanganook’s challenging terrain, you’ll welcome a day of strolling through picturesque farmland dotted with granite boulders. The route passes between privately owned paddocks, so make sure you’re respectful of the landowners.

Soon after passing Sandhurst Reservoir, you’ll enter Greater Bendigo National Park and Bendigo Regional Park for the home stretch. Part of the Bendigo Goldfields, the Yellow gums, Red stringybark and Red box forests here were thinned significantly in the 1800s, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the regeneration – the brightly blossoming wattles accent the incredible vegetation, making for excellent photo opportunities. Now, this place is popular with birdwatchers tempted by more than 170 bird species and is teeming with kangaroos, echidnas, and Black wallabies.

It isn’t long before the landscape slowly opens up before you and forests become grand historic buildings as you suddenly find yourself strolling through central Bendigo, where the trail conveniently terminates at Bendigo Railway Station.

Water on Goldfields Track

Planning your water for a 14-day hike is a challenge in itself, especially when it’s a trail where many water sources are unreliable at best. When planning your Goldfields Track hike, it’s important to be strategic about your water (and food).

You should plan to carry at least 2 litres of water a day in warm weather. Whether you’re hiking a two-day section of the Goldfields Track or hiking it end-to-end, you need to know where your water is coming from each day.

I’ll try to keep this section updated with any info I come across about where water can be found along Goldfields Track. I’m sure there are other options I don’t know about so please leave me a comment and I’ll add them here. You might even consider doing water drops before your trip.

• Creswick Water Splash Park – Victoria Street, Creswick
• Mollongghip Community Hall – Dean-Mollongghip Road, Mollongghip
• Sailors Falls Mineral Spring – Sailors Falls
• Daylesford mineral springs
• Golden Mineral Spring – Hepburn Springs
• Hepburn Springs mineral springs
• Vaughan Springs
• Burke and Wills Mechanics Institute – Fryerstown
• Fryerstown School – Fryerstown
• Fitness Centre Showers – Frederick Street, Castlemaine