Mount Wycheproof Walk - December 2020

The open slopes of Mt Wycheproof.

Escaping Melbourne after a year of hell, Sam and I had decided to stick pretty close to our the state border over Christmas, the theory being that we could make a dash for the border if it looked like Corona border restrictions looked like coming back. So, after waiting until a few days before our holidays we finally booked some accommodation as it looked like all of our border restrictions had pretty well settled down. I'm guessing everyone knows what happened next...yep, fuck me! No sooner than I'd paid for some accommodation there was an outbreak up on the ritzy North Shore of Sin City and sure enough, shortly after the states started to close down the borders again... yes, getting through this year is as good as eating the proverbial shit sandwich isn't it.

We parked beside Centenary Park on Camp Street. There is a more visitor friendly entrance off Fairview Street that has picnic tables, public toilets and a children's playground. 

Anyway, that's why Sam and I found ourselves parking the ute at the Centenary Park in the big smoke of Wycheproof early on this Saturday morning... no we weren't spending our holidays at the salubrious Mt Wycheproof Motor Inn, although I'm guessing that its very nice? Nope, we were tracking our way north up the Calder Highway to Mildura for a few days. The Feral theory going something along these lines... We'd stay right on the Victoria / New South Wales border for a few days and monitor the Covid situation up in Sydney, if things looked like they were settling down a bit we'd continue on our holiday into New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. If things turned pear shaped up north we'd abort our holiday before we crossed the border (and thereby avoiding two weeks hotel quarantine at my own expense when we did try and get home) and we'd piss away a few grands worth of accommodation. Fuck me, it seems I've spent more time trying to get refunds from airlines, accommodation providers and tour operators than I have actually spent travelling this year, so it's only logical I suppose that the year will end in much the same manor! 

I remember seeing this race on the TV news when I was a kid.

The race doesn't run anymore unfortunately... maybe something to do with the OH+S concerns with lugging 60+ kilograms up a hill mountain?

Being around halfway between home and Mildura, Wycheproof seemed like a good spot to break up the drive and stretch my legs a bit. Wycheproof was occasionally in the news a little when I was a kid as the locals had a race that involved racing up to the top of Mt Wycheproof while lugging a 70 kilogram bag of wheat on their shoulders. With no bags of wheat easily at hand this morning I decided to attempt the mountain with just the handicap of my fat guts to slow me down. Before heading for the mountain though I followed the Calder Highway south for a few metres to check out an old steam train and railway turntable near the Wycheproof Station. I'm not sure what it is about this old railway infrastructure but I really enjoy checking this stuff out, actually old cattle yards and shearing sheds stir similar emotions in me... yes, I'm a strange unit!

It seems like every second country town in Victoria has one of these K series Locomotives on display.

There's an old railway turntable near the Wycheproof Railway Station.

Wycheproof's main claim on railway fame though is that the railway line runs through town down the middle of the Main Street (Calder Highway).

 

Retracing my way back a few minutes I set off to climb Mt Wycheproof. After zigging and zagging my way through the back streets of Wycheproof for a few minutes I arrived at the base of the mountain. I now had the crux of the climb infront of me... the five minute walk up the sealed access road to the summit! Arriving on the summit I took in the views across golden plains of wheat, trying to get a decent photo without the communication towers or the water tank marring the shot. Mt Wycheproof is marketed as the smallest gazetted mountain in Australia, which may or may not be 100% accurate. The mountain is said to to be 43 metres high, although that measurement is the prominence from the surrounding plains, if measured from sea level it's a little more respectable 148 metres... I'm thinking that there'd be some pretty small mountains on the Main Range and the Bogong High Plains if they are measured from the surrounding land too. 

There is no one walking track to the summit however it's not hard to make your way through town to the mountain. 

With some decent winter and spring rain the small Mallee town was looking good this morning.

Making the summit push;)

Apart from the views there is also a trig and some public art up on Mt Wycheproof.

The Boort - Wycheproof Road heading off into the distance. For such a small mountain the views are surprisingly extensive.

Mt Wycheproof 

Dropping off the summit I followed a gravel pad down to the well appointed picnic area below the summit before striking off west down a vague spur. There was a bit of an informal pad down this spur although things were pretty vague really... not that it mattered as I just made my way down the grassy slopes towards the green grass of the footy oval so navigation wasn't really as issue. After meeting McKenzie Crescent at the high school I dropped down through the back streets of Wycheproof to meet the Calder Highway again at Charles Street.

Dropping off the mountain I passed through the small picnic area. Now you know where to come if the kids are annoying you on the long drive!

Leaving the picnic area I followed some grassy pads off the mountain.

The view north-west across the vast plains of wheat.

It was nice to be out of Melbourne for awhile. 

Mt Wycheproof

There were a few Wedgetail Eagles soaring on the thermals above me.

Victoria's Mallee country.

Once I was back in town I slowly shuffled my way south along the main street, meandering my way along like a drunken sailor as I criss crossed the highway checking things out. Now Wycheproof isn't only famous for Mt Wycheproof... nope it's got another claim to fame... and what is that other claim to fame? Well I'm glad you asked... Wycheproof is one of the few places (that I know of) where the railway line actually runs down the middle of the main street so if you are lucky you might find yourself sharing the Calder Highway with a freight train. Unfortunately I'd missed the Mildura Express this morning but I'm sure it's an impressive site, I've got it rattling around the dark recesses of my mind somewhere that the train comes through once or twice a day, depending on whether or not the wheat harvest is on I'm guessing.

There is an old quarry on the slopes of Mt Wycheproof.

There was an oval and a school to aim for as I headed back down into town.

The light can be amazing up here.

Wycheproof streetscape.

Back down in town on the wide and tree lined main street.

There's only so many photo's I could take of an empty railway line though, so eventually I continued on my journey back to the ute. After passing through the CBD I decided to detour through Centenary Park before returning to the ute to wake Sam up. This small park is on the southern entrance to town and it would make for a very pleasant pit stop for people journey further north up the highway. Centenary Park not only features the usual well appointed children's playground, toilets, picnic shelters, green grass and shady trees but also some historical buildings (ok...they are probably mock ups) and monuments. For me though it was time to jump back into the ute ands head off north for the next holiday adventure... although in these blighted Covid times I was a little unsure of what those adventures would be.

Wycheproof

Wycheproof

Wycheproof

This old servo on the main street is now an artists residence - I'm guessing this is where the public art on the summit of Mt Wycheproof came from?

The Dirt.
According to my GPS I walked around 3.6 kilometres and climbed around 63 metres on this easy stroll. This walk follows a series of different tracks, everything from concrete foot paths to vague grassy pads. Unless there is someone out there who is pedantic about following the exact route then navigation isn't really much of an issue, the mountain is in view from most of the town and dropping off the little mountain it's easy enough to aim for the oval or the high school... Google Maps will get people through. I searched around the inter web a bit looking for information about walking in Wycheproof but came up fairly short, so really this walk was just made up on the run. With some decent research and a bit of time I'm sure that this little town would offer even more... although having said that I enjoyed this little exploratory stroll this morning. 

Relevant Posts.

Mt Korong Walk, 2020.

Wychitella Forest & Mt Kerang Walk, 2004.

Centenary Park, Wycheproof.

Centenary Park, Wycheproof.

Centenary Park, Wycheproof. I think they had this thing aimed at the Calder Highway during our Corona Lockdown to stop the escapees from Melbourne!