Centenary Track & Whyte Island Circuit, Werribee Gorge State Park - July 2022

Junction Pool on the Werribee River.

I haven't really done a lot of walking since Sam and I returned from our North Queensland road trip, so with an overnighter planned for next weekend I figured that it was time to pull on my boots and go for a stroll. I decided to head over to Werribee Gorge State Park this morning and walk a couple of tracks that I've never walked, linking them together with a short off piste section. Arriving at the deserted car park down at Meikles Point Picnic Area just as the sun was coming up I was off to a fairly early start this this morning.

The Meikles Point Car Park was deserted when I set off this morning. 

The track heads off up those steps.

Initially I climbed up along a section of the very popular Werribee Gorge Circuit Track. This track climbs a spur from behind the long drop and while the climb certainly got the heart rate up it isn't super steep. After climbing the spur crest for a few minutes I picked up the walking track that more or less contours north west across the slopes to meet the access road and the Quarry Picnic Area. The somewhat convoluted walking continued for another 15 minutes as I climbed out of the Quarry Picnic Area, walked through a deserted car park, followed the access road out of the park and then almost immediately swung left back into the park along a signposted walking track - phew! Thankfully from this point on the walking is was pretty good. 

I had this nice little heart starter as I set off this morning. 

Swinging off the spur I turned left onto this walking track. 

Passing above the Quarry Picnic Area. 

After a short climb I left the Werribee Gorge Circuit and veered right onto Centenary Track and I was now on a track that I'd never walked before. Centenary Track is a very nice bushwalking track and I really enjoyed the contouring walk as I passed below Eastern Lookout. After around ten minutes or so of contouring the Centenary Track started dropping down, fairly gently, to Junction Pool along a broad spur. Junction Pool can make for a nice swimming spot in warmer weather, however with the temperature today well below 10˚ swimming wasn't on my agenda. Junction Pool is where the well maintained section of Centenary Track finished and I now picked up a rougher track that heads up Whyte Island.

I left the popular Werribee Gorge Circuit Track and swung right on to the Centenary Track. 

The Werribee Gorge State Park humpy.

Centenary Track mostly contours along below the Eastern Lookout here. 

Yellowgum

Dropping down the spur towards Junction Pool I started to get some views up into Werribee Gorge towards Falcons Lookout...

... as well as ahead towards Whyte Island.

The cliffs below Falcons Lookout is one of Melbourne's premiere rock climbing areas. 

Junction Pool.

Initially the track up to Whyte Island follows the valley of the Myrniong Creek for a few hundred metres before climbing steeply up the side of Whyte Island and onto the plateau like summit. Whyte Island is a volcanic mesa like feature and once up on top the walking was very easy again. With the circuit track running around the top of Whyte Island I decided to head around in a anti clockwise direction this morning for no reason other than I'd never walked it in this direction before. The top of Whyte Island is being revegetated and the trees up here are a lot bigger than they were on my last visit up here - the local population of roos seeming to approve judging by their numbers. After enjoying a bit of a break at the lookout whilst taking in the views down to Junction Pool and the Werribee Gorge I once again shouldered my pack and set off - now dropping back down to Junction Pool.

The track to Whyte Island is getting a little overgrown...

... and a little eroded.

The geology here is pretty amazing - this is fractured Basalt.

Looking back on my climb up to Whyte Island.

Whyte Island has the Werribee River Gorge on one side and on this side is Myrniong Creek has carved the deep valley. Incidentally the white rock in the valley is Granite. 

Once up on Whyte Island I went left.

I couldn't shake the feeling that was being watched when I was up on Whyte Island...

... the local mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos seem to be loving the revegetated woodland on the summit.

Whyte Island.

There is a fairly rough lookout up on the Werribee Gorge side of Whyte Island.

Junction Pool from Whyte Island. 

Looking across towards Falcons Lookout from Whyte Island. 

It wasn't just me enjoying the grassy track on Whyte Island. 

Around 15 minutes after leaving Junction Pool I left the Centenary Track and started climbing the fairly open slopes to my south. The climb up here was probably the most enjoyable part of this morning's walk I thought, the open forest making life pretty easy and apart from one final steep rocky section the gradient was good. Once I was up the rocky section I walked through some gently undulating country as I made my way south east to intersect with the Werribee Gorge Circuit Track near the Eastern Lookout. While the view from Eastern Lookout to the east features the Western Freeway climbing up the Pentland Hills and is a little underwhelming, the view north west along the edge of the escarpment features Whyte Island and it makes the short side trip worthwhile I reckon. 

Myrniong Creek has carved a pretty impressive gorge here. 

Back down at Junction Pool...

... it was time to climb again.

After climbing Centenary Track for awhile...

... I left the track and headed off piste towards Eastern Lookout. 

After the climbing eased off the off track stuff was pretty good really.

I'm about to emerge from the scrub onto the main Werribee Gorge Circuit Track.

Shortly after shuffling away from Eastern Lookout I once again left the Werribee Gorge Circuit Track, this time I was dropping down another tracks that I've never walked imaginatively titled as the Short Circuit Walk Track(SCWT). This track was actually a little dodgy for me this morning as I was walking with a bit of a sore knee and one of my trekking poles had fallen to bits down at Junction Pool (stay away from Mountain Designs trekking poles - they just don't last in my experience!). Not only was this descent down the SCWT fairly steep but the hard clay surface was also very slick so I was taking things very slow with my dodgy knee and one trekking pole. Eventually my descent (along with one unexpected ascent!) bottomed out at the old water race and a few metres later I agin joined the Werribee Gorge Circuit Walk - now down beside the Werribee River. Turning downstream today's stroll was pretty well over now as I shuffled my way back through the, now very busy, Meikles Point Picnic Area. After one last photo looking back along the gorge I jumped into the ute and headed off back home to Chateau Feral.

Looking across towards the Western Freeway from Eastern Lookout.

The view across to Whyte Island (just left of centre) from the Eastern Lookout. 

The descent down the Short Circuit Walking Track was fairly steep and very slippery. 

Nearing the bottom of the SCWT the sun finally made it's appearance.

Arriving at the old water race - my walk was almost over.

The Dirt.

According to my GPS I walked around 11.3 kilometres and climbed about 602 metres on what I'd call a medium grade stroll (Alltrails came in a little bit under those figures as usual). This little park is getting really popular now days although it seem as though most of the punters are here to walk the popular Werribee Gorge Circuit, still by the time I left there must have been at least 50 vehicles spread out between the three carparks (I only passed by around 10 people on the whole walk as I did it). The main Werribee Gorge Circuit and the Centenary Tracks down to Junction Pool is easy walking on good tracks. The Whyte Island loop is getting a little overgrown in spots and the climb is getting very eroded unfortunately. The off piste climb up to Eastern Lookout was very easy as far as off track walking goes - you'll need to be able to read a map and pick the path of last resistance on the ground though. The Short Circuit Walking Track was very hard clay and the surface very slick so trekking poles are handy here. Mr Tempest has written up this walk (apart from the short off piste section) I his book Melbourne's Western Gorges and there is a very similar route on AllTrails. 

Relevant Posts.

Werribee Gorge & Whyte Island Circuit, 2018.

Ingliston Granites Walk, 2020.

Once down on the Werribee River I headed downstream. 

Back down at Meikles Point Picnic Area I had once last look back into Werribee Gorge.