Emerald Lake to Belgrave - April 2023

I started this walk at Emerald Lake - very early on a chilly Autumn morning.

Instead of heading towards Belgrave I spent more than half an hour enjoying Emerald Lake.

Emerald Lake

Puffing Billy stops at the Lakeside Station just above Emerald Lake.

After eventually leaving the lake I followed a tourist track up towards Emerald. 

It felt like I was walking in Europe at times this morning. 

Making my way out of Emerald I followed some quiet suburban streets.

Eventually I swung off Avard Road and into the bush.

A lot of time today I was walking narrow corridors of native bush along creek lines with rural land not far away.

The section of the walk along Menzies Creek was a little over grown in spots.

Menzies Creek.

The walking infrastructure along Menzies Creek is starting to be reclaimed by nature.

I was following Sassafras Creek now.

The weather was sensational today.

Gently climbing along Sassafras Creek towards Monbulk. 

Climbing the Sassafras Creek Track.

Sections of this walk are still suffering from the effects of the big wind storm that ripped through in 2021.

Lunch was enjoyed at the Frank Irvine Reserve in Monbulk.

The section of track along Sassafras Creek between Monbulk and Kallista was a little clearer (mostly!).

Crossing Sassafras Creek again.

Sassafras Creek.

Afternoon smoko was enjoyed at the Kallista Tearooms - with all my friends😅

Leaving Kallista the sky started to cloud over for the first time all day.

I walked the short Margaret Lester Forest Track at Grants Picnic Area.

The Mountain Ash up here are stunning.

I was dropping down Coles Ridge Track towards Belgrave now. 

Mountain Ash.

Coles Ridge Track made for an easy way to finish off the walk.

Luckily I'd timed my arrival into Belgrave to see Puffing Billy shunting back and forth.

The Dirt.

According to my AllTrails App I walked around 22.2 kilometres and climbed about 714 metres on what I'd call a Medium - Hard grade days walking. The tracks on this one vary from easy tourist type tracks to some pretty rough and over grown bushwalking pads. At the time I did the walk there were also a few bridges still out as a result of the 2021 storms. There are a few opportunities along this walk to stop at cafes for a bite to eat, and the walk passes through numerous picnic areas for a picnic is also an option. This is a one way stroll so to do it as I did it either requires a car shuffle or the use of the Puffing Billy Steam Train. This walk was originally written up back in the Jurassic Period by Tyrone Thomas I think, I created a digital map which I used today on my AllTrails App today. 

Relevant Posts.

Jack the Miner Walk, 2022.

YouTube Video.

https://youtu.be/ad5-zmnBv_I