Whisky Track to Bacchus Marsh, Lerderderg State Park - January 2023

My journey along Whisky Track continued this morning.

I'm about to drop steeply down to cross Whisky Creek - that's Mt Blackwood in the distance.

Back in my early walking days this use to be an off track route known only to a few bushwalkers.

Whisky Creek has cut quite a substantial gorge.

Whisky Creek.

After leaving Whisky Creek the climb up to Square Bottle Track was solid.

Once up on Square Bottle Track the going was pretty cruisey again.

Approaching Mt Blackwood the Lerderderg Track passes through a bit of rural land.

Looking down into Lerderderg State Park from Mt Blackwood.

Nice walking along Clifford Track.

There are some reasonable views down into Lerderderg Gorge from the Blackwood Ranges Track.

Dropping down to pass through Bacchus Marsh - my knees didn't need these!

The Dirt.

According to my AllTrails app I walked around 33.3 kilometres and climbed about 794 metres today on what I'd call a hard walk. The tracks through Lerderderg are mostly well signposted and marked. The Lerderderg Track through Bacchus Marsh is vaguely marked at best - AllTrails still shows the old route down to the railway station along the main street, there is a quieter route marked on the map which I used. I used my AllTrails app along with my Lerderderg Track topo map today.

Relevant Posts.

Previous day of this walk.

YouTube Video.

https://youtu.be/3UfhrJaitWk

This is one of the rare cases where it's easy enough to complete a multi night walk utilising public transport in Victoria.

Suckling Track to Whisky Track, Lerderderg Track, Lerderderg State Park - January 2023

The quiet 4wd Track walking continued this morning.

I followed Toe Rag Track for awhile - quite appropriate really.

Morning smoko was enjoyed down near the headwaters of the Werribee River.

Wombat State Forest.

At around 900 metres the historic Balt Camp was the walks high point.

There are some introduced trees near Balt Camp.

After leaving Balt Camp the Lerderderg Track started a long descent down to meet the Lerderderg River.

The Wombat State Park sections of the walk are normally more gentle than the Lerderderg State Park sections - although it still has it's moments!

Making the most of what views that I could get.

The last section of the walk into the Garden of St Erth was along an old water race.

I followed the mtb route into Blackwood as the walking track was closed.

The Feral Walker highly recommend a stop at the Post Office Cafe in Blackwood - especially if you are cranking out a 40 kilometre day!

Hiker trash indeed.

After leaving Blackwood I entered the Lerderderg State Park along Byers Back Track.

Byers Back Track.

A splash of colour in Lerderderg State Park.

Climbing Kangaroo Track in the early evening.

I camped just off Whisky Track tonight.

Yes, I'm reading for bed... 40 kilometres is a solid day for a fat, old bloke😉

The Dirt.

According to my AllTrails app I walked around 40.5 kilometres and climbed about 1022 metres on this hard day out. The Wombat State Forest section is slightly easier than the Lerderderg State Park section for the most part. The route into Blackwood along the Lerderderg River has been badly affected by wind storms and a fair bit of the track now appears to follow Lerderderg Road. Also the last section into Blackwood from the Garden of St Erth was also closed so I followed the bike route into town. The AllTrails route wasn't very accurate along the Byers Back Track section in Lerderderg State Park - it almost looked like a GPS had been flown down the gorge on a drone as the the GPX route was almost a straight line whereas the real track weaves in and out of numerous gullies. Leaving the Lerderderg River I climbed Websters Track - the old AllTrails route still shows the track going up Amblers Lane. The camp I used on Whisky Track is basic with no facilities or water, I carried water up from the Lerderderg River. Blackwood has a good pub (I was too early for a meal) and a great cafe called the Post Office Cafe - both good on a long day. I used my AllTrails app along with the Lerderderg Track topo map today.

Relevant Posts.

Previous day of this walk.

YouTube Video.

https://youtu.be/ulssgXBlSOw

This was a big day out for me😂

Wadna Yaldha (Mt Chambers) Walk - December 2022

I was off to an early start today.

By the time I left the ute the sun was starting to creep closer to me.

Thankfully Mt Chambers was providing me with some shade.

Climbing towards the ridge I was able to watch the new day creeping across the desert.

This was a bit of a make your own style of adventure.

The country is fairly good for off piste walking - although the vegetation that is there is extremely scratchy.

Getting closer to the summit ridge and I'm traversing some steep and lose ground.

Once on the summit ridge the walking was pretty straitforward.

There is a substantial cairn on the summit (although no log book that I could see).

The view from the small summit plateau was stunning.

Alright... time to get back down to the ute.

I swung a little bit further to the east along the ridge on my descent, which got me away from some of the steeper and loser sections.

I was able to follow intermittent animal / bushwalking pads occasionally.

Easy walking down lower.

Looking back I got a classic desert scene as I approached the ute.

The Dirt.

According to AllTrails I walked around 4.4 kilometres and climbed about 218 metres on this hard walk. While the stats mightn't suggest a hard rating the walk is off track and can feature some lose scrambling depending on the exact route taken. There are no facilities or signage anywhere (including the trail head) on this stroll. This not a walk to do on a hot day as there is virtually no shelter. I used my AllTrails map this morning.

Relevant Posts.

Bunyip Chasm Walk, 2023.

YouTube Video.

https://youtu.be/lXs7ps5DWUw