Silver Creek Walks in Kinglake?

[dougal73]

Hi all

i see in the Parks Vic map of Kinglake there is a marking of 'Silver Creek Walks', but no info anywhere on the Parks Vic that I can find on what these actually are. Is anyone able to shed some light on these hikes? A google search turns up very little info, and seems to be from before the fires so is likely to be very out of date.

So, any info on what is there? I'll likely go for a drive out there to check it out, but would be help to know in advance of what may (or may not) be there.

Thanks in advance.

[Vim Fuego]

Hi
I have been up there and done some of the walks.
There is a sign at the gate that has a map on it and walk discriptions. I have a photo of it if you are interested.
There is nothing else there apart from the small map shelter at the gate.
Hope that helps

[dougal73]

Thanks Vim (love the alias...Bad News rocked!). If you could please PM me or point me to an upload of the sign that would help.

Did the area they go through get impacted by the bushfires? I know some small pockets did escape...

[Vim Fuego]

Haha Badnews are great!!

I sent you a PM with a link to the photos I took, I had none of the area just the sign.

I do not think it has been too badly burned but I could be wrong. It was nice and green when I went.

Most of the walking is on old 4wd tracks.

[dougal73]

Thanks, hope to check them out soon.

[GregR]

Dougal,

I have walked here a couple of times in the last 12 months. The tracks are very easy to follow- mainly 4 wd tracks and colour coded. The Cascades at the furtherst point are interesting and some of the steep pinches will get your heart rate up. My GPS says 13.3kms for the full circuit.

There are several unnamed tracks that have clearly signposted "No walking" signs to keep you on the right path.

I have copied and pasted some notes from my last walk there.

From Kinglake West head towards Yea on C725. Drive along this scenic road for 13.5kms until the turn off to Silver Creek on the Left! Can be tricky because some Samaritan has turned the sign sideways pointing back to where you have just come from. It is 100m before the Flowerdale CFA Building on the other side of the rd. If you get to Hazeldene you have missed it!!
Follow this road for 1.5km until it stops at a small car park saying No entry- Keep out.

This walk is in the Wallaby Creek Water Catchment area of the Kinglake National Park- managed by Parks Vic and Melbourne Water. It is adjacent to the Mt Disappointment State Forest. The trails we will follow have been constructed in a “buffer zone” so that Bushwalkers can access this normally out of bounds catchment area in this most spectacular forest area.
There are 4 different tracks all colour coded so any idiot can find their way around. H’mm what could possibly go wrong!!
The plan is to follow the Red, yellow and Orange tracks visiting the Cascades and view points along the ridge tops looking through the tall eucalyptus forest overlooking the heavily forested rugged valleys of the area. Very hilly area with lots of steep climbs to test your lungs

The other trail here follows the river/creek in an in & out walk, and the couple of Kms I wandered down one day were very pleasant.

Enjoy.

[dougal73]

Great! Thanks Greg! Can you please advise if the area was impacted by the fires? Or they escaped?

Also, given it is just over 13km I am thinking to allow 4 to 5 hours?

I think I will go check it out this Sunday. Itching to do a hike and think this looks a good option.

[GregR]

Dougal

The bushfires were in 2009. Not an issue at all. All re grown back and most of the walk is on well maintained 4wd maintenance tracks with only a shortish section on what I would call a walking track.

Nothing like the walks you have been enquiring about before in the Warburton-Poweltown type areas but I like variety and found this pleasant enough to go back to. Probably 4 hours, if you finish too early then I'd wander down the trail next to the creek for a few K&S to check it out then stroll back
Enjoy Sunday

If you don't have a map just photograph the information board at the start of the walk and use that- after all.....what could possibly go wrong

[dougal73]

Thanks Greg. i did go there yesterday, did the circuit of the outer routes for the red, yellow and orange. Took a shade under 4 hours including a roughly 15 to 20 minute lunch break at the cascades. My questions about the bushfire impact is from a scenic viewpoint....Pretty well the whole walk is regrowth from the fires. Wildflowers are out now, so that adds quite a bit of colour. There are some steep sections to get the heart going, but not an overly challenging hike. As has been pointed out, navigations was not difficult. Signposted well, plus pretty well every 'wrong turn' had a 'no walkers' sign to clear up any confusion.

Overall an enjoyable walk.

I plan to go back and do the blue walk sometime in the not too distant future.

[GregR]

Thanks Greg. i did go there yesterday, did the circuit of the outer routes for the red, yellow and orange. Took a shade under 4 hours including a roughly 15 to 20 minute lunch break at the cascades. My questions about the bushfire impact is from a scenic viewpoint....Pretty well the whole walk is regrowth from the fires. Wildflowers are out now, so that adds quite a bit of colour. There are some steep sections to get the heart going, but not an overly challenging hike. As has been pointed out, navigations was not difficult. Signposted well, plus pretty well every 'wrong turn' had a 'no walkers' sign to clear up any confusion.

Overall an enjoyable walk.

I plan to go back and do the blue walk sometime in the not too distant future.

Me too- I wandered down the blue track in work shoes when I first went there- I was up that way for work! Must go back and do the whole walk in decent walking footwear.

Glad you enjoyed it

[dougal73]

I did (most of) the Blue Route today. The info board says 12 km return, but it is definitely longer than that. We got to 7km along (and thus 14km return total) and still had not come across a turnaround point. We were short on time so decided to turn around and came back. After checking maps closer etc when we got back we saw that there would have been at least another km to the turnaround point. Therefore it is likely the hike is 16km (or maybe more) if you go all the way to the turning around point and back...

The creek is mostly quite a way from the track as well. You can see glimpses of it through the trees. But there was no point where it is right next (except right at the beginning). THere are various water access roads where you'd be able to make your way to the creek though I think.

[dougal73]

Further to this, one of the party had decided to go on further on her own. She had gone 8.5km since the beginning and not encountered any 'stop and turn around' pont. So it is possible that it could even be 9km....thus making it an 18km hike...????/

[GregR]

Dougal,

Besides the length and river being somewhay distant- was the walk half decent????

[dougal73]

Dougal,

Besides the length and river being somewhay distant- was the walk half decent????

Hi, Yes, it was worth a look but certainly not the best hike that Melbourne (or Kinglake) has to offer. Very similar to the other circuits there. But if I had to choose with route was 'better' I would say the circuit.