If you’re looking for a challenging day walk then the western slopes of mount Dandenong might just be it, it offers some fantastic views while challenging your skills and pushing your boundaries, especially if you are new to hiking. I would advise against this as a starting hike but is better for hikers who are looking to step up their skills or for experienced hikers who are looking for a fantastic day hiking opportunity.
Packing:
Packing should be light, all you will need is a day pack/backpack along with two water bottles, lunch and a small optional first aid kit. Day packs should always be as light as possible to make your time hiking just that little bit easier. For more information on packing for day hikes make sure to visit our article on the day packing basics.
The Hike:
Your hike will start at Doongalla Homestead and picnic area, here you can park your car and get ready for the hike, to reach the starting track you will need to walk up the road for a little bit until you reach Camelia Track. Once you have found it start following Camelia Track towards where it turns into Fireline at the intersection with Dacite Track a little further down the path. Make sure to continue to walk down Fireline Track for a new more kilometres until you link up with Old Mountain road. When following Old Mountain Road you will start to climb the hill towards some homes rested on the side of the hill, this area offers some great views of the suburbs below but the views will only continue to get better the more you go along. Once you have passed the houses you will link up with Old Coach Road and turn right towards the reserve and the café across the road, The café can be a great place to stop and get a bight to eat or even a coffee but make sure to check what times they open before you set off as they tend to be closed on some days.
Once you have stopped by the café you can keep walking round the circuit, If you’re on the side of the road with the reserve turn to your right to join up with Trig track and continue the walk, you will need to walk down below some buildings and descend down a small hill before reaching the hardest part of the whole walk nicknamed ‘The Goat Track’, it was given this name because of its slim nature and steep incline making you feel as if it were formed by goats. Once you have reached the top take a moment to catch your breath in the nicer more flat area at the top, as you continue to walk along the track you will come to the CFA building next to the road, keep follow Trig track down to the right until you intersect with Kyeema track to turn right, make sure to be careful here as to not take the path near the air crash memorial but to carry on using the road for a few hundred meters until reaching Burkes Lookout.
Once you have taken in the fantastic views of the lookout continue down the path past the channel ten transmission towers towards Zig Zag Track, keep walking down the hill past the tower until you start zig zaging down the track, this track will continue for a few kilometres until you reach another intersection and will need to turn left down Chanel 10 Track. Keep following the track back down towards the carpark where you started your hike until you reach your final intersection with Doongalla Forest Road and Dandenong Creek Road, turn to your right down the final straight of the hike and towards Doongalla picnic area and your carpark.
So if you’re looking for a place not too far from the city that will challenge your skills then this hike might just be it, it certainly offers a very good day hike experience and can provide some great views of whole area as seen above including many Melbourne suburbs.
Map:
Helpful Details:
Where: Mount Dandenong
Kilometres: 12KM
Packing: Day Hike Packing Guide
Travel Time: 1 Hour (from Melbourne CBD) Start: Doongalla Picnic Area Carpark
Finish: Doongalla Picnic Area Carpark
Duration: 4 -5 Hours
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard
Written by Josh Welch
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