Lederberg State Park, Victoria.

Lederberg State Park, Victoria, January 2014. 

 

Lederberg State Park is located approximately one hour west of Melbourne, north of the Western Highway. At over two thousand square hectares, it is one of the biggest parks in Melbourne and offers an excellent range of bush walks, from leisurely strolls, to challenging day walks and even overnight hikes with a free bush camp also available. You can approach the park from the east or west sides off the highway, with both options involving drives along unsealed roads for at least twenty minutes to reach a parking or picnic spot.

We chose to head to the west side and start an afternoon walk from O'Briens Crossing. It's a fairly long and steep descent on the unsealed road to get there, as you reach the valley floor. In the summer time, the area will be cluttered with campers and their tents cramped into any free space available along the river banks. In winter, you'll probably have this pretty little spot all to yourselves.

There are a number of mapped walks available from O'Briens, and included in the Lederberg State Park official tourist pamphlet. If you haven't picked one up before you arrive, these are also shown on a large information board just up the hill from the crossing. However we found none of the paths particularly well signed or easy to find, and we met a few other walkers who felt exactly the same.

We opted to follow the East Track path downstream along the river for an hour as it looked the easiest to follow. It's a rugged path which undulates freely and involves several scrambles over rocks and large fallen trees. And although the path is well trodden, it narrowly cuts through wild bushland, so full length pants are a good option. There are beautiful views to enjoy all around, from the gently flowing river flowing over large sandstone boulders, to the dense green bush and forest rising to over three hundred metres on both sides of the valley. There is a circuit trail along this path with a steep climb out of the valley, which is a five hour loop. On this occasion we decided to simply turn around and retrace our steps back along the river.

Lederberg State Park is a little off the beaten track so you may have the walk mostly to yourself, and you will definitely feel a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And apart from the occasional walker passing by, you could also encounter some of Victoria's finest wildlife. At the very least, rosellas and cockatoos will cross your path, and you'll hear the full blown cry of Kookaburras close by. If you're lucky and around closer to dawn or dusk, then you will probably bump into Wombats, judging by the sheer amount of their trademark square poo marking the trail. Koalas and Wallabies also live in good numbers throughout the park.

The trails may be more overgrown and harder to navigate, but this is also one of the attractions of the Park compared to the nearby Brisbane Ranges and Werribee Gorge Parks. It really does feel like a trek into the wilderness and a proper bush adventure.