14 must-do walks in Melbourne: From city trails to Dandenong Ranges hikes

From CBD walking trails to rainforest circuits a short drive away, these walks are suitable for a range of abilities and purposes.

Main Yarra Trail

Meandering along the Yarra River from Southbank to the Mullum Mullum Creek Trail in Templestowe, this green corridor weaves through 23.5 kilometres of native eucalypt bushland, birdlife and billabongs. Make pitstops to explore New York artist Ugo Rondinone’s gigantic and cheerful rainbow sculpture, Our Magic Hour, Collingwood Children’s Farm, Abbotsford Convent, the rapids at Dights Falls, and Fairfield Boathouse. Or deviate along the path to visit several connected bushland reserves, such as Yarra Bend Park, Warrigal Park, Birrarung Park and Westerfolds Park. Ideal for cyclists, walkers, wheelchairs and strollers alike, the trail is flat with easy gradients and mostly paved until it transitions to compacted gravel further upstream.

Merri Creek Trail

Merri Creek’s appeal as a verdant oasis in inner suburban Melbourne has only grown in recent years. The entire trail from the basalt boulders of Dights Falls to the Western Ring Road in Fawkner is 21 kilometres, but the choice stretch is between the falls and CERES, a community and environmental park where you can stop for a coffee and a bite. It’s not uncommon to see snakes, tortoises, and an abundance of birdlife flitting between the trees. The trail is shared by cyclists and walkers.

Port Melbourne to St Kilda

St Kilda’s new and improved pier was the talk of the town last summer, so why not stroll beside the sea and breathe in the fresh air while enjoying picturesque views across Port Philip Bay on this easy walk? Amble down the short boardwalk leading to Lagoon Pier for views of the foreshore, or partake in a game of beach volleyball in front of the Plum Garland Memorial Playground. Stop for a coffee near the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club, or picnic at Catani Gardens. If you’re lucky enough to arrive at St Kilda pier after sundown, you may be blessed by the sight of little penguins.

Maribyrnong River Loop

Looping along the bends and snaps of Melbourne’s second major river, this almost seven-kilometre circuit courses through the Maribyrnong’s east and west banks as it passes playgrounds, boathouses, cafes and rowing clubs. Perfect for families and on-leash dog walkers, the track is also frequented by runners and cyclists. The Australian native rodent, rakali, has been spotted on the track, as have frogs and turtles.

Kororoit Creek Trail

A biodiversity haven in the west, the paved Kororoit Creek Trail is littered with wildflowers, mini rapids and natural rock pools as well as a diverse array of birds, lizards, frogs, turtles and insects. There are vestiges of the Western Plains’ volcanic history in the basalt rock outcrops and boulders you’ll see. Community volunteer group Friends of Kororoit Creek has embarked on ambitious revegetation works to restore the grasslands and woodlands to their natural state before development. The point-to-point route from where Barnes Road crosses Kororoit Creek in Altona North to the Isabella Williams Memorial Reserve in Deer Park is about 21.7 kilometres and considered a moderately easy walk.

Kokoda Memorial Walk (1000 Steps)

Colloquially known as the 1000 Steps, the Kokoda Memorial Walk in the foothills of the Dandenongs is perhaps one of Melbourne’s most popular bushwalks. The trail winds up a steep hill along a creek through a lush rainforest before emerging into a clearing where you can snap great views of Melbourne through the trees. Although fitness walkers and tourists frequent it for the beautiful views and challenge of the steep trail, the walk garnered its name due to its similarity to the first 100 metres of the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, where Australian soldiers were stationed in World War II. If you visit in quieter times, you’re more likely to spot the elusive superb lyrebird.

Dandenong Ranges Tourist Track

From the mountain villages of Sassafras to Emerald, this more than 16-kilometre track curves through eucalypt forests, parks, gullies, creeks, moss-covered bridges, boardwalks and roads. The track intersects with many reserves and picnic grounds, from Baynes Park and Kays to Beagleys Bridge Picnic Ground, so be sure to pack some snacks.

Kookaburras, crimson and eastern rosellas, king parrots, yellow-tailed black cockatoos and lyrebirds perch among mountain ash, manna gum, mountain grey gum, common maidenhair, and soft and rough tree ferns. The track is considered easier than the nearby 1000 Steps, but covers a much further distance. If you tire on your way back, board Puffing Billy.

Olinda and Grey Gums Track

Tucked away in the Dandenong Ranges National Park is the Olinda and Grey Gums Track. An easy 2.3-kilometre walk that typically takes between 35 and 45 minutes to complete, the dirt bush track is often frequented by people and on-leash dogs. Beginning and ending at the Silvan Reservoir Park, the track lets you wonder at towering, fire-scorched messmate and mountain ash eucalypts, fern-filled gullies, flocks of crimson rosellas and spotted pardalotes, and distinctive varieties of fungi. In warmer months, Silvan is perfect for picnicking and barbecuing beneath the shade of cypress trees and rotundas, or watching the sun set over Mount Dandenong.

Sherbrooke Falls Loop

Nestled deep in the Sherbrooke Forest – the largest section of the Dandenong Ranges National Park – you’ll find Sherbrooke Falls, which reaches full splendour after heavy rains. Home to the tallest flowering hardwood in the world – 200-year-old mountain ash trees – the forest is home to elusive blue-winged parrots, lyrebirds, rainbow lorikeets, crimson rosellas, wombats, swamp wallabies as well as ring-tailed and brush-tailed possums. The relative ease and short distance of this track – at slightly over two kilometres – makes it a perfect one for young families. The loop is close to two well-equipped picnic areas – Sherbrooke Picnic Ground and O’Donohue Picnic Ground – so be sure to pack some lunch.

Cambarville Cumberland Circuit Walk

Walk among alpine ash, myrtle beech and the towering 85-metre “Big Tree” – the tallest known living tree in Victoria – on this circuit, which starts and ends at Cambarville Picnic Ground. Taking you past waterfalls and Sovereign View, a picturesque lookout over the Armstrong Creek Valley, the four-kilometre walk typically takes about two hours to complete. Apart from some short steep hills, it’s suitable for families.

Mount Lofty Circuit Walk

In Melbourne’s deep north-east is this scenic track that offers sweeping views of Warrandyte State Park, the Yarra River and the greater Yarra Valley. The five-kilometre walk starts at the sacred Wurundjeri Bukkertilibul dreaming site on Brushy Creek before meandering through gums and tea-trees, over creeks and along the river to the Mount Lofty summit. Keep an eye out for eastern grey kangaroos, wallabies, short-beaked echidnas, wombats and more than 120 species of birds.

Plenty Gorge Walk

A slice of nature in suburbia, this 21-kilometre trail starts and ends at the Red Gum Picnic Area. Spectacular views of the gorge, diverse wildlife and unique volcanic geology render it an exciting landscape to explore. Enjoy a secluded picnic at Middle Gorge, birdwatch at the Tanunda and South Morang Wetlands or stroll down to the Blue Lake – the opportunities for adventuring are endless. Watch out for wedge-tailed eagles, one of more than 150 different bird species in the parklands.

Jells Park Lake Trail

A gentle 2.5-kilometre loop ideal for young families, this trail in Dandenong Creek Valley boasts views of beautiful open parklands, peaceful lakes, more than 150 species of abundant birdlife and lush wetlands. Jells Park is split between wide-open green spaces perfect for picnicking and playgrounds, and a quiet conservation area that comprises bushland and bird hides. Keep an eye out for purple swamphens, pelicans and an abundance of coots, moorhens and ducks, or go on the five-kilometre Bushland Trail for a more rugged experience among stringybarks and yellow box eucalypts.

Lerderderg Heritage River Walk

This near nine-kilometre scenic circuit in the rugged bushlands of Wombat State Forest takes you along the upper reaches of the Lerderderg River to the site of the old Crown Dam, with the return on a slightly different route along the river. Walk through wet forest and ferny gullies with blackwoods and mixed-species eucalypts overhead. Keep an eye out for old water races, which gold miners of yesteryear dug by hand to direct water to and from mining areas. With its relative steepness and river crossings, the route is suitable for experienced bushwalkers.

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