The Waverley Bushwalking Club invites you to join them on the Lerderderg Heritage River and Whipstick Loop Walk. This walk is part of the Try Bushwalking Month, celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Bushwalking Victoria, the peak body representing 60+ bushwalking clubs across Victoria.

This is a great introduction to the wonderful Lerderderg and Wombat State Forest area. If you have been put off by stories of hard, steep hills, then this is the walk for you. Be prepared to explore mines and gullies of the historic Blackwood area and enjoy the variety of vegetation along the route, from walking along a stand of enormous old pine trees, which appear to be growing on old mullock heaps, to tall manna gums, candlebarks, blackwood wattles and tree ferns.

DISTANCE: This is a 15km loop walk and will take approximately four hours to complete with breaks.

WHO IS THIS WALK FOR? This walk is predominantly flat but is along narrow bush tracks and best suited to people with some bushwalking experience wanting a taste of what our club can offer.

CHILDREN AND PETS: This walk is for adults 18 years and over, and due to the nature of the walk, we ask you to leave dogs and other pets at home. Please contact the club directly to inquire about service animals, and any family or pet friendly walks.

AWT GRADE 3 (Medium): We classify this walk as Medium grade AWT Grade information.

PACE: The pace will be medium but constant with regular rests and time to enjoy the history of the area.

TOTAL ASCENT: The walk is mostly flat with several gentle rises – the total ascent gain is 380 metres.

WALK DESCRIPTION:

This walk combines two separate walks – the Lerderderg River Heritage walk and the Whipstick Loop Walk. Starting and finishing at the Jack Cann Reserve, we follow water races along the Lerderderg River to the Crown Dam and back on the other side. After lunch, we will meander through a different forested area on the Whipstick Loop Walk exploring mines and gullies.

MEETING POINT: For this walk WBC has a car meeting point at TH King Oval, 1650 High St Glen Iris we then carpool to the start of the walk. It is possible to meet us at Garden of St Erth, 189 Simmons Reef Rd, Blackwood if pre-arranged with the leader. We meet at 7:45 am at TH King Oval.

DIRECTIONS: These will be provided to drivers at TH King Oval. The drive is on main roads and local sealed roads in Blackwood.

GOOGLE MAPS: Here is the Google Maps link for the reserve: https://maps.app.goo.gl/h1fNHf...

CARPOOLING: This is done at TH King Oval, however visitors cars are typically not used so you would need to join another car in the pool. There will be a $25 charge per carpool passenger which is reimbursed to the driver for petrol, tolls and other car costs. Please have this in cash to pay your driver if you choose to carpool.

PHONE SIGNAL: There should be good phone coverage on this walk.

TOILETS: At the start and end of the walk. Otherwise it will be trees and bushes.

WHAT TO BRING

Mandatory:

Emergency contact form with medical info. Download this form here, or get one from the leader on the day.
1.5L water
Backpack
Rain jacket
Hiking shoes/boots
Personal first aid kit (your health is your responsibility)
Sun hat/sunscreen
Lunch
Morning tea snacks

Recommended:

Hiking poles
Bug spray
Camera/phone

LEADER: Suzanne Lipe – 0407107409 and Rob Russell - 0406764557. The leader usually sends an email update a few days before walk to confirm weather details and any special requirements.

EXTRA INFORMATION: Please contact the leader directly if you have any queries.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RISK: When registering for this event, we ask that you view and agree to our Acknowledgement of Risk.

ABOUT OUR CLUB: We have approximately 250 members drawn generally from the wider Glen Waverley area and we offer a wide variety of events – day walks, base camps, pack carries, cycling and social events. With our medium size, we aim to be friendly and inclusive with an ability to offer events across a mix of grades and across the weekdays and weekends. We are keen to introduce you to the joys of bushwalking. Visit our website.

PRIVACY:

Your privacy is important to us. Bushwalking Victoria and its member clubs are committed to safeguarding your personal information and ensuring that your privacy is protected. The personal data we collect from you is used solely for the purpose of facilitating your participation and communicating important details about the event.

Please note that your contact information will be shared with Activity Leaders for the purpose of organising activities. Your information will not be shared with any external parties without your consent, except where required by law, but may be used for follow-up contact regarding your participation in this event.

You can view the BWV Privacy Policy on our website.

Inclusion in Photographs

We encourage participants to take photographs during activities, which may be shared publicly through various channels such as newspapers, magazines, websites and social media. If you do not wish to be included in any photographs, it is your responsibility to inform the photographer and take reasonable steps to avoid being captured in the images.