The Melbourne Bushwalking Club invites you to join them on a Melbourne Cup Day Walk in the Dandenongs. 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.

A pleasant walk in the Dandenongs on Melbourne Cup day utilizing public transport and a chance to see the cup at walks end.

DISTANCE: 10 km one way

WHO IS THIS WALK FOR? Anyone who considers themselves suitable. The leader will chat to you prior to the walk.

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): AWT Grade information.

PACE: Steady

TOTAL ASCENT: Gently undulant with total descent of 125 m.

WALK DESCRIPTION:

DEPART PROMPTLY at 10.00. We follow the Eastern Dandenong Ranges Trail into Emerald, walking adjacent to the Puffing Billy line. The trail then descends through the Nobelius Heritage Park to Emerald Lake- our spot for lunch.

EMERALD was established in 1858 when gold was discovered along the Menzies and Sassafras Creeks. Within twenty years, large blocks of land had been subdivided from the Dandenong State Forest. In 1886, Carl Axel Nobelius purchased 68 acres of land and started to establish his nursery. It was hugely successful and he supplied exotic fruit and ornamental trees to many part of Australia. Later he expanded his markets overseas.

AFTER lunch we continue along Wattle Creek into Wright Forest Bushland Reserve, with a short detour to view the Wright Trestle Bridge. We walk into Cockatoo and the plan is to catch the 2.22 pm bus from the main street back to THE PARADISE HOTEL, CLEMATIS, to watch the Melbourne Cup. I will supply Cup hats!!

Afterwards we return to our cars- a flat 8 minutes’ walk away.

ALONG THE TRACK we will view the Huge Cheeky Wombat Hole, meet the Wonky Donkey Duck, marvel at a defiant stand of Mountain Ash, and walk past fairy doors.

MEETING POINT: MEET at the bus stops on Belgrave- Gembrook Road, at the intersection with School Road, Menzies Creek at 9.45 am. There is a sizable parking area available. NOTE- I can pick you up from Belgrave Station, if using public transport. BRING your Myki card!!

Google Maps link

PHONE SIGNAL: Generally good.

TOILETS: Accessible at various points along the walk.

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 boots/shoes
Personal first aid kit (your health is your responsibility)
Sun hat/sunscreen

Recommended:

Lunch
Hiking poles
Bug spray

LEADER: Susan Maughan email susanmaughanoz@hotmail.com phone 0478 504441

EXTRA INFORMATION: The leader will be in touch to chat with you prior to the walk to ensure that this is an appropriate walk for you.

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

ABOUT OUR CLUB:

Our club was established in 1940, is one of the largest walking clubs in Victoria and offers a variety of outdoor activities including bushwalking - both single day walks in Victoria (within driving distance from Melbourne) and multi day pack carry/base camp remote area walking both within Australia and overseas (particularly New Zealand and Tasmania but occasionally further afield), ski touring and canoeing as well as information evenings on bushwalking related topics and social events. For further information please visit our website. We are also the only bushwalking club in Melbourne with a dedicated bus for some of our Sunday walks. You may access further information about our club from our website https://mbw.org.au or from (press Control/Click here). We would love to connect you with the great Australian outdoors for fitness, fun and friendship. Explore with us and feed your spirit of adventure. See 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.