Essendon Bushwalking Club

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Essendon Bushwalking Club

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The Club was formed in 1975, and is a major club servicing the Northern and Western suburbs. The mai

04/10/2026

The Anakie Gorge walk was a scenic 12.5 km loop through steep, rocky terrain, dry forest and high escarpments. The walk included a 295 m climb to Nelsons Lookout, followed by a descent to the Reservoir for lunch, with several rock-hopping stream crossings along the way.

Interpretive signs highlighted the area’s geology and history, including the impressive 1870s–1880s reservoir and pipeline built to supply drinking water to Geelong.

The dry Brisbane Ranges landscape offered a different walking experience from the Dandenongs or Otways. The walk started and finished at Anakie Gorge Picnic Area and also passed through Stony Creek Picnic Area.

Link to video of walk
https://www.relive.com/view/vAOZVwMxXoO

27/09/2026

We completed a short but exhilarating (and a little tough!) 8km walk in Werribee Gorge, taking in some of the less-visited areas around Falcons Lookout.

Although only 8km, the walk was rated hard, with the majority being off-track or along very minor tracks. The terrain was mostly rocky and sometimes scrubby, with some steep sections requiring us to go up, down and sideways. The total ascent/descent was approximately 800m.

Thank you Jim for leading today's walk, your always encouraging on the challenging walks.

This link is a video of today's walk.
https://www.relive.com/view/vQvy5ozML4v

27/09/2026

Crusoe Reservoir, No 7 Reservoir, Coliban Channel and Bendigo Regional Park

What a fabulous day and 14k walk but Award 🏆 of the Day has to go to Jenny who bought us all hot jam donuts from the Goldfields Donut Van. Great way to start the day ❣️.
Left Melbourne in the rain, got there in the sun, rained in the arvo, then sun again. We started at the Crusoe Reservoir, walked past the Puddler, down the spillway and around to No 7 Reservoir for morning tea then walked through the new Larni Yirrip camspite.
Then the adventure began. Bush bashing until we found the remnants of the circular curve of the Coliban Channel (don't know correct description) walked to the Big Hill High Level Reservoir then cut inland and followed the Coliban Channel back towards Crusoe Reservoir for lunch in the pine grove.
Completed the walk exploring remnants of the dwelling that used to be there along as well as the old Reservoir Coach Inn ruins.
Finished a perfect 14k walk with coffee at Beechworth Bakery in Bendigo.

25/09/2026

Nat had some spare time while babysitting this week, so she made a video of the club's recent base camp in Yarram - which was organized by Bill and the walks led by Greg.

19/09/2026

🌿 Sugarloaf Reservoir Loop Walk 🥾

Starting and finishing at the Ridge Picnic Ground Lower Car Park at Christmas Hills, 15 members enjoyed this scenic 16 km circuit, following the marked track around the undulating banks of Sugarloaf Reservoir through grassland and forest.
There was one larger 100-metre climb, along with plenty of smaller undulations, so by the end it felt like a good solid walk! 😊

We spotted lots of native flowers 🌸 and tiny orchids, along with meadows carpeted with Drosera hookeri, the grassland sundew, just coming into its tiny white blooms. A fascinating little carnivorous plant! 🌱

💧 Unlike many Melbourne reservoirs, Sugarloaf receives water from several external sources, including the Yarra River, Maroondah Reservoir and potentially the Goulburn River.

Crossing the long dam wall 🚶🚶‍♀️we knew we were getting closer to the home stretch.

What a brilliant day! 🌿🥾 and amazing walk followed by a well-deserved afternoon tea at The Dark Horse Café at Watsons Creek. ☕️🍰
A big thank you to Julie for leading us on this great and scenic walk! 👏

16/09/2026

Some highlights from yesterday's
Uralla Nature Reserve, Trafalgar West Gippsland walk.

16/09/2026

Uralla Nature Reserve, Trafalgar West Gippsland

Brilliant adventure by train albeit a looong train ride but worth it.
Arriving at Trafalgar Station, we had a brisk walk through town to
Uralla Nature Reserve.
The reserve is a lush, 60-hectare pocket of native bushland located on the northern slopes of the Strzelecki Ranges just outside Trafalgar.
Breezy and cold to start then the sun came out. Brilliant walk, amazing old growth towering gum trees, lots of native orchids, fungi, a variety of native birds, decent uphill climb till midway then down again so a good workout for the legs.
Back to Trafalgar for afternoon tea at the Bakery then train home again. All up around 8ks.
Thank you Jim for another sensational adventure

Fun Fact...
Naming the Town: Because a township named Narracan already existed 13 kilometres to the south, and the next town to the west was Waterloo, pioneers chose Trafalgar to commemorate the famous 1805 British naval victory. Several nearby streets also take their names from British military history.

13/09/2026

🌿 Moorabool Reservoir Park 🌿

What an absolutely delightful day! 🥾😊

I had the pleasure of leading 4 of my fellow Essendon Bushwalking Club members on a just over 10 km circuit walk around my favourite and very picturesque Moorabool Reservoir. 💧🌳

The water level was much higher than it was a few weeks ago, when the reservoir was looking quite dry. 💦

🌥️ The day was overcast at times, with some strong, gusty winds in the open areas, but once we were in the forest it was beautifully sheltered, peaceful and calm. 🌲🍃

🦜 We saw heaps of different birds, 🦘 Eastern Grey Roos and even one solitary Swamp Wallaby, who watched us with confident curiosity! 👀

🚧 There were also a couple of fences to climb over, which provided a bit of a giggle along the way — but we conquered them! 😂💪

☕ And the grand finale? Afternoon tea at Gordons at Gordon, one of my favourite and quirkiest cafés ever! ❤️

A sensational day of walking, wildlife, water and good company. 🌿💧🥾😊

10/09/2026

Our final walk on this base camp in Yarram was a 17 km circuit near Devon North. The weather had improved from yesterday, and there was no mud. It was a pleasant day out on mostly 4WD and fire tracks with a gentle 5km steady climb at the start revealing stunning views of the surrounding farmland, and distant Yarram. There were plenty of friendly farm animals on the way - including cattle, alpakkas and horses. It was the perfect walk to finish off our four-day stay in South Gippsland with a a cool, sunny Spring day and firm well-formed tracks. Thanks again Bill, Greg, Sue and Janine for organizing another succussful base camp in a different part of the world - and to our fellow members for enjoyable few days away from our mundane daily lives. Thanks also to Nat for the photos.

09/09/2026

Winter is back! Our third walk near Yarram was at a higher altitude in the Tarra Valley. After overnight rain, we drove 30 minutes to start a 14 km partial circuit through the rain forest. We had a slight delay near the start of the walk to witness a rare lyre bird performance before continued along the mostly muddy track. It was a partly cloudy day with no wind - but it was only about 8 degrees for most of the day. The occasional light misty showers ensured we had plenty of leeches to keep us company, and despite the damp conditions and the hard slog through the mud, everyone enjoyed walking through the bush - finishing the day at the Tarra waterfall.

Address

Melbourne, VIC
3039

Website

http://www.essendonbwc.org.au/

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