Plenty Gorge Yellow Gum Circuit Walk (Plenty)
.jpg "Plenty Gorge Yellow Gum Circuit Walk (Plenty)")
A 6.4km circuit walk which has views over Blue Lake, a former quarry filled with water in a rocky amphitheatre, Yellow Gum bushland, grasslands teeming with kangaroos and some glimpses of the Plenty River Gorge.
The route is a combination of grass tracks, wide gravel tracks and gravel roads. The route can be quite difficult to follow accurately and we used Trail Navigator app to stay on track.
Plenty Gorge Yellow Gum Circuit Walk Map
From Yan Yean Road, turn into Memorial Drive and then continue along Goldsworthy Lane.
If you continue to the end of Goldsworthy Lane there is the Blue Lake car park. A short walk past a gate leads to a picnic area which has toilets, a shelter with a table, five unshaded tables, BBQs and water tap.
To start the walk it is best to park at the Yellow Gum carpark which is about 250m before the end of the road. The road does a loop around the carpark area. Head north past a gate onto the track which heads west beside the gorge towards Blue Lake.
When you reach the the northern end of Blue Lake, which appears turquoise blue at certain times of year, there are steps leading down to the lake. There is also a track leading to the lake at the southern end as well as a lookout point over the lake.
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Note that swimming and fishing in Blue Lake is not advised due to frequent presence of blue-green algae. There is also deep cold water and submerged rocks.
The gravel road then rises with views of the river far below. Stay away from the edges of the road since its a big sharp drop-off.
Near the picnic area the road to follow branches off to the right. In this area tracks are not signposted and a navigation app comes into its own. At the top of the hill the gravel track becomes a grassy track around a big grassy area which had lots of kangaroos in the morning.
After passing through a bushland area you reach a section of rocky track. At this point you follow winding bike tracks uphill from a point west of a small pond and pass Melbourne Water Service Reservoir Tank. From here you follow Goldsworthy Lane (gravel and asphalt sections) back to the start point.
If you want a shorter walk which highlights Blue Lake, try the 2.4km Plenty Gorge Blue Lake Circuit Walk.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are not permitted.
Photos:
Location
Goldsworthy Lane, Plenty 3090 View Map
Web Links
→ www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/sites/yellow-gum-recreation-area
→ www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/plenty-gorge-parklands
