View from Mt Bishop, Wilson's Prom - Ross Chapman
We're spoiled for choice for day hikes near Melbourne and throughout Victoria. With so many lovely national parks, there's hundreds of trails to choose from. So where exactly is the best day hike?
If I had to choose just one walk as the best, it would have to be
Sealer's Cove, at Wilson's Promontory. It's hard to beat the combination of mountain scenery, amazing sea views, the rugged track through valleys full of tree ferns, then finally arriving at the beautiful secluded beach at Sealer's Cove.
In fact, you can't really go wrong at the
Prom. There's a huge range of great walks on offer, even after the
flood damage in March 2011.
Another amazing day hike is
Mt Feathertop, Victoria's second highest mountain. The views from the top are incredible. It's important to be properly prepared for this one – it's steep, requires stout footwear and walkers need to be equipped for bad weather, which can occur at any time.
There are also excellent day hikes in the
Grampians and the
Yarra Ranges National Park.
Walking in the Yarra Valley
And even closer to Melbourne, there are great day walks near
Ferntree Gully, including the extremely popular
1,000 Steps, as well as fantastic views on walks in the
Cathedral Range, the
Werribee Gorge State Park, along the
Bass Coast, from
Arthur's Seat, the
Mornington Peninsula National Park, and the relatively unknown
Brisbane Ranges.
Walking near Ferntree Gully
Phew, did I mention we're spoiled for choice?
If you have a favourite day hike near Melbourne, please let us know by leaving a comment below.
We look forward to your suggestions.
