Gold Heritage Walk, Warrandyte

Gold Heritage Walk, Warrandyte

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Posted 2020-09-23 by Lucy Grahamfollow

It's a little-known fact that Warrandyte is the site of the first gold discovery in Victoria. Gold Heritage Walk at Fourth Hill in Warrandyte State Park commemorates the event in little more than an understated whisper. Here you can wander bushland to the soundtrack of native birds, peer into old mine shafts, consider gnarly old trees and former dwellings while pondering the uncertain prospects of the early colonial gold diggers.


Warrandyte State Park lies within coo-ee of Melbourne's CBD and nestles well within its metropolitan boundary. While the gold-credentials of Ballarat and Bendigo are well-touted, the location of the first gold discovery site in Australia is off-the-beaten-track, little-visited and easily missed.


Gold Heritage Trail can be reached by turning west into Husseys Lane from the Warrandyte-Ringwood Road, and then taking the fork to the right at Andersons Creek Road. The carpark is on your right approximately 1km from the fork.


Begin the walk at the carpark on Andersons Creek road. Take the 100m trail to the left along the creek to the site of the initial discovery.


This is hardly a path at all, but a narrow bush track. It's quite a muddy prospect after rain, but therein lies its charm.


The track leads to a cairn, erected in 1935, commemorating the discovery of Victoria's first publicly acknowledged gold in 1851 by Louis John Michel and William Habberlin. Michel regarded the find to have stemmed the tide of emmigration to NSW, although the pickings were ultimately insignificant.


Andersons Creek itself is worthy of a close look. River trees benefit from the water supply, but it can also signal their demise. Take a moment or two to stop. The old-growth in this area is ecologically important and worth reflection.

Andersons Creek, a tributary of the Yarra River, was for tens of thousands of years a food and tool source for the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.



Beginning in the hills north of Ringwood, Andersons Creek flows for 2–3 km through Park Orchards and approximately 4 km through Warrandyte before intersecting with the Yarra River. The creek occasionally floods after heavy rain, and is home to platypus, rakali, koalas, powerful owls, rufous night herons, white-winged choughs and yellow-tailed black cockatoos. Gold can still be found in the creek and panning is permitted in a small section of the creek near the state park.



Return to the carpark to begin the next part of your visit, on the other side of the water. And hey, look, there's no bridge!



Luckily the creek is shallow enough most of the time to allow crossing by river stones.



Having crossed successfully, climb the long steady gradient of the firebreak, passing by the little wooden walkway on your left which you'll cross over on your return route.



Most of the vegetation seen today has regrown since the gold rush era, when upwards of 250 miners worked shafts on Fourth Hill.



Smooth-barked Manna Gums and Silver Wattles, Box Eucalypts and other Wattles abound in the open, forested country of Warrandyte State Park, with an under-storey of native grasses, creepers, orchids and wildflowers.



Nearing the summit of Fourth Hill you will come across Geraghty's Tunnel, on a bend on the track. This 400m tunnel was dug and blasted into solid rock in the search for a gold quartz reef. It was the first of the large scale mining operations on Fourth Hill, dating from 1859.



Just around the next bend, you will reach an intersection of several tracks. To continue on the Gold Heritage Trail, head around to the left and continue along the firebreak to the summit of Fourth Hill. Watch your feet here as the path gets a little bit funky.



Signage here is not particularly helpful and the track is rough and ungraded and unsuitable for any kind of wheels. Various trails lead off the firebreak, however, walkers should be wary about following all but the best-worn paths as this is a mine-shaft country and not to be messed with.


Once on the summit, you will discover there was once and water trust dam and fire tower here. If you are prepared to pause and meander on the summit you will be rewarded with some bush shelters.



Retrace your steps back down the hill along the firebreak, a short way to the Betton Track.



Here your walk becomes increasingly confined as you begin the gradual descent, with some fairly steep sections. Right through this area, you will be able to peer down some abandoned shaft mines and tunnels. You can also visit an old corrugated mining hut.



It's wise to stay on the designated tracks here as historical digs were prolific and the land may be unstable.



Continue along the Betton Track, winding your way back down the hill face. Towards the bottom of the hill, you will cross the wooden walkway you passed at the start of your climb. Turn right once you rejoin the firebreak. This will now take you back down to your river stones crossing and the carpark.



Gold Heritage Walk is a moderately challenging bushwalk, with some steep sections and unmade trails. After wet weather, it can be quite muddy and slippery. There are no toilet facilities here, and dogs are not allowed into Warrandyte State Park, but there is a picnic table. Bring your own water and snacks and take your litter home with you.



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137057 - 2023-06-13 13:13:53

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