Lush rainforest of Sherbrooke
The lush rainforest of Sherbrooke is one of the prettiest and most accessible places for bushwalking near Melbourne. Situated 40 kilometres east of the city and served by public transport, this forest is part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park.
The seven kilometre Eastern Sherbrooke Forest Walk is a good way to see the fern-filled gullies in this area. This circular walk winds through tall mountain ash forest, tree fern gullies and grassy clearings perfect for a picnic.
The forested sections are excellent for spotting lyrebirds as well as many other birds, including blue wrens and yellow robins. Listening to a lyrebird imitate the calls of an array of other birds, including kookaburras, magpies, whip birds and cockatoos, is an experience that's hard to beat.
Lyrebird by Attis, Wikipedia
Before getting into the details of the walk, it's worth considering some
basic bushwalking boo-boos:
1. Leaving the hat and sunscreen at home. While there's plenty of shade on the walk, those devious rays of sunshine still manage to sneak through: the boiled-lobster look awaits the ill-prepared.
A walker heading for boiled lobster skin
2. Absence of liquid refreshments. Sherbrooke can get quite hot and drinking potentially bacteria-infested creek water isn't known for its health-promoting qualities.
It looks tempting but don't drink it
3. Not acquiring a map. If you're like the naturalist
Konstantin Halafoff, you may not object to being lost in Sherbrooke, since you can fill all those long, happy hours analysing the musicology of lyrebird song. For anyone with a home to go to though, you might want to download this
free map.
Now all the disclaimers are out of the way, let's get onto the details of the walk. It starts at
Grants Picnic Ground on Monbulk Road, in Kallista. If you're using public transport, take the train to Belgrave, then Bus 663 to Kallista.
From Grants Picnic Ground, follow the track called Lyrebird Walk which goes through a shady and attractive tree fern gully. After crossing the creek, turn right onto Neumann Track, heading uphill. There are some grassy clearings along here, great for picnics and spotting kangaroos.
After about one kilometre, you reach a gate. Head right onto Paddy Track, which takes you downhill, steeply at times. After about 1.5 kilometres, passing through another tree fern glade, you cross the creek again and head uphill along Welch Track. While this section is steep, it's relatively short and you soon reach a gate onto a gravel road, Old Monbulk Road.
Look, stop calling me a kangaroo, I'm a wallaby
Cross the road, heading towards another gate, onto the wide Coles Ridge Track. You're now on the edge of the national park with a few houses on your left and mountain ash forest on your right. You're also not far from the
Puffing Billy railway line and you can sometimes hear the steam trains as they wheeze on by.
Follow Coles Ridge Track until you arrive back at Grants Picnic Ground, about two kilometres. If you're in need of refreshment after your hike, there is a
cafe at the picnic ground.
And if this all sounds like too much work, there's a good description by
Sue Stevenson of a shorter walk to Sherbrooke Falls
here.
