Werribee Gorge is less than an hour from the Melbourne CBD, but once in it, a million miles from anywhere. We had previously done the 5-kilometre Short Circuit Track and found it moderately challenging, with some steep ups and rock hopping required, taking 1.5 hours to complete.
As I have a classic case of retrograde bush walking amnesia (just ask my friends), I had forgotten the ugly bits and ipso facto, the most energy efficient direction to start. We began the 10K circuit at the top Quarry carpark, heading clockwise, proceeding down a steep descent to the Meikles Point Picnic Area, internally smug smiling at those on the ascent, thinking “you guys have got a nasty “up” ahead!”
I noticed there were quite a few green emergency markers on the track, with 000 and information to read to the operator. I did wonder whether it might be prescient as I have a propensity to think something and then it happens, so this was not comforting.
The gorge provided a spectacular landscape, with the river cutting a ravine through granite hills of up to 300 metres deep. The trail followed an irrigation channel atop the gorge wall, which adds an interesting historic element, and you can walk inside it if that massive drop down into the gorge gives you vertigo.
As the trail descended towards the Werribee river, it appeared to run out. (This is the part where a little bit of research pre-hike might have been handy!) My co-hiker was like “Did we miss a turnoff?” And then I saw the ropes attached to the cliff face and I may have said a cuss word.
As it turns out, the 50 metre ropes section was the absolute highlight of the trek, except for the bit where I had to release my favourite stick back to the wilderness as it, and I couldn’t both hold onto the ropes at the same time. From here, there was some narrow ledge walking on sheer sections of rocky gorge wall, picturesque swimming spots to cool off, a Koala and Echidna sighting, and then…dun dun duh…the ridge!
I read the reviews post hike (note to self: read reviews BEFORE you go on the hike) and there was some useful information:
- Do the trail anticlockwise – so that you will end with a gradual, gentle ascent to the carpark, as opposed to commando crawling a vertical, stony ridge in the heat of the day.
There was some mystifying information:
- Rocky trails downhill. Could have used walking sticks. (Bruh, it’s the Aussie bush, look around ya!)
There were also some flexes:
- Easy walk, did it in 2 hours (projected time 4.5hrs).
- My 4-year-old did the rope section, no problem.
- My 86-year-old grandfather with a prosthetic leg…yeah, nah…making that one up lol.
For us, the trek was 3 hours and 20 minutes which included the 10 minutes I lay listlessly on the side of the track, praying for death or at least some jacked first responder to piggy back me to the car park. The disadvantage of doing the walk in a clockwise direction was that I missed the Western Lookout (due to the fact I was dying) and also the Eastern Lookout (still dying), but I always like to leave something to do next time!
