DSE Home > Forests > Regional Information > Central

Central - Places to visit

Please note: Some of the areas mentioned below may be closed due to the February bushfires. To check which areas are currently closed, please see recreation areas affected by the 2009 fires.

The forests of the Central area provide excellent opportunities for fishing, recreational four-wheel-driving, camping, mountain bike riding, bushwalking, horse riding and trail bike riding. Popular destinations include:

• Snobs Creek Falls in the Rubicon State Forest, located on Snobs Creek Road off the Goulburn Valley Highway near Eildon. The Falls offer spectacular views as they drop more than 100 metres over a series of rocky outcrops. The pristine waters of Snobs Creek are an important supply to the Snobs Creek Fish Hatchery six kilometres below.
  
  
• Steavenson Falls in the Marysville State Forest, opening to tourists in 1866, are a magnificent sight both day and night. When the sun goes down, the Falls are flood lit by power generated from the river via the Falls' own hydro-electricity system.
  
  
• Rubicon Valley Historic Area, in the Rubicon State Forest, shows the rich history of human influences on the forest over the last century. It includes the first State owned hydro-electric scheme, with four power stations and associated dams, racelines and pipelines and a network of access tramlines and trestle bridges. The Historic Area also includes a number of sites that are important reminders of timber harvesting such as mill sites, old machinery and sawdust heaps. The routes of many of the timber tramways associated with the bush sawmills can still be discerned.

The following information sheets cover these and other locations in the area.

Kendalls Camping and Day Visitor Areas (PDF - 257 KB)
Lower Big River Camping Areas (PDF - 299 KB)
Marysville State Forest (PDF - 900 KB)
Mount Torbreck Walking Track (PDF - 408 KB)
Mt Disappointment State Forest (PDF - 1.3 MB)
Murrindindi Scenic Reserve - camping guide (PDF - 58 KB)
Murrindindi Scenic Reserve - walking tracks (PDF - 60 KB)
Rubicon Valley Historic Area (PDF - 356 KB)
Snobs Creek Falls (PDF - 320 KB)
The Tanglefoot Track (PDF - 534 KB)
Toolangi Sculpture Trail (PDF - 130 KB)
Upper Big River State Forest (PDF - 362 KB)
Yea River Walk (PDF - 130 KB)


Activities

Camping The Murrindindi Scenic Reserve, situated in the northern end of the Toolangi State Forest, provides excellent opportunities for recreational activities such as camping, bushwalking, picnicking, horse riding, fishing and mountain bike riding. The area comprises a variety of environments, including tumbling waterfalls, soaring Mountain Ash forests and damp fern-filled gullies. The reserve is a very popular camping venue with approximately 100 campsites scattered along several kilometres of the banks of the Murrindindi River. Most sites and their surrounds are flat and provide reasonable access for people with disabilities. The Big River area is extremely popular for recreational use. There are opportunities for camping, fishing, deer hunting, canoeing, gold fossicking, bushwalking and vehicle touring. There are more than twenty-five camping grounds along the Big River from the northern end along the Jamieson Eildon Road, known as the Lower Big River Camping Areas, through to the Big River Camp at the southern end in the Upper Big River State Forest, most easily accessed from Marysville and the Woods Point Road. The Kendalls Camping and Day Visitor Areas, situated within the Rubicon Valley Historic Area in the Rubicon State Forest, provide excellent opportunities for camping, bushwalking, picnicking, fishing, mountain biking and recreational driving. They consist of two large camping areas, Kendalls A and Kendalls B, connected by a short, picturesque walking track. The campsites are on the western bank of the Rubicon River. The surrounding forest is an important catchment area for the hydro-electric power stations situated at various locations along the Rubicon valley. The Rubicon State Forest is also a very important area for hardwood production.

Walking There are a number of walks in the Marysville State Forest. Keppel Lookout, one of the most spectacular walks in the area, passes through mixed species and Mountain Ash forest and offers splendid views of Marysville and the Steavenson River Valley from three lookouts. The walk is 10km of intermediate difficulty taking approximately 3 to 3.5 hours to complete. The walk to Steavenson Falls, also in the Marysville State Forest, passes through tall tree ferns and luxuriant vegetation along the Steavenson River. The track follows the river upstream and continues on to the spectacular Steavenson Falls. The Falls drop 82m in three stages into the steep-sided river valley. The return walk is an easy 8kms that takes approximately 2 hours to complete. The Tanglefoot Track, a spectacular walk through the majestic Mountain Ash forest of the Toolangi State forest, has added to the appeal of an area that has been attracting walkers for many years. The track, which delves into fern gullies and cool, temperate rain forests, provides a magical experience for visitors. The track is 9km one way, taking about 3 hours. The Yea River Walk begins behind the Toolangi Forest Discovery Centre on the north side of Main Rd. It is an easy 1 hour walk which passes through Messmate, Narrow Leafed Peppermint and Mountain Grey Gum forest, before reaching Mountain Ash forest. The Yea River is full of aquatic life including platypus and many fish species. The viewing platform provides an excellent vantage point to see the river. The water here flows from the slopes of Mt St Leonard and joins the Goulburn River and eventually the Murray River just upstream of Echuca. The Toolangi Sculpture Trail showcases the works from the international scupture event held at the Toolangi Forest Discovery Centre in 1996. The sculptures are the work of a diverse group of top professional artists from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Eight of the original sculptures are still visible along the trail. They are all in different states of decay as intended. Information boards along the trail give you some basic information about the artist and the inspirations behind their work. The Murrindindi Scenic Reserve and surrounding forest offers a wide variety of walks ranging from short strolls to day-long hikes, including the Murrindindi River Walk. This walk meanders along the Murrindindi River valley offering pleasant walking, straying close to the river at times, through a variety of forest types from tall open forest to damp fern gullies. The walk is 13km in length taking 4 to 5 hours one way. Mt Torbreck, in the Rubicon State Forest, rises to an altitude of 1516 metres. The Mount Torbreck Walking Track commences at Barnewall Plains off Eildon Jamieson Road about 14km from Eildon. The walking track is 2km long and rises 366 metres in elevation taking a fit person about 2 hours for the return trip. The track passes through Alpine Ash forest to Snow Gums with the view from the summit breathtaking and well worth the long climb. Walks in the Mt Disappointment State Forest include the Mt Disappointment summit walk (3km - 1hr), the Strath Creek Falls Walk (0.5km - 15mins) and the Sunday Creek Reservoir Walk (2km - 45mins). The Sunday Creek walk begins from Andersons Garden Picnic ground to the impressive Sunday Creek Reservoir, which supplies water for nearby Broadford and Kilmore.

Horse riding Horse riding is generally permitted along vehicle tracks open to the public in State forest. Horse riding is popular in the Mt Disappointment, Marysville and Rubicon forest areas. The Bicentennial National Trail begins in Healesville and travels through State forest and Park areas near Toolangi, Narbethong, Marysville and the Big River area before heading on through eastern Victoria to Cooktown, Queensland. The Bicentennial National Trail is popular for horseriders and walkers. Further information can be found by contacting the DSE Customer Service Centre or the Bicentennial National Trail Guidebooks. The guidebooks outline available campsites along the route.

Four-wheel Driving The Central FMA region is a popular destination for four-wheel drive enthusiasts. There are many tracks suitable for four wheel drives and the hinterland provides challenging but enjoyable driving. The camping sites in the Big River area are well positioned for exploring the region by four-wheel drive.

Cycling Mountain bike riding is a popular recreational activity in forest along existing roads and tracks. Many of the roads wind through picturesque forest and receive little traffic. Specific information on tracks can be obtained from the DSE Office nearest your riding destination.

Picnicking Key picnic sites include Anderson's Garden in the Mt Disappointment State Forest, Murrindindi Scenic Reserve in the Toolangi State Forest, and Kendalls Camping and Day Visitor Areas in the Rubicon State Forest. These sites include picnic areas with basic facilities (commonly toilets, fireplaces and picnic tables) in picturesque park and forest settings. These picnic grounds are accessible by car and linked to nearby short walking opportunities throughout the forest.

Scenic Driving The Mt Disappointment State Forest drive is a leisurely forest drive taking in the sights of the Mt Disappointment summit, Strath Creek Falls and stands of stately Mountain Ash that dominate the gentle curves of the Board Road which follows the forest boundary and water catchment areas. The drive is approximately 40 kilometres and takes about 3 hours. The Lady Talbot Forest Drive in the Marysville State Forest is named after the wife of Sir Reginald Talbot, Governor of Victoria, 1903-1908. Passing through various forest types characteristic of the Central Highlands, the drive offers scenic views of the mountains, cascades and fern gullies. The drive is approximately 46 kilometres and takes about 2 hours.