Daylesford Goldfields Track – a walking tour with a seriously relaxing edge
Wander along bush trails, sample local produce and explore the heritage towns of the beautiful Victorian goldfields
While Park Trek’s Daylesford Goldfields Track trip is most definitely a walking tour, it’s fair to say it’s one of our most civilised and relaxing tours. We’ll do a substantial walk each day but we’ll also explore the best this beautiful region has to offer – we’ll sample local produce, soak in mineral baths and explore the pretty heritage townships.
The walking is along the Goldfields Track – a 210-kilometre trail that explores the gold mining history of this region. We’ll walk the track between Daylesford and Castlemaine, heading out from the shores of beautiful Lake Daylesford. We’ll hike towards the mineral springs town of Hepburn, walking amongst the willow trees beside a bubbling creek. We’ll explore the mining ‘canyon’ of Beehive Gully and hike past the remains of Spring Gully mines. Day three has us hiking for 17 kilometres along Porcupine Ridge and through the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, where we’ll visit the tiny township of Fryerstown. Here, we can imagine what it was like during the gold rush when this was a thriving township of 15,000 miners.
Our walks will takes us to many local sights, but we’ll also explore some of the other highlights of this charming region. We’ll relax with an evening soak in the mineral baths at Hepburn Springs and wander through the heritage buildings of the Convent Gallery. We’ll visit a fabulous Austrian coffee house, have a morning tea of goodies baked in the wood-fired oven at the Red Beard Bakery, sip the local cider and sample the sweet treats at the Chocolate Mill.
Our wonderful accommodation in Daylesford is the ‘icing on the cake’ of this tour. We stay in a gorgeous purpose-built house with eight ensuite bedrooms and a huge central living and dining area. There’s an open wood fire surrounded by comfortable chairs, a wrap-around verandah and a beautiful outdoor eating area set amongst the sprawling gardens. After a good day of walking and exploring, you can grab a book and a cup of tea and settle in by the fire for some serious relaxation.
The Victorian Goldfields region is blessed with beautiful landscapes, a fascinating history and thriving local communities. It’s a wonderful place to stretch your walking legs, soak up the mining history, eat some delicious fare and enjoy warm local hospitality. Join us this November for a thoroughly relaxing walking tour.
Park Trek’s 4-day Daylesford Goldfields Track walking tour
Date: departing 12 November 2019, 6 April 2020
Inclusions: all transport ex Melbourne, accommodation, most meals and snacks, local tasting experiences, bathing at Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa, experienced walking guides
Group size: a maximum of 10
Price: from $1850 per person twin share.
