Creswick

Creswick Circuit Walk

Start at the Creswick Visitor Centre [1], cnr of Albert & Victoria streets, and cross road to footbridge down to Moore St. Around corner to front gates of old Forestry School [2], now University of Melbourne’s Creswick campus. A display panel will alert you if the Hancock Victoria (HVP) section of the walk is closed due to forestry activities. Through the wrought iron gates and follow Goldfields Track posts diagonally past the heritage-listed Victorian splendour of Tremaine House and castle-like façade of Creswick’s hospital. The campus grounds also host an arboretum of significant trees.

From the rear of the campus, walkers follow a gravel road with Goldfields Track posts to Sawpit Rd. Turn left to link with the start of the Landcare Trail [3], featuring tiles with environmental messages made by school students and a wonderful metal mayfly sculpture overlooking water. The wooden sculpture of pioneer forester John La Gerche and old stables [4] signal the start of the 2km long, heritage-listed La Gerche Trail winding through a wide diversity of conifers and an extensive oak gully, established 135yrs ago as a state nursery for rehabilitating the mined moonscape.

You diverge from the La Gerche Trail in the oak gully at a display board [5], turning hard left and forging due south uphill through forest, then onto a rough 4WD logging track through HVP’s immature radiata pine plantation. At Tourist Rd, turn left following posts to the lookout on Brackenbury Hill. Over the hilltop to wend down following Goldfields Track posts to St Georges Lake Rd. Right then left soon after to drop down to the display panel at Dingley Dell at the top corner of St Georges Lake [6].

From here, look for a green Parks Vic (PV) post and take the right fork and track hugging the lake’s northern fringe. Follow PV posts to the lake’s concrete spillway. Cross to mown BBQ area, toilet and car park. At car park’s west end, look around for a gold-topped post [feature point 23] and follow the Goldfields Track posts for the Eureka Track back into town (see also Map 8 in the Goldfields Track Walk or Ride Guide ).

Creswick off-road Bike Circuit

This mainly off-road 15km circuit is almost entirely in a bush environment.

Mainly dirt tracks and paths although there are short sections of tarmac and gravel road S of the town. The trail forms a figure 8 so you can shorten the trip. It links with the RACV Resort mountain bike single track circuits which require more advanced mountain biking skills. You can start from the town or the nearby St Georges Lake picnic area, both on the Goldfields Track. Refreshments in town or at the RACV Resort café.

The Green dashed circuit requires basic mountain biking skills.