The Goldfields Track - Leanganook Track

Castlemaine – Bendigo

Distance: 58km
Duration: 3.5 days (four separate day walks)
Track: Moderate
Grade: Easy/medium
Start: Castlemaine township
Finish: Bendigo Railway Station 
Nearby: Castlemaine, Bendigo
Permits/bookings: None required
Best time: Spring or autumn.

The Leanganook Track is part of the Goldfields Track, a superb 210 kilometre walking and cycling trail that connects the towns of Ballarat and Bendigo via scenic villages such as Castlemaine, Hepburn, Daylesford and Creswick.

Gold rush sights
Traverse the Leanganook Track, the northern section of the Goldfields Track which passes through Australia's first National Heritage Park, the Castlemaine Diggings National Park. See extraordinary examples of gold rush engineering including the Garfield Water Wheel and the Coliban Water System with its tunnels, channels, falls and dissipators.

Take in stunning views from the Specimum Gully Road lookout. See manna gum and box ironbark forests, and the large granite formation known as Dog Rocks. On the outskirts of Bendigo, the Salomon Gully Flora Reserve is renowned for its wildflowers. Meander through the reserve and find box ironbark heathland, gold dust wattle, grevilleas and orchids.

Get set for some exhilarating mountain biking, with intermingling single and double-tracks and a few pinch climbs.

Rewards at the end
Make sure you take some time to enjoy each end of this wonderful track. Castlemaine and Bendigo offer so much to the visitor including superb food and wine, wonderful accommodation and some of the best regional art galleries in Australia.

The Goldfields Track is part of the Great Dividing Trail, 300 kilometres of trails that provide a pathway to the hidden treasures of Central Victoria. The other legs of the Goldfields Track are the Wallaby Track from Mt Buninyong to Daylesford and the Dry Diggings Track that links Daylesford to Castlemaine.

For more information and maps visit goldfieldstrack.com.au