Barwon River Walk
1 Marnock Rd, Newtown VIC 3220, Australia
By
ParkWalks
This walk is part of the Heart Foundations 'Green Walks in the Park' Program. Follow the link above for more information.
Access:
There is a car park at Balyang Sanctuary. There is also car parking available at the nearby King Lloyd Sanctuary.
Geelong Train Station is 4km away and connects with local bus services.
The nearest bus stop to the route is at the corner of Gairloch Grove and West Fyans Street (Route 36). For details visit http://ptv.vic.gov.au/ or call 1800 800 007.
Bike lanes run along Swanston Street from McKillop St to John Landy Field. From here you can cycle along the river to the start of the walk.
The route is fully paved and mostly flat (except for the small inclines to cross the two bridges).
Facilities:
Public toilets are available at the Balyang Sanctuary.
There are a number of tables along the way for picnics and one has a BBQ.
Dogs should be kept on leash.
Description:
This walk starts and ends at the Balyang Sanctuary. However, as it is a circuit walk it is possible to start the walk at several other locations along the river.
Balyang Sanctuary is a flora and fauna reserve with wetland lakes and plenty of swans, ducks and pelicans.
Walk along the east side of the river under Princess Bridge. Turn left onto a boardwalk which explores the beautiful Yollinko Wetlands which features a diverse ecosystem and bird hides.
Continue to follow the path along the river passing the King Lloyd Reserve and, a little further on, the Edge Café. The café has a large car park and is an alternative start/end point for the walk.
There is an abundance of flora along the route. The riverside vegetation is characterised by River Red Gum, Blackwood, Silver Wattle and Woolly Tea Tree, while the drier slopes are home to Drooping Sheoke Golden Wattle and the indigenous Kangaroo, Wallaby and Tussock grasses.
About 2.5 km from the start of the walk you reach Queens Bridge. Just before Queens Bridge is another wonderful boardwalk which brings you closer to the flora and provides a good spot for bird watching. There is also an excellent view of Queens Bridge.
Walk under the bridge before crossing. There is a separate walkway for pedestrians on the northern side of the bridge.
Follow the river southwards again until you reach Princess Bridge. Cross the bridge and return to Balyang Sanctuary. There are many picnic spots here.
This walk takes in one section of the Barwon River Trail which consists of more than 20 kilometres of sealed paths following the Barwon River. For a map of the full 20km walk see http://bit.ly/NTza3V
Heart Foundation Walking is funded nationally by the Medibank Community Fund and the Australian Government.
It is also funded by the QLD Government to get more Queenslanders active and the ACT Government through ACT Health.
The Green Walks in the Park program is funded by Parks Victoria and delivered by the Heart Foundation with support from Victoria Walks.