You Yangs East-West Walk

You Yangs East-West Walk created by dburtt

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Summary

A very rewarding two-hour walk around Flinders Peak in the You Yangs, with great views in all directions. Note: while dogs are allowed on this walk, they must be on-lead.

Description

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Views, views and more views. If it's panoramic landscapes and vistas you're after, look no further than this walk, rated by some as one of the top 10 walks around Melbourne.

The name You Yangs comes from the Aboriginal words Wurdi Youang or Ude Youang which could have any number of meanings from "big mountain in the middle of a plain", "big or large hill", or "bald".

The walk circumnavigates Flinders Peak, the highest mountain in the You Yangs (named after the explorer Matthew Flinders), so by the time you have finished you have enjoyed great views in every direction. Note that the low vegetation makes for great views from the track, but doesn't provide much shade, making this a particularly superb sunny walk on a clear day in the cooler months.

The track is fairly steep in parts. The walk is uphill at the start but don't worry, it gets easier.

Here are some notes from Parks Victoria about this walk:
' ... the popular East-West walk circles Flinders Peak in You Yangs Regional Park and is rated Challenging in our Visitor Guide.
That’s because there are sections of clambering over rocks, some sharp climbs, and there isn’t a lot of shade or cover. In the summer, it can get very hot, and exposed to rain and wind in the autumn and winter.
While it’s popular with families and particularly with dog walkers (dogs are allowed on-lead), it isn’t a walk you should take lightly. Make sure you are prepared before you go.'

Facilities at the car park include long drop toilets, two BBQ areas, information signage, and a shelter with views almost as good as the walk.

Note that there are no rubbish bins, so take your rubbish with you!

DOGS are permitted, but must be on-leash AT ALL TIMES.

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Points of Interest

1. Bay views

As you travel up the eastern side of the peak, you get fantastic views out over Corio and Port Phillip Bays. In the distance you should be able to make out Arthurs Seat and the Melbourne CBD skyline.

2. Bunjil Geoglyph

Look down into the forest below and you'll see this monumental rock sculpture depicting Bunjil, the creator spirit of the local Wathaurong People. It was built for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

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3. The climb

The track keeps going up, but by this point you've pretty much reached the top. Just take it slow and enjoy the views on the way up!

4. Face in the rock

Notice anyone, sorry anything, in the rocks? Look for a group of rocks up the hill to the left of the track and you might spot this guy amongst them.

5. Lookout rock

Just off the track to the right is a massive rock, providing a great natural lookout through the ranges to the north

6. Split rock

There are a lot of interesting rock formations on this walk, but I particularly liked this one, a split rock between two others.

7. Rock shelter

As the track heads west, you start to get views opening up in that direction. But there's also this massive rock with a large overhang space below.

8. Flowering shrubs

At times there was a forest of these beautiful summer flowering shrubs, one of two common species that were in bloom during our visit (in December).

9. Lizard

Wildlife was not a big feature of this walk, at least while we were there, but we did manage to spot this little fella

10. The path back

The path flattens out here and there are low trees, providing summer shade. A lovely place to wander along and soak up the views over the landscape to the west.

11. Lookout

There are plenty of natural lookouts on this walk (huge rocks to sit or stand on), but there's also this more conventional one. Great views of course, especially of Geelong off to the south.