St Georges Lake Loop walk, Creswick
St Georges Lake Loop walk, Creswick
This is a lovely walk on a warm day as it has good shade coverage for much of the route as the trail traverses pine plantation. St Georges Lake is about 2km south-west of central Creswick.
Summary
This is a lovely walk on a warm day as it has good shade coverage for much of the route as the trail traverses pine plantation. St Georges Lake is about 2km south-west of central Creswick.
Description
This is an easy walk with lovely lake views for anyone who doesn't mind a trail which is bumpy in places.
The northern bank of the lake is shaded by a tall pine forest, which makes this a great walk for a warm day (and of course you can take a dip too, but please read the safety signage at the beginning of the walk).
According to the Goldfields Guide (link below) 'Local tradesmen built St Georges Lake by hand around 1895. Known locally at that time as 'Govvy dam' it was one of many government-built mining dams supplying sluice-water via water-races to surrounding mine operations including the Creswick State Battery.'
Our Lake Loop route begins from the car park and picnic area at the western-most point of the lake.
Getting there (driving): Turn onto St George's Lake Road from Melbourne Road and you'll come to the car park area.
Getting there (walking): If walking from Creswick, you could follow the creek trail shown in this map which arrives at the lake via Wallaby Track near our lake loop starting point.
Accessibility: This walk is not accessible to people who require a flat surface as there are several steps at points of the walk, and many sections of the track are quite bumpy due to exposed tree roots!
Dogs: Are permitted but must be on-leash at all times.
Check conditions before you leave. See the Vic Emergency site to check for flooding or fires.
See the Parks Victoria page at 'Find Out More' link above or the Goldfields Guide page.
644 Views
Points of Interest
1. Walk start point
You'll find signage for the walk start here, where the parking area begins on St Georges Lake Road. Keep dogs on a leash please!
2. The Spillway
There are some steps down to cross the spillway. Please read the safety warnings!
3. View of the lake
This is a good place to pause and take in the views across the lake and back over the spillway.
4. Pine shade (bumpy trail)
The adjacent pine plantation keeps the northern bank of the lake and 60% of the trail in deep shade, which is lovely! But beware the roots can cause tripping hazards.
5. The pines
TBC
6. Steps
There are several steps to negotiate at various points of the lake loop, such as these ones which take you down to a creek crossing.
7. Heritage Circuit junction
You can find a map of the 8.5km Creswick Heritage Circuit Walk here where the track junction meets the lake loop. Find a download link for the Heritage Walk map brochure at the link below.
8. Continue to right
You will come out into a road / car park area here but look to your right toward the lake to find where the lake trail continues.
9. Varied vegetation
Unlike the northern bank, the southern side of the lake has lots of native vegetation such as gums and acacia and is more exposed to the sun.
10. Homeward bound
Make your way back to the walk starting point by the southern shores of the lake, through the picnic and BBQ area. Beware of ducks!
Features
Picnic spot
Seating available
Public toilets
Historical interest
Nature trail
Lake, creek, river
