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23 of the Best Hikes Near Melbourne to Tackle Next
Lace up your walking shoes and get set for an intrepid adventure, these are the the best hikes near Melbourne.
Victoria is very good at making you earn the view. Within a couple of hours of Melbourne, you can be scrambling through a rocky gorge, walking beneath mountain ash, tracing a windswept stretch of coast or climbing high enough to forget the city entirely. Push a little further and the scale shifts again, with the Grampians, Wilsons Promontory and the High Country laying out some of the state’s biggest days on foot.
Start close with Werribee Gorge or Lerderderg, keep things gentler at Hanging Rock and Sherbrooke Falls, follow the coast at Cape Woolamai and Bushrangers Bay, or save your legs for Mount Feathertop, Mount Bogong and Cathedral Range.
From short forest loops to full-day summit climbs, these are the best hikes near Melbourne and across Victoria to put on your list.
Victoria’s Hiking Trails Just Cracked Australia’s Top 10
Victoria’s hiking credentials have scored some serious national recognition, with three trails landing in AllTrails’ top 10 backpacking routes in Australia. Mount Feathertop via The Razorback took out the number-two spot, thanks to its sweeping alpine ridgelines and High Country drama, while the Mount Bogong Loop via Staircase Spur and Eskdale Spur came in at number seven. Closer to Melbourne, the Two Bays Trail at Arthurs Seat rounded out the list at number 10.
The ranking coincides with AllTrails’ new backpacking tools, which let hikers piece together multi-day routes and plot campsites, huts and water sources along the way. Consider it very good timing if an overnight adventure has been sitting on your summer list.
In This Guide
Best Hikes Within Two Hours of Melbourne
Werribee Gorge Circuit
You can be barely an hour out of Melbourne and already hauling yourself along a rock face above the Werribee River. Werribee Gorge Circuit squeezes a surprising amount of adventure into 10 kilometres: steep climbs, rocky ridgelines, open bushland, river-level scrambling and a 50-metre stretch where a cable handrail gets you across the trickiest section of high-angle rock. Walk it anticlockwise and you’ll knock over the steeper work first, before following the gentler riverside track back. There are no shortcuts, so allow the full 4.5 hours, pack plenty of water and save this one for a dry day; the river section can become impassable after heavy rain.
Distance: 10km circuit
Time: Around 4.5 hours
Difficulty: Grade 3, moderate fitness required
Location: Werribee Gorge State Park, Pentland Hills
East Walk and Cowan Track Loop, Lerderderg Gorge
Barely 75 minutes from Melbourne, Lerderderg Gorge gets wild remarkably fast. This 14-kilometre Grade 4 circuit leaves O’Brien’s Crossing beside the Lerderderg River, tracing narrow, rough track through cool gullies and pockets of rainforest before Cowan Track sends you sharply uphill. The climb gains more than 200 metres from the river to O’Brien’s Road, with big views back across the gorge once you hit higher ground. Parts of East Walk can be flood-damaged and difficult to follow, so good navigation matters here. Allow four to five hours, carry plenty of water and avoid tackling it after heavy rain.
Distance: 14km circuit
Time: 4–5 hours
Difficulty: Grade 4, challenging
Location: Lerderderg State Park, near Blackwood
Macedon Ranges Walk
Hanging Rock may get the postcards, but Mount Macedon is where you earn the view. The 18.8-kilometre Macedon Ranges Walk loops through cool mountain forest, climbing steeply between the Memorial Cross, Sanatorium Lake and Camels Hump, the range’s highest point at 1,011 metres. Up top, the landscape opens across Hanging Rock and the surrounding countryside; lower down, manna gums, snow gums and ferny forest take over. Most of the route is Grade 3, though those sustained slopes make it an all-day proposition. Autumn is spectacular, but misty winter mornings and crisp spring days have plenty going for them too.
Distance: 18.8km circuit
Difficulty: Grade 3, moderate to difficult
Location: Macedon Regional Park
Hanging Rock Trail
Any walk with an Australian literary mystery hanging over it already has an unfair advantage. Hanging Rock Trail winds through the strange volcanic outcrops immortalised by Picnic at Hanging Rock, climbing between weathered rock faces before reaching wide views across the surrounding farmland and Macedon Ranges. At just two kilometres, it’s one of the gentlest hikes near Melbourne on this list, which leaves plenty of afternoon for lunch, a cellar door or another stop around Macedon.
Distance: 2km
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Location: Hanging Rock, Newham
Domino Rail Trail
Trentham has the walk-now-lunch-later formula down. Starting at the old Trentham Railway Station, the Domino Rail Trail follows six kilometres of former railway line to Lyonville, slipping from old tracks and railway remnants into the manna gums, peppermint and mountain gums of Wombat State Forest. The line once carried potatoes and timber through the Central Highlands before closing in 1978; now it’s mostly flat, easy walking with wallabies, kangaroos and even the endangered powerful owl in the surrounding forest. Walk the full six kilometres or turn back when lunch starts sounding more compelling.
Distance: 6km one way, approximately 12km return
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Trentham to Lyonville, starting at Trentham Railway Station, Victoria Street
Sherbrooke Falls Walk
Sherbrooke Falls is almost a decoy. The real reason to walk here is everything that happens before you reach it: mountain ash rising impossibly high, sassafras crowding the track, tree ferns spilling into damp
gullies and the occasional lyrebird rustling somewhere out of sight. From Sherbrooke Picnic Ground, it’s an easy 2.4-kilometre return walk through some of the Dandenongs’ most enveloping forest, with a small cascade waiting at the far end. Rain only improves the situation.
Distance: 2.4km return
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Sherbrooke Picnic Ground, Dandenong Ranges National Park
Yarra Bend Park Loop
Yarra Bend is Melbourne’s little loophole. Four kilometres from the CBD and suddenly you’re following the Birrarung through river red gums, scrubby escarpments and open woodland, with Kanes Bridge, Dights Falls and a resident colony of grey-headed flying foxes breaking up the 9.5-kilometre circuit. There’s enough climbing and uneven track to count as a hike, but not so much that lunch needs to be cancelled. Start near Fairfield Boathouse and time the finish for coffee by the river.
Distance: 9.5km circuit
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Location: Yarra Bend Park, Fairfield
Flinders Peak Walk
Flinders Peak wastes very little time getting your heart rate up. From the Turntable car park, 450 steps climb through the You Yangs’ granite-strewn bushland to the highest point in the range, gaining around 200 metres in barely two kilometres. At the top, the flat western volcanic plains spread out below, with Geelong in one direction and Melbourne on the horizon in the other. Matthew Flinders climbed up here to survey Port Phillip Bay in 1802; two centuries later, the view still earns the stairs.
Distance: 3.5km return
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Location: You Yangs Regional Park, Little River
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Cape Woolamai Circuit
There’s no easing into Cape Woolamai Circuit. The first kilometre is straight along Woolamai Beach, then it’s up the stairs and onto the cliffs, where the Pinnacles rise from the water below and the track keeps climbing towards the island’s highest point. From the 112-metre beacon, swing through banksia woodland, past the remains of a 19th-century granite quarry and down to the calmer water of Cleeland Bight. Between late September and April, around half a million short-tailed shearwaters make this headland home, adding another reason to keep an eye on the sky.
Sitchu Tip: Check the tides before setting out; Cleeland Bight can disappear beneath a very high one.
Distance: 8.1km circuit
Time: Around 4.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island
George Bass Coastal Walk
George Bass Coastal Walk gets the good stuff underway early. From Punchbowl Road, the trail rolls for seven kilometres over grassy clifftops above Bass Strait, dropping through woodland gullies and onto a secluded beach before climbing back into open farmland on the run towards Kilcunda. The ocean rarely leaves the frame, and from May to November you might spot migrating whales somewhere beyond the breakers. Finish in town with salty hair and wind-reddened cheeks, then make the only sensible decision left: pub, beach, or both.
Distance: 7km one way
Time: Around 2 hours one way
Difficulty: Grade 3, moderate
Location: Punchbowl Road, San Remo to Kilcunda
Bushrangers Bay Walk
Bushrangers Bay is the reward, but the walk in is no filler. From Cape Schanck Lighthouse, the track cuts through dense coastal scrub before dropping down steep stairs to a broad sweep of sand held between basalt cliffs. Main Creek spills across the beach here, the rockpools come into their own at low tide and hooded plovers nest among the dunes. The water, however, is strictly look-don’t-touch territory: strong rips, rocky reefs and no patrols make this a walking beach, not a swimming one.
Distance: 5.4km return
Time: Around 2 hours
Difficulty: Grade 3, moderate
Location: Cape Schanck, Mornington Peninsula National Park
Ironbark Basin: Bells Beach to Point Addis
For a stretch of the Surf Coast this famous, Ironbark Basin still manages to feel unexpectedly wild. From Bells Beach, the track leaves the surf behind and ducks inland through red ironbark, messmate, grass trees and heathland, with orchids hidden among the undergrowth and a decent chance of spotting an echidna. Then the ocean returns. Point Addis appears ahead, Addiscot Beach sits far below the cliffs and eight kilometres of forest suddenly ends in a wall of blue. Organise a car at the other end unless sixteen kilometres sounds like your idea of a good day.
Distance: 8.2km one way
Difficulty: Grade 3, moderate
Location: Bells Beach to Point Addis, Great Otway National Park
Mount Oberon Summit Walk
Mount Oberon is the Prom from above, and it is outrageous. From Telegraph Saddle, the track climbs steadily through tall eucalypts for most of the 3.4 kilometres, saving its steepest section for the final push up timber and granite steps to the 558-metre summit. Up here, Tidal River curls towards Norman Beach, islands scatter across the water and the Prom’s granite peaks stack up behind you. Sunset is magic, but pack a layer, mind the exposed edges and bring a torch for the walk back down.
Distance: 6.8km return
Difficulty: Grade 4, moderate to challenging
Location: Telegraph Saddle, Wilsons Promontory National Park
Darby River to Tongue Point
The western side of the Prom gets wonderfully elemental on Darby River to Tongue Point. First comes the climb over an ancient sand dune, with Darby River winding through the valley behind you; then the track commits to the coast, crossing low heath and weathered granite towards a headland battered by Bass Strait. Shellback and Norman islands rise offshore, wallabies turn up in the scrub, and enormous granite tors mark the end of the track. It’s 3.8 kilometres each way, but with Fairy Cove sitting just off-route, rushing it would be missing the point.
Sitchu Tip: Take the short detour down to Fairy Cove, where white sand and clear water sit between enormous granite boulders. Check the tides before heading down.
Distance: 3.8km one way
Difficulty: Grade 4, moderate
Location: Darby River, Wilsons Promontory National Park
Mornington Peninsula Walk
One walk, almost the whole Peninsula. The Mornington Peninsula Walk strings together close to 100 kilometres of existing trails, travelling from Dromana over Arthurs Seat and through Greens Bush to Cape Schanck, then following the wild Bass Strait coast towards Portsea and Point Nepean before returning along Port Phillip Bay. In between: ferny gullies, empty ocean beaches, clifftop tracks, lighthouse country, old forts and long stretches where the Peninsula feels a world away from its winery-and-weekend reputation. Take on the full circuit over several days, or shamelessly cherry-pick the section calling your name.
Distance: Approximately 100km total
Difficulty: Varies by section
Location: Mornington Peninsula
Great Ocean Walk
The Great Ocean Road is famous for what you see from the car. The Great Ocean Walk is what happens when you leave it behind. Running more than 110 kilometres from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles, the trail disappears into Otways forest, crosses river mouths and long empty beaches, passes Cape Otway and Johanna Beach, then spends its final days high above a coastline of limestone cliffs and Southern Ocean. The full walk takes eight days, with steep stairs, muddy sections, river crossings and tides to negotiate along the way. By the time the Twelve Apostles finally appear ahead, they look less like a roadside attraction and much more like a finish line.
Distance: Just over 110km one way
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Location: Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles
Best Forest and Mountain Hikes in Victoria
Mount Zero (Mura Mura) Walk
Spring has very good timing at Mount Zero (Mura Mura). This short 2.8-kilometre return walk starts among the sandstone and scrub of Gariwerd’s northern reaches, where native orchids and wildflowers begin colouring the track in early spring. Follow the markers uphill and things get steeper towards the top, with a handrail helping over the final rocky steps. The summit opens onto Mount Stapylton and the vast Wimmera Plains, but don’t hurry there. At this time of year, half the fun is happening at your feet.
Distance: 2.8km return
Time: 1–1.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Mount Zero Picnic Area, Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park
Razorback Walk, Cathedral Range
The Razorback looks short on paper. That is where the reassurance ends. Just 2.4 kilometres separate Sugarloaf Peak from The Farmyard, but getting between them means scrambling across exposed rock, picking your way along narrow sections of ridge and keeping an eye out for orange markers where the trail becomes less obvious. The payoff is Cathedral Range laid out beneath you, all forested valleys, farmland and serrated ridgeline. This is firmly experienced-hiker territory, and one to leave alone when the wind, rain or visibility turns. For the full version, build it into the 10.5-kilometre Southern Circuit and give Cathedral Range the better part of your day.
Distance: 2.4km one way on the Razorback
Difficulty: Grade 5, hard
Location: Cathedral Range State Park
Mount Donna Buang via Mount Victoria and 10 Mile
Mount Donna Buang still carries traces of another life. From 10 Mile Turntable, this six-kilometre loop climbs through mountain ash and tree ferns, past the ruins of an old ski lodge and beside a former ski run on its way to the 1,245-metre summit. Climb the lookout tower and, on a clear day, Melbourne appears on one horizon while the Yarra Valley, Cathedral Range, Mount Baw Baw and the Alps fill the rest. The return slips back through forest via Mount Victoria, a peak so understated you could almost walk straight over it without noticing. Three hours, one mountain, several eras of Victoria folded into the same morning.
Distance: 6km circuit
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Mount Donna Buang, Yarra Ranges National Park
Lake Elizabeth Walk
Lake Elizabeth looks like the forest was flooded mid-sentence. In 1952, a landslide dammed the East Barwon River and filled this Otways valley with dark water, leaving dead tree trunks standing eerily upright decades later. The 4.7-kilometre loop circles fern-draped banks beneath tall eucalypts, with resident platypus occasionally breaking the surface around dawn and dusk. Stay into the evening and the approach track has another trick: glow worms shining in the dark. Strange, beautiful and worth every kilometre inland from the coast.
Distance: 4.7km loop
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Location: Great Otway National Park, near Forrest
Dandenong Ranges Trail
The Dandenongs have a long game. The Dandenong Ranges Trail stitches together around 73 kilometres from Gembrook to Lilydale, passing Puffing Billy country, fern gullies, mountain ash forest and villages where stopping for coffee feels entirely compatible with the hiking agenda. Seven separate sections make the full route far less intimidating: spend a day walking between towns, come back for another piece later, and slowly collect the entire range without ever needing to carry your life on your back.
Distance: Around 73km
Difficulty: Varies by section
Location: Gembrook to Lilydale
The Pinnacle Walk, Grampians
The Pinnacle does not believe in a discreet reveal. Take the full route from Halls Gap and the 9.6-kilometre return walk threads past Venus Baths and Splitters Falls before entering the Grand Canyon, squeezing through Silent Street and climbing over great slabs of Grampians sandstone. Then comes the lookout, hanging high above Halls Gap with Lake Bellfield and the ranges stretching out beyond it. Short on time? Start at Sundial Car Park for the gentler 4.2-kilometre return route via Devil’s Gap. Either way, wear shoes made for rock rather than optimism.
Distance: 9.6km return from Halls Gap; 4.2km return from Sundial Car Park
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Location: Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park
Best Alpine Hikes in Victoria
Mount Feathertop via the Razorback
Most summit walks make you wait for the good bit. The Razorback starts with it. From Mount Hotham, the track sets off already high in the Alps and spends the next 11 kilometres tracing an exposed ridge towards Mount Feathertop, with ranges falling away on either side and very little between you and the weather. Snow gums give way to alpine heath, spring and summer scatter wildflowers across the slopes, and the final pinch climbs steeply onto Victoria’s second-highest peak at 1,922 metres. Then you turn around and do the whole magnificent thing in reverse. Clear the day for it. Up here, 22 kilometres passes in a very different measure.
Distance: 22km return
Difficulty: Grade 4, challenging
Location: Mount Hotham, Alpine National Park
Mount Bogong via Staircase Spur
There is very little coy about Mount Bogong. Victoria’s highest peak rises to 1,986 metres, and the Staircase Spur gets you there the old-fashioned way: up. From Mountain Creek, peppermint gums give way to snow gums as the track gains height relentlessly, with Bivouac Hut arriving around halfway through the climb before the trees thin and the rocky alpine ridge takes over. Above the treeline, shelter disappears and the summit plateau stretches out in every direction, exposed to whatever the Alps have decided to do that day. It is steep, long and properly hard-earned, which is precisely why standing on top feels so good.
Distance: 16km return
Time: Around 10 hours
Difficulty: Hard, experienced hikers
Location: Mountain Creek, Alpine National Park
Frequently Asked Questions About Hiking Near Melbourne
For a brilliant day hike close to Melbourne, start with Werribee Gorge Circuit, Lerderderg Gorge, Cathedral Range, Mount Donna Buang or the Macedon Ranges Walk. Coastal hikers should head for Cape Woolamai, Bushrangers Bay or George Bass Coastal Walk, while experienced mountain walkers will find bigger challenges at Mount Feathertop and Mount Bogong.
Hanging Rock Trail is one of the best easy hikes near Melbourne at around two kilometres, while Sherbrooke Falls Trail is another short option beneath the forests of the Dandenong Ranges. For something longer without major technical difficulty, the Domino Rail Trail in Trentham runs for six kilometres
Experienced hikers looking for a serious challenge should consider Cathedral Range’s Grade 5 Razorback Walk, Mount Bogong via Staircase Spur and Mount Feathertop via the Razorback. All involve demanding terrain, exposure or substantial distance, so preparation and suitable conditions matter.
Cape Woolamai Circuit is one of the strongest all-round coastal hikes within day-trip distance of Melbourne, combining beach, cliffs, the Pinnacles, woodland and views across Phillip Island in an 8.1-kilometre circuit.
You can stay inside Melbourne and walk the 9.5-kilometre Yarra Bend Park Loop in Fairfield. For something wilder, Werribee Gorge sits around an hour from the CBD and delivers a much more rugged 10-kilometre circuit.
Spring and autumn are excellent for many lower-altitude Victorian trails, with milder temperatures making longer days on foot more comfortable. Alpine conditions are more complex and can change rapidly, so always check forecasts, track conditions and Parks Victoria alerts before heading out. Summer hikes also require careful attention to heat and fire danger.
Before setting out on any of these hikes, check current track conditions, closures and weather advice with Parks Victoria or the relevant park authority, carry enough water and let someone know where you’re heading.
Conquered the best hikes near Melbourne and looking for your next excuse to leave town? Continue exploring with our guides to the best places to visit in Victoria and the best waterfalls to chase.
