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bushwalking
Woods Point is home to recognised walking tracks including MacMillans Walking Track and the nearby Australian Alps Walking Track. Both courses present challenging terrain, stunning views and remote camping opportunities and are ideally suited to experienced bushwalkers and hikers. Alternatively enjoy our easy scenic walks around the township...
TIP
A
TRACK
Woods Point tracks are FREE for public use. If you use a track, we invite you give something back!
'TIP A TRACK'
and make a gold coin donation at our Hotel or Store and help us keep our environment in great condition for our visitors. We'd love to have your feedback online too!
MACMILLANS WALK
220KM
BACKGROUND + HISTORY
In 1864, explorer and pastoralist Angus McMillan was commissioned by the Victorian Colonial Government to form a pack horse track from Woods Point to Omeo to link the goldfields in the Gippsland highland. It took about one year to cut an eight foot wide track that was suitable for pack horses. The track was used for many years, but usage declined with the establishment of alternative roads and the depletion and abandonment of the goldfields. The track vanished under the scrub...
REDISCOVERY
In 1983, the Ben Cruachan Walking Club (BCWC), led by John Smith, began a project to discover and remark the original MacMillans Walking Track, in conjunction with predecessors of Parks Victoria and the predecessors of Department of the Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). The track was cleared, marked and officially opened as McMillan's Walking Track by Joan Kirner, the then Minister of Conservation, Forests and Land, on 19 March 1988.
TODAY
Today, Macmillans Track is 220 km of remote terrain running through the southern edge of the Victorian alpine countryside. This track provides a very unique experience as it crosses some deep valleys and passes isolated mountains like Snowy Bluff. For experienced walkers seeking something different, this track provides it.
ROUTE TIME
It is suggested to take 12 to 14 days to complete the track. While the track is marked at junctions and important areas, experience at using maps is needed.
ACCESS
The track crosses several major roads that traverse the alpine region. The track does not pass through any towns and you can either carry all supplies or use one of the access roads to put in a food drop. The most useful roads for a re-supply point are the Jamieson-Licola Road, the Tamboritha Road (near Licola) and the Dargo Road.
MAPS + TRACK NOTES
Download the BCWC Brochure below. It is suggested to take detailed VicMap topographic maps for navigation.
PERMITS
None are needed for walking the track.
SEASONALLY CLOSED
Yes.
AUSTRALIAN ALPS WALKING TRACK
655KM
BACKGROUND + HISTORY
The Australian Alps Walking Track, formerly called the Alpine Walking Track, stretches more than 600 kilometres through the mountains of Victoria and New South Wales. The southern end is at Walhalla, a small town in Victoria about 130 km east of Melbourne, south of Woods Point. The northern end of the track is at Tharwa near the outskirts of Canberra. This was the first of the extremely long distance tracks in Australia marked specifically for bushwalkers. It combined the first long walking track in Australia - part of the Yarra Track which crossed the Baw Baws - with other existing pads and tracks to form the first recognised walking track longer than a week in length.
It is primarily a wilderness style walk as it passes through natural landscapes with no major facilities. The track essentially follows the crest of the alpine range from southern Victoria through to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). On the way it crosses all the highest mountain regions from the Baw Baw Plateau, the Mt Howitt area, the Bogong High Plains, the Cobberras then the Kosciuszko National Park and finally into the Namadgi National Park near Canberra.
A CHALLENGE
In many ways, it is the grandest and most difficult of all the long distance tracks in Australia. It is not the longest but with over 27,000 metres of climbing and descending it is indeed a tough walk (equivalent to more than 3 ascents and descents of Mt Everest!). This equates to between 550m and 800m of climbing and descending each day - definitely not a flat walk! It also crosses a lot of Australia's best alpine scenery making it a very scenic varied walk.
ROUTE TIME
The entire route takes about 30 to 60 days to complete depending on walking speed and the number of rest days. Fast walkers do the track in around 30 to 40 days. As this is an alpine area with variable weather, it is suggested to build in some extra days to wait out poor weather.
ACCESS
There are many access points to the track. The southern end is at Walhalla, a small town near the eastern side of the Baw Baw Plateau. The northern end is at Tharwa near Canberra. Suggested food drop sites are Rumpff Saddle near Mt Skene (Jamieson - Licola Road), Mt Hotham, Omeo Highway, Buenba Hut, Thredbo and Kiandra. Parcels can be posted to the post offices at Mt Hotham and Thredbo.
MAPS + TRACK NOTES
See the link below.
PERMITS
None are needed for walking the track. A permit is needed to camp in the Cotter River Valley in the Namadgi National Park in the ACT.
SEASONALLY CLOSED
Yes.
REFERENCES