Hiking With Ben

An hour west of Melbourne is gorge country. Though Ingliston Gorge is small and surrounded by farmland, it manages to retain a sense of isolation and wilderness. Dad and I planned a walk to make the most of what it had to offer.

For our last day in Taiwan we took a chance on the weather and caught a train out to Pingxi, aiming to climb a set of three sharp little peaks in the forest near the town. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and what we found exceeded anything I’d imagined.

Located in the remote Northern Flinders Ranges, the Gammons are a true wilderness. The best opportunities for walking are in the gorges that provide a refuge from the surrounding desert. But while the landscape has a unique beauty, that comes at the price of the difficulty in finding water.

• Part 1: Bunyip Chasm
• Part 2: Mt John Roberts
• Part 3: Rover Rockhole
• Part 4: South Branch
• Part 5: Worturpa Pound

Back in 1990 Dad and I planned an eight day walk through the heart of the Victorian Alps, taking in as many of the state’s highest peaks as we could. In preparation for this we went on a couple of shorter walks to get in shape: one to The Viking and another to Tin Mine Cove.

• Part 1: The Viking
• Part 2: Tin Mine Cove
• Part 3: Epic Alpine Trek

The ranges east of Melbourne contain many hidden treasures. This wonderful walk starts in a rainforest valley filled with ferns and moss, and ascends through beech and mountain ash forest to a lonely mountain peak.

Hidden at the southern end of the Bogong High Plains are some beautiful grassy valleys with crystal clear streams, peaceful glades fringed with snow gums, and a magical campsite at the confluence of two rivers.

In the remote country around Mt Clear many peaks share a distinctive banded appearance caused by layers of red rock, while the arrival of summer sets the whole area ablaze with wildflowers.

A knoll in the Whiterock Creek valley provided the base for an exploration of the northern end of the Bogong High Plains and the surprisingly rugged waterfall-filled valleys on their western side.

Langi Ghiran rises out of the flat Wimmera like an island in an ocean of grassland, and enclosed within its horseshoe-shaped summit is a hidden forest filled with ferns and moss.

One of the best daywalks in Victoria is in the Northern Grampians: a thrilling circuit through the rocky wilderness around Mt Stapylton that includes scrambling through caves, crossing ravines, and the spectacular Taipan Wall.

Something different this time with two short walks in the Yarra Ranges east of Melbourne. What these walks lack in length, they make up for with beautiful fern-filled forest.

The climb up Mt Gower on Lord Howe Island is undoubtedly one of the greatest daywalks in Australia. It’s hard to do justice to the amazing scenery, which includes the coast, cliffs, cloud forest, and incredible views.

Our last day at Cradle Mountain gave us just enough time for a half-day walk, so we revisited our first walk and extended it through Dove Canyon.

After the Crater Peak walk we had enough time for a short walk and chose the King Billy Circuit, with a surprise waiting for us at the end…

The day began unpromisingly with rain and no plans, but some good fortune resulted in us doing a circuit to Crater Peak via Crater Lake.

After climbing Cradle Mountain we planned to spend the next day walking a circuit right around it. But then the rain closed in…

With a sunny day forecast we decided to aim for the jewel of the park: Cradle Mountain. To make the most of the day we returned via the Face Track and Twisted Lakes.

After a rainy morning at Dove Lake, the afternoon brought sunshine… The only water we saw was in the many lakes, pools, tarns, creeks and waterfalls we visited on our walk to Lake Lilla and Crater Lake.

On the second day of our visit to Cradle Mountain we spent the morning walking around Dove Lake in the rain. It was more fun than it sounds, I promise!

For our Easter break this year we spent six days at the Cradle Mountain — Lake St Clair National Park. To start things off we took a walk down Pencil Pine Creek.

A few days exploring the beautiful peaks of the western side of the Bogong High Plains. Featuring spectacular views, spectacular sunsets, and spectacular insects.

Last Australia Day we set off for four days at Victoria’s highest mountain, encountering endless fog, a series of waterfalls, and a gorilla…