Beechworth - Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park - North East

Beechworth - Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park

Located between Beechworth and the low hills surrounding Chiltern, this park includes the striking Mt Pilot Range and Woolshed Falls and protects box-ironbark forest that once covered much of north-east Victoria.

Short or day-long walks can be made on vehicle tracks through open forest and a 25 kilometre historic drive is marked from Chiltern through the forest and goldfields.

Things to Do

Well formed vehicle tracks throughout the park provide access to a variety of short or day-long walks and are suitable for cycling, horse riding and car and four-wheel drive touring.

The park also provides excellent opportunities for wildlife photography and environmental studies.

Prospecting is permitted in designated areas. Prospectors must hold a current Miner's Right. Refer to the Prospecting Guide for more information.

Caution: There are many old mine shafts in the area. Please stay on the marked tracks

Magenta Mine Picnic Area - Visit the open-cut Magenta Mine which produced up to 13,000 ounces of gold between 1860 and about 1910. Horse-drawn drays carted away the rock for crushing in the nearby battery. A kilometre away is the site of a battery run by the Victorian Government in an effort to revive gold mining during the 1930s depression. Facilities include picnic tables, a lookout and wood barbecues.

Prospecting - Prospecting is permitted in designated areas. Prospectors must hold a current Miner's Right. Refer to the Prospecting Area map for more information.

Walking and Cycling - Well formed vehicle tracks throughout the park provide access to a variety of short or day-long walks and are suitable for cycling, horse riding and car and four-wheel drive touring. Enjoy easy walking along the 8.5km White Box Walking Track that has interpretative signs describing the natural and historical features of the park. Cycle on forest tracks at Donchi Hill in the west, Frogs Hollow and Magenta Mine and at Cyanide Dam. Visit Woolshed Falls and take the self-guided Woolshed Falls Historic Walk. Walk to the summit of Mt Pilot and enjoy the spectacular view.

Donchi Hill - Drive through the forest to Donchi Hill Lookout then on to the original Indigo goldfields cemetery - about an hour and a half round trip. Picnic tables and wood barbecues are provided.

Woolshed Falls - A ten minute drive north from Beechworth provides the opportunity to view the falls and have a picnic. The falls are spectacular after heavy rainfalls.

The Woolshed Valley was the location of several events linked to the Kelly Gang of Bushrangers. On 26 June 1880 Aaron Sherrit was shot by Joe Byrne at his but in the Woolshed Valley. For over 100 years the forests provided timber products and recreation areas for surrounding towns. Numerous pioneer and gold mining sites can be easily viewed in the park including the Indigo Goldfields Cemetery and Magenta Mine near Chiltern.

Honeyeater Picnic Area - Enjoy a pleasant picnic at Honeyeater Picnic Area. Picnic tables, wood barbecues and pit toilets are provided.

Other interesting places to visit

Chiltern Tourist Drive

Start along Chiltern-Rutherglen Road and finish at Bamawartha Road east of Chiltern. Allow around 1.5 hours for the 25km trip.

Mt Pilot Lookout

- Take a short walk from the car park to the 545 metre summit of Mt Pilot, where you are rewarded with a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. On a clear day Mt Buffalo is easily recognisable on the southern horizon.

Whitebox Walking Track

- Starting at Honeyeater Picnic Area, this 8.5km walk will take 2-3 hours and Introduce you to some of the natural and historical features of the park.

Yeddonba Aboriginal Cultural Site

- Situated at the foot of Mount Pilot, this heritage area provides an insight into local Aboriginal culture.

Woolshed Falls

- A ten minute drive north from Beechworth provides the opportunity for a family picnic or to view the falls that can be spectacular after heavy rain. A six kilometre walking track links Woolshed Falls to Beechworth via the Cascades and the Gorge Scenic Drive.

Beechworth Historic Park

There are a number of walking tracks close to Beechworth. The Gorge Scenic Drive provides spectacular views of Spring Creek and Cascades Waterfall.

Warby-Ovens National Park

Extending 25km north of the town of Glenrowan is a steep scarped range known as the Warbys. The Warbys provide excellent views, pleasant picnic spots and an outstanding variety of birdlife and wildflowers.

Murray River Reserves

- The Murray River, with its majestic River Red Gums, sandy beaches and a large variety of wildlife, provides the Ideal backdrop for camping and a range of water-based recreation.

Eldorado Historic Reserve

- Visit the largest, most intact gold dredge in Australia.

History

The Dhudhuroa tribe was one of the Aboriginal groups who inhabited the Mount Pilot area. Other Aboriginal groups such as the Pangerang, Jaitmathang and Minjambuta would have passed through the area or camped In the valleys surrounding the Mt Pilot Range. Native plants and game were plentiful In these areas. The groups also visited the high country near Mt Buffalo for a short period each year to harvest the Bogong moth. At Yeddonba you can see Aboriginal rock art. This site is of significant importance to Aboriginal people.

Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park was created in October 2002 to conserve and enhance what remains of Victoria's Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands.

The park has a rich gold mining heritage, with gold being discovered at Beechworth in 1852. in a short time the town was the centre of the Ovens District Goldfields. Later in 1858 gold was discovered at the nearby Chiltern and Indigo Goldfields.

Thousands of miners took up claims on the Woolshed and Indigo Goldfields. Woolshed Creek got its name from an old shearing shed that was built near the creek.

Facilities

There are a number of established picnic sites located throughout the park. Reedy Creek is a popular area for campers and prospectors. Camping and accommodation are available in the nearby historic towns of Chiltern and Beechworth.