Creswick Heritage Walk
Creswick Heritage Walk is a 8.5km circuit from the Creswick Visitor Information Centre.
The Creswick Heritage Walk displays in one package a number of the best natural and cultural heritage features of the town, many of which could, until now, only be separately visited and only by car.
- See magnificent historic buildings within the University of Melbourne's Creswick campus
- Walk among century-old oak trees on Park Victoria's heritage-listed La Gerche trail
- Climb above the trees to the top of Brackenbury Hill in Hancock Vic's plantation
- Enjoy the tranquillity of St Georges Lake
Map of Route
Route Description
It's a short stroll from the Creswick Visitor Information Centre (point 1 on the map) to the starting point at the wrought iron gates of the University of Melbourne's Creswick campus (point 2), formerly the School of Forestry, established in 1910.
Bikers and walkers begin together by crossing Albert St to the blue and white Wallaby Trk sign at the east end of Victoria St, keeping straight ahead. From the old School of Forestry front gates, bikers continue along Moore St around the Hammon Park oval.
Walkers enter the gates and follow gold-topped Goldfields Track posts heading diagonally through the campus (point 2) past the heritage-listed Victorian splendour of Tremearne House and the castle-like facade of the old Creswick hospital. The grounds also host some significant trees, established as part of an arboretum (get a pamphlet from the Visitor Centre). A display panel at the campus front gates will alert walkers if the Hancock pine plantation is closed due to forestry activities, meaning walkers will have to simply circle the La Gerche trail or access the Wallaby Trk via the bike route.
From the campus, walkers link with the Landcare trail (point 3) on Parks Victoria (PV) land. Now the PV HQ for Creswick, it was once home to the Victorian Landcare Centre. Its trail features tiles with environmental messages made by school students and a wonderful metal mayfly sculpture overlooking water. The wooden sculpture of pioneer forester John La Gerche (point 4) signals the start of the 2km long La Gerche trail winding through a wide diversity of conifers and an extensive oak gully, established 135yrs ago as a state nursery for rehabilitating the mined moonscape.
Walkers diverge from the oak gully (point 5), forging due south uphill through Hancock's recently harvested radiata pine plantation to the lookout on Brackenbury Hill. Wend downhill to the display panel at Dingley Dell next to the tap corner of St Georges Lake (point 6).
Goldfields Track (GT) walkers northbound to Daylesford head round the eastern edge of the lake to the mtb and walkers' junction of the GT's Wallaby Track at the lake's SE corner (refer point 7 & Map 8 in the Goldfields Track Guide).
Daytrippers engaged in the circuit walk take the right fork and footpad hugging the lake's northern fringe. You are now following green PV posts to the lake's concrete spillway. Cross to mown BBQ area, toilet and car park. At car park's west end, look around for a gold-topped post (point 23) and follow the GT posts of the Eureka Track back into town (see also Map 8 in the Goldfields Track Guide).
Location
41 Albert Street, Creswick 3363 Map
