Kyneton - Black Hill Reserve - Central

Kyneton - Black Hill Reserve

Black Hill Reserve is a little recognised treasure. Its walks are refreshing, provide excellent views of the surrounding countryside and offer the best opportunity to observe local fauna and flora.

Black Hill offers signed walking tracks, magnificent views, great rock formations, wild flowers, Australian wildlife, natural and re-vegetated bushland. With opportunities for walking, jogging, orienteering, rock climbing, picnicking and all the fresh air you can handle!

Walks within the reserve offer a range of highlights and levels of physical commitment.

The primary walk is the Circuit Track: A gentle 3.9 km walk with only a few inclines. You might find it easier to walk in a counter clockwise direction, it just seems easier that way! Picnic tables are provided half way around the track, below the large Monolith rock in the North East corner. Allow a good hour for this walk, more if you spend time enjoying the views or a picnic. In the spring look out for the wild flowers and orchids in the South East section of this walk. Kangaroos are often seen in the paddocks adjoining the reserve, echidnas may be seen searching for ants, and sometimes wallabies come down from the higher parts of the reserve. Find a rock or a fallen tree to sit on, and enjoy the many varieties of birds that are all around you.

Ridge Track: A more strenuous 2.3 km walk with some steep sections and well over 250 steps along the way. Going clockwise you will have a short steep climb between points 'I' and 'J' shown on the map, then an enjoyable stroll along the ridge. Going counter clockwise, there is a longer more gentle climb between points 'B' and 'K'. You will encounter lots of rock formations, huge granite boulders sculpted by erosion, particularly around Cave Rocks and the Eastern Lookout. Explore off the track near the summit for some great views.

Revegetated Area Track: An easy 1.7 km walk through an area where 17,000+ trees have been planted. This planting has restored an area quarried for gravel back in the 1950's and 1960's. This is a popular area for kangaroos seeking shade in hot weather.

Access for Dogs:

Dogs are permitted on-leash.

Review:

A lovely area for walking with lots of granite boulders scattered about the landscape and a variety of walks of different levels and distance. We walked the Ridge Track (2.3 km, 50 minutes) which looked to be the most interesting walk in the area. This walk has short branches off to the Northern Lookout and Eastern Lookout and the track is well-defined and signposted. At Cave Rocks you can pass through a narrow cave (or bypass this completely if liked). The walk is not too demanding if you have a moderate level of fitness and offers nice views of the surrounding countryside. There is quite a lot of shade since you are walking under a canopy of trees for much of the time.

There are brochures with a map available at the entrance but I would suggest printing a copy from the linked website below before heading out. At the entrance are two unshaded tables, a shelter with table and seat and an information board.