You Yangs Regional Park is best known for its mountain bike trails, but the park also features a network of tracks for hikers. They’re mostly pretty easy going and between them, they give an excellent overview of this incredible boulder-strewn landscape.
The Big Rock Walk departs from the car park near the Visitor Centre and leads you through various types of vegetation to Big Rock, which is quite literally a really really big rock. The view across the western plains from on top of the rock is well worth the short walk. I could’ve sat there for hours.
The kids and I had planned to head back to the car from here, but they still seemed so energetic that I thought I’d test them and attempt the climb to Flinders Peak as well. There were bribes involved but they trundled their little legs up to the highest point of the You Yangs with barely a single complaint between them. It was officially the longest and most difficult hike they’d ever done. So proud.
The most common feedback I get from readers of The Bushwalking Blog is that they “just want more hikes to do”. I get it – hiking is my passion too. I do more hikes than I’d ever have the time to write about, so that’s why I’ve decided Bare Bones Bushwalking is now a thing. Not every hike has a story I can attach to it and some I just don’t get around to writing up, so in an effort to share ALL of (or at least more of) the hikes with you I’m doing this. A more simplified blog post that gives you everything you need to go and do the hike yourself. Make your own stories.
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Need to Know
Last Visited: 2017
Length: 10.5 km (Big Rock Walk alternative: 3 km)
Time: 4 hrs (Big Rock Walk alternative: 1 hr 30 min)
Grade: Moderate / Grade 3 (according to the Australian Walking Track Grading System). Big Rock Walk alternative would be Easy / Grade 2.
Style Partial Circuit (though the tracks around Big Rock are the only ‘circuit’ section).
Region: Western Victoria
Park: You Yangs Regional Park
Closest Town: Little River (11 km)
Path Taken: Visitor Centre (just inside the park gates) – Big Rock Track – explore Big Rock – Contour Track – Rockwell Track – Flinders Peak Walk – Flinders Peak – Flinders Peak Walk – Rockwell Track – Contour Track – Big Rock Track (this loops around the rock so take the opposite side of the loop) – Visitor Centre (Big Rock Walk alternative follows only Big Rock Track).
Car Access: From Melbourne, take the Princess Freeway and turn-off at the Little River exit (towards Little River). In Little River, follow the signs to You Yangs Road and then to the You Yangs. Once inside the park gates, you’ll find the Visitor Centre carpark on your left.
Map: All tracks are covered in the Parks Victoria You Yangs Regional Park Visitor’s Guide. Vicmap also have a You Yangs South 1:25,000 map. If you’re happy to use your phone as your map you can download the free Avenza Maps app (on Android, iPhone, or Windows) and purchase this one for AUD$2.99.
Have you visited You Yangs Regional Park? Got it on your bucket list? If you have any stories, updates or corrections, please let us know by commenting below.
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