This is another great book from Craig Sheather who also authored Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country (2018). As with his first book, Best Walks East of Melbourne (first published in 2019 by Woodslane Press) gets the balance right between providing a ‘taste’ of what you might experience and all the detail needed to plan a specific hike. The ‘taste’ books are great to whet your appetite but the detail is needed to put the plan into action.
Sheather is an Australian writer and outdoor enthusiast who has hiked all over the world and writes for outdoor and travel magazines and websites.
This book provides relevant and helpful guidance on walks and hikes spanning area Yarra and Cathedral Ranges, Dandenong Ranges, Phillip and French Islands, Far West Gippsland and the La Trobe Valley, Wilsons Promontory and southern Gippsland, and Central Gippsland and the lower High Country.
As was the case with Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country, I have added a bunch of new hikes to my ‘must do’ list. In all 40 walks are reviewed in Best Walks East of Melbourne including walking trails and hiking trails. The book also includes suggested variations to a number of the walks reviewed.
The trail lengths span one hour to two days so the book is great for everyone from the sightseer, the family road trippers, day hikers through to multi-day hikers. Each trail review includes:
All walks are graded as easy, easy/medium, medium or difficult. The book contains helpful guidance on what these terms mean. The trails reviewed range from Toorongo Falls which is an easy 2.2 km (1 hour) near the township of Nooji, Victoria through to the medium/hard Baw Baw to Mushroom Rocks walk in the Baw Baw National Park that is 32 km return (2 days). The longest trail is the one-way Ninety Mile Beach at a medium 27 km starting at Seaspray, Victoria. For those wanting more of a challenge there a few trails rated as ‘hard’ including the Tali Karng (26 km and 2 days return) in the remote Avon Wilderness Area.
The indexing and referencing in this book is great and it includes a Walks at a glance section organised by area that provides guidance on public transport, cafes and whether you can take your dog!
Sadly much of the area covered in this book has been impacted by the devastating fires that occured in December 2019 and January 2020. As such, please check with Parks Victoria and local tourist operators for information on the current status and access.
Best Walks East of Melbourne has something for everyone. For the shorter, less difficult walks all you need to do is get outdoors. For the overnight and multi-day hikes a little more preparation is needed but then you’re all set!
You can purchase the Best Walks East of Melbourne from Amazon Australia
Disclosure: We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!
AUD $32.99 RRP
Best Walks East of Melbourne
What’s inside
Hike example including trail map
Close up of a different hike with information
This review was done with product provided by the author for review
28 July 2024