Mount Worth State Park located in the Gippsland area of Victoria has a great selection of trails that can be linked together in multiple ways to create different lengths from a short 1km stroll to a lengthy 10km+ hike. This hike follows Giant’s Circuit Loop Walk in an anti-clockwise direction with a total distance of 1.80km.
This is a Grade 3 walk. Total distance of the track is 1.8km. Suitable for most ages and fitness levels. Formed earthen track, few obstacles. Width: variable and less than 1200mm. Kept mostly clear of intrusions and obstacles.
Into The Forest
As you leave Lorkin Creek and enter the forest, conditions become cooler and wetter.
Look around you and you will see the types of plants that thrive in these conditions such as ferns, mosses, liverworts, fungi, and lichen.
Notice the tall Soft Tree-ferns. Touch the trunks to see why they are called ‘soft’, and look for a contrasting Rough Tree-fern along the track.
As you continue you will see holes in the track with mud thrown out or sometimes built into a chimney. This is the home of the tiny burrowing crayfish. There are several species, but here it is most likely to be the Gippsland Burrowing Crayfish. They are more active at night than during the day but if you are lucky you might see one near its burrow.
Trail Head Options:
- Drive to the start location in Allambee at Moonlight Creek Picnic Area.
Wildlife
The dense forest canopy does not let much light through so very few plants grow on the ground.
In addition, Superb Lyrebirds keep the soil disturbed as they scratch around for insects and other food.
You may be lucky enough to see a male lyrebird with its beautiful tail. If not you may well hear one as its ringing call imitates those of Pilotbirds, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Crimson Rosellas and other birds.
Mammals in this forest are mostly active at night and secretive so very hard to see, though you might find evidence of their activities. If you go slowly and quietly you are likely to see many birds and maybe a Swamp Wallaby or a Short-beaked Echidna.
As you continue, look for a Balnket-leaf tree. If you can reach the large leaves and feel their soft underside you will guess why this plant has its name.
Trail Features:
- Mount Worth State Park
- Giant Mountain Ash
Trail Statistics:
- Starting Point: Moonlight Creek Picnic Area, Mount Worth State Park, Allambee.
- Hiking Trail Difficulty: Grade 3
- Distance: 1.80km
- Trail Type: Loop Hike
- Elevation Gain: 35m
- Elevation Loss: 35m
- Minimum Elevation: 315m
- Maximum Elevation: 350m
- Time to Complete: 45 minutes
- Ending Point: Moonlight Creek Picnic Area, Mount Worth State Park, Allambee.
Trail End Options:
- Jump in your car and head home.
- Trevorrows Mill Return
- Standing Giant Return
- Trevorrows Mill and Gardiners Mill plus Giant’s Circuit Loop
Detailed Hiking Trail Guide:
This hiking trail starts at Moonlight Creek picnic area in Mount Worth State Park near Allambee. Your only option is to get there by car as it is quite remote. The drive leading up to the area is quite scenic with rolling green hills.
Standing Giant
This giant eucalypt is commonly called a Mountain Ash; its botanical name is Eucalyptus regnans. These are the tallest flowering plants and hardwood trees in the world.
Estimated at more than 300 years old, this tree has a huge buttressed trunk about 14 metres in circumference.
This tree is approximately 60 metres tall, but used to be even taller before age and storms or lightning took away its top branches.
Some Mountain Ash trees have been measured at over 100 metres.
The flower and seed capsules grow so high in the canopy they are hard for us to see. The capsules open when they mature and many seeds drop out. An individual seed is smaller than the end of a pin yet amazingly grows into this huge tree.
As you continue, look for plants growing on other plants.
