Tanglefoot Loop Group Hike in Toolangi

After completing Myrtle Gully Circuit on the morning of Saturday 23 September 2017, five of us set out again that afternoon to explore Tanglefoot Loop in Toolangi State Forest.

Both hikes began from the same general location and passed through Toolangi’s magnificent mountain ash and fern forest. Tanglefoot Loop, however, was expected to be the hillier of the two walks.

The event was advertised as a 10.5-kilometre Grade 3 circuit taking at least three hours. Our completed route proved considerably longer: my Garmin recorded 14.31 kilometres, 599 metres of elevation gain and a total walking time of three hours and 36 minutes.

Tanglefoot Loop passes beneath towering forest and through an abundant understorey of ferns.

Our Tanglefoot Loop hike at a glance

Date: Saturday 23 September 2017
Location: Toolangi State Forest
Distance: 14.31 kilometres
Walking time: 3 hours 36 minutes
Total ascent: 599 metres
Participants: Five
Trail type: Circuit, completed in reverse
Difficulty: Grade 3
Terrain: Earthen forest tracks, hills, fern gullies and potentially muddy sections

A second hike from Wirrawilla

The morning’s Myrtle Gully Circuit finished shortly before the scheduled start of Tanglefoot Loop. We allowed time for lunch before preparing to head back into the forest at 12:30pm.

Scheduling two hikes from the same location made it possible for participants to choose between a morning or afternoon event. Those with enough time and energy could join both and make a much longer day of it.

Anyone attending only the afternoon walk was warned that the start could be delayed if the morning group returned late. In practice, this was one of the logistical considerations involved in running consecutive hiking events.

Like Myrtle Gully, our Tanglefoot Loop route began from the Wirrawilla area. We completed the trail in the opposite direction to the route described in my original Green Trails guide.

Into Toolangi’s mountain ash forest

Toolangi State Forest lies approximately 60 kilometres north-east of Melbourne. The Traditional Owners of this forest are the Taungurung people, with Wurundjeri Country extending across the area to the south.

The forest is characterised by mountain ash, damp gullies, streams and a thick understorey of ferns. In the most sheltered areas, cool temperate rainforest plants flourish beneath the taller eucalypt canopy.

Rain had been forecast for later in the afternoon, so participants were advised to expect the possibility of mud and slippery ground. Suitable footwear and clothing were important, particularly after already completing another forest circuit that morning.

Sunlight occasionally filtered through the canopy, illuminating the fern fronds and creating one of the day’s most striking photographic moments.

Afternoon sunlight filtering through the fern-covered forest floor.

Giant trees and forest views

The scale of Toolangi’s trees can be difficult to appreciate until a person stands beside one. Along the route, two hikers explored the base of one particularly large tree, providing a useful sense of its size.

The hikers provide a sense of scale beside one of Toolangi’s giant forest trees.

Although much of the circuit was enclosed by forest, the route also reached a lookout where the view opened across the surrounding landscape.

A break in the forest offered broader views across the Toolangi landscape.

These changes in perspective gave the walk variety. One moment we were surrounded by ferns and tall trunks; the next, we were able to look beyond the immediate forest and across the ranges.

Meeting an echidna on the track

The most memorable encounter came when we found an echidna on the trail.

Three members of the group stopped to observe as it attempted to bury itself into the ground. Echidnas commonly use their strong claws to dig into soil, leaf litter or vegetation when they feel threatened, leaving their protective spines exposed.

We paused at a respectful distance while an echidna sought shelter beside the track.

Wildlife encounters are always a privilege, but the animal’s welfare comes first. The best response is to stop at a respectful distance, avoid surrounding or touching it and provide enough room for it to move away when ready.

Toolangi is also well known for superb lyrebirds. They can be difficult to see among the dense vegetation, but their calls and remarkable mimicry are often heard throughout the forest.

Longer and hillier than expected

The event description anticipated a 10.5-kilometre walk taking approximately three hours. Instead, our Garmin recording showed 14.31 kilometres and 599 metres of ascent over three hours and 36 minutes.

That made the afternoon circuit substantially longer and hillier than the morning’s Myrtle Gully hike, which had recorded 8.31 kilometres and 363 metres of ascent.

Published route distances can vary according to the chosen starting point, track connections, side trips and mapping method. GPS devices can also produce different results beneath dense tree cover. For that reason, walkers should treat distance and elevation figures as planning estimates rather than guarantees.

Whatever accounted for the difference, our group covered a solid half-day distance through undulating forest terrain.

Two hikes in one day

Completing Myrtle Gully and Tanglefoot as successive events demonstrated how much walking variety is available from the Wirrawilla area.

The morning circuit focused on damp fern gullies and rainforest, while the longer afternoon route added more climbing, changing forest views and an unexpected wildlife encounter.

For anyone who attended both events, the combined Garmin recordings totalled more than 22 kilometres and approximately 962 metres of ascent. That turned two moderate circuits into a substantial day of hiking.

It was also another encouraging event for the young Green Trails Day Hikes group. Five hikers took part in the afternoon walk, sharing the forest, the lookouts and a close—but respectful—encounter with one of Australia’s most distinctive native animals.

Planning the Tanglefoot Loop

For photographs and turn-by-turn directions from my earlier route survey, see the Green Trails Tanglefoot Loop guide. That guide describes the circuit in the opposite direction to this group event.

A separate route description, map and current planning information are available from the Tanglefoot Loop guide on Trail Hiking Australia. Its route begins from Tanglefoot car park and differs from the 14.31-kilometre track recorded during our event.

Before visiting, consult the official Toolangi State Forest visitor information. Forest access, road conditions and walking tracks can be affected by storms, heavy rain, fire risk and land-management activities.

Green Trails group hikes are organised and managed through Meetup. You can view the original Tanglefoot Loop event and join Green Trails Day Hikes to discover future walks.