I now see we are going to be able to make this great track (Australia’s first long-distance walking track) even more accessible and more comprehensive. At the Warburton end you can link to the Lilydale-Warburton Rail-Trail (adding a further 38 km) and join the trail to Melbourne’s electric train network (http://www.experienceyarravalley.com.au/?eyv_activity=lilydale-warburton-rail-trail ).
At the Walhalla end, we can extend the trail to any of Moe, Morwell or Traralgon (where there are regular V-Line train services). Walkers would head for Wirilda Park (just North of the intersection of the Latrobe and Tyers Rivers) where the Wirilda Walking Track extends to the Moondarrra Dam. From there walkers would walk East on W18 until they find a motorcycle trail which they would follow North) parallelling the Tyers-Walhalla Rd. They would continue on to either Bluff Rd, which they would follow through Jacobs Creek to Collins Siding and on to Erica, or they would take the Coopers Creek Rd and follow it through Coopers Creek (hotel) exiting it onto the old Erica-Walhalla Railway line which they could follow into Walhalla.
If they choose to visit Erica (hotel, general store, caravan park, etc) they would pick up the Erica-Walhalla railway line at the back of the caravan park and follow it to Walhalla. If they get off the train at Moe, they can immediately access the Moe-Yallourn Rail Trail which takes them out to the Yallourn Power Station where there is a bridge over the Latrobe River. Then they would head East on the Yallourn-North-Tyers Rd until they reach the Tyers River where they would turn North to Wirilda Park.
These additions will make the trail over 150km long (accessible by train from both ends) and take about ten days to complete. Supply/Resupply at Moe/Morwell/Traralgon (7 day supermarkets), thence Yallourn North, Tyers (detour) Erica, Walhalla, possible overnight stop at Baw Baw Alpine Resort – restaurant/accommodation (http://mountbawbaw.com.au/ ), thence (taking in the Yarra Falls and Ada Tree on the way) Warburton, Seville, etc.
See Rooftop’s ‘Adventure’ Maps: Yarra Valley-West Gippsland & Walhalla – Woods Point (and my previous posts, here: Ultralight Hiking ) for further details.
See also:
http://www.finnsheep.com/THE%20UPPER%20YARRA%20WALKING%20TRACK.htm
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-update-section-three-wirilda-to-moondarra/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-section-four-moondarra-to-erica/
