Located in central Victoria, west of Melbourne, this trail passes through what was once the richest gold mining area of the world. The trail design itself is very unusual as it has three arms, which meet at the historic town of Daylesford. This means that if you walk this as a through track, you will only complete two of the arms.
All three arms have been completed - you can walk from either Bendigo, Ballarat or Bacchus Marsh to Daylesford. It has been proposed to extend the track further west to the Grampians and a route has been suggested and publicly displayed.
The track can be walked by anyone with average fitness. It is suitable for less experienced walkers and travellers as the weather is rarely extreme and much of the walking is on firm tracks or old roads.
There are designated campsites along the track which usually have a water supply. There are no fees or bookings needed at these sites. Camping is allowed in most of the forest through which the track passes but no facilities are provided. In particular you should either carry water or treat local supplies. There are several small towns and settlements in the area and many farms. None of the water in the streams is safe to drink without treatment.
The best periods to walk are autumn and spring. Winter can be rather cold and wet and summer can be extremely hot.
In 1992, the suggestion was proposed to create a regional walking track to link the towns of Ballarat, Castlemaine and Bacchus Marsh. Within a year the Great Dividing Trail Association was established and funding was sought and won from a variety of sources. In 1995, they published their first map for the Dry Diggings section and continued work on upgrading this section with bridges, signposting etc. In 1997, this section was officially opened.
The Association has now published a second map - the ‘Federation Trail’. It is now open for walking although some bridge work and extra signposting will continue to be done to improve the standard. Most of the work is being done by volunteers with some grant money paying for signs or specialist labour.
The track is located about 90km west of Melbourne.
Ballarat, Castlemaine and Bendigo can be accessed by public transport with railway services and buses.
Currently, maps are published for 'The Dry Diggings Track' which runs from Castlemaine to Daylesford and the 'Federation Track' which runs from Daylesford to Ballarat.
Detailed VICMAP 1:25,000 topographic maps are available for the entire track but it is not yet shown on any of the maps.
| 1 | Castlemaine to Vaughan, 17km |
| 2 | To Mt Franklin, 23km |
| 3 | To Daylesford (town), 21km |
| 4 | To Wombat Station, 19km *** |
| 5 | To Dean, 18km *** |
| 6 | To Slaty Creek, 16km |
| 7 | To Ballarat, 17km |
