Easy hikes and walks in Yarra Ranges National Park

While Mount Donna Buang draws visitors for its famous lookout, Mount Victoria rewards those seeking a more peaceful walk. Surrounded by Mountain Ash forest and cool temperate vegetation, this lesser-known summit showcases the wild, forested character of the Yarra Ranges, making it an ideal place to slow down and appreciate the park's remarkable alpine environment.

Mount Victoria Track showcases the quieter side of the Yarra Ranges, leading through towering Mountain Ash forest, pockets of snow gums and lush tree ferns. It's a peaceful contrast to the exposed summit of Mount Donna Buang, offering a chance to slow down and appreciate the cool mountain environment that supports some of Victoria's tallest native trees.

Mount Donna Buang is one of the easier alpine lookouts to reach near Melbourne. Its name comes from the Woiwurrung word “Donna Buang,” meaning “the body of the mountain.” The summit observation tower rises above the treetops for wide views over the valley and the Yarra Ranges.

Maroondah Reservoir Park is a popular recreation area in the Upper Yarra Valley, just east of Healesville. The park includes an impressive 41-metre-high dam wall that overlooks the reservoir, beautifully landscaped gardens, and surrounding mountains, with picnic areas and a network of walking tracks that lead through eucalypt forest. Established after the dam’s completion in 1927, the park remains a popular destination for picturesque walks, especially when the leaves change into beautiful autumn colours.

Badger Creek flows through the heart of the Badger Weir picnic area, winding beneath towering Mountain Ash forest and dense fern gullies in one of the wetter parts of the Yarra Ranges. The creek helped shape the surrounding rainforest environment, with clear flowing water, moss-covered rocks, and damp gullies supporting tree ferns and cool temperate forest along its banks.

Slip Track winds through cool temperate rainforest near Badger Weir, passing towering Mountain Ash, dense fern gullies, and mossy creekside forest beneath a thick canopy. The name comes from the old timber “slip” routes once used to move logged timber down steep slopes in the Yarra Ranges during the early logging era. Today, the track feels far removed from that history, with shaded forest, damp ground, and birdsong dominating the walk through this section of the park.

Lyrebird Track loops through some of the lushest forest around Badger Weir, with towering Mountain Ash, dense tree ferns, and damp gullies creating a classic cool temperate rainforest feel. The shaded track is named after the superb lyrebird, which is regularly heard and occasionally spotted scratching through the leaf litter in quieter sections of the forest. Short boardwalks and creek crossings add to the walk, especially after rain when the gullies are flowing strongly.

This elevated viewpoint offers sweeping views over the reservoir, dam wall, and surrounding forested hills. Reached via short, well-maintained walking paths, it's an easy vantage point for visitors exploring the park’s gardens and trails. Popular for photography and picnicking, the lookout combines beautiful open scenery with the landscaped setting of one of Melbourne’s historic water supply sites.