A relatively short circuit walk in the Wombat State Forest between Lyonville and Newbury. This walk is especially designed to be enjoyed by those heading back towards Melbourne after their ChillOut long weekend. However, it can also be easily accessed from Melbourne, including by public transport.

GRADE | LENGTH | TYPE: Grade 2: Moderate 9.2 km circuit walk (graded according to the AWTGS: Australian Walking Tracks Grading System). The walk will mostly follow forest tracks and 4×4 roads through gently undulating goldfields country. You can optionally do an additional 6 km self-guided circuit walk to the Lyonville Mineral Springs.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: From the car park of the Radio Springs Hotel, we head to the nearby Domino Rail Trail, which follows part of the former railway line between Daylesford and Carlsruhe. We’ll only follow the rail trail for a short section, turning off at the trestle bridge to head southwards through the forest (initially on the Old Lyonville Track) to the hamlet of Newbury. From Newbury we’ll deviate to the Miller Cutting Track and follow that back to where it joins the Domino Rail Trail. There we’ll turn west (left) and follow the rail trail back to the Radio Springs Hotel, where it was envisaged that those who wished to could have lunch, but the hotel has now closed down. Lunch options that are now proposed are:

Have a picnic lunch near the trestle bridge (1 km from the startpoint / endpoint of the circuit walk), or
Drive to the Lyonville Mineral Springs Picnic Area (3 km) and have a picnic lunch there (it has toilets and a sheltered area with seating), or
Drive to Trentham (9 km) for lunch at Hotel Trentham (located on the way back to Melbourne).
Optional Walk Extension (additional 6 km): If you wish to extend your walk, you can use the route map listed below for a self-guided walk from the trestle bridge on the Domino Trail to the Lyonville Mineral Springs Picnic Area, then back through the Wombat State Forest to the Radio Springs Hotel. If you load the route map into the Avenza Maps app, you can use that map to navigate the route (a blue dot will show your location as you move along).