Monday, 11 May 2026
Temp:
Distance 15.43km
Up 537m Down 815m
Time 5:41 hrs Moving time 4:07 hrs
Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner at Dunkeld

We had a very ordinary night, as the wind changed direction and we were set up the wrong way. Oh well! These things happen. Sometimes, the best laid plans go awry. The tent flapped in David’s face all night, he even contemplated moving it in the middle of the night but I was fast asleep until 4am, so he didn’t. This is my usual wake time, as by then we have had 8 hours sleep. I do usually doze until 7am most days.

We were up and organising at 7.15am as it is a big one! 14.7km 5 to 5.5hrs without any side tracks to the lookouts, followed by however far we can drive.

Today was also a sad day for us, our last day on the trail. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise with the low cloud over the farmland and covering the mountain top. We headed off just after 9.30am, a little later than we had hoped. Oh well! As always we will adjust. The initial part of the walk was downhill on an easy trail but it quickly changed to a rocky platform and a bit of rock hopping. Within a few minutes David disturbed a Scrub wallaby right next to the trail and then we came to another one having a drink from a rock pool. It was unphased by our attention. We spent about 10 mins just enjoying watching it with the most amazing backdrop in the distance.

We continued down the rocky trail, with some man made rock steps as well. Both David and I prefer the natural rock as the man made steps upset our knees with their consistent size and continuous drop. Once again the rocky cliffs and enormous rocks are incredible. You just don’t get tired of admiring them. I also love finding shapes in them. We also saw many grass trees, the ones near the edge of the track we think have been trimmed and often to me look like a face with wild hair and beards. Once again, my imagination at work!

Today is a big down day, with the initial downhill being almost 300m descent, before we head to our first lookout up about 160m to Piccanniny lookout. You could see Dunkeld in the distance. We then went down about 190m before heading back up again. This was a big grind, with a false summit. We climbed about 360m to the true summit of Mt Sturgeon. The views and the cliff edges and rocks were spectacular. We enjoyed our lunch up there, just soaking in the last of the views.

After lunch we still had 6.8km and estimated 2.5 hrs to hike. The most of it was downhill. It was single trail around the ridge of Mt Sturgeon, some on easy walking path, other parts was loose rocks, with some rock hopping as well. On the trail parts, we paced it out, as we had spent a bit of time before lunch talking to people on the trail, and as usual were behind our expected schedule. We enjoyed a lovely view most of the way. We walked through what I would call tree graveyards, lots of fallen trees scattered everywhere. The last 4km (our usual doggy point, return walk at home) was along an easy trail on the outskirts of town. It was through beautiful fields with gorgeous trees, some of the best we had seen. We finally made it to Dunkeld about 3.30pm, in time to register for our certificate at the Visitors Information Centre. Then time for a quick shower, a bite to eat, and a coffee and coke to get us on our way.

Tonight’s destination is Bendigo. About a 3 hour drive and we are starting just before ROO o’clock! Oops!! Wish us luck.

David was a legend, driving the whole way. I will have to take my turn tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing our adventure.

National Parks notes
Day 13: (S4) Mud-Dadjug Hike-in Campground – Dunkeld Township
Start: Mud-dadjug Hike-in Campground  
Distance: 14.8km  
Grade: 4
Key elevation points: Picaninny (Bainggugg) 422m Mt Sturgeon 582m
Elevation: 510m up, 810m down
Names and meanings: Mud-Dadjug = ‘Murd-dajook’: blunt, useless arm.
Highlights: Bainggug (The Piccaninny) and Mt Sturgeon (Wurgarri) (582m). Bainggug is renowned for its winter and spring native wildflowers including spider, tiger, wax-lip and greenhood orchids.
Descend steeply, passing a reservoir and then climbing over Bainnggug (the Piccaninny). Cross Victoria Valley Road and undertake the final climb over Mt Sturgeon (Wurgarri). Take in stunning views out over volcanic plains and the impressive peaks of the southern Grampians. To the north are the sedimentary sandstones of Gariwerd; to the south, basalt lava flows. The landscape reveals stories of country. Volcanoes nearby at Budj Bim National Park and Mt Gambier are only 5000 years old, while the oldest dated Aboriginal rock shelter in Gariwerd is 22,000 years old. Imagine living in a landscape of active volcanoes! Skeletons buried in layers of ash near Warrnambool, and Dreamtime (creation) stories speak to this. Complete your journey by steeply descending into farmland below and wandering through open old-growth Red Gum woodland to arrive at Dunkeld for a hot shower, great meal and comfortable bed. Congratulations!
Important safety information:
– Rainwater tank at Mud-Dadjug Hike-in Campground
– Serviced water tanks at Dunkeld Reservoir Rd Crossing and Sturgeon Rd Crossing MVO