Keppel Falls, Marysville, Yarra Ranges National Park, Victoria, Australia. A family day trip from Melbourne - Waterfalls and Bush walks.
19 January 2019
Keppel Falls & Marysville, Yarra Ranges National Park, Victoria, Australia
We had plans, not well thought out plans, but plans nonetheless, to go for a bushwalk and skip seeing any waterfalls. We thought the Beeches Forest walking track to Taggerty Cascades, it is a cascade not a waterfall so it doesn’t count, in the Yarra Ranges National Park just outside of Marysville might do the trick for kids who were seriously over waterfalls. Not literally over waterfalls. Just over seeing waterfalls.
Before getting to the bush we stopped in Marysville for some sweet sweet neenish tarts and ice-creams at the Marysville Country Bakery. Marysville is about 90 minutes from Melbourne and is a perfect launching pad for bush walks and hiking in the Yarra Ranges. Marysville is also only about 20 kilometres from the closest snow resort to Melbourne, Lake Mountain. I had no idea Lake Mountain resort existed until quite recently. It turns out it is a cross country ski resort. No downhill. Cross country skiing is too much hard work for me. Take chair lifts out of the equation and I'm not interested.
Suitably sugared up we ready for a walk in the bush. We drove the up the 10 kilometres of dirt road until we got to the sign that said 4WD Only. Challenge accepted. We managed to navigate the ruts and potholes to get to the parking area for the Beeches walking tracks and Taggerty Cascades. But the walking tracks were closed due to storm damage. They must have been out of commission for a while because the trail head parking area was pretty much overgrown. If you're heading in that direction check to see if they've re-opened the tracks. When we got home I noticed my tyres had worn to the wire. If I’d known beforehand there is no way I would’ve driven up that track. Note to self, check tyres before we go anywhere next time.
Time for plan B. A couple of kays back down the road, coincidentally about where the 4WD Only sign was, is the car park for Keppel Falls. While it is probably a lovely car park we decided to walk to Keppel Falls anyway. The Falls are on a the Taggerty River about a kilometre upstream from the car park. Sorry kids, it seemed we were going to see a waterfall after all.
Keppel Falls is a cascading tiered waterfall. There are no big spectacular drops plunging into a pool below. It is a cascade. A pleasant spot but not much room to move around and see much more than what you can see from the observation deck. Keppel Falls is named after the brothers who found the falls in the 1880s. It is a lovely walk to and from the Falls. You can probably do the return in around 45 minutes. There are other longer walks and hikes in the area. Because it a little out of the way to get to it won't be crowded like other more accessible waterfalls.
The surrounding hills are covered with the skeletons of thousands of dead trees. I suspect they were killed in the bushfires of 2009 that tragically claimed the lives of 178 people. Marysville was completely destroyed in the 2009 bushfire and has since been rebuilt.
As we left Marysville for the trip home we stopped to watch the moon rise with a Yarra Ranges Wallaby.
Keppel Falls and Marysville are an easy 90 minute to 2 hour drive for a day trip from Melbourne. There's loads to do in the area - bush walks, hiking, fishing and in the winter snow play, tobogganing and cross country skiing. The Yarra Ranges National Park and the Yarra Valley are quite beautiful. A perfect place to experience the quintessential Victorian rain forests.
Check out Keppel Falls on Visit Victoria.
Check out our Youtube video below:
Many of the pictures on this page are by Michelle. Essentially the good ones. Michelle retains full copyright and they can not be reproduced without permission. For licensing and using the photos contact Michelle at Michelle Newnan Photography
