I visited Werribee Gorge State Park on Wednesday. It turned out to be one of those perfect spring days that Melbourne is justifiably famous for. My friend, Ian, had never been to ‘the gorge’ before and I took the opportunity to show him around what I consider to be one of the most underrated parks near to Melbourne. It was also a good excuse to check out the new W. James Whyte Island Reserve (known simply as The Island). A new trail links the top carpark to The Island via some wonderful yellow box woodland. There are excellent views across Junction Pool and the trail allows walkers to experience a refreshingly new aspect of the park . It’s a steep climb to the top of The Island. Actually, I’ll rephrase that. It’s a BLOODY steep climb to the top. This massive basalt hill is part of the lava flow which originated from Mt Bullangarook near Gisborne. The views overlooking the gorge are arguably the best in the district.
The 204 hectare W. James Whyte Island Reserve was gifted to Conservation Volunteers in August 2006. There has been an enormous amount of work planting native trees and shrubs, as well as a concerted effort at controlling weeds. It really is an big task. If you are interested in donating a bit of your time to Conservation Volunteers in their revegetation of The Island, check out www.conservationvolunteers.com.au or contact 1800 032 501.
The Island, overlooking Junction Pool. Werribee Gorge State Park.
Celt May 31, 2016
Thanks for the write-up I’m thinking of doing this walk on the weekend, are leeches a problem as it may rain later in the week
Glenn Tempest May 31, 2016 — Post Author
Hi Celt. I don’t think you’ll have any problem with leeches. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a leech in Werribee Gorge before (but I may have just been lucky!).