Maldon Mt Tarrengower Butt's Reserve camp ground

Introduction

Butt's Reserve is a free campground with toilets at the base of Mt Tarrengower on the outskirts of the historic gold mining tourist town of Maldon
mountain bikers tend to use the adjacent track on their ride down from top of Mt Tarrengower
temperatures tend to be part way between Castlemaine and Bendigo although the campground being 100m higher elevation could be 1 degC cooler in general than this mid point.
tends to be a few longer stay homeless campers but they keep to themselves although can be protective of their space

potable water tap outside the toilet block and the toilets are flush
there were no mozzies and very few flies late Nov 2024 despite it being humid, warm with little wind
proximity to Maldon township and centrally located to explore the historic central Victorian goldfields and rural townships
dogs on leash

very little winter sunlight so will be extra cold in winter
heavy rain makes the edges of the gravel road very muddy and slippery
much of the camp site is sloping so there is not a lot of flat ground for caravans so you will need to bring wheel chocks and levelers and need to be creative with tent or swag site selection
- the sloping ground does however mean that heavy rains will tend to run down towards the toilets (and potentially under your tent but not pool under your tent)
- a stretcher bed with adjustable legs is a great option to assist with the sloping ground
- avoid camping over areas where it is obvious water will flow if rain is forecast and of course avoid camping on or near bull ant nests
many of the flatter sites are under overhanging gum tree branches which should be avoided if strong winds or very hot weather is forecast
ground tends to be rocky from the gold mining days which can make pegging problematic

1hr 15min from NW suburbs of Melbourne
2.3km NW from the centre of Maldon and you drive on Mt Tarrengower road and it is on the left just before the climb up the mount
21km (20min) to the larger gold mining township of Castlemaine (more food options especially midweek than Maldon) via Maldon
it is at elevation 400m and relatively protected from cold south to westerly winds thanks to Mt Tarrengower which hits a peak of 571m
the campground lies within a NNE running gully with the toilet block being at the main road entrance and the lowest part

walk up or drive up to Mt Tarrengower lookout
walk to or short drive to historic gold mining township of Maldon and explore remnant gold mines, tourist steam train rides on weekends, etc
short drive to historic gold mining townships of Castlemaine, Bendigo, Dunolly, Maryborough, etc

Laanecoorie Reservoir on the Loddon
32km (30min) to Leanganook camp ground Mount Alexander
39km, (32min) to the south via Yandoit and Newstead to Mt Franklin reserve campground, near Daylesford
42min W to Bealiba Reservoir (there are water leeches)
56km (47min) to Notley camp ground Whipstick north of Bendigo
65km (49min) to Melville Caves campground, Kooyoora State Park to NW
94km (75min) to Ayson's Reserve Camping Ground to the east
95km (75min) to Teddington camp ground, Stuart Mill, Kara Kara NP to the west