bushwalks in Victoria's Howqua Hills region near Mansfield

see also:

• bushwalking in Australia
• Melbourne
• lookouts around Melbourne
• interesting heritage sites around Melbourne
• Melbourne weather
• bushfire safety
• March flies
• bushwalks in Victoria's alpine region
• bush walks in the Grampians
• Victoria planned burn offs - check before you go walking!
• Where to walk in Victoria
• selected short walks in Victoria by Bob Padula
• http://dztrek.blogspot.com.au/

• aborigines had a strong connection with this area and mined the green stone for axe heads, etc
• Europeans started grazing the area in the 1840's as the Howqua Run
• alluvial gold was discovered in the 1860's and a gold-bearing reef in the 1870's resulting in establishment of various gold mines resulting in the township of Howqua in 1888, but all this came to an end in 1905 when the gold ran out

• Sheepyard Flat camp ground
  • very popular as good car access some 20km from Merrijig and close to river
  • Howqua Hills Historic Walk – an easy self-guided 1.5 hour return walk to Fry's Hut and passes remnants of an 1884 brick chimney and smelting furnace
  • http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/howqua-hills-h.a/things-to-do/sheepyard-flat
• Frys Hut
  • 1930's hut and horse yard, good car access some 3km past Sheepyard Flat, close to river
  • until a few years ago, a 4WD with adequate ground clearance was needed
  • can't camp in the hut
  • those with horses apparently can get shirty, arrogant and behave poorly as this is one of the two places in the Howqua area they can bring horses overnight (the other is Tunnel Bend Flat) and thus feel it is their entitlement (they should book the horse yards via the Mansfield office) and car campers should go elsewhere
  • http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/howqua-hills-h.a/things-to-do/frys-flat
• Davon's Flat
• Pickerings Flat
  • Pickerings Hut
• Noonan's Flat
• Tunnel Spur Flat
  • horse yard for the rider campers
  • near the Tunnel Bend 100m tunnel built in 1884 to divert water for the water wheel

• 13km, 5hr day hike starting at Refrigerator Gap some 26km on rough gravel road beyond Sheepyard Flat
• 500m steepish ascent to The Bluff then 180m down to The Blowhole, then 120m ascent to Mt Eadley Stoney then 500m descent to Bluff Link Road with option of camp at Bluff Hut a third the way down
• 4.5km fairly flat walk back to Refrigerator Gap apart from a final 120m ascent