NBREA
GOLDFIELDS TRACK
MULTIDAY ADVENTURE

BUNINYONG to HEATHCOTE
CENTRAL VICTORIA
02-15 SEP 2025

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GUIDE FOR FAMILY & FRIENDS

For loved ones and friends who are interested or curious about what we’re doing and/or who want to follow along on this adventure. Print this out and hang it on the fridge, or view it online at anytime at nbrea.au/gft-info

 

WHAT’S THE PLAN?
To hike 274km along the …

We’ll do it in 13 stages over 14 days, with a rest day halfway. We’ll stay in commercial & characterful accommodation in …

We’ll use maxitaxis to and from the track each day.

 

WHO’S GOING?
11 of us. Rosie, Nick, Barbara, Brian, Carmel, DiA, DiG, Jenny, Mark, Sue, & Chantal.

 

CONTACT DETAILS IN AN EMERGENCY

Mobile network coverage on the track will be limited. If you need to contact us in an emergency, we recommend using SMS rather than calling or using internet-based apps such as WhatsApp, email or similar. We should have coverage at our accommodation each night.

Main contacts are …
Rosie:  04** *** ***
Nick: 04** *** ***

We will be carrying paper maps, Komoot electronic maps, the Emergency Plus app, two registered emergency personal locator beacons, and 4 walkie talkies.

 

WHO IS NBREA?
NBREA (pronounced En-Bree-Ah) is a private hiking adventure group. Tap here or browse to nbrea.au for more information.

 

DAILY SCHEDULE & REPORTS
Each morning a maxitaxi will pick us up from our accommodation and take us to the walk start. At the end of the day, it’ll pick us up and take us back to our accommodation. Some days we’ll start walking from our accommodation, and other days we’ll finish at our accommodation.

The daily walk stages are numbered and shown on the overview map below, and summarised in the table. Tap or browse to  nbrea.au/gft-map to see a similar map on Google Maps that you can zoom in on.

 

Here’s our daily plan  …

DAY 0 - Mon 01 Sep 2025    done

Travel to Ballarat

DAILY WRAP
Day 0 – 👋 For those of you who aren’t with us. This is what we’ve experienced so far.

We laced up our favourite trekking footwear and we’re excited to be hiking with NBREA friends on the Goldfields Track and the O’Keefe Rail Trail in central Victoria. Two legendary routes that wind through stunning bushland, gold rush history and friendly country towns.

Spanning 300km, it will be great trail experience that will leave us buzzing with tales to tell. Watch this space.

 

DAY 1 - Tue 02 Sep 2025    done

Walk Mt Buninyong to Ballarat
19.5km  +190m  -400m  5:18hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 1 – 20.3km. The adventure kicked off at Mt Buninyong, weaving through a zigzag trail with a bit of uphill challenge to keep things lively.

The highlight? Scaling a towering fire lookout for sweeping views of the countryside, before ducking off the track for a well-earned cuppa at a local café.

The walk wrapped up with a semi-urban amble around the edges of Ballarat, blending bushland charm with suburban vibes for a great start to the journey.

 

DAY 2 - Wed 03 Sep 2025    done

Walk Ballarat to Creswick
24.9km  +260m  -280m  6:39hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 2 – 30.6km. Each step through the bushland was a journey into gold rush history – quartz mine waste and the shadows of old mine shafts whispered stories of fortune seekers.

Along the river, modern-day gold prospectors reminded me that adventure and hope are timeless companions. The day’s hike ended with laughter and a hearty pub meal in Norman Lindsay’s hometown.

 

DAY 3 - Thu 04 Sep 2025    done

Walk Creswick to Dean
17.5km  +350m  –170m  4:48hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 3 – 19km was a feast for the senses. We ambled through beautiful moss laden trees that cast a green glow across the forest. We discovered colourful mosaics; old stables steeped in history and trees displaying striking bark textures. Every step revealed something new from riot of natural colours to subtle mysteries hidden in the heart of the bush.

 

DAY 4 - Fri 05 Sep 2025    done

Walk Dean to Wombat Station
16.0km  +180m  –130m  4:15hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 4 – 18km. A WOMBAZING day. A hike on a frosty leafy forest track is a multi sensory experience, with the soft crunch of leaves, the snapping of twigs the squelching of mud, and the fresh earthy scent of decaying foliage and damp soil. Calls of kookaburras and a wombat forest.🌳

 

DAY 5 - Sat 06 Sep 2025    done

Walk Wombat Station to Daylesford
22.3km  +260m  –320m  6:01hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 5 – Smashed 25.5km today. Hiking with a bunch of like-minded friends means you get served up a solid dose of clever banter, questionable life advice, and have the occasional debate. The laughter echoed louder than the complaining of some knees and feet. The scenery? Not too shabby for a place with more ups and downs. Hills, twisty switchbacks, gnarly gullies, and creeks provided the full bush experience. We hiked through eroded gullies carved by gold miners—sadly, still no sign of nuggets. Crossed creeks, hiked through fire burned lands, saw Sailors Falls (no sailors spotted), and walked with heavy hearts along the Lost Children’s Walk. This is where three little boys went missing in June 1867 and is one of the saddest stories in Australia’s history. Overall – a top day out.

 

DAY 6 - Sun 07 Sep 2025    done

Walk Daylesford to Chocolate Mill
20.5km  +260m  -340m  5:33hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 6 – 20.2km. A Soggy Saga on the Goldfields Track.

The sixth day served up a true bushwalking adventure – complete with squelching socks and the kind of rain that could overflow a river. Morning began with a chilly drizzle and the sort of sky that made you wish for a doona and endless mugs of tea. Some of our crew, battered by sore feet and the previous day’s kilometres, surrendered to creature comforts, swapping muddy boots for warm cafes and the noble pursuit of perfect scones.

But for the brave (or slightly bonkers), the call of the trail proved irresistible. Rain jackets and ponchos blazed orange against the grey, glowing like pumpkins along the trail. Boots, runners – and one pair of sandals – happily splashed through puddles and mud while climbing up and down the steep hills. Forget gold – today, the real treasure was a dry pair of undies and a hot cuppa at the end 🤣

 

DAY 7 - Mon 08 Sep 2025    done

Walk Chocolate Mill to Vaughan Springs
21.1km  +190m  -400m  5:41hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 7 on Goldfields Track – carrying our backpacks we hiked in the iconic Victoria landscape. The kangaroos and red mouse spiders were easily spotted along the track. The scenery reminded me of the early landscape artists Frederick McCubben and Tom Roberts, we almost expected to find one of them behind a gum tree with an easel and paint brush.

Rolling hill climbs and descents was the order of the day. Conversations today were deeper and more meaningful, the kilometres behind us stripping away the small talk. We reflected on the determination and resilience it must have taken for miners to carve a life on this track. Their struggles etched into the the very earth beneath our feet.

There is something profoundly uplifting about moving forward together, letting the past and present intertwine with each step.

 

DAY 8 - Tue 09 Sep 2025    done

Rest day 🛌💤 

DAILY WRAP
Day 8 on the Goldfields Track – we are staying in a stunning heritage mansion where even one of the bathrooms has a chandelier. The ghosts are probably wearing tuxedos. We had a rest day, a sleep in, a late breakfast at the Lazy Bones Café (true to its name where our biggest effort was lifting a fork), an op shop trail, an amble to the old prison, visits to a physio, a couple of Balinese massages, did our laundry, went grocery shopping and ended the day with delicious communal meal.

We were interrupted by a minor drama: the mansion’s water drainage gave up the ghost. Credit to the owner, who fixed it before we could start building an ark. For our troubles, we’re promised a gift of wine. I’ll let you know how that goes tomorrow.

 

DAY 9 - Wed 10 Sep 2025   done

Walk Vaughan Springs to Castlemaine
19.1km +270m  -250 m  5:11hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 9 – Hiking in Central Victoria has meant braving biting wintry conditions. Faces tingling and nearly frozen, we still manage to laugh and have great conversations, undeterred by the chill.

We were in awe at the sun glistening on a lake, we traced the path of an old gold mining water race, imagining the days when prospectors channelled water through these hand-dug canals to separate gold from gravel. Remnants of old gold mines and historic stone buildings tell stories of a bygone era, though we’re still waiting to unearth our own nugget.

Quirky moments too: we spotted a majestic ram with a pair of curling shofar-like horns, our hike became a showcase of each other’s sculpted calves, not to mention the buzz of finally submitting a uni assignment.

As for the wine that was a let down.

 

DAY 10 - Thu 11 Sep 2025    done

Walk Castlemaine to Mt Alexander
22.5km  +700m  -290m  6:25hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 10 – It’s not the mountain we conquer – it’s our own willpower, our fitness, and our ability to resist the lure to stop every hundred metres.

Today’s hike was the steepest, with bonus fallen trees, logs, rocks, boulders, and the occasional wildlife judgey stare for good measure. Steep mountains? Check. Awkward terrain? Double check. Endless cardio and strength workout? You bet – our sculpted calves were on fire and our legs turned to jelly. Nine hours later, we finally finished, somehow still smiling but weary.

The scenery was epic: towering gums, forests, and enough wildlife to make me question if I was starring in a nature doco – the murder of crows looked like they were planning our demise. Oh, and that wind? Absolutely icy. 🥶😀

 

DAY 11 - Fri 12 Sep 2025    done

Walk Mt Alexander to Goom Gooruduron Yeran Camp
17.1km  +180m  -520m  4:45hrs

DAILY WRAP
From granite tors to golden plains.

A cold start on Mt Alexander feeling like human ice blocks. The day kicked off with a long steep rocky downhill. As the icy breeze swept away the mist, we traded the Antarctic gear for shorts in the space of an hour, soaking up a ‘balmy’ 15 degrees.

On the slopes kangaroos were competing with sheep for grasslands. Spirits were high; everyone said they felt so lucky and tingly to be on such a great adventure.

We ran into a walking group from Melbourne who’d been striding the trails together for 16 years – so basically something for NBREA to aim for.

Things took a wild turn when someone stumbled into an ants’ nest, but luck was on our side: not a single bite.

The real challenge? Our prearranged transport did a no-show, so we enjoyed a luxurious 90-minute roadside sit-down, perfecting the art of balancing on one leg and snacking. If only we’d thought to hitch a ride with the lamas in the paddock.

 

DAY 12 - Sat 13 Sep 2025    done

Walk Goom Gooruduron Yeran Camp to Bendigo
21.2km  +90m  -240m  5:32hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 12 – An underwhelming hike today along a flat trail with inconvenient hills.

One of NBREA traditions on these epic journeys is to assign hikers a topic relevant to our current location. The lucky researcher gives a presentation while the rest of the mob listens in. Soon the peanut gallery erupts into a hilarious debate, complete with back-row heckling and loads of laughter. The banter is half the reason we show up, to be honest.

The day’s undisputed highlights? A superhero sprinted ahead to find some delectable scones that we’d all been talking about for kilometres. They were the gold nugget discovery after our hike today. And one of our hikers decided to provide some unexpected entertainment by pulling off an accidental ‘full moon’—pants down and all—while trying to stand up after tree bark gave way. The resulting tumble down the slope was pure slapstick gold. No injuries but for those who heard about it we are still laughing.

So, while the trail was flat, it is never boring when we’re around!

 

DAY 13 - Sun 14 Sep 2025    done

Walk Bendigo to Axedale
23.9km  +80m  -140m  6:08hrs

DAILY WRAP
Day 13 – 26.9km – Today marked a major milestone as we wrapped up the legendary Goldfields Track and set foot on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. The uplifting atmosphere was highlighted by a bright 20-degree sun, clear blue skies, and vibrant spring blooms.
There were no stumbles or dramas along the way – just a cruisy, flat gravel path teeming with friendly cyclists keen for a chat.

Somewhere along the route, we got a top tip about the Rise and Grind Café in Axedale. One of our lightning-fast hikers shot ahead to make sure we didn’t miss out on beverages before closing time. She blitzed ahead narrowly avoiding a ticket for excessive speed from the local and ever so charming police sergeant.

As the day ended, the peal of cathedral bells rang out across the city, welcoming us back and celebrating our triumphant return after another unforgettable day of adventure.

Next came Happy Hour.

 

DAY 14 - Mon 15 Sep 2025

Walk Axedale to Heathcote
27.6km  +180m  -120m  7:08hrs

DAILY WRAP
We did it! We’ve trekked 307 km through stunning bushland from Ballarat to Heathcote, and what a journey it has been. We had an awesome group of friends who supported and found strength in each other as well as finding meaning in every step of the way.

Right now, we’re all feeling a bit worse for wear – today was a scorcher out on the open trail with little shade in sight. We all got a whopping dose of sunshine and have sunburned noses, necks and legs.

There’s a jumble of feelings in the air – relief that we’ve made it, a touch of sadness leaving behind such a great adventure, and happiness about heading back to the comfort of home, buzzing with fresh energy.

This has been an extraordinary experience – challenging and rewarding in equal measure. We’re proud with what we’ve pulled off and thankful for the chance to do it all together.

 

DAY 15 - Tue 16 Sep 2025

Sadly our adventure comes to an end. After a final shared breakfast and farewells, our homeward journeys begin.

 

OVERALL

273.2km  + 3,190m  -3,600m

 

Note, all the daily distances, total ascents, total descents, and times above are approximate desktop calculations.

 

BACKGROUND READING
Browse to the following for further information and insights …

 

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