Baw Baw overnight from Melbourne

[Watertank]

I'm taking a friend for their first tent based overnight hike and I am wondering whether Baw Baw might offer some good walks? I will be leaving Melbourne at 5 on a Saturday and we will have Sunday and Monday to walk to be back in Melbourne on Monday night. Reading through previous threads there seem to be a couple of possible car park starting places and routes to get to Baw Baw. Where is the best place to start? Feel free to offer suggestions of other suitable walks.

[GBW]

Either Mt Erica, Baw Baw Village or St Gwinear Carparks are good places to start from. I prefer Mt Erica. The walk up through the Mushroom Rocks is beautiful, but a bit more up than the other two.

Some pics here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 19cab3987a

[trickos]

I recently did an overnighter from Mt St. Gwinear carpark to Baw Baw plateau and return.
There are heaps of places along the plateau to camp and no restrictions on where you can pitch a tent - no fires though.

There is also a good camp at Mustering flat - a couple of km's on a side track near from the junction of the AAWT.

A great area for a beginner.

[neilmny]

Either Mt Erica, Baw Baw Village or St Gwinear Carparks are good places to start from. I prefer Mt Erica. The walk up through the Mushroom Rocks is beautiful, but a bit more up than the other two.

Some pics here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 19cab3987a

Nice pictures Gerard.

[Watertank]

Thanks for the link to your pictures Gerard, they give me a great sense of the walk. Did you do a loop from Mt Erica car park? It's not clear from the gps track you posted. The camp site with the view looks fab, do you remember where it was?

[GBW]

Thanks neilmny. Watertank we walked from Mt Erica carpark about 15k along the AAWT then back the next day. Its pretty easy going once you get past Mt Erica.

As mentioned, there are numerous campsites along the way. Yes, the camp with the views...I would have camped at Phillacks Saddle near the Baw Baw turnoff but there was a heap of kids there (not that there's anything wrong with that) so we continued on a couple of kms until we found something.

A circuit walk would be good but I dont think there is one.

[Watertank]

Thanks for all the suggestions - we are planning to walk from Mt Erica carpark - it will probably be a late start as we can't leave the city until after work. What is the water situation like up there? I see that track notes say there is water near the hut ruins; is there water near Mushroom Rocks or Mustering flat?

[north-north-west]

If you go left down the old pad at Phillack Saddle (a bit before the Baw Baw turn off), there's plenty of water.
Mushroom Rocks has water nearby - there's a discussion somehwere in the forum that explains the sources near there.

[Watertank]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I had a wonderful couple of days up on the Baw Baw plateau. I had no idea that such beautiful country was so close to Melbourne. We met a large contingent of friends of Baw Baw maintaining the track, they have done a great job.

[Camminata]

I recently did an overnighter from Mt St. Gwinear carpark to Baw Baw plateau and return.
There are heaps of places along the plateau to camp and no restrictions on where you can pitch a tent - no fires though.

There is also a good camp at Mustering flat - a couple of km's on a side track near from the junction of the AAWT.

A great area for a beginner.

Is locating Mustering Flats straight forward in terms of any route/track finding?

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I prefer the Baw Baw Plateau area in Winter when it is all white and icy.