Badger Weir Loop Walk — a slice of rainforest right outside Healesville

This is the Badger Weir Loop Walk, an easy 3km loop through the Yarra Valley with rushing creek water, towering mountain ash trees and the chance of a lyrebird sighting along the way, and it’s about 90 minutes from the city.

Quick facts

• Distance: 3km loop
• Time: 90 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Type: Loop
• Region: Yarra Valley
• Drive distance from Melbourne: 90 minutes / 84km

Why should I hike this trail?

This is genuinely one of the best family-friendly walking tracks near Melbourne and it’s easy to see why once you’re out there. You’ve got rushing water, massive mountain ash trees and the chance to spot a lyrebird along the way, all on a trail that’s flat enough for pretty much anyone to tackle. It’s the kind of walk you can bring the whole family on and still come away feeling like you’ve properly gotten out into nature.

What is the trail actually like?

Park your car at the Badger Weir Picnic Area and walk across the bridge over the rushing water of Coranderrk Creek before turning right to start the trail. Before long you’ll be fully immersed in the forest, surrounded by massive mountain ash trees and gorgeous ferns with heaps of spots along the way to relax by the river and take in the rapids.

After about 10 minutes you’ll reach a trail junction where you’ll follow a green sign onto the Lyrebird Track, which snakes its way along the creek. The trail itself is a mix of gravel, dirt and wooden boardwalks, so it can get pretty muddy if there’s been recent rain. About half an hour in you’ll reach the historic Coranderrk Weir, built back in 1929 and still supplying water to Healesville and Melbourne via the Silvan Reservoir. There’s a green sign here where you can read up on the history, some old machinery to check out along with the weir itself, and a bench seat if you want to stop and stretch the legs.

From here you’ll follow a scenic boardwalk through the ferns and a few wooden steps up to the Slip Track, passing even more gorgeous rainforest scenery along the way, before making it back to the car park just over an hour after you started. It’s a very flat and gradual walk the whole way, with only about 100 metres of elevation, so it’s as cruisy as they come.

What was your experience on the trail?

The thing that stuck with me most was walking alongside the rushing rapids in that first half hour, I actually stopped for a moment just to listen to the forest sounds around me. I also loved the second half of the walk because you’ve almost got the track to yourself and it’s so quiet out there. You can spot lyrebirds along the way, I wasn’t lucky enough to see one myself, but back at the picnic area I made up for it by spotting all kinds of birdlife including cockatoos and crimson rosellas.

Good to know

• Getting there: Park at Badger Weir Picnic Area. At the time of writing (August 2026) the car park is currently closed, so you’ll need to park outside the picnic area gate and walk about 1km to the start of the trail. The walk itself isn’t closed, just the BBQ facilities.
• Best time to go: This one’s a great walk to do all year round, since the forest canopy keeps it cool in summer and there’s plenty of shelter if you get caught in a bit of rain.
• Bring: There’s plenty of shade on the trail, but it can get slippery and muddy after rain, so bring good hiking shoes with grip. Be careful if you’re trying to get photos of the creek too, the rocks can be slippery. Worth noting the weir is still a working site, so access to it is prohibited.
• Dog/kid friendly: Not dog friendly, it sits within Yarra Ranges National Park. But it’s genuinely one of the best family-friendly walks in Victoria, with plenty of rushing water to look at, flat forest trails and heaps of birdlife to spot along the way.
• Facilities: Toilets are available at Badger Weir Picnic Area.

Things to do nearby

Badger Weir sits right outside Healesville, one of the most scenic towns in the Yarra Valley. You can meet all kinds of native wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary, enjoy a gin tour at Four Pillars or check out some beautiful paintings at TarraWarra Museum of Art. For more walks, try the Donnellys Weir to Maroondah Dam walk, Mt Riddell or the Sugarloaf Reservoir Circuit. For food, grab a coffee at My Little Kitchen, pastries at Beechworth Bakery or a pub feed at Herd Bar and Grill. And if you’re after a nice picnic spot, you could sit down at Badger Weir Picnic Area itself, Maroondah Dam Park or Dom Dom Saddle Picnic Area along the scenic Black Spur Drive.