Walk type: Pack carry and Circuit
Duration: 2 days; Length: 17km. Side trip to Mt Buangor not included.
Info from DSE: Beeripmo Camp to Mt Buangor Lookout: 5.4km, 3hrs
Closest town: Beaufort (19km)
Info from DSE: Beeripmo Camp to Mt Buangor Lookout: 5.4km, 3hrs
Closest town: Beaufort (19km)
Grade: Easy - Medium. Total climbing: 700m
No permits required
Notes and Maps: DSE and Chapman's "Bushwalking in Australia", p. 226-233
GPS: My hiking route overlaid on the "Topo Memory-Map"
DSE's walk map
The walk starts at Richards Camp, which is located in Mt
Buangor State Park, and is 19 km from Beaufort, and is about 2 hrs drive from Melbourne. The facilities at Richard Camp
include: a day shelter, two water tanks, and two long-drop toilets. There is a little foot bridge which links
the car park to the campground
My car camping tent at Richards Camp
The main walking track signpost is located on the left of the steps up to the two toilets, and the Beeripmo Walk signpost shows 17km length and two days duration. The walk can be done in either direction and I did the walk clockwise.
On day one, I followed the Beeripmo Walk signpost, starting
up hill on a wide track (old vehicle track) about 25 m until an old
carpark was reached. The Grevillea Track on the
right side of the carpark was the return track for the next day. On the other side of the carpark was the
start of the Beeripmo track.
The start of the Beeripmo Walk in a clockwise direction
The track climbed steadily southwest through an open forest
with fern trees and many large granite boulders and it took me about 20 minutes
to get to the Raglan Falls.
A short side trip was made to get to the base of these falls.
A trickle of water at Raglan Falls
I continued climbing for five minutes to reach Rob Falls, a small cascade, where I stopped for photos and cake, with
views down the gully.
Up and through the forest
Rob Falls
The track then turns south and climbs gently, crossing Camp
Road after over 1km, then another 800 m southwest to the
crossing at Mt Cole Road. The forest
starts to become more open and there are views of Mt Cole through the trees when the
track swings around to the west. On the
climb up Cave Hill, I wandered off track a little bit to fully enjoy the views
of Langi Ghiran and the Grampians.
Mt Langi Ghiran from a distance
View from the main track
Leaving Cave Hill,
the track swings southwest, south, then southwest again, gently down about 200m, to
reach an intersection which provides opportunities for a side trip to Ferntree Waterfalls.
One of the Beeripmo Walk signposts along the trail
Views to the west
Mt Langi Ghiran, Western plains, and The Grampians
I continued north. The track climbs steadily for about half of kilometre,
to reach the base of Mt Sugarloaf, then zigzags up. It was an amazing experience to look up to the cliffs and rock outcrops above me. Here, I met another
party of four and learnt about Mugwamp Camp, which was accessible to
motor-bikes and cars, unlike Beeripmo Camp, which is a walk-in camp.
Cliffs and rock outcrop view from the foot pad up Mt Sugarloaf
The highest point of
Mt Sugarloaf (934m) was marked with a cairn, and the lookout is about 50m to the southwest.
View from Sugarloaf Lookout
This camp provides facilities including two long drop toilets, one water tank, and three main campsites with fire rings and seats. When I arrived there, the two largest campsites were occupied. Because it was raining lightly outside, I cooked and had dinner in the tent and was surprised to see those who had been ahead of me, arriving. They told me that they had been lost. They had taken the Sugarloaf Circuit Track.
A misty and damp evening at Beeripmo Walk-in Camp
I retired early and slept quite well that night because I
had had very little sleep the night before.
It rained all night and all morning, so, I was not in a hurry to leave
because today’s walk would take only about four hours to get back to Richards
Camp. Two groups had left and I was the
third party to leave. After having a
look around at the other campsites and saying good bye to my neighbours, I set
off.
I continued along the wide Firebreak Track for
about one km to reach Freemans Track, that provides access to the Ferntree
Waterfalls. I crossed the Freemans
Track to continue on the main track, which became a foot pad, which was
overgrown and covered with ferns. The
views in mist this morning was fantastic, so, I had a few photo stops
Lovely view in the mist at noon
An over-grown part of the Beeripmo Track
The track gently climbed north for 150m, and then turned
sharply southwest for another 150m to a lookout. Leaving the lookout, the track swung northeast around a knoll
and then northwest about 100m to reach a track junction, which is the side
trip to Mt Buangor (987m). It was a
misty early afternoon, so, I did not bother with the side trip. I continued on the main track, heading
northeast for about 100m to reach a track junction with a signpost which shows
200m to Mugwamp Camp. I had been to
this camp before, so, I kept moving
onto Dawsons Rock, for lunch. There was
very limited view up there, apart from the Mugwamp Camp hut in the
distance.
After leaving the rock, the track descended steadily through forest, heading NNW down for about 650m to reach Mt Cole Road. Then, the track turned east about 30m to meet an old vehicle track, where I took the right turn and followed the Long Gully northeast, gently down over 2km with good views of the ferns along the gully.
After leaving the rock, the track descended steadily through forest, heading NNW down for about 650m to reach Mt Cole Road. Then, the track turned east about 30m to meet an old vehicle track, where I took the right turn and followed the Long Gully northeast, gently down over 2km with good views of the ferns along the gully.
Ferns in the Long Gully
The track then leaves the Long Gully and heads southeast across open steep slops. It descends steadily through forest until it swings northeast to meet the Grevillea Track signpost, which shows 700m to Richards Camp.
Steep gullies with the tall eucalypts
The track from the Grevillea Track to the Richards Camp is an easy walk through an open heathy forest.
To sum up, it is a great overnight walk with a great walk-in campground. The track is well-cut with foot tracks and markers. In addition, it takes a short drive to get there. Below is the GPS route, which is overlaid on the "Topo Memory-Map."
To sum up, it is a great overnight walk with a great walk-in campground. The track is well-cut with foot tracks and markers. In addition, it takes a short drive to get there. Below is the GPS route, which is overlaid on the "Topo Memory-Map."
