Easy hikes and walks in Walmer Forest Reserve

Mount Alexander rises around 350 metres above Harcourt, with eucalypt forest, huge granite outcrops and plenty of openings where you can look across the surrounding goldfields. The mountain is culturally significant to the Dja Dja Wurrung People, who know it as Liyanganyuk, meaning “His Teeth”. In spring, look for wildflowers beneath the Manna Gums and Messmates, and keep an eye in the trees for koalas.

Ed’s Seat is a small granite lookout tucked into the forest on Mount Alexander, with the rocks opening to views north and west across the surrounding countryside. It’s much quieter and more understated than Dog Rocks, which gives it a nice tucked-away feel. The lookout sits just off the Leanganook Track and is sometimes also referred to locally as Cockatoo Rocks, so don’t be surprised if you see both names used.

Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park offers a glimpse into the past and works to preserve Australia's largest historical mining site. As you explore the parks you'll find the remnants of the Victorian Gold Rush strewn across the landscape. Moreover, rangers Ricki Nelson and Daikota Nelson continue in the footsteps of their grandfather, Brien Nelson, in documenting and teaching the history of the land's traditional owners the Djaara people.

This site presents an opportunity to relive a bit of Victoria's gold rush history. The puddling works were used to separate the gold from the heavy clay that was too sticky and thick for standard tools. These days only the ruins remain, but it's easy to imagine the scale of the once thriving mining operations that took place here.

Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is loaded with mining history and you'll truly feel like you're in the heart of it as you explore these ruins. There are more cottages and larger buildings a short distance away at Welsh Village, but it's important to watch your step as you explore the ruins as there are open mine shafts and pits dotted around the area.

Near the northern parking area on Mount Alexander, Lang’s Lookout sits on a large granite platform surrounded by massive boulders and exposed rock. The short walk from the car park leads to open views across Sutton Grange and the surrounding plains, with the rocky outcrops giving this section of the mountain a more dramatic feel. The lookout is named after James H. Lang, who helped push for the construction of the tourist road across Mount Alexander in the 1920s.

Mount Alexander Regional Park protects a landscape of granite boulder formations, dry eucalypt forest, and historic goldfields terrain rising above central Victoria. The mountain, known as Leanganook to the Dja Dja Wurrung people, holds strong cultural significance and forms part of the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung Nation. Walking tracks pass through forest, rocky outcrops, and old mining areas, with elevated sections providing wide views across the surrounding plains and ranges.

Leanganook Track climbs through eucalypt forest and granite outcrops across Mount Alexander, following part of the wider Goldfields Track and Great Dividing Trail network. The route includes dirt bush track, rocky sections, and steeper climbs toward the summit areas, where large granite boulders and exposed viewpoints become more prominent. “Leanganook” is the Dja Dja Wurrung name for Mount Alexander, commonly translated as “his teeth,” reflecting the jagged granite formations along the mountain ridge.