On a cold, wet miserable Sunday we found ourselves looking up some of the best walks for kids around Melbourne. We decided to try the Anakie Gorge Walk.
We have done this short walk before, years ago before the kids, when we were camping at Brisbane Ranges.
The longer of the walks (Ted Errey Nature Circuit) starts and finishes at the Anakie Gorge Picnic Area and passes through the Stony Creek Picnic Area. The 3 hour return Anakie Gorge Walk follows Stony Creek and leads through the Anakie gorge in the Brisbane Ranges National Park.
Distance Markers!
The shorter return track which leaves from the Anakie Gorge Picnic area to the Stony Creek picnic area (or vise versa) is along a relatively flat path for an hour or so in both directions. Ned and Olive found this totally manageable and I think this would be a good introduction to hiking for younger kids.
The path crosses over a number of rock ‘bridges’ which would have been awesome if the creek was flowing. We visited in March and it was bone dry (it was wet and rainy but not enough to fill the creek).
Rock hopping – would be fun if the river was flowing
The picnic grounds at Stony Creek and Anakie Gorge have wood barbecues (BYO wood), toilets, tables and seats. Bring your own water.
The most interesting part of the walk for the kids was seeing the pipes and the tunnels. There are plenty of history signboards along the path which explain either nature or historical aspects of the area. The kids were desperate to try and crawl through one of the tunnels but they were fenced off – to stop exactly this happening!
Tunnel and historical marker
This is definitely not the most exciting walk we have ever done, but it got us out of the house for a few hours on a dreary day. We all felt refreshed and awake after a couple of hours in nature.
The Anakie Gorge Walk is a great short walk for kids around Melbourne, it is approx 1 hour from Melbourne. On a nice day it would be lovely to pack a picnic and sit and enjoy the picnic areas rather than just rushing through like we did.
The landscape of the Anakie Gorge Walk
Overall, if you feel like you have exhausted all of the short walks for kids around Melbourne; then give this one a go. As with all walks, check-in with Parks Vic first as to whether there are any updates to the tracks etc.
The kids were fascinated with the leaves
Do you like hiking with your kids? Let me know in the comments below. We love hearing about new walks!
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