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For more information call the Parks Victoria Information Centre

on 13 1963 or visit our website at www.parkweb.vic.gov.au

Healthy Parks Healthy People

Visiting a park can improve your health, mind, body and

soul. So, with over four million hectares of parkland available to Victorians, why not escape

to a park today!

Tour guides

A number of commercial tour operators run 4WD

and horseriding tours in this area. Contact the

Parks Victoria Information Centre or visit the

website.

Take care!

All visitors, and especially walkers, should realise

that weather conditions can change rapidly in

mountain and alpine areas. Cold wet weather can

be experienced at any time of the year and water

can be extremely scarce in summer.

Always be prepared with:

Warm clothing

Wind and waterproof jacket

Gloves, hat and strong footwear

First aid kit and sunscreen

Energy food and water

Compass and relevant topographical map

Before you go, let someone know where you are

going, and when you expect to return. Also,

please keep your group small.

Please keep to walking tracks, particularly in old

gold mining areas where there may be mine

shafts or unsafe cliff edges.

Grant – in the past

Although 1864 and 1865 are seen as the great

boom years of the district, alluvial gold had been

discovered along the rivers as early as 1850.

Quartz (reef) gold was discovered in the Crooked

River area by one of Angus McMillan’s parties,

cutting a track from Omeo to the Jordan. The new

reef was called the Pioneer after McMillan’s

favourite horse. A few months later more reefs

were uncovered on Mt Pleasant: the Union,

Italian, Mathieson and Jolly Sailor.

A township known initially as Mt Pleasant, grew up

on the high ridge above the crooked river. By

February 1865 a town plan had been drawn up

and it was estimated there were between 700 and

800 people living there. Grant was renamed after

a brief visit by the Commission for Lands, JM

Grant, in March 1865.

By the end of 1865 there were fifteen hotels, a

church, courthouse, police station and lockup,

medical hall, numerous stores and a newspaper

office publishing once a week – the Crooked River

Chronicle. The population grew to just on 2000.

The mining industry boomed through the later half

of the 1860’s. Eight crushing mills driven by steam

or water were erected, tramways built and 250

reefs were registered. But only ten years later

most of the gold was gone and the town

Grant Historic Area

Visitor Guide

A variety of vehicle and walking tracks wander through the forgotten goldfields of Grant and

the Crooked River. Little remains of the once thriving townships, but it is still possible to find

crumbling chimneys, cemeteries and rusted machinery hidden throughout the bush. There are

pleasant camping sites along the grassy river flats at Talbotville or high on the ridge top at

Grant Historic Area.

Location and access

Grant is five kilometres west along McMillan Road

(Grant Road) from the Dargo High Plains Road

and can be reached in a conventional two wheel

drive car. The Grant turnoff is 17km north of

Dargo or 52km south of Mount St Bernard (on the

Great Alpine Road).

Access along the Crooked River Road is by 4WD

only, from the ford on the Wongungarra River at

Glenlea. Numerous roads and tracks in the area

are only suitable for 4WD vehicles, with many

closed seasonally between early June and late

October.

Things to see and do

Car touring

The main attractions of the Grant Historic Area are

accessible in a conventional 2WD car, although

some roads are rough and steep in sections. Take

particular care on McMillan Road between Grant

and Talbotville.

There are many early gold mining sites to explore

in Bulltown and Hogtown along the Crooked River

and the Pioneer Racecourse and Howitville along

the Wongungarra River but a 4WD vehicle is

needed to negotiate the rough tracks and river

crossings.

Please do not remove or disturb mining sites.

A few millimetres of rain can turn a dirt track into

one that is treacherous and/or impassable – even

for them most experienced driver. In addition to

this considerable damage occurs to 4WD tracks

when used in wet conditions.

Please remember:

Check road conditions and river crossing

levels before starting out.

Vehicle access is limited to formed roads and

tracks open to the public.

Many roads and tracks are closed seasonally

for environmental and safety reasons.

On horseback

The area is excellent for horseriding in remote

country. Keep to the tracks and ensure that your

horses are secure at night.

The Bicentennial National Trail, a long distance

national trail designed primarily for horseriding,

passes through the Grant Historic Area on its

journey from Healesville in Victoria to Cooktown in

Queensland. Watch out for the distinctive red and

yellow markers along McMillans Track from the

Pioneer Racecourse to the Dargo High Plains

Road.

Fishing

Fishing is popular in the area, especially along the

Crooked, Wongungarra and Wonnangatta Rivers.

An amateur fishing licence is required – please

also check that the trout fishing season is open for

the rivers and fishing bag limits are observed.

Camping

There are two camping areas with basic facilities

such as pit toilets, fireplaces and picnic tables:-

Grant - On the edge of the township clearing.

From here it is possible to explore the once busy

streets of the town or walk to the Jolly Sailor

battery site and Grant cemetery.

Talbotville - On the grassy banks of the Crooked

River.

Jeweller’s Shop Mine (day visitor area) -

Provides water for a small picnic area tucked in

below the adit on the track to the Union mine.

Apparently the mine didn’t produce water until

after Grant was abandoned, a missed opportunity

as water in Grant was scarce and sold by the

barrel from a horse and cart.

For further information

Parks Victoria

Information Centre

Call 13 1963

or visit our website at

www.parkweb.vic.gov.au

Parks Victoria offices at:

Dargo & Heyfield Ph 13 1963

Caring for the

environment

Help us look after your park

by following these guidelines:

All native plants, animals,

archaeological and historic

sites are protected by law

Take rubbish home with you

Choose a firm, dry, well

drained camp site at least 20

metres from any water course

Use of vehicles, including trail

bikes, is restricted to existing

roads and tracks. Vehicles

must be fully registered and

drivers licensed

Use a portable stove instead

of lighting a fire, especially

above or near the treeline

Always check fire danger

forecasts. No fires (including

stoves) may be lit on days of

Total Fire Ban. The park is in

the West & South Gippsland

Fire Ban District

Do not pollute waterways with

refuse, detergent or human

waste. Use existing toilets or

bury your waste at least 100

m from any waterway or camp

site

Wash up away from streams

to protect the fragile stream

environment

Enjoy a visit to a hut but do

not use them for

accommodation. Always carry

a tent

Please don’t throw this park

note away. Keep it, return it to

the office for others to use or

recycle it

was largely deserted. By 1902 there were only six

families, the last residents leaving in 1916.

Other publications

For more details and extensive coverage of the

Crooked River Goldfields see the following

publications:

‘Victoria’s Forgotten Goldfield’ by RW Christie

and GD Gray

‘Ghosts and Gold in the Victorian High

Country’ by RW Christie

‘Dargo Crooked River, A Pictorial History’ by

RW Christie

‘McMillans Track’ brochure

‘Bicentennial National Trail’ booklet(s)

Maps:

Vicmap 1:50,000 ‘Crooked River – Steve’

Adventurer Series 1:25,000 ‘Grant

Historic Adventurer’

Stuart Brookes 1:70,000 ‘Crooked River

(including Grant Historic Area)’

Alpine National Park park notes:

Our Mountain Heritage

- around Heyfield, Licola & Dargo

Valleys and Bluffs

- around Mansfield & Whitfield

The High Country

- around Bright, Mt Beauty & Omeo

Wilderness and the Snowy

- around Benambra, Buchan & Bonang

Source of the Rivers

- around Mitta Mitta, Omeo, Tallangatta &

Corryong

Horseriding in the Alpine National Park

January 2014 Printed on 100% Recycled Paper

Walking

McMillans Track In 1864, veteran explorer Angus McMIllan was called out of semi-retirement at Dargo by the Victorian Government to lead a track cutting expedition through Gippsland's high country. His work linked the goldfields and towns of Omeo, Dargo, Crooked River, Harrietville, Woods Point and the Jordan. The main track from Omeo to the Jordan was 2.4m wide and suitable for packhorses.

1. McMillans Track (Talbotville to Eaglevale)

The width and work along this section of the historic McMillans Track suggests that it was once part of the original bush track into the Wonnangatta Station. Along the way dramatic views of The Pinnacles and Snowy Bluff can be seen in the distance with lush river flats far below.

Starting from Talbotville the walk can be broken into 3 sections:

• Crossing the Crooked River at the Talbotville ford, walk up the Brewery Creek Track. After 1km leave the road and climb over a spur before dropping down to the large grassy flats of Pioneer Racecourse on the Wongungarra River. Take extreme care crossing the river as water levels can be high at certain times of the year.

• From Pioneer Racecourse it is a steep climb up the Station (4WD) Track to the Cynthia Range Track running along the top of the high ridge.

• McMillans Track continues steeply down the western side of the ridge eventually following a series of switchbacks to Eaglevale on the Wonnangatta River.

2. McMillans Track (alternative Crooked River route)

This section of track was opened in 1990 to avoid the long 26km walk along the Dargo High Plains Road to Kings Spur. The track follows the Crooked River and an old mining track along Twenty-five Mile Creek.

3. McMillans Walk (Jeff Davis Spur route)

This is the original route cut by McMillan in 1864. The track climbs the Jeff Davis Spur from the junction of the Crooked River and Good Luck Creek to the Dargo High Plains Road which now replaces the original track.

4. Dry Foot Walking Track (start opposite the Talbotville Cemetery)

The track slowly meanders down the dry ridge giving scenic views of the Crooked River and small grassy flats along it. The track meets the Crooked River Track eight river crossings upstream from Talbotville. If you don't want to walk back to Talbotville along the river (wet foot track!) a 4WD vehicle is required to pick you up. Be sure to check status of the track following any fires.

5. New Good Hope Mine – allow 1 hour return

Start from the Crooked River Track, 12 river crossings from Talbotville where a short walking track takes you to the New Good Hope battery site. Ore carts lie abandoned and the boiler and stamper still sit in their original positions.

In an ambitious project, this adit was commenced in 1906 to connect up with the Old Good Hope workings on the other side of the spur. By 1914 the adit was 3,350 feet in length, however it failed to intercept the reef and with no payable gold discovered was abandoned. The Old Good Hope Mine which operated on and off from 1865 until 1915 was the most consistent producer of gold in the area, but not the richest.

There is no formal walking track to the Old Good Hope battery site, however old bridle trails zig-zag down the steep spur. 6. Jolly Sailor Mine - allow 2 hours return

Start from either the small camping area at Grant (behind information shelter) or the carpark on the Jolly Sailor Spur Track.

A pleasant walk to the old township of Grant, the track passes the Jolly Sailor mine and battery site as well as an old square chimney, thought to have been built for smelting gold.

7. El Dorado Walking Track - allow 2.5 hours down to Jungle Creek & Randall's Track

Start from McMillans Track, 5 kilometres from the Dargo High Plains Road - a 4WD will be required to pick you up on Randall's Track.

Some exploring may be required to pick up the start of the track on the broad spur at McMillans Track and although not formally marked, becomes a well defined track which was originally cut to link Grant with the Jungle Creek alluvial workings. The eastern side of the spur was mined early in the 1860's.

The track winds down the spur with views of the surrounding mountains - Snowy Bluff, Mount Dawson and Mount Kent. Lower down Billy Goat Bluff Track can be seen climbing out of the Wonnangatta Valley up to The Pinnacles.

8. Jungle Creek Falls - allow 1 hour return

Start from the Hibernia Spur Track, 5.7 kilometres from the Dargo High Plains Road.

This unmarked track is relatively steep and offers excellent views back into the Wongungurra Valley. The small waterfall was originally 'found' by Jean Gamel who was involved in establishing the accommodation house and store, the "Bandicoot Arms". Unbeknown to Gamel, he directed some miners to the area and an exceedingly rich gold strike.