The You Yangs are located about 45 minutes southwest of Melbourne and they form a series of granite ridges that rise from flat volcanic plains between Melbourne and Geelong.
What I really enjoyed about this 7km You Yangs hike was the constant opportunities to look out and over the surrounding valley.
The views are unreal, particularly on a sunny day which I had for this particular hike.
A little similar to the nearby Werribee Gorge Circuit, the track is well-formed but rocky in some sections.
One of the key differences is that you are constantly surrounded by randomly placed granite boulders on the track.
I started the hike from the busy Turntable car park where there are plenty of spots to sit and have a picnic.
I had arrived at around 10:15am and the car park was pretty much full, so I’d recommend getting there a little earlier than what I did. Particularly if you are with a group.
The East Walk section of this You Yangs hike is predominantly uphill with a short downhill section that merges onto the West Walk section.
As mentioned before, there are plenty of spots to check out the surrounding areas and valleys, so you won’t be starved of opportunities to take a photo or 10.
The West Walk section is flat, to begin with, and then slowly winds its way down to the intersection where you can head up to Flinders Peak.
There are plenty of boulders on either side of the track to sit under and take some nice photos as well.
However, it was disappointing to see some of them had been written on by people clearly up to no good.
It was on this part of the hike that I came across a snake lying across our path. After a few photos, and not wanting to disturb it, I moved on looking for somewhere to stop for something to eat.
After I had found a decent location for lunch, I kept on with my journey down to the aforementioned intersection.
From memory, the trail to the peak is advertised as 450 steps and was a relatively gentle climb to the top.
I stopped for an extended break at the summit where there was a small lookout deck and plenty of places to sit and relax.
Depending on your pace, you will almost certainly make it back down much quicker than you did walking to the top, and before you know it you will be back at the trailhead.
Overall, this was yet another fantastic hike located in a very picturesque area just outside of Melbourne. Some websites label this hike as moderate, but I felt it was fairly easy.
I came across many families with small children and dogs walking both the East-West Walk and the trail heading up to Flinders Peak.
So, if you are looking for somewhere to take the kids on a weekend, be sure to check out this wonderful You Yangs hike.
You can download this trail, and follow along, from my WikiLoc account.
The Stats – You Yangs East-West Walk
Length (km): 7kms (according to WikiLoc)
Time: 2hrs and 45mins (moving time of 2hrs and 6mins)
Average Speed: 2.54 km/h
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Return/Circuit/One Way: Circuit
Location: You Yangs
Maximum elevation: 350m (according to WikiLoc)
