Parking
Use the unnamed dirt-road access off Mafeking Road to Mafeking Picnic Area; space fits about three cars, with extra roadside parking where the access road loops.
Overview
About Mafeking Brownings Loop Walk
Why go
- Old gold workings give the short loop a clear sense of place
- Quiet bush setting with a boardwalked section
Heads up
- Small parking area
- Mine shafts make leaving the track unsafe
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grampians map
Full mapElevation497–566 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
5 active Grampians alerts
- ClosureBushfire-damaged walks and picnic area remain closedMentions this trailThe Fortress, Red Gum, Billimina, Chimney Pots and Brownings Loop walks, plus Mafeking Picnic Area, remain closed because of track or site damage from the 2024/25 summer bushfires.Official details
- ClosureMackenzie Falls precinct closed during constructionThe Mackenzie Falls (Migunang wirab) Precinct has no vehicle or visitor access during major construction works expected to finish by the end of 2026.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grampians Tour Guide
Your drive to Mafeking Brownings Loop Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grampians National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Mafeking: A Walk Through the Goldfield0:00 / 0:20
“You're approaching Mafeking Picnic Area, the start of the Brownings Loop through an old goldfield.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Joey’s First Climb
- Twenty Minutes for the Birds
- Why This Goldfield Is Called Mafeking
- Why Mafeking's Gold Lay in Gullies
- 233 audio storiesacross Grampians’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Short-beaked Echidna, Powerful Owl, Wedge-tailed Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 81 trails, 62 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Mafeking Brownings Loop Walk
The short versionA 2 km closed loop from Mafeking Picnic Area, taking about one hour at a relaxed pace.
A 2 km closed loop from Mafeking Picnic Area, taking about one hour at a relaxed pace. It is graded Grade 2 (easy), sitting between roughly 490 m and 550 m with around 94 m of total climb spread over gentle undulations and a few short rises.
How the walk unfoldsThe track leaves beside the commemorative monument at the picnic area and swings out through…
The track leaves beside the commemorative monument at the picnic area and swings out through dry forest and open bushland in the northern Grampians. It follows old alluvial gold workings, threading past mine shafts and large worked gullies before curving back to the start. There are occasional glimpses toward the Mount Difficult Range, though these are secondary to the historic workings and the quiet bush setting. The payoff is the sense of walking through a former goldfield rather than any single lookout.
Footing and difficultyMostly easy going and suited to most walkers with average fitness.
Mostly easy going and suited to most walkers with average fitness. Expect a natural surface with some uneven ground, and sections that can be lightly overgrown depending on how recently the track has been cleared. Limbs may fall from trees in wooded sections, and there are areas of unstable cliff edge and slippery rock off the track.
Mining history and hazardsThe site commemorates the 1900 gold discovery here, when the area supported a goldfield and…
The site commemorates the 1900 gold discovery here, when the area supported a goldfield and township. The remains are the main interest: shafts, disturbed creek beds and deeply worked gullies right beside the route. Many shafts are fitted with safety grates, but some may be hidden in undergrowth. Stay on the track for the entire loop and keep children close.
Access and parkingAccess is via an unnamed dirt road off Mafeking Road, with 2WD access reported as possible.
Access is via an unnamed dirt road off Mafeking Road, with 2WD access reported as possible. Parking at Mafeking Picnic Area fits about three cars, with extra roadside space where the access road loops. Facilities at the start are two picnic tables, a single fire pit with barbecue plate, an information sign, the commemorative monument, and a drop toilet with a water tank across the gravel road.
RulesDogs are not allowed, and assistance dogs are covered by separate official entry requirements.
Dogs are not allowed, and assistance dogs are covered by separate official entry requirements. Fires, horses, firearms, generators and bicycles are also prohibited.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grampians
157 sightingsShort-beaked EchidnaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
37 sightingsPowerful OwlMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
59 sightingsWedge-tailed EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
24 sightingsEastern Brown SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
10 sightingsTiger SnakeMost seen around noonSighting map
29 sightingsRed-bellied Black SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grampians. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
