Yarram-Wannon Multi-day Hike

A point-to-point, three-day backpacking trip of about 24 km one way, walked from Jimmy Creek Campground to the Griffin Fireline Trailhead with nights at Yarram and Wannon hike-in campgrounds. It is a secluded walk through previously untracked country on the southern reaches of the Mt William Range, climbing and descending six knolls and saddles between ancient old-growth forest and lower swampland plains.

Day 1 (7.3 km) crosses the road from Jimmy Creek, climbs onto the range and follows its southern extent past eastern farmland, waterways and wetlands, then works through a gully beneath high cliffs to a camp on a high saddle at Yarram.

Day 2 (11.1 km) drops steeply into a gully, reaches the western edge for jagged Serra Range views, then climbs and descends rocky knolls, crosses Yarram Gap Road and finishes in the open grass clearing at Wannon.

Day 3 (5.6 km) leaves Wannon through a forested saddle and descends open woodland and grassland to the Wannon River, crossing it and following a boardwalk through wildflower-rich woodland before reaching Grampians Tourist Road and the Griffin Fireline Trailhead.

Australian Grade 4, and a practical 7 out of 10 with a loaded pack. Expect long, rough and sometimes very steep sections, limited directional signage and sustained ups and downs, with the route sampling roughly 277 to 640 m in elevation and plenty of cumulative climbing. Footing shifts between rocky, rough and uneven track, forest floor, gully ground, grassland and timber boardwalk. Hazards worth respecting include steep and loose ground, cliff edges above the day one gully and the Wannon River crossing.

The walk trades between shaded old-growth forest, native Oyster Bay Pines, open woodland and swampy plains, with farmland and wetlands out to the east and southeast and views across to the Serra Range and Mt Abrupt. Spring is the best time for wildflowers and plant detail along the lower woodland and boardwalk. For photography, plan to be settled at Wannon Campground for sunset on night two, and give yourself time at the western edge on day two for the Serra Range views.

Yarram and Wannon each have a mix of timber tent platforms and granite-sand pads, unpowered communal cooking areas, basic toilets and water collection points. Tank water is untreated, so treat it before drinking, and carry enough between camps. Fuel stoves are allowed and open campfires are not. The trip is booked as an all-inclusive two-night itinerary and needs advance booking.

Because it finishes far from the start, a car shuttle is required; if you only have one vehicle, contact the park information centre to arrange an option before you commit. Mobile coverage is patchy or absent in places, so carry a paper map and a means of emergency communication and leave your plan with someone. Dogs are not permitted on the route under the normal national park rule, with assistance dogs handled under separate rules.

This is a demanding, low-signage route where the reward is solitude rather than dramatic set-piece lookouts, and the shuttle logistics plus fixed two-night booking make it inflexible if plans change. If you want the same country in a single easier outing, the adjacent Yarram Gap Road to Wannon section is a much shorter day alternative.