Distillery Creek to Moggs Creek Walk

This is a 7.5 km one-way walk from the upper Distillery Creek picnic ground to Moggs Creek Picnic Ground, through eucalypt forest and past Painkalac Dam. Allow about 2½ hours. It suits walkers who want an inland forest crossing and a reservoir stop; it is not a loop, so arrange a car shuttle before you start. The climb after the dam is steep enough that I’d call the full walk moderate, even though much of the route is on formed tracks.

Start near the toilet block and follow the forest track, with private farmland on your left. Fire-blackened trunks recall the 1983 bushfires and later fuel-reduction burns. After about 1 km, turn onto an unsealed access road; the dam comes roughly 3 km from the start. Cross the bridge below the spillway, pass beneath the wall, then climb to its far end for views over the reservoir and wooded slopes. Painkalac Dam once supplied Aireys Inlet, and picnic tables and an information board are beside the route. A signed Barwon Water spur adds about 2 km and is a separate detour.

After the dam, the route climbs a steep, unsigned gravel track through more open bush. Look for grass-trees, wattles, orchids and Narrow-leaf Bitter-pea, with views back toward the water. At Gentle Annie Track, cross it and take the walking trail on the right, not the bike trail. At Moggs Creek Circuit Track, take the left branch through ferns, cross the creek, then follow the cooler forest track to the picnic ground. There can be brief ocean glimpses through trees on the descent. Dogs aren’t allowed in Great Otway National Park.