Swifts Creek + Surrounds Walks & Rides
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Discover the Wonder of Swifts Creek + Surrounds One Step at a Time
Walks
Walks & Rides in Swifts Creek, Cassilis, Ensay, and Bindi
From riverside strolls and country lanes to historic gold rush trails and scenic cycling routes, the Swifts Creek region offers walks and rides for every type of explorer.
Stretching across Swifts Creek, Ensay, Cassilis, Bindi and the surrounding high country, these trails reveal spectacular valley views, historic landmarks, native wildlife and stories of East Gippsland’s pioneering past.
Whether you’re seeking a gentle walk beside the river, a family-friendly ride, or a more challenging hike through old mining country, you’ll find plenty of ways to slow down, connect with nature and uncover a different side of East Gippsland.
Download the detailed trails guide developed by Swifts Creek locals and a copy of their trails map for directions, details of each walk, bonus attractions, campsites and contacts to make your booking.
Please check conditions before you travel, carry water, wear appropriate footwear and be aware of snakes during warmer months.
Ensay: Horsfall Street to Little River Road
Approx. 90 minutes return
Difficulty: Moderate, slight incline. Sealed road.
Distance: 5km return
Head east along Horsfall Street past the Little River Inn noting on your right the historic Ensay Calf and Sheep yards and the accompanying mural on your left. Sheep and calf sales have been held annually in the Ensay yards since 1920, the last sale being held in 2025.
Follow the road over the bridge across the Little River bearing left onto the Little River Road. Proceed up the hill past picturesque cattle properties. As you reach the summit the view opens out onto historic Ensay Station, where the much photographed ruins of the Ensay Station Woolshed can be seen. The beautiful Little River wends its way across paddocks managed by high country cattle producers for more than 100 years. Ensay Station Homestead can be seen in the distance.
Please note that no public access is available to the Ensay Station Woolshed, Ensay Station property nor the Ensay Station Homestead.
Nearby food: Little River Inn
Nearby accommodation: Ensay Recreation Reserve
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Ensay: Ensay to Doctors Flat Walk
Approx.3.5 hours return
Difficulty: Easy to moderate. Sealed road.
Distance: 15km return
Start at the Ensay Recreation Reserve and head off along the picturesque Ensay-Doctors Flat Road to the Great Alpine Road in Doctors Flat.
Check out the mural featuring the old Doctors Flat Pub, and settler Dr Alexander Arbuckle, who was the first doctor in East Gippsland, arriving in 1840, and also (allegedly) the first planter of potatoes in the area. The pub was moved to Swifts Creek in 1926.
Nearby food: Ensay Winery, Little River Inn
Nearby accommodation: Ensay Recreation Reserve
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Ensay: Cemetary Walk
For history lovers, a visit to the Ensay Cemetery provides fascinating insight into the area’s pioneering families and early settlers. Established in the 1890s, it tells the stories of the communities who helped shape the Tambo Valley.
The Ensay Cemetery was gazetted on 22 December 1893, and the first burial noted in the cemetery register for the new site was Norah Hamilton, aged 16 years. She died 30 January 1894 and was buried 31 January 1894. Her parents were Thomas McKnight Hamilton, Grazier, and Martha Rutledge. The next set of burials were on 22 April 1895 when two children; Charlotte Helen McCoy (aged 7 years) and Duncan Robert McCoy (2 years), were interred.
Both children died of diphtheria. Their parents were James McCoy (Farmer) and Margaret McDougall. Charlotte died 18 April 1895, and Robert died 19 April 1895. Thomas Taylor, a well-known early pioneer who arrived in Ensay in 1887 as a young man of 20 was buried at the cemetery in March 1953 at the age of 85.
Nearby food: Little River Inn
Nearby accommodation: Ensay Recreation Reserve
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 30 minutes
Swifts Creek: The Poets Walk
Approx. 20 to 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy, natural surface.
Distance: 1.2km loop
A River’s Mark, a poem by the late Swifts Creek artist, John Butler, inspired the creation of this Poet’s Walk and his poem is immortalised on a series of cairns along the walk. Start at the Great Alpine Road bridge (just past the police station) and follow the trail along Swifts Creek to its junction with the Tambo River, then along the Tambo River to McMillan Road by the Caravan Park.
The walk has been carefully regenerated and planted with native shrubs, plants and trees. This is an ideal break and a quiet spot for lunch or coffee. Tables and seating are provided for breaks.
Please take any rubbish or dog poo with you for disposal (bins are available outside the Swifts Creek IGA/Village Store).
Nearby food: Creekers Café, Swifts Creek Bakery
Nearby accommodation: Swifts Creek Caravan and Tourist Park
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
To read the River’s Mark poem click through to our detailed guide to Swifts Creek Town Walks.
Swifts Creek to Sheltons Lane
Difficulty: Easy, along a natural surfaced pathway.
Distance: 2km return
A great little walk to stretch the legs after a long drive and ideal exercise for a dog or small children. Start outside the Junction Hotel, past
Creekers Café, Swifts Creek School and the post office, the stately avenue of Plane Trees that were planted by members of the Swifts Creek Country Women’s Association in 1934 to mark the Centenary of Victoria.
Stop for a rest on the Mosaic Seat created by Great Alpine Gallery Artists with the help of children from Swifts Creek Primary School. Cross the small pedestrian bridge into Sheltons Lane and enjoy the sweeping views of the river flats and the high forested ridges of the hills above the Tambo Valley.
Nearby food: Creekers Café, Swifts Creek Bakery
Nearby accommodation: Swifts Creek Caravan and Tourist Park
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 15 minutes one way
Swifts Creek Caravan Park to McLarty’s Gate
Difficulty: Easy, natural surface.
Distance: 2km return
Popular with locals, this walk begins at the caravan park at the McMillan Street bridge over the Tambo River and continues for one kilometre to the farm gate across the road. This quiet country lane, with its rustic wooden fences and pleasant views of the surrounding farmland, hugs the course of the river.
It is shaded by a number of magnificent, mature eucalyptus trees, predominantly Yellow Box.
In the early hours of the morning or evening, especially during cooler months, keep a look out for the platypus – Ornithorhynchus anatinus – which forage for worms and aquatic insects in and along the banks of the river.
Nearby food: Creekers Café, Swifts Creek Bakery
Nearby accommodation: Swifts Creek Caravan and Tourist Park
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 20 to 25 minutes return
Swifts Creek Road to Doctors Flat
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Distance: 14km return
The route starts at Swifts Creek East Road opposite the Swifts Creek Caravan Park, beside the scenic Tambo River. The road is sealed, suitable for walking and riding. It winds through riverside eucalypts, rolling farmland and lush farmland to Doctors Flat (named after Dr Arbuckle as depicted on the mural).
There are plenty of opportunities to stop beside the river and enjoy the views, with trout fishing spots dotted along the route.
Nearby food: Creekers Café
Nearby accommodation: Swifts Creek Caravan and Tourist Park
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 3.5 hours return
Swifts Creek to Omeo Via Cassilis Loop
Difficulty: Easy to moderate on sealed road but some very steep sections on the run up to Omeo. Return along the Great Alpine Road to Swifts Creek.
Distance: 60km return ride
Travelling from Swifts Creek to Omeo via the fully sealed Cassilis Road offers a scenic alternative to the Great Alpine Road. Watch out for mobs of emus, especially in the middle section, and kangaroos and wallabies, particularly in the evening.
The road ascends from 330m at Swifts Creek to 685m at Omeo. The first 5km of Cassilis Road are gently undulating until Ben’s Crossing, where the road starts gently upwards for the next few kilometres to the Charlotte Spur Rd, around 10km from the ride start. The road flattens for a while, and the more open country offers a chance for a short rest under a shady tree.
The road then gets steeper until Mt Delusion Road, 18km from the start. Cassilis Road then undulates with a downhill run to Livingston Creek. The road then continues to the Great Alpine Road, turn right into Omeo, 32km from the start.
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 5-6 hours return
Cassilis: Mt Hepburn (King Cassilis) Mine Trail
Difficulty: Hard. Steep sections.
Distance: 2km return
To visit this historic gold mining area, drive 10km from Swifts Creek or 20km from Omeo on the Cassilis Road. Turn on to Charlotte Spur Track, and you can park here by the notice boards or cross the Swifts Creek ford after 150m and turn left 30 metres past the ford on to an unmarked track. The walk to King Cassilis Mine follows a 4WD track up the hill. After 200m pass a mullock heap and adit (horizontal tunnel) – site of a mine known as the Boatman.
Continuing on a lower track leads to the main adit of the Mt Hepburn Mine. Continue back up the hill and along the main track to the workings known as the Chamber of Horrors. This large cavity is where the gold-bearing stone was mined. Continue along the steeply descending track. At the bottom of this section see the fireplace remains in the gully above the track. A short distance along are the remains of an old explosives magazine store. Continue through the treatment works to complete the loop.
Nearby food: Cassilis Estate
Nearby accommodation: Cassilis Recreation Reserve
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
For more great walks in Cassilis, check out our comprehensive Cassilis walks blog post.
Approx. 90 minutes return
Cassilis: Rileys Creek Road
Difficulty: Easy on sealed road leading to dirt road.
Distance: 4km return (no through road)
This gentle walk or ride follows a quiet road beside Rileys Creek. With plenty of shade and opportunities to spot wildlife, it’s an ideal route for a relaxed morning outing.
Keep an eye out for emus, wallabies and perhaps even a platypus.
Nearby food: Cassilis Estate
Nearby accommodation: Cassilis Recreation Reserve
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 1 hour return
Cassilis: Cemetery and Recreation Reserve
Difficulty: Easy, natural surface
Distance: 1.5km return
Cassilis Recreation Reserve
Perfect for a break in a serene and shady spot. Kangaroos and wallabies are often seen resting and mobs of wild emus regularly wander about the area. The Reserve was gazetted in 1896 and has served as a location for picnic races and community events for many years. In 2012 a Memorial Arboretum was established within the Reserve to remember loved ones, with plantings of deciduous & native trees and an orchard for the community to enjoy.
Facilities include an undercover shelter, two toilets with disabled access, water, BBQ facilities, fire pit, tables and chairs. There is also a gazebo, picnic tables and chairs available for hire. This is a free campsite with a limit of up to 10 sites. To gain access to the Recreation Reserve for camping visitors can call Howard Reddish on 0437 571 266 or Debra Herbertson on 0425 850 148.
Community Markets are held seasonally for both visitors and locals to enjoy.
Cassilis Cemetery
Cassilis Cemetery, also known as Tongio West/Cassilis Cemetery, is a historic rural cemetery serving the local gold rush villages, with its reserve gazetted in 1877. While the earliest headstone dates to 1884, it may contain around 200 burials. The cemetery has limited surviving headstones due to vandalism in the mid 20th century, but recent geophysical surveys have identified potential grave sites which have been marked with pavers.
The cemetery is known as a serene, peaceful, and shady location and has a number of beautiful large trees which are on the National Trust Significant Tree Register.
Nearby food: Cassilis Estate
Nearby accommodation: Cassilis Recreation Reserve camping area
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 30 minutes
Cassilis: Jirnkee Race Walk
Difficulty: Hard. Very steep sections, unformed track, directional markers.
Distance: 2km return
This walk of the final section of the historic Jirnkee Race begins 900m north-west of Charlotte Spur Track on the Cassilis Road. A large tree stump on the left side of the road (coming from Swifts Creek) marks the start of the walk. Look for the orange markers. The track, flat at first, follows an old miners’ path which heads uphill towards the final section of the Jirnkee Water Race.
It is well worth the steep climb through the Box Eucalypt forest to see the trench where the race once gave way to a steel pipeline used for both water sluicing of the gravel beds below and for power generation, and up to the race termination point where gates once controlled water flow.
From here the track is almost flat as it hugs the plateau where the race was dug into the rocky ground using hand tools. The views from the plateau to the surrounding ranges are spectacular in places. The track veers back downhill to the starting point after about 300 metres. Follow the markers to the bottom – beware, the descent is steep and the surface sometimes unstable.
Nearby food: Cassilis Estate
Nearby accommodation: Cassilis Recreation Reserve
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
More Cassilis bushwalks.
Approx. 90 minutes return
Bindi: Old Bindi Road Loop
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 5km loop
Ride or drive to the Bindi Road turn off along the Great Alpine Road. Park at the bus stop and walk/ride the 8km to the water tank, or park at the water tank and turn right towards the yellow house, along Old Bindi Road for the 5km loop.
This route crosses the small Junction Creek, which is generally navigable at ankle depth (stones are in place to help the crossing), but a walking stick is recommended to cross if uncertain. Locals leave sticks/branches here for visitors to use, but sometimes local dogs run off with them. Continue to the junction with Nunniong Road and turn right, past horses and farmland to the bridge across the Tambo River.
At the junction with Bindi Road, turn right looping back to the water tank. A lovely quiet route across pastoral land and friendly horses, kangaroos at dusk, with views of the state forest, Mt Bindi and the beginnings of the Nunniong Forest Drive.
Nearby food: Swifts Creek township
Nearby accommodation: Tambo Valley Golf Club precinct and nearby camping options
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 90 minutes return
Reedy Flat: Reedy Flat Memorial Walk
Difficulty: Easy, gently rising terrain. Sealed road, then a natural surface.
Distance: 20km return drive/walk (4km) combination
The Reedy Flat World War One memorial is 10 km off the Great Alpine Road, south of Swifts Creek, on Sandy Creek Road. Follow the road for 7km and then turn right into Hammonds Road. (You could walk from here).
The memorial is 2.5 km from the turn off. Park at the Memorial and walk for 2km further along Hammonds Road for gorgeous views of rolling hills, pastoral land and the Nunniong Ranges looming up in the distance.
Return to the Memorial for refreshments on the bench seats. The First World War memorial was conceived of, designed, funded, built and maintained entirely by local people. Thirty three men enlisted, nine of whom lost their lives. Descendants of these men still reside in the district. Peaceful, quiet country.
Download the detailed trails guide for more information.
Approx. 1 hour return
Before You Head Off on Your Walk, Ride, or Drive...
Save a copy of the Swifts Creek + Surrounds Walking Map and Detailed Trail Guide. Be sure to carry water, wear suitable footwear and allow extra time to stop, explore and enjoy the many hidden gems you’ll discover along the way. The best experiences in the Tambo Valley are often found just beyond the next bend in the road.
Public toilets are available at:
- Swifts Creek Hall
- Ensay Recreation Reserve
- Cassilis Recreation Reserve
Great Alpine Gallery, Swifts Creek
