Walk Description

From the Eltham Environs Walking Group, walk 26E

Commences from car park on the right-hand side in Pound Bend Reserve, 200m from Everard Dve/ Pound Bend Rd turnoff. There are toilets located here. Walk along the track, with the river on your left, starting in the picnic ground at the opposite end to the Pound Bend Tunnel. After 15–20 minutes of walking, you reach a fence and a small gate at the edge of an open paddock. Go through the gate to another gate and a plaque commemorating the Youth Hostels of Australia organisation. At this point, there are two options:

Option 1: Follow the track to the bitumen road. Turn left, and follow the bitumen past the Rangers’ office, and onto a gravel road between green sheds. Continue downhill onto vehicle tracks, keeping to the right. Follow this track until it peters out at the end of the open river flat. Retrace your steps to the State Park admin office.

Option 2: Turn hard left after the gate, and pick up the vehicle track inside the wire fence. Continue with the river on your left until the track becomes more defined, and leads up a slope to the park admin area.

After completing either of these options, turn left between the toilets and plant nursery, passing the Rangers’ office on the left. At the roundabout, ignore the exit sign and take the first left vehicle track, passing sheds and a house. Here, pick up a wide vehicle track straight ahead through the trees, or turn left to the signed walking track close to the bitumen road. Both lead to the road entrance to Pound Bend Reserve.

At this point, you may wish to pause at the viewing point on the left, above the entrance to the tunnel. Cross the roads, and go immediately left down the steep walking track and steps to the river and tunnel exit. Retrace your steps across the tunnel to cross to the car park side, where are seats to enjoy the view. Follow the track back to the cars.