By Kath Gannaway
Roadtrip!! It’s in the Aussie psyche to get out in the car or on the bike and explore.
It used to be somewhat condescendingly called the family “Sunday drive” but admit it – we love it.
And, if you can do it as a round trip (who wants to see the same thing twice in one day?) so much the better.
That’s why you should check out the Acheron Way.
It’s one of the little-known ‘short cuts’ between Narbethong and Warburton (or, obviously vice-versa) but it’s a seriously beautiful and undervalued tourist experience for anyone who loves a good drive with plenty of options for sight-seeing, happy-snapping, picnicking or otherwise refuelling along the way.
This brings to mind one potential drawback for the traveller.
They need to have a plentiful supply of petrol before they head out, either from Healesville or Warburton – just to be sure!
Back on track.
Starting from Warburton – where they may have been tempted to drop into one of the excellent cafes to jump-start their trip – drivers should make their way along Donna Buang Road to the Rainforest Gallery.
A 40-metre long observation platform – one of only three of its type in Australia – takes visitors into the rainforest canopy 15 metres about the ground.
Down below, a 350 metre-long elevated walkway takes visitors deep into the Rainforest Gallery where 65 metre-tall old-growth mountain ash trees and ancient myrtle beech trees, many 300 to 400 years old, share gallery space with ferns, mosses and other plants that make up the verdant, damp rainforest along the Cement Creek.
Continuing along the Acheron Way (route C507) the 38 kilometre stretch is a mix of sealed and unsealed road winding its way through the Great Dividing Range through State Forest.
At its highest elevation, Acheron Way is 832 metres with some steep inclines.
Although it’s narrow and twisty, it’s generally a good gravel road, but not recommended for caravans.
The highlights are quite simply the journey itself.
Drivers should take their time, stop only where it’s safe, and enjoy being surrounded by tall trees and magnificent tree ferns.
They should also keep their eyes out for wildlife – both for the adrenalin rush of spotting a local, and because they don’t always look left, right and left again!
Travellers will come soon enough to the Marysville Road where they can extend their road trip by turning right and heading into Marysville, or left to take them through Narbethong and down the Black Spur to Healesville.
The Narbethong Forest Reserve is a beautiful shady parkland with excellent facilities including barbeques and a playground.
Road-trippers can stretch their legs on the 800 metre loop nature trail or one of the other walking tracks.
The historic Black Spur Inn was a welcome sight for many a traveller making their way to the goldfields of Woods Point back (way back) in the day, and it’s still a cosy and welcoming place to enjoy a meal or a drinks break.
Further along, Dom Dom Saddle, Fernshaw and Graceburn Weir offer opportunities for some more bush walking before arriving in Healesville, renowned for its great cafe culture, boutique shops, wineries and distilleries.
Spring is a magnificent time to travel through the forests of Yarra Ranges, still damp and cool with mountain streams bursting with the snow melt from the surrounding peaks.
Enjoy the ‘Sunday drive’ any day of the week!
