Macks Creek Loop: rainforest, rock pools and creek crossings from Balook
25.1 km loop · about 9 hours, or 2 days · Easy to medium · Start and finish: Balook or Macks Creek Hall
Check track conditions before you set out
Sections close for storm damage, harvesting and roadworks. See the latest track conditions on the homepage.
The longest of the three loops from Balook. It drops from Tarra-Bulga National Park into the Macks Creek valley, where a fast-flowing mountain stream has rock pools and cascades, then returns along the old mail coach route. Along the way you can compare two very different rainforests.
The route
Balook to Balook via Forest Track, Wild Cherry Track, Roberts Road, Macks Creek Hall and Old Coach Road.
| Section | Distance |
|---|---|
| Balook to Macks Creek Hall, via Forest Track and Wild Cherry Track | 13.3 km |
| Macks Creek Hall to Balook, via Bulga Park Road and Old Coach Road | 11.8 km |
Leaving Balook: we recommend Lyrebird Ridge Track from the Visitor Centre car park, then Forest Track. It’s 1.5 km longer, but takes you through a gully of cool temperate rainforest.
Many walkers split the loop over two days, with a night at Macks Creek Hall.
Check the homepage track conditions before you go, and see Plan your hike for any current diversions.
Elevation profiles
These charts come from an earlier edition of our maps, so their distances differ slightly from the table above.
What you’ll see
- Two rainforests: ancient cool temperate rainforest dominated by Myrtle Beech near Balook, and very different Strzelecki warm temperate rainforest, dominated by Sweet Pittosporum, further down Macks Creek. Signs explain the weed removal and restoration work done there since 2007.
- Wild Cherry Track follows a ridge through mixed eucalypt forest, then drops very steeply for the last 500 m to the creek.
- Macks Creek: rock pools and cascades, with places to swim.
- A small waterfall on the west side of the track below Gardiner Road: a great photo spot. The map also marks Gardiner Falls and Upper Gardiner Falls.
- Bird Road Bridge, and Banksia forest along Sandy Track, a short cut to Macks Creek Hall.
- Old Coach Road, the original mail coach route to Balook, with occasional dramatic views across the coastline.
- Near Tarra-Bulga, a stand of majestic Mountain Grey Gums, preferred by koalas.
Is it for you?
Wild Cherry Track and the Macks Creek valley are easy to medium, with some steep sections and creek crossings. There are four creek crossings, which you can normally do on rocks without getting wet. Old Coach Road is easy.
The Grand Strzelecki Track as a whole is a Class 4 track: narrow in places, with minimal facilities, so you’ll need to be self-sufficient and able to navigate. Winters are cold, it rains a lot, and it gets colder as you climb. See Before you go for the weather and what to pack, and read the Track Protocols.
Walkers’ stories
Read Vanessa’s walk on the Wild Cherry Track section (January 2026).
Stories describe the track at the time. Check the homepage for current conditions before you go.
Where to stay and facilities
- Tarra-Bulga National Park Visitor Centre (Balook): public toilets and water, electric barbecues, picnic tables and a shelter.
- Macks Creek Hall: room for tents, but no facilities unless you hire the hall. The hall itself can be hired by groups and has toilets, water and cooking facilities. If it’s booked for a function, camp at Bird Road Bridge instead.
- Bird Road Bridge: bush camping is allowed at the bridge only. There are no toilets, so bury toilet waste well away from the creek. There’s no camping in the restoration areas along Macks Creek.
- The Barn at Glenwood Farm: paid accommodation for up to four guests, near the loop.
Contact details and prices are on Plan your hike.
If you need to cut the walk short: from the Macks Creek valley, take Bird Road (well surfaced and normally clear) west to Bulga Park Road.
Track rules: no wood fires anywhere on the track (use a fuel stove). No cats, dogs, horses, firearms or generators in Tarra-Bulga and Morwell National Parks (Parks Victoria policy).
Getting there
Balook is about 2.5 hours from Melbourne. Take the Princes Highway to the Yarram / Loy Yang exit, turn right at the traffic lights just before Loy Yang Power Station, then follow the brown tourist signs to Tarra-Bulga National Park and Balook. The Traralgon–Balook Road from Loy Yang is sealed.
From Yarram, follow the signs north through Tarra Valley to Balook. More options, including public transport, are on Plan your hike.
Macks Creek Hall is 15 minutes north of Yarram (the last 2 km is gravel).
Get the maps
This page gives you a feel for the walk. For the route, marker posts and track junctions, use the maps.
- Printed Topographic Map 5: Macks Creek Loop
- East loop walks map (digital, for the Avenza Maps app; covers all three loops)
- Printed Topographic Map Set of 6 (the whole track)