Why Victoria’s Mount Juliet is the Ideal Training Hike

Nestled in the majestic Yarra Ranges National Park, Mount Juliet is the ideal training hike, offering value for beginner bushwalkers through to experienced hikers. Explorer Stu has completed the track three times, and on each visit has discovered new challenges and wonders.

 

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Wurundjeri people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Quick Overview

Mount Juliet is located on the outskirts of Healesville, a 90-minute drive from Melbourne. The 9km-return track is a Grade 4 hike and takes, at most, four hours to complete.

Quick Facts Mount Juliet

Distance: 9km
Duration: 4 hours
Elevation gain: 900m
Nearest town: Healesville

This is the best spot to enjoy your snacks

About Mount Juliet Hike

Mount Juliet is situated in the Yarra Ranges National Park, on Wurundjeri Country. The national park is home to the colossal Mountain Ash, the world’s tallest flowering tree, abundant fernery, and one of Australia’s most elusive birds, the lyrebird.

Read more: Hiking in the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges

The 9km return trail is challenging, taking hikers through thick foliage up a track scattered with leaves, branches, and fallen trees, sheltered beneath the majestic rainforest canopy. The songs of lyrebirds can be heard nearby, and if you’re particularly quiet you may catch a glimpse of one of the notoriously shy birds.

Reaching the summit can be achieved in 1-2 hours depending on fitness levels and track conditions. Once there, a 3.6m moss-covered cairn provides an excellent spot for lunch, and a much needed rest!

Read more: Remember to leave no trace!

Expect to get wet, muddy…all the good hikey things

Mount Juliet History

The area around Healesville was inhabited by Yarra Yarra and Wurundjeri people for approximately 35,000 years. Following European colonisation, these groups were relocated to Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, south of Healesville. This region is rich with Aboriginal history, including the ‘untitled (seven monuments)’ public art project.

As for Mount Juliet, the cairn at the summit was built in the late 19th century and is one of the few remaining trig points in Victoria. In 1939, bushfires tore through the area where Mount Juliet is situated, and the subsequent regrowth has obscured the once distant views from the summit.

Read more: How Forests Recover From Fires and How We Can Help

Despite this, Mount Juliet is a hike that is more done for the fun of it (the Type-2-kind of fun!), or as a gauge of fitness levels, than one motivated by the reward of spectacular views from the summit.

How to Get to Mount Juliet

By Car

From Melbourne, take the Eastern Freeway (M3) towards Ringwood. From the M3 you can take either the Eastlink toll road or Maroondah Highway (B360) towards Healesville. The starting point for the Mount Juliet hike is at Road Three junction on Maroondah Highway, near Mosquito Creek. 

Parking is available on the side of the highway. If you’re using Google Maps for directions, make sure you double check the destination, as searching for ‘Mount Juliet Track’ can lead you astray.

When you reach the junction, the trailhead is a short walk up the 4WD track, Road Three.

It’s all on foot from here

Where to Stay Near Mount Juliet

Healesville is one of Victoria’s most popular tourist destinations, for both domestic and international travellers. There are many accommodation options in and around the small town, including B&Bs, hotels, motels, apartments, and quaint country cottages. 

If sleeping under the stars is more your style, there are several free campsites in the area.

Find the perfect place to stay: We Are Explorers Basecamp Accommodation Listings

Skill Level

Intermediate

Mt Juliet is regarded as one of the more challenging day hikes outside Melbourne. The trail is unmaintained and often overgrown, while fallen branches and uprooted trees can be hazardous. After rainfall, the track will be muddy and slippery, making the descent slow and slippery.

Read more: 7 Tips for Hiking in the Rain

A basic first aid kit is essential for all hikers. There’s no water on the trail so you need to be able to carry a few litres with you, and mobile phone coverage is often hampered by the rainforest canopies.

It’s these conditions that make it ideal for everyone, from beginners to advanced hikers, as a training or gauge hike.

The track is basically a free obstacle course from beginning to end

How to Use Mount Juliet as a Gauge Hike

When you’re preparing for a challenging hike, it’s useful to test yourself on the same track multiple times throughout your preparation to gauge your mental and physical capacity, and improvements along the way. 

As a short day hike with plenty of grit required, Mount Juliet is the perfect place to gauge your fitness and preparedness. Different skill levels will get different benefits. Here’s my advice:

Beginner Hikers

Beginners will be challenged by Mount Juliet and should only attempt it with an experienced hiker. The trail is unmaintained and is often overgrown in parts. After rainfall, the track will be muddy and slippery underfoot and this can make the descent, in particular, slow and difficult.

Intermediate Hikers

Intermediate hikers will enjoy the challenge that Mount Juliet presents. Your quads will get a workout and your fitness will be challenged in ways that beginner tracks cannot. Mount Juliet is a step up from the often overcrowded, and popular gauge challenge, the nearby Thousand Steps.

If you want to prepare for the solitude of a solo hike, the 1,000 steps definitely isn’t the right spot | @jessleenehme

Advanced Hikers

Despite the short length of the track, Mount Juliet is also suitable for advanced hikers. The length and elevation provide the ideal gauge for fitness levels, and it’s an excellent training ground for longer and steeper hikes. Advanced hikers may want to challenge themselves with a heavier pack, and are likely to reach the summit in an hour in good conditions.

Essential Gear For Hiking Mount Juliet

• Sturdy hiking shoes (waterproof if possible)
• Water bottle, thermos, and snacks
• PLB
• Long pants (recommended over shorts)
• First aid kit
• Windproof jacket/puffer jacket, and raincoat

Make sure you don’t forget anything by checking our day hike packing list before you set out.

Learning what’s essential and what’s not is an important aspect of gauge hiking | @headwerkn

What It’s Like to Hike Mount Juliet

From the roadside car park, a 4WD track cuts through dense bushland. The blackened trunks of Mountain Ash stretch high towards the clouds, while abundant fernery provides a vibrant burst of colour. The sounds of the road soon evaporate as trees close in behind me. Stones crunch underfoot and when I step on a twig, the snap startles a wallaby. It bounds deeper into the undergrowth and in turn sets off a flock of cockatoos. Their screeching echoes through the treetops as I continue on.

Follow the pointy red arrows

The Trailhead

Arriving at the trailhead, a discarded branch lies in the grass, a makeshift walking pole from another hiker. The beginning of the trail follows a steep, short ascent. The narrow path is scattered with leaves, making for a slow and slippery climb. Branches and leaves reach into the track, glistening with dew. I brush past them and soon my socks and pant legs are damp – lucky I left a spare pair of socks in the car!

The track then levels out, undulating through thick fernery and snaking around tall trees. Lyrebird calls resound through the foliage and the wind picks up, whistling through the leaves. On flatter ground, there’s an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the elusive birds, though it requires silence, patience, and more than an ounce of luck.

Dense foliage means you really could be anywhere on this hike

Halfway

About halfway up, Mount Juliet rises again, with a longer, steeper, and more treacherous ascent. The logs of once mighty trees lie alongside and across the track. Fungi sprouts from the moss covered remains, which offer no support, their cold and slippery trunks more of a hindrance than help. Even more leaves and peelings of bark litter the trail, while overhanging fern fronds flick down more dew drops. Overhead, flocks of cockatoos continue squawking as they move between the treetops.

As the end nears, the track plateaus once again, and finally the moss-covered cairn comes into view. At the summit I take a much needed rest with a freshly boiled cup of tea and mid-morning snacks. The adventure of Mount Juliet does not end here though.

The thrill of achievement is what draws people back to the otherwise not-so-overwhelming Mount Juliet summit

The Descent

Descending the perilous track is a slow and careful negotiation. Branches are relied upon for balance and sometimes, walking backwards feels like the safest way to go. When the track levels out I can once again indulge in the natural beauty that surrounds me. The soothing calls of the lyrebirds, the crunch of twigs underfoot, and the satisfaction of having completed one of Melbourne’s toughest day hikes accompany me back to my vehicle.

Many local Explorers reckon that Sugarloaf Peak is the toughest hike near Melbourne. So how does Mt Juliet rate in comparison? If you’d done both, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 

Tips For Hiking Mount Juliet

• Bring a change of clothes – Mount Juliet is often damp, so it’s handy to have a change of clothes in the car, or at least a pair of fresh socks
• Healesville is a semi-famous food destination, with many cafes serving scones with jam and cream, Devonshire tea, and homemade cakes and pastries – the perfect reward after a challenging hike!
• Prepare for four seasons in a day – as all visitors to Melbourne discover, the weather is famously unpredictable, so even if it’s a clear day, bring warm and waterproof clothing
• If you’re camping, make sure you pack a raincoat and warm sleeping bag as conditions can change at short notice
• Complete Mount Juliet multiple times (and record your performance!) to gauge your improvement over time
• Persevere. Don’t let Mount Juliet beat you – you can make it!

Keep quiet and you may just spot a lyrebird!

Hiking Mt Juliet FAQs

What’s a gauge hike?

Gauge hikes are essentially training hikes. The idea is that you complete the same hike multiple times throughout your preparation phase to benchmark your physical and mental fitness level. While training on different trails is advisable, you can measure progress by returning to one trail multiple times and comparing your performance.

Why should you complete training hikes?

Training hikes are an opportunity to test your physical and mental fitness levels, which is important if you’re preparing for more challenging hikes. They give you peace of mind that you have adequately prepared or advance warning that your preparation has fallen short of your aspirations.

Read more: Panic Attacks & Adventure – A More Common Combo Than You Think

Why is Mount Juliet a good training hike?

Mount Juliet is a great training or gauge hike because it’s short, has significant incline, and challenging conditions. Advanced hikers can make it more difficult by carrying more weight or setting time targets, while beginners can use the trail to ensure they enjoy the challenge, and are mentally fit to endure similar conditions in the future.

Where is Mount Juliet?

Mount Juliet Track is in Victoria, only a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, near Healesville.

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