Gar to Werdug
Wildlife, spines and peaks with views, views and yet more views
We respectfully acknowledge the Djab Wurrung and Jardwardjali people as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of Gariwerd. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and to the Aboriginal people present today.
How to Make Today Easier
As always, starting early is the most reliable option for slower hikers. You have no intermediate camp options —Long Point West Campground is too far off the track, and not well placed distance-wise either — so take your time, knowing that there are no scrambles and that the track is mostly good underfoot.
One of the best ways to ease today is to hike the Gar spur trail as an out and return from Gar campsite yesterday instead of today. We did this to good effect; it’s also practical if you expect low cloud to obscure views in the morning. You have a little elevation gain from camp — just 100m (330 ft) — and doing so reduces today’s distance by 2 km (1.2 miles).
You can also skip the spur trail — some of the hikers we shared camp with did precisely that — but it is a shame to miss Gar’s first class views, some of the finest in this section.
There is a serviced water tank at the Mt Difficult Road crossing just 1.5km (0.9 miles) from Werdug where you can top up, so you need carry only the water you need for the day’s hike even if you expect the tank at the campsite to be dry.
Also at Mt Difficult Rd, you could have done a food drop for tonight’s dinner plus this section’s final day breakfast, snacks and lunch which would mean that today you would only be carrying snacks and lunch in a nicely lightened pack. Multiple food drops are expensive but, if you give yourself a day before the start of the hike, you will have plenty of time to drop at every road crossing if you wanted to. Learning how to dehydrate meals and reduce your carried food weight whilst maintaining nutrition is also worthwhile — see our tips here.