A much-loved Ballarat bushland park is marking a decade since a grassroots community campaign helped protect it, with a new walking and cycling trail that takes visitors through some of its best scenery.
Woowookarung Regional Park spans 641 hectares just outside Ballarat on the lands of the Wadawurrung people. Once used for mining and timber harvesting, the area has since become a popular spot for bushwalking, trail running, cycling and wildlife spotting.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the park has opened the new 10,000 Steps Loop Trail, an 8km circuit designed to showcase the landscape and connect visitors with some of its existing attractions.
The multi-use trail winds through native bushland, climbs hills and reaches a lookout with views across Ballarat and Mount Clear. You can tackle it on foot, by bike or as a trail run, making it an easy option for a day outdoors without having to travel too far from the city.
One of the highlights along the route is the Dementia-friendly Forest and Sensory Trail, which opened in 2021 as the first trail of its kind in Australia. The gentle, accessible track has been designed to encourage visitors to engage with their surroundings through sight, smell, touch and sound, with places to stop and take a breather along the way.
There is plenty here for more adventurous visitors too, including 700-metre and 2km mountain bike trails behind Mount Clear College. Horse riding is also permitted through parts of the forest, while dogs can join their owners provided they remain on a lead.
Keep an eye out for kangaroos, echidnas and native birdlife as you explore, along with messmate stringybark, grass trees and native heath.
Spring is an especially good time to visit, when colourful wildflowers bring another layer of colour to the bushland.
More information about the park is here.
