Steep stairs within rainforest greens that climb to a gorgeous view of the city. Short, but tough, and totally worth every effort. That’s the Kokoda Memorial Track in a nutshell.
We began exploring the outskirts of Melbourne to find a training hike before we attempt the WAT. Training hikes are supposed to replicate aspects of the trail we are aiming to do, but this is a bit challenging in our case.
That being said, if you know an exhausting trail with steep climbs on cliff edges and scrambling involved, please let us know. We’ve been recommended the Sugarloaf Peak hike, so we will be checking that out.
Given the elevation of the Western Arthurs Trail, we decided to improve our muscular endurance by climbing on A LOT of stairs with heavy packs. This was also recommended to us by a fellow hiker we met on the Rees-Dart trail. 1000 steps is undeniably A LOT of stairs.
Kokoda Memorial Track in Dandenong Ranges National Park is a great trail to train on, and we are not the only ones who think that. There is a massive car park at the bottom of the trail, and some spots to park before and after the car park (on the sides of the roads). However, on a sunny day, by 10 am, you will struggle to find parking.
If you don’t have a car, this trail is surprisingly easily accessible by public transport. Depending on where you live, expect to take a train and a bus.
David checking parking signs.
Note: if you are parking outside the main car park, watch for the signs. Some areas have free parking, while other areas have a ‘no parking’ sign. Don’t be fooled by others parking along the ‘no parking’ sections. We have seen officers issue fines to a row of cars on the weekends.
Once you park and walk to the memorial, you will notice 3 routes. Both Lyrebird Track Fitness Steps and the Kokoda Track are great to train on and lead to the same endpoint. The main difference between the tracks is the terrain, which impacts the muscle groups that are trained the most. We complete both trails back-to-back in about 2 hours.
Tip if you wish to follow a similar training routine:
Hike the Lyrebird Track last if you want to focus on your calves.
Hike the Kokoda Track last if you want to focus on your quads.
Either way, you can only come back via the Lyrebird Track because the Kokoda Track is quite narrow, busy and slippery.
Note: there are public toilets and a cafe to the left of the car park. There are picnic tables, BBQ areas and a kids’ playground section on the grassy area near the car park. Lovely place for a family day adventure, but dogs are not allowed.
Photos from the memorial. Quite detailed and interesting information if you’re curious.
Lyrebird Track
1.4km steep climb on alternating terrain — long sections of stone stairs and gravel dirt track. Wide trail with gaps between the trees to see views of the city as you climb. Stunning pictures can be captured during sunrise and sunset.
I usually dislike busy hiking areas, as I go on nature adventures to turn off the sounds around me. But seeing so many others training on this trail has kept me motivated and excited. Expect to find kookaburras, red parrots, green parrots, hikers with bags and poles, families wanting to get fitter (and wanting to tire out their hyperactive boys), inspiring old couples climbing with confidence, and some sulky person drenched in sweat (generally complaining). You will also notice trail runners. They impress me as they run up the stairs and leave my heart hanging in worry as they run down the gravel dirt track (in my opinion, it’s dodgy and risky to do that).
There are two ‘fitness blocks’ along the way with benches for push-ups, crunches, etc. I’ve seen more people resting and stretching on these blocks than people using them as exercise. I guess the trail is challenging enough.
At the top of the trail, you will find 5 water fountains to fill up your bottles and multiple benches to rest. It’s a lovely spot to have snacks, take pictures, and enjoy the rainforest.
Be very careful and take small steps when coming down this trail during wet weather. Light rain easily causes the terrain to get muddy and slippery, even on the stairs. We see someone slip every weekend. We also see that I slip every fortnight (very frustrating, but no bad falls, touch the wood). I probably need more grippy shoes.
Kokoda Track Memorial Walk (1000 Steps)
The 1.4km trail starts very innocently on a wide and uphill dirt track. You may wonder in the first 10 minutes, where are the stairs? Soon, you will see the ‘1000 Steps One Way’ sign. That’s when the real challenge begins.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of spaces to pull to the side and rest for the first 70% of the way. You may also want to step to the side as the human traffic queues up quite easily.
The last 30% is very steep, slippery, narrow and windy. The trail becomes a grind. Even on dry days, this track tends to get a little muddy and wet. Be careful on rainy days. There are handrails for assistance.
This trail is more blended into the rainforest and more adventurous, so it’s my favourite one in this area. It may leave you sweaty, but at the top, there is a sense of accomplishment and relief about climbing 1000 steps. That’s worth the journey.
Note: some patient hikers have actually counted the number of steps on this trail. While we’d like to think that we completed 1000 steps every weekend, it’s actually 780 steps.
Ramblers Walk to Kokoda Track
While recovering from my knee injury, I walked on this trail many times. It’s short, so one may assume that this is an easy trail, but expect a few steep sections and a lot of slippery mud. Your lower body stabilisers will be working hard, so it was perfect as a rehab walk.
At first, I thought this forest trail was quite confusing because there were a lot of turn-offs to side trails. These side trails are fun to explore and generally lead to picnic areas. If you stay on the track, you will pass a few large fallen trees, a pretty creek with some frogs hanging out, and eventually end up on the Kokoda Track.
The elevation is low, so this trail is less strenuous. Common to see trail runners and families with young children.
A suggestion at the end of your hike would be to stop by Lorna for a reward. That’s our favourite cafe near the trails (driving distance away). I am obsessed with the quality of their food.
The best carrot cake of my life (and I dislike carrot cake 98% of the time). Also the best rose and pistachio cake of my life (words cannot describe the soft, moist, rich and dense pistachio cake with light and rosy cream on top). Their breakfast menu is delicious, but the treats were the hits for me.
Questions: if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.