Mount Torbreck Summit Walk

Mount Torbreck is the summit walk we keep recommending to Melburnians willing to drive for a view and one of the most hidden snow hikes for dogs available in Victoria.

Off Conn Gap Road in the hills above Lake Eildon, the full circuit runs about 7.3km and climbs roughly 616 metres through woollybutt forest before the trees give way to snow gums and open granite ridgelines.

The Perfect Snow Hike for Adventure Loving Dogs

Despite a lousy 2026 snow season, Pepsi and Max got to experience snow in it's full glory.

Mount Torbreck features a progressive steep climb and low population, and with collapssed trees having well-behaved active dogs is a must.

Trying to climb over a log with a leash or tired dog makes it too hard for some dogs, but ours loved it.

Getting to Mount Torbreck

The entrance we used was the Barnwell Plains Road / Conn Gap Intersection during the winter months. Barnwell Plains Road is closed half the year, from the King's Brithday week in June up until Melbourne Cup day in November.

This is a local trick, where Barnwell Plains Road, normally only drivabel by 4WD vehicles, becomes an extended hiking path before arriving at Barwell Plains Camping Ground and the entrance to the Mount Torbreck hike.

From the top there's a steel trig point and a rock cairn, a view over Lake Eildon, and ranges running toward Mt Buller.

Dogs on lead are welcome, and Murrindindi Shire's tourism guide counts it among the region's top dog walks, which is rarer than it should be for a climb this good.

The climb, the cairn and the dog

Give it about four to five hours at a steady pace up and down. It is graded a 'Grade 3 moderate hike', and the ascent is honest rather than brutal: long pitches through stringy woollybutt country, then a final push where the forest thins and the track picks its way across bare granite to the summit at around 1510m.

If the full circuit sounds like too much for you and to pups, there is a shorter summit option of roughly 4km and two hours return, which still gets you the trig point and the view.

Dogs are welcome on lead throughout; this is subalpine terrain, so keep to the track and leash up near the carpark gates where you may meet other walkers.

We went off-lead and allowed the boys to roam free but please be respectful to other hikers and wildlife, as wallabies are known to roam at lower elevations.

There is no water on the mountain, so carry plenty for both of you, and skip hot afternoons because the exposed granite ridges hold heat. Wombats and echidnas are regular sights and snakes are possible in summer, so a short lead on the narrow sections is the sensible call.

The Scenery

The trailhead sits north of Eildon, reached via Barnewall Plains Road off the Eildon Jamieson Road, with a slow final stretch on gravel to a small roadside clearing at the Conn Gap Road junction.

Note that seasonal gates close part of Barnewall Plains Road over winter, which changes your starting distance, so check access before setting out in the cooler months.

A single picnic table stands near the start, a lone survivor of a 1980s ski resort proposal that never eventuated.

Weather turns fast up here and the summit cops the wind, so pack a layer even in summer, and download your map first because coverage fades on the northern slopes.

If you are hunting for a snow hike, be sure to monitor the snow for the nearby Lake Mountain to estimate snow fall for the perfect hike. It is somethign you want to watch liek a hawk, and wait for a day following fresh snow fall, but not actively heavy snow for your hike.

Pair it with

Eildon itself is a small service town, so most people pair the walk with a run along the Goulburn on the way home. If you are looping back through the Yarra Valley, the La La Falls Walk at Warburton makes a gentle counterpoint to Torbreck's climb, and the Cherry Tree Cafe in Healesville is a reliable dog-friendly lunch stop.

For an overnight base, Jubilee Lake Holiday Park welcomes dogs, and if you are heading home through the Dandenongs the Railway Dog in Emerald is aptly named for the occasion. More options across the state are listed on the dog-friendly trails in Victoria page.