Emerald to Cockatoo Trail

The Emerald to Cockatoo Trail is a 13.5 km return walk along an old railway alignment between two Dandenong Ranges townships, and dogs are welcome on lead for the whole distance. The one restriction sits at the Emerald end, where dogs are kept out of the water and the wading pool area at Emerald Lake Park.

The walk. Thirteen and a half kilometres return, rated moderate, on a well formed gravel surface that stays gentle underfoot. Allow three and a half to four hours end to end and back. Most people start behind the Gemco Players Community Theatre on Kilvington Drive in Emerald and follow the yellow arrow markers south through Wright Forest to Alma Treloar Reserve at Cockatoo. The grade is easy enough that the distance, not the climbing, is what tires a dog out.

The rules. Cardinia Shire Council and Puffing Billy Railway manage the corridor, and dogs stay on lead the length of it. Inside Emerald Lake Park, dogs are not permitted in the water or in the wading pool area, so a hot dog gets a drink from your bottle rather than a swim. Within Wright Forest, keep to the designated vehicle tracks. Several trails in the neighbouring Dandenong Ranges National Park are closed to dogs altogether, so stay on the marked multi-use path rather than branching off it.

Water. Bring your own. Water points thin out once you are into the forested sections, and the lake is off limits for swimming.

Getting there. Parking sits behind the Gemco Players Community Theatre in Emerald. Toilets are at Emerald Lake Park and at Alma Treloar Reserve in Cockatoo. If you would rather walk one way, the 695 bus links Emerald and Cockatoo and connects back to the train at Belgrave.

Nearby with the dogs. Pepis Land in Emerald is the local off-lead run, and Alma Treloar Reserve gives you the same at the Cockatoo end. The Railway Dog is the obvious stop afterwards. If you want to keep going, the Cockatoo to Gembrook Trail picks up where this one finishes.

When to go. Early on a weekday, while the Emerald Lake Park end is still quiet. The forested sections hold water and turn slippery after rain, so give them a day to drain. Good for big runners who need distance more than they need hills.

Sources

• Emerald Lake Park features brochure - Puffing Billy Railway · puffingbillyrailway.org.au
• Eastern Dandenong Ranges Trail - Cardinia Shire Council · outdoors.cardinia.vic.gov.au
• Walking tracks and trails - Puffing Billy Railway · puffingbillyrailway.org.au
• Emerald to Cockatoo Trail - AllTrails · www.alltrails.com

Compiled from public sources and verified listings. Always confirm current rules with the venue or council before you travel.