RJ Hamer Arboretum Loop: Dam, Cornus, Black Hole, Mathias Road

This 4.8 km loop through the RJ Hamer Arboretum at Olinda stitches together the Dam, Cornus, Black Hole and Mathias tracks across roughly 101 hectares of planted forest above the Yarra Valley. The deciding fact for dog owners is the boundary: dogs are welcome on lead inside the arboretum, and are not permitted at all in the Dandenong Ranges National Park that wraps around it.

The walk

Count on close to two hours at a walking pace, on wide unsealed management tracks rather than groomed paths, with a few steep pinches and a habit of holding mud through winter. The route opens and closes as you move between the conifer blocks, the dogwood collection and the older eucalypts, with views out to the Yarra Valley and Silvan Dam.

It is a loop, so no shuttling is needed, and if you would rather walk a single leg the Mathias Walking Track has its own page.

Leash status

Parks Victoria manages the arboretum and dogs are welcome on a leash at all times within its boundaries. Step across into the national park and you are in a no-dogs park, so read the signs at the track junctions rather than following the most-walked line, because some tracks run straight out of the arboretum into restricted ground.

Water and hazards

Carry water for both of you, since there is none out on the tracks, and no bins are provided inside the arboretum, so every bag you fill comes back out with you. Snakes work the tracks that catch afternoon sun in the warmer months, and falling branches are a standing risk in this forest on windy days.

Getting there

The free gravel car park at Woolrich Lookout, off Chalet Road, is the practical start, with toilets, picnic tables and electric barbecues at the lookout picnic area. The site closes on days rated Extreme Fire Danger and during severe weather.

When to go

Autumn brings the deciduous colour and firm ground, spring the wildflowers and long light, and winter is fine if you accept mud. Midsummer afternoons are the one to skip, and the loop suits dogs with the legs for steady climbs.

Close by with the dogs

When the lead has been on long enough, the Old Olinda Golf Course Dog Off Leash Area is minutes away, with the Kalorama Reserve Dog Off Leash Area one ridge over.

If you are making a weekend of it, Botanica Retreat sits close by in Olinda.

More options are on the Victorian trail guide and the Olinda destination page.