Yackandandah Forest Drive
14 km, 0.5 hours driving time
The Yackandandah Forest Drive begins in the centre of
Yackandandah. Set your vehicle trip meter to zero at the
start of the drive indicated on the map. The distances noted
at each site indicates the distance that feature is located
from the start of the drive. Note that trip meters may vary
from vehicle to vehicle, and any side trips that are taken
will also alter trip meter readings from feature distances on
each respective drive. Be aware of other road users, and
drive according to the prevailing road and weather
conditions.
This scenic drive begins and finishes in the
historic town of Yackandandah, starting from Bells Flat
Road (off Yackandandah’s main road - High Street) and
follows a circuit through Stanley State forest taking in
many of the local and historic features.
1. The Gorge - 1.4 km
A 2-3 minute walk takes you to the Gorge, a tail race
constructed in 1859 and subsequently deepened in 1880 to
divert water so as to mine for the once rich alluvial gold
deposits in the area.
2. Army training ground - 4.5 km
This and other locations in the Stanley State forest are used
as training sites by the Australian army.
4. Townsite - 5.1 km
This unassuming junction was once the site of the bustling
community of ‘Yackandandah Junction’. A hotel and
school once stood here amongst the miners’ dwellings and
goldfields.
5. Native pines - 12.0 km
Here at this junction, a small stand of Black Cypress-pine
Callitris endlicheri
grow amongst local eucalypt species6. Yackandandah sawmill - 12.9 km
The sawmill near Yackandandah has been in operation at
this site since 1964. Here, a variety of local hardwood and
softwood species are milled.
Side trip (dry weather) - 8.0 km
A parking area and plaque 500m along Cohn’s Track
marks the site where prospector Alex (Billy) Kohn worked
a mining lease until his death in 1986. A short distance
(300m) further down, and visible from the track on the
right side, is the site of a ‘hydraulic elevator’ used in
conjunction with sluicing activities.
Camping
Camping sites are available at along Yackandandah Creek
off Yack Gate Road and off Number One Road.
These sites offer cleared space for pitching of tents and
fireplaces. To ensure minimal impact camping please
observe the following:
Takes your rubbish home, do not bury or leave it
behind.
Camp at least 20m from any watercourse. Camp at
existing campsites rather than create a new one.
Where there are no toilet facilities, bury your faecal
waste 15cm deep and at least 100m from any
watercourse