Lerderderg River, Bacchus Marsh
There is a vertical slot fishway on the diversion weir within the gorge.
The river rises in forested hilly country north west of Blackwood and then flows for 30 km through the Lerderderg Gorge. Average channel width is 5 m. There are numerous shallow riffles with pools to 120 cm deep in the gorge area. Substrate in the riffles is gravel and rubble with fast water velocity. The river is in good condition and provides a natural and scenic environment.
The river is accessible from walking tracks along much of its length but there is no vehicle access to the gorge. The road into the diversion weir is locked. There are good numbers of small brown trout (10–25 cm) around Blackwood and upstream of the junction of Goodmans Creek. Other fish species in this section are river blackfish, roach, short-finned eel, mountain galaxias, common galaxias and Australian smelt. There is a diversion weir in the Gorge that diverts water to Merrimu Reservoir via Goodmans Creek. An environmental flow of 30-50 ML/d is maintained, when possible, by Gippsland and Southern Rural Water downstream of the weir.
The short section of the river below Goodmans Creek is wider and shallower than upstream and usually has a low flow or sometimes no flow during summer. Fish are tench, goldfish, redfin and roach. The river was stocked with trout many years ago but it has been established that natural spawning is adequate to maintain the fishery. Goodmans Creek contains short-finned eel and mountain galaxias.
The cache here is a 1.5 litre container and is hidden in a familiar way. You won't find any fish here.