About the Walking Trail

This hike traverses dense mallee eucalypt heathland, with an abundance of acacias, banksia, tea-tree and hakea.

This is the easiest to follow of the three trails in Bullock Hill Conservation Park. The trails are not well marked (there are some markers, the trails can be ambiguous sometimes), but this hike follows fire tracks so is relatively easy to follow. Use some caution in the north eastern corner of the hike, as some of the trails here heading south are less clear, although the land here opens up into clear country so isn’t too difficult to work out.

Some maps show the southern side of the walk, between the two trailheads, as being on a walking trail which is parallel to Haines Road. However, this trail is overgrown or never existed. Instead, follow the sandy and mostly closed Haines Road track.

You can start this hike from either:

• the carpark and trailhead at the western end of the park, at the end of Haines Rd, Ashbourne. Drive in from the west, the road slowly narrows and becomes sandier before reaching a carpark. Although some maps show Haines Road continuing, the road here terminates as a dead-end.
• the trailhead at the eastern end of the park, at the end of Haines Rd. Drive in from the east, from Wattle Flat Road, Ashbourne. The drive in along Haines Road here is shorter. There is no formal carpark here, so watch out for the trailhead before the denser scrub begins – from here on the road rapidly becomes a very rough, narrow 4WD road. Although some maps show Haines Road continuing, the road here dissapates as a dead-end.

Extend the hike by doing the Native Grasses Hike which is a combination of the Heathland Hike and Eucalypt Hike.