Great Dividing / Goldfields Track

Victoria, AU

Distance

200 km

Vertical Gain

4,500 m

The Great Dividing Trail is "a community-planned 209km public walking trail following the top of the Great Dividing Range from Bacchus Marsh to Blackwood, Daylesford, Castlemaine, Bendigo, Creswick, Ballarat and Buninyong, allows recreational walkers and tourists the time to savour central Victoria's unique combination of gold rush heritage and its natural beauty. Created by a community-owned organisation, the Great Dividing Trail Association (GDTA), the Trail links the old gold rush towns at the heart of Victoria, as well as the forests, hills and lakes, straddling the Australian Great Dividing Range." (from The Great Dividing Trail Assosication)

The GDT has 4 major segments laid out in a Y shape with Daylesford being the central point. The 3 major sections between Bendigo and Ballarat/Buniyong are being refered to as the Goldfields Track. Another logical option would be from Bacchus Marsh to Bendigo.

GPS Track

track.gpx1.86 MB

FKTs

Male

Unsupported
Oowan Davies			23h 20m 16s	2022-10-05

Self-supported
John Robinson	1d 7h 37m 41s	2020-11-07
Peter Clarke, Peter Munns	1d 17h 49m 0s	2017-12-15
Andy Hewat	2d 5h 21m 0s	2011-03-27

Supported
Ross McPhee, Simon Austin			1d 8h 15m 35s	2020-09-26
George Mihalakellis			1d 11h 2m 0s	2018-12-08

Female

Supported
Ann Burchfield			1d 13h 45m 0s	2021-03-07

This route on the old FKT site

http://fastestknowntime.proboards.com/thread/122/great-dividing-track-victoria-…

Comments

John Robinson, Josephine Robinson and Brad Robinson have notified of their intention to attempt the supported FKT as a team on Fri. 25th Sept. 2020.

The attempt on Fri. 25th Sept. 2020 will actually consist of team members John Robinson, Ross McPhee and Simon Austin.

John Robinson will shortly be making an attempt at the Self Supported category after a DNF in the Supported category with Simon and Ross back in September 2020.

Ann Burchfield will be making an attempt to establish a supported female FKT for this route, starting on Saturday 6th March 2021.

Ann, best of luck with your attempt, looks like you will be the first female to attempt? Will your support team be posting on social media along the way?

Jase,

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, I believe I am the first female to attempt. My support crew posted several updates on the Victorian Ultra Runners (VUR) Facebook page during the run. I successfully completed the route yesterday evening in a time of just under 38 hours and will be submitting documentation for verification in the next few days.

Hi Jase,

Karen Robinson and Gayle Cowling will be attempting the alternative GDT route from Bendigo to Bacchus Marsh as a supported female team FKT starting on Friday 9th July, 2021.

Megan Harper and Tia Wishart will be making an attempt to establish an Unsupported Female FKT for this route starting 20th September (weather and lockdowns permitting) at the southern/Ballarat end of the trail.

We expect it to take us a few days (we’re not speed demons) but are setting out in the hope that our attempt will encourage other women to come out and give it a try, as Ann Burchfields amazing supported FKT in March did for us!

That should read self-supported, not unsupported. We will be placing resupply drops along the way :)

So it turns out we spoke too soon, with the lockdown in The Ballarat area announced today and lasting until 22nd September, we will have to try again another time.

Take 2 of a female self-supported attempt is planned for 13th October. I will be heading south to north direction, it will be a solo attempt, hoping to be done by 15th October :)

Due to storms earlier this year, about 10-15km of the trail from pinchgut Rd to sailors creek road is not currently passable.

Tristan Melchiori will be running the Goldfields Track, Self-supported, South to North (ending in Bendigo), starting approximately 06:00 on Tuesday 23rd November

I will be attempting a solo unsupported FKT of the Goldfields Track, starting on Tuesday 04 October 2022.
I will provide a report and Strava link once complete.

This morning, Wednesday 05 October 2022, I completed my solo unsupported attempt in 23 hours and 20 minutes.
My GPX FILE, report, and photos will shortly be provided for verification.

Route: Great Dividing / Goldfields Track

FKTs

Comments