see also:

• camp grounds in Victoria
• https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/kurth-kiln-regional-park
• great Youtube overview of the camp ground
• a pictorial walk blog around Kurth Kiln area
• Wilsons Promontory National Park - "The Prom"

• 3 basic average camp areas within the Kurth Kiln Regional Park
• this is the closest free camp east of Melbourne (there are none in the Dandenongs!)
  • hence there is a high risk of the boys from the hood dropping in for a noisy night of drinking late on a Friday night and leaving their rubbish!
• has a sandy bottomed creek to play in
• nearby mill pond with frogs
• drop toilets
• easy trails
• possible phone reception depending upon carrier
• dogs on a leash only

• lies in a forested valley at ~220m elevation near Tomahawk Creek which flows westward, dropping a further 30m elevation or so before joining Shepherds Creek 1km to the west
• Bunyip State Park lies nearby to the south-east and these hills rise to 400m elevation 3km away
• hills to the north east are generally 500m but there is a 600m peak 2km away in the Powelltown direction
• a low ridge of 280m elevation runs in a N-S line 1km to the west
• further away are the Dandenongs which lie to the NW and are generally 400-500m but Mt Dandenong is a 600m peak and is 20km away as the crow flies

• 10min drive from Gembrook;
• just over an hour drive from Melbourne CBD via SE Freeway to Mulgrave then south of Dandenongs and past Cardinia Reservoir
• ~1hr 15min drive from Brunswick via Eastern Fway and East Link to Ringwood then north of Dandenongs
• easy road in and is close to Melbourne hence it can get busy/loud on weekends or public holidays

• 30 numbered camp sites at Scout Loop and 6 at Magazine camping areas; PLUS 4 unnumbered communal camping at Heritage Fence camping area which shares the Magazine camp drop toilet;
• sites are close to each other and can be busy and noisy on weekends and only 1 drop toilet can be challenging.
• no bookings (govt scrapped fees for basic camp grounds in 2015), hence first in first served - AVOID weekends!
• No rubbish bins or collection - unfortunately some people seem to often leave rubbish behind.
• dogs on leash;
• horses at Scout Loop;
• a few fire places but BYO firewood
• no potable water - need to treat the creek water!
• not suitable for big rigs

• historic huts and caretaker residence
• rare example of a relatively intact charcoal burning kiln and the only one of its type in Australia - charcoal was used in gas producer units attached to motor vehicles to produce combustible gas as an alternative to petrol during the Second World War.
• rare plants including Long Pink-bells, Tall Astelia and Brickmakers Saw-sedge along with stunning Mountain Ash, stringybark and riparian forests.
• Shiprock Falls near Shiprock picnic area (40min 3.5km one-way walk, or 6min drive)
  • an uninspiring blog of the picnic area and the invisible falls but they at least liked the boulders
• 25min drive to Emerald and the Puffing Billy train and ~5 minutes further is Aura Vale at Cardinia Reservoir
• 40 min drive to Olinda attractions via Yellingbo or via Gembrook
• Warburton or Powelltown are just over half an hour drive via Yarra Junction - Noojee is a further half an hour east from Powelltown
• Healesville Sanctuary is just over half an hour drive via Launching Place or Yellingbo and Yarra Glen is ~10 minutes further
• if you decide next camp is Tidal River, Wilsons Prom then that is just under 3hrs drive

• Avenza maps for smartphone app - in case you don't have mobile reception!

maps courtesy of https://www.dandenongrangespoint.com.au

• none in the Dandenongs except for:
  • Sherbrooke Forest 4WD Hip Camp - 1 camp site only, no facilities
    • https://www.hipcamp.com/en-AU/victoria/kallista-camp/sherbrooke-forest-4wd-camp

• Doon Reserve Caravan Park Yarra Junction
  • commercial: http://doonreserve.com.au
  • toilets, hot showers, power, laundry
  • 23min drive;
• also commercial parks at Lilydale, Healesville, Warburton
• Gladysdale gravel pit
  • dogs allowed but no water, no toilets.
  • 24 min drive
• Powelltown Hall:
  • only space for 3 vans; toilets; dogs allowed but no water;

• Mortimer Picnic Ground
  • tents only on a grassed camp ground on the other side of bollards
  • 17min drive via Gembrook; within Bunyip State Park;
  • toilets; no mobile phone coverage; no dogs;
  • Four Brothers Mortimer Circuit Walk
• Nash Creek camp ground
  • 30min drive via Gembrook; within Bunyip State Park;
  • toilets; no mobile phone coverage; no dogs;
  • caravans and tents;
• Bunyip Weir (Freemans Mill) hike in only camping area
  • 23km and under 1hr via Shiprock Picnic Ground - windy road!!
  • hike in only - 6km walk from car park on Bunyip River Rd

• Pakenham Caravan Park
  • http://pakenhamcaravanparks.com.au
• Akoonah Park showground, Berwick
  • https://akoonahpark.com.au/caravan-park/ 17 sites
• some near Drouin and Warragul

• Swallowfield Vineyards 5km drive from Kurth Kiln

• Gembrook Puffing Billy Railway Station
• Motorist Museum
• Gembrook Market 4th Sunday of each month except December
• petrol station at west end of town
• Gembrook IGA supermarket
• Maple Ridge local produce market - west of Gembrook
• The Station House Restaurant
• The Independent Restaurant
• Hairy Dog Cafe
• Spencers Store cafe
• Mains Street fish and chips
• The Local hotel bar

• Cockatoo bakery
• Cockatoo IGA
• Cockatoo country market
• The Golden Spoon Restaurant

• Puffing billy
• Emerald Lake picnic area
• Lakeside Tea Rooms
• General Food Store cafe
• Emerald Village bakery and cafe
• Bam Bam Italian restaurant
• Elevation@Emerald Restaurant
• WoksnDumplings - Menulog delivery
• Bohemian Kitchen mobile caterer