Powers Lookout is a pile of giant boulders on the edge of a ridge, high above the green King River Valley, and one of the best views we had in the High Country for so little effort. We stopped on our first afternoon in the mountains, on the drive from Mansfield over to the Buffalo River, and walked the short track through the rocks to the platform hanging out over the valley.
About Powers LookoutAbout
Powers Lookout Scenic Reserve is run by Parks Victoria, off the Mansfield–Whitfield road in the Upper King Valley, on the Country of the Taungurung Peoples. It’s named after Harry Power, the bushranger who used the rocks as a hideout and lookout to watch for the police coming up the valley, until he was caught here in June 1870. The outcrop is conglomerate rock about 350 million years old, and the reserve, first set aside in 1886, now covers 1,100 hectares of peppermint and candlebark forest.
Quick facts
- AddressPowers Lookout Road, Whitlands VIC 3678, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- FacilitiesParkingToiletsPicnic TablesFire PitsWalking TrailsLookoutsViewing PlatformNo Camping
- Good to know3 km gravel, fine for 2WD190 m to the rock-top lookoutDogs on a lead
- FeesFree
- 8.9/10Overall rated
Getting There
Powers Lookout is 49 km from Mansfield and about 70 km from Wangaratta through the King Valley. A brown sign on the Mansfield–Whitfield road points down Powers Lookout Road, and the last 3 km is a gravel forest road that’s fine for any car in the dry. Note that there’s no way through from Powers Lookout Road to the Upper King River Road; for the river camps, go back via Whitfield and Cheshunt.
What’s at the Car ParkCar park
The gravel car park sits in the forest just back from the edge, with plenty of room for a 4WD with a rooftop tent. There’s a toilet block, picnic tables, fireplaces and a picnic shelter, and the reserve board under a timber roof shows the walks. The sign at the entrance shows dogs on a lead are welcome. It’s day use only: there’s no camping in the reserve.
The Walk to the Lookouts
There are two lookouts and a short walk to a spring, all signposted from the car park. Lookout 2 is right beside the car park and easy for everyone, while Lookout 1, 190 metres away down steps and ladders through the boulders, is the one you’ll remember.
- Lookout 1
190 m
steps and laddersDown through the boulders to a platform on the far point of the outcrop. Only a few minutes, but slippery when wet.
- Lookout 2
Next to
the car park, all-accessThe easy one, with views over the King River Valley to Mount Buffalo and Mount Feathertop.
- Power’s Waterhole
20–25 min
returnA short walk down to a small spring under the rocks.
Lookout 1: Down Through the BouldersLookout 1
From the signpost, steel steps and ladders lead down through the boulders and squeeze between huge overhanging rocks to a platform on the far point of the outcrop. It’s only a few minutes each way, but take care in the wet, as the ladders and rocks get slippery.
The View Over the King River Valley
From the platform you look straight down onto the paddocks of the King River Valley, with the forested ranges rolling away behind, and the board names Mount Buffalo, Mount Feathertop and the Victorian Alps on the skyline. Big gums and mossy boulders frame the view, and there’s a bench at the rock-top lookout to sit and take it in. Keep an eye out for lyrebirds in the forest and wedge-tailed eagles over the valley.
Lookout 2: Right by the Car ParkLookout 2
Lookout 2 is just a few steps from the car park, along a wide concrete path to a railed platform at the edge of the trees, so it suits everyone, wheelchairs included. The board says it looks over the King River Valley to Mount Buffalo, Mount Feathertop and the Victorian Alps, and an Australian Alps First Peoples sign stands beside the path.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
The board in the car park lists the King Valley’s other stops: Paradise Falls, a short walk just inside the Alpine National Park; Lake William Hovell, with boat hire in Cheshunt; and the King River at Cheshunt, Whitfield and Edi for a swim, a picnic or a fish. The Upper King Valley is wine country, too. We drove on over the hills and down through the pines to the Buffalo River for the night.
Summary
Powers Lookout is a short, easy stop with a huge payoff: a few minutes through the boulders to a platform high above the King River Valley, with toilets, picnic tables and a bushranger story thrown in. If you’re driving between Mansfield and the King Valley, take the 3 km of gravel and go and have a look.
A big view for a short walk.
A few minutes from the car park, steel steps and ladders lead through giant boulders to a platform high above the green King River Valley, with the Alps behind. Add the story of Harry Power, the bushranger who hid up here, and it’s an easy stop to recommend.
- Travellers
- Families
- 4WD tourers
Yes. It’s free, it’s only 3 km off the Mansfield–Whitfield road, and the view over the King River Valley is worth the stop.
Recommended Gear for Powers Lookout
A pair of binoculars brings the far ranges and the eagles closer, and camping chairs make the picnic shelter even better. Carry your own drinking water in good water containers, and a stove like the Dune single burner makes a quick cuppa in the picnic shelter easy.
