Warren Conservation Park

The Warren is where Hills walking gets serious. Tucked between Kersbrook and Williamstown on the northern rim of the ranges, this rugged park is all steep spurs and deep gullies under a canopy of messmate stringybark and long-leaved box — country that has escaped the plough and feels genuinely wild as a result.

Three walking routes cross the park, including a section of the Heysen Trail, and none of them are gentle: the tracks climb hard and the park's own signage recommends them for experienced bushwalkers. The classic outing is the Warren Tower loop of around nine kilometres, which links the conservation park with the adjoining pines of Mount Crawford Forest and earns you long views over the valley from the high ground.

Winter and spring are the seasons to come, when the gullies run with water and the understorey lights up with fungi, ferns and native orchids. Access is easiest from the Watts Gully Road trailhead. Carry water, wear proper boots, and allow more time than the distances suggest — the contours here are honest.