Warburton Trail Fest is a three-day celebration of all things trail and mountain lifestyle featuring trail runs from five kilometres through to 50 kilometres, day and night, flat and fast plus one that is stupidly steep. Also enjoy a feature film screening, a trail seminar, live music and in a world first, the inaugural Lilo Dash‘n Derby where trail running meets watersports.

The best thing is that the host location, Warburton Valley, is only 90 minutes drive from Melbourne’s CBD, and centred on the quaint valley township of Warburton with quality cafes and accommodation, making it the perfect running (long) weekend getaway for all the family.

For the hardcore mountain runner, the festival features the state’s best-known vertical kilometre – a massive 1000-metre plus climb in only 12 kilometres. Of course, you have to run down again in what organisers have dubbed the ‘Donna Double’. There’s also something for those with more mild fun running, with routes reaching out to the spectacular Redwoods Forest, on a mostly flat trail along the aqueduct.