The Black Spur is a stunning trail that snakes through huge trees and lush rainforest from the town of Healesville to Marysville in Victoria. It derives its name from the route taken by displaced Aboriginal people who travelled from the north of Victoria to a mission settlement in Corranderrk.

The road is sixty kilometres north-east of Melbourne and takes around an hour to get to from Victoria’s capital. It’s worth the drive. Here, the Great Dividing Range spikes into the sky and the scenery is simply stunning. The road meanders and bends back on itself sharply, with many hairpin bends. Gradually, it climbs higher and higher into the sky. This type of route is typical of mountain roads from the nineteenth century, designed to accommodate horse-drawn vehicles.

On either side of the Black Spur Road, myrtle beeches and mountain ashes tower over the road, creating a vibrant green tunnel with only hints of sunlight peeking through. Meanwhile, luminous green ferns carpet the undergrowth. Be sure to wind down your window and take a deep breath—this is the true scent of the Australian bush.

Stop off on the way up to look at some of the old wells made from natural springs which, in the past, were used as watering holes for people and their horses. Check out Saint Ronan’s Well to admire the fresh, clean mountain water at its purest.

At some points, you will see scorch marks and other signs of fire damage on the tree trunks. The rainforest that surrounds the road was severely damaged on Black Saturday, when bushfires tore through Victoria due to extreme conditions that combined an exceptional heat wave with strong winds. Although this killed a lot of the old trees, heavy rainfall in 2011 brought life back to the area and the forest is once again thriving.

Some words of warning: try to avoid driving the road at weekends, as it can become very busy with tourists. Also, be aware of the dangers. Many motorcyclists use the road for racing and, with so many sharp turns, many fatalities have been occurred in the past. However, this is something the Victoria State Government has tried to tackle, investing in numerous safety measures in recent years. The ferns that surround the road can cause the corners to become damp, so take particular care on the bends if it has been wet or humid. There used to be a problem with loose bitumen flying up and necessitating windscreen repair, but road resurfacing in recent years means that this is less of an issue.

At the end of the Black Spur, you can relax and unwind at the historic Black Spur Inn. Nestled among the mountains, it has been around since 1863 and once accommodated the prospectors who tried to make their fortune hunting for gold in the mountains.

Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.