Yarra Ranges National Park

• Introduction
• Fact file
• A look at the past
• Aboriginal culture
• Natural features
• Native plants
• Wildlife


Yarra Ranges National Park, Tourism Victoria

Introduction

Lofty mountain ash bathed in mist, rare and endangered plants and animals, snow in winter and pristine pockets of bushland make Yarra Ranges National Park a wonderful asset so close to Melbourne. The park provides both a winter playground for family fun and a remarkably picturesque environment of forests and gullies for walking and picnicking at most times of the year.

Fact file

Access

From Melbourne via Maroondah Hwy, either to Healesville (and further on to Marysville), or turn onto Warburton Hwy to Warburton, McMahons Creek and Cambarville

Best Season

Winter for snow

Location

70 km north-east of Melbourne; 10 km east of Healesville; 5 km north of Warburton; 10 km south-east of Marysville

Park Information

• PV 13 1963
• Marysville Information Centre
• (03) 5963 4567

Size

76 000 ha

Where to Stay

Healesville (03) 5962 2600
Lake Mountain Resort (03) 5957 7222
www.lakemountainresort.com.au
Marysville (03) 5963 4567
Warburton (03) 5966 5996

A look at the past

In the 1860s gold diggers arrived to try their luck around Woods Point and it was not long before the region’s tall forests were recognised as a source of timber. The area’s potential as an important water catchment was also soon established and the original Maroondah Weir was constructed in 1891 and the Upper Yarra Dam in 1957. Bushfi res, particularly the devastating 1939 fires, have destroyed precious old-growth forests in this area and visitors are asked to take special care to help prevent any future damage.

Aboriginal culture

The damp forest environment of the ranges was not favoured by Aboriginal people. In the surrounding area, five tribes made up the Kulin nation: the Wathaurong, Woiworung and Boonwurrung south of the ranges and the Taungurong and Ngurraiillam to the north. Coranderrk Station was established at Healesville by government grant in 1863 and the Kulin became the major group to settle here. By 1867 they had set up their own sawmill, dairy, butcher’s shop, bakery and school. The Wurundjeri clan leader William Barak lived here until his death in 1903 (he had been present at the signing of the treaty with John Batman). Black Spur gained it name when displaced Aboriginal people were sent over this pass on their way to Coranderrk.

Natural features

In the north, Lake Mountain rises to 1433 metres, with around 800 hectares of undulating plateau. Mount Donna Buang (1250 metres) in the south rises above Warburton and the Yarra Valley. The headwaters of the Yarra River are located in the east.

Native plants

In the park, mountain ash, soaring to 60 metres – the tallest flowering plant in the world – is offset by a glade-like understorey of emerald-green ferns. The environment around Lake Mountain and Mount Donna Buang, the highest elevations, suits subalpine vegetation, with stands of dappled snow gum, alpine heath and mossy alpine bogs.

Wildlife

Around 40 mammal species inhabit the park, but the endangered Leadbeater’s possum is the most famous. These small marsupials, only 30 centimetres long and half of that is tail, are endemic to Victoria. They are nocturnal, and spend three-quarters of their time in their nests, usually in hollow trees. Many of the bird species in the park are hollow-tree dwellers as well, such as the possum-eating powerful owl, the sooty owl and barking owl. Yellow-tailed black-cockatoos, Australian king-parrots and crimson rosellas are common.


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Featured Activities in the National Park

• TRY cross-country skiing at Lake Mountain
• TOBOGGAN down the snowy slopes
• DRIVE  the Acheron Way as it winds through mountain ash forest
• WALK in the treetops along Mount Donna Buang’s Skywalk
• PACK a picnic and enjoy the peace at Badger Weir Park

Introduction

Skiing and snow play in winter (fee payable for entry to the summit areas), and bushwalking, picnicking and scenic touring are the main activities.

Picnicking

Badger Weir Park is the ideal venue for a picnic, with landscaped grounds rimmed by mountain ash and stately manna gums. Several easy walking tracks pass the clear waters of Badger Creek and fern-filled gullies.

Scenic touring

Three of the possible options are Lady Talbot Drive, which runs beside the Taggerty River and past cascading waterfalls; the drive across the Black Spur, hemmed in by tall mountain ash; and the Acheron Way, which weaves through dense forest before leaving the national park.