Warrandyte State Park
Encyclopedia
Warrandyte State Park is a state park
, located in Warrandyte, east of Melbourne
, Victoria
on the banks of the Yarra River
and surroundings. The park comprises 586 hectares of remnant bushland in various locations throughout Warrandyte and Wonga Park around Pound Bend, Fourth Hill, Black Flat, Yarra Brae and various other locations in the area. It hosts many significant geographical, environmental, archaeological and historical sites, such as the site of the first gold discovery in Victoria
in 1851 and preserves the sites of former gold mines and tunnels. It is a popular destination for school and community groups and is frequented by local bush walkers and hikers.
Land now occupied by the park was initially occupied by Indigenous Australians
of the Wurundjeri
nation. After European settlement, gold
was discovered in Warrandyte and the area was mined for a number of years. Frequent clearing had at one stage removed all the vegetation in the area and bushfires have erased much of the recent human architectural history of the area, however they have ensured the health of the bushland and reduced the impact of human settlements, enabling the vegetation to recover throughout the 20th century. The major threats to the park's ecology are introduced species of flora and fauna such as fox
es, rabbit
s, dog
s and cat
s. Being located close to suburban settlements, backburning is regularly undertaken within the park to minimise risk of bushfires.
Land now occupied by the park was initially occupied by Indigenous Australians
of the Wurundjeri
nation. After European settlement
in Melbourne
, settlers were slow to spread out into the hills east of Melbourne into the Warrandyte area, but with the discovery of gold at Andersons Creek in July 1851, the first gold licences in Victoria were issued. At the turn of the century, the settlement at Warrandyte, employed about 250 miners. Much of the area was mined heavily throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this was done in sections leaving large slots or "stopes" underground where the reef had been. Many of these mine shafts, structures and stopes remain as ruins throughout the park.
The park itself was established in 1975 in an effort to protect areas geographic, environmental, historical and archeological significance around Warrandyte. Stane Brae and Yarra Brae, were later added because of their conservation value. The most recent addition to the park was the Mount Lofty area in 1997.
The park is located around 175 km upstream of the mouth of the Yarra River
in Warrandyte, 24 km east of Melbourne
. The park in its entirety comprises several detached areas of land adjoining the Yarra River from Pound Bend in the east, through Warrandyte to Wonga Park through the Warrandyte Gorge to Mount Lofty in the west. Other areas of land are situated throughout the hills immediately south of Warrandyte. The various areas include (roughly from east to west);
Other smaller areas and reserves within the state park include:
The area around Fourth Hill and Whipstick Gully was the most intensively mined in the area, the Gold Heritage Walk is a trail that includes information boards and signage detailing the history of the goldfields in the area. Some of the ruins of former mines and structures include:
The wildlife, so diverse on the fringe of such a big city, includes kangaroo
s, wallabies
, wombat
s, platypus
and koala
s. Over 100 bird species have been recorded as well as many reptiles, frogs, fish and insects. Vegetation in the area was almost totally cleared during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most of the vegetation seen today has regrown since then. Smooth-barked Manna Gum
s and Silver Wattle
s line the Yarra River
, while an assortment of Box Eucalypt
s and other Wattles cover the hills. Much of the hilly area is characterised by open, forested country, with an understorey of native grasses, creepers, orchids and other wildflowers.
, many of these activities can be guided or involve tours. The following is a list of the various activities and information regarding them in the park:
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
, located in Warrandyte, east of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
on the banks of the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
and surroundings. The park comprises 586 hectares of remnant bushland in various locations throughout Warrandyte and Wonga Park around Pound Bend, Fourth Hill, Black Flat, Yarra Brae and various other locations in the area. It hosts many significant geographical, environmental, archaeological and historical sites, such as the site of the first gold discovery in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1851 and preserves the sites of former gold mines and tunnels. It is a popular destination for school and community groups and is frequented by local bush walkers and hikers.
Land now occupied by the park was initially occupied by Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
of the Wurundjeri
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
nation. After European settlement, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered in Warrandyte and the area was mined for a number of years. Frequent clearing had at one stage removed all the vegetation in the area and bushfires have erased much of the recent human architectural history of the area, however they have ensured the health of the bushland and reduced the impact of human settlements, enabling the vegetation to recover throughout the 20th century. The major threats to the park's ecology are introduced species of flora and fauna such as fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s and cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s. Being located close to suburban settlements, backburning is regularly undertaken within the park to minimise risk of bushfires.
History
- See Also: History of Warrandyte
Land now occupied by the park was initially occupied by Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
of the Wurundjeri
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
nation. After European settlement
History of Victoria
This article describes the history of the Australian state of Victoria.-Aboriginal history:The state of Victoria was originally home to many indigenous nations that had occupied the land for tens of thousands of years...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, settlers were slow to spread out into the hills east of Melbourne into the Warrandyte area, but with the discovery of gold at Andersons Creek in July 1851, the first gold licences in Victoria were issued. At the turn of the century, the settlement at Warrandyte, employed about 250 miners. Much of the area was mined heavily throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this was done in sections leaving large slots or "stopes" underground where the reef had been. Many of these mine shafts, structures and stopes remain as ruins throughout the park.
The park itself was established in 1975 in an effort to protect areas geographic, environmental, historical and archeological significance around Warrandyte. Stane Brae and Yarra Brae, were later added because of their conservation value. The most recent addition to the park was the Mount Lofty area in 1997.
Geography
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
in Warrandyte, 24 km east of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. The park in its entirety comprises several detached areas of land adjoining the Yarra River from Pound Bend in the east, through Warrandyte to Wonga Park through the Warrandyte Gorge to Mount Lofty in the west. Other areas of land are situated throughout the hills immediately south of Warrandyte. The various areas include (roughly from east to west);
- Pound Bend - Includes the area around Pound Bend in the Yarra RiverYarra RiverThe Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
, the westernmost section of the state park. - Norman Reserve - a small reserve where Pound Bend begins upstream.
- Fourth Hill - one of the highest points in Warrandyte, intensively mined.
- Whipstick Gully - a gully to the north of Fourth Hill, intensively mined.
- Timber Reserve
- The Common
- Black Flat - an area of flat riverbank just south of Blue Tongue Bend near Jumping Creek.
- Jumping Creek - the area where Jumping Creek flows into the Yarra River.
- Yarra Brae - an area in the east of Warrandyte gorge on the southern banks of the river.
- Mount Lofty - the easternmost section of the state park.
Other smaller areas and reserves within the state park include:
- Scotchman's Hill - another hill in central Warrandyte, northeast of Fourth Hill
- The Island - an island/billabong in the river, heavily polluted by introduced species.
- Koornong - an area of land to the east of blue tongue bend.
- Blue Tongue Bend - a bend in the river upstream from Jumping Creek.
- Gravel Reserve - a small reserve on jumping creek
- Stane Brae
- Bend of Isles - area to the north of Mount Lofty around a series of bends in the river.
Gold Mine Ruins & Structures
- Victory Mine - Previously known as Young Colonial and Warrandyte Claim, the Victory mine produced one of the richest recorded claims. It was worked from 1896 and produced 1,870oz in three years. The main shaft was sunk to 67m. The area includes the ruins of a steam-powered quartz crusher and a large quarry.
- Open Mines - Originally dug by Europeans, these open mines were often reworked by Chinese prospectors who were more successful at working the mines than the Europeans who frequently missed discoveries.
- Johnson's Mine - This mine involved a horizontal or "adit" tunnel 60m into the hill, following a small reef. Gold was not found and a second tunnel was dug 20m before the mine was abandoned.
- Upper Monument Mine
- Miner's Hut - built in the 1950s, all structures in these minefields built before 1939 were destroyed in the "Black Friday" bushfireBlack Friday (1939)The Black Friday fires of 13 January 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were considered one of the worst natural bushfires in the world, and certainly the single worst in Australian history as a measure of land affected...
s of that year. - Monument Mine - This type of shaft was operated by two or three people, the two mines remaining were in operation until the 1960s, the last working mines in the Fourth Hill area.
- Louis Michel Memorial - a cairn marking the spot where gold was first discovered in Victoria, erected in 1935.
- Geraghty's Mine - One of the most extensive mines in the area, the main tunnel was constructed from June 1859 - February 1860 and runs for 130m. Various tunnels branch off the main tunnel and a tramway was built to transport quartz from within the mine.
Ecology
- See Also: Flora of AustraliaFlora of AustraliaThe flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 20,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens...
, Fauna of AustraliaFauna of AustraliaThe fauna of Australia consists of a huge variety of animals; some 83% of mammals, 89% of reptiles, 90% of fish and insects and 93% of amphibians that inhabit the continent are endemic to Australia...
The wildlife, so diverse on the fringe of such a big city, includes kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s, wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
, wombat
Wombat
Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...
s, platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
and koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s. Over 100 bird species have been recorded as well as many reptiles, frogs, fish and insects. Vegetation in the area was almost totally cleared during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most of the vegetation seen today has regrown since then. Smooth-barked Manna Gum
Manna Gum
Eucalyptus viminalis, Manna Gum, also known as White Gum, Ribbon Gum or Viminalis is an Australian eucalypt.It is a straight erect tree, often around 40 metres tall, with rough bark on the trunk and base of larger branches, its upper bark peels away in long "ribbons" which can collect on the...
s and Silver Wattle
Wattle
Wattle may refer to:*Wattle , a fleshy growth hanging from the head or neck of certain animals.*Wattle is another term for Congenital cartilaginous rest of the neck...
s line the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
, while an assortment of Box Eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
s and other Wattles cover the hills. Much of the hilly area is characterised by open, forested country, with an understorey of native grasses, creepers, orchids and other wildflowers.
Recreation
A range of activities can be undertaken within the park and on the Yarra RiverYarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
, many of these activities can be guided or involve tours. The following is a list of the various activities and information regarding them in the park:
- Horse riding - Equestrian trails exist in the Fourth Hill, Whipstick Gully, Timber Reserve, The Common and Yarra Brae areas. Horses are only permitted on designated bridle trails only and the trails are sometimes closed in bad weather. Maps of the trails are available here.
- CanoeingCanoeingCanoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
/ kayakingKayakingKayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
- Canoeing and kayaking are popular along the Yarra RiverYarra RiverThe Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
through much of the area occupied by the state park from Wonga Park into Warrandyte. - Mountain bikingMountain bikeA mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
- There are several trails throughout the park, however riders are advised to stay on the designated trails as there are several mine shaft ruins off the trails and mountain biking through bushland destroys understory vegetation. - WalkingWalkingWalking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
and HikingHikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking... - AbseilingAbseilingAbseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
& Rock ClimbingRock ClimbingRock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
- These are very occasionally run by guided groups in various sections of the park.
Access
- Fourth Hill - access to the fourth hill area can be made via various sealed and unsealed streets branching from Yarra Street.
- Tunnel Street
Regulations
- No dogs, cats or firearms.
- Fires to be lit only in fireplaces provided.
- Horse riding only on designated tracks.
- No digging for worms on the river bank.
- Prospecting is permitted in the bed of Anderson's Creek with non-mechanical tools only.
- It is also advised that visitors:
- Keep to walking tracks, as many partly hidden mine shafts dot the hills.
- Tracks in Whipstick Gully can be steep and slippery in wet weather. Historic gold sites are protected.
See also
- Protected areas of VictoriaProtected areas of Victoria (Australia)Victoria is the smallest mainland state in Australia. It contains 1966 separate Protected Areas with a total land area of 33,780 km² . Of these, 36 are National parks, totalling 25,774 km² ....
- Pound Bend TunnelPound Bend TunnelThe Pound Bend Tunnel, or the Evelyn Tunnel, is a diversion tunnel on the Yarra River at Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia, approximately 24 km north-east of Melbourne...
- Warrandyte
- Yarra RiverYarra RiverThe Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
- Victorian gold rushVictorian gold rushThe Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
- Andersons CreekAndersons CreekAndersons Creek is a creek in Warrandyte and Park Orchards, east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is a tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who spoke...