Yarra Ranges National Park

This is Victoria's newest national park, formed by the recent amalgamation of several state forests and water catchments of the Upper Yarra Valley. It is an area that is not often explored by Melbournians despite it's proximity to the city. As you drive out of Healesville and through the park you will see beautiful forests but access to most of it is restricted.

The water catchments of the Upper Yarra are something of an anomaly in Victoria. While politicians and logging companies accuse environmentalists of wanting to lock forests away, Melbourne Water (formerly the MMBW) has actually achieved it with large areas of forest that have been off limits to the public since before WWII. Not even the sensitive Big Desert Wilderness has restrictions like these.

Much of the area's history and attractions are still locked away. Hopefully the new national park will see an easing of restrictions to these areas so that we can enjoy the whole of the Yarra Ranges. These forests that have grown largely undisturbed for the last 50 - 60 years are truly unique and are definitely worth exploring. The Yarra Ranges also has the largest eucalypts in Australia in Furmston's Tree, The Ada Tree and The Big Tree (they won't tell you about Furmston's Tree because it's in a water catchment).

While buying a map of the Otways I came across a book called "Secrets of the Upper Yarra Valley". After a quick glance through the book I couldn't resist it and I bought it as well. Inside the book were historical photographs, maps (including topographic map names and coordinates) and descriptions of what could really be considered to be just what the title said, secrets of the Upper Yarra Valley. One such secret is Yarra Falls...