General News
21 March, 2025
Barry's corner
There are some of the best national parks in all of Australia to be found in this region of western Victoria.
A wide range of plant and animals is represented in these reserves, combined with geographic and geological features.
Substantial areas are needed to allow species to survive if a fire takes out a section or disease attacks.
Some people complain that they cannot drive a vehicle up every track to their heart's content.
This is not the purpose of a system of reserves.
It is impossible to see everything from a car seat and it is a good idea to get out and take a walk, where you will see a whole lot more.
Protecting a park and its contents is what it's all about.
Some camping can take place in areas designed to cope with extra trampling and concentrations of people.
There are varying degrees of access and protection of our bushland, including on smaller blocks of public land where dogs and some firewood collecting may take place.
Some of these areas are fragile and prone to erode easily so it's pointless letting vehicles and lots of foot traffic access these.
At times a reserve might appear quite a deal smaller because it could be trying to protect a cave system or a remnant and valuable plant community.
Much of the biodiversity across Victoria has been lost to towns, sports fields and farms, and although there are valiant attempts to look after species in those areas it can be more expensive to maintain ongoing care for some species when there is a protected block.
Not all species are widely represented across the state – some might be found only in smaller reserves on farms.