Kinglake National Park

Only 65 kilometres north of Melbourne, Kinglake National Park lies on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range, offering dramatic views of the Melbourne skyline, Port Phillip Bay, the Yarra Valley and across to the You Yangs.

This is a good spot, not far from Melbourne, to go camping, enjoy a bushwalk or have a picnic.

Since the intense 2009 fires in Kinglake National Park, many plants adapted to fire are flourishing. In spring, keep an eye out for wildflowers in bloom, while winter is a good time to discover fungi, mosses and lichens.

Conditions can change in parks for many reasons. For the latest information on changes to local conditions, please visit the relevant park page on the Parks Victoria website.

Be bushfire ready in the great outdoors. Refer to the Bushfire Safety section on the Parks Victoria website for tips on how to stay safe.

Due to current health advice on social distancing, please contact the business for the most up to date information regarding opening times and services.

Facts

Address:Kinglake National Park, Kinglake West, Victoria, 3757

Official Website: https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/kinglake-national-park
Cost: See Website
Open Hours:Open 24 hours

Wiki

The Kinglake National Park is a national park in Central Victoria, Australia. The 23,210-hectare (57,400-acre) national park is situated 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of Melbourne and includes tracks (some with wheelchair access), and camping facilities.

The national park includes Masons Falls, a picnic area with falls and natural flora. Layered sediment forms the valley, containing fossils from when the area was once covered by the sea. Natural fauna includes wallaby, kangaroo, wombat, possum and echidna. It also includes varieties of birds including cockatoos (sulphur-crested, black and red-headed), king parrots, the rosella and the lyrebird.

Prior to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, the park was renowned for being home to the tallest tree in Victoria. The specimen of Eucalyptus regnans (mountain ash) stood 91.6 metres (301 ft) tall in 2002 and was suspected to have originated after the 1851 Black Thursday bushfires. It was located in the Wallaby Creek closed catchment area in the north-west regions of the park.

History

The area was logged in the early part of the 20th century, and some remnants of logging remain (such as scars on some trees and a sawdust dump).

In January 2006, parts of the park to the north of the Kinglake township were devastated by a bushfire started by lightning during a severe thunderstorm. The blaze threatened to engulf the town, advancing to within a few hundred metres of the northern fringe. The town was saved by further thunderstorms, along with Country Fire Authority volunteers. In 2009 98% of the national park was severely burnt by the devastating Black Saturday bushfires. Much of the town of Kinglake was destroyed and nearly a hundred lives were lost. As of 2010, rehabilitation work is continuing and sections of the park are gradually being reopened.

Books on Kinglake National Park

Stewart, Kath and Hawkins, Deidre Living with Fire: A brief history of fires in the Kinglake Ranges, Kinglake, Vic. Kinglake Historical Society ISBN 9780987121783

Map Location

Featured Photo by Mattinbgn