Tarra Bulga National Park

With its lush gullies, giant mountain ash trees and tree ferns, Tarra Bulga National Park is one of only four major areas of cool temperate rainforest in the state.

Picnic under a mountain ash
Have lunch at the Tarra Bulga Picnic area, just off the Grand Ridge Road, or the Tarra Valley picnic area off Tarra Valley Road. Both spots are set amongst the giant mountain ash and shady fronds of tree ferns and offer tables, fireplaces, toilets and picnic shelters.

Bushwalks, waterfalls and rivers
Try out one of the numerous walking tracks that emanate from the picnic areas. Meander through the forest, head south down to Tarra Falls, or take the Fern Gully Nature Walk, which includes magnificent views along the famous suspension bridge.

Plants and wildlife
The rainforest is a haven for plants and wildlife. Discover a wide variety of birds including the pilotbird, yellow tailed black cockatoo, eastern whipbird, and currawongs. Visit in the evening when the forest comes to life as possums, owls and bats emerge to feed. If you’re lucky, you may see a lyrebird scratching the forest floor looking for food or catch a glimpse of some of the other inhabitants like wombats, swamp wallabies, gliders and platypuses.

Accommodation
Camping is not permitted within the Tarra Bulga National Park. However, Tarra Valley offers a range of accommodation including a guest house and tearooms, country house-style accommodation, a Swiss-style chalet with sweeping views and a caravan park with cabins available.

How to get there
Make your way to the park from the Princes Highway at Traralgon by following the Traralgon Creek Road to Balook. Alternatively, follow the Tarra Valley Road from Yarram. Although the roads throughout the area are narrow and winding they offer magnificent scenery with panoramic views from several points.

Another possible route is the spectacular Grand Ridge Road, which is mostly unsealed but well maintained and starts from the Warragul-Korumburra road finishing at Carrajung, North of Yarram. Enjoy incredible views north across the verdant pastures of the Latrobe Valley to Mt Baw Baw and south to the sandy beaches and blue waters of the Bass Coast and Wilsons Promontory.

Facts

Address:Balook, Victoria, 3971

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

Wiki

The Tarra-Bulga National Park is a national park located in the south Gippsland region of eastern Victoria, Australia. The park is located 33 kilometres (21 mi) south of Traralgon on the Traralgon-Balook Road.

The 1,522-hectare (3,760-acre) national park is situated approximately 240 kilometres (150 mi) east of Melbourne and 24 kilometres (15 mi) north of Yarram in the eastern part of the Strzelecki Ranges. The park is home to one of the last remnants of the indigenous eucalypt forests which once covered the region. The undisturbed mountain ash forests, fern gully communities and associated Myrtle Beech stands within the park are of considerable biogeographical significance.

History

The area was first set aside as Bulga National Park in 1904, comprising 20 hectares (49 acres). In 1909 Tarra Valley National Park was designated nearby, with 303 hectares (750 acres) reserved. Over the years the two parks were gradually enlarged and then merged as the Tarra-Bulga National Park, proclaimed on 17 June 1986.

Features

There are numerous walking tracks that emanate from the picnic areas. The Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk is a short and easy walk taking in Cyathea Falls, and the Fern Gully Nature Walk, passes over Corrigan’s Suspension Bridge, which stretches through the rainforest canopy with views of the fern gully below. The three- to four-day 100-kilometre (62 mi) Grand Strzelecki Track connects the park with the adjacent Morwell National Park.

The park is a popular tourist attraction with a visitor centre, picnic areas with tables, fireplaces shelters and toilets. The visitors centre is open on weekends and school and public holidays. It is staffed by members of the Friends of Tarra-Bulga National Park who also undertake restoration and monitoring activities.

Since 22 October 2010, the national park has been jointly managed by Parks Victoria in partnership with the Gunaikurnai people, who are the traditional owners of the land.

Flora and fauna

The deeply incised river valleys of the park are dominated by wet sclerophyll tall open forest of mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), with an understory of blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), hazel pomaderris (Pomaderris aspera) and tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica and Cyathea australis). Pockets of the park feature cool temperate rainforest, including Myrtle Beech Nothofagus cunninghamii. The ridges are dominated by open forest and low open forest of stringybark eucalypts and gums. The park is also noted for its diversity of Fungi species, which are prominent in autumn.

The rainforest is a haven for plants and wildlife, and is particularly well known for its giant mountain ash trees and lush fern gullies. There are a wide variety of birds residing in the park including the pilotbird, yellow tailed black cockatoo, eastern whipbird, and currawongs. In the evening possums, owls and bats emerge to feed. Lyrebirds, wombats, swamp wallabies, gliders and platypuses can also be found within the park.

Map Location