Over the past few weeks we’ve had the opportunity to visit some fantastic locations in central Victoria, less than 1 hour from our base. These have mostly been birding trips, with a bit of reconnaissance of future camping spots thrown into the mix.
Terrick Terrick National Park
We were alerted to the importance of Terrick Terrick NP by some local birdwatchers and photographers, so we jumped in the car and headed up for a day trip with a thermos of coffee and a picnic lunch. What an amazing place! Only 50 minutes north of our base, this small park packs a punch with its diversity and rugged beauty.
This area contains Victoria's most significant stand of White Cypress Pines and is great habitat for woodland birds. We took a slow scenic drive through the park along with various short strolls to enjoy the woodand, granite outcrops and wildflowers that abound in the park, along with large mobs of kangaroos. Surrounding the park are large expanses of native grasslands that are some of the best in the state of Victoria. The birding was also amazing. Some interesting species that we spotted include the firetail finch, hooded robin, brown tree-creeper, red-capped robin and white-plumed honey-eater. There were lots of raptors in the grasslands including white-shouldered kite, brown falcon, and wedge-tailed eagle. There’s a small camp-ground inside the park, so it’s definitely a place to return to for a longer stay.
Melville Caves
A short drive to the west of our base, we discovered the fabulous Melville Caves in the Kooyoora State Park. The caves are formed beneath huge outcrops of granite which are sprawled across the mountainside, with spectacular views over the surrounding countryside from the top. We arrived on a misty morning so we couldn’t capture the views, but it gives us a great reason to return! The park also contains a small camp-ground and picnic area and is criss-crossed with lots of interesting short walks and longer scrambles over granite boulders through very scenic country. The caves are named after the notorious bushranger -Captain Melville - who preyed on the gold escorts in the mid-1800’s. We saw tufted honeyeater, eastern yellow robin, brown treecreeper, spotted pardalote and eastern spinebill, amongst other bird species.
Kara Kara National Park
A bit further south of Melville Caves, near the town of Stuart Mill, we visited the forests and open woodlands of Kara Kara National Park, one of the largest intact areas of Box-Ironbark vegetation and landscapes in Victoria.
The banks of Upper Teddington Reservoir provide a pleasant spot for camping and picnics. It was a great delight to watch some white-plumed honeyeaters bathing in the reservoir whilst we enjoyed a picnic lunch. The colours of the woodland, reflected in the still waters was wonderful to behold.
Reputedly a great spot for bush walking and wildlife spotting, we will be back.
On the way back from Kara Kara NP, we discovered another fabulous camping spot on the Bealiba Reservoir which is nestled below Mount Bealiba. The goldfields area is rich with beautiful plants, animals and birdlife - a nature lover's paradise.
Epsom
Only 10 minutes drive from our base, we recently walked along a eucalypt-lined creek track where the bird-life was magnificent. We spotted the leaden fly-catcher, white-plumed honeyeater, black-fronted dotterel, grebes, ducks and lots of parrots.
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