Long-billed Corella (D Ong)
The subject of this page is the new Lower Goulburn River National Park, a long, discontinuous, narrow park between Shepparton and the confluence of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers.
The park was created following an investigation by the Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC).
Lower Goulburn River National Park includes the Wyuna River Reserve.
Accessing the Park
The Wyuna block can be accessed from the Murray Valley Highway via Agnes Road.Parts of the park near Echuca can be accessed via several minor roads which head north off Bangerang Road east of the Nathalia Road (Stewarts Bridge Road) turnoff.
The Wyuna Bridge area can be accessed from the Murray Valley Highway via Curr Road or from Echuca via Glanville Road.
Parts of the park near Underra can be accessed by several roads which head north from the Echuca-Mooroopna Road, e.g. Madill Road.
Several roads head south off the Barmah-Shepparton Road to the park, incljuding Medland Road, McClelland Road and Daldy Road.
The section south of Nathalia can be accessed from the Murray Valley Highway by Hanlons Lane, Frasers Road, Booths Road and Rathbones Road.
Camping
There are commercial caravan parks in Shepparton, Mooroopna, Echuca, Nathalia and Kyabram. There is also a caravan park alongside the Goulburn River along the Echuca-Nathalia (Stewarts Bridge) Road.Bush camping is allowed in most of the forest. However, some areas are for daytime visitors only and some areas are fenced 'exclosures'. Campers are asked to remove all rubbish as bins are not provided.
Popular riverside camping spots include Simpsons Bend, Yambuna Bridge, Cahills Bend, the end of Alfred Road, the end of Hanlons Lane, the end of Rathbones Road, an area between Fish Gully and Sleeth Bend, Muscle Bend, the end of Gobble Dick Road, Medland Bend and Cooma Bend.
Canoeing
Some reaches of the Goulburn River are ideal for canoeing. There are many 'snags' which render the river unsuitable for power boats and water skiing.The Wyuna River Reserve is a good place to launch a canoe.
Maps
Visitors are urged to obtain good maps before visiting the forest. Information is available from Shepparton Tourist Information Centre.Hayman's double-sided Cohuna-Echuca-Gunbower Forest Activities Map is particularly good.
The following 1:25,000 topographic maps may be useful:
Barmah 7825-1-1
Nathalia South 7925-4-S
Shepparton North 7925-2-S
Numurkah South 7925-1-S.
Related pages
Bushland Reserves of northern Victoria and southern Riverina NSW
External links
Reserves of northern Victoria and the southern Riverina
Black Swan by Dallas WyattLower Goulburn River National Park
including Wyuna River Reserve and Yambuna Bridge
Introduction
Introduction
Located alongside the Goulburn River downstream of Shepparton and upstream of Echuca in Victoria, Lower Goulburn River National Park is long and thin and of varying width. It includes most of the public land alongside the Goulburn River downstream of Reedy Swamp in Shepparton to the confluence of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers. The Goulburn River is lined with River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and is an important wildlife corridor. Understorey plants include Golden Wattle (Acacia acinacia), Dwarf Native Cherry (Exocarpus stricta) and Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata).
The new park excludes Loch Garry, a wetland area bordering the new park. When it contains water, this wetland provides habitat for thousands of water birds. Loch Garry is now a 'Wildlife Area' in which duck shooting may be permitted at times.
The new park also excludes Gemmills Swamp at Mooroopna which is now a Nature Conservation Reserve in which duck shooting will not be allowed.
Yambuna Bridge Streamside Reserve comprises 44 hectares of native bushland alongside the Goulburn River upstream of Echuca Village. This reserve is one of the wider sections of the new national park.
The content of this page will be increased during 2010 as more information becomes available. It is difficult to obtain information on the new park at this stage. At the beginning of 2010, no park maps or notes were available from the Parks Victoria web site. It is also intended to add some photographs to this page during the course of 2010.
Murray-Goulburn Branch of Bird Observation and Conservation Branc is centred around Shepparton-Mooroopna and areas to the east and has outings and surveys in the park. There is also a BOCA Branch based on Echuc and it sometimes has outings to sections of the park, particularly to areas nearest to Echuca. Some of the outings and surves of these BOCA branches are in areas which are now part of the new national park.
Also based in Shepparton is the Goulburn Valley Environment Group which has been active, along with other conservation groups such as the Victorian National Parks Association, in campaigning for the creation of River Red Gum national parks.
Location of Lower Goulburn River National Park
S= SheppartonThe following notes have been summarised from the web site of Victoria's Department of Sustainability and Environment:
For local residents, the forests along the Goulburn River are likely to remain much as they’ve always been.
It is hoped that the new national park will increase the number of visitors to the area and boost the regional economy.
A whole range of activities will continue to be enjoyed in the national parks. Camping, fishing, water sports, horse riding, four wheel driving, trail bike riding and, except on days of Total Fire Ban, the use of campfires will all continue to be permitted.
Campers will still be able to choose where they camp in the new national parks. In the most popular areas, waste disposal facilities are expected to be improved.
Horse riding will be permitted on roads and tracks within this national parks.
Trail bike riding and four wheel driving will continue to be permitted on existing roads.
Firewood collection within the park is not likely to be permitted. However, it is expected that campers may collect small amounts of fallen timber for camp fires. Many conservation-minded people are opposed to the collection of firewood and are particularly opposed to fires on warm summer days.
Cattle grazing will not be permitted in the park.
Commercial timber harvesting licences will cease in the new national park.
Through its Our Water Our Future program, the Victorian Government will endeavour to provide long-term protection for all floodplains within the new national parks. However, this will depend on water availability across the entire Northern Victorian water system, as detailed in the Draft Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy.
Reedy Swamp, Shepparton (K Stockwell)Yambuna Bridge Streamside Reserve
Yambuna Bridge Streamside Reserve is 44 hectares of native bushland alongside the Goulburn River upstream of Echuca Village. It is to expected to become part of the Lower Goulburn River National Park. The area is popular with campers, anglers and canoeists. There is a boat ramp. There are a lot of snags in the Goulburn River so the river is unsuitable for speed boats. Access from the Murray Valley Highway is via Curr Road and Yamuna Bridge Road.
A colony of endangered Grey-crowned Babblers lives a short distance east of the bridge, near Wakiti Church.
Accommodation is available at the nearby Wakitii Resort.
Wyuna River Reserve
Wyuna, derived from the Koori word for "clear water" (waioona), is a locality north of Kyabram. Agnes Road runs from the Murray Valley Highway, just east of Wyuna township, to Wyuna River Reserve alongside the Goulburn River. Wyuna River Reserve covers around 201ha (over 400 acres) and has been fenced and restored by Wyuna Landcare Group, the Irrigation Committee of Goulburn Murray Catchment Management Authority and the Department of Sustainability & Environment.
This lovely reserve gives an indication of what pre-European vegetation looked like and is one of the best natural areas in northern Victoria.
It is likely to be a part of Lower Goulburn River National Park. It is hoped that the management committee will continue in some form.
Dominant trees are Red Gum (E. Camaldulensis), Grey Box (E. microcarpa) and, in places, Yellow Box (E. melliodora). The Bush Stone Curlew and the Squirrel Glider still live here. Two families of Tree Goanna (Varannus varius) have been recorded here. At least 110 plant species have been recorded in the reserve, including Creeping Mint (Mentha saturoides) and Leafy Templetonia (Templetonia stenophylla). Since cattle were fenced out of the reserve, the understorey has recovered remarkably well, despite several years of drought. In particular, native grasses, Gold Dust Wattle (Acacia acinacea) , Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata) and Chinese Scrub (Cassinia sp) have recovered well. Nest boxes made of hollow branches have been placed in some of the trees and there are information shelters at some entrances. There is a delightful sandbank on the reserve side of the Goulburn River which should appeal to bathers, canoeists and anglers. Over 100 bird species have been observed in the reserve. A draft management plant was released in 2006.
Topographic map: Nathalia South 7925-4-N.
VEAC's proposed that this delightful reserve to be a block of the new Lower Goulburn River National Park.
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Potential threats to Lower Goulburn River National Park
Potential threats include:
- climate change, resulting in increased temperatures, reduced rainfall and increased incidence of storms
- inappropriate water management (quality, frequency, season, duration)
- inappropriate timber management (e.g. failure to remove thickets of saplings, failure to control firewood collection)
- lack of policing and enforcement of park rules, resulting in tree removal, fires, rubbish deposition, vandalism
- fires (flooding reduces the fire danger; Red Gum is intolerant of fire)
- weed encroachment (e.g. Arrowhead, thistles)
- feral animals (e.g. rabbits, brumbies, pigs)
- barriers to fish movement
- barriers to water movement
Lower Goulbura River National Park
Click the 'next' button for notes on Murray River Park
Northern Victoria and Southern Riverina Conservation and Environment Site
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