Brisbane Ranges National Park information


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See Parks Victoria website for more information on the Brisbane Ranges National Park This includes walks, camp bookings, and more things to do. Brisbane Ranges National Park Visitor Guide pdf. Note the Visitor Guide has a map of the park. There is also a large new map available for purchase. Phytophthora cinnamomi is a concern in the Brisbane Ranges National Park. The disease attacks plant roots, causing 'dieback' and often leading to the death of native plants including our iconic Grass Trees .		The Brisbane Ranges National Park is about 80km west of Melbourne between Geelong and Bacchus Marsh or Ballan. Popular areas of the park are accessible from the Geelong-Ballan Road and the Staughton Vale Road out of Anakie. The Brissies is also a great place for families and children to visit. Set in a low range of mountains dissected by rocky gullies, the unusual geology of Brisbane Ranges National Park has preserved plants that have long since vanished from the region, together with a correspondingly diverse bird population as well as Koalas, Wallabies and Kangaroos. The ranges were formed about a million years ago when a line of weakness, or fault, developed in the earth's crust, uplifting the land lying to its west. The Wathaurong Aboriginal tribe occupied the area around Geelong and small clans regularly occupied the Brisbane Ranges. European settlement resulted in a decline in the Wathaurong population. More information and history of the Wathaurong is included on our links page. Squatters took up pastoral runs around the Brisbane Ranges soon after the founding of Melbourne in 1853. They concentrated their farming activities on the fertile land to the east and south along the Moorabool River. The goldrush here began in 1851 when gold was discovered in the Anakie Hills. In 1855 many gold reefs were found near what became the town of Steiglitz with more than 600 miners in the area by 1862 . The town's fortunes slumped between 1876 and 1890, revived briefly until the early 1900s and then declined to the present ghost town status. The gold years had a considerable impact on the ranges as much of the forest was cut to provide mine props, building timber and firewood. In the 1870s, the ranges played a new and vital role - supplying water to Geelong. 3000 ha of the Brisbane Ranges was reserved as a catchment area. In 1973, 1132 ha was set aside as a National Park. It was enlarged to 7718 ha in 1995 including part of the adjacent Steiglitz Historic Park. The January 2006 fire that ravaged the Brisbane Ranges National Park consumed over 40 percent of the Park. The images and memory of this major event will remain with us all. Lightning brought wildfire to the park and despite lengthy efforts to control the fire from DSE, Parks Victoria and CFA fire fighters, flames engulfed more than 6700 hectares of National Park, public land and pasture land before finally being controlled on Tuesday 24 January 2006. The bush is still regenerating. On 20 August 2010 the Lower Stony Creek catchment area of approximately 1165 ha was added to the Brisbane Ranges National Park making it a toal of 8883ha. This land had minimal disturbance and been closed to the public for about 125 years. The Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative based in Geelong is responsible for Aboriginal heritage in the area.	Staughton Vale wall
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