Beech Forest is a town in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia. The area of Beech Forest is largely used for potato farming.

History

The town was named after the many

myrtle beech ''Nothofagus cunninghamii'', commonly known as myrtle beech or Tasmanian myrtle, is the dominant species of cool temperate rainforests in Tasmania and Southern Victoria. It has low fire resistance and grows best in partial shade conditions. It ...

trees of the area. Beech Forest Post Office opened on 10 May 1890 and closed in 1994.

Infrastructure

The town had a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

on the Crowes railway line from 1902 until 1962. Much of the route of the old railway has been converted to the Old Beechy Rail Trail, via which cyclists and walkers can travel between Beech Forest and Colac.

Flora

The forest is primarily characterized by: *

Myrtle Beech ''Nothofagus cunninghamii'', commonly known as myrtle beech or Tasmanian myrtle, is the dominant species of cool temperate rainforests in Tasmania and Southern Victoria. It has low fire resistance and grows best in partial shade conditions. It ...

(''Nothofagus cunninghamii''), the namesake of the forest Other significant tree species include: *

Blackwood Blackwood may refer to: Botany * African blackwood (''Dalbergia melanoxylon''), a timber tree of Africa * African blackwood ('' Erythrophleum africanum''), (''Peltophorum africanum'') also Rhodesian blackwood, trees from Africa * Australian blac ...

(''Acacia melanoxylon'') *

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also

* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...

(''Eucalyptus regnans'') * Californian Redwoods (''Sequoia'' sp.), planted in 1939 The understory is rich in ferns, including: * Soft Tree-fern (''Dicksonia antarctica'') * '' Cyathea australis'' * '' Blechnum wattsii'' * ''

Polystichum proliferum ''Polystichum proliferum'', commonly known as mother shield fern is an Australian endemic fern. The genus name Polystichum is derived from Greek ''poly'' - many, and ''stichos -'' rows referring to the many rows of sori. The species name is deriv ...

'' Other plants found in the cool temperate rainforest include: * ''

Hedycarya angustifolia ''Hedycarya angustifolia'', commonly known as native mulberry, Australian mulberry, or djelwuck is a species of flowering plant in the family ''Monimiaceae'', and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with elliptic or egg ...

'' * ''

Olearia argophylla ''Olearia argophylla'', commonly known as musk daisy-bush, native musk or silver shrub, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub or tree with silvery branchlets, egg-shap ...

'' * '' Pimelea axiflora'' * ''

Pomaderris aspera ''Pomaderris aspera'', commonly known as hazel pomaderris, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with elliptic to lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves and gree ...

'' * ''

Prostanthera lasianthos ''Prostanthera lasianthos'', commonly known as the Victorian Christmas bush or coranderrk , is a large shrub or small tree of the mint family, Lamiaceae, which is native to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. It grow ...

'' * ''

Tasmannia lanceolata ''Tasmannia lanceolata'', commonly known as pepper tree, native pepper, mountain pepper or mountain pepperbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family ''Winteraceae'', and is endemism, endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a Dioecy, ...

'' Epiphytes, such as fork-ferns, filmy ferns, and orchids, are common in the humid microclimate created by the tree-fern layer.

Fauna

The diverse forest ecosystem supports various animal species:

Mammals

* Medium-sized browsers like

wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials of the family Vombatidae that are native to Australia. Living species are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . They are adaptable and habitat tolerant, and are ...

s and

wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...

* Small ground insectivores and omnivores, including

antechinus ''Antechinus'' (// ('ant-echinus')) is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews. Names They are also sometimes called 'broad-footed marsupial mice', 'pouched mice', or 'Ante ...

and native rats * Arboreal species (likely

possum Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum ...

s and gliders)

Birds

While specific bird species are not detailed in the available sources, the diverse forest ecosystem likely supports a variety of bird species typical of Victorian rainforests.Inferred based on typical rainforest ecosystems in Victoria

Insects and other invertebrates

The moist, forested environment provides habitat for numerous insect and invertebrate species, though specific examples are not provided in the available sources. The Beech Forest area is known for its beautiful waterfalls and scenic drives, which contribute to the overall biodiversity of the region. The unique combination of aspect, soils, and climate in the Otway hinterland creates a distinctive ecosystem that supports this rich variety of plant and animal life.

Notable residents

* Cliff Young, winner of the 1983 Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon at the age of 61

References

External links

Walkabout Travel Guide
– Beech Forest
Bureau of Meteorology Daily Rainfall
– Beech Forest Towns in Victoria (state) Otway Ranges {{BarwonSouthWest-geo-stub