Bunyip State Park is a state park east of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, near the town of

Gembrook Gembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area. Gembrook recorded a population of 2,559 at the 2021 census. Gembrook is a popular ...

, in the southern slopes of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

within the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Location and features

The area was used for logging from 1898 until 1990, and was turned into a state park two years later. The park is named after the

bunyip The bunyip is a creature from the aboriginal mythology of southeastern Australia, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes. Name The origin of the word ''bunyip'' has been traced to the Wemba-Wemba or Wergaia ...

, an Aboriginal mythical creature that was thought to live along the

Bunyip River The Bunyip River is a perennial river of the Western Port catchment, located in the West Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features The Bunyip River rises below Mount Beenak, part of the southern portion of the Y ...

that flows through the park. The terrain in the park is mostly dense forest and swampy heathland, with Prickly Tea-tree,

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 Mountai ...

and

Mealy Stringybark ''Eucalyptus cinerea'', commonly known as the Argyle apple, mealy stringbark or silver dollar tree, is a species of small- to medium-sized tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, usua ...

present. Camping is available at Nash Creek Camping Area under towering Mountain Ash. Black Snake Creek Road runs through the centre of the park from east to west. To the south of Black Snake Creek Road the park is suitable for walking, mountain bike riding and horse riding. To the north for trail bike and four wheel driving.

Parks Victoria Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria, Australia. Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The ''Parks Victoria Ac ...

have a few maps with suggested rides, drives and walks. About 45% percent of the park was burnt in the 2009

Black Saturday bushfires The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009, and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. T ...

Wildlife

Kangaroos, koalas, lyrebirds, wallabies, and wombats are part of the wildlife in the park. There are also nectar-feeding birds such as the Helmeted Honey-eater and teeny Southern Emu-wren which can be seen to jump between low-hanging branches

References

External links

* State parks of Victoria (Australia) {{VictoriaAU-geo-stub