The Goolengook valley is a remote forested region of south-eastern
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 ...
, located near
Orbost
Orbost is a historic early settlers town in the Shire of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, east of Melbourne and south of Canberra where the Princes Highway crosses the Snowy River. It is about from the surf and fishing seaside t ...
in the far eastern corner 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 ...
. It contains a number of forest types including a rare
warm temperate/cool temperate "Overlap Rainforest".
Goolengook is approximately 90 km
2 of forest. Some of the forest has been logged but there is over 20 km
2 of mature and
old growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
remaining. Some of the best stands of temperate rainforest for this part of Australia occur there.
It is the traditional land of the
Bidawal Aboriginal people.
In 2006 the State Government suspended logging while an independent (but government-appointed) assessment was initiated to determine if it should be added to the Victorian Conservation Reserve System.
After ten years of campaigning for the protection of Goolengook, the
Victorian State election of November 2006 saw the Australian Labor party returned, with a promise to protect the Goolengook block within a new National Park.
[Ashley Gardiner]
Old growth forests protected
Herald Sun
The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
, 18 November 2006
Ecology
It is home to several
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
such as the
long-footed potoroo
The long-footed potoroo (''Potorous longipes'') is a small marsupial found in southeastern Australia, restricted to an area around the coastal border between New South Wales and Victoria. It was first recorded in 1967 when an adult male was caugh ...
,
sooty owl
The greater sooty owl (''Tyto tenebricosa'') is a medium to large owl found in south-eastern Australia, Montane rainforests of New Guinea and have been seen on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. The lesser sooty owl (''T. multipunctata'') ...
and
spot-tailed quoll. Goolengook area is one of a limited number of critical sites for the conservation of threatened treeferns – specifically slender tree-fern (''
Cyathea cunninghamii
''Alsophila cunninghamii'', synonym ''Cyathea cunninghamii'', also known as the gully tree fern and slender tree fern, is a species of tree fern indigenous to New Zealand including North Island (type locality), South Island and Chatham Island ...
'') and skirted tree-fern (Cyathea × marcescens, ''Cyathea'' × ''marcescens''). This is due in large part to the general infrequency of prescribed fire and wildfire within the forest block and the low levels of logging disturbance across the upper Goolengook River catchment.
See also
*
Goongerah, Victoria
Goongerah is a community on the Brodribb River, located in Gippsland, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, ...
*
Rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
References
External links
GECO - Goongerah Environment CentreA 2002 website about the Goolengook forest blockadeGoolengook: One of the World's Greatest Old Growth Forests Threatened The Wilderness Society, 22 April 2002
{{coord, 37, 27, 18, S, 148, 48, 56, E, region:AU-VIC_type:landmark, display=title
Forests of Victoria (Australia)