Yarra Ranges

Yarra Ranges National Park encompasses approximately 76,000 hectares of tall wet sclerophyll forest, cool temperate rainforest, and alpine country in the Yarra Ranges of central Victoria, northeast of Melbourne. The park protects the headwaters of the Yarra River and its tributaries, making it critically important for Melbourne's water supply. The park contains some of the world's tallest trees — mountain ash eucalypts reaching over 80 metres — and magnificent cool temperate rainforest of myrtle beech. The Thomson, Maroondah, and O'Shannassy reservoirs within or adjacent to the park supply water to approximately 80% of Melbourne's population, making the park arguably the most important natural infrastructure asset in Victoria. The park is renowned for Leadbeater's possum, Victoria's critically endangered state animal emblem.

Yarra Ranges National Park is most famous as the principal habitat of the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum, Victoria's state animal emblem. The possum's survival depends on the presence of mature mountain ash forest with abundant hollow-bearing trees and a dense understorey of wattles. Common wombats, swamp wallabies, and eastern grey kangaroos are abundant throughout the park. Greater gliders and common brushtail possums are common in the mature forest. Platypus inhabit the clear mountain streams. The superb lyrebird is one of the most famous inhabitants of the wet forest gullies, performing extraordinary vocal displays. Powerful owls, sooty owls, and spotted owls are among the nocturnal predators. The park is a stronghold for the spot-tailed quoll.

Yarra Ranges National Park contains exceptional examples of mountain ash forest, among the world's tallest flowering plants. The mountain ash forest, with its towering straight trunks and high canopy, is one of Australia's most iconic and ecologically significant plant communities. Tree ferns — soft tree fern and rough tree fern — form lush understorey communities in the moist gullies. Cool temperate rainforest of myrtle beech occurs in the most sheltered, moist gullies. Sub-alpine communities on the highest ridge include snow gum woodland and alpine ash forest. The park contains numerous rare and threatened plant species, including various rainforest-associated ferns and mosses.

Yarra Ranges National Park is underlain by Devonian granites and Silurian-Devonian sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The park's dominant landforms reflect the deep incision of river systems into the uplifted plateau. The Yarra River, Melbourne's principal water supply river, has its headwaters within the park. The reservoir catchments are particularly sensitive geological environments where any disturbance can affect water quality and quantity. The granitic terrain produces the acidic, nutrient-poor soils that support mountain ash rather than more productive vegetation.

Yarra Ranges National Park receives very high, reliable rainfall, typically exceeding 1,500 millimetres annually in the higher catchment areas, making it one of the wettest parts of Victoria. Winters are cold with snow on the highest ridges. Summers are cool compared with Melbourne, though hot days and associated fire danger do occur. The park was catastrophically affected by the Black Saturday bushfires of February 2009, which burned through vast areas of mature mountain ash forest. The fire killed over a million birds and mammals in the park and destroyed significant areas of Leadbeater's possum habitat.

The Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation have deep cultural connections to the Yarra River headwaters and surrounding mountain country. The forests of the Yarra Ranges were heavily logged from the late nineteenth century for timber and were the source of the building materials that created much of Melbourne's colonial infrastructure. Melbourne Water's reservoir catchments were closed to all access from the 1890s to protect water quality, preserving significant areas of intact forest.

Yarra Ranges National Park was established in 1995, incorporating earlier reserves and closed catchment areas. The park was created to protect the remaining intact mountain ash forest and the Leadbeater's possum's habitat, following decades of logging in the surrounding state forests. The 2009 Black Saturday fires were a defining event in the park's history. Post-fire management and monitoring have provided national insights into the responses of mountain ash forest to catastrophic wildfire events.

The O'Shannassy Aqueduct Trail provides a long-distance walking track through mature forest following a historic water supply aqueduct. The Ada Tree, one of Victoria's largest mountain ash trees, is accessible via a short walk. The Cumberland Track and other walking tracks provide access to the tall forest and fern gully environments. The Warburton area provides a gateway to the park with access to various walks. The Healesville Sanctuary adjacent to the park offers wildlife viewing of park species in a managed setting.

Yarra Ranges National Park has limited visitor infrastructure given that much of the park is closed water supply catchment. The accessible areas include walking tracks and day-use areas at strategic entry points. The towns of Warburton and Healesville provide accommodation and services. The park is approximately 65 kilometres from Melbourne via the Maroondah Highway. Many areas of the park are closed to protect water quality.

The conservation of Yarra Ranges National Park is inseparable from Melbourne's water security. Maintaining intact forest cover in the reservoir catchments is essential for maintaining water yield and quality. The Leadbeater's possum is critically endangered, with the Black Saturday fires destroying much of its remaining habitat. Recovery of the possum's habitat requires the establishment of dense wattle understorey in old-growth stands. Climate change threatens to increase fire frequency in the mountain ash zone, potentially preventing the forest from recovering between fires — a scenario that could lead to conversion of mountain ash forest to a different vegetation type. Logging in adjacent state forests remains a conservation concern.