Find Your Escape exploring Nature’s Playground

Where to explore What you can do

Leave the monotony of everyday life and venture into a world where nature reigns supreme. Lace up your boots, embrace your inner explorer, and get lost in the serenity of the untamed forests. Each step taking you deeper into a world of ancient trees and the soothing sounds of wildlife.
Winter wonderland on Baw Baw Giant Eucalyptus Regnans

Come for a winter hike in Gippsland and visit the mighty mountain ash forests on Mt Erica. These trees will change the way you view nature and the sheer size of these plants.
Waterfalls and Rainforests adorn the gullies

Take a short wander into Marysville to marvel at the water tributaries. Pouring down from such heights as Lake Mountain and the Cathedrals, these gullies flow all year round and are shrouded by rainforests.
Adventure today Conserve for tomorrow

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Explore 525,000 hectares of natural country on the edge of Melbourne Naarm and help us conserve the 66% that is currently unprotected
It’s time to restore This land needs care

Clear felling has laid waste to much of the region, as forests are now allowed to recover, we need to foster regenerative programs to heal country
Supported by the biggestnames in conservation

Show your support End to an End Trailer

The proposed Great Forest National Park is backed by a multitude of names from all walks of life, from experts to everyday Australians

Hiking through the Central Highlands

Taungurung Country

Lose yourself amidst the towering mountain ash forests of the central highlands, as sunlight filters through the lush canopy that stirs your soul with every stride.
Magical places

Gunaikurnai country

Walking beneath the giants can leave you in awe of how grand the forests of the Central Highlands are and why we need a park to safeguard it.
Water tributaries

Taungurung Country

Discover the breathtaking beauty of Marysville, Victoria, with its enchanting waterfalls, lush rainforests, picturesque gullies, serene Lake Mountain, and awe-inspiring Cathedrals, creating a paradise for nature enthusiasts.
The tallest flowering tree in the world

Wurundjeri Country

Mountain Ash trees have a distinct smooth upper trunk and a dark red-brown stocking at the base. Often immersed in thick fog at the start of the day, these trees are the lifeblood to the surrounding ecosystems.
Logging in the Central Highlands

Taungurung Country

It can be hard to appreciate the sheer size and impact of logging to these regions. Here the steep slopes produce lower unprofitable volume of timber, and the extensive soil disturbance will continue to impact the region long after the trucks have left.
Professor David Lindenmayer AO

World-leading expert in forest ecology & conservation

Prof. David Lindemayer AO speaking with ultra-runner Majell Backhausen as he plans on running 273km from Wandong to Mt Baw Baw

The Great Forest National Park, Victoria

Only 60 kilometres north east of Melbourne exists the Central Highlands of Victoria, home to the world's tallest flowering plant, the Mountain Ash, and one of Australia's most endangered mammals, the Leadbeater's Possum. Both are threatened by ongoing clearfell logging and wildfires.

The creation of the Great Forest National Park would not only safeguard the habitats of endangered species and protect these critical forests, but also protect carbon stocks, water supplies, and lower the risk of bushfires. Adding a proposed 355,000 hectares to the existing protected forests will combine a number of individual national parks to form the Great Forest National Park.

About the Park Ways to Support

Great Forest Trail Marathon 2023

A purposeful trail running event, traversing the forests of the Yarra Ranges and Central Highlands to support the campaign to establish the Great Forest National Park.

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End to an End

Patagonia explores the life of an unique and precious ecosystem on the doorstep of Melbourne, seen through the eyes of ultra-runner, Majell Backhausen as he runs 273km, from Wandong to Mt. Baw Baw.

Join the campaign Watch Episode 1
The Great Forest Book

The Great Forest showcases the rare beauty of the Mountain Ash Forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, and highlights the threat from logging and wildfires.

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Wonderland

The Great Forest National Park would represent the largest national park in Victoria, right on Melbourne's doorstep. It's establishment could attract an extra 400,000 visitors annually to the area, creating an additional 750 full-time jobs and adding more than $70 million to the local economy annually.

About the Park

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The maintenance of an intact ecological system is the only way to ensure the continued existence of biodiversity, safeguard water supplies and provide spiritual nourishment for ourselves and future generations. It is for these reasons, and for the survival of the critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum, that's why I support the creation of the Great Forest National Park for Victoria.

Sir David Attenborough
Over thousands of years, nature has provided the resources that have helped us to survive and flourish. Now, in a time of need, we must help nature to survive. The Great Forest National Park is a project to secure the future of a threatened ecosystem. If we act now, we will be ensuring the forest can continue to provide services that support us- clean water, fresh air and storage of carbon. If we fail now, what future will we have chosen for our grandchildren and their grandchildren? Please join me in supporting the creation of the Great Forest National Park.

Dr Jane Goodall, DBE

Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace
The Central Highlands of Victoria are home to the world’s tallest flowering plants, the Mountain Ash, and one of Australia’s most endangered mammals, the Leadbeater’s Possum. Both are threatened by ongoing clearfell logging and bushfires. To ensure their survival, I would argue we need to create a new national park, not only to protect possums and forests, but carbon stocks, water supplies, and lower the risk of bushfires.

Prof. David Lindenmayer AO

Hiking through the Central Highlands

Taungurung Country

Magical places

Gunaikurnai country

Water tributaries

Taungurung Country

The tallest flowering tree in the world

Wurundjeri Country

Logging in the Central Highlands

Taungurung Country

Professor David Lindenmayer AO

World-leading expert in forest ecology & conservation

Please help in establishing

The Great Forest National Park, Victoria

Proposed Parks

Existing Parks

Melbourne's Natural