Places to visit Marysville State Forest

ISSN 1440 -2262 FS0034

Marysville State Forest is located approximately 1.5 hours drive north east of Melbourne. The area is renowned for its lush eucalypt forests, clear streams and spectacular waterfalls. The forest provides excellent opportunities for recreational activities such as bushwalking, camping, picnicking, scenic driving, bird watching and fishing. Location and Access Steavenson Falls From Melbourne, follow the Maroondah Hwy through Healesville The falls were opened to tourists in 1866, and drop a total of 84 m and the Black Spur, before turning right just past the township of in three stages into the valley. The falls are an Narbethong towards Marysville. easy walk from the carpark and are accessible by wheelchair users. The gravelled paths and falls are floodlit between dusk and 11pm. History The discovery of gold in the area in the mid 1800’s resulted in a Keppels Hut need to find a better route to the gold fields from Melbourne. Keppels Hut was established after the 1939 fires on a grazing lease Marysville, named after Mary Steavenson, wife of John Steavenson, held by John and Jerry Keppel. The hut accidently burnt down in the Assistant Director of Roads and Bridges at the time, became an 1983 and was rebuilt with the help of local community groups and established settlement on the Yarra Track, on route to Woods DELWP. The hut was again completely destroyed in the Black Point. Saturday fires of 2009 and subsequently rebuilt. Horseyards, a toilet, picnic table and fireplaces are provided. Keppels Hut Tk is Maurice Keppel, from Ireland, was one of the first landholders in 4WD only and is seasonally closed (see ‘Seasonal Road Closures’ the newly surveyed town in 1864. He and his wife ran the successful overleaf). Keppel’s Australian Hotel. Two of their sons, John and Jerry, established a farm and opened up the surrounding high country. The Keppel lease was one of the longest held in the high country. Keppel Lookout Keppel Lookout offers spectacular views along the Cathedral Range and down the Acheron valley. The Lookout can be accessed on foot What facilities are provided via the steep, 11 km long Keppel Lookout Trail. For the less Day visitor areas are located at Steavenson Falls Scenic Reserve, energetic, Keppel Lookout is accessible by car. From Marysville’s , Yellow Dog, Murray Pass and Keppel Creek Picnic main street, turn south at the roundabout up Lyell St and continue Area. onto Paradise Plains Rd, past the town reservoir (1.4km). Mopoke View looks out over the valley to the south of Marysville (4km). At There are a small number of camping opportunities within the top of the climb, turn left onto Keppel Lookout Rd (4.7km) and Marysville State forest, at Keppel Creek Camping Area, Anderson continue until you reach the carpark (5.5km). Mill and Keppels Hut. There are facilities to cater for horse riders at Anderson Mill and Keppels Hut. Lady Talbot Forest Drive The adjacent Big River State forest, about 30km east of Marysville, Lady Talbot Forest Drive is named after the wife of Sir Reginald provides numerous bush camping sites along the Big River. These Talbot who was the Governor of from 1903 to 1908. campsites have fireplaces and some have toilets. All camping areas Passing through various forest types characteristic of the Central are available on a first-come first-served basis and no bookings are Highlands, the drive offers scenic views of the mountains, cascades required, but early arrival is advisable during peak periods. and fern gullies. The drive begins approximately 500m east of the town’s centre, off the Marysville-Woods Point Rd. Things to see and do There are a number of walking trails within a short distance of the Campfire guidelines township of Marysville to suit a variety of fitness and skill levels, Campfires are permitted, provided the following guidelines are including short picturesque walks to more challenging day walks. observed: More detailed information about these walks can be found in the • Campfire safety – Use fireplaces where provided. The fire must Marysville Trails brochure. be attended at all times by a person with the capacity and means to extinguish it. For solid fuel fires, the ground and airspace within 3m of the outer perimeter of the fire must be • The forest was severely impacted by bushfire in 2009. clear of flammable material. Ensure the fire is extinguished with Visitors are advised to avoid the forest in very wet or windy water before leaving. If it’s cool to touch it is safe to leave. weather when hazards may be increased. • Campfires are prohibited on days of Total Fire Ban. This ban does not apply to a person preparing meals on a gas or Seasonal road closures electric appliance that has been designed and commercially Some roads within the forest are seasonally closed each year manufactured exclusively for cooking provided: from the Thursday after the Queen’s Birthday holiday through - the ground and airspace within 3m of the appliance is to the Thursday before Melbourne Cup. This is to protect track clear of flammable material surfaces and the environment, and for public safety. Road - when in use and alight, the appliance is in a stable closures may be extended beyond these dates, depending on position and attended by an adult who has the capacity weather conditions. These closures are enforced by a gate. and means (minimum of 10 litres of water on hand) to Contact DELWP for more information on road closures. extinguish the fire. It is your responsibility to know if a Total Fire Ban is declared. For more information If in doubt, do not light a campfire. The Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DELWP) is responsible for managing Victoria's State Forest. For Forest use guidelines further information contact DELWP's Customer Service Centre  136 186 (TTY: 1800 555 667) or visit DELWP’s website at • There is no rubbish collection service so please take your http://www.delwp.vic.gov.au rubbish home. • Dogs are allowed in State forest but must be under direct control at all times and are expected to be on a leash in © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water picnic and camping areas or when near other visitors. and Planning 2015. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons • Motor vehicles including motorcycles must not be driven off Attribution 4.0 International licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit formed roads or on walking tracks. All vehicles must be http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ registered and drivers licensed. This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its • Use toilets where provided. At some sites hand washing officers do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or facilities and toilet paper may not be supplied. Come is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all prepared. liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. Firearms Normal firearm laws apply in State forests. • A licence is required and firearms must be registered. • It is prohibited to shoot on, from or across roads. • Use of firearms in camping areas is prohibited. All native birds and animals are protected by law. State forests are popular recreation areas. Take special care with firearms. Camping - Minimal impact To protect the delicate environments of the forest, we need to ‘tread lightly’ in the bush to minimise our impact on the natural environment. • Be careful of camping under trees. Trees can drop their limbs at any time (particularly during high winds). • Do not dig trenches around tents. With modern tents, this is unnecessary, particularly if you choose a well-drained or raised site. • Protect water quality – wash up at least 50 metres away from the river and avoid using soap (use gritty sand and a scourer instead). • Leave campsites tidy – Take your rubbish home.

Safety information • On Code Red Fire Danger Rating days, parks and State Forest are closed to the public. Do not enter parks or forests on Code Red Days. If you are already there when a Code Red day is announced, you should leave the night before or early in the morning. For more information contact DELWP (see below). • Be responsible for your own safety. Be aware of extreme weather events, carry your own first aid kit and let someone know before you go. #

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Meters Forest Notes Map Marysville State Forest - Walks 0 500 1,000 1,500 FS-34 © Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. November 2015. F

# # To Buxton i Lookout point # m Car parking # M Camp site Vic Oak Picnic Area "o # ! 2 Toilets P # ea # koe PicTnrkic area # f Horse yards # M # ary Meadow d R R d D e i Ta l c g g ki g n ns e ia M A R Y S V II L L E o r r n ty T s T R rk iv ! e r S T A T E # Taggerty River Lookout "i # F O R E S T Sugarloaf View # i

" Michaeldene Trail # # # ! # # ester R Worc d ! #

Marysville Taggerty River o Lady Red Hill " Picnic Area Tal Dr Trail bot #

! Wishing Well #

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Trail T t s a M E a # ry To Woods Point # sv d ille R - ds # # Woo Poi nt # # R # d # e l l i

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e W Spot Trail o Yellow Dog # u ! e th Trk o r a e " r rn Picnic Area C C R Falls Rd # s r o Y lk e b e i e e De La Rue llo # k r t w W s o Lookout g n Do R G d u i ll Oxlee Lookout Steavenson Falls y # i ! d m2

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d n ! # A S T E A V E N S O N F A L L S k m r " S C E N II C R E S E R V E T # Rons i " Keppel Lookout Mount Edgar St ea # ve Anderson Mill ns on R ! iv Mof e r #

Pa ra di Main road - Sealed # se Main road - Unsealed # P # lains Minor road - Sealed Link Trk W Minor road - Unsealed ilk and e R rickl s d Track - 4 wd St C re e Walking Track k # # R d # #

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Meters Marysville State Forest - Drives 0 500 1,000 1,500 Forest Notes Map © Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. November 2015. F FS-34

Y #

A

W i Lookout point

H

S G O I m Car parking

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Walking Track r n

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O R

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