Tyers State Park Bung Yarnda, Krauatungalung Country Camping and Access Strategy March 2021 Lake Tyers State Park Draft Camping and Access Traditional Owners acknowledgment Strategy project governance Parks acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Victoria, and pays respects to their Elders past, present and future, and their ongoing The project team structure established to guide and oversee connection and responsibilities in caring for Country. Parks Victoria will development of the strategy includes: continue to work with Gunaikurnai as the Traditional Owners in the • Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) implementation of this strategy. • Parks Victoria

Project Working Group comprised of Parks Victoria planning and Image and photo contributers regional staff and GLaWAC Joint Management Ranger Staff Borun, the pelican and Tuk, the musk duck are part of the Gunaikurnai Strategic advice and direction provided by Parks Victoria Eastern creation story, and these illustrations first appeared in the Gunaikurnai Region Director and Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Whole-of-Country Plan, copyright Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Corporation Chief Executive Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) 2015. Other images included in the Lake Tyers Camping and Access Strategy may have also previously Authorised and published by Parks Victoria appeared in the Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan or other GLaWAC L10, 535 Bourke Street, , VIC 3000 publications. Copyright © Parks Victoria 2020 Parks Victoria Images on Page 7: Acknowledgment of contributors Photo a: This bold venture: the story of Lake Tyers House, place and The project group wishes to acknowledge the input and assistance of people (Alison Goding) the following: Photo b: Heritage Council Victoria • Members of the Project Working Group and Project Steering Photo c: FLOAT (Lake Tyers Beach community group) • Committee • GLaWAC staff who provided technical advice • Parks Victoria staff from Eastern Region who provided technical advice • Gunaikurnai community members and representatives • Community, industry and stakeholder group representatives who gave their time and knowledge during various consultation phases • Matt Holland Regional Project Coordinator (Project Manager) • Anne-Marie Pisani, Senior Precinct Planner (Project officer) • Nicolette McNamara, Senior Precinct Planner (Project officer) • Nick Loschiavo, Senior Precinct Planner (text and document) • Grattan Mullett JNR, GLaWAC Joint Management Ranger (Project Support) • Shay Terrick, GLaWAC Joint Management Ranger (Project Support) Contents Lake Tyers State Park

4. About this strategy

5. Landscape character and recreation offer

6. Aboriginal cultural values

7 Post settlement heritage values and the community

8 Environmental values

9. Park zoning

10. Regulations and key issues

11. Engagement summary Lake Tyers 12-13. Proposed guiding principles Aboriginal Lake Tyers Trust State Park

14. Key moves .

15–17. Design and implementation guidelines

18–73 Site analysis and proposals Eastern sites (camping)

74–119 Site analysis & proposals Western sites (day visitors) About this strategy Setting the future camping and access strategy for Bung Yarnda, the traditional name for Lake Tyers State Park

Acknowledgment of Country Purpose GLaWAC, Parks Victoria and the Gunaikurnai Traditional GKTOLMB Joint Management Plan – Lake Tyers Owners Land Management Board (GKTOLMB) have Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation This Draft Camping and Access Strategy aims to: • Theme 3: People in the Park, Visitor Strategies developed this Camping and Access Strategy for Lake (GLaWAC) and Parks Victoria acknowledge the Traditional • protect the cultural and environmental values Tyers State Park as part of joint management. The agencies Owners and community of Bung Yarnda (Lake Tyers), pay throughout the park respect the importance of this area for Aboriginal people respects to Traditional Owner Elders past, present and Parks Victoria’s Shaping Our Future strategy and are seeking to address the significant impacts that are future, and acknowledge their ongoing connection with • improve the recreational opportunities and facilities for occurring on the cultural and environmental values of the • Connecting People and Parks the land and responsibilities for caring for Country. visitors to the park. park. a More people having outstanding experiences in parks Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation will The draft strategy reviews and consider the following: Regulating some recreational activities, particularly continue to work in joint management with Parks Victoria b Foster lifelong connections of people and the country • day visitor and camping sites vehicle access to the lake shoreline and camping in on planning for the future of Lake Tyers State Park. c Provide quality infrastructure for visitors to enjoy. • vehicle and boating access some locations to protect cultural heritage has also been identified in both the Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan • walking tracks. and the Joint Management Plan Gunaikurnai and Victorian • Conserving Victoria’s special places Although the establishment of Lake Tyers State Park was Government Joint Management Plan recommended by the then Land Conservation Council in d Partner with Traditional Owners in caring for country The Gunaikurnai and Victorian Government Joint Context 1983, it has only recently been formalised as a State Park and protection of cultural places and landscapes. Management Plan was published in September 2018. The Lake Tyers State Park incorporates the area known as Bung under the National Parks Act 1975. In the interim the e Promote enjoyment and understanding of our natural plan guides the partnership between the Gunaikurnai Yarnda in the Gunaikurnai language. The park extends park has suffered from a legacy of lack of planning and and cultural heritage, and conserve and manage people and the Victorian Government in the management from the sea at Lake Tyers Beach township to Mount regulations to control inappropriate visitor activities. important sites within the community, Nowa Nowa and surrounds the privately owned Lake Tyers of the ten parks and reserves for which the Gunaikurnai Beyond protection, the cultural and environmental values Aboriginal Trust (the Trust) land and Lake Tyers itself. Tall f Base our actions on Aboriginal Knowledge, people have been granted Native Title under the 2010 of the park should be celebrated, and improved visitor eucalypt forests characterise most of the shores of Lake contemporary science and risk. Recognition and Settlement Agreement with the Victorian experiences need to be provided along with opportunities Tyers, and a narrow sand spit separates the lake from the Government. for the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community to ocean. The Joint Management Plan provides the strategic and connect with the park. The park has particularly strong Aboriginal cultural values, operational direction for the ongoing management of The broad alignment with the Joint Management Plan, both tangible and intangible, that are of the utmost these parks and reserves and supersedes any previous Whole-of-Country Plan and the Shaping Our Future importance to GLaWAC, the Trust community and the management plans for them. This Draft Camping and strategy is as follows.: Access Strategy aligns with the Joint Management Plan, as broader Gunaikurnai community. Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan well as with the Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan and The park also attracts visitors from the broader community, Parks Victoria’s Shaping Our Future strategy. especially for fishing and camping but also picnicking, • Planning and developing sustainable use areas. bush walking, nature study and bush driving. In some (For more information about the Joint Management Plan, • Considering public access points to the edge visit: locations these recreational activities have a direct impact https://www.gunaikurnai.com.au/joint-management/the-plan) on cultural and environmental values.

4 Landscape character and recreation offer

Landscape character and experience The fish, ducks and mammals attracted Aboriginal people in the past and still to today. They attracted settlers and Bung Yarnda is a special place. It has been a gathering they now attract anglers and campers. The many bird and place for thousands of years and is rich in cultural history. plant varieties once attracted basket and net weavers, and The variety and abundance of plants and animals have now bird watchers and botanists. The hardwood timber shaped the cultural and social development of the area. attracted spear makers, then timber-cutters. The flowering A contemporary account by John Bulmer in 1878, best box forests attracted native bees, providing honey for describes the seasonal use of Lake Tyers by Gunaikurnai Aboriginal people, and then honey bees, producing honey Krauatungalung clan: – for settlers and apiarists. ‘In summer time their days were spent chiefly in Along with the rich Aboriginal cultural use of Lake Tyers fishing for eels and fat mullet (Pert-piang).…They State Park and a layer of recent European history of use, would find also in the gullies near the entrance the park continues to offer opportunities for visitors to plenty of Kooyang (kangaroo apples), and these, feel remote and secluded. The bush camping experience with the fish, would form their chief diet.’ affords visitors a distinct opportunity to connect with ‘In winter the greater part of the time was nature. The park is enjoyed in many ways, and activities occupied in hunting native bears, kangaroo, &c… including camping, walking, wildlife and bird watching, In spring their time was devoted to fishing, as the kayaking, swimming, fishing, boating and beach activities. fish then begin to be plentiful. The autumn was This strategy aims to maintain the sense of tranquility, spent in visiting other tribes and getting up new informality, discovery and exploration. It presents . Their food during this season was an opportunity to bring Aboriginal people, the local various, chiefly opossums, bears, kangaroos, &c.… community and visitors to the park together. This can be The wild-fowls they get principally are swans and achieved through a unified vision for the future, including ducks.’ community activities and tourism opportunities. — John Bulmer, quoted by Robert Brough Smyth in The Aborigines of Victoria, Volume 1 (1878). Today the park still engenders a sense of tranquility, remoteness and discovery. Around the lake edge, visitors can see fish jumping, wallabies drinking, and pelicans and swans gliding past. The wild sea and the long expanse of the sand are a stark contrast to the tranquil lakes and shelter of the forest.

5 Protecting Aboriginal cultural values

Gunaikurnai cultural heritage people were moved onto the mission and were not description of new sites and appropriate management The following excerpts from the Joint Management Plan allowed to practise culture or speak language. This caused techniques for future works will be prepared. This will and the Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan illustrate the a lot of harm to these people and their sense of identity, enable GLaWAC and Parks Victoria to make appropriate importance of Bung Yarnda to the Gunaikurnai people. yet the elders found ways to pass down culture and decisions when planning for this joint management park. knowledge so that much of it survives today. ‘According to the Gunaikurnai creation story for the Increasing the knowledge of cultural sites, which includes area, Nark Abundhu, the Sea, was tired from playing Aboriginal people were moved onto the missions without their tangible and intangible values, across the landscape with fish, rushing over rocks and rolling backwards any consideration of their clan group, so there are now of the joint managed parks is one of the highest priority and forwards on the sand. She searched the coast until generations of Aboriginal people who might not be tasks identified in the Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan she found a quiet place with tall, shady gum trees and Traditional Owners but still have a connection to this part and the Joint Management Plan. of Country. soft earth. Here she wriggled about and made herself To undertake the surveys, an archaeologist has been comfortable before going to sleep. Lake Tyers, known as The mission was handed back to Aboriginal people in the engaged to work with GLaWAC Joint Management Bung Yarnda or ‘Big Water’, represents the resting place 1970s, The Gunaikurnai and other Aboriginal peoples Rangers and Registered Aboriginal Party on-Country of Nark Abundhu.’ have a strong continuing connection with the Trust but monitors. As well as surveying the physical sites, the — Gunaikurnai and Victorian Government Joint less of a connection with the park. This can partly be archaeologist has also gained an understanding of the Management Plan, page 127 attributed to the use of the park by European settlers, intangible values of the joint managed park. forestry workers and more recently anglers and campers. Dancers at the launch of the ‘Bung Yarnda was an important meeting place for Gunaikurnai and local Aboriginal people visit the Trust Gunaikurnai Joint Management Plan Gunaikurnai groups throughout the area. It was a for holidays, to see relatives and attend funerals. They neutral place that was rich in food and materials. It continue to practise, celebrate and connect with culture at is the place our mob lived when we were forcibly the Trust. To most the Trust represents a safe place and a removed from our homelands by European settlers. The sense of belonging. catchment area surrounding the is also very significant to us. Our ancestors often passed There has been a relationship between Aboriginal people through this bushland to get to and from Bung Yarnda, and settlers over the last couple of hundred years through as we continue to do today. The catchment area is employment at sawmills, farms and the Glasshouse, and where a lot of our mob lived, camped and fished. It is an there has been some continuing connection and cultural abundant place providing us with food all year round. practice in parts of the park since settlement. This was And it is a beautiful place — you can see why the old particularly true for Aboriginal people who were moved fellas went there… there are many recorded sites — scar off the mission and met family in the surrounding areas. trees, artefact scatters, birthing places and burial sites. The Lake Tyers Trust is part of a broader cultural landscape. Burnt Bridge Reserve is a popular gathering place and This strategy presents an opportunity for Gunaikurnai and ochre site…The Lake Tyers State Park is a clear example local Aboriginal people to reconnect with the park. There of where the meaning and value of an important place is also a significant opportunity for non-Aboriginal people can’t be divorced from its neighbouring areas. visiting the park to understand more about cultural values The land and water of the park and its surrounds remain and to start to see this landscape (and other landscapes) in important to Gunaikurnai for fishing, collecting mussels, a different way. catching eels, hunting animals, collecting swan eggs, The number of Gunaikurnai people in the region declined Women in bark kayaks, Entry to Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust and gathering of various plants for food and medicine. rapidly after European settlers arrived. Mostly through The foreshore and forest are rich with materials for massacres and conflicts as well as through disease, and basket weaving, grinding stones, ochre for ceremony, over use of food resources such as fish, ducks and swans. and bark for kayaks. Between 1838 and 1858 the number of Gunaikurnai Over forty Gunaikurnai cultural heritage sites have people fell from 2000 to 80. Their culture was also been recorded in the park, most of which are artefact disrupted dramatically by the removal of children from scatter sites, burial sites as well as scarred trees and their families, separation of families, conversion to shell middens. However, the park has been only partially Christianity, and restrictions on language and cultural surveyed for cultural evidence. Morgans Landing practices. and the Glasshouse area are places within the park, amongst others, that have significant traditional and contemporary Gunaikurnai cultural heritage values.’ Cultural mapping project — Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan A cultural mapping project has been completed for Bung Yarnda. The purpose of the project was to determine Many Gunaikurnai and local Aboriginal people have a the location and significance of Aboriginal places across continued strong connection with Lake Tyers through the the park. As a part of the process, all sites were recorded Aboriginal Trust or mission. During the 1860s Aboriginal GLaWAC rangers conducting GLaWAC ranger with and registered with Aboriginal Victoria, and a detailed a cultural survey at Lake Tyers Parks Victoria staff at Lonely Bay 6 Post settlement heritage and the local community

Post settlement heritage The local community Europeans renamed Lake Tyers after , who There is a very active engaged local community around was the Commissioner of Crown Lands for in Lake Tyers and Nowa Nowa. There are community groups the1840s. such as FLOAT and the coastal action group interested in Lake Tyers, with its calm waters surrounded by forest, has the environment, art, Aboriginal culture and European a history of tourism. The Lake Tyers Hotel was established culture of the area. They conduct community activities in on the eastern side of the lake. Lake Tyers House was the park and at Lake Tyers House. established in 1886 as a guest house. Visitors would walk Fishing was a popular attraction at Lake Tyers in the past, in the forest or go fishing and boating on the lake. They and it continues to be a popular activity for local residents would also visit the mission, where they could observe and regional visitors. There is a local Lake Tyers angling Aboriginal culture and buy artefacts. club. Parks Victoria work together with the Victorian Sawmills operated in the area from the 1890s to the Fisheries Authority to communicate issues and to provide 1940s. Logs were transported from the mills by floating opportunities for the angling community. them across the lake, or by tramway. There are still some There are still a number of apiary sites within the park and remnant timber loading platforms at visitor sites on the there is some small-scale agricultural activity on private lakes edge. properties adjoining the park. A glass factory was built on the south-eastern tip of the A licensed tour operator runs a taxi boat service on the park in 1908 to make telegraph insulators. The factory lake, and in the past, there have been kayak tours. School was abandoned after 1912, and only the brick chimney groups use the park for educational activities. remains standing on site. Land was cleared for farming around the southern parts of a. Lake Tyers House the lake, and apiary sites were established in the forest in 1910.

In 1972 Lake Tyers Forest Park was declared.

b. Local community members at Lake Tyers c. Lake Tyers Timber Company Tramway Bridge, Glasshouse chimney, Lake Tyers 7 Protecting natural and environmental values

Environmental values and threats Bung Yarnda is a spectacular and abundant landscape with Four-wheel driving on the sand dunes causes erosion and a diverse range of plant and animal communities. It has is a threat to cultural heritage and environmental values. provided resources and respite for people for thousands of Aboriginal artefacts and burials occur in dunes. The dunes years. protect the hinterland from storm surges and are habitat The park is home to some rare and threatened ecological for coastal dune plant and animal species. Fairy Terns, vegetation classes (EVCs). The most common EVC is Little Terns, Hooded Plovers and Golden Bell Frog — all Lowland forest (67% of the park). The remaining EVCs threatened species — can be adversely affected by beach are rare or threatened, including Limestone Box Forest and dune driving. (21% of the park, listed as vulnerable), Warm Temperate Four-wheel driving in the forest is causing erosion and Rainforest (0.6%, rare) and Littoral Rainforest (l< 0.1%, compaction issues. This affects tree health and causes critically endangered). Of particular concern is Coastal more silt to enter the lake, which affects water quality, Saltmarsh, which is being degraded by people driving aquatic plant species, fish and other aquatic organisms. vehicles on the shore. Water quality is also being compromised by a lack of toilet Off-road driving is a major issue in the park. Visitors are facilities, so that many people use the lake edge as a toilet. driving to access camping spots, quiet fishing spots and Increased nutrient loads affect vegetation in and around the lake edge and driving over dunes for recreation. This the water, potentially causing algal blooms, impacting on is impacting cultural and environmental values. It causes sea-grass, and reducing its habitat value for fish. erosion, creates more sediment in the lake, damages Some of the park (Lake Tyers and coastal saltmarsh vegetation, disturbs animals and their breeding grounds, habitats) is listed as a of international importance spreads weeds, increases bushfire risk due to unattended (as part of the Ramsar site) under the camp fires and causes compaction and vegetation damage , reflecting its significant environmental on coastal saltmarsh areas. values. The Convention obliges contracting parties to Coastal Saltmarsh has a vital role in the food-web, manage Ramsar sites in such a way as to maintain their supporting both terrestrial and aquatic species, and ecological character. This includes sea-grass extent, protecting coastal habitats from erosion, particularly with waterbird diversity and abundance, and fish assemblages. predicted increases in storm surge intensity and rising There is a Ramsar Management Plan for the Gippsland sea levels associated with climate change. Saltmarsh and Lakes which should guide the protection of this site. sea-grass beds also capture and store large quantities of There are saltmarsh areas in the park that have been carbon in soils and sediments. impacted by shoreline driving tracks. This influences the Saltmarsh provides shelter, food and protection for hydrology of the landscape and species distribution. fish, especially juveniles and smaller fish species, when Some tracks are so compacted that there is very low plant inundation occurs during high tides. Fish inhabiting tidal cover in these areas, and they divide the site which also saltmarsh areas may include commercial and recreational effects the distribution and connection of species in the species such as yellow fin bream, sand whiting, mullet, landscape. garfish, eels and crabs. There are 44 rare and threatened plant and animal species Saltmarsh is crucial habitat for numerous migratory bird in the park listed under the Commonwealth Environment, species which prey on the invertebrates occurring in this Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) zone, including crabs, prawns, molluscs, spiders and and Victoria’s Flora Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG). insects. Shoreline driving is damaging saltmarsh vegetation, which exposes soil and sediments to erosion, releases carbon to the atmosphere and reduces the habitat quality for birds and fish, reducing their abundance. north

Map 2: Ecological Vegetation Classes, Lake Tyers State Park. 8

LAKE TYERS STATE PARK — KRAUATUNGALUNG COUNTRY 149 Zoning

The Joint Management Plan defines each of the zones The National Parks Act 1975 places restrictions on within the park. dispersed camping, as follows: At present no areas of the park have been set aside for • No camping within 20 metres of any river, stream, camping or other activities. The camping and access well, spring, creek, dam, bore or watercourse strategy may identify the need for some set asides for • No camping within 20 metres landward of the high- camping and other activities. water mark All camping areas should be in the Conservation and • Human waste must be disposed of in a toilet, or Recreation Zone, where the emphasis is on protecting where toilet facilities are not provided, buried at least environmental and cultural values while allowing 100 metres from any river, stream, creek, well, spring, recreation. Dispersed recreation and tourism activities are dam, lake, reservoir, bore or water body. encouraged. The level of activities undertaken and small- scale recreation facilities provided should have little impact The strategy might identify a requirement to change the on natural processes. zoning that would need to be supported by community consultation and a consequent amendment to the Joint GLaWAC and Parks Victoria may consider future cultural Management Plan. values overlay in areas of high cultural significance.

Map 1: Management zones and overlays, Lake Tyers State Park. 9

148 GUNAIKURNAI AND VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT JOINT MANAGEMENTPLAN Regulatory framework Key issues

Native Title Act 1993 (Cwlth) • Regulations made under Section 48 of the National Strategy issues Management issues Parks Act 1975 provide, among other things, for the • Impact of overcrowded camp sites or camp sites • Section 211 of the Native Title Act 1993 provides management and control of parks and the regulation • Deer and other pests in the park. encroaching into vegetation (understorey or root certain non-exclusive rights to native title holders of certain activities. This includes managing access compaction). • Illegal rubbish dumping in the park. on Crown land where native title has not been to parks, protecting animals, vegetation and natural extinguished. In summary this is the right to access, features, restricting the entry of animals such as • Disposal of human wastes in campgrounds where no • Dogs — currently allowed on-lead in the park. i.e. the hunt, fish, gather and camp without the horses, dogs and cats, prohibiting sport or recreation toilets are provided. • Hunting is not permitted in the park. Hunting is need for a permit unless there is a law of general in certain areas, specifying camping areas, and permitted at The Ewings Morass, adjacent to the park application that restricts or prohibits those rights. • Foreshore camping, compaction, lack of toilets. restricting the use of fires. and east of Pettmans Beach. • Four-wheel driving impacts on fragile saltmarsh; some • GLaWAC holds the native title rights of the • Some activities may be managed using set asides, as areas may be unrepairable. Gunaikurnai Peoples. Only members of GLaWAC are discussed below. eligible for these rights, which are not transferable, • The land manager is required to protect and preserve and GLaWAC determines how these rights will be the Coastal Saltmarsh EVC because its Bioregional accessed. Set-aside determinations Conservation Status is Vulnerable / Depleted. • The state cannot take away GLaWAC’s rights through • Set-aside determinations are a way of allowing certain • The entire lake system of Lake Tyers is within a Ramsar legislation. The rights, being non-exclusive, do not activities that are otherwise prohibited in Lake Tyers wetland. The land manager is required to protect override anyone else’s legitimate rights. State Park, such as dog walking or horse riding. They Ramsar in accordance with the Ramsar can be for the whole park or a small part of the park, Convention and any Ramsar management plans. and for the whole year or for shorter periods. • Four-wheel driving impact on dunes, off roads National Parks Act 1975 (Vic.) • Any set aside for Lake Tyers State Park must be (erosion), over top of inlets (creating bogs and • Lake Tyers State Park is established under Schedule 2B consistent with the Joint Management Plan and the attracting deer). of the National Parks Act 1975. This means it is to be National Parks Regulations. Furthermore, rights under • Boating (including motorised aluminium boats and managed in accordance with that Act. Section 211 of the National Parks Act cannot be taken kayaks) — launching, speeds, and wave impact on • The Act’s primary purpose for places such as away by a set aside. shorelines. Lake Tyers State Park is that they be managed for • Fishing — damage to vegetation caused by vehicle the preservation and protection of the natural access to the lake shore. environment, including biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural Laws of general application heritage and scenic values. The secondary purpose is • Campfires randomly located, not in fire pits. • Laws of general application apply in the park. The to allow recreation and enjoyment by the public where National Parks Act prohibits hunting. Because, Lake • Illegal firewood collection within the park. it is not inconsistent with the primary purpose. Tyers State Park was established on 1 September • Protecting native threatened fauna and flora species. • The Act protects the park from being leased (with 2012, after the Native Title Act came into effect, the some exceptions) or sold, prohibits grazing and prohibition of hunting does not apply to GLaWAC hunting (with some exceptions) and among other members. However, laws of general application things allow regulations to be made. relating to the carrying of firearms, the need to have a • Victoria is a world leader in park establishment and Victorian Firearm Licence to own or use a firearm, and has one of the most comprehensive, adequate and the need to be licensed to drive a registered vehicle representative parks systems anywhere. Each of our 28 do apply to GLaWAC members in addition to any different bioregions and most of the 350+ EVC’s are GLaWAC rules. well represented in parks. Even so some are depleted and require special protection from threat even within parks, e.g. Limestone Box Forest EVC. • Management plan zoning is a common way to protect significant EVCs from recreational pressures within parks.

National Parks Regulations 2013 (Vic.)

10 Engagement summary

What we did be protected. Though the informal feel of the park was something that visitors most enjoy it was found that some GLaWAC, in partnership with Parks Victoria, provided Feedback was collected by various methods, including: In July 2020 the second round of engagement of these informal activities such as driving, fishing, boating Traditional Owners, the community and key stakeholders commenced. The purpose of this stage of consultation • Aboriginal community engagement sessions at local and camping are causing serious damage to culturally and the opportunity to inform the development of this was to share the challenges for managing this park, to Aboriginal organisations in (2), Drouin, environmentally significant and sensitive sites. strategy. Engagement with Traditional Owners and local explain the camping and access strategy development Orbost, Sale, Lake Tyers – the Trust (2), (2) Aboriginal people took place before the broader local The saltmarshes and shorelines are suffering from process and to hear feedback and ideas from community and Lakes Entrance. A GLaWAC ranger participated in communities were consulted. compaction and erosion from pedestrian and vehicle members and stakeholders to inform the finalisation of the facilitation at all of these engagement sessions. In 2018 Parks Victoria and GLaWAC undertook the first access and there are tangible and intangible Aboriginal strategy. People contributed to the consultation in a variety • Face-to-face engagement with campers during Easter round of community and stakeholder engagement. cultural heritage sites in the park that are being damaged. of ways: holidays to collect survey data Workshops were held throughout the region with In response, the focus of the draft strategy was to provide • 4 people/organisations provided written submissions Gunaikurnai and local Aboriginal community members • A letter to local residents, stakeholders and licensed some more formal facilities to retain some of those • 139 people (individually, or on behalf of their first. Meetings were held with stakeholders and tour operators inviting submissions via an online activities in key locations and prevent them from spreading organisation) contributed their ideas online through community groups and an online survey was conducted. A survey or a meeting into sensitive areas. Some of these proposed changes Engage Victoria. total of 377 people participated in engagement activities • Meetings with DELWP, the Shire and included revisions to roads or off road access, new kayak/ including 311 responses to the survey. the Victorian Fisheries Authority fishing launches, toilets, and upgrades to camp sites. The engagement process sought to: • A meeting and site visits with GLaWAC staff and 1. Identify the current visitor offer and assess the level of rangers provision against community and visitor expectations. • Meetings and site visits by PV staff and GLaWAC 2. Identify facilities in need of immediate re-mediation, rangers refurbishment or replacement and priorities for • Stakeholder and community group meetings development. • A meeting with local residents. 3. Identify the strategic direction for the recreational offer in accordance with the GLaWAC Whole-of- Country Plan, Gunaikurnai and Victorian Government After extensive site analysis and from the feedback Joint Management Plan 2018, the National Parks from that first round of engagement Parks Victoria in Act, the Aboriginal Heritage Act and Parks Victoria’s partnership with GLaWAC produced the draft Lake Tyers corporate goals. (Bung Yarnda) State Park Camping and Access Strategy. Fifty-eight comments were received during meetings The community and stakeholders in the first round of and drop-in sessions, and nine written submissions were engagement communicated that they loved the “natural” received. informal feel of the park and that they believed that the cultural and environmental values of the park should

north

11 Themes

Theme 1: Protect Aboriginal cultural values

Theme 2: Environmental protection

Theme 3: Improve opportunities for the Aboriginal community

Theme 4: Camping sites

Theme 5: Boating, fishing and other water-based recreation

Theme 6: Information, education and enforcement

‘Borun’ (Pelican) 12 Themes

Theme 1: Protect Aboriginal cultural values Theme 2: Environmental protection Theme 3: Improve opportunities for the In accordance with the National Parks Act and the The foreshore contains highly significant saltmarsh Aboriginal community Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Vic), all activities in the vegetation that provides crucial habitat for migratory Identify opportunities and facilities that support park adhere to the legislation, encouraging conservation birds, as well as important breeding grounds and shelter Gunaikurnai and the local Aboriginal community to practices and ensure Aboriginal cultural heritage and for fish. It preserves precious evidence of continuing undertake cultural activities to benefit the community as values are protected. Aboriginal cultural heritage and connection to Country for well as cultural tourism and commercial activities. Gunaikurnai. This aligns with the Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan To conserve the fragile foreshore, we may prohibit driving and the Joint Management Plan. and camping in defined areas to protect these important values. This goal aligns with the National Parks Act and the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar Plan.

GLaWAC ceremonial dance

Theme 4: Camping sites Theme 5: Boating, fishing and other Theme 6: Information, education and Identify, define and upgrade campgrounds in locations water-based recreation enforcement where ongoing sustainability can be managed while Lake Tyers is popular for boating, kayaking, fishing, Develop a structured program of information, education minimizing the impacts on the environment from camping watching wildlife, or simply enjoying the natural and enforcement. Encourage a stronger appreciation activities. environment. that supports care for Country, the Lake Tyers State Park regulations and discourages illegal or inappropriate Incorporate the concept of ‘two separate arms’: The vision is to create designated, purpose built, fishing behavior. • Western Arm - day use platforms with kayak launching facilities to minimise impacts on natural and cultural values along the shoreline. This aligns with the Gunaikurnai Joint Management Plan • Eastern Arm - Camping and Parks Victoria’s corporate strategy.

Krauatungalung Country shield, Krauatungalung clan are people near the

GLaWAC education program 13 Key changes Lake Tyers State Park

BRUTHEN NOWA

NOWA Wairewa Revised access Change to Management Vehicle Only (MVO) tracks; RD Cameron’s Arm Track 2. Boggy

FERN LOOP Close to vehicles; Creek PILE Nowa Nowa Morgan’s Landing Track, Suzie Q illegal tracks, Long Point RAIL LONELY FAIRWEATHER TRK TRL (pedestrian) BAY LONG POINT TRK GIPPSLAND

RD

TRK BAY Key roads to be upgraded/maintained EAST

WALK Access road into Glasshouse, Trident Arm Track, Long Nowa Nowa PRINCES Point Track, Burnt Bridge Road, Cherry Tree Track and WAIREWA PETERSON Trident Arm Road. HWY RD HWY Tostaree

SOUTH BOUNDARY RD Lake Tyers

Upgrade pedestrian paths RULES RD Toorloo Arm Walk, Marsdenia Rainforest Walk, Lonely Bay TRK TRK BROWNS HOLE LAKE PRINCES Walk. DEVILS

TYERS

New pedestrian paths Lake Tyers State Park BURNT

Investigate the installation of a new bridge at Burnt Bridge HOUSE ARM in conjunction with a feasibility study for linking walking CAMERONS BRIDGE NO1 TRK track from Nowa Nowa to Lake Tyers Beach. SNUFF GULLY TRK CAMERONS ARM TRK RD Pedestrian path/boardwalk from Glasshouse camp to RD NO2 RD ARM Cherry Tree BLACKFELLOW REEDY TRK ORBOST beach through saltmarsh. RULES RD NO1 Ironbark OLD REEDY PILE BAY TRK NO2 PETTMAN ARM Fishing platforms/kayak launches Bataluk Cultural Trail TRK ARM TRK Install fishing platforms / kayak launches at Happy Valley, RD Lonely Bay, Pile Bay, Chrystal Bay, Camerons Arm 1, Long BRIDGE BURNT Trident Arm Boat Launch RD Point (4), Glasshouse, Cherry Tree, Burnt Bridge and Ironbark. Improve pedestrian access to the lake edge. RD RD RD Burnt Bridge BREAK MORAS

RULES New boat launch HOUSE GIBBS

Trident Arm concrete boat ramp and jetty. TRK TYERS See inset map

LAKE Toilet facilities Toorloo Arm Lake Tyers Lake Tyers Pettmans Beach Install new toilets at Cherry Tree, Burnt Bridge, Glasshouse, HWY Trident Arm boat ramp, Ironbark, Pile Bay, Chrystal Bay Glasshouse and Camerons Arm Camp. Improve or relocate existing Cunninghame toilets at Lonely Bay and Pettmans Beach. Lake Lake Tyers Beach PRINCES Bunga Lakes Key Interpretive points Entrance Glasshouse, Trident Arm camp, Cherry Tree, Burnt Bridge, Lonely Bay. Information Boat ramp Barbecue Unsealed road Lake Tyers State Park New park info signs Toilets Lookout Camping 4WD Other park/reserve Existing walking track New signs at park entry points and key visitor sites Shelterd area Bird hide Freeway/Highway New walking track Wetland Management vehicles including Camerons arm and Ironbark camping areas. Picnic table Fishing Main road Area subject to inundation only Map with visitor activities and restrictions. Add Lake Tyers Fireplace Canoeing Sealed road Close track New assets Aboriginal Trust information to Rules Road entry. Upgrade track

www.parks.vic.gov.au Disclaimer: Parks Victoria does not guarantee that this data is without flaw of any kind and therefore disclaims all liability which 0 3 Kilometres may arise from you relying on this information. Data source acknowledgements: State Digital Mapbase. The State of Victoria and the Department of Environment and Primary Industries. Cartography by Parks Victoria June 2017 14 For mobile App search for Avenza PDF Maps Design & implementation guidelines

The following design guidelines provide more specific Sustainability, prefer materials with a low environmental Aboriginal cultural heritage permits Post-settlement cultural heritage permits guidance for elements such as material selection and impact, considering the following: This is general advice only and should be confirmed prior general detailing for features such as bollards, fencing and Assets requiring a permit from • Impacts during mining or harvesting of the basic to works commence. picnic tables. material • Consult Heritage Victoria, the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust or a heritage consultant regarding any proposed • Source and renew-ability of the material Assets requiring a Cultural Heritage Management disturbance to a site that may be of post-settlement Materials selection • Waste generated in production Plan. heritage significance, including the Glasshouse site, When choosing a material consideration should be given cypress pine rows and old log platforms on the lake • Pollution generated in manufacture The following works within proximity of sites recorded in edge, which are assumed to have been installed when to all stages of the materials life: cultural survey: • Embodied energy the site was used for forestry. • Mining/extraction • Nnew path longer than 500 metres • Energy consumed during transport to the site and in • Manufacturing construction/assembly on site • New car park • Construction • Packaging and on-site waste produced • New boat ramp • Use • Maintenance required during the material’s life cycle. • Fishing platform or kayak launch • Demolition. • Works at the Glasshouse The following criteria should also be used when assessing Material selection should be based on specific use, • Any extension of works or footprint at Cherry Tree or materials: quality, specification and function criteria to be suit Burnt Bridge. environmental factors and end use. The following are • New structure, such as a boardwalk, that does not some recommendations for materials for use in Lake Tyers utilise existing footprint/footings. Performance, durability and recyclability, of the State Park. material in general climatic conditions as well as in extremes such as fire and flooding are to be considered. Timber is strongly recommended. White Cypress Pine is Qualify if the material has a proven track record in coastal the suggested species and should be allowed to turn grey locations. Preference should be given to materials able to naturally. Assets requiring a permit from Aboriginal Victoria withstand and/or be recycled or reused after flood or fire. Stone is recommended for use only where it is occurs The following works within proximity of sites recorded in a naturally. cultural survey: Life cycle cost, in addition to considering the up-front Galvanised steel should be used sparingly because of its • New picnic table cost of a material, should be understood; that is, the cost low aesthetic and tactile value and high embodied energy over the entire life of the product, including longevity, and maintenance requirements. • New toilet above ground maintenance and durability. Recycled materials should be used sparingly and are best • New structure such as steps with post footings for non-tactile uses such as wheel stops. Choose colours • Revegetation and remediation works (including that recede in the environment, such as charcoal and erosion control and drainage) Availability, of materials should be preferenced, and black. ideally, locally sourced. Consideration should also be given • New path less than 500 metres long. to natural materials that can be found on site, such as Webforge Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Grating fallen timber or stone. should be used sparingly and only in combination with timber to soften its visual character. Choose colours which Assets not requiring a permit from Aboriginal recede in the environment such as charcoal or black. Victoria Aesthetics, and the visual and tactile aspects of different ® Colorbond is a suitable cladding material for structures. • Any assets not in the vicinity of a recorded site within materials are to be given due consideration. Materials and Choose colours carefully, giving preference to muted tones the existing cultural survey boundary. site infrastructure should be selected son that they do not which recede in the environment. Where possible consider compromise the landscape character of the site. using natural timbers to soften visual impact. If no sites are present, Parks Victoria has a process for contingencies, which may include having a monitor on

site. GLaWAC and Parks Victoria will advise on this. Maintenance, prefer materials that do not require extensive or time-consuming ongoing maintenance.

15 Design and implementation guidelines

Barriers When locating picnic tables, consider the following: Fishing platform and kayak launch New barriers will have new planting around them to • Provide a comfortable buffer distance between Fishing platform / kayak launches will be constructed help them to fit into the landscape setting. Barriers tables for privacy. Where large groups are using durable timber to suit its conditions. types may be: common, a cluster of tables may be located close together. The location, orientation and design of fishing • Bollards platforms should reflect the needs of users and be • Post-and-wire fences • A range of picnic table settings (sun/shade, responsive to site parameters. central/ remote) should be provided. Location Tuk (Musk Duck) • Boulders. should take advantage of midday shade. • In exposed locations it is preferable to orient the Boat launch and jetties Bollards are typically used to separate vehicles from table north/south. A concrete boat launch and small jetty will be built at walkers and cyclists, where the use of natural barriers • Avoid dangerous overhanging limbs. Trident Arm. such as logs, stone and vegetation, or different surface materials, are not suitable. Timber jetties will be built at Glasshouse, Long Point and Cherry Tree for docking boats and kayaks. The recommended material for bollards is timber. Paths and boardwalks Bollarded areas where walking access is restricted The design of walking tracks should be sympathetic should be revegetated with indigenous plant species to the natural environment and character of the Fire pits Lake Tyers State Park to soften the visual impact. Adequate footings must site. Use compacted local aggregate that is safe and be provided to prevent bollards from being knocked Standard steel fire pits will be provided at all camping comfortable to walk on. Path width depends on sites and key day visitor sites. over. the site and intended users. Typically, a shared use Post-and-wire fences are typically used to define path for pedestrians and cyclists should be 3 m and Swing tops shall be used at camp sites and flip tops areas where access is restricted. The recommended secondary paths for pedestrians 1.5–2.5 m. shall be used at day visitor sites. material for posts is hardwood timber; star pickets may be used in between timber posts. Where possible the fence should be offset 1–2 m behind Roads and car parks Toilets a vegetation buffer to reduce its visual impact. If The surfaces used throughout roads and car parks vehicle access needs to be controlled, a 500 mm high All toilets will be built above ground and will have should be sympathetic to the natural environment. fence can be used. This will be less visually intrusive disabled access; a ramp should be provided at Port Campbell National Park Where possible use locally sourced material such as while still indicating access limits. Glasshouse, Cherry Tree and Burnt Bridge. gravels and road aggregates. Where changes in use occur such as at the interface between road and camp site, and roads and walking tracks, consider Picnic tables and seats the application of different surface materials (colour, The layout of picnic tables needs to be determined texture, etc,) to delineate use and minimise the need site-by-site. Simple tables with a low visual impact for additional bollards and signs. should be selected, and a consistent design should If the edge of a car park needs better definition, be used throughout the park. use wheel stops or fencing set behind vegetation to Picnic tables should be accessible by wheelchair. define vehicle access. Ensure appropriate drainage Where possible avoid the use of tables with a cross- runoff is considered to mitigate or reduce erosion National Park beam supporting the seats, as these make access developing. difficult for many people especially the elderly.

Bay of Islands Coastal Park

16 Design & implementation guidelines

Construction, repairs and maintenance Interpretive signage Education All assets should be specified so that they can be Key visitor sites should have interpretive shelters or At the start of busy camping periods, cultural and built or maintained at the GLaWAC workshop, a signage with appropriate cultural and environmental environmental site inductions should be delivered to workshop at Lake Tyers, the Trust (future men’s shed) information to educate the public and engender a visitors on-site by GLaWAC rangers. or an enterprise that employs local Aboriginal people. sense of respect and responsibility. All wording for New construction works or maintenance should be signage is to be developed with and approved by Environmental and cultural tourism enterprise carried out by GLaWAC rangers or local Aboriginal GLaWAC. Any design or artwork should be by or in activities will be supported within the park. people. collaboration with Gunaikurnai or local Aboriginal The Parks Victoria, GLaWAC and other tourism artists. Key visitor sites should be designed in collaboration websites should be used as a platform to share with Gunaikurnai and local Aboriginal people information about the values of the park, the identified by GLaWAC. activities offered and the regulations in place. Design of visitor sites Additional ranger resourcing will be required to School groups should be made aware of Some visitor sites will require detailed design install and maintain the new assets within the park. opportunities in the park for educational activities. regarding the site set-out, furniture and fittings. Opportunities for cultural expression in design should Some educational or interpretive messages will be delivered by signs in the park. Construction and maintenance by GLaWAC be identified and developed in collaboration with GLaWAC and Gunaikurnai people. All interpretive Furniture and barriers should be constructed and materials are to be designed in collaboration with maintained by GLaWAC or other local Aboriginal GLaWAC and Gunaikurnai people. A strong process Enforcement organisations. Furniture and fixtures should be for intellectual property (IP) and Indigenous cultural Additional ranger resources will be required designed to be installed with the equipment available intellectual property (ICIP) should be developed for to demonstrate an on-site presence to deter at GLaWAC or designed in collaboration with this creative work. inappropriate or illegal behaviour. Additional GLaWAC so that they can be fabricated, installed and resources will be required for enforcement maintained by GLaWAC. and reporting, particularly at the beginning of Naming, renaming and dual naming implementation. Revegetation and remediation works To support joint management with GLaWAC, the naming, renaming or dual naming of sites with The advice of a consultant ecologist must be sought Camping before revegetation and remediation works are names that are significant to the local Aboriginal undertaken. people. Camping is not legal in the park at present, although some places in the park have been used as camp Existing names in use that are considered offensive sites for some time. Camping will continue to be or otherwise culturally inappropriate by GLaWAC allowed in the park however, once the strategy Signage and way-finding will be renamed. Sites or tracks of significance to is approved, set asides will be put in place allow Circulation within the park should be logical and local Aboriginal people may be given dual names. All camping at specifically identified locations. require minimal signage. Entry points to the park and language and new site names will be approved by visitor sites should have maps and information about GLaWAC. Parks Victoria has the ability to put a set aside in activities and restrictions. All track signs and entry place under the National Parks Regulations 2013. As the naming authority, Parks Victoria will go points should have a description of the activities and Camping will be allowed, with maximum applicable through the consultation process required to facilities available. period up to 6 weeks. undertake naming, renaming and dual naming. General signage regarding penalties for entering restricted places or degrading cultural or environmental values will be provided in the park. Signs will be installed at specific sensitive locations to indicate that there is restricted access. However, the content or reason for restricting access at those sensitive places will not be identified. Refer to the Gunaikurnai and Parks Victoria Joint Managed Parks Signage Manual.

17 18 Eastern sites (camping)

19 Devils Hole Track Site analysis

Current use Unsealed road access to two private properties.

Existing amenities Quiet unsealed road that could be used as a walking track.

Existing access Unsealed road with turnaround at entrance to private property.

Key issues No destination point at end of track. Not strong visitor use or interest.

EVC Lowland Forest Lake Tyers Rd road sign Lake Tyers Rd to Devils Hole Forest trees Planning zone Conservation Zone north of track and Conservation and Recreation Zone south of track.

Wairewa

Nowa Nowa

Tostaree

Lake Tyers State Park

Cherry Tree Ironbark

Trident Arm Boat Launch

Burnt Bridge Vegetation Unsealed road in fair condition Private property

Toorloo Arm Lake Tyers

Cunninghame Glasshouse

Lake Tyers Beach

Lakes Lake Bunga Entrance Red Blu 20 Private property LAKE TERS STATE PARK CAMPING AND ACCESS STRATEG Road to private property. Devils Hole Track

Site Analysis 1:4000 A3 D ev ils H ole Trk

Track

Devils Hole Track is an interesting drive or walk, however, it does not have a destination or notable end Private property point, as it continues into private property.

Camping encroaching into vegetation

Camping area

Views

Formal walking track

Informal walking track

Formal road unsealed

Vehicle Track maintenance

Informal road or unauthorised vehicle access

Existing Barrier

Existing picnic table

Existing fire scar

Existing fire pit

21 Devils Hole Track Key changes

Future offer Access track to private property.

Future amenities New sign at intersection (“Road to private property”). Some interpretive signage may be included about the site’s history as a 20m deep lime mine. It is said to connect to other caves in the area and to have Aboriginal cultural significance.

Future access Unsealed road.

Key issues addressed Lack of destination point for visitors.

Staging and priorities Low priority. Install sign.

Zoning Retain existing zoning.

Permits Not required.

22 Private property LAKE TERS STATE PARK CAMPING AND ACCESS STRATEG Road to private Devils Hole Track. Add signage at Lake property. Tyers House Road intersection to indicate No lake access, private property. Devils Hole Track

Proposed plan 1:4000 A3 D ev ils H ole Trk

Private property

New vegetation

A Group camping

B Small group camping

C Single camping

Formal walking track

Informal walking track

Formal road unsealed

Management Vehicles Only (MVO)

Close and revegetate track

Existing barrier

New vehicle barrier

New path

New road

New toilet

Car parking

New sign

23 Happy Valley Day Visitor Site Site analysis

Current offer Unsealed road with good views at the end fishing spot. Marked as kayak launch on maps but no formal facility exists.

Existing amenities Degraded timber platform. Heritage status to be determined.

Existing access Unsealed road with some drainage issues and deep wheel ruts. No formal turn-around point. Close proximity to highway

Key issues Shoreline driving and high volume of pedestrian traffic for fishing are causing compaction and erosion. Some camping and fires. Unsealed road with wheel ruts Shoreline erosion control matting View across lake EVC Limestone Box Forest

Planning zone Conservation and Recreation Zone

Wairewa

Nowa Nowa

Tostaree

Lake Tyers State Park

Cherry Tree Ironbark

Trident Arm Boat Launch

Burnt Bridge Shoreline compaction and Historic platform View to Camerons Arm Track 1

Toorloo Arm erosion camping Lake Tyers

Cunninghame Glasshouse

Lake Tyers Beach

Lakes Lake Bunga Entrance Red Blu 24