Bayles Fauna Park

Post

Subscribe

Posted 2012-07-23 by Tabatha ⇒ follow

Taking a jaunt down mummy's memory lane, we took our three-year-old son to a volunteer run fauna reserve I frequented often during my own childhood in Bayles, 76 kilometres south east of Melbourne. The township is a fair dinkum blink and you miss it small town where the general store also doubles as the local post office. I mean no disrespect to small towns, I actually spent my primary school years growing up on a farm about five kilometres out of this particular township and it is with great fondness and many happy memories that I returned to my roots, to give my husband and son a tour of the .

The located at 630 Kooweerup-Longwarry road Bayles first opened in 1972 in an effort to preserve a portion of the native bush land of the area. The fauna park's land encompasses Crown Land that was previously used for the Bayles Railway Line and Station. A portion of the disused railway lines can still be seen within the park while the original Bayles Railway Station building has been converted into the local historical museum that to our disappointment is only opened by prior arrangement.

To be honest the animal attractions of The are minimal in comparison to the Melbourne, Healesville and Werribee Zoos, with only a small mob of kangaroos, emus, wallabies, and a herd of the European introduced Fallow Deer roaming freely through the entire park, but on the upside they do have two endangered species native to the Kooweerup Swamp area that call the park home; the Southern Brown Bandicoot and the Growling Grass Frog.

The native flora of the park is a close representation of what the Kooweerup Swamp area would have looked like before European settlement with Swamp Paperbarks and Ti-tree scrub interspersed with a few towering Eucalyptus trees.

Unfortunately during our visit we did not encounter any of the emus and we had to work hard to spot the grey kangaroos blending so well into their natural surrounds. Tiny Blue Fairy Wrens and their plainer female counterparts flitted in and out of the dense undergrowth as we walked along the tracks. The Fallow Deer were extremely shy and our very talkative three year old startled them off before he was able to spot them, but we were lucky enough to have the herd race across our path on our way back to the entrance/exit. If you go in warmer weather be on the look out for snakes that may be sunbathing on the paths.

There are meandering gravel tracks overgrown with moss and grass making it unsuitable for visitors with prams, or wheelchairs and it is highly advised that you wear sturdy walking shoes and put the kids in gumboots. Wooden seating has been strategically installed along the path ways that if you had quieter children than mine, you could sit and listen to the birds chattering overhead and perhaps be lucky enough to have the larger animals wander out of the bush. If you are into landscape painting or photography, you may feel inspired to whip out the canvas, paints and easel, or camera in an effort to capture the sheer beauty of the winter sun glistening and bouncing off the dewdrops trapped on the blades of grass.

Open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm with the exception of total fire ban days and severely windy weather the park uses both an honesty box system where you can leave your entry fees in the red mail box at the entrance to the park or purchase tickets from the Bayles General Store across the road from the park. For $2.00 per adult and $1.00 per child who can't afford to be a little generous and leave a little extra knowing that every dollar goes towards the upkeep of the natural habitat within the park.

Please note that there are no toilets within the Fauna Park, but there are toilet facilities at the local hall only a few metres from the park's entrance.

Pack a picnic basket and after you have worked up an appetite walking through the park take advantage of the free BBQ's at the picnic area outside of the park and let the kids loose on the brightly coloured, well maintained playground.