Wirrawilla Rainforest Walk, Toolangi State Forest
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It's cool, dark and peaceful under the rainforest canopy. The only sounds are a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves, the trickle of water flowing across the pebbles of Sylvia Creek and the occasional call of black cockatoos overhead. The trunks of the ancient and gnarly
Myrtle Beeches are covered in a thick layer of moss, and the scented
Southern Sassafras trunks are patchy with lichen.
Ferns are everywhere: carpeting the ground, growing as epiphytes on other plants and towering above the track as tree ferns.
This is the magic of the
Wirrawilla Rainforest Walk .
This short and accessible walk mostly follows a flat and wide boardwalk and is designed to showcase the serenity of a
cool temperate rainforest for visitors. It's a tranquil and damp oasis, hidden away in the drier and sclerophyllous eucalypt forest that surrounds it.
The closest town to the walk is Toolangi, north-east of Melbourne. The walk starts from a small carpark off Sylvia Creek Road, which is unsealed but well maintained and suitable for 2WD (although it might be more difficult after wet weather). The turnoff for Sylvia Creek Road is off Myers Creek Road, just a few kilometres south-east of Toolangi.
There's picnic tables, a toilet and an information board in the carpark. This area is also the start for two other, much longer walks: the Myrtle Gully Circuit and the Tanglefoot Loop.
The Wirrawilla Rainforest Walk is approximately 1 km long and, according to the government website, it is also
wheelchair accessible . The very first short section from the carpark is downhill and gravel until the boardwalk is reached, after which it's flat boardwalk for the rest of the walk.
Along the way, there is plenty to see, and it's a walk that is worth taking one's time over. Stop and listen. Could that bird calling actually be a
lyrebird ? Look up. See if you can spot the towering
Mountain Ash trees that emerge up above the rainforest canopy. Look down. Can you spot the 'world's
tallest moss ', growing to a whopping 8 cm high along the side of the boardwalk? Watch the creek gurgle past and see if you can spot any native fish.
There's lots of interpretive signage along the way, with information about the ecology of the rainforest community. There's also several well-placed seats to stop and rest.
At the end of the boardwalk, turn around and head back, and take the opposite side of the loop to return to the gravel path that leads back up to the carpark. Stay for a picnic or explore other walks and drives in the area.
A pdf of the walk, along with other walks in the Toolangi State Forest, can be downloaded
here .
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193780 - 2023-06-16 03:54:46