Location: Sherbrooke, Melways Map 75
Access: Good access to numerous walking tracks is available from several points including: Grants Picnic Ground (Map 75 Grid K4), Sherbrooke Picnic Ground (Map 75, Grid G2), O’Donohue Picnic Ground (Map 75 Grid G3) and several locations along Sherbrooke Road where off road parking is provided or it is possible to park off the road.
Facilities: Parking, toilets (Grants Picnic Ground, Sherbrooke Picnic Ground & O’Donohue Picnic Ground), BBQ’s, partial wheelchair access, kiosk (Grants Picnic Ground)
Habitat: The plant communities in the park are remnants of the original vegetation that has receded over the last 150 years with the rapid growth of Melbourne's suburbs.
Dandenong Ranges National Park has six major vegetation communities in which about 400 indigenous plant species occur. The park is particularly well known for its spectacular Mountain Ash forests and fern gullies.
Other vegetation communities include Cool Temperate Rainforest, Box Stringybark Woodland, Riparian Forest, Mountain Grey Gum - Messmate Forest and Sclerophyll Woodland. The park supports significant plants such as the Slender Tree-fern and Summer Spider Orchid. Fire plays an important role in the ecology of the vegetation and is an on-going issue for residents of the Ranges.
Park Notes & Map: Click here
The five largest areas of the remaining forest of the Dandenong Ranges – Fern Tree Gully, Doongalla, Sherbrooke, Olinda and Mt Evelyn, were consolidated in 1987 to form the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Parks Victoria has separate Park Notes for each section.
Grants Picnic Ground is a good spot to take overseas visitors as there is usually a large number of Galahs, Long-billed & Little Corellas, Australian King-Parrots, Crimson Rosellas and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos being fed by tourists.
Typical Common Birds include:
Galah; Long-billed Corella; Little Corella; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Australian King-Parrot; Crimson Rosella; Laughing Kookaburra; Superb Lyrebird; White-throated Treecreeper; White-browed Scrubwren; Striated Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Spotted Pardalote; Eastern Spinebill; Red Wattlebird; Crescent Honeyeater; White-naped Honeyeater; Eastern Whipbird; Golden Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Butcherbird; Australian Magpie; Pied Currawong; Grey Fantail; Eastern Yellow Robin; Silvereye; Common Blackbird.
Other Possible Birds include:
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo; Fan-tailed Cuckoo; Red-browed Treecreeper; Superb Fairy-wren; Pilotbird; Striated Pardalote; Lewin’s Honeyeater; Yellow-faced Honeyeater; Crested Shrike-tit; Olive Whistler; Grey Currawong; Rufous Fantail; Australian Raven; Little Raven; Rose Robin; Bassian Thrush; Mistletoebird.
Outings Bird Lists: For a Bird List of all recent BirdLife Melbourne Outings to this site, click here
Superb Lyrebird
Photograph by Sonja Ross
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