YOUR AUTUMN UNSEEN PLACES
With clear fresh air and an explosion of new colour, now is the perfect time to explore Victoria’s great outdoors and experience Your Autumn Unseen Places.
This autumn, we’re challenging you to venture into a park you haven't been before, discover remarkable changing scenery and explore the unexpected. From a bubble-gum pink lake to the rare sounds of a wild lyrebird, adventure awaits around every corner.
For inspiration, check out our Nature Challenge.
Your Autumn Unseen Places Nature Challenge
Want to win the ultimate nature experience?
We’ve picked 18 picturesque-and-lesser-known spots around Victoria for you to track down and experience.
Simply, visit the parks below, scan the QR code at the location and you’ll go into the draw to win one ULTIMATE NATURE EXPERIENCE worth up to $3,000 – think hot air ballooning, surfing, flyfishing, guided hiking, glamping and more. The lucky winner can choose from 11 amazing nature experiences from across Victoria.
Every park you visit and scan, is a chance to enter.
We’d love to see your adventure, share it with us by tagging @parksvic and using #ParksNatureChallenge.
Read the competition terms and conditions.
Nature Challenge Locations
Explore the map below to find your next Nature Challenge location! Once you've decided where you'd like to go, hit 'Directions' on that park's map card. This will guide you to the exact coordinates of the QR code.
Nature Challenge Locations
Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary
Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary protects partially exposed granite reef that is home to abundant marine life and is a haul-out site for Australian and New Zealand fur seals.
Barmah National Park
Barmah National Park, together with the adjoining Murray Valley Regional and National Parks, forms the largest River Red Gum forest in the world. The complex ecology is closely linked to the flooding of the Murray River, creating a diverse natural habitat for a variety of wildlife, particularly waterbirds.
Loch Iel (Pink Lake) Lake Reserve
Follow the Western Highway, north of Dimboola and Little Desert National Park, to discover one of Victoria’s most picturesque pink salt lakes. For budding photographers, this incredible, sometimes surreal, landscape is a dream.
Mitchell River National Park
Mitchell River National Park protects impressive river scenery, serene rainforest gullies, rugged landscapes and some of Victoria's more unusual vegetation communities.
Discovery Bay Coastal Park
This remote coastal park protects 55km of ocean beach. Inland, the park encompasses high coastal cliffs, huge rolling sand dunes and freshwater lakes and swamps. Coastal vegetation and wildlife thrive.
Maldon Historic Area
Located in and around the township of Maldon, the Maldon Historic Reserve protects many relics from the gold mining era as well as box and ironbark forests.
Kooyoora State Park
With magnificent views, a rich variety of plants and wildlife and stunning granite boulders, Kooyoora State Park protects some of north‐central Victoria’s outstanding natural features. The Dja Dja Wurrung name for Kooyoora is Guyura meaning mountain of light.
Herring Island
Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park is a small 3.2ha artificial island located in Melbourne's Yarra River at South Yarra, approximately 3kms from the city centre.
Vaughan Springs and Southern Castlemaine Diggings
In the southern section of Castlemaine Diggings Heritage Park is Vaughan Mineral Springs. Take a stroll along the Loddon River and spot the various birdlife. Make sure you stop and sample the mineral water along the way!
Point Gellibrand Coastal Heritage Park
Point Gellibrand is one of Victoria’s richest heritage sites. It was Victoria’s first permanent European settlement and seaport. Visitors can explore the maritime history of Timeball Tower, retrace Ned Kelly’s steps along Battery Road, and enjoy the native revegetation projects.
Hepburn Regional Park
Nestled around the famous mineral springs townships of Daylesford, Hepburn and Hepburn Springs, Hepburn Regional Park is a real treasure rich with picturesque waterfalls, spectacular views, natural springs and relics from the Gold Rush era.
Little Desert National Park
The best time to visit the park is between late winter and early summer when the temperatures are comfortable and the park is full of blossoms and wildflowers. Camp beside the Wimmera River, and enjoy bushwalks, birdwatching or four-wheel driving.
Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary
Teeming with marine life from colourful anemones to the rare Black and White Sea Star, Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary is a fascinating place to explore. At low tide, a magnificent mushroom-shaped reef is exposed to reveal an intricate honeycomb of bays and pools.
Woowookarung Regional Park
A park by the people, for the people - come and explore; walk, ride, drive, relax, gather and picnic.
Gresswell Nature Conservation Reserves
The Gresswell Nature Conservation Reserves, made up of Gresswell Forest, Gresswell Hill and Gresswell Habitat Link, protect 70 hectares of important flora and fauna habitat.
Bunyip State Park
Escape where you can breathe fresh air and enjoy native plants and animals. See a mosaic of green from heathland on river plains to Mountain Ash forest covering steep slopes.
Cape Liptrap Coastal Park
Stretching along the coast from the sand barrier of Point Smythe to the sheltered waters of Waratah Bay, Cape Liptrap Coastal Park has strikingly beautiful scenery.
Jawbone Marine Sanctuary
Jawbone Marine Sanctuary protects a diverse ecosystem within its 30 hectares of coastal waters. Named for its shape, this forgotten and unspoilt place protects a unique collection of intertidal habitats and is a haven for coastal and marine life right next to Melbourne.
Things to do this autumn
Everything you need to know about Victoria's pink lakes
It may come as a surprise, but these are the natural changing colour of some of Victoria’s lakes. These bubblegum pink lakes are a natural wonder that many will never get to see, but there are a few right here in Victoria.
Explore the rich history of the Goldfields
Victoria’s central goldfields around Castlemaine, Maldon, and Hepburn, on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, have some of the most intact remains of the 1850s gold rush anywhere in the world. If you enjoy ornate historic architecture, learning about life on the goldfields, and discovering the techniques used by miners during the gold rush then a trip to these parks in the area is a must.
4 hidden-gem spots to dive and snorkel in Victoria
No need to travel to see some of the world’s most unique underwater life. We’ve put together a list of 4 lesser-travelled snorkelling and diving spots for you to escape the city and discover an underwater world.
Sheer beauty: 8 spectacular rock formations in Victoria
We’ve picked eight of the state’s most-beautiful, but least-known cliffs and rock formations for you to get that perfect landscape shot. Bold colours, dramatic formations, or beautiful lighting, each of these cliffs is a sight to behold.
The best parks to visit for Autumn colour
Autumn is a fantastic time of year to visit our parks. As the leaves turn, you’ll be surrounded by stunning displays of colour. Visit these parks to get that perfect snap of autumn leaves.
Choose your adventure at these camping spots
Now is the perfect time to get out and camp under the stars. Before you pitch your tent, spend the day exploring the nature around you. There’s lots of ways to enjoy our parks — whether you’re looking for a challenge, to learn something new or to just relax with family and friends.
Victoria's dog-friendly walking trails
While dogs aren’t allowed in our national and state parks, there's still plenty of great places you can get into nature with your pooch. So, grab a lead and a handful of treats, whistle up the dog and head for the park.
Top circuit walks
There's nothing better than a circuit walk taking in great scenery and interesting natural and cultural landmarks. For a taste of Victoria's best, check out this selection on your next getaway.
Fun things to do in nature after dark
Just because darkness is falling doesn’t means parks aren’t great places to experience, as long as it’s done safely. In fact, there are some special experiences to be had in parks at dusk or after dark.
Discover an underwater world
If you're looking for the best places to see underwater ecosystems and encounter marine wildlife, look no further! We've rounded up some of the best ways to explore marine protected areas. So, pack your togs, wetsuit, a mask and snorkel and head to the coast!
Woven Together By Spirit
For many Victorians, Castlemaine Diggings is synonymous with the gold rush: that famous period in the late 1800s when thousands of migrants flocked to Central Victoria to seek their fortunes on the gold fields. But Castlemaine Diggings Heritage National Park and its surrounding areas have a history much older and richer than the precious metal industry that briefly but dramatically occupied the landscape.
