Visitors to the Yarra Ranges National Park will soon see improved walks, greater accessibility, new facilities and increased environmental protections at the popular Californian Redwood Forest area.

The Victorian Government has invested $2.9 million to add new carparking, an accessible public toilet, a wet-weather visitor shelter, safety gate, and boardwalks and viewing areas along the creek.

The investment will also manage visitor impacts by formalising a trail network of 3.8 kms, adding fencing, and supporting revegetation along the creek and riverbank.

The Redwoods Forest has become an increasingly busy spot in recent years, with its towering Californian Redwoods drawing visitors from nearby and abroad. These stunning red-barked trees can tower up to 55 metres into the sky, which provide a magical scene for a walk through the forest.

By increasing the carparking capacity at the site, the project aims to manage the increased visitation and reduce traffic impacts to the surrounding roads, making for a better visitor experience and ensuring the roads are safe and accessible for both locals and visitors.

Melbourne Water and Parks Victoria are working together to deliver the project to improve the visitor experience and increase environmental protection of its beautiful landscapes.

The Redwood Forest is bordered by the Yarra River and Cement Creek. Both are high value waterways that provide habitat for native fish species and platypus. These works will help to protect the environmental values whilst improving access for visitors. The project will see the installation of 7,000 local indigenous plants to protect the banks of the waterways as well as viewing platforms and a boardwalk.  

The funding for this project includes $2.3 million from the $46 million Regional Tourism Investment fund, $300,000 from Melbourne Water and an additional $300,000 from the Victorian Government.

Parks Victoria has appointed Tract Consultants to undertake the design component of the project, which includes the new carparks, toilet, visitor shelter, trail network and safety gate.

Construction is expected to commence in mid-2022.

For more information on this project, please visit the project page.