Budj Bim National Park

A woman stands in the foreground on a dirt path between rocks looking up, while a man looking at the cave walls follows the path in the background.

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Explore

Budj Bim National Park

We’re proud to work with Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation in the co-management of this Aboriginal cultural landscape.

Discover the rich cultural heritage of Budj Bim and the natural wonders of this ancient, volcanic landscape. Budj Bim National Park visitor area is home to a tranquil crater lake, lava canals and caves in a lush bushland setting. Enjoy a picnic, camp and walk among Manna Gums teeming with native wildlife.

A truly fascinating place, Budj Bim is one of several places in this area’s rich cultural landscape formed by powerful ancestral creation forces. Many visitors return to explore and relax in the tranquil surrounds. The wider Budj Bim Heritage Landscape dates back thousands of years and shows evidence of large, settled communities systematically farming and smoking eels for food and trade. The Heritage Landscape area is considered one of Victoria’s earliest and largest Indigenous aquaculture ventures, and has recently been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List recognised solely for its Aboriginal cultural values.

Budj Bim Campground is set among lava rock and tall, twisted Manna Gum trees. These are a favourite food source for koalas, so look up!

Explore the dramatic volcanic features of Budj Bim on foot. Walk through the lava flow canals, stroll around the crater's rim or follow the lake shoreline below. See the rocky walls, lava caves and canals on the four walking options and learn about the natural wonder of the creation forces.

Bring a mountain bike and cycle the Budj Bim Trail. Break up the journey and camp along the way at Allambie, Murphy’s Hut and Lake Gorrie.

Budj Bim is one of the world's finest examples of ancient aquaculture and engineering and now, thanks to laser mapping technology, new discoveries are revealing the sophisticated and sustainable engineering techniques used by Australia's Traditional Owners. Learn more from the video below.

As rivers, lakes and reservoirs are natural environments, you may encounter hazards. Follow our water safety advice to make sure your day out at Budj Bim National Park is a safe and enjoyable one.

Parks Victoria respects the deep and continuing connection that Gunditjmara Traditional Owners have to Budj Bim National Park, and we recognise their ongoing role in caring for Country.

Things to do in the area

A young woman leading a man on a walk through Budj Bim National Park

Budj Bim National Park - 3 day itinerary

Your guide to experiencing this unique national park over three days.

Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre

Visit the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre to learn more about Gunditjmara Country. Here you can take a guided cultural tour of Budj Bim National Park, stop at the cafe, or view the kooyang (eel) display tank. The centre is 30 min from the park.

A father kicks a football with his young son infront of a trailer camper.

Budj Bim Campground

Budj Bim Campground is nestled among forested rocky hollows and ridges formed by ancient lava flows. Camp within walking distance of Lake Surprise, a crater lake with several short trails. Keep your eyes peeled for koalas and kangaroos.

Junior Rangers on a tour of Budj Bim National Park with Braydon Saunders

Telling stories from the heart at Budj Bim

Braydon Saunders comes from a long line of Gunditjmara story tellers, but for the former tour guide at Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism, telling the remarkable Budj Bim story to Junior Rangers made his heart sing.

A four wheel drive crosses the Howqua River in the Alpine National Park.

Four wheel driving and trail bike riding

Explore a myriad of tracks available for vehicles and mountain bikes to share.

A young women leads a man on a walk along a river bank.

Lake Surprise

Follow the Lake Surprise Walk from the lookout and descend to walk around the lake's edge. The longer Lava Canal Circuit Walk includes amazing features like lava blisters, Tunnel Cave, Natural Bridge and a dry crater with views across the lake.

Wildlife and Nature

Koalas

Echidnas

Kangaroos

Tours and adventure experiences in parks

One of the best ways you can get into nature is with a Licensed Tour Operator.

There are more than 400 Licensed Tour Operators across Victoria who are ready and waiting to help you experience and connect with Victoria’s spectacular parks and waterways.

Discover more than 60 different types of nature-based experiences including hiking, mountain biking, boating, four-wheel driving, indigenous culture tours, birdwatching, surfing, diving and so much more.

Licensed Tour Operators know all the best places to go and will plan and prepare your visit to ensure you are safe and can enjoy your nature-based adventure to the fullest.

Find a Licensed Tour Operator

How to get there

Budj Bim National Park

Budj Bim National Park is located approximately 300km west of Melbourne. Macarthur is the nearest town to the Visitor Area and Campground. Hamilton is the nearest city to this end of the park. The road to Budj Bim National Park is sealed all the way to the visitor picnic ground. There is a short gravel road from there to the campground, about 200 metres. It is suitable for 2WD.

Budj Bim National Park

When you're there

Download the Budj Bim National Park visitor guide for more information about the park and the plethora of experiences to be had within its borders.

Budj Bim National Park Visitor Guide

Related Sites

When to go

Summer brings lazy afternoons under Manna Gums, picnics on the grass and evenings in the campground. This is the season of eels (kooyang) and butterflies (ballambar). Spot butterflies such as the Australian Painted Lady and Yellow Admiral fluttering around Budj Bim.

Need to know

Budj Bim National Park

Accessibility

Visiting a park can be more of a challenge for people with disabilities, however in Victoria there are a wide range of facilities to help people of all abilities enjoy our wonderful parks around the state.

Assistance dogs are welcome in Parks Victoria parks and reserves. Entry requirements apply for parks and reserves that are usually dog prohibited, such as national parks.

How we keep it special

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a unique place with universal heritage values that demonstrate how Gunditjmara people worked with the natural resources and environment of the Victorian south west region to establish a permanent place of human society over the past 30,000 years and beyond.

Management plan

The Ngootyoong Gunditj Ngootyoong Mara South West Management Plan is a strategic guide for managing and protecting over 130 parks, reserves and Indigenous Protected Areas in south-west Victoria, including Budj Bim National Park.

Koala population management

Protected within the Budj Bim World Heritage Listed area is Victoria's largest remaining Stony Rises Woodland community. This vegetation type is dominated by Manna Gum, the koala’s preferred food tree. To prevent over browsing and decline in the tree condition it is necessary to manage the koala population in and around the park. Many of the female koalas have been implanted with hormonal contraceptives and remain living in the park. Contraceptives act to slow koala reproduction and limit future browse pressure on the Manna Gums. The koala population and tree canopy condition are monitored to track progress toward Woodland recovery.