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Lyrebird Forest WalkNature Walks along the River, near Mirboo North, Victoria, Australia.
Oct 03, 2010 © Harry P. Schlanger
Lyrebird Forest Walk has three walks along Little Morwell River. Visitors may choose a leisurely walk and rest and enjoy the scenery next to the water, or power up the steep slopes.
Lyrebird Forest Walk is located 3km out of town to the North of Mirboo North, on the Strezlecki Highway in central Gippsland. To get there, first drive
from Melbourne in a Southeastern direction to Leongatha and turn left towards Morwell. This natural park is only 5 km east of
Mount Worth State Park.
Local History of Lyrebird Forest
Fortunately, the country around Mirboo North escaped deforestation during the early settlement days of the 1880s, as the soils were considered not
sufficiently rich to support agriculture. Instead, there was a timber industry with a sawmill existing where the walk's carpark is today.
The park was closed in 2002 due to safety concerns and reopened later in 2003, after the local community rallied
together to rehabilitate the park.
Lyrebird Forest Walk Tracks
The walking tracks of the Lyrebird Forest Walk begin and end at the entrance to the car park and picnic areas. An exquisite plaque informs the visitor
to the local history, acknowledges the contributions of a volunteer group "Friends of Lyrebird Forest Walk", and guides about the available nature walks.
There are three walks available; one is a return walk while two others are loop walks, as shown on the map below.
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Map of Lyrebird Forest Walk tracks (photo of plaque in front of carpark, red labels added on graphic)
1: River Walk Return, 2: Coral Fern Gully Loop (1hr 15 min), 3:Warriors Walk Loop (1 hr 45 min)
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River Walk - 2 km Round Trip
The Little Morwell River walk is a leisurely 1 kilometre walk (and 1 km return) along the river through gully vegetation, tall eucalypts with a thick
understorey of
scrub and ferns. The track is flat with lots of large ferns growing beside the river. Park benches are placed strategically near the river for
visitors wanting to rest and enjoy the scenery, and including listening to the many bird calls echoing in the forest.
Loop Walks - Coral Fern Gully & Warriors
After walking 1km along River walk, then crossing a steel bridge across the river, one comes to a junction with park benches and a sign to indicate the
directions for the loop walks. One may continue walking anti-clockwise around two loops by choosing:
- Coral Fern Gully Loop, which is a 3 km, 1hr 15 min walk from the entrance, or
- Warriors Walk Loop, a 4.8 km, 1 hr 45 min track.
Coral Fern Gully walk is a shorter, easier route along the river. The track is relatively flat and there are lots of thick fern undergrowth to be seen.
Warriors Walk track, however, is up the steep slope. Both loops rejoin walkers to the carpark.
Birds at the Park
The Superb Lyrebird is an Australian species of bird, about the size of a large chicken.
Early settlers likened the shape of its ornate tail feathers to that of the lyre, an ancient stringed instrument.
Lyrebirds are often seen in patches of dense scrub along the track. These birds are noted for their ability to imitate the calls of other birds, and they
can also reproduce the sound of car horns, chain saws and other man-made noises.
Birds commonly sighted in the forest include: Laughing Kookaburra, White-throated Treecreeper, Scarlet and Eastern Yellow Robin, Brown Thornbill,
Grey Shrike-Thrush, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, and the Crimson Rosella.
Trees and Plants
Trees and conspicuous plants along the Lyrebird Forest Walk include: Mountain Grey Gum, Brown Stringybark, Messmate Stringybark, Silvertop, Yertchuk,
Blackwood, Saw Banksia, Common Heath, Soft Tree-fern and Austral King-fern.
Native Animals
Some of the native animals to be seen include the Koala, Wombat, Black Wallaby,
Swamp Rat, Greater Glider, Short Nosed and Long Nosed Bandicoots, Feathertail and Ringtail Possums, Platypus, Echidna and little Brown Rat.
The reader may be interested in another park,
"The Gurdies", located near Grantville in Victoria.
References:
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Lyrebird Forest Walk. Parks Victoria.
- Information Plaque - Lyrebird Forest Walk Car Park
The copyright of the article Lyrebird Forest Walk: Nature Walks along the River, near Mirboo North, Victoria, Australia. is owned by Harry P. Schlanger. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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