Lake Eildon National Park

Infobox_protected_area_of_Australia | name = Lake Eildon National Park
iucn_category = II

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caption =
locator_x = 223
locator_y = 196
nearest_town_or_city = Eildon
coordinates = coord|37|07|46|S|145|52|08|E|type:landmark_region:AU
area = 277.5 km²
established = 1957
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
managing_authorities = Parks Victoria
official_site = [http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=125 Lake Eildon National Park]

Lake Eildon National Park is a national park in Victoria (Australia) in the northern foothills of Victoria's Central Highlands, 111 km northeast of Melbourne. The 277.5 km² park abuts the shores of Lake Eildon.

History

In the 1950s, the Victorian State Government purchased farming properties along the Goulburn and Delatite rivers for the construction of Lake Eildon to provide irrigation water for the Goulburn Valley. An area of 2670 ha that wasn’t flooded was declared Fraser National Park in 1957. An area of 240 km² of state forest adjacent to the lake was reserved as Eildon State Park in 1980 to protect the catchment of Lake Eildon. In 1997, the two parks were combined to create Lake Eildon National Park.

Cultural heritage

The Goulburn River Valley supported a population of hundreds of members of the Taungaurung Aboriginal people. Cultural sites belonging to these people would have been flooded with the creation of Lake Eildon.

The park includes a number of mine shafts related to Victoria’s gold rush of the 1860s. The park also contains relics from early pastoral use.

Geology

The park is mountainous, with peaks up to 900 m, and includes the edge of the Cerberean Caldera, a huge circular volcano around 27 km across which was active around 380 million years ago. The caldera is evident in a few places as granite outcrops.

Flora

The park’s vegetation is generally dry, open eucalypt forest with areas of riparian forest and montane forest. Main eucalypt species are stringybarks, peppermints, Red Box and Candlebark with areas of Mountain Ash and Blue Gum.

Fauna

The park’s known native fauna includes 34 species of mammals, 89 birds, 17 reptiles, 10 amphibians and three freshwater fish. Threatened fauna recorded in the park include the Brush-tailed Phascogale and Spotted Tree-Frog. Eastern Grey Kangaroos are very common in the park’s camping areas.

Visitors

Most visitors use the park as a base for water-based activities on Lake Eildon, such as power boating and water ski-ing. Deer hunting is permitted in season in some sections of the park.

ee also

* Protected areas of Victoria (Australia)