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Won Wron & Mullungdung State ForestsNathan Oliver -Yarram
May 2005FS0053
ISSN 1440-2262
© State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment Page 1
Won Wron & Mullungdung State ForestsThe Won Wron and Mullungdung State forests are situated200 kms from Melbourne, north east of the town ofYarram on the South Gippsland Plain. Won Wronoccupies 6700 ha and Mullungdung 13800ha. The twoforests are bisected by the Bruthen Creek with Won Wronto the west and Mullungdung to the east.
The first inhabitants of the area were the Brataualoongpeople. For thousands of years they gathered fish andshellfish from the nearby coastal waters and used thetimber and game from these forests as a source of food andbuilding materials for shelters, canoes and various tools.
The twin forests provide for a variety of activitiesincluding picnicking, camping, walking, sightseeing,horse-riding, and car touring.
Getting ThereFrom Melbourne take the Princes Highway to Traralgonand then head towards Yarram along the Hyland Highway.Both forests are accessible from the Hyland Highwaybetween Yarram and Traralgon or from the SouthGippsland Highway between Yarram and Sale.
AttractionsPicnic SpotsThe ‘Gums’ along the Hyland Highway and ‘WhiteWoman’s Waterhole’ off Napier Road are designatedrecreation sites with picnic tables and fireplaces provided.
Camping SpotsWith toilet and fireplace facilities available, ‘WhiteWoman’s Waterhole’ is an ideal base from which toexplore the historic and natural features of the forests. Acleared camping area is available at ‘Big Tower’ but nofacilities are provided.
Walking tracksWhite Woman’s WalkSkill level: Basic Fitness level: LowDistance: 2 km return (45 mins)A two kilometre walking track winds its way through theforest adjacent to White Woman’s Waterhole. It starts onthe eastern end of the picnic area near the toilet and isdefined by posts and triangular track markers. As youwalk you will pass through two very different ecologicalvegetation classes (EVCs). The damper-low lying areasconsist of species such as Manna Gum, Grey Gum, SwampPaperbark and a variety of sedges which are more adapted
to the heavier, moister soils found here. The higher-sandier areas consist of plants that have adapted to drierconditions such as Yellow Stringybark, Black She-Oak andBracken Fern. Many other native plant species may beviewed along the way and if you tread quietly you may justcatch a glimpse of some of the abundant wildlife that alsoinhabits the area.
Old Railway WalkSkill level: Basic Fitness level: LowDistance: 2 km one way (45 mins)Commencing a short distance east or west of WhiteWoman’s Waterhole along Napier Road, the Old Railwaywalking track follows a small section of what was once thefinal stage of the Great Southern Railway.
Lowland Forest DriveGrade: Medium 60 km return (Full Day)Please note - Road conditions may become difficult afterheavy rains.
Stop 1. Historic Saw PitPits like this were constructed during the early days oftimber harvesting to break down logs using cross-cut sawswith one man above and one below in the pit. Imaginebeing below with the bark and sawdust showering overyou, sticking to your sweat and getting in your eyes. It isno wonder that the person on the bottom was called the‘underdog’.
Stop 2. White Woman’s WaterholeLocal legend has it that the naming of White Woman’sWaterhole involved the sole European survivor of ashipwreck off the Ninety-Mile Beach who was taken in bya tribe of Aborigines that used this waterhole. Sheengraved a message on a nearby tree that was subsequentlyfound by a passing stockman. A search party was formedand after a skirmish, the lady was rescued, whereupon shereturned to England.
3. Goodwood Township & MillIn 1910 a Western Australian firm, Kalgoorlie-BoulderFirewood Co., set up a mill in the Mullungdung to exploitits relatively untapped timber resources. A steel tramlinewas built to Port Albert and by mid-1911, 40 tonnes oftimber were transported each day.
Yellow Stringy Bark was the primary timber cut forsleepers for the Victorian Railways and also for jetties,blocks for the tramways and for street paving. Bullockteams were used to drag the timber to railway sidings. The
Won Wron & Mullungdung State Forests FS0053
© State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment Page 2
two foot (60cm) gauge tramline ran for 32.6kms andconsisted of three locomotives: “Mona”, “Lila” and“Amie”, that could pull 8 ½ to 9 tons. On September 11914 an unfortunate accident occurred when “Mona” blewup and the driver was killed.
The Goodwood township was quite substantial with a hall,school, church and company store. There was also a sportsground with football team, cricket team, tennis club andcycling group.In 1920 the mill closed and the buildings were transportedto Woodside, Yarram and Noojee. Today the forest hasreclaimed much of the site but some remnants such as themill site and tramway bridges still remain.
Goodwood Locomotive 1914William and Jeffrey Collins Collection
4. Bullocky’s GraveIn 1870 a German migrant named Alex Stranner stoppedhis bullock team near here to tend to failing brakes.Unfortunately the leading bullocks moved forward whilehe was underneath the wagon and Alex Stranner was runover and killed. His body was found four days later bymill workers who wrapped him in a tarpaulin and buriedhim in this gully where the ground was soft.
5. Tom’s CapOn February 9 1841 Angus McMillan started out fromStratford, accompanied by Tom Macalister, four stockmenand an Aboriginal guide. On February 11 they reachedTom’s Cap (so-called after Macalister’s headgear) wherethey obtained their first view of Corner Inlet, a waterwaythat would open up Gippsland as an agricultural region andassure future prosperity.
6. Frouds SawmillWilliam Froud and his sons Alfred and James began milloperations on this site in 1929. Water for the mill waspumped from a deep well in nearby Dead Bullock Gully.The site once consisted of several houses, bullock yardsand store sheds. Alfred and James were both killed duringWWII and William sold the mill to the Kauri TimberCompany in 1945. It finally closed in 1951 when thetimber ran out
7. The Big TowerThe Big Tower was erected in 1941. It is a woodenstructure, about 94 ft high with its pylons rammed 12 ftinto sandstone. No lifting equipment was used in itsconstruction. It was one of five towers erected in the
Yarram district for fire spotting, following the 1939bushfires. The Mullungdung Tower was manned everysummer until 1960, when it was abandoned.
FloraThe Won Wron and Mullungdung Forests comprise mostlyopen forests of Yellow Stringybark and Messmate, withBlue Gum, Manna Gum and Mountain Grey Gum in thewetter gullies and woodlands of Yertchuk and ShiningPeppermint on the sandy soils. Low open forests of WhiteStringybark occur in the north of Mullungdung and thereare extensive woodlands of Silver Leafed Stringybark onthe swampy flats that border the watercourses. SwampGum and thickets of Swamp Paperbark occur widely inswamps and along streams. Saw Banksia, Cherry Ballartand Black She-Oak are widespread understorey species.
FaunaWon Wron and Mullungdung Forests support a range ofnative animals. The Echidna, Emu, Eastern GreyKangaroo, Black Wallaby, Blue Tongue Lizard, and TreeGoanna are commonly seen during the day.Snakes are also relatively common during warmer periodsand if you come across one, keep your distance andadmire. Remember that they are fully protected andessential parts of the forest ecosystem.
An after dark spotlight walk scanning the tree tops mayreveal a variety of other species and is also a good time tolisten for the distinctive calls of the variety of frogs thatinhabit the area. Over 100 bird species have been recordedthroughout the two forests.
For more informationThe Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE)is responsible for managing Victoria's State Forest. Forfurther information contact the Department ofSustainability and Environment office at Yarram (� 51839100) or DSE's Customer Service Centre on � 136 186.
Visit DSE’s websitehttp://www.dse.vic.gov.authen select “Forestry”.
The Won Wron & Mullungdung State Forests are managedfor a wide range of uses including catchment protection,timber production, recreation and conservation. If you areinterested in how State Forests are managed, the currentGippsland Forest Management Plan can be viewed on theDepartment's website on the Internet athttp://www.dse.vic.gov.authen select “Forestry”, then select “Publications”.
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoriaand its officers do not guarantee that the publication is without flawof any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposesand therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or otherconsequence which may arise from you relying on any informationin this publication.
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