The Andrews Labor Government is creating permanent protections for Victoria’s three new national parks to help conserve our native flora and fauna and enhance recreation and tourism opportunities.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today announced $4 million to establish the new boundaries for the parks, as well as two new conservation parks and expansion of other regional parks in Victoria’s Central West.

Critical surveying and mapping work by the Surveyor-General Victoria is now underway, this is the first step towards permanent protection of the new parks through legislation.

The new national parks will be created by linking existing state forests, parks and reserves. The largest, combining Lerderderg State Park and Wombat State Forest to create the Wombat-Lerderderg National Park covering more than 44,000 hectares between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh.

A 15,000-hectare Pyrenees National Park will be created west of Avoca, and a 5,282-hectare Mount Buangor National Park will double the size of the existing state park north of Buangor.

The parks will significantly increase Victoria’s protections of native flora like Mount Cole Grevilliea, Pyrenees Gum and rare and threatened species including the Powerful Owl, Barking Owl, Swift Parrot,Southern Greater Glider and Brush-tailed Phascogale.

There will be seven new and expanded regional parks near Bendigo, Daylesford and Avoca. These will provide a range of activities including horse-riding, dog-walking and recreational prospecting.

Since 2019 we have added more than 250,000 hectares of protected forests in Victoria – including 96,000 hectares of Immediate Protection Areas, 65,106 hectares for the new Central West National Parks and 90,000 hectares of old growth.

The Labor Government announced the new parks in 2021 as part of its response to the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council’s Central West Investigation Final Report.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio

“This is an important step to help protect our incredible range of native plants and wildlife.’’

“These parks will be a drawcard for nature-based tourism and recreation and an important destination for the community to learn from nature and experience the great outdoors.”

“These new national parks and all of the parks being created or expanded will enhance the opportunities for Victorians to experience our state’s unique landscape now and into the future.”