Granite Ridges and Flaggy Creek Gorge at Mount Lawson

Overview

Mount Lawson State Park sits in Victoria’s north-east, about 50 km east of Albury-Wodonga and to the north-east of Tallangatta. It covers 13,150 hectares and forms part of a larger band of protected country stretching through the Upper Murray. The park rises from valley floors to high ridges and plateaux, with Mount Lawson itself reaching 1,041 metres.

What gives this park its particular character is the contrast between its upland forests and its drier northern country. Much of the park lies within the Bungil land system, while the northern section extends into the Koetong uplands, where Devonian grey granite shapes the ridges, cliffs and prominent bluffs.

Highlights

The scenery here is defined by steep forested slopes lifting sharply above the surrounding cleared farmland, Lake Hume and the Murray River valley. In the northern part of the park, dry slopes, rocky bluffs, cliffs and gorges create a more rugged landscape than many other parks in this part of Victoria.

Flaggy Creek Gorge is one of the standout natural features, with Flaggy Creek Falls adding to the park’s rough, enclosed feel. Koetong Creek also stands out because it flows year round, adding a thread of permanent water through an otherwise dry-looking section of country.

Best Time to Visit

Autumn through spring generally suits this park best, when cooler conditions make the steeper ridges and forested slopes more comfortable to spend time in. Seasonal waterfalls are more likely to show well in the wetter months, while the year-round flow in Koetong Creek gives the landscape some life even outside peak rainfall periods.

Plants and Animals

Mount Lawson State Park has a notably mixed vegetation pattern. The uplands carry open forest dominated by Narrow-leaf Peppermint, while drier ridges support Broad-leaf Peppermint, with Candlebark, Manna Gum, Blue Gum and Brittle Gum also present. In the north, Granitic Hills Woodland brings extensive Black Cypress-pine woodland with a sparse shrubby understorey. The park also contains a small isolated Clay Heathland community that is not well represented in other reserves.

About 278 native plant species have been recorded here. Common mammals include Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Black Wallaby and Common Wombat, and the mix of wet open eucalypt forest, dry open eucalypt forest and dry rocky woodland provides habitat for many birds, bats and reptiles. The rare Barking Owl has been recorded in the park.

Culture and Heritage

Aboriginal cultural places are recorded within Mount Lawson State Park, including three art sites at two separate locations. Two protected areas totalling 620 hectares were set aside around these places because of their significance. The park also holds evidence of a long mining history, especially around Flaggy Creek and Koetong Creek, where alluvial tin mining continued at intervals from 1872 into the early 1980s. Near Flaggy Creek, the former Womoboi Wolfram Mine still retains a number of relics.