Tall Wet Forests in the Strzelecki Ranges

Overview

Mount Worth State Park sits in the Strzelecki Ranges of South Gippsland, about 125 kilometres south-east of Melbourne. It is known for its cool, damp gullies and steep forested slopes, where Mountain Ash, Mountain Grey Gum and Blackwood grow across a landscape that hints at the wet forests once far more widespread through this part of Gippsland.

What gives the park its character is the contrast between towering eucalypt forest on the ridges and sheltered creek lines below, where tree ferns crowd the damp ground and the air stays noticeably cool. Even though it is not a large park, it feels rich and layered, with regenerating forest, old creek flats and remnant pockets of rainforest-type vegetation all packed into the hills.

Highlights

The scenery here is shaped by tall forest and deeply shaded gullies rather than big alpine peaks or open lookouts. Mountain Ash is the defining feature, including some very old, massive specimens, and the creek lines add another distinct layer with fern-filled slopes, small waterfalls and dark, moist pockets of vegetation.

Clark Creek and Moonlight Creek help give the park its lush feel, while the mix of ridges, stream flats and enclosed gullies creates constant changes in texture and light. It is a place where the detail matters: huge tree trunks, dense understorey, mossy banks and the sense of a forest that stays green even in warmer months.

Best Time to Visit

Summer is often the most comfortable time to appreciate Mount Worth’s cool gullies, which tend to stay moist and shaded when surrounding areas are warmer. Autumn brings mild conditions through the forest, while winter is especially good for seeing fungi, with more than 40 species recorded in the park.

Winter is also a strong season for birdlife, particularly lyrebirds, which become more active and vocal during their breeding season. If you enjoy the atmosphere of wet forest at its richest, the cooler months show this park at its most distinctive.

Plants and Animals

Mount Worth State Park supports a surprisingly rich mix of life for its size. The forest canopy provides habitat for birds including Crimson Rosella, King Parrot, Olive Whistler, Grey Butcherbird, Tawny Frogmouth and the rare Sooty Owl, while lyrebirds are a regular presence in the leaf litter. Mammals recorded here include Common Wombat, Swamp Wallaby, Brushtail Possum, Feathertail Glider, Brown Antechinus and Platypus.

The plant life reflects the park’s cool, moist conditions. Soft Tree Ferns and Rough Tree Ferns flourish in sheltered gullies, and there are also a number of uncommon plants, including Netted Brake, Slender Tree Fern and Skirted Tree Fern. The park is also known for endangered and unusual underground fauna, including the Narracan Burrowing Crayfish and the Gippsland Giant Earthworm.

Culture and Heritage

Mount Worth State Park is part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Country of the Bunurong People, whose connection to these lands and waters continues today.

The park also carries signs of later European use. Settlement began in the 1870s and timber milling expanded from the 1920s, with remnants of old mills still present in the forest. Those traces sit within a landscape that has regenerated over time, giving the park its present mix of recovering tall forest and older moist gullies.