Warby Range State Park

Warby Range State Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Warby Range State Park
Location	Victoria
Nearest city	Glenrowan
Coordinates	36°13′06″S146°10′52″E / 36.2184°S 146.1812°E / -36.2184; 146.1812
Area	114.6 km2 (44.2 sq mi)
Established	1978
Governing body	Parks Victoria
Website	Official website

Warby Range State Park was a Victorian state park just north of Glenrowan. In 2010, the park became part of the newly declared Warby-Ovens National Park. ^{[1] [2]} It is 11,460 hectares (28,300 acres) in area, and named after Ben Warby, a pastoralist who settled in the area in 1844. There are two basic campgrounds, and many other sites for true bush camping.

History

The 400 m rocky escarpments are believed to have been used by the Kelly gang as a lookout for robbing wagons loaded with gold, heading to Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. In 2002, the park was expanded to include the state forest of Killawarra as part of a program of protecting Box-Ironbark forests. ^[3]

Environment

The park is part of the Warby-Chiltern Box-Ironbark Region Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for the conservation of Box-Ironbark forest ecosystems and several species of threatened woodland birds dependent on them. ^[4] The ranges run north-to-south, allowing plant and animal species to migrate from the Australian Alps to the riverina plains, Murray River and arid regions.

References

1. "Warby Range State Park", Official website, Parks Victoria , retrieved 29 January 2012
2. Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database CAPAD08, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and Communities, Commonwealth of Australia, 2008, retrieved 29 January 2012
3. http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/CA256F310024B628/0/EE53E20E4F7CFC15CA25728F0019086E/$File/WARBY.pdf ^{[ dead link ]}
4. BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Warby-Chiltern Box-Ironbark Region. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2011-11-20.