Buckley Nature Conservation Reserve (Balnarring)

Buckley Nature Reserve is an easy 2.2km circuit walk which has a wide diversity of vegetation including native orchids during the warmer months of the year and many varieties of birds and native animals.

There are actually three entrances to the reserve. One is opposite a driveway for the Jackalope Hotel and Willow Creek Vineyard on Balnarring Road. Choose the track just left of the Parks Victoria sign inside the reserve. There is second entry point at Cnr of Balnarring Road and Myers Road, and a third on Myers Road where the reserve gives way to farmland. From the first entrance point it is a relatively simple walk through the middle of the reserve to the Myers Road entrance and along a path next to Myers Road and then across a boardwalk to the second entrance and back down to the entrance you came in from (that route is about an 1 hours walk and a just a bit over 2km). If you wish there is a shortcut track just before you get to the crossing of Merricks Creek which comes back to the Balnarring Road track which is a bit over 1km that way. The advantage of that is you are walking surrounded by the dense bush on either side of you, its cooler, with more wildlife spotting opportunities. It is not well marked.

Map of Route:

Buckley Nature Conservation Reserve (Balnarring)

Access for Dogs:

No dogs, cats or motorbikes are permitted in the reserve.

Review:

We started our walk opposite the Jackalope Hotel entrance on the other side of the road where there's a small area to park cars. This is the south-west corner of the reserve.

Follow the wide grassy track through the middle of the bushland. Another track will join from the left which is an alternative route to this point. The track crosses the creek which was dry when we went in mid-February. There were lots of butterflies and dragonflies flitting about through the bush. The track passes through speckled shade along most of the route. As you progress, you will reach some vineyards with electric fences and this is the north east corner of the reserve, which is an alternative entry point.

Follow the track to the west running along the fence line. When you reach the creek the track narrows and there's a 50 meter boardwalk before the track widens again. Then you reach the north west entrance.

From this point follow parallel to Balnarring Road south along the fence line. We saw some lovely pink flowers before we got back to the original starting point.