Endeavour Fern Gully (Red Hill)

Rich in flora, fauna and habitat diversity, Endeavour Fern Gully is Mornington Peninsula's original rain forest.

The rural bushland remnant of 27 hectares of rain forest contains a variety of natural habitats and is rich in local flora and fauna.

Of the 27 hectare property, 17.5 hectares are of rain forest, a meandering creek and lush fern gully. The remaining 9.5 hectares are gradually being re-vegetated by volunteers. The remnant bushland provides an important biolink in this area of fragmented habitat.

There is a 30 - 45 minute, 2 km loop walking track with interpretive signage. Use your smartphone or iPad or tablet computer to access additional information by scanning the QR codes on each interpretive sign. There is a fairly steep downhill approach track and the same ascent on the way back.

Entry to the site is opposite the Red Hill Recreation reserve. Park in the top paddock and access the nature trail through the gates. Sturdy footwear is recommended and be aware that leeches and snakes are found in this habitat.

Opening Hours:

Open seven days per week. Closed on days of Total Fire Ban.
Check out the conditions of entry.

Cost:

Free public access. A small donation would be most appreciated to help maintain this property.

Access for Dogs:

Dogs, horses and bikes are prohibited in this reserve.

Map of Route:

Review:

This is a really interesting walk which passes through rain forest, fern gullies and remnant bushland. You really feel enveloped within the environment.

There are a few tables near the car park. A grassy track passes initially through bushland and then reaches the rain forest / fern gully area. Orange markers indicate the direction to take.

There's a shortcut track on the left (near the "Ecological Vegetation Classes" information sign) but the best of the walk is reached by continuing on. You'll reach an area with a boardwalk through enveloping tree ferns with a creek bubbling underneath. This is not a place for people who have claustrophobia. After a while you pass through more open bushland and work your way back across the hill upwards gently.

You then reach the other end of the shortcut track. In theory the track goes up hill in a north east direction. However we followed various tracks in this direction and couldn't find a definitive track. So we went down the shortcut track and retraced our initial path to get back to the start.

We did see a wallaby on our walk.

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