Mind Your Mannas Forest Circuit Walk (Doncaster East)
This trail is a great one for the entire family. Different habitats in the park are explored with each having an interesting and important story to tell. There is a particular focus on eucalypt trees and the animals that depend upon them for survival. Find out which trees grow here and how they are important to forest ecology.
This walk moves you through the Currawong Bush Park's Forest Circuit. Sculptural Markers dot the landscape and are places to stop for interpretation. The paths are generally gravel and easy to navigate, but there can be mud after rains. There are hills to climb, ponds to investigate, trees to study, leaf litter to explore, plants to smell and evidence of wildlife to find.
Time: 1.5 hrs
Distance: 3.7 km circuit
Start and finish: At Currawong Bush Park, Reynolds Road, Doncaster East
Difficulty: Moderate - there are hills
Facilities: Drinking fountain, toilets, picnic tables, barbecue facilities
Accessibility: Medium - unsuitable for wheelchairs
Suitable for: Active Families, Pleasure Walkers, Super Striders
Trail type: Natural Heritage with Historic Places
Opening Hours: Currawong Bush Park is open during daylight hours The automated boom gate has a 24-hour timer programmed to open and close at 8.00 am - 5.00 pm, and 8.00 am - 8.00 pm during daylight savings. If you find yourself in the car park after hours, simply driving up to the boom gate will trigger the opening mechanism.
Access for Dogs:
Currawong Bush Park is a protected habitat.
Mind Your Mannas Forest Circuit Walk Map
Mind Your Mannas Forest Circuit Walk Notes
Welcome to Currawong Bush Park - the best little wilderness in Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri-wilam as the traditional owners of this land. The name Wurundjeri means 'Wurun' the Manna Gum, and 'djeri' is the grub that lives under its bark; 'wilam' means camp. The language spoken by Wurundjeri people is 'Woi wurrung'.
If you don't see any wildlife, you will most definitely hear them and see evidence of their existence. Remember, all flora and fauna are protected here. Please take only pictures and leave only footprints.
There are toilets and a drinking fountain to prepare for your walk ahead. Begin your walk from the picnic area carpark and head downhill to the first sculptural marker.
1. Wurundjeri Wisdom
"Give me a home among the gum trees..."
This could easily be arranged. There are more than 700 species of eucalypts :n Australia. Only two eucalypt species are not found in Australia, and only 12 species share Australia with other continents. The rest are all ours!
The eucalypts at Currawong are extremely important as they provide habitat for wildlife, both large and tiny, and a protective canopy for understorey plants.
Take a closer look at the trees. You will notice different bark textures. The Yellow Box, Eucalyptus melliodora has a greyish bark on the trunk with white upper branches. These are the trees that produce yellow box honey. Unfortunately non-native bees are used commercially and not one of our 1,500 species of native bees are used to produce honey. Red Stringybark, Eucalyptus macrorhyncha, has reddish brown thick fibrous bark and hosts thousands of small insects including beetles, ants, grubs, spiders and moths.
Take the little track on the right end of the lower carpark and on the left is the fallen Aboriginal Scar Tree.
Aboriginal Scar Tree
The Indigenous people were (and still are) masters in creating tools without destroying the landscape. The Aboriginal Scar Tree here is one example of this.
A large piece of woody bark was removed in one piece with a stone axe that was ground down to a sharp edge. The width of the cut was not large enough to kill (ringbark) the tree.
From the sculptural marker head up to the access road, turn left and walk to the second carpark. Here take the track heading downhill on the left.
2. Pond Ponder
Shadow safety
The pond is a haven of aquatic life. Look above and around you. Notice the tree canopy that shadows the edges of the pond?
Reeds, sedges and rushes can be seen around the pond and along the creek line below. From these you might hear call of the Southern Brown Tree Frog-`weep,eep,eep,eep,eep,eep,eep,eep' The best time to hear them is after rains.
If you didn't hear any frogs, see any insects or spot any lizards, return again at a different time of day or season.
3. Gregarious Grasslands
Gregarious grazers
Several species of eucalypts are found in the open woodland on the hillside next to you. Open woodlands have grasses, low shrubs, herbaceous flowering plants and tiny orchids amongst a scattering of big trees.
The grasslands here sometimes appear to have been 'mowed'. Come back at dawn or dusk to see these voracious 'mowers' at work. You will find Eastern Grey Kangaroos and, on occasion. the squat Swamp Wallaby. The solitary wallabies are rare, preferring dense bushland where they feed on anything fibrous including bracken.
The growing population of Eastern Grey Kangaroo may upset our bushland balance. Diversity is the key to a healthy forest and when there is a period of abundance and forest growth, wildlife can dramatically increase in number. When the roos overgraze they can reduce the habitat for other grassland-dependent species, such as reptiles, insects and orchids.
4. Beaut Eucs
A forest of ancient giants
Where? All around you! Manna Gums, Eucalyptus viminalis are the dominant trees here and some are more than 200 years old. Their whitish trunks rise from a 'sock' formed as the outer layers of bark peel off in long ribbons. Manna Gums are hugely important for one Currawong native - the koala. They also are habitat for several species of parrots. Galahs. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Corellas, Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos and Rainbow Lorikeets all feed on the flowers, nectar, nuts or seeds.
The trees also provide hollows which can take a hundred years to form. Competition for hollows is high and pest species like Indian Myna birds and feral bees are often the winners.
5. Wild Wetland
A chain of events
Several small tributaries flow into the Mullum Mullum Creek and one is located here. Along this tributary you should see moss and lichen. Lichen is lighter coloured and grows on trees, fallen logs and rocks. Moss and lichen do not produce flowers or reproduce by seed. Instead they produce tiny spores that are spread by wind or water.
Take a few moments to see if you can find a food chain. Look for an insect - a dragonfly, butterfly or grasshopper - listen for a frog, and perhaps there might be a skink (small lizard) or Blue-tongue Lizard nearby. Then look up for a hungry predator bird, such as the kookaburra, currawong or magpie.
Retrace your steps back to the Gregarious Grasslands marker and continue ahead on the access track.
6. Riverside Revelry
A meeting of three forests
This is a great spot to survey the different types of habitat in the park. To one side you have open woodland. This is where you might see kangaroos. It is also an excellent habitat for echidnas. In the warmer months you may be lucky enough to see one waddle about catching ants with its extremely long tongue.
Next to the woodlands you have a denser understorey of Silver Wattle, Burgan (Kunzea) and further up the track, Cherry Ballart. Cherry Ballart is the tree that looks a like a pine-dark straight trunk and deep green needle like leaves. Return in the warmer months to see the red fruit which are actually formed by a swelling of the stem just below the nut.
Towards the creek the landscape changes again. This area is prone to flooding so trees and plants here don't mind having 'soggy feet'. Manna Gums thrive in this habitat, as do our Silver Wattle and bracken. Notice how the trees are taller and the ground cover is denser.
To complete this walk, make a sharp turn to your left and head up the hill to the picnic area carpark.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are not permitted in the park.
Review:
This is the walk which is labelled on signage as "Forest Circuit". There are four walks which follow the same route but have different themes:
- Big Busy Bushland Walk to learn about the wildlife that makes up this big busy bushland with a particular focus on the interrelationships between plants, people and animals.
- Mind Your Mannas Walk which explores the different habitats in the park with a particular focus on Eucalypt forests and the animals that depend on these forests for survival.
- Ready Aim Click Walk which is designed for seasoned and budding photographers and focuses on different habitats and bush features for you to capture close up.
- Changing Landscapes Walk to learn about our changing perspectives towards land use, land management and wildlife, from indigenous lifestyle and European occupation, to the creation of Currawong as a park.
Location
269 Reynolds Road, Doncaster East 3109 Map
Web Links
→ Mind Your Mannas Forest Circuit Brochure (PDF)
→ Mind Your Mannas Trail Audio Guide
