Mount Macedon - Stanley Park & Waterfall
Stanley Park is a large reserve in a natural bush setting which contains a native grassland area, diverse vegetation, several picnic areas with a playground and a hidden waterfall which runs through the park and cascades down a rocky ledge into a dense bush gully. A wooden viewing platform overlooks the top of the falls and there is a stone path that leads to some stairs down to the fern gully for those seeking a better view.
There are pleasant walking tracks where koalas may sometimes be seen.
The park has unshaded tables, water tap and shelter with BBQs and seats. Toilets are 200m away over a bridge across the creek.
The council has provided a number of information signs in the park. One of these signs reads:
Welcome to Stanley Park, formerly known as the 'Waterfalls Paddock'. The park provides an area for passive recreation and an opportunity to enjoy the bushland landscape. The diverse geomorphology of the park provides different climatic zones allowing a wide variety of native flora to exist in a relatively small area. Over 60 species of trees and shrubs have been identified and wildflowers abound in the Spring. Turitable Creek runs through the park and has formed an attractive waterfall which can be viewed from the base of the falls where geological information regarding its formation can be seen.
The native grassland area contains kangaroo grass (Themeda australis) and wallaby grasses (Danthonia species) and is a remnant of the grasslands that covered the plains of Western Victoria at the time of white settlement.
Another information sign at the base of the water fall reads:
Approximately 6 million years ago a silica-rich lave (called trachyte) flowed down the flank of Mount Macedon. The lave most probably originated from Camels Hump. Turitable Creek flows off the edge of the solidified lava. Over time, erosion has undermined the face of the falls causing it to collapse (note the large blocks below the falls) and to slowly retreat upstream to its current position.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are permitted if kept on a lead.
Photos:
Location
15 Salisbury Road, Mount Macedon 3441 Map
