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Bushfire Smart
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Rising some 350 metres above the surrounding area, Mt Alexander is a prominent landmark next to the Calder Highway at Harcourt, 8 km north of Castlemaine. With a well-made tourist road traversing the ridgeline, the mountain offers panoramic views and a natural forest setting for picnicking and walking.
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Things to Do
- Panoramic views can be obtained from lookouts at Lang's Lookout, Dog Rocks and Shepherd's Flat after scrambling over a few rocks.
- The West Ridge Walking Track of 4 km links all the major lookouts and points of interest. The walk is best started at Lang's Lookout down to Old Koala Park. The entire track can be completed as an enjoyable half-day walk or small sections can be walked during successive visits.
- Several walking track circuits are provided in the Koala Park.
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Facilities
- Picnicking is popular, whether at one of the lookouts and rock outcrops, or at the Koala Park, where there are barbecues, toilets and tables.
- Be self-sufficient with drinking water. Carry it in and/or know how to make untreated water safe for drinking. For more information contact Parks Victoria on 13 1963 or visit the Department of Human Services Better Health website www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au.
- Dispersed camping is permitted throughout the park.
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Heritage
Mount Alexander Regional Park consists of 1240 hectares of forest on a large granitic intrusion. The eastern and western slopes of the mountain are steep and heavily crowned with large rock outcrops and granite sheets.
The mountain, called "Lanjanuc" by the local Dja Dja Wurrung tribe, was important to Aboriginal people as a high vantage point at the centre of their tribal area. Major Thomas Mitchell was the first European to climb the mountain, in 1836. Then followed the rapid occupation of the region by graziers.
In 1851, gold-miners rushed the foothills of the Mount Alexander goldfields at Castlemaine. By the 1870s the vegetation on portions of the mountain had been almost totally denuded to provide timber for the goldfields. A major program of revegetation of native species is being undertaken on the abutting pine plantation to the west of the Park with the intent of returning the land to the Park on successful rehabilitation.
As a Regional Park, the mountain is managed to provide for recreation in a largely natural setting and for nature conservation. Mount Alexander is also used as a source of monumental stone and is the site of several transmission towers. Aboriginal Traditional Owners Parks Victoria acknowledges the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Victoria - including its parks and reserves. Through their cultural traditions, Aboriginal people maintain their connection to their ancestral lands and waters.
Further information is available from Aboriginal Affairs Victoria AAV and Native Title Services Victoria
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Fauna
Keep your eyes on the Manna Gums, with their distinctive smooth textures and hanging ribbons of bark, where you may spot a koala if you look hard enough. Other fauna you are likely to see are Black-tailed Wallabies, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, echidnas, Brushtail and Ringtail Possums, and sugar gliders.
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Vegetation
Being principally a grassy woodland, Mount Alexander has a native vegetation overstorey of Manna Gum, Messmate, Long-leaved Box and Yellow Box over a ground story of native grasses, herbs and forbs. Blackwood and lightwood add dashes of yellow during spring, whilst interesting moss beds catch the sunlight on the granite rock shelves.
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Looking After the Park
- Obey fire regulations and restrictions (North West Total Fire Ban District).
- Take your rubbish with you for recycling and disposal.
- Please do not disturb, damage or remove any native plants or animals or historic remains.
- Do not attempt to drive off the Mt Alexander Tourist Road.
- Keep dogs on a leash.
- Leave the park as you find it.
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Precautions
- Do not attempt to cross perimeter fences surrounding the granite quarries or transmission facilities.
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How to Get There
The Regional Park is 3 km east of Harcourt on the Calder Highway, 120 km north-west of Melbourne. The Mt Alexander Tourist Road can be reached from the south by turning off the highway at Faraday and from the north by turning onto the Harcourt North Road.
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Nearby Parks
- Castlemaine - Chewton Historic Area
- Diamond Hill Historic Area
- Maldon Historic Reserve
- Paddys Ranges State Park
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Guided Activities
1. Abseiling (C1)
2. Bicycle Touring (K1)
3. Birdwatching (A1)
4. Bushwalking (A2)
5. Caving (C2)
6. Coach/Bus Tours (J1)
7. Fossicking/Prospecting (H1)
8. Mountain Bike Riding (K2)
9. Rock Climbing (C3)
10. Spotlight Tours / Nightwalks (A3)
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Special Places
1. Mount Alexander Diggings
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Volunteers
1. Friends of Mount Alexander Diggings
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Publications
Links to other websites 1.
Mount Alexander Shire Official Visitor's Guide
Brochures 1.
A new guide to Victoria's Parks: Parks Discovery
Park Notes / Maps 1.
Mount Alexander Regional Park - Visitor Guide
Books & DVDs 1.
Victoria's National Parks
2.
Melbourne's Great Outdoors
3.
Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark Country
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