Traveller safety information

• Tarra-Bulga National Park is popular for picnics, walks, scenic drives and the study of nature.
• Roads throughout the area are narrow and winding but offer marvellous scenery with wide views from several points, including Mount Tassie, off the Traralgon-Balook Road, the Blackwarry fire tower and the Grand Ridge Road.
• The self-guided Fern Gully Nature Walk starts at Bulga picnic ground and includes the famous suspension bridge. Bulga picnic area is a short distance north of the Visitor Centre, off the Grand Ridge Road.
• Tarra Valley picnic area is on the Tarra Valley Road about 8 km from the Visitor Centre. From here a 1.5 km walk takes you through rainforest to the lovely Cyathea Falls.
• Tarra Falls are along the Tarra Valley Road, a kilometre south of the entrance to the picnic ground.

• The Visitor Centre at Balook is open at specified times. It displays the human and natural history of the ranges and a feature on rainforests. Toilets and picnic facilities are available.
• Fireplaces, picnic shelters, tables and toilets are provided at both the Visitor Centre and Tarra Valley picnic area.
• Camping is not permitted within the park. Caravan Parks are nearby and in Yarram and Traralgon. Other accommodation, including guesthouses and bed and breakfasts, are scattered throughout the Strzelecki Ranges.

Until less than 100 years ago, most of South Gippsland was one vast forest, mainly consisting of Mountain Ash and other eucalypts.

From the 1870s, settlers cleared the land for dairy farming purposes in the western Strzelecki Ranges, leaving only a few scattered areas of forest. The rugged and steeper slopes of the eastern Strzelecki Ranges were opened for selection in the 1890s and settlers' cottages soon dotted the ridges. Due to the harsh conditions and the rugged nature of the land, many farms were abandoned or became neglected.

The quality of the fern gullies led Alberton Shire Council, in 1904, to reserve small areas of forest near Balook, and in the Tarra Valley in 1909. The former was named Bulga, an Aboriginal word meaning mountain, while the latter was named after Charlie Tarra, an Aboriginal who guided Strzelecki and his party through Gippsland in 1840. Following recommendations by the Land Conservation Council, the two separate national parks were joined through a land exchange with APM Forests Pty Ltd. The enlarged and re-named Tarra-Bulga National Park of 1,522 ha was declared in June 1986.

The centenary of the establishment of Bulga Park was celebrated in 2004 and a history of the park was produced. Copies are available at the park or from the Friends Group.

Aboriginal Traditional Owners
Parks Victoria acknowledges the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Victoria - including its parks and reserves. Through their cultural traditions, the Gunai - Kurnai identify the Tarra-Bulga National Park as their Traditional Country.
Further information is available from Aboriginal Affairs Victoria AAV and Native Title Services Victoria .

The fern gullies are the home of the Superb Lyrebird, Yellow Robins, Crimson Rosellas, Swamp wallabies, wombats, possums, platypus, bandicoots and native rats. There are also seven species of bats, and numerous reptiles.

Luxuriant tree ferns, mountain ash and ancient myrtle beeches are attractions of this cool temperate rainforest. Thirty-nine species of ferns have been recorded, and there are more than 200 different kinds of fungi.

• All native plants, animals and historic relics are protected.
• Please keep to designated tracks.
• Dogs and cats are not permitted in the park.
• Light fires only in fireplaces provided.
• Camping is not permitted.
• Please take your rubbish with you.

Tarra-Bulga National Park is 180 km south-east of Melbourne (Melway ref: 628 D8). To access the park, drive south from Traralgon along the Traralgon Creek Road, north from Yarram along the Tarra Valley Road or Balook Yarram Road, or via the Grand Ridge Road from either Carrajung or Mirboo North.

Bulga and Tarra Valley Picnic Areas
The facilities and walking tracks in the Tarra Valley and Bulga picnic areas were developed in the 1940s and 50s. The tracks are generally narrow, and include steep sections and steps. Access to the toilets for people with a disability is poor. The Bulga car park is on a slope and accessibility is therefore generally poor. The walking track is reasonably accessible as far as the suspension bridge.

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