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Mount Cole State Forest
Topography & Geology Vegetation of Mt Cole Forest Multiple Use Management Wildlife of the Mount Cole State Forest Reserve History of Forest Utilisation Pyrenees State Forest Fauna & Flora Important Names & Origins Mount Cole State Forest Mount Cole or 'Bereep-bereep' was home to the Beeripmo balug tribe that form part of the larger Djab Wurrung language speaking people. The translation of 'Bereep-bereep' is wild and 'Beeripmo' is wild mount. Through this translation we can appreciate what these people saw. Following the Major Mitchell's 1836's expedition, settlers quickly moved into the area. The Mount Cole State Forest straddles the Great Dividing Range about 175 km’s northwest of Melbourne, on the northeast edge of the Western Victorian Plains. The Mount Cole Block and it’s adjacent Mount Lonarch Block comprises about 12,150 hectares of a total 22,250 hectares of State Forests in the district. With the other blocks, Trawalla, Waterloo, Ben Major and Langi Ghiran, they comprise the Beaufort Forest District. Mt Cole and Mt Lonarch forests are excellent examples of forests resulting from multiple-use management. They have produced a steady supply of high quality milling timbers to local sawmills, while providing wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. The area also has another important value – its timbered slopes act as catchments for the streams which supply water to neighbouring towns. A diversion from the Western Highway enables motorists to enjoy a forest drive along the main Mt Cole road. It can be entered at Beaufort to proceed via Raglan or alternatively from Ararat to proceed via Warrak. Road surfaces are good but narrow, and allowances for slower speeds should be made. Topography and Geology Mount Cole State Forest covers a plateau with an elevation of about 760 metres, rising from a grassland plain of about 430 metres. Mount Buangor, at 1,090 metres, Mount Cole, 899 metres and Ben Nevis, 877 metres. The plateau is a Devonian granite batholith which was intruded through the surrounding Ordovician slates and sandstones about 350 to 405 million years ago. In the contact zones around the granite are hornfels (hardened metamorphosed sedimentary rocks) which have been used extensively by the department for forest road construction. A fan or mantle of talus from the granite mass and hornfels aureole has built up on the slopes of the plateau, particularly on the steep southern faces. Alluvial deposits occur on Fiery Creek, Middle Creek and some of the other creeks draining from Mount Cole. Alluvial gold was discovered on fiery creek in 1854 and shallow alluvium deposits and deep-lead mines were extensively worked for some years. (Return to Top) Vegetation of Mount Cole Forest The principal timber species in Mount Cole State Forest are messmate Eucalyptus oblique, blue gum E. st johnii, manna gum E. viminalis and brown stringybark E. baxteri. These stands occur at high elevations on the deeper soils. Messmate and manna gum often occur in almost pure stands; stringy bark occurs in limited distribution in the Spring Creek and Sandy Pinch areas [adjoining Victoria Mill Scenic Reserve on the western side]; blue gum occurs in a mixture with messmate and manna gum. These timber stands are associated with heavy undergrowth which includes silver wattle Acacia dealbata, prickly moses A. verticillata, large leaf bush pea Pultenaea daphoides, wire grass Tetrarrhena juncea and bracken fern Pteridium escul entum. Species of eucalypt not generally used for sawlogs are found mostly on the drier slopes and foothill areas. They include candlebark E. rubida, broad-leaf peppermint E. dives, red stringybark E. macrorryncha, scent-bark E. goniocalyx and yellow box E. melliodora. Ground flora is much sparser than at the higher levels. Snow gum E. pauciflora occurs in small areas at the highest elevations. (Return to Top) Multiple Use Management The objectives of multiple-use management for Mount Cole State Forest were directed towards providing a supply of high-quality hardwood sawlogs and timbers while:
Domestic water supplies for Beaufort and Ararat come partly from Mount Cole. Rural areas use the waters of the Avoca and Wimmera rivers and Fiery Creek, all of which have their headwaters in Mount Cole State Forest. Catchment prescriptions regulate logging and other activities to protect the quality of the water and to prevent siltation of the catchment. (Return to top) Wildlife of the Mount Cole State Forest The Mount Cole State Forest is regarded as being an important residual area for a variety of birds and animals both indigenous and introduced. One hundred and sixteen varieties of birds have been observed and recorded. There are two species of monotremes, platypus and echidna, 13 marsupials [pouched animals] and a number of placentals. In 1926 the area was proclaimed a Sanctuary under the Games Act, thus the hunting of all wildlife and the introduced species of deer has been prohibited. Koalas As a part of a long term program to re-establish the koala in Victorian forests, 160 koalas were released in the Mount Cole Forest in 1954. Koalas are now frequently seen throughout the Mount Cole Forest and neighbouring areas, proving the success of the liberation. Kangaroos and Wallabies The red-necked wallaby, with its conspicuous appearance, favours the habitat and can be seen quite often during the early morning or late evening. There has been a noticeable increase in the population of the black-tailed wallaby, which up till 1966 was rarely seen, but they are now a common sight throughout the forest. Deer Sambar and red deer were introduced into the forest last century. While the sambar appears to have become permanently established, the red deer appear to have died out. Sambar are found throughout the forest but their preference is for the dense undergrowth of the wet gullies. Birds The northern boundary of the Mount Cole State Forest, including the Mt Lonarch section, is favoured by wedge-tailed eagles. They may be seen using the air currents to advantage, constantly moving between Mount Cole and the nearby Pyrenees Range to the north. The crested honeyeater is the most common of the honeyeaters. The rufous fantail is a regular visitor and is known to breed in some of the fern gullies. (Return to top) Reserves The Beaufort forest district contains two forest parks, the Langi Ghiran Forest Park (set aside in 1972) and the Mount Buangor Forest Park (set aside in March 1973). The Mount Buangor Forest Park, which is part of the Mount Cole State Forest, covers an area of 1,940 hectares around Middle Creek and McLeods Creek, being accessible from the Western Highway 10km west of Beaufort. The terrain of the park is generally very steep, rising from the grassland plains to the Mount Cole Plateau. The highest point is Mount Buangor, 989 metres, Cave Hill, 869 metres and Sugarloaf, 945 metres being the other main peaks. Main attractions of the area are the waterfalls on Middle Creek, tree ferns in the gullies running from the escarpment of the Mount Cole range and several large rock faces on the main spur. The largest rock face is near the Dairymaid Creek and runs nearly to the top of Cave Hill. A clear view of this rock face, and a cave halfway up to Cave Hill, can be obtained from the Western Highway. The most popular area of the park is the Ferntree Waterfalls area. Three picnic grounds have been developed providing fireplaces, tables and toilets. Walking tracks have been constructed in the area to the waterfalls through fern gullies and onto the Great Dividing Range. Other Reserves in the Mount Cole State Forest are the Victoria Mill Scenic Reserve (set aside in 1957) and in 'The Glut' Roadside Reserve (set aside in March 1973). The Victoria Mill Scenic Reserves is adjacent to the Mount Cole Road between Raglan and Warrak. Picnic facilities, toilets and shelter huts have been provided, and walking tracks have been made facilitating visitor access from the picnic area. The Glut Roadside Reserve preserves fine tree ferns along Woods Gully; a walking track takes the visitor through this impressive area, whilst other tracks meander through large stands of messmate where small areas of Mount Cole Grevillea can be found. Picnic facilities have been provided on The Glut Road, the area being accessible from the Beaufort-Elmhurst Road. (Return to top) History Of Forest Utilisation Sawmilling began in the Mount Cole area during the 1840’s when the old pit mills, using hand saws, were set up to provide timber for the pastoral runs then being established. The first recorded steam mill in the area was set up at Hickman’s Creek by Henry McGie in 1856. Utilisation continued unabated until 1904 with upwards of 30 mills operating full-time, and as practically all timber worth milling had been cut, the forest was then closed to utilization. The 33 hectare Victoria Mill Scenic Reserve is a good example of the natural regenerative capacity of the Mount Cole Forest. The area was the site of the old Victoria Mill, which existed about the 1890’s and utilized sawlogs from around the site. The present tree crop on this site consists of trees up to 52 metres in height, with diametres up to 1.2 metres. In 1947 the forest was reopened for timber utilisation and since then 368,000 cubic metres of sawlogs have been removed. Logs cut from Mount Cole supplied mills at Beaufort, Ararat and Stawell. To assist in the extraction and provide access through the forest, over 320 km’s of roads and tracks have been constructed by the Forests Commission, Department of Natural Resources or the Department of Sustainability. Today this roading network is the base of recreational development of the Mount Cole and neighbouring State Forest. After utilisation the cut over stands were burnt to remove logging debris and to provide a receptive seed bed for hand-sown eucalypt seed. When the regeneration was about 15 years old a thinning was carried out to reduce the number of stems growing on the area. This thinning removes the poor or damaged stems, and released the remaining tree crowns from the intense competition, and promoted increased growth on the remaining trees. East of the Beaufort/Elmhurst Road a 4,050 hectare pine plantation began in 1965 with a yearly planting rate of 81 hectares. Produce from this plantation will help supplement timber supplies to industry in future years. (Return to top) Pyrenees Ranges State Forest The Jajowurrong people were the first to occupy the Pyrenees and knew the area as 'Peerick'. Major Mitchell travelled through the region in 1836. He was followed by pastoralists. In 1854 gold was discovered. The foothills contain many relics from the gold mining era with holes and other relics still visible. Slate quarrying also occurred in the forest - some of central Melbourne's footpaths were paved with this material. Timber harvesting began in the 1840's to supply the growing communities surrounding the forest. The Pyrenees Ranges offers visitors a wonderful mix of natural and cultural history with spectacular views, rugged mountain ranges, abundant wildlife, a rick mix of wildflowers and historic sites. The main attractions of the forest are the Waterfalls Picnic Area, Governor Rock Lookout and the Pyrenees Endurance Walk. (Return to top) Fauna and Flora Due to the diversity of the terrain, there are more than 200 species of plants and over 100 bird species recorded in the forest with wedge-tailed eagles high in the sky and, closer to the ground, parrots, galahs and smaller migrant birds like Rainbow Bee-eaters. Kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and possums are also abundunt. In the drier months echidnas can be seen on tracks and there are a variety of reptiles including legless lizards, bearded dragons and goannas. The Pyrenees Ranges contains many natural attractions. Box-Ironbark forests are dominant on the foothills with mixed species stringybark forests being found at higher elevations. Predominant trees are Ironbark, Yellow Box, Red Stringybark, Bluegum and Messmate. Orchids such as the Waxlip Orchid and Lilies abound, especially around the base of the range. A variety of wattles and other wildflowers make spectacular viewing in the spring. (Return to top) Important Names & Origins The history of Australian forests is often strongly influenced by the work of individuals, some well known and some long forgotten. Many are remembered through names of picnic areas or tracks and roads throughout the Mt Cole forest. TOM BAILES, Mt Cole Forester. (Bailes Picnic Ground) Thomas Derham Bailes arrived in Beaufort in 1899 to take up the post of Forester for the Mt Cole reserve. He stayed for 38 years in his official capacity and, like most foresters, displayed his passion for protecting the forests under his care from foolish and wasteful exploitation. When most of the mature Ash forests in Victoria were devasted by the 1939 bushfires, Mount Cole remained a green oasis and was one of the few sources of clean, green timber for some years. As Bailes predicted, once the reserve was re-opened after the 2nd World War, logs were removed to mills in Beaufort and Ararat, leaving Mt Cole as an archaeological time capsule of the 19th century sawmilling. After his retirement, Tom Bailes remained in Beaufort until 1950. he died the following year at age 80. (Return to top) |
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