Neerim and District Landcare Group

A local group of enthusiastic supporters of the reserve, The Friends of Glen Nayook, was formed in 2003 to assist Parks Vic with ongoing maintenance and promotion of the reserve. This will ensure that the reserve will be available to locals and visitors into the future.

The Friends of Glen Nayook undertake a regular program of sociable activities at "The Glen" including Working Bees, Educational Tours for visiting school groups, monthly Track Inspection walks and informal meetings. Typical working bee activities include tree planting, weeding, plant propagation and track clearing. All activities are conducted in an atmosphere of warmth, fun and conviviality!

New members are most welcome to join the group. Members receive flyers on upcoming activities but there is no obligation to regularly attend activities. A very modest annual subscription of $5.00 covers the cost of mailings.

Location

Glen Nayook Reserve is a delightful fern glen on the east branch of the Tarago River and a remnant of a Mountain Ash rainforest.

The Crown reserved the 9-hectare area in 1907 as a site for public recreation. The reserve is suitable for a short visit or picnic and has been a popular spot for visitors since 1914.

Special features of the reserve include the tree fern gully where the river runs underground for 100 metres, the split rocks and the moss covered granite boulders.

Facilities

The walking track has recently been upgraded with a return trip taking approximately 30 minutes. Some sections of the track are quite steep requiring walkers to be moderately fit.

The track would not be suitable for access by wheelchairs. Picnic tables and seats are available, with the closest public toilets located at Neerim South and Noojee.

Fauna

Wildlife including wombats, possums, swamp wallabies and lyrebirds inhabit the reserve.

There is likely to be a variety of possums and small mammals including Sugar Gliders, which become active at nightfall.

Flora

A feature of the vegetation in the reserve is the picturesque tree fern gully with some rain forest species including Myrtle Beech. The over storey is dominated by Mountain Ash with a dense understorey of tree ferns and epiphytes.

Terrestrial and epiphytic orchids are common amongst the tree ferns along the Tarago River. Watch for them flowering in spring!

Geology

The bedrock in the channel of the valley in which Glen Nayook sits is coarse-grained Devonian granite, otherwise known as Tynong granite. A feature of the reserve is an area where large granite boulders have fallen into the river valley.

This area is known as “The Sinks” and the river runs underground for 100 metres. The soil type above the river area is the dark brown clay loam, which is common in the Neerim area. Height above sea level is approximately 400m at the entrance to the walking track.