Melba Gully State Park

The Melba Gully State Park was formed to protect a small pocket of natural rainforest in the Otway Ranges near Apollo Bay in Victoria (Australia). The 48 ha park was extremely valuable as much of the rest of the Ranges has been burnt out many times by bushfires. The park now forms part of the Great Otway National Park.

Melba Gully State Park
Victoria
IUCN category II (national park)
Melba Gully State Park
Nearest town or cityLavers Hill
Coordinates38°41′50″S 143°22′10″E
Established1978
Area0.65 km2 (0.3 sq mi)[1]
Managing authoritiesParks Victoria
WebsiteMelba Gully State Park
See alsoProtected areas of Victoria

The gully has a dense rainforest of myrtle beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii), blackwood ((Acacia melanoxylon) and tree-ferns, with an understorey of low ferns and mosses. Glow worms (Arachnocampa otwayensis),[2] which are the bioluminescent larvae of small flies known as fungus gnats, can be seen at night along the stream banks and walking tracks.[1][3][4]

The park has few facilities due to its small size, but it has a picnic ground and basic picnic facilities, with the main attraction being the 35 minute Madsens Track Nature Walk.[3]

References
  1. Catrice, D. (1996), Victoria's Heritage: Melba Gully (PDF), Parks Victoria
  2. Baker, Claire H. (2010). "A new subgenus and five new species of Australian glow-worms (Diptera: Keroplatidae: Arachnocampa)". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 55 (1): 11–43.
  3. Parks Victoria (2013), Parknotes: Melba Gully Great Otway National Park Visitor Guide (PDF), Parks Victoria
  4. Parks Victoria (2019), Melba Gully, Parks Victoria
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