Broken-BooseyStatePark
VisitorGuide
TheBroken-BooseyStateParkisauniquelinearparkborderingtheBroken,NineMileand BooseyCreeks.Itisoneofthefewremainingremnants of high qualityGreyBoxWoodlandon Victoria's northernplains,whichhavebeenlargelyclearedforagriculture.
Plantsandanimals
RiverRed Gum, GreyBoxand YellowBox are the dominant tree species.
TheBooseyCreek is onlya fewmetreswide in parts, but expands intolarge deep holes along some of its bends. Wildlife such as ducks, Pelicans, Cormorants, PurpleSwamphenand Water Rats can be seenhere. Even the hardtosee Platypus isreported tobea resident.
The park is boundedbyopenfarmland,with grazing, dairying and crop production the major industries.
In the surroundingopen countryBrolgas, Curlews,Wedge-tailedEagles,Kangaroos, Goannas,Brownand Black snakes andeven the oddKoala can be seen.
Within the creek Yellowbelly, Murray Cod and Catfish can befound.
On the southern outskirts ofKatamatiteseveral
Brolgas
“The firstselector atNumurkah, arrivingin1873, described the site as 'anice circular plain,well- grassed, the creek havinga nice flowofwater aboundedwith all species of water-fowl" (Bossence1979).
Enjoying the park
The Broken-BooseyState Park isa great place tovisit with family and friends.Visitors interestedin nativeflora and faunawillenjoythe many plant andanimalspecies that are foundhere.
Enjoy a scenicdrive, bushwalking, havea picnic oraquiet fish.
Dip Bridge,where the Booseyand Broken Creeks join, createsawideranddeeper creek system that is popularwithfishermananddayvisitors.
Roads into andthrough the park are mainly unsealed, but suitable fortwo-wheel drive vehicles.However, due to the claybase, manyoftheroadsbecome extremely slipperywhenwet.
Drivers areadvised to adhereto formed roads evenwhenwetas the edges can become very soft often resulting in vehiclesbecomingbogged.
siteswithin thepark contain significant flora species suchas LeafyTempletonia, Minnie Daisy,Lignumand more than seventeen other regionally significant plants.TheWunghnu Common,now part of the park, has excellentexamples of intactGreyBoxWoodland,includingWaterbush,SpreadingEutaxiaandLeafyTempletonia.
Befirereadyandstaysafe
Manyparksandforests arelocated in highfirerisk areas.Ondaysofforecast CodeRedFire Dangerthisparkwillbeclosedforpublicsafety.
Ifyou arealreadyintheparkyoushould leavethe night before orearlyin the morning for your own safety.
Closure signs will be erected and rangerswill patrolwherepossible, howeveryoumay not receivea personalwarning that the park is closed so check thelatest conditionsbycalling 131963 orvisit
For up to date information onfires in Victoria or generalfire safetyadvice call theVictorianBushfireInformationLineon1800240667.
FormoreinformationcalltheParksVictoriaInformationCentre
on131963orvisitourwebsiteat
Forfurtherinformation
ParksVictoriaInformationCentre
Call131963
orvisittheParksVictoriawebsite
GreaterSheppartonVisitor
InformationCentre534WyndhamStreet
Shepparton3632
Freecall:1800808839
Echuca-MoamaVisitorInformationCentre2HeygarthStreet
Echuca3564
Freecall:1800804446
Caringforthe environment
Helpuslookafter yourparkbyfollowingtheseguidelines:
Pleasetakerubbishawaywithyouforrecyclinganddisposal
Allnativeplantsandanimalsareprotectedbylaw.Pleasedonotdisturbthem
Dogsarepermittedonformedroadsandtracksinthepark,andmustbekeptonaleash
FirearmsareprohibitedFiresarenotpermitted
inthepark,howevergas
barbecuescanbeused.Nofires,includinggasbarbecues,
maybelitonadayofTotal
FireBan.Broken-BooseyStateParkisintheNorthEastTotalFireBanDistrict
Itis yourresponsibilitytoknowifitisadayof TotalFireBan.Ifindoubtcallthe
VictorianBushfireInformationLine
on1800240667
Parkclosures-Bepreparedtoleaveearlyasextremeweathermaycausetheclosureofsomeparkareas
forpublicsafety
Collectionoffirewoodisprohibitedfromthepark
Beself-sufficientwithdrinkingwater.Carryitinand/orknowhowtomakeuntreatedwater
safefordrinking
History
Thereare manyreminders of past Indigenous inhabitantswithin thepark.Culturalsurveys todate have recorded numerous Indigenous sites includingcanoe, shield andcoolamon scarred trees along theentire creek line suggesting the creekwas used as a pathway on a regular basis bytheYortaYorta andBangerangpeople.The creekwas also an important source of foodand drinking water.
In 1848, Hamilton Hume settledthe Yarrawonga run comprising85,000acresincluding the area nowknown as Tungamah.By1850, squatting runs spanned the entire creek system and more than 60,000 sheepand 4,500cattle grazed along the creeks. The natural creeklineswere altered withthe construction ofweirs, channels and levees.TheTungamah Stock andDomestic|WaterSupply Systemhas beenoperating forover 100 years.Thiswas recently replacedwitha pipedsystem thatwillreturn the creekback tonaturalflows.
With the establishment of agriculture, manylarge trees were cleared for fencing and firewood.
TheBroken-BooseyState Park was proclaimed, alongwith several other newVictorian parks, in 2002to conserve andenhance what remains oftheBox-Ironbark forestsandwoodlands ofnorthern Victoria.
Nearbyparkstovisit
Thereare manyswampsin the areawithawide varietyofbirdsand wildlife.KinnairdsWetland,nearNumurkah, has bird hides, signedwalks,picnicsheltersand carparking.
BarmahNationalPark, situatedonthe Murray River flood plain north ofNathalia, comprisesthe largestRiverRedGumforestinVictoria.The complex ecology of the forest is closely linked to theMurrayRiver and its flooding regime, creating a diverse natural habitat fora varietyofwildlife,particularlywaterbirds.
Warby-Ovens NationalPark-Extendingnorthfrom the town of Glenrowanisa steep scarped rangeknown locally astheWarbys.The combinationof excellent viewingpoints alongthe ridge, pleasant picnic spots andanoutstanding varietyof birdlife andwildflowers makes a visit wellworthwhile.
Reef Hills State Park isanarea of 2013haofmixedeucalypt forestnearBenalla.Theforestis an important remnant of theoriginal vegetation of the northern plains of Victoriaand is valued bynaturalists for itswide range of plant and animal life.
ConservationManagement Network
Whilethepark and thenearby NaturalFeatures Reserves atTungamah, Nathaliaand Numurkahcontainmuchof the highquality vegetation inthe region,a significant amount ofthis vegetationis onprivate land.TheConservation Management Network provides an avenue for private landownersand government agencies towork in partnership to manage theenvironment.
The Network provides communication links between managers of remnant vegetation.This linkingenablesthesharing of managementknowledge andco-ordinatedactions,works and funding.
TheNetworkhelpsimproveandprotect the importantvalues of some highlyfragmented conservation areas. It focuses on protecting ecosystems and threatenedspecies acrossboth privateandpublic land.
Membershipis open to allpeoplewithaninterestin Conservation Management.
Contact the Department of Sustainabilityand Environment's Customer Service Centre on 136 186for moreinformationonhowyou canbe involved.
Facilities
Motel, bed andbreakfast, camping and caravan park accommodation is available innearby towns.
There are great camping options in the nearby NaturalFeature Reserves at Tungamah,NathaliaandNumurkah,andYouarang.
How to get there
Broken-BooseyState Park is approximately 240kmnorth-eastof Melbourne along the GoulburnValley Highway, pastSheppartonon the Benalla-Tocumwal Road.
Some roads may be subject to seasonal closure. Vehicles, including motor bikes, mayonlybe used on formedopen roads. Drivers must be licensed and vehicles registered and roadworthy.
December 2010
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