Banyule Flats Reserve

This 46.47 hectare reserve connects to the Yarra Valley Parklands and the Warringal Parklands, and there are many walking tracks. The Main Yarra Trail follows the Banyule Swamp and Silt Pond, with many unofficial tracks leading off to Banyule Creek, stockyards, Banyule Swamp, and down to the Yarra River.

Dogs and cats are prohibited from entering environmentally sensitive park and reserve areas as designated by signs.

More detail about the reserve can also be found in Banyule Flats Reserve: A hidden treasure.

History

The Wurundjeri people occupied land around Banyule Swamp and the Yarra River. Artefact scatters and scar trees are nearby.

This land was one of the earliest rural allotments, being sold in 1838. It was a part of Woods Station, a large sheep farm straddling both sides of the Yarra River. The woodlands were cleared prior to settlement, with many small mills built. Settlers bought land as quickly as it was cleared. Rich soils supported agricultural and pastoral uses, including market gardens, orchards and vineyards.

The remnant stockyards, seen at the southern end of Plymouth Street, Heidelberg, were relocated from a different part of Banyule by Alan Baxter, who took over cattle farming from the Lyon family. The swamp is created by stormwater from surrounding streets. It was drained in the early 19th Century, and had cattle grazing on it until the 1990s. The southern edge of the swamp was changed so that it could be refilled in 1999.

Flora and fauna

There are many remnant indigenous and exotic historic vegetation, swamps, billabongs, parklands and sporting facilities throughout the reserve. There are 10 ecological vegetation classes, including floodplain riparian woodland, creekline grassy woodland, aquatic herbfield and plains grassy woodland, with some being endangered.

The Yarra River and the Banyule Swamp keep bird plentiful; 153 bird species have been sighted, some rare or threatened in Victoria, and others are migrants, such as the latham’s snipe. Kangaroos, wombats, echidnas and wallabies have been spotted. The reserve is managed by the Banyule Bushland Management Unit in conjunction with the Warringal Conservation Society.

Details about the significance of the reserve can be found in the Warringal Parklands and Banyule Flats Ecological and Conservation Values Assessment(PDF, 7MB). If you are interested in helping out, join the Warringal Conservation Society.

Fauna

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Common name	Scientific name
Australian wood duck	Chenonetta jubata
Brown goshawk	Accipiter fasciatus
Chestnut teal	Anas castanea
Common wombat	Vombatus ursinus
Eastern brown snake	Pseudonaja textilis
Eastern Grey kangaroo	Macropus giganteus
King parrot	Alisterus scapularis
Latham's snipe	Gallinago hardwickii
Laughing kookaburra	Dacelo novaeguineae
Little pied cormorant	Microcarbo melanoleucos
Musk lorikeet	Glossopsitta concinna
Pacific black duck	Anas superciliosa
Powerful owl	Ninox strenua
Rainbow lorikeet	Trichoglossus moluccanus
Spotted pardalote	Pardalotus punctatus
Short-beaked echidna	Tachyglossus aculeatus
Sugar glider	Petaurus breviceps
Swamp wallaby	Wallabia bicolor
Tawny frogmouth	Podargus strigoides
White-faced heron	Egretta novaehollandiae
Yellow-billed spoonbill	Platalea flavipes
Yellow-tailed black cockatoo	Calyptorhynchus funereus

Flora

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Scientific name	Common name
Acacia melanoxylon	Blackwood
Acacia verticillata	Prickly moses
Acaena novae-zealandiae	Bidgee-widgee
Bursaria spinosa	Sweet bursaria
Clematis microphylla	Small-leaved clematis
Cycnogeton procerum	Water ribbon
Dianella revoluta	Spreading flax lily
Dichondra repens	Kidney weed
Einadia nutans	Nodding saltbush
Eucalyptus camaldulensis	River red gum
Eucalyptus x studleyensis	Studley park gum
Eucalyptus viminalis	Manna gum
Goodenia ovata	Hop goodenia
Lythrum salicaria	Purple loostrife
Melaleuca ericifolia	Swamp paperbark
Melicytus dentatus	Tree violet
Solanum aviculare	Kangaroo apple

Location

136 Banyule Road, Viewbank 3084  View Map

-37.748508, 145.086344

136 Banyule Road , Viewbank 3084

136 Banyule Road , Viewbank 3084

Banyule Flats Reserve