Budj Bim National Park
| Budj Bim National Park Victoria | |
|---|---|
 Lake Surprise, a volcanic crater lake, within the national park | |
  Budj Bim National Park | |
 | |
| Nearest town or city | Macarthur |
| Coordinates | 38°05′S 141°53′E / 38.083°S 141.883°E |
| Established | 7 June 1960[1] |
| Area | 54.70 km2 (21.1 sq mi)[1] |
| Managing authorities | |
| Website | Budj Bim National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of Victoria |
The Budj Bim National Park, formerly known as Mount Eccles National Park, is a national park located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The 5,470-hectare (13,500-acre) national park is situated approximately 270 kilometres (170 mi) west of Melbourne and approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southwest of Macarthur. It derives its name from the Budj Bim volcano, formerly Mount Eccles, which is situated in the north-east of the park.
The park now forms part of the larger Budj Bim heritage areas of both national and world significance, due to the extensive systems of aquaculture created by Aboriginal Australians thousands of years ago and the significance of the area to the Gunditjmara people.
Features
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Located within the national park is Budj Bim, formerly named Mount Eccles by the European people who settled in the area, is the site of one of the most recent active volcanos in Australia. The first activity was about 40,000 years ago when Budj Bim was formed by lava pouring out the Earth's crust. The most recent eruption was approximately 8,000 years ago. Budj Bim is a fairly small hill surrounded by lush vegetation with a small, hidden, deep volcanic crater lake named Lake Surprise. It is famous for an adjacent lava tube and there are numerous lava tubes in the surrounding farm land.[citation needed]
Heritage areas
[edit]The park was added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2004 as part of the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape for its importance in Indigenous history and its geology.[2]
As one of three components of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on 6 July 2019.[3][4]
Management
[edit]As of 2020[update] Budj Bim National Park, as part of the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape, is jointly managed by Parks Victoria, the (Gunditjmara) Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (GMTOAC) and Winda-Mara TOAC (a south-west Victorian organisation representing Indigenous Australians in the area[5]).[6] The Council forms part of the 2007 Native Title Settlement Agreement between the Gunditjmara and the Victoria State Government, under which both parties manage the park landscape.[7]
2020 bushfires
[edit]During the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, fires broke out within the Budj Bim Cultural Heritage Landscape. The stone fish traps and the stone house site were unaffected by fire, and fortunately the fires were quickly contained, partly due to mild weather conditions and partly by the efforts of firefighters. Lake Condah and Condah Mission were not directly affected by the fires.[8] In the National Park, the campground and picnic area reopened from 29 February 2020, but the Lake Surprise walking track and access to Tunnel Cave were closed due to the impact of the fires. As of 19 March 2020[update], the Crater Rim Walk and Lava Canal Walk are open, but re-routed near Tunnel Cave.[9]
2025 bushfires
[edit]On Sunday, March 9, 2025, a lightning strike ignited a bushfire in the park. As the fire spread, campers and other visitors were asked to leave. The fire was contained a week later. [10] A few weeks after the fire damaged a significant portion of the park, state government officials decided to euthanise many koalas, believed to be suffering from poor health after the fires, and with a low chance of survival, given that their food source had been decimated. The state hired marksmen to shoot koalas from helicopters; some 700 koalas were eliminated.[11] Once discovered, the aerial culling draw great criticism from wildlife advocates and media attention internationally.[12][13] Opponents called for an end to the killing, access to the closed area, and an investigation into the government's opaque decision-making process.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Mount Eccles National Park and Mount Napier State Park management plan (PDF). Parks Victoria (PDF). Government of Victoria. June 1996. pp. 1–2, 19. ISBN 0-7306-4096-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape". Australian Heritage Database, Department of the Environment. Australian Government. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
- ^ "World heritage Places – Budj Bim Cultural Landscape". Australian Government. Dept of the Environment and Energy. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Neal, Matt. "Ancient Indigenous aquaculture site Budj Bim added to UNESCO World Heritage list". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ^ "About". Winda-Mara TOAC. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "Budj Bim National Heritage Listing". Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (GMTOAC). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "Budj Bim National Park". Parks Victoria. Government of Victoria. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Hayman-Reber, Madeline (6 January 2020). "World Heritage listed site saved from Lake Condah fires". National Indigenous Television. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ "Budj Bim National Park". Parks Victoria. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ "Relief as week-long bushfire at Budj Bim National Park is finally contained". www.standard.net.au. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ Graham, Daniel (25 April 2025). "Huge outcry as Australia shoots 700 koalas from helicopters". Discover Wildlife. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
'The fire broke out in a part of the park where there were an estimated 2,000–3,000 animals,' says Friends of the Earth (FoE) Melbourne. 'Some animals have been burnt and injured and do not have access to enough food ... aerial culling of koalas is an Australian first and sets a nasty ethical precedent' and argues that it does not allow for proper health assessments of the adults or to consider the fate of dependent joeys.
- ^ Stock, Petra (25 April 2025). "Why were hundreds of koalas shot in an aerial cull in Victoria?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
Lisa Palma, chief executive of Wildlife Victoria, says the organisation was 'deeply saddened' by the devastating impact on the koala population due to the fires ... no koala should lose its life without deep consideration and care, and Wildlife Victoria's priority was ensuring that any method of euthanasia the government used after a bushfire was 'humane, instant and has appropriate oversight'. The state government's chief biodiversity officer, James Todd, says the sole objective of the aerial cull was to prevent further suffering in animals affected by the fire, and involved specialist staff working with experienced vets, wildlife carers and animal welfare experts.
- ^ "Why koalas are being shot dead from helicopters in Australia". The Independent. 20 April 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ "Why Australia shot dead hundreds of Koalas from helicopters". The Times of India. 24 April 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
Animal advocacy groups, including Friends of the Earth Melbourne and Koala Alliance, have condemned the method, calling it cruel and unethical. They argue that evaluating a koala's health from 30 metres above ground is unreliable and may lead to healthy animals and even mothers with joeys being killed unnecessarily. ... Activists are demanding an immediate halt to the cull and are calling for an independent investigation into the government's decision-making process. They are also pushing for wildlife vets and third-party observers to be granted access to assess the situation on the ground. The cordoned-off area remains closed to outside help, increasing suspicions and public pressure on the Victorian government to allow transparency.
External links
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- Official website – Budj Bim National Park Visitor Guide PDF available on this page
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