Warby-Ovens National Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Warby-Ovens National Park Victoria
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Warby-Ovens National Park Location in Victoria
Nearest town or city	Wangaratta
Established	October 2010 (2010-10)
Area	146.55 km2 (56.6 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Parks Victoria
Website	Warby-Ovens National Park
See also	Protected areas of Victoria

The Warby-Ovens National Park is a special national park in Victoria, Australia. It is located near a town called Killawara. This huge park covers about 14,655 hectares. It is found about 10 kilometers west of Wangaratta. It is also about 240 kilometers northeast of Melbourne.

The park gets its name from two things. One is the Warby Ranges, named after Ben Warby. He was a sheep farmer who settled there in 1844. The other is the Ovens River. This area first became a state park in 1978. Then, in June 2010, it was officially made a national park. Parts of the park are very important for birds. It is part of a large area called the Warby–Chiltern Box–Ironbark Important Bird Area. This is because it helps protect special Box-Ironbark forests. These forests are home to many threatened woodland birds.

The park is in a region with rolling hills and lower mountains. This area is north of the Great Dividing Range in North East Victoria. Most of the land around the park has been cleared for farms. The park itself makes up 16% of the protected areas in this region. Inside the park is Mount Glenrowan. This mountain was a good lookout spot for the famous bushranger Ned Kelly. He and his gang could easily see the town of Glenrowan from there.

Discovering Warby-Ovens Park Plants

The park is home to twelve different types of plant communities. Eight of these are rare or in danger in this part of Victoria. These include special woodlands found near rivers and forests with different kinds of trees.

Box-Ironbark Forests

About 27% of the park is covered by Box-Ironbark Forest. You can find these mostly in the northern part of the park. These forests have tall trees like Mugga Ironbark, Red Box, and Grey Box.

Healthy Dry Forests

The higher parts of the Warby Range have Healthy Dry Forest. This type of forest makes up 24% of the park. Here, you will see trees like Red Stringybark, Red Box, and Long-leaf Box.

Granitic Hill Woodlands

On the steep western slopes of the park, there are Granitic Hill Woodlands. These areas have trees such as Blakely's Red Gum, Red Stringybark, and White Cypress Pine.

Rare and Special Plants

The park has almost 500 types of native plants. Twenty-three of these are considered threatened. Two important ones are the Northern Sandalwood and the Narrow Goodenia. The Spur-wing Wattle is also special. It only grows in Victoria in the Warby ranges.

Northern Sandalwood: A Comeback Story

The Northern Sandalwood is a small tree or tall bush. It has wood that smells very nice. Its bark is dark and has deep lines. Its leaves are thick and grey-green. This tree used to be common on the rocky parts of the Warby ranges. In the late 1800s, after the gold rush, people cut down these trees. They sold the fragrant wood to Asia.

For many years, only a few old Northern Sandalwood trees were seen. In 1979, a fire happened in the area. People thought the fire had killed the small group of trees. But the trees surprised everyone! They grew back from hidden buds and roots. In 1980, nine plants were found. By 1990, the group had grown to 65 plants. Many of these new plants grew from the roots of the older trees.

Narrow Goodenia: A Yellow Flower

The Narrow Goodenia is a yellow flowering plant. It grows up to 40 centimeters tall. It has thick leaves with rough edges. This plant likes to grow in wet areas. You can find it in places that stay moist all year round.

Grass Tree: Fire and Disease Threats

The Grass Tree is another important plant in the park. It was listed as endangered in 2013. These trees grow in poor soils, mainly in the Box-Ironbark forest. Fires have been rare since European settlers arrived. This has led to tall grass trees with full skirts of old leaves.

However, older grass trees are sensitive to fire. Many can die after controlled burns. They are also at risk from a fungal disease called Phytophthora cinnamomi. This disease causes native plants to die. Young grass trees grow in shady, mossy spots under other plants.

Amazing Animals of Warby-Ovens

The Warby-Ovens National Park is home to many different animals.

Reptiles and Amphibians

The park has 21 types of reptiles and 9 types of amphibians. Five of these are threatened species. The Lace Monitor is considered vulnerable. The Woodland Blind Snake is nearly threatened. The Brown Toadlet is endangered. The Rugose Toadlet is also listed as important.

Inland Carpet Python: A Snake's Life

The Inland Carpet Python is an endangered snake in Victoria. It lives on steep, rocky slopes and granite outcrops in the park. These snakes use hollow logs and large rocks for shelter. They also use them to warm up or cool down. Female snakes lay their eggs in rock cracks and hollow logs.

In summer, these snakes are very active. They look for food in more open areas. They mostly eat small to medium-sized mammals. European rabbits make up a big part of their diet. Since they can climb trees, they also eat gliders and possums.

Mammals

The park is home to 22 types of mammals.

Squirrel Glider: The Nighttime Flyer

The Squirrel Glider is a mammal that is active at night. It lives in trees. It is endangered in the southern part of its range, which includes this park. Squirrel gliders mostly glide from tree to tree. They use tree hollows as nests and places to rest during the day.

You can tell them apart from Sugar Gliders, which are similar. Squirrel Gliders are bigger and have bushier tails. They do not have a white tip on their tail. In the park, they live in Box-ironbark forests. The Mugga Ironbark trees provide important food in winter. Squirrel gliders also eat insects, acacia gum, and tree sap.

Birds

Out of 146 bird species in the park, 18 are threatened in Victoria.

Grey-crowned Babbler: A Social Bird

The Grey-crowned Babbler lives in the Box-ironbark forests in the north of the park. It is endangered in Victoria. These birds eat insects and live in groups of 2 to 12. A group usually has a breeding pair and other helpers. These helpers, often chicks from previous years, help with nesting and protecting their area.

They like open woodlands with leaf litter on the ground. They look for insects on the forest floor. They build large, dome-shaped nests from sticks. These nests are usually between 1 and 6 meters above the ground.

Painted Honeyeater: Mistletoe Lover

The Painted Honeyeater is found in the park. It is vulnerable in Victoria. This bird migrates, meaning it travels long distances. It arrives in Victoria in October, breeds in summer, and then flies north in March or April. It spends winter in dry woodlands in inland Australia.

In Victoria, it lives in Box-ironbark forests and other dry open forests. It needs mistletoe plants, especially Drooping Mistletoe and Box Mistletoe. Mistletoe is its main food source and its favorite place to build a nest. The Painted Honeyeater also helps spread mistletoe seeds.

Regent Honeyeater: A Rare Beauty

The Regent Honeyeater is a black and yellow bird. It is a medium-sized honeyeater. It lives in dry open forests on the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range. This bird is endangered in Victoria. It is the only bird in its group, called Xanthomyza. Its home range used to be much larger, but it has shrunk because forests were cleared for farms.

In Victoria, you can find it in a few places, including Warby-Ovens National Park. The Regent Honeyeater eats nectar from Grevillea species, Mugga Ironbark, Yellow Box, and Yellow Gum trees. It also eats insects found on these plants. They breed between September and February. Their nests are built in tree forks, usually 4 to 25 meters high. They use bark strips, dry grass, and other plant materials for their nests.

Powerful Owl: Australia's Largest Owl

The Powerful Owl is the largest owl in Australia. It measures 60–65 centimeters from head to tail. It is listed as vulnerable in Victoria. It lives across most of Victoria, preferring old growth forests. Powerful Owls stay with the same partner for life. They nest in hollow trees during winter. Their young stay with them for eight months. The young owls then leave to find their own areas in February and March.

These owls are hunters that eat what they can find. They mostly prey on marsupials that live in trees, like gliders and possums.

Swift Parrot: The Migratory Wonder

The Box-ironbark forests are also home to the Swift Parrot during winter. This parrot arrives in mainland Australia between January and May. It spends winter in the box-ironbark forests. It feeds on nectar from winter-flowering trees like Mugga Ironbark, Yellow Box, Yellow Gum, Grey Box, and White Box. Lerps, which are sugary coatings made by insects on tree sap, are also an important food source.

The parrots leave in spring to go back to eastern Tasmania to breed. The Swift Parrot is one of only two migratory parrots in the world. It is also the only member of its group.

Protecting the Park: Challenges and Solutions

The plants and animals of Warby-Ovens National Park face several dangers. These include fires, pests, invasive species, and diseases.

Habitat Fragmentation

The park has many roads running through it. These roads break up the natural areas where animals live. This is called habitat fragmentation. For example, the Squirrel Glider needs trees to be close enough to glide between them. Roads can make these gaps too big.

When there are large gaps, tree-dwelling animals like the Squirrel Glider might have to come down to the ground. This makes them easier prey for introduced animals like foxes. Roads and tracks can also help spread plant diseases.

Plant Disease: Phytophthora cinnamomi

A soil-borne plant disease called Phytophthora cinnamomi affects several plants in the park. This disease came from Europe with early settlers. It causes the roots of affected trees and plants to rot, and the plants die. This leads to less habitat, fewer nesting spots in old hollow trees, and less food for animals. This loss of habitat is a major threat to many birds, like the Grey-crowned Babbler, Painted Honeyeater, Regent Honeyeater, and Swift Parrot.

Pests and Invasive Species

Pests and invasive species are big threats to the park's wildlife. The Inland Carpet Python can be hunted by wild dogs and foxes. Birds and small mammals like the Sugar Glider and Squirrel Glider are at risk from cats and foxes.

Some native birds, like the Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, and Noisy Friarbird, have grown in number because of habitat changes. They can push out other birds like the Swift Parrot, Painted Honeyeater, and Regent Honeyeater.

Weeds like Patersons Curse and St. Johns Wort can also harm the park's plants. They can change the structure of the forest floor and mid-level plants. They can also affect the Narrow Goodenia in wet areas.

Fire Risks

Fire is a danger to some species in the park. Some plants, like the Grass Tree and native cypress pine, are very sensitive to fire. Intense fires can destroy old trees with hollows. This is a big problem for animals that rely on these hollows for nests, shelter, and food. The Powerful Owl, for example, nests in tree hollows and eats other animals that live in hollows.

The Inland Carpet Python spends time in tree branches in late summer. Fires at this time could kill them. Their eggs, laid in cavities or hollow logs, would also be destroyed. Dense new growth after a fire can also change the park's plant structure. Some birds, like the Grey-crowned Babbler, avoid areas with thick new growth.

Managing and Protecting the Park

Parks Victoria works with many groups to manage the Warby-Ovens National Park. These groups include government departments, fire services, local councils, and tourism groups. Their goal is to protect the park's nature.

Restoring Habitats

One important task is replanting areas that were once used for farming or logging. This helps create continuous habitats for animals. They also work to connect the park with the Ovens River.

Preventing Disease Spread

To stop the spread of the Phytophthora cinnamomi disease, Parks Victoria educates visitors. They publish pamphlets and put up signs in the park. Some areas are even closed to visitors to help prevent the disease from spreading. They also follow plans to protect threatened species and plant communities. This includes protecting large trees with hollows, both living and dead, and fallen timber.

Fire Protection and Pest Control

Areas with fire-sensitive species are protected from fires. These "Special Protection Areas" include places where Northern Sandalwood, Spur-winged Wattle, and Grass Trees grow.

They also control pest animals to reduce their impact on the park's wildlife. Fox control programs have been in place since 1993. Programs like "Rabbit Busters" have greatly reduced rabbit numbers. Controlling rabbits is important because they can harm the Granitic Hills Woodland.

Visitor Management

Visitor activities are managed to cause the least harm to the park. There are maintained tracks for walking. Cycling is allowed on open roads and some wider walking tracks. Some tracks are closed when it's wet to stop the spread of the P. cinnamomi disease. Other activities like orienteering and rock climbing are carefully controlled. They are limited to specific areas to protect plants and animals.

Parks Victoria also works with landowners next to the park. They build partnerships to help protect natural areas on private land. They also work together on programs to control pest animals and plants.