Parks Victoria - Annual Report 2009-10

SUPPORTING HEALTHY PARKS HEALTHY PEOPLEConservationVolunteersAustralia’s GreenCorps program– volunteersundertaking firerecovery works.Sites opened include:❚ Mount Sugarloaf, Mount Sugarloaf Road, MountSugarloaf Ridge Track and the park entrance area❚ Frank Thomson Reserve where the carpark was reestablishedand a new gas barbecue installed❚ Some tracks in the Everard and Wombelano blocks.In the Yarra Ranges National Park, the Summit Walkat Lake Mountain and access trails up to Mount StLeonards, Mount Monda and Dom Dom Saddle (theBicentennial Trail) were reopened. Cambarville and keyadjacent walking tracks also reopened, including theBig Tree and the Big Culvert walks.Almost all of Bunyip State Park was reopened to thepublic. Toilets and visitors’ facilities were rebuilt at NashCreek camping area. Dyers and Mortimer visitor siteswere reopened along with the extensive trail bike andfour-wheel-drive tracks network.Preparing for emergenciesParks Victoria reviews emergency management plansannually so they remain current and effective. Anemergency scenario is used to test the effectiveness ofthe plans. In parks with large numbers of visitors, suchas Wilsons Promontory and Port Campbell nationalparks, Victoria Police is involved in the test emergencyscenario.Search and rescueParks Victoria supported Victoria Police, the StateEmergency Services and other agencies in 11 search andrescue operations in parks across the state overthe year.Park recoveryAlmost 100,000 hectares of parks and reservesmanaged by Parks Victoria were affected by the 2009Black Saturday bushfires. With 309 significant assetsdamaged or destroyed, Parks Victoria implementedthe first year of an extensive rebuilding program in2009-10.Most of the Cathedral Range State Park reopened tothe public in December 2009. The majority of walkingtracks are open and trail markers, trailhead signs anddirectional signs are progressively being replaced.New decking and railing were installed at Cooks MillHeritage area.The bushfire recovery program has received invaluablesupport from volunteers and community groups.Conservation Volunteers Australia provided assistanceto regions critically affected by the Black Saturdaybushfires. Green Corps programs were delivered atWilsons Promontory National Park, Kinglake NationalPark and Bunyip State Park. Volunteers repaired 40kmof track, removed weeds from 21 hectares, planted7,900 trees and identified 269 orchids.With nearly all of Kinglake National Park’s visitorfacilities destroyed, a new master plan for the park isbeing developed. Rehabilitation work and assessmentof fire damage continued throughout the year, andareas were progressively reopened.38 Parks Victoria - Annual Report 2009-10