Baw Baw National Park
Encyclopedia
Baw Baw is a national park in Victoria
, Australia
, 111 km east of Melbourne. It contains the Baw-Baw Plateau and Mount Baw Baw
, a small ski resort
, including nearby town, technically outside the national park.
Geographically, Baw-Baw plateau is a plateau
of several peaks (Mount Baw Baw
, Mount Saint Gwinear
, Mount Saint Phillack, Mount Erica and Mount Whitelaw) of largely subalpine
terrane outcrops of weathered granite
boulders dot the plateau with alpine meadows punctuated by stands of snow-gum
.
It is reported that Baw Baw is Aboriginal for 'echo' but the name could also come from 'Bo Bo', a name used on early maps meaning Big.
The area was first explored in 1860 by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
. The area was settled in the 1880s and 1890s, after the discovery of gold in the area. Baw Baw National Park was declared in April 1979. On 7 November 2008 the park was added to the Australian National Heritage List
as one of eleven areas constituting the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.
The typical vegetation in the park is low-lying grass
es, heath
lands and snow gums, this is typically described as sub-alpine. Fauna abounds on the foothills to the major plateau (Baw Baw Plateau), including Leadbeater's Possum
, which is highly endangered and Victoria's state fauna emblem.
traverses its entire length, starting at Walhalla
and continuing north towards the Alpine National Park
. The Baw Baw section takes a bit less than three days to walk.
There is also plenty to see for those interested in botany or geology. The highest peak in the park is Mount St Phillack, a granite plateau standing at 1566 metres.
There is popular ski touring along the Baw Baw Plateau between Mount Baw Baw, past Mount St Phillack to Mount St Gwinear. There is even a volunteer ski patrol group, the St Gwinear Ski Patrol. They run on weekends and patrol around the St Gwinear portion of the national park. They access the park from the opposite side of the Plateau to the ski resort at Mount Baw Baw. Other popular skiing is Nordic skiing
at Mount Baw Baw
. This was introduced in 1972, including championship races and a ski school.
The deciduous Baw Baw Berry, Wittsteinia vacciniacea
is found on the plateau.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 111 km east of Melbourne. It contains the Baw-Baw Plateau and Mount Baw Baw
Mount Baw Baw
Mount Baw Baw is a mountain in Victoria, Australia. Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort is an Unincorporated area of Victoria surrounded by the Shire of Baw Baw.-Location:...
, a small ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
, including nearby town, technically outside the national park.
Geographically, Baw-Baw plateau is a plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
of several peaks (Mount Baw Baw
Mount Baw Baw
Mount Baw Baw is a mountain in Victoria, Australia. Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort is an Unincorporated area of Victoria surrounded by the Shire of Baw Baw.-Location:...
, Mount Saint Gwinear
Mount Saint Gwinear
Mount Saint Gwinear is a mountain in Victoria, Australia, located at the north-east end of the Baw Baw National Park in the Gippsland high country. It is popular with families looking for a cheap and accessible snow-play/tobogganing destination and cross-country skiers. The flat Baw Baw Plateau...
, Mount Saint Phillack, Mount Erica and Mount Whitelaw) of largely subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
terrane outcrops of weathered granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
boulders dot the plateau with alpine meadows punctuated by stands of snow-gum
Eucalyptus pauciflora
The Snow Gum is a small tree or large shrub native to eastern Australia.-Habitat:It is usually found in the subalpine habitats of eastern Australia. Snow Gums also grow in lowland habitats where they can reach heights of up to 20 metres. Lowland Snow Gum is sometimes known as White Sallee, Cabbage...
.
It is reported that Baw Baw is Aboriginal for 'echo' but the name could also come from 'Bo Bo', a name used on early maps meaning Big.
The area was first explored in 1860 by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
. The area was settled in the 1880s and 1890s, after the discovery of gold in the area. Baw Baw National Park was declared in April 1979. On 7 November 2008 the park was added to the Australian National Heritage List
Australian National Heritage List
The Australian National Heritage List is a list of places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The list includes natural, historic and indigenous places...
as one of eleven areas constituting the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.
The typical vegetation in the park is low-lying grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es, heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
lands and snow gums, this is typically described as sub-alpine. Fauna abounds on the foothills to the major plateau (Baw Baw Plateau), including Leadbeater's Possum
Leadbeater's Possum
Leadbeater's Possum is an endangered possum restricted to small pockets of remaining old growth mountain ash forests in the central highlands of Victoria north-east of Melbourne...
, which is highly endangered and Victoria's state fauna emblem.
Activities
Nowadays the major uses of the park are skiing in winter and bushwalking in summer. It is popular for cross country skiing, downhill skiing, summer bushwalking, hunting, rafting and canoeing, fishing, scenic drives and picnics. The Australian Alps Walking TrackAustralian Alps Walking Track
The Australian Alps Walking Track is a long distance walking trail through the alpine areas of Victoria, New South Wales and ACT. It is 655km long, starting at Walhalla, Victoria and running through to Tharwa, ACT near Canberra...
traverses its entire length, starting at Walhalla
Walhalla, Victoria
Walhalla is a small town in Victoria, Australia, founded as a gold-mining community in early 1863 and at its peak home to around 2,500 residents. Today, the town has a population of fewer than 20 permanent residents, though it has a large proportion of houses owned as holiday properties. It...
and continuing north towards the Alpine National Park
Alpine National Park
The Alpine National Park is a national park in Victoria , northeast of Melbourne. It covers much of the higher areas of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, including Victoria's highest point, Mount Bogong and the associated subalpine woodland and grassland of the Bogong High Plains...
. The Baw Baw section takes a bit less than three days to walk.
There is also plenty to see for those interested in botany or geology. The highest peak in the park is Mount St Phillack, a granite plateau standing at 1566 metres.
There is popular ski touring along the Baw Baw Plateau between Mount Baw Baw, past Mount St Phillack to Mount St Gwinear. There is even a volunteer ski patrol group, the St Gwinear Ski Patrol. They run on weekends and patrol around the St Gwinear portion of the national park. They access the park from the opposite side of the Plateau to the ski resort at Mount Baw Baw. Other popular skiing is Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
at Mount Baw Baw
Mount Baw Baw
Mount Baw Baw is a mountain in Victoria, Australia. Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort is an Unincorporated area of Victoria surrounded by the Shire of Baw Baw.-Location:...
. This was introduced in 1972, including championship races and a ski school.
The deciduous Baw Baw Berry, Wittsteinia vacciniacea
Wittsteinia vacciniacea
Wittsteinia vacciniacea is a shrub species in the family Alseuosmiaceae. It is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It grows to about 40 cm high and has leaves which are between 1 and 5 cm long...
is found on the plateau.
External links
- Parks Victoria: Baw Baw National Park
- Mount Baw Baw - The Age
- Baw Baw National Park Visitor Guide. Baw Baw National Park, Parks Victoria Web Page. Accessed on Feb 27 2005, 2001.