Today, more than 65,000 hectares of central west forests become national parks

The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) is celebrating with Wombat Forestcare, the Wilderness Society, local groups and Victorians who campaigned for more than 20 years to make these parks a reality. 

Parliament passed the law to create the parks in November 2025. Today that law takes effect and the parks become official. 

‘Today we get to see the protection these forests deserve. It's a fantastic day for nature and for Victorians, we have three new national parks! Congratulations to the Carroll Government for getting it done,’ said VNPA Executive Director Matt Ruchel. 

‘This is what happens when people work together to look after nature. For years we worked with local community groups to search for threatened animals, survey rare plants and, through years of delays, kept writing letter after letter. Today that hard work becomes permanent protection.' 

‘We are delighted that the state government has officially recognised the importance of these central west forests for their plants and animals and acted to conserve them. These forests are such important habitat for so many plants, animals and fungi. If we want our koalas, gliders and owls to be here into the future we must protect their habitat,’ said Gayle Osborne, a founding member of Wombat Forestcare. 

From this morning, Parks Victoria now cares for these forests. In total, it takes over management of over 65,000 hectares of new national parks and 13,000 hectares of new and expanded regional parks, conservation and bushland reserves across the central west and Mirboo North. 

The new parks protect hundreds of rare and threatened plants, animals and fungi, including Platypuses, Greater Gliders, Goannas, Mount Cole Grevilleas, Brush-tailed Phascogales, Mountain Skinks and Powerful Owls. 

They are Victoria's first substantial new national parks in 15 years and places for everyone to connect with and enjoy through bushwalking, camping, mountain biking, four-wheel driving and more. 

The campaign for these parks was led on the ground by Wombat Forestcare, working in partnership with the Wilderness Society and VNPA. Wombat Forestcare launched a renewed campaign in 2010, hosting a public conference in Hepburn that brought the community together around a vision for protected forests in the central west. Over the following years, its volunteers produced detailed ecological reports on the landscape zones that are now national park, work that was central to securing the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) investigation that recommended these parks.  

Also official today are Cobaw, Hepburn and Mirboo North (in the south of the state) conservation parks, seven new or expanded regional parks (including Wellsford Forest, added to Bendigo Regional Park) and almost 30 nature and bushland reserves in central west Victoria. 

These parks are on the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Eastern Maar, Wadawurrung, Wurundjeri, Gunaikurnai and Taungurung peoples, who have cared for these landscapes for thousands of years. 

Parks Victoria will start work on management plans for the new parks over the next 12 months, together with Traditional Owners and communities. 

'We're ready to help shape these plans, to make sure wildlife and people are both looked after and the parks have the resources they need to thrive,' said Ruchel. 

VNPA is calling on the Carroll Government to take a fresh approach and: 

• Reverse the ban on looking at new national parks announced by the Allan Government. 

• Increase funding for park management across the state. 

Meet the new parks 

• Wombat-Lerderderg National Park: about 44,700 hectares between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh. Victoria's largest patch of forest between Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park and the eastern highlands, and home to the headwaters of six major rivers. Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung Country. 

• Pyrenees National Park: about 15,100 hectares west of Avoca. Home to forested ridgelines and valleys, Vulnerable Platypuses and Endangered Lace Monitors. Wadawurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wotjobaluk, Djab Wurrung and Eastern Maar Country. 

• Mount Buangor National Park: about 5,300 hectares near Beaufort. Home to waterfalls, lush gullies, dry ridges and Critically Endangered Mount Cole Grevilleas. Eastern Maar and Djab Wurrung Country. 

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vnpaflickr/albums/72157718994924256/with/53336627329