Protected areas of Victoria

Victoria is the smallest mainland state in Australia. it contained 5,081 separate protected areas with a total land area of 4012888 ha (17.64% of the state's area).

The parks are managed by Parks Victoria, a state government agency. There are also many smaller state areas which are subject to commercial activity such as logging.

National parks
National parks provide the highest level of protection to diverse natural areas. They usually contain the best and most unique examples of our natural values and biodiversity. There are 45 national parks in Victoria, totalling 2910738 ha (72.53% of the state's protected areas).

State parks
State parks help protect the state's natural values. They are very similar to national parks, however, the conservation values and landscapes they protect are smaller or less diverse. There are 26 state parks in Victoria, totalling 158043 ha (3.94% of the state's protected areas).

Regional parks
Regional parks are found close to urban centres or major tourist routes. While still places of natural beauty, visitor recreation is the primary purpose of regional parks. • Ararat Regional Park

• Baranduda Regional Park

• Bendigo Regional Park

• Cobram Regional Park

• Colquhoun Regional Park

• Crawford River Regional Park

• Creswick Regional Park

• Crossover Regional Park

• Echuca Regional Park

• Glenmaggie Regional Park

• Hepburn Regional Park

• Jarvis Creek Plateau Regional Park

• Kerang Regional Park

• Kororoit Creek Regional Park (being developed)

• Kurth Kiln Regional Park

• Macedon Regional Park

• Maryborough Regional Park

• Mirboo North Regional Park

• Mount Alexander Regional Park

• Mount Mitta Mitta Regional Park

• Mount Raymond Regional Park

• Shepparton Regional Park

• St Arnaud Regional Park

• Tocumwal Regional Park

• Wandong Regional Park

• Werribee Regional Park

• Woowookarung Regional Park

• Yarrawonga Regional Park

• You Yangs Regional Park

Metropolitan parks
Metropolitan parks are very similar to regional parks, however, are located in metropolitan Melbourne. • Albert Park

• Braeside Park

• Cardinia Creek Parklands

• Cardinia Reservoir Parks

• * Aura Vale Lake Park

• Dandenong Valley Parklands

• * Bushy Park Wetlands

• * Jells Park

• * Koomba Park

• * Nortons Park

• * Shepherds Bush

• * Tirhatuan Park

• Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park

• Greenvale Reservoir Park

• Karkarook Park

• Lysterfield Park

• Maribyrnong Valley Parklands

• * Brimbank Park

• * Horseshoe Bend Farm

• Maroondah Reservoir Park

• Merri Creek Park

• Mullum Mullum Park

• Plenty Gorge Parklands

• Silvan Reservoir Park

• Sugarloaf Reservoir Parks

• Toorourrong Reservoir Park

• Wattle Park

• Werribee Park

• Westgate Park

• Yan Yean Reservoir Park

• Yarra Bend Park

• Yarra Valley Parklands

• * Banksia Park

• * Birrarrung Park

• * Candlebark Park

• * Longridge Park Camp

• * Sweeneys Flats

• * Westerfolds Park

• * Yarra Flats Park

Indigenous Protected Areas
Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are "areas of land and sea managed by Indigenous groups as protected areas for biodiversity conservation through voluntary agreements with the Australian Government".

There are 5 indigenous protected areas in Victoria, totalling 3888 ha (0.1% of the state's protected areas). The following IPAs have been declared in Victoria:
 * Budj Bim
 * Kurtonitj
 * Lake Condah
 * Tyrendarra
 * Deen Maar
 * Framlingham Forest

Historic and heritage
Parks Victoria is responsible for the largest and most diverse collection of heritage places on public land in Victoria. They manage more than 3,000 historic assets including cultural landscapes, buildings, infrastructure, significant trees, objects and artefacts, archaeological sites, and shipwrecks.

Historic and heritage parks
Historic or heritage parks are significant historic cultural landscapes of heritage value. There are 6 historic and heritage parks in Victoria • Beechworth Historic Park

• Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park

• Point Gellibrand Heritage Park

• Steiglitz Historic Park

• Wimmera River Heritage Area Park

• Woodlands Historic Park

Historic and heritage areas
There are 75 historic and heritage areas in Victoria including: • Coolart Historic Area

• Daylesford Court House Complex Historic Area

• Eldorado Historic Area

• Howqua Hills Historic Area

• Lal Lal - Bungal Historic Area

• Maldon Historic Area

• Moliagul Historic Area

• Oriental Claims Historic Area

• State Coal Mine Heritage Area

• Walhalla Historic Area

• White Hills Chinese Diggings Historic Area

Heritage River
There are 18 heritage rivers in Victoria, totalling 158783 ha (3.96% of the state's protected areas). These are defined under the Heritage Rivers Act 1992 as parts of rivers and river catchment areas that have significant nature conservation, recreation, scenic or cultural heritage values • Aberfeldy River

• Aire River

• Bemm, Goolengook, Arte and Errinundra Rivers

• Big River

• Genoa River

• Glenelg River

• Goulburn River

• Howqua River

• Lerderderg River

• Mitchell and Wonnangatta Rivers

• Mitta Mitta River

• Ovens River

• Snowy River

• Suggan Buggan and Berrima Rivers

• Thomson River

• Upper Buchan River

• Wimmera River

• Yarra River

Marine protected areas
Victoria is the first jurisdiction in the world to create an entire system of highly protected marine national parks at the same time. Victoria contained 30 separate marine protected areas with a total area of 121242 ha (11.87% of the state's coastal waters). Marine national parks and sanctuaries contain important marine habitats and species, or encompass areas of significant natural features; and are highly protected areas in which no fishing, extractive or damaging activities are permitted.

Marine national parks
There are 13 marine national parks in Victoria, totalling 52191 ha (43.05% of the state's protected waters).

Marine sanctuaries
There are 11 marine sanctuaries in Victoria, totalling 864 ha (0.71% of the state's protected waters).

Coastal and marine parks
Coastal Parks and Marine Parks protect areas of coastal, intertidal or subtidal land. There are 6 marine (or marine & coastal) parks in Victoria, totalling 68187 ha (56.24% of the state's protected waters). There are also 5 coastal parks in Victoria, totalling 45284 ha (1.13% of the state's protected land areas).


 * The former Point Cook Coastal Park (proclaimed in 1978) became part of the Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary.
 * The former Cape Schanck Coastal Park (proclaimed on 1 December 1975) became part of the old Point Nepean National Park in 1988.

Reference areas
Reference areas are tracts of public land containing viable samples of one or more land types that are relatively undisturbed. There are 144 reference areas in Victoria, totalling 112628 ha (2.81% of the state's protected areas) and all but 23032 ha are located inside other protected areas including: • Anser Island

• Baw Baw

• Benedore River

• Cobboboonee

• Cobboboonee

• Disappointment

• French Island (East)

• French Island (North)

• Kooyoora

• Little Desert (East)

• Little Desert (West)

• Merragunegin

• Mitta Mitta

• Mount Buffalo

• Pine Mountain

• Raak Plain

• Reef Hills

• Stringybark Creek

• Sunset

• Tambo River

• Terrick Terrick

• Tooan

• Warby Range

• Wonnangatta River

• Yan Yean North

• Yan Yean South

Wilderness and Nature parks
Wilderness parks are large areas with native plant and animal communities that are relatively unaffected by humans. They are managed for conservation, with no facilities provided for visitors and no vehicles are permitted. There are 3 wilderness parks in Victoria, totalling 200699 ha (5% of the state's protected areas).

There is 1 nature park in Victoria, totalling 1925 ha (0.05% of the state's protected areas).

Wilderness zones
There are 19 wilderness zones in Victoria, totalling 641441 ha (15.98% of the state's protected areas) and all but 131 ha are located inside other protected areas.


 * Bowen
 * Buchan Headwaters
 * Cape Howe
 * Chinaman Flat
 * Cobberas
 * Galpunga
 * Genoa
 * Indi
 * Minook
 * Mount Cowra
 * Mount Darling - Snowy Bluff
 * North Wyperfeld
 * Razor-Viking
 * Sandpatch
 * Snowy River
 * South Wyperfeld
 * Sunset
 * Tingaringy
 * Wilsons Promontory

Natural catchment area
There are 25 natural catchment areas in Victoria, totalling 151368 ha (3.77% of the state's protected areas).

Remote and natural area
There are 24 remote and natural areas in Victoria, totalling 302990 ha (7.55% of the state's protected areas).

Other reserves
In Victoria, there are a total of 2776 nature reserves, totalling 467092 ha (11.64% of the state's protected areas) divided is the following different groups:

There are 1592 bushland reserves in Victoria, totalling 45305 ha (1.13% of the state's protected areas). There are 9 cave reserves in Victoria, totalling 532 ha (0.01% of the state's protected areas). There are 13 conservation parks / conservation reserves in Victoria, totalling 20994 ha (0.52% of the state's protected areas). There are a total of 186 flora and/or fauna reserves in Victoria, totalling 119632 ha (2.98% of the state's protected areas). There are 14 geological reserves in Victoria, totalling 436 ha (0.01% of the state's protected areas). There are 39 gippsland lakes reserves in Victoria, totalling 7129 ha (0.18% of the state's protected areas). There are 263 nature conservation reserves in Victoria, totalling 136909 ha (3.41% of the state's protected areas). There are 49 natural features reserves in Victoria, totalling 10402 ha (0.26% of the state's protected areas). There are 50 scenic reserves in Victoria, totalling 9649 ha (0.24% of the state's protected areas). There are 24 combined natural features and scenic reserves in Victoria, totalling 19799 ha (0.49% of the state's protected areas). There are 259 streamside reserves in Victoria, totalling 7895 ha (0.2% of the state's protected areas). There is 1 tall trees reserve in Victoria, totalling 14 ha. There are 277 wildlife reserves in Victoria, totalling 88396 ha (2.2% of the state's protected areas).
 * Bushland Reserve
 * Cave Reserve
 * Conservation park / reserve
 * Flora & Fauna Reserve
 * Geological Reserve
 * Gippsland Lakes Reserve
 * Nature Conservation Reserve
 * Natural Features and Scenic Reserve
 * Streamside Reserve
 * Tall Trees Reserve
 * Wildlife Reserve


 * Some of the nature reserves include:
 * Deep Lead Nature Conservation Reserve
 * Jackass Flat Nature Conservation Reserve
 * Long Forest Flora & Fauna Reserve
 * Marble Gully - Mount Tambo Nature Conservation Reserve
 * Mount Elizabeth Nature Conservation Reserve
 * Mount Hope Nature Conservation Reserve
 * Mullinger Swamp Wildlife Reserve
 * The Spit Wildlife Reserve
 * Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve