East Gippsland is home to some of Victoria’s best rainforests, and are a stronghold for many rare and threatened plants and animals.
They are dotted all over the region and offer some spectacular sights, from waterfalls and hanging bridges – they’re all worth the venture.
Bairnsdale to Tarra-Bulga National Park
1hr 49min / 144km
Your trip from Bairnsdale to Tarra-Bulga National Park won’t be just about the forest, but the places you visit along the way.
Be sure to stop at Rosedale, a quaint town laced with 19th century buildings, antique shops, cafes and bookstores.
Tarra-Bulga National Park, located in Brataualung Country, is significant place to Gunaikurnai Traditional Owners due to its remarkable Aboriginal cultural heritage.
The name Tarra-Bulga comes from two places – Bulga is an Aboriginal word for mountain, and Tarra comes from an Aboriginal man, Charlie Tarra, who guided the explorer, Strzelecki and his party through Gippsland in 1840.
Known for its giant Mountain Ash Trees, fern gullies and myrtle beaches, Tarra-Bulga has some of the best examples of original cool temperate rainforests of the Strzelecki ranges.
A highlight of the forest is the impressive Corrigan Suspension Bridge, which stretched through the rainforest canopy, offering spectacular views of the lush fern gully on the forest floor below.
Bairnsdale to McKenzie River Rainforest Walk
1hr 36min / 137km
Located in the Bemm River Scenic Reserve, the McKenzie River Rainforest Walk is regarded as a treasure in East Gippsland.
On your way there from Bairnsdale, make sure to stop in Orbost and stretch your legs, check out Forest Park if you’re with the kids, or visit one of the bakeries or cafes for a bite to eat.
McKenzie River is also a great place to stop if you’re travelling to Cann River or further over the border into southern New South Wales.
The walk itself is around one kilometre and takes in a spectacular pocket of warm temperate forest.
There’s not one, but two swing bridges which lead over the picturesque McKenzie River, providing views of the surrounding forest from within the canopy.
Information boards are dotted along the walk providing information about the forest and the species it protects.
Bairnsdale to Den of Nargun (Mitchell River National Park)
35min / 41.5km
This trip’s a bit of a shorter one in terms of travelling, but the journey you take to the Den of Nargun spans 80,000 years.
The Den of Nargun is part of the Bataluk Cultural Trail, which follows the traditional routes weaving through sites of Aboriginal significance.
The fastest way to get here from Bairnsdale is via Lindenow and Woodglen, but you can also turn off on the Princes Highway.
The Den of Nargun loop walk is around five kilometres, and features some short, steep sections, rough surfaces and steps.
Some bushwalking experience is also recommended.
As you make your way down into the rainforest, you’ll notice the temperature drop as you get closer.
Once you get to the Den of Nargun, it is asked you show respect by not entering the cave, as it is a place of Gunaikurnai significance.
Stories were told around campfires about how the Nargun, a large female creature who lived in the cave, would abduct children who wandered off on their own.
The Nargun could not be harmed with boomerangs or spears.
These stories served the purpose of keeping children close to the campsite and ensuring people stayed away from the cave.
Once you’ve visited the Den of Nargun, continue along the loop and take in a number of wonderful waterfalls and the surrounding rainforest before making the hike back to the carpark.
Bairnsdale to Errinundra National Park
2hr 42min / 186km
This trip’s a bit of a long one, but the views you’ll take in will make the journey worth it.
Errinundra National Park contains one of largest remaining cool temperate rainforest in the state, spanning more than 26,000 hectares.
The majority of the park is accessible only in the drier months – in winter, rain and snow generally make the unsealed roads impassable.
There’s a couple of walks you can do while in the Errinundra National Park, such as the Errinundra saddle rainforest walk.
This tranquil trail, spanning around one kilometre, twists and winds over elegant streams, dominated by sassadras and black olive berry and features 400-year-old mountain plum pines.
Take in the canopy above as you walk over the raised boardwalk. The boardwalk also protects the ferns, fungi and rainforest unique to East Gippsland.
