Things To Do in Wedderburn, Victoria

Wedderburn and the surrounding area is an amazing place for getting out in the bush and exploring the flora and fauna in the area.

Wedderburn has a Facebook group that people can join and post photographs of the flora and fauna seen within a 30km radius of the town.  You don't have to live in Wedderburn to join and contributions are very welcome. Why not visit and join Wedderburn Flora & Fauna | Facebook 

Then there are the kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and other native animals that inhabit our bushland in the area.

There are a large number of bird species in an around Wedderburn.  With the large amount of Box/Ironbark Forest and Mallee scrub vegetation, the area is a twitcher's paradise. You will see many birds all around, some favourite places would be:

• Wychitella Forest area: Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve - Google Maps 
• Mt Korong: Mount Korong - Google Maps 
• Kooyoora State Park: Kooyoora State Park (parks.vic.gov.au) 
• State forest around Wedderburn. The town is surrounded by bush. You won't have to go far to see some flora and fauna. Wedderburn - Google Maps 

There are a couple of useful apps you can get for your phone as well that can help you identify birds.

Pizzey and Knight Birds of Australia Digital Edition

This is an excellent app for identifying birds and includes recordings of bird calls. 

iPhone:  Pizzey and Knight Birds of Aus on the App Store (apple.com) 

Android:  Pizzey & Knight Birds of Aus – Apps on Google Play 

Morecombe's Birds of Australia 

The foremost field guide to Australian birds is now available with a comprehensive collection of bird calls. 

iPhone:  Morcombe & Stewart Guide on the App Store (apple.com) 

Android:  Morcombe's Birds of Australia - Apps on Google Play 

Flora

Springtime provides a feast of wildflowers including many native orchids if you walk gently and quietly through the bush with your eyes peeled. Of course there is a huge variety of eucalypts including box, ironbark and mallee. For assistance in identifying various plants, one of the best sites is victorianflora. It has a huge range of species, locations and photographs and is well worth a visit. We suggest you bookmark it as a reference point. 

Another useful method is to upload a photo of the plant to Google images. Google can often suggest the name of the plant or at least show images of plants similar to the one you've uploaded. 

Birds

There are many useful sites of "twitchers" or "birders" to help with the identification of birds. 

Ebird, although an international site, has very useful information. If you go to Explore Hotspots - eBird & enter Wedderburn, Vic in the location, you can see various locations around Wedderburn where birds have been sighted and their names. 

Flora, Fauna and Birds

A great site for all things nature is A Community for Naturalists · iNaturalist. It's free to join and you can record your sightings. For Wedderburn, if you go to the Observations link, it will show you what has been seen here. Of course, not everyone is a member of this site and not all sightings are recorded. 

Summary

So now you have lots of information to let you get out and enjoy the bush around Wedderburn. If you have any questions, just pop into the Wedderburn Flora & Fauna | Facebook page and ask. One of the friendly members will be sure to offer assistance. 

(Thanks to Meryl Wiseman for contributing the above photo)

 The Birds Eye View murals are an exciting addition to the Wedderburn streetscape. There are five large walls painted throughout the town featuring various different bird species all local to the area. 

Why birds? Well, Wedderburn has been identified as a mecca for birdlife due to its unique ecosystems where four different intact bio-regions meet and intersect, creating a diverse habitat for birds including the iconic Mallee Fowl, Swift Parrot and Bush-Stone Curlew. The native bushland of Wedderburn supports 180 bird species, 20 of which are listed as endangered by Bush Heritage Australia. The birds represent the community's quest for sustainability, vitality, strength and resilience. 

Mural 1: Wedge Tailed Eagle and Black Shouldered Kite (Randall's Foodworks)

Mural 2: Mistletoe Birds (Old Newsagency & General Store) 

Mural 3: Yellow Tufted Honeyeater, Veriegated Fairy Wren, Purple Crowned Lorikeet and Blue Faced Honey Eater

(Wedderburn Uniting Church) 

Mural 4: Golden Whistler, Diamond Firetail, Superb Fairy Wren and Scarlet Robin

(Soldiers Memorial Park and Travellers Rest) 

Mural 5: Kookaburra (Wedderburn Hotel)

For more information, please visit: Birds Eye View Murals Wedderburn - Loddon Valley

Time capsules are normally sealed and buried out of sight for decades, but Wedderburn boasts one that’s flourishing in full view.

 The Coach House Gallery and Museum, standing proud in the town’s main street, is a perfectly preserved 100-year-old general store which looks the same as the day the owners walked out for the last time. The enterprise has two faces – an exhibition space administered by the Loddon Arts Group alongside a general store displaying goods originally stocked during the early decades of the 20th century.

The store was built in 1913 as an upgrade to the then existing business, which opened in the 1840s. On the shelves are such everyday household necessities as a wire cheese slicer, rows of biscuit tins, meat safes and an original carved-wood Yates seed display with a bunch of hand-drawn packets of seeds.

A basement and cellar are set up with historic photos, wheelwrights’ tools, replicas of gold nuggets unearthed locally and the original printing press from the old Wedderburn town paper of 1888-1932.

Out the back is the cart once used by an old Indian hawker, a horse-drawn hearse and a blacksmith’s forge.

For more information, please visit:  Wedderburn Coach House Gallery/Museum | Wedderburn VIC | Facebook 

 As you drive through the charming country roads of the Loddon Valley, keep an eye out for Cuzz’s roadside art. This Wedderburn-based artist who specialises in road side art, pyrography and charcoal design loves to surprise locals and visitors with his whimsical creations which are normally popping with colour. From birds and dogs to country scenes and even a dinosaur or two, Cuzz’s art brings a touch of magic to the countryside. Keep a particular eye out around Wedderburn where his creative skills are on full display on bins, poles, stumps and even at the golf course.  

Cuzz's Studio Roadside Art Trail

 Cuzzs Studio | Facebook 

Hard Hill Tourist Reserve is located close to town in a natural bush setting and is ideal for the “On Off Road Camper”. When camping at the Reserve you must be fully self-contained.

This precinct is “Home to the Minelab Wedderburn Detector Jamboree” & the “Inglewood & District Community Bendigo Bank Junior Gold Panning Competition” held Saturday & Sunday of the Victorian Labour Day Long Weekend each March..

Visitors can walk around the base of Hard Hill enjoying the flora & fauna, stroll to the top to see the old gold mine from the diggings days, 

view the gold puddler and also the working eucalyptus stew pot. You'll also see the exterior of the gold stamper battery as you enter off Wilson St.  

Blue Mallee Eucalyptus Oil that has been produced from the working eucalyptus stew pot can be purchased from Wedderburn Community House. 

Hard Hill Tourist Reserve is RV Friendly. Please consider a donation when camping (details are available on the notice board at Hard Hill).

Located a short 20 minute drive south of Wedderburn is the beautiful Kooyoora State Park. The park provides an enormous diversity of landscapes and vegetation types across its huge area and contains some of the best examples of Box Ironbark forest.

The Park was proclaimed in November 1985 and expanded in 2002. Its area now extends to 11,350ha and encompasses some of north-central Victoria’s outstanding natural features. The variety of vegetation communities and rich history found in the park add to the park’s value.

Things to do:

• The park offers opportunities for sightseeing, picnicking, walking, nature study and camping.  
• The Summit Track climbs between boulders to the summit and Melville Caves Lookout.  
• The Eastern Walking Circuit traverses an area of strange rock formations, giant granite slabs, and balancing rocks.
• Melville Caves Lookout is a short walk from the Upper Picnic area.
• A direction disc on top of boulders at the lookout points out surrounding features and landmarks.
• Exploring the walking track systems is a good way to see the park and relax in natural surroundings while enjoying the scenic and historic values.

Facilities:

• Melville Caves picnic ground has shelter, toilets and water.
• Camping is permitted at the Melville Caves camping ground situated 1 km past the main picnic ground.

Fauna:

Tree dwelling mammals and tree-nesting birds live in the open forests. Rainbow bee-eaters nest in the granite soils and wedge-tailed eagles among the granite tors. Kangaroos and wallabies browse the native grasslands. Areas with shrubby understorey and abundant ground litter give shelter to many ground-dwelling animals such as the yellow-footed antechinus. Some 130 bird species have also been recorded.

We acknowledge the resources from Victoria’s Dept of Sustainability & Environment for some of the information on this page. Full page can be viewed by visiting Kooyoora State Park at the DEECA website.

Kooyoora Cultural Tour (Dumawul):

Delve into our Djandak (Country) and have a yarn with one of knowledgeable Djaara guides who will take you on an awe-inspiring tour of the 'Mountain of Light' to discover the rich culture of Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People).

After taking part in a traditional Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, you'll journey through the landscapes; see the ancient rock art forms, marvel at the tall tree canopy that is home to 500-year-old scar trees, learn about bush tucker, and discover how Djaara have adapted to changes in the environment over time. 

Duration: Half day (approx. 2 hours)

Walking distance: Up to 5kmg - requires a reasonable level of fitness

Star time: 10am (visit www.dumawul.com.au for dates)

Meet at: Bridgewater Hotel

Cost: Adults - $195

Book online at www.dumawul.com.au or phone 1800 813 153

The Lonely Grave is virtually within the Wedderburn Township boundary. Heading north, turn right at the Caltex Service Station and head up Tantalla Street. Go left at the Y intersection and keep following the road even when it turns to dirt and you will come across the site.

The grave holds the remains of Thomas Whyte, a Scot who came to Australia in search of a future for his family. How he came to arrive in Wedderburn is not really known as he originally had a shop in Collins Street in Melbourne. When you read of his history, it could well be very typical of many of the miners who came to Wedderburn in search of their fortune.

Several of the letters from Thomas Whyte to his family in Edinburgh have been preserved. You can read the letters by clicking on each one as listed. The letters provide an interesting history of the man and how he came to Australia. Unfortunately, we don’t know why or how he came to end up in Wedderburn.

In the Wedderburn/Wychitella region of north-central Victoria, the Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), also known as Lowan in the language of the Djarra people, the Traditional Owners of this Country, quietly goes about its remarkable work. This shy, ground-dwelling bird is famous for building massive nesting mounds from leaf litter, local rocky metamorphic soils, and sand, with some up to five metres across. These natural compost heaps act as carefully regulated incubators. The male Malleefowl is a true mound engineer, constantly monitoring the temperature with his beak and adjusting the mound to keep the eggs at the perfect warmth.

But here’s a twist, once the chicks hatch, there’s no parenting at all. No cuddles, no feeding, no guidance, just a fluffy chick bursting out of the mound, fully formed and ready to run. Malleefowl chicks are on their own from the moment they hit daylight.

Historically, these culturally significant birds had a much broader range. They could once be found in areas like Bacchus Marsh but have since disappeared from large parts of their former habitat due to land clearing and fragmentation. Today, their range stretches from Western Australia across southern South Australia, north-western Victoria, and into western New South Wales, mainly within mallee and semi-arid woodlands.

The Wedderburn population of the Malleefowl, Lowan, is particularly at risk. Isolated and genetically vulnerable, this population is protected under both the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999 and Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee (FFG) Act 1988.

Each year, local volunteers and conservationists from the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network (WCMN), monitor local mounds each year, undertake fox baiting, track breeding activity and feed vital data into the National Malleefowl Recovery Plan (September 2024). This nationwide effort aims to protect remaining habitat, manage threats such as foxes and fire, and keep this incredible bird and its ancient mound-building legacy alive.

Photos courtesy of, and further Information about Mallee Fowl can be obtained from, The National Malleefowl Recovery Group (NMRG) https://www.nationalmalleefowl.com.au/ or the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network (WCMN) https://www.wedderburncmn.org/

 Mt Korong is located approximately 15 kilometres south east of Wedderburn. At 423 metres above sea level, it is a dominant feature of the local landscape and is well visible from the Calder Highway and several other points around Wedderburn.

The reserve offers great areas for picnics and bushwalking and you can climb all the way to the top if you are feeling really fit and adventurous. The views of the surrounding countryside are magnificent.

Another feature of the Mt Korong scenic reserve is a road that circumnavigates the mountain. It is a spectactular drive, but not necessarily one for the brand new car!  In fact you really do need a 4WD for one particular section and it can be a bit rough.

As related by Bruce Robertson in 1982

Mr & Mrs Stokes arrived in Wedderburn in 1933 and early the following year Mr Stokes died leaving Mrs Stokes living in a little home made tent alongside the reservoir drain. Bruce Robertson, who lived with his family in the town later described the place as “a shocking place to live! It was a bag tent, home made, sewn together, plastered with flour and pipe clay to try to run the water off. When it did rain, they got equal amounts of water in and out”.

Bruce, who was 11 years old, said to Mrs Stokes one day, “What say we build a little mud brick cottage for you?” an so they set to. They made the bricks, “just so many so we could go on”. Bruce made the mould and the mixed “the white quartz stone and loamy sort of soil that won’t crack like clay and is more durable” and let them dry.

They needed slate for the foundations, so with Jimmy, an old draught horse, they went out in the spring cart to get the slate. No damp course because they had no money for tar or bitumen. When it came time to lay the bricks, Mrs Stokes mixed up the mortar and Bruce did the brick laying. 

At first Bruce had only weekends to work as he was at school. Leaving school early and while working for his uncle, Graham Ross, he had Wednesday afternoon off and “that speeded it up a bit”.

The house has a double fireplace, for fireplace and stove and a dirt floor. The doors, windows and stove were found in an old disused farmhouse. Timber was “anything Dad had laying around” and “Dad helped me put the roof on” said Bruce.

Having just started to plaster the walls inside, they realised that the wet weather was starting and “there was no way you could keep her out, even with a big stick” Bruce said of Mrs Stokes, so she moved in and lived there until 1979.

Mrs Stokes died aged 93 at the Korong Bush Nursing Hospital in 1982. In 1983 the house was moved from the Crown Land on which it was built and re-erected by the Shire at the Pioneer Caravan Park as a memorial to Mrs Nancy Stokes. It is still there today.

 Eucalyptus oil has been produced in Australia since 1852 when Joseph Bosisto commenced production in a small still at Dandenong Creek in Victoria. It was hard work, with the raw eucalyptus leaves cut by hand with special sickles and slashers. It was collected and carted in by wagon to distillerys where the leaves were dumped into vertical iron stills set into the ground below wagon level for easy filling. A lid was then put on and sealed with mud. Steam from a nearby boiler was turned on and after it had carried over the volatile oil, the spent leaves were hoisted out by derrick.

These days, production is a little more refined. The “Blue Mallee” which is considered to produce the best oil is slashed using tractors every two years. It is put straight into a mobile still which is towed behind the tractor. It takes 5 kilograms of leaf to produce enough oil for a 50ml bottle of oil.

Several of these old stills exist around Wedderburn. Ask a local for some directions to a few or at the Loddon Visitor Information Centre in Wilson St.

 Skinners Flat Reservoir is located about 9km out of Wedderburn to the north. You turn off onto a narrow dirt road to access the reservoir.  Be careful when traversing this track as in places it is only wide enough for a single vehicle.

The reservoir offers some great facilities including:

• Magnificent bush walks
• Camping
• Swimming, Canoeing & Paddleboarding
• Fishing and yabbying
• Picnic areas

The reservoir is located in the Wychitella State Forest and there are often fox baits laid. 

Please look out for the signs to protect your dog if you are walking in the bush.

 Wedderburn Community Garden, affectionately known as 'Ted's Garden' is where you will find the much loved Kangaroo Chair. 

The Kangaroo Chair represents, Federation, the formation of the Loddon Shire and the community spirit shared by the towns of Wedderburn, Pyramid Hill and Tarnagulla. The artwork that features on the chair was created by school children from each of these communities celebration the centenary of Federation.

The garden is named after Edward (Ted) Hargreaves, who gifted the land for the garden to Loddon Shire Council for the establishment of a community garden.

Ted's Garden is located on High St, just down from the Wedderburn Service Station.

Uniting Church: 63 High St, Wedderburn VIC 3518

Church of Christ: Cnr Reef & Wilson St, Wedderburn VIC 3518

Holy Trinity Anglican Church: Cnr Wilson & Kerr St, Wedderburn VIC 3518

 Located on the corner of Wilson Street and the turnoff to Hard Hill Tourist Reserve.

The sign at the front of the battery gives the history. The information, which has been supplied by the Korong Historical Society is on the board at the front of the building.

When this gold battery, known as the “New Hope” was opened in 1905, it was the eighth battery to have been erected in the Wedderburn district. (The first was the Canadian Reef; the second at Hard Hill, later moved to Bocca Flat; the third was at Munster Point; the fourth was on Campbell’s Reef; the fifth was on Specimen Hill; the sixth was the Victory and the seventh was Mr Magnuss’). The battery was opened in the presence of a number of townspeople and officials by Miss Cosh, daughter of one of Wedderburn’s first residents. It had been paid for by the Government and it was hoped that it would lead to a revival of mining in the area. Built by Mr Gillon, an engineer, it was originally worked by a steam engine. The battery itself was of iron construction with a head of five stampers and could be driven at eighty blows per minute. (It was belt driven by a six horsepower portable engine made by Johnson and Son. The boiler had been tested up to 120 pounds hydraulic pressure with a working pressure of eighty pounds.) Charges at the time of opening were:

Up to 5 tons – Four shillings (4/-) an hour
5 to 10 tons – Three shillings and sixpence (3/6) an hour
10 tons or more – Three shillings and threepence (3/3) an hour
A cleaning charge of five shillings (5/-) a crushing was made.

You will find more information on the sign outside the battery.