Giant Redwoods In Australia

[waitingman]

Otway National Park, Victoria




Warburton, Victoria

All from the recent roadtrip...

Comments

[paserbyp]

Trees!

[anais_pf]

I had no idea there are giant redwoods in Australia. Were those planted? The third photo makes it look like they're in strict straight lines.

[waitingman]

There are only 2 locations in Australia where the redwoods grow - & these are photos from both of them... Apparently the Chief Botanist of Victoria got hold of some seeds/seedlings & tried them in suitable locations - 2 of which obviously worked! They were planted within a few years of each other in the 1930s, with the small grove in the Otway National Park being a much more natural, unstructured 'family' of a few hundred trees, than the larger & yes, more structured plantation-style forest in Warburton, which has about 1400 trees

Both locations are worth visiting because of how different they are. The Otway NP grove is almost rainforest-like, with a small creek running through it & ferns & mossy logs throughout & you can do a kind of looping meander through in about 15 minutes. The Warburton forest is a giant, criss-crossing maze, where they've inserted pieces of natural artwork that you encounter as you try to take a methodical route through the place, but fail, because it's too tempting to head off diagonally in places & you inevitably emerge nowhere near where you thought you would. Fortunately, it's not so large that a search party is required - you can find your way back to the car park & entry without much effort!