September 2, 2019
Parks Victoria is preparing a new management plan with Traditional Owner groups for the Grampians landscape, an area that covers the Grampians National Park and adjacent parks and reserves.
The Grampians Landscape includes the following parks and reserves by Parks Victoria;
- Grampians National Park
- Black Range State Park
- Brady Swamp State Game Reserve
- Fyans Creek Bushland Reserve
- Mount William Creek Streamside Reserve
- Cherrypool Highway Park
- Lady Somers Bridge Streamside Reserve
- Mount Difficult Plantation Campground
- Moyston West Bushland Reserve
- Rowes Bushland Reserve
- Millers Creek Bushland Reserve
- Brambuk – The National Park and Cultural Centre Park
As always we are mindful to ensure recreational fishing is sufficiently recognised in any new and expanded plan and that fishing access is enhanced – not lost. When we look at the 2003 Grampians National Park plan recreational fishing doesn’t get much of a write up:
“There are very few opportunities in the park for fishing, because of the limited number of suitable streams. Fishing, however, is very popular in the reservoirs, which are not included in the park although they are within its boundaries. Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout have been released into Lake Bellfield in the past and are still being released into Lake Wartook. Any further release into the reservoirs of fish species not currently present within the park may have adverse impacts on native species within the reservoir tributaries in the park” – Grampians National Park Plan 2003, Parks Victoria.
Much as changed since 2003 with the Governments’ Target One Million policy and expanded fish stocking program revolutionising our inland fisheries. Also, access both on-water and land-based appears lacking in previous plans.
No draft plans have been written so far. Public consultation up until October is to help Parks Victoria’s understanding of uses, challenges and opportunities in the Grampians landscape. You can find out more by visiting the Engage Victoria website. There are community workshops and ‘community listening posts’ over September. It’s important at this planning phase to let Parks Victoria know how Victorian recreational fishers are fishing the areas covered in the Landscape Plan and what are our current and future needs and aspirations. We invite fishers to provide VRFish with our feedback by dropping us a line at [email protected].
