Count lyrebirds to celebrate Mt Worth

Friends of Mt Worth State Park are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the park with several activities planned for the coming months.

The park was first proclaimed on May 16 1978 following a campaign over many years lead by Jack and Nancy Brooks.

Jack was a retired dairy farmer who became a keen field naturalist and photographer and rode his bike many days through the hills around Mt Worth.

He was keen to get local people into and understanding the local environment and started his campaign with a submission to a recreation study by the then Shire of Warragul.

And so it is appropriate that the first activity in the celebration will be a bushwalk to the less visited areas of the park. This will be held on Sunday May 20 in partnership with the Strzelecki Bushwalking Club.

The walk will start from Moonlight Creek picnic ground to Waterfall Bower and out to Grand Ridge Road. A short bus ride will take walkers along McDonalds Track stopping at the summit of Mt Worth.

Walkers will re-enter the Park for a walk over the hill on the northern side of the park with valley views, then down to the Moonlight Creek picnic ground.

Places are strictly limited so bookings must be made with Wendy Cartledge on 5192 4036.

There will be a range of activities in July including “Breakfast with the Birds” on Saturday July 1, involving a pre-dawn lyrebird count and barbecue breakfast in the Park.

For adventure runners Sunday July 22 will see the inaugural “Mt Worth Trail Run” with levels of challenge for a children and family run to a 12km “Mountain Challenge” through the steeper trails.

Other activities planned for later in the year include a tree planting day and a citizen science planning workshop, focusing on a program to detect and monitor Platypus.