APPROVED MANAGEMENT PLANThis Management Plan has been preparedunder section 18 of the National Parks Act1975 (Vic.) and is approved forimplementation.The plan provides the basis for the futuremanagement of Castlemaine Diggings NationalHeritage Park. It was finalised followingconsideration of the 44 submissions receivedon the Draft Management Plan.PETER HARRISSecretary to theDepartment of Sustainability and EnvironmentMARK STONEChief ExecutiveParks VictoriaivCastlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park
INTRODUCTION TO BOX-IRONBARK PARKSThe Box-Ironbark Parks lie inland of the GreatDividing Range in northern and centralVictoria. Dotted across the landscape in abroad band from Wodonga through Chiltern,Beechworth and Benalla, they extend pastNumurkah and through to Heathcote, Bendigo,Maryborough and St Arnaud to Ararat andStawell. At the time of European settlementBox-Ironbark forests and woodlands coveredalmost three million ha or 13% of Victoria.Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands areunique to Australia, valued by localcommunities and celebrated in literature andart. The landscapes of the region have inspiredpoets, writers and artists, both past andcontemporary, including Banjo Paterson, JohnWolseley and Samuel Thomas Gill. With thecreation of a highly protected system of parksand reserves in 2002, the future of these forestsand woodlands is assured.Box-Ironbark areas are part of Country of theTraditional Owners. There are many placesand sites rich in archaeological, cultural andspiritual significance throughout the region.Increasingly, Indigenous communities areinvolved in protecting and sharing the region’sIndigenous heritage.Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands containsome of Victoria’s most significant historicgold mining landscapes and features on publicland, including areas of national culturalheritage significance. This has been recognisedin the establishment of Castlemaine DiggingsNational Heritage Park, a first for Australia.These landscapes and sites are associated withmany former gold towns and settlements, andcombine with them to form a region of stronghistoric character and interest. The historicgold mining landscapes are significantcomponents of tourism in the region today.The Box-Ironbark forests have been associatedwith forestry, gold mining, grazing andapiculture from the 1830s. The major reefs andunderground ore bodies helped establish andmaintain towns, and together with forestproducts, contributed to the State’s economicdevelopment.Different people value the forests in differentways, but local communities have strongfeelings of pride in and ownership of theirBox-Ironbark landscapes. The creation of theBox-Ironbark parks presents furtheropportunities to celebrate, protect and enhancethese special landscapes.Because much of the Box-Ironbark area wassuitable for grazing and other forms ofagriculture, and because it coincides withVictoria’s gold country, European settlementhas had a substantial impact. More than 80%of the area has been cleared, and nearly all theremainder (496 000 ha, of which 372 000 ha ison public land) has been affected by grazing,timber cutting and other pressures fromsettlement. Past land uses have alsocontributed to region-wide problems of pestplants and animals, salinity and soil erosion.Interestingly, the gold mining which had asignificant initial impact on theseenvironments also contributed to theirprotection. To ensure supplies of timber formining needs, the government establishedforest reserves. These became the setting forsettlements and communities and thebackyards for local people growing up in thearea. Some are the basis of today’s parks andreserves.Although dominated by box and ironbarkeucalypts, the Box-Ironbark forests are notuniform. Six broad vegetation and landscapetypes and no fewer than 73 EcologicalVegetation Classes are recognised. The mostextensive classes originally were Plains GrassyWoodland, Grassy Woodland and Box-Ironbark Forest; all are now consideredendangered or depleted.Fragmentation and loss of habitat mean thatalmost 300 Box-Ironbark plant species (out ofa total of 1500 vascular plant species), and 53of a total of 250 vertebrate fauna species, arenow considered threatened. Many species,particularly of birds, are in an ongoing state ofdecline. A key aim of Box-Ironbarkconservation and management is therefore therecovery of species, as well as the protection ofthose species not currently threatened.One of the greatest losses has been that oflarge old box and ironbark trees, whichproduce reliable and abundant nectar, supplyCastlemaine Diggings National Heritage Parkv
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