Swap the screen for some cool scenes

MANY of us these days would probably sheepishly admit that we should ‘really get out more.’

If you can bear the heat, summer can be the best time of year to get outside and into the fresh air.

The region is surrounded by several natural parks and reserves, and park protection and nature campaigner at the Victorian National Parks Association, Jordan Crook, said he knows them well.

Mr Crook said Greater Bendigo National Park is a great option for walks of any kind of length, be it short or over several days.

“It’s quite a large and really beautiful and accessible park,” he said.

“The Whipstick part of the park is really stunning, and it’s probably the largest connected part of the park, so the largest stretch of bushland without houses and roads through it.

“I think the whole Greater Bendigo National Park is an awesome park and it doesn’t get the love it deserves.”

The other major protected reserve in the area is Heathcote-Graytown National Park.

“That’s a beauty, personally one of my favourite parks,” said Mr Crook. “Great for walking and riding.

“There’s a whole heap of reserves in the area; Costerfield’s awesome, the Crosbie Native Conservation Reserve as well, [both] are quite large reserves.

“It’s [Heathcote-Graytown] a lot more hilly than the Greater Bendigo National Park, more strictly box-ironbark than Bendigo which is a bit more mixed and changes around the Whipstick area.”

Often found in the local parks and reserves are examples of old occupations.

“There’s plenty of cultural sites, old mining infrastructure, and an old eucalyptus oil distillery in the Greater Bendigo National Park,” said Mr Crook.

“They’re spotted all through the reserves and the parks.”

In the Graytown part of the Heathcote-Graytown park is the site of a World War Two prisoner of war camp, and the Greater Bendigo National Park contains a mine no longer in use, known as the Old Tom Mine.

While dogs are not permitted in national parks, they usually are in State and regional parks and reserves, as is mountain biking.

“The regional parks are kind of open for more intensive recreation; check the local regulations, some tracks might allow it, some might not and that’s just to protect the local wildlife,” said Mr Crook.

“Be wary of snakes and other wildlife, carry sufficient water, and make sure someone knows where you’re headed out.”

Other parks in the area Mr Crook recommends include Wellsford State Forest and Crusoe Number 7 Reserve.

Check the Parks Victoria website for up-to-date information on what’s accessible and when.