Pound Bend Reserve - Warrandyte State Park

The Pound Bend Reserve, in the Warrandyte State Park, 25 km from the Melbourne CBD, is popular in all seasons.

There are grassy areas for picnicking, a walking track along the river which supplies access to koalas and a variety of flora, toilets (including disabled facilities), information boards, canoeing, swimming and horseriding opportunities and a nature walk.

The Pound Bend Tunnel was created in 1870 by a goldmining company in order to divert the course of the Yarra River, thereby enabling the exploitation of the old riverbed. It is now a popular swimming spot.

Pound Road is a signposted surfaced road which heads north off Warrandyte Road (which, in turn, heads west from Warrandyte to Templestowe). The entry gates to this site are closed of an evening (times are posted on the park entrance signs).

The Reserve dates back to the early 1930s, many years before the Warrandyte SP was proclaimed. The area occupied by the present-day Reserve was originally proposed as a large Koala Sanctuary in 1937, but this was abandoned.

Koalas are occasionally seen in the bushland along the Pound Bend Walking Track, north from the Reserve.

I visited the Reserve on Friday September 25, 2009, exploring the Tunnel area and the walking tracks.

South of the Tunnel observation area is a narrow foot-track, which continues through bushland for about 1 km above the river. This is not marked in any maps and offers interesting views of the Yarra's opposite bank.

See the complete set of Photos of my visit!