Toolangi State Forest
Toolangi State Forest is one of Victoria’s most important living landscapes — a place where towering Mountain Ash trees, cool‑temperate rainforest gullies and rich wildlife habitats come together to form one of the most carbon‑dense ecosystems on Earth. Just north of Healesville, around 90 minutes from Melbourne CBD, Toolangi sits at the heart of the proposed Great Forest National Park, a region recognised by scientists, conservationists and community groups for its extraordinary biodiversity and its vital role in climate resilience.
Home to iconic species such as the critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum, as well as other native wildlife like the powerful owl, lyrebirds, Central Highlands Burrowing Crayfish (land yabbie), quolls, and brush-tailed phascogales as well as rare orchards and grasses, Toolangi’s forests support life found nowhere else. These ecosystems store immense amounts of carbon, protect water catchments, and provide refuge for wildlife in a rapidly changing climate. They are also places of deep cultural connection, community stewardship and environmental learning.
The name Toolangi is derived from an Aboriginal expression describing a stringy-bark gum tree. The forest is mainly Eucalypt forest that has regrown from the 1939 Victoria Bushfires. Large sections of the forest were also burnt in the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, although there are some pockets of old-growth forest that have not yet been logged or seriously burnt. Nearby is Kinglake, which was devastated during the 2009 Bushfires, so together they make an ideal location to undertake essential fieldwork associated with fire and to learn about its impacts.
As public debate continues around forest protection and land management, the area has become a symbol of both ecological hope and environmental responsibility. For Gould League, Toolangi is more than a destination — it is a living classroom where people of all ages can experience the beauty, complexity and resilience of Victoria’s tall forests, and understand why their protection matters.
We suggest you use the community toilets along the way and be ready to start at 10am sharp to maximise your time in the forest. Our introduction is at the Discovery Tree directly behind the CFA and opposite the now-closed Discovery Centre (where you can explore an array of wildlife and see images of logging over the century) before we set off to visit a Mountain Ash Forest, Temperate Rainforest, River and Logging Coupe and more.
Toolangi State Forest Excursions
Forest Transformations: Adaptations and Changes in the Forest over the last 65 million years.
Wood as a Resource: VCE Product Design and Technologies. Unit 3: Ethical product design and development
The Forest Environment – Enviro Science Unit 1 for VCE Students
Relationships with Forests – VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies Units 1, 2, 3 and 4.
What to expect
Toolangi State Forest, less than 1.5 hours from the centre of Melbourne and just north of Healesville, offers an immersive learning environment in Victoria’s tall forest region.
We recommend toilet stops and morning tea/snacks on the bus so you maximise your time in the forest with the educators. We suggest you use public toilets along the way as there are only two toilets at the Discovery Tree and NO toilets in the forest. If you come via Yarra Glen, we suggest the public toiletblock in Anzac Avenue, Yarra Glen (just off the main highway behind the RSL Club) as there are 7 toilets here – 2 male, 2 female and 3 unisex.
If do you do not come via Yarra Glen but along the Melba Highway, there are 4 unisex toilets at Dixons Creek Recreation Reserve (on the left hand side of the road heading to Toolangi near the CFA). You can also stop at Castella Central Park on the corner of Melba Highway and Toolangi Road, although there are only two toilets here and parking can be problematic.
The program starts at 10am sharp – so plan ahead and allow for possible road works and or heavy traffic as well as the convenience stops. You are to meet our educators at our Discovery Tree Room, just behind the CFA (see attached map). Your bus is required to accompany the groups for the entire program, as we move from site to site; visiting a Temperate Rainforest, Mountain Ash Forest and Logging Coupe.
Forest Excursions enable students to experience the natural environment, explore intricate interrelationships of native plants and animals and appreciate the important role that they have in achieving sustainable living now and in the future. State Forests are managed by DEECA, along with Parks Victoria, however they are not National Parks, though there are some Special Protection Zones. State forests are less developed than National Parks and a broader array of activities can occur within their boundaries, including hunting, fishing and timber harvesting. This makes it an excellent location for teaching students about human impacts on this ecosystem.
