About

Sherbrooke Forest is an iconic National Park in the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne. At an altitude of 300m, Sherbrooke forest is an 800 ha remnant of wet sclerophyll forest and one of Melbourne's premier day-walking destinations. Beneath a canopy of Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) reside an abundance of other tree and plants species, from Olearias, Pomaderris and tree ferns to grasses, creepers and ground ferns.

Four main creeks can be found within and crossing through the boundaries of Sherbrooke Forest - Clematis and Hardy creek (both with sources in or adjacent to the forest), Sherbrooke creek and Monbulk creek. Surveys are conducted in select spots in these waterways to monitor water quality through the presence of macroinvertebrates.

Friends of Sherbrooke Forest (FOSF) was first formed in 1980 and is currently comprised of approximately 30 volunteers working with Parks Victoria to restore Sherbrooke Forest to its original condition. Join Us! We work together to selectively and gently remove weeds from the forest - plants which which left unchecked, crowd out native flora.

Restoration work is centered around weed eradication and based on surveys of indigenous flora and fauna. At FOSF 'weeding parties' volunteers can make a real difference, learn a bit (or a lot!) about the forest, and enjoy a tea and a snack together while spending some time in one of Victoria's most picturesque National Parks. fern frond sherbrooke

There are a number of environmental weeds and pest species that pose challenges to preserving Sherbrooke forest's biodiversity. A few (dis)honourable mentions in this rogue gallery are:
Cestrum (Cestrum elegans), Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Wandering Trad (Tradescantia fluminensis) Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) and Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) to name just a few.

Deer have also become a significant problem in Sherbrooke forest, dregrading and trampling the forest's creeklines and opening areas up to invasive weed species.

Numerous local animal species call Sherbrooke forest home. kookaburra and crimson rosella are the most prominent, but king parrots, eastern rosellas, and rainbow lorikeets are also present. Non-avian animals include the wallaby, wombat, possum and echidna, to name just a few.

One of Sherbrooke forest's most iconic species is the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), a shy yet garrulous ground-dwelling bird, with a reknown skill for imitation. For more information about FOSF's annual lyrebird surveys which monitor lyrebird populations within the forest, visit our contact page. lyrebird sherbrooke forest

There's no prerequisites for getting involved, simply get in contact and bring along a pair of gloves, some water, some sturdy shoes and a curious mind!

FOSF's 'weeding parties' take three forms: The larger group meets on the last Saturday of the month, the 'Wandering Wednesday Weeders' meet on the second Wednesday of every month and the 'Tuesday mob' meet every Tuesday for some heavy-duty Cestrum control. A schedule of upcoming weeding parties and their locations is available on our contact page.