Reef Hills State Park

Reef Hills Park is an area of 2040ha of mixed eucalypt forest near Benalla in the northeast of Victoria. The forest is an important remnant of the original vegetation of the northern plains of Victoria and is valued by naturalists for its wide range of plant and animal life.

The grey box and river red gums of the forest provide nectar for honey production in the area, which is valued by apiarists. As its name suggests, the gold rushes had an impact on this region. Both reef and alluvial gold was uncovered until early this century.

Traces of the workings can be seen along the ridges and in the gullies in the northern part of the park. The forest was cut for timber for the gold mines and later during the World War II for charcoal burners and domestic firewood.