Friends of Werribee River Park
The Friends of Werribee River Park meet on the 3rd Saturday of the month, April to September for conservation, maintenance, watering, and discovery walks. An enjoyable and social environment, ideal for community groups to get involved.
Like all of our programs, please wear suitable clothing and footwear. Be sun smart, bring a water bottle, and your own gloves. We’ll provide the tools and plants, and have some refreshments to follow. Please sign up to receive location details and access information.
Program queries werribeeriver@gmail.com
Background
Werribee River Park is on the west side of the river estuary and was launched by the Victorian State Government on 4 October 2006 as a new Parks Victoria regional park.
The Minister at the time said works would include a trail along the Werribee River, an entrance road, a car park, a pedestrian bridge to connect to the Werribee Mansion precinct, and visitor facilities.
We began exploring the park not long after, and on the 9 January 2011, we were invited to help guide a walking group of twenty plus people from the Victorian National Parks Association, who wanted to see some aspects of Werribee Park Mansion grounds and have a look at the new Werribee Regional Park.
Highlights included the heritage orchid, wallabies, Red-rumped Parrots, and great views on a beautiful day along the escarpments of the newly created Regional Park.
WRA officially became the Friends Of Werribee River Park (FOWRP) in July 2012. As the FOWRP WRA has to work within the Park’s strategic plan and management policies, as well as following Parks Victoria’s volunteer charter.
In 2013, over 30 hectares of Werribee River Park were planted out by direct seeding and seedlings during mid-August. Many kilograms of mixed seed, seed mix, and seeding machine at work, and over 18,000 seedlings were planted. With preparation and direct seeding work by Greening Australia, and seedlings planted by Habitat Land Management, the project sites have mostly been successful.
FOWRP welcomed the initiative as one which will support and enhance the social and environmental aspects of the park and will give precious habitat for many species.
By 2015, WRA had begun to conduct regular planting activities and in 2022 has planted 5000 trees and shrubs under the Cooler Greener West project.
The park has limited facilities and is relatively unknown to the general public. The park needs a modern safe and accessible connection to Wyndham’s River Path and the Federation Trail at Concorde Cres, Werribee. Prohibiting factors present currently include a litter, gravel spread, and untidy area leading onto the sewer aqueduct, which provides the way for foot traffic across the river, and an unsafe pathway under the Maltby Bypass to and from the park.
It is the aim of FOWRP that the park is renamed to avoid confusion as to where the park is located. One suggestion is ‘Cocoroc Park’, after the Waddawurung word and name for the district.