What's on
Park Appreciation Walk
Join us for a 'Park Appreciation Walk' around the Sanctuary. We will meet at the Visitors Centre.
Wattle Day Forest Therapy (booking required) - 29 August
Celebrate Wattle Day by escaping the rush of daily life and discovering the healing power of nature. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (forest immersion), this gentle, sensory-based experience invites you to slow down and connect with the Australian bush as wattles come into bloom. Booking required.
Working bee - 12 September
Come and join us for a working bee. We meet at the Visitors Centre and enjoy a morning tea together afterwards.
Possum prowl - 18 September
Meet at the Visitors Centre for an evening of spotlighting to find possums and gliders in the Sanctuary.
Wildflower walk - 4 October
A wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon - encountering the wildflowers of Blackburn Lake Sanctuary with expert guides. We meet at the Visitors Centre.
Spring bird survey - 10 October
Learn, and help us spot and hear the birds of the Sanctuary for our Spring bird count. No experience needed, simply your eyes and ears (and cameras if you wish). We meet at the Visitors Centre and will enjoy morning tea afterwards.
Working bee - 11 October
Come and join us for a working bee. We meet at the Visitors Centre and enjoy a morning tea together afterwards.
Working bee - 24 October
Come and join us for a working bee. We meet at the Visitors Centre and enjoy a morning tea together afterwards.
Working bee - 8 November
Come and join us for a working bee. We meet at the Visitors Centre and enjoy a morning tea together afterwards.
Park Appreciation Walk - 16 November
Join us for a 'Park Appreciation Walk' around the Sanctuary. We will meet at the Visitors Centre.
Twilight Working Bee - 26 November
Join us for our final working bee for the year at our Twilight event, a light supper follows.
Walking map (PDF)
About the Sanctuary
The Country of which the Sanctuary is a part, its creatures, lands, skies and waterways, has been continuously loved and cared for by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples for over 60,000 years.
After European settlement, the Sanctuary was variously a place for picnics, a home and flower farm operated by the 'Adult Deaf and Dumb Society', and public open space.
In the 1960s a group of residents feared the loss of this environment and lobbied for the lake and its surrounds to be developed into a Sanctuary.
Today we are tremendously grateful to the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, and generations of local residents, who work to ensure the Sanctuary remains a place we can all enjoy and nurture. If you'd like to keep across regular Sanctuary news, please subscribe to our News. To find out how you too can help care for the Sanctuary, see the links under 'Get Involved'.
News
How you can care for the Sanctuary
The people of the City of Whitehorse and every visitor to the Sanctuary play a vital role in caring for it. Below is essential contact information should you notice something amiss during your visit:
Contact EPA Victoria's 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842
Contact Wildlife Rescue Blackburn's hotline on 1300 094 737
Use the phone app Snap, Send Solve