DEECA Victoria

Victorian Energy Upgrades. Lower bills. Better homes. Real impact. A big welcome to @deeca_vic Victorian Energy Upgrades as a partner for SHD 2026. By offering discounts on efficient appliances, they’re helping households take practical steps to reduce energy use and cut costs — the kind of upgrades that make a difference straight away. Because sustainable homes aren’t just good for the planet. They make everyday life better. 🎟 Plan your day now #EnergyEfficiency #CostOfLiving #SustainableHouseDay

Paddle 9km from Coopers Creek to Brunton's Bridge winding past stunning forest scenery along the Thomson River Canoe Trail 🛶 🍃 About 3 hours to complete, it’s ideal for paddlers with limited experience, featuring some easy grade 2 rapids. ⛺Camp overnight at Coopers Creek or Brunton's Bridge 🚙 Access to these camping areas is recommended by 4WD only See more at www.exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au/activities/paddling

Victoria’s State Forest Hidden Gems 🌲✨ 📩 Save this for your next outdoor adventure! With over 3 million hectares of state forest to explore in Victoria, there’s no shortage of incredible places to get outdoors, from lush rainforest walks to cascading waterfalls and scenic forest lookouts! Here are a few highlights worth adding to your list: 1. Checking Station Campground 🌲 Location: Noojee State Forest 🏕️ A quiet bush campground surrounded by towering trees - perfect for a simple, off-grid escape. 2. Poplars Reserve 🌲 Location: Noojee State Forest 🍂 A beautiful riverside spot, especially popular for its golden autumn colours. 3. Starlings Gap Campground 🌲 Location: Yarra State Forest 🏕️ A peaceful forest campground, my personal favourite for slower, quiet camp days! 4. Wirrawilla Rainforest Walk 🌲 Location: Toolangi State Forest 🍃 Wander through cool temperate rainforest with boardwalks, ferns, and flowing creeks. 5. Toorongo Falls 🌲 Location: Noojee State Forest 💧 A stunning waterfall walk through lush forest, with multiple cascades to explore. Victoria is home to some of the most diverse natural landscapes and these spots are just the beginning! ✨ Plan your next trip via exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au or download the More to Explore app for maps and to discover even more state forest locations. Which one are you adding to your list? 👇🏼 @deeca_vic #ad #VICGreatOutdoors #VisitVictoria #SeeAustralia #VisitMelbourne

Everyone can enjoy the thrill of mountain biking, with a new all‑abilities trail open in Stanley State Forest near Yackandandah. The green (easy) trail was designed with adaptive mountain bikers in mind and includes a shared-use path along Yack Creek. Adaptive mountain biking uses specially designed bikes and trails to enable people with diverse physical, neurological or sensory abilities to enjoy mountain biking. The Yack Tracks trailhead is 4.5km from Yackandandah and is the gateway to a purpose-built mountain bike network of more than 90km of singletrack, including the Indigo Epic Trail. The project was identified in the Yackandandah Creek State Recreation Facilities Masterplan and delivered as part of a long-term partnership between Yack Tracks Inc. Volunteer MTB Club and DEECA. Find out more: exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au/activities/mountain-biking/yackandandah-trails or download the More to Explore App. 🎥 North South Media

Visit Stringybark Creek near Mansfield to learn more about a dark chapter in Victoria’s police history involving notorious bushrangers Ned and Dan Kelly. Visit Explore Outdoors to read more or click link in bio.

Today is International Firefighters’ Day. We honour the courage, commitment and sacrifice of firefighters, and remember our staff who lost their lives protecting others. A century ago, during the devastating 1926 bushfire season, out‑of‑control fires swept across more than one million acres of Victoria. On 14 February 1926, Black Sunday, communities including Warburton, Powelltown, Gilderoy, Gembrook, Noojee and Erica bore the brunt. Around 30 people lost their lives, many of them loggers and sawmill workers who were vital to the state’s firefighting effort. Today, 13 loggers and mill workers are honoured on DEECA’s Fallen Personnel Memorial. We remember and honour them, and thank all firefighters for their service. ❤️ 📷 Ruins of Worlley's Mill, Gilderoy. The Argus, Melbourne. 17 February 1926, via Trove (National Library of Australia).

🐋 The southern right whale is a special seasonal visitor to Australia’s southern coast, arriving each year between May and October, to breed along our coastline. There are fewer than 300 southern right whales in eastern Australian waters. After the impacts of historic whaling, the population is now listed as endangered in Victoria. Logans Beach in Warrnambool is a southern right whale nursery site, where females regularly return to give birth and nurse their young. Although mums and calves are spotted elsewhere too. Southern right whales have distinctive white markings on their heads called callosities, similar to a fingerprint, which helps researchers identify and track individual whales over time. Community reported whale sightings and photos play a vital role in helping researchers monitor whale movements, breeding patterns and habitat use. 📲 Upload your sighting and photos to WhaleFace to support ongoing research. Get involved .au/whaleface 📸 Southern right whale photographed at Thunder Point, Warrnambool in 2025. Submitted to WhaleFace by Tammy Patterson. #ARIScience

Day 2 of our dog-friendly state forest adventure, and honestly it just kept getting better!! 🐶⛺️🥾��Carters Mill free campground, a walk to Plain Creek Waterfall, then one of the best day walks in the Victorian High Country at Mt Timbertop. ��Victoria has some of the most diverse landscapes in the country, and so much of it is dog-friendly state forest. Camping is free, first come first served, no bookings needed! Plan your trip at exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au or download the More to Explore app. 🌿🏕️ #ad #VICGreatOutdoors @deeca_vic #VisitVictoria #VisitMelbourne #StateForest

100 bandicoots! One big team effort 🐾 We’ve just welcomed the largest-ever translocation of Eastern barred bandicoots to Milawul and it’s all thanks to an incredible partnership. Reflecting years of work by the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Recovery Team, including partners at the @odonata_foundation , @unimelb and Cesar Australia, @conservationvolunteers , @decca_vic , @parksvic , @unimelb and @zoosvictoria working together to restore and future-proof this species. From near extinction to a stronger future in the wild 💚 Want to help? Create wildlife-friendly gardens, report sightings and keep cats contained. Images by James Morgan @gettyimages for @amazonaustralia

Day 1 of my dog-friendly camping trip near Melbourne 🐾⛺ I had NO idea how many dog-friendly, 2WD accessible hikes and campgrounds were this close to home! Victoria has over 7 million hectares of public land to explore, and 3 million of that is state forest - including so many spots where dogs are welcome on leash! 🏕️ Camping is free and first come, first served. Here’s what we got up to on Day 1 👇 🥾 Craig’s Hut — a 3km return walk to one of Victoria’s most iconic huts. Absolutely worth it. Plus there are views over Mount Cobbler and the Upper King River Valley from Craig’s 💧 Binderee Falls — a short stroll from the carpark, this hidden little waterfall tucked into the forest is absolutely stunning. 🏕️ Free camping at Carters Mill Campground— first come, first served, no bookings needed! Plus it’s only half an hour from Mansfield. If you’re planning a dog-friendly trip, visit exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au download the More to Explore app to plan your next trip ��#ad #VICGreatOutdoors @deeca_vic #VisitVictoria #ExploreVictoria #StateForest

I was today years old when I discovered the Rubicon Heritage and Dam Walk 😍 There’s timber trestle bridges, a historic sawmill AND a dam wall… all in one forest less than 2 hours from Melbourne (making it perfect for a weekend adventure). HIKE DETAILS: Rubicon Heritage and Dam Walk Distance: 12 km return Duration: ~3–4 hours depending on pace Difficulty: Easy–moderate (mostly flat with some gentle inclines) Trail type: Out-and-back CAMPGROUND DETAILS: Kendalls Campground Sites: Grassy unpowered sites suitable for tents and smaller caravans, plenty of space to spread out Amenities: Pit toilets, picnic tables, fire pits and river access Bookings: No bookings required - first come, first served Victoria’s state forests are full of hidden gems like this and I used the More to Explore app and exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au to plan my trip – it’s super handy to discover unique spots, campgrounds, hikes and more 🌿 Who else is adding this one to their weekend adventure list? 👇🏼 #ad #VICGreatOutdoors @deeca_vic #VisitVictoria #SeeAustralia #VisitMelbourne StateForest ExploreVictoria

Beautiful roadtrip idea in Victoria 🚙✨ - We are so lucky to have millions of hectares of state forest to explore from Melbourne. From cool temperate rainforests to breathtaking alpine peaks to windswept coastal cliffs, it’s safe to say that Victoria is home to some of the most diverse landscapes in the country! I recently went on a drive 3.5 hours east from Melbourne to a part of Victoria that I haven’t visited before! Located in the High country near Briagolong, Freestone Creek is a beautiful area known for its great walking trails, hidden swimming holes and quiet campgrounds. Before your next adventure, visit exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au or download the More to Explore app to plan your trip. It’s a really helpful app that allows you to download offline maps and find hidden gems like the locations featured in this video! - *ad #visitvictoria #visitmelbourne #melbourneaustralia #visitgippsland #travelaustralia