Victoria's National Parks and Crown Reserves have received a $12.4 million funding increase in this year’s State Budget.

$4.4 million will be spent on National Parks and an extra $8m on Crown Land Reserves around the state.

The National Parks funding will go to expanding of the Great Ocean Walk, extensively upgrading facilities at the Grampians, and works at other rural national parks including the Alpine National Park in north east Victoria.

The funding will also provide an opportunity to upgrade recreation and conservation opportunities for the parks of Geelong linking the Barwon River and Corio Bay.

The works will include:

• $1.5 million to make the 110-kilometre Great Ocean Walk a major long-distance walk stretching from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell.
• $1 million to upgrade and improve walking tracks, lookout points, camping and picnic facilities at the Grampians.
• A further $900,000 dedicated to rural national parks including improved walking and cross country skiing tracks in north east Victoria’s Alpine National Park.
• $1 million for a coordinated plan and capital works in Geelong to link walking and bicycle trails in the Barwon River and Corio Bay precinct. People will be able to enjoy new picnic areas, revegetated areas, improved birdwatching at wetlands and recreational activities around Corio Bay.

The $8-million Crown Land Reserves improvements would benefit several projects across many shires throughout Victoria.

These projects will include:

• A community museum and community support and information centre at Gallipoli Park in Marysville.
• Improvements at Howitt Park, Bairnsdale, with the Rotary Club of Bairnsdale and the Shire of East Gippsland. The improvements will be in line with the recently developed management plan for the park.
• Continued reconstruction of the Port of Echuca Historic Reserve.
• Development of three Crown Reserves in the Shire of Hepburn at Lake Daylesford Reserve, Cornish Hill Reserve and Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve.

(News Release, Office of the Minister for Conservation and Land Management, May 4, 1999)