I am back again for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge so have made the commitment to blog every day in April except the Sundays. Some bloggers choose a Theme, and others do random posts. For me, a theme works better, so the theme  I’ve chosen for 2016 is Bendigo.  I live just outside Bendigo and have been in this area for only 9 years, so feel I still have ‘visitors eyes’.

G is for The Greater Bendigo National Park, which surrounds Bendigo. . Visitors to Bendigo, cannot miss this huge area of parkland. The area is a protector of excellent quality native Australian trees and bushes. In any area of Bendigo, the national park is just a short distance, due to the layout of the city. Bendigo is often known as ‘city in a forest’.

Activities pursued in the national park are bushwalking, cycling, bird watching. Horseriding is also allowed in certain areas.  The Bendigo Bushland Trail, which is 60 kilometres long, goes through the national park along with the Great Dividing Trail, which links Bendigo to Castlemaine and Ballarat. These trails are particularly popular with cyclists and bushwalkers.

 

 

When walking around the bushland areas, it is still possible to see where goldmining of the 19th century occurred. There are many gullies, alluvial diggings, old mining dams, water races and old mineshafts.

Many species of bird can be found, making it a popular place for bird watchers.  Animals that live in the national park are kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, snakes and lizards.