Great Place to take the family for a walk through the mature redwoods.  Tall trees all in a row with no undergrowth to catch you out.   The air inside the plantation takes on a heaviness with sound no travelling far, eerie feeling as well, great place for hide and seek in the plantation. There is a walk down to the creek that goes around in a loop and the ground is not steep so it is good for a light walk.  Next to the plantation is a grassed area with an old oak tree.  Nice place for a picnic.  There are no toilets or any other facilities here.

‘The Californian Redwood trees were planted by the Board of Works about 1930 following clearing of the original eucalypt forest. Trees planted were: Bishop Pine, Douglas Fir and Californian Redwood. Further plantings of Radiata Pine, Western Red Cedar and Redwood took place in 1960–63. The plantations were selected for experimental purposes as part of the Board’s hydrogrogy research program.

The Cement Creek plantations provided small lots in which to study the canopy interception results in comparison with native forest trees in the Coranderrk area. The results of experiments are not known.

 Why are they significant?

The Californian Redwood trees are significant because of the history and extent of the plantation. There are over 1476 trees ranging from 20 metres to the tallest being 55 metres. They are in good condition and as they are planted in a grid are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. They are a contribution to the landscape by the sheer number of trees as well as containing possibly the tallest and most interesting Sequoia sempervirens in Victoria.’

Directions

You can find this fascinating area by driving through Warburton, following the Warburton Highway until it becomes Woods Point Road. After about 7 km, look for Cement Creek Road on the left. This is unsealed and a little rough in places, but 0.7 km along you will find a small parking area on the right along a fenceline and small gate barrier. Walk through the barrier and there you are! Some great photo opportunities here.

Additionally, walking through the plantation will lead you down to the river where there are walking tracks each way.

The following is information collected by Bob Padula. This is one of many walks that he has collected information about.

“The Cement Creek Plantation is of State significance due to its associations with the extensive revegetation program conducted by the MMBW in the 1920s and 1930s, following clearing of areas of the forested catchments through fires and logging.

It is now Heritage Listed within the Victorian Heritage Database.

It is located about 8 km east of Warburton, on the Cement Creek Rd, and a small car park is located outside the gated entrance to the Plantation Reserve.