Community
23 October, 2025
Club says naturally seek out treasures
A great place to see local flora is the Wax Garden.
DID you know St Arnaud is home to some of Australia’s most fascinating plants and wildlife?
Much of natural heritage often goes unnotice, but the St Arnaud Field Naturalists Club wants to share just how special the region is.
The club says one of the highlights is the Blue Mallee, found in only a few places in Australia – predominantly around West Wyalong in New South Wales, and in St Arnaud, Bendigo and Stawell.
Even within the town, people can admire several magnificent Lemon-scented Gums, their smooth white bark and fresh scent a reminder of their rainforest origins in coastal New South Wales and southern Queensland.
A great place to see local flora is the Wax Garden. Declared a Flora Reserve in 1972, this unique site has been carefully protected and maintained by the Field Naturalists Club and Parks Victoria.
It’s not just plants that make the area special – the birdlife is equally remarkable.
Over the past decade, some 47 species have been recorded here for the Bird Atlas, including a number of rare and threatened woodland birds.
The critically endangered Regent Honeyeater, once more common in the region, was sighted here in the last decade, and the rare Painted Honeyeater (Grantiella picta) has also been recorded nearby.
For bird lovers and bushwalkers, the St Arnaud Range National Park offers plenty of forest tracks and opportunities to spot native species. Access to the Wax Garden Reserve is via Centre Road, which can be reached from either the Wimmera Highway or Lock Road.
To explore further, the St Arnaud Visitor Information Centre also has a brochure with more details about history and the species people might see.
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