For 40 years, the Friends of Morwell National Park have quietly worked to protect one of Gippsland's hidden natural treasures that according to volunteers "punches well above its weight".
Through countless volunteer hours the group has helped care for the park's rich forests, wildlife and unique biodiversity – building a legacy that stretches across generations.
Morwell National Park is home to an extraordinary amount of biodiversity.
The park provides important habitat for Strzelecki koalas, a genetically significant population which hasn't been affected by inbreeding, while the sound of superb lyrebirds, whose remarkable mimicry echoes through the gullies and dense fern understory, is never far away.
Protecting that habitat has been the major focus for the Friends of Morwell National Park over the decades.
Ken Harris is one of the volunteer group's founding members, and has spent the past 40 years inspecting almost every corner of Morwell National Park, documenting the extraordinary life found within its forests.
Photo: Ken Harris is one of the founding members of the Friends of Morwell National Park.
Ken, who grew up in England, became infatuated with Morwell National Park on his very first weekend in Victoria back in 1985.
"I was leant a car, and I thought 'right, Wilsons Prom is high on my list, let's go'," Ken said.
"I didn't know the way, so when I saw a sign that said Morwell National Park, I thought I'd stop and check it out. I was lured by the scent of the Pittosporums, and set out on the Fosters Gully Walk where I found quite a few species of orchids."
"When I got back to the carpark I met the local ranger, Ian Roche, who took me back into the park to show me another orchid, and gave me a list of the plants and animals that had been recorded here – I've been connected with Morwell National Park ever since."
