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Tyers River
The southern slopes of the Baw Baw Plateau are the source of the Tyers River, named after Charles James Tyers, Victorian Government surveyor, who surveyed a route from Melbourne to Traralgon in 1847. The plateau, called "Bobo" by the aborigines, meaning big boulders, is characterised by large rounded granite rocks. This granite is the same geological formation as that which outcrops at Wilsons Promontory, where similar granite boulders can be seen.
The West Tyers, Middle Tyers and East Tyers river branches tumble steeply downwards through forests to where they merge at Tyers Junction, now site of the Caringal Scout Camp. This area is now dissected by the South Face Road, linking Mt Baw Baw to Rawson. A particular feature of this spectacular road is the huge concrete bridge over the Western Tyers Cascades.
Since the early 1900s the forests around the Tyers River have been a great source of mountain ash and alpine ash for timber mills centred around Erica. The Forests Commission of Victoria established a large operation with a rail line from Tyers Junction to Erica, through until the 1950s. This alignment is now a Rail Trail for walking and bike riding from Collins Siding near Erica to Tyers Junction. Many interesting relics from this era can be found at the Erica Recreation Reserve and in the Erica pub.
From Tyers Junction the river flows south through the Moondarra State Park and the picturesque Seninis Campground to Moondarra Reservoir, approximately following the Moe-Erica road and the former Walhalla railway line.
Moondarra Reservoir was constructed in 1959~62 primarily as an urban/industrial water supply storage for the Latrobe Valley, with a 41m high dam wall. The area inundated by this reservoir included part of the Walhalla railway and the former township of Gould. A notable building from this township, the Cecil Inn, was relocated to the picnic area near the dam, and is now a recreation shelter for day visitors.
Below the dam, the river passes through Tyers State Park, proclaimed in 1986, which encompasses the Tyers River Gorge. The steep, craggy conglomerate rock faces are popular for abseiling. Overlooking the 100m deep gorge is Petersons Lookout, named after a leading member of the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists. The Lookout has walkways and viewing platforms, and is accessible by car from the W2 track in summer and autumn only.
The only 4WD track fording the Tyers River is W12, which can be hazardous because it often becomes washed out on the southern bank. Also within the Park is a disused limestone quarry, which in the 1970s and 80s supplied the Gippsland Cement factory in Traralgon.
Just before the river reaches the Moe-Glengarry road bridge is Wirilda Environment Park, named after the wirilda wattle found in the area. This Park has picnic facilities and a swimming hole in the river where there is a weir originally constructed for a pump station. This pump station, which is still operable, was built in 1908 to provide Traralgon's water supply prior to the building of the Moondarra dam. From here, the Wirilda Walking Track is a challenging day walk following the river upstream, including several river crossings, to the Moondarra dam.
A further few kilometres downstream, near Maryvale north of Morwell, is where the Tyers enters the Latrobe River.
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