Budj Bim National Park

Budj Bim National Park, formerly called Mount Eccles National Park, is a national park located in the Western District of Victoria.

It spans approximately 5,470 hectares and is situated about 270 km west of Melbourne and 15 km southwest of Macarthur. The park is named after Budj Bim, a significant area within the park that holds national and global importance. This is due to its historical significance to the Gunditjmara people and the extensive aquaculture systems created by Aboriginal Australians thousands of years ago.

Budj Bim, previously known as Mount Eccles, is a prominent feature within the national park. It is the site of one of the most recent active volcanoes, formed around 40,000 years ago with the most recent eruption occurring 8,000 years ago. Budj Bim is a picturesque hill surrounded by lush vegetation and is home to Lake Surprise, a small volcanic crater. The park is also known for its lava tubes.

In 2004, the park was declared part of the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019 for its significance in Indigenous history and geology. The park is jointly managed by Parks Victoria, the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (GMTOAC), and the Winda-Mara TOAC. This management arrangement is a result of the Native Title Settlement Agreement established in 2007 between the Victorian Government and the Indigenous Australians in the area.

During the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, fires broke out within the Budj Bim Cultural Heritage Landscape newline.