Aire Valley Redwoods

Aire Valley Redwoods is a planted grove of Coast Redwoods on the sheltered river flat at Aire Valley Reserve, beside the Aire River in Great Otway National Park. The straight trunks rise over a quiet forest floor; across the river, native wet forest and tree ferns make a striking contrast.

Follow the informal paths between the planted rows and look toward the river for the contrast between redwoods and native forest. For a photo, stand among the trunks and aim upward to pull the straight lines into the canopy; the river and tree ferns give you a wider view from below.

Victorian foresters planted the Coast Redwoods here in 1936 as an experiment in the Aire Valley Plantation. The sheltered, fertile river flat helped them thrive. Their orderly rows still show that this is a historic plantation, not a naturally formed old-growth redwood forest.

The plantation has a human history, too. In 1948, a camp was established beside the grove for displaced people who had come to Australia after World War II. Residents lived in huts while working in the valley’s forestry program. The camp was gone by the early 1960s, leaving the trees as the clearest reminder of that chapter.

This is a picnic stop, with parking nearby. Bring food and drinking water; no on-site food service or potable water was confirmed. Toilet availability is unclear, so check before relying on one. Mobile reception is unavailable, so download directions before leaving coverage. The ground can be uneven or slippery, and Parks Victoria warns that limbs or trees can fall. Dogs are not allowed.