# Central Highlands (Victoria) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Central_Highlands_(Victoria) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Central_Highlands_(Victoria).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Highlands_(Victoria) > Source revision: 1276841317 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Region in Australia Region in Victoria, Australia Central Highlands Region Region Country Australia State Victoria Region Grampians LGA Rural City of Ararat City of Ballarat Golden Plains Shire Shire of Hepburn Shire of Macedon Ranges Shire of Moorabool Shire of Pyrenees Government • State electorate * Eureka Lowan Macedon Melton Ripon Wendouree • Federal division * Ballarat Bendigo Corangamite Hawke Mallee McEwen Wannon Victoria's Central Highlands A log dump in the Central Highlands The **Central Highlands** subregion is part of the [Grampians region](/source/Grampians_(region)) in western [Victoria](/source/Victoria%2C_Australia). It includes the municipalities of [Rural City of Ararat](/source/Rural_City_of_Ararat), [City of Ballarat](/source/City_of_Ballarat), [Golden Plains Shire](/source/Golden_Plains_Shire), [Shire of Hepburn](/source/Shire_of_Hepburn), [Shire of Moorabool](/source/Shire_of_Moorabool), [Shire of Pyrenees](/source/Shire_of_Pyrenees).[1] The term is mainly used in a geological context to describe that part of the [Great Dividing Range](/source/Great_Dividing_Range) that is west of its [alpine areas](/source/Victorian_Alps) but does not extend to its western end in Victoria's west. The area is situated east of [Ballarat](/source/Ballarat), south of [Bendigo](/source/Bendigo), north and east of [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne), and west of the alpine areas. Major towns of the Central Highlands include [Castlemaine](/source/Castlemaine%2C_Victoria), [Creswick](/source/Creswick%2C_Victoria), [Daylesford](/source/Daylesford%2C_Victoria), [Gisborne](/source/Gisborne%2C_Victoria), [Kyneton](/source/Kyneton) and [Woodend](/source/Woodend%2C_Victoria). All these towns are located in what is usually referred to as the West Central Highlands. The more mountainous and more sparsely populated eastern part of the Central Highlands is referred to as the East Central Highlands and has extensive areas of [temperate rainforest](/source/Temperate_rainforest).[2] ## Rainforests The East Victorian Central Highlands, including some of Melbourne's water catchments, contain cool temperate [rainforests](/source/Rainforests); dominated by [myrtle beech](/source/Myrtle_beech) and [southern sassafras](/source/Southern_sassafras),[2] with an understorey of [ferns](/source/Fern) and [mosses](/source/Moss). They may also contain [eucalypt](/source/Eucalypt) trees and [blackwood](/source/Acacia_melanoxylon).[3] ### Logging and environmental impact [Toolangi State Forest](/source/Toolangi_State_Forest) The *Central Highlands Regional Forest Agreement* protects approximately 43.84% of rainforest stands in the Central Highlands of Victoria within dedicated reserves. Any rainforest that is not within these dedicated reserve is susceptible to the impacts of clearfell [logging](/source/Logging).[4] A paper published in the US-based *[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences](/source/Proceedings_of_the_National_Academy_of_Sciences)* reports that the world's most carbon dense forest is found in the Central Highlands of Victoria.[4] Logging is proceeding in very significant regions of the [Toolangi State Forest](/source/Toolangi_State_Forest), including forest that provides habitat for the endangered [Leadbeater's possum](/source/Leadbeater's_possum) such as Nolan's Gully, and forest adjacent to Sylvia Creek Road.[5] [Mount Beenak](/source/Mount_Beenak) panorama looking towards [Yarra Valley](/source/Yarra_Valley) showing extensive logging of summit, July 2013 ## See also - [Yarra Ranges National Park](/source/Yarra_Ranges_National_Park) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Victoria, Regional Development (17 May 2018). ["Grampians' Central Highlands Region"](https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/victorias-regions/grampians/central-highlands). *Regional Development Victoria*. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-vicrainforest.org_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-vicrainforest.org_2-1) ["Victorian Rainforest Network"](http://www.vicrainforest.org/chrainforest.php). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** 7 November 2003. ["Rainforest Fact Sheet"](http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/CA256F310024B628/0/A2DE9C0F7D9159CBCA257478001F9C1B/$File/Rainforest+Fact+Sheet.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110613221723/http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/CA256F310024B628/0/A2DE9C0F7D9159CBCA257478001F9C1B/%24File/Rainforest%2BFact%2BSheet.pdf) 13 June 2011 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). *State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment*, Retrieved on 4 August 2009 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-indybay_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-indybay_4-1) 16 June 2009. ["Australia: Scientists call for Protection of world’s most carbon dense Forests"](https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/16/18601913.php). *San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center*, Retrieved on 4 August 2009 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Toolangi's forest sanctuary disappears](https://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/toolangis-forest-sanctuary-disappears), The Wilderness Society ## External links - [CHSA Sports Central Home Page](https://archive.today/20121203154107/http://centralhighlands.sportslink.org.au/) - [Central Highlands at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry](https://web.archive.org/web/20090705164451/http://daff.gov.au/rfa/regions/vic-centralhighlands) [37°04′42.3″S 144°12′43.8″E / 37.078417°S 144.212167°E / -37.078417; 144.212167](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Central_Highlands_(Victoria)¶ms=37_04_42.3_S_144_12_43.8_E_type:landmark_region:AU) v t e Victoria Topics Economy Education Energy Flag Geography Geology Government History Local Government Parliament Police Politics People Rail Transport Regions Road Transport Sport Australian rules football Cricket Rugby league Rugby union Soccer Symbols Teaching Regions and sub-regions / districts Barwon South West Barwon Great South Coast Gippsland Central Gippsland East Gippsland Latrobe Valley South Gippsland West Gippsland Grampians Central Highlands Wimmera Southern Mallee Hume Goulburn Ovens Murray Central Hume Goulburn Valley Lower Hume Upper Hume Loddon Mallee Loddon Campaspe Mallee Greater Melbourne Inner Metro Inner South-east Western Northern Eastern Southern Unincorporated areas Elizabeth Island Falls Creek French Island Gabo Island Lady Julia Percy Island Lake Mountain Mount Baw Baw Mount Buller Mount Hotham Mount Stirling Sandstone Island Other districts Bellarine Goldfields Mornington Peninsula North Central Otways Port Phillip Sunraysia Victorian Alps Western District Western Port Yarra Valley Cities and towns Ararat Bacchus Marsh Bairnsdale Ballarat Benalla Bendigo Castlemaine Colac Drouin Echuca Geelong Hamilton Horsham Maryborough Melbourne Mildura Moe Morwell Ocean Grove Portland Sale Seymour Shepparton Swan Hill Torquay Traralgon Wangaratta Warragul Warrnambool Wodonga Outline Category Commons Portal --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Central Highlands (Victoria)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Highlands_(Victoria)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Highlands_(Victoria)?action=history)). 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