Monument Hill Management Plan 2024-2034
Orientation
Monument Hill Reserve is a 76 hectare Crown land reserve east of Kilmore town centre, about 60 km north of Melbourne, within the Goulburn Broken Catchment. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The 2024-2034 plan is a ten-year management framework prepared by Practical Ecology for Mitchell Shire Council and finalised on 26 June 2024. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan is not only an open-space improvement document; it is a risk-management instrument for a reserve that combines biodiversity conservation, bushfire exposure, heritage obligations, informal recreation, visitor safety, and illegal-use enforcement. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Its core planning significance is that it converts a general conservation reserve into a zoned management program with priorities, resource bands, responsible parties, and monitoring requirements. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan should be read with Mitchell Shire Environment Strategy 2014-2024, Mitchell Shire Climate Emergency Action Plan 2023, Kilmore Structure Plan, Mitchell Shire Planning Scheme, and the Monument Hill Reserve Fuel Management Plan. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Source Basis
This page uses the extracted text file msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt as the primary source because it includes source metadata and the full plan text. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The duplicate extracted file msc-monument-hill-management-plan_2024_2034_ek.txt appears to contain the same June 2024 Practical Ecology plan. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan_2024_2034_ek.txt)
The plan states that it was informed by the Monument Hill Reserve Management Plan Background Report by Practical Ecology in 2023, ecological assessments, databases, policy documents, legislation, and engagement with Council, stakeholders, and the community. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The underlying background report is cited in the management plan, but it has not been separately read for this page unless present under the required filename filters. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan also relies on earlier technical evidence including Abzeco 2021, Mitchell 2011, TREC Consulting 2021, GHD 2021, and Alison Pouliot’s 2020 fungi survey. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Governance And Land Status
The reserve is Crown land owned by the Victorian State Government under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
DEECA is the deemed landowner on behalf of the State, and Mitchell Shire Council is appointed as Committee of Management. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
That status matters because Council is not simply acting as a municipal open-space provider; it is managing reserved Crown land according to the reserve purpose and State public-land determinations. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Land Use Activity Agreement under the Taungurung Recognition and Settlement Agreement became legally effective on 11 August 2020 and applies to an area including Monument Hill Reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The LUAA gives the Taungurung Land and Waters Council procedural rights over proposed activities on Crown land, with stronger rights where activities have higher impact on Traditional Owner rights. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan therefore makes Taungurung engagement a delivery dependency, not a discretionary consultation add-on. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan identifies VEAC and earlier LCC land-use determinations as relevant to the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The LCC guidance cited in the plan says the Monument Hill Reserve Bushland Area must be preserved in any management plan and that only informal recreation is allowed on Monument Hill. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
This creates a hard planning constraint against intensive recreation or built open-space uses that would undermine the bushland purpose. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Planning Scheme Controls
Under the Mitchell Shire Planning Scheme, Monument Hill Reserve forms part of the Kilmore Historic Outdoor Recreation Precinct. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The precinct also includes the Kilmore Hospital Reservoir Reserve, Kilmore Golf Course, and Kilmore Cricket and Recreation Reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The reserve is zoned Public Conservation and Resource Zone. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The PCRZ purpose is to protect and conserve the natural environment and natural processes for historic, scientific, landscape, habitat, or cultural values, while allowing facilities for education and interpretation with minimal degradation. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Within the PCRZ, the plan states that permits may be required for buildings or management activities such as interpretive signage or new tracks. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Council’s role as land manager gives it discretion to grant permit exemptions for actions outlined in the management plan. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
This means the plan can reduce procedural friction for its own actions, but it also increases the importance of clearly scoped actions and impact assessment. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The entire reserve is covered by the Bushfire Management Overlay. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan says current management objectives and practices within the reserve do not require a permit under the BMO. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The whole reserve is also covered by Significant Landscape Overlay Schedule 1 for the Kilmore Historical Outdoor Recreation Precinct. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
SLO1 recognises the precinct as a culturally significant landscape continuously used and developed for public outdoor recreation since 1853. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
SLO1 requires attention to the scientific importance of Monument Hill and conservation of the Hume and Hovell Monument, walking tracks, the lake, golf course, cricket ground, and associated interpretive signs. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
SLO1 makes removal, destruction, or pruning of native or historically exotic vegetation, and fence construction, permit-sensitive except for stated exceptions such as emergency works, fire protection, CaLP land management, pest-animal burrow management, and Traditional Owner activities. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Vegetation Protection Overlay Schedule 1 applies to vegetation on either side of Monument Road. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
VPO1 seeks to protect significant vegetation, preserve trees and other vegetation, maintain fauna habitat corridors, and encourage native vegetation regeneration. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The planning mechanism is important because many desired reserve actions, including track works, bollards, drainage, vegetation removal, signage, fencing, and fuel management, sit at the intersection of conservation permissions and operational safety needs. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Cultural Heritage Context
The plan identifies one mapped area of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Sensitivity near the reserve’s southern boundary. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
No formal Indigenous cultural heritage surveys had been conducted in the reserve at the time of the plan. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
That absence is a material delivery risk because future track, signage, dam, revegetation, or fuel-management works may need stronger cultural due diligence than the plan itself can provide. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The reserve has significant cultural and spiritual importance to the Taungurung people, including food and resource gathering and cultural, spiritual, and ceremonial practices. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Hume and Hovell Monument is covered by Heritage Overlay HO318. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The monument was erected in 1924 to commemorate the Hume and Hovell expedition. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It is described as a rectangular tower approximately 7.8 m tall, built from coarse quarry-faced bluestone ashlar, with reused stone from the demolished Kilmore Gaol watchtower of 1859. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan states that the monument is widely believed to be on the Hume and Hovell route, but recent research has questioned that belief. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Heritage Victoria was assessing that new information in light of the monument’s inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register in 2015. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
This uncertainty affects interpretation signage, tourism messaging, and any heritage conservation management plan for the tower. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Ecological Baseline
The reserve is in a landscape dominated by residential and agricultural land where native vegetation has largely been removed or degraded. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Because it is one of the few large patches of native vegetation in the region, the reserve has a regional habitat role beyond its 76 hectare boundary. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan records 277 vascular plant species in the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Of those plants, 211 are indigenous, 57 are introduced, and 9 are Australian native species that are not indigenous to the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
That means introduced species account for about 21% of the listed vascular flora, before counting non-indigenous Australian natives as separate ecological risks. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan records 78 native fauna species and 6 invasive fauna species. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The fauna list includes 49 bird species, 15 invertebrate species, 14 mammal species, 3 reptile species, 2 amphibian species, and 1 fish species. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The reserve also hosts 114 fungi species across Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and Zygomycetes. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The fungi record is significant because fungi are treated in the plan as part of ecosystem function, nutrient cycling, plant-fungi relationships, fauna food resources, and ecosystem health indicators. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The reserve straddles the Highlands Northern Fall and Central Victorian Uplands bioregions. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
DEECA mapping identified Grassy Dry Forest and Herb-rich Foothill Forest, while on-ground assessment by Abzeco in 2021 identified Swampy Riparian Woodland as a third EVC. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Grassy Dry Forest EVC 22 occurs mainly at higher altitudes above the 400 m contour in the eastern two thirds of the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Herb-rich Foothill Forest EVC 23 represents the western third of the reserve below the 400 m contour. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Swampy Riparian Woodland EVC 83 occurs in gully areas south of Monument Hill Dam. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Grassy Dry Forest is Depleted in the Central Victorian Uplands bioregion and Least Concern in Highlands Northern Fall. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Herb-rich Foothill Forest is Depleted in Central Victorian Uplands and Least Concern in Highlands Northern Fall. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Swampy Riparian Woodland is Endangered in Central Victorian Uplands and Vulnerable in Highlands Northern Fall. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
This makes the dam and gully system a higher-sensitivity management area than the better-represented forest types. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan concludes that two EPBC ecological communities identified by the Protected Matters Search Tool, Grey Box Grassy Woodlands and White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland, are not represented in the reserve because the vegetation does not meet diagnostic criteria. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
That conclusion reduces one class of Commonwealth referral risk, but it does not remove EPBC relevance because threatened species are still present. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Threatened Species
Threatened flora recorded in the reserve include Crimson Spider-orchid, Small Milkwort, Spotted Hyacinth-orchid, Yarra Gum, Purple Blown-grass, Basalt Podolepis, and Small-flower Wallaby-grass. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Crimson Spider-orchid is listed Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and Endangered under the FFG Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Small Milkwort and Yarra Gum are listed Critically Endangered under the FFG Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Spotted Hyacinth-orchid, Purple Blown-grass, Basalt Podolepis, and Small-flower Wallaby-grass are listed Endangered under the FFG Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Sticky Wattle is listed Vulnerable under the FFG Act, but the plan notes that Sticky Wattle plants at Monument Hill are outside their natural range and therefore not protected under the FFG Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Threatened fauna recorded in the reserve include Brush-tailed Phascogale, Common Dunnart, Barking Owl, Powerful Owl, and Gang-gang Cockatoo. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Gang-gang Cockatoo is listed Endangered under both the EPBC Act and FFG Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Barking Owl is listed Critically Endangered under the FFG Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Brush-tailed Phascogale, Common Dunnart, and Powerful Owl are listed Vulnerable under the FFG Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The presence of hollow-dependent and ground-dwelling threatened fauna makes track intrusion, off-leash dogs, foxes, cats, firewood removal, and large-hollow scarcity more than amenity issues. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
These threats directly affect breeding, shelter, predation risk, and structural habitat availability. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Weed And Pest Pressures
The plan records 66 weed species in the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Eleven of those weed species are noxious under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 in the Goulburn region. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Noxious weeds listed in the plan include Slender Thistle, Spear Thistle, Hawthorn, Paterson’s Curse, Cape Broom, Sour Sob, Briar Rose, Blackberry, Pussy Willow, Gorse, and Wild Watsonia. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Controlled weeds in the list include Hawthorn, Paterson’s Curse, Cape Broom, Briar Rose, Blackberry, and Gorse. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Restricted weeds in the list include Slender Thistle, Spear Thistle, Sour Sob, Pussy Willow, and Wild Watsonia. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan also flags environmental weeds including Yorkshire Fog, English Ivy, Cape Ivy, Holly, Radiata Pine, Sweet Briar Rose, South African Weed-orchid, Spanish Heath, and Cootamundra Wattle. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Exotic grasses are a repeated mechanism of ecological decline because they suppress indigenous herb recruitment and reduce understorey diversity in Grassy Dry Forest, Herb-rich Foothill Forest, and Swampy Riparian Woodland. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan identifies European Hare, European Rabbit, Red Fox, Feral Cat, Feral Deer, and European Perch as pest animals in the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
European Rabbit is identified as a key threatening process under the EPBC Act. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Mitchell 2011 and Abzeco 2021 indicated that invasive herbivores in the reserve may be causing low recruitment of canopy species. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Red Fox and Feral Cat are especially concerning because the reserve contains Brush-tailed Phascogale and Common Dunnart. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
European Perch is present in Monument Hill Dam and was photographed by Council staff during the 2022 flooding event. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
European Perch predates native fish and is a known carrier of Epizootic Haematopoietic Necrosis Virus. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan states that the impact of invasive fauna has not been measured. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
That data gap limits the ability to choose between exclusion, control, monitoring, habitat hardening, or education as the most cost-effective response. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Recreation And Illegal Use
The reserve supports walking, hiking, jogging, horse riding, cycling, nature appreciation, and visits to the Hume and Hovell Monument. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan’s challenge list includes unauthorised motor vehicles, motorised trail bikes, unauthorised BMX and mountain-bike tracks and jumps, rubbish dumping, littering, illegal firewood collection, Monument Road pedestrian use, track erosion, domestic dogs, horse riding impacts, kangaroo management, invasive fauna, weeds, fire risk, degraded ecological components, climate change, and increased development and visitation. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Unauthorised 4WD and trail-bike activity causes soil erosion, habitat fragmentation, native vegetation degradation, weed spread, and visitor safety hazards. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan notes deterrence measures already used: bollards, boulders, signs, surveillance cameras, and increased enforcement. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Unauthorised BMX and mountain-bike tracks and jumps cause vegetation loss, erosion, habitat fragmentation, wildlife disturbance, and rider and walker safety issues. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan states that removing jumps, revegetating disturbed areas, blocking tracks, signs, and surveillance cameras have been used to discourage unauthorised riding infrastructure. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Illegal firewood collection removes coarse woody debris that provides shelter for fauna and contributes to erosion prevention. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Monument Road is used by visitors as a walking route, but the lack of dedicated pedestrian paths creates safety risk for pedestrians and drivers. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The reserve’s track network has erosion issues caused by 4WD and trail-bike use, unauthorised bike activity, increasing foot traffic, topography, soil type, and drainage. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan says the trail network was earmarked for upgrade commencing in 2024. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Domestic dogs are allowed off leash under effective control, but the plan strongly recommends leashing to protect native fauna. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
A review of laws is needed to enforce leashing, but can only be conducted after gazettal by the Victorian State Government under the Domestic Animals Act 1994. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Horse riding is allowed and contributes community value, but can cause soil compaction, erosion, vegetation damage, fauna habitat impacts, and weed spread through manure. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Community and Environment Local Law 2022 requires owners to collect and dispose of pet waste. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The local Eastern Grey Kangaroo population creates visitor and pet safety risks, and overgrazing can alter plant community structure, increase erosion, reduce habitat, and reduce floristic diversity. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The density and size of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo population are unknown, and its impact on the reserve is poorly understood. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Fire And Climate Risk
The plan describes the reserve as the largest continuous area of vegetation near Kilmore. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It warns that a fire originating in the reserve could escalate to levels and speeds that emergency services may not be able to control. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Monument Hill Reserve Fuel Management Plan was developed by GHD in May 2021 with Council, DEECA, CFA, and TLaWC. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The management plan treats implementation of the fuel plan as critical because of high fire risk and ongoing community concern. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Climate change risk is framed through rising temperatures, shifting rainfall, and more frequent or intense extreme weather such as storms affecting infrastructure and habitat. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The climate mechanism is not only ecological stress; it also affects track resilience, visitor safety, fire management, storm-event closures, and future maintenance costs. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Habitat Connectivity
The plan identifies nearby native-vegetation patches along roadsides, property boundaries, Crown land around Kilmore Racecourse, Kilmore Golf Club, Kilmore Creek, and Dry Creek. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Together these patches act as ecological corridors linking Monument Hill Reserve with other native vegetation. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Mt Piper-Monument Hill Biolink is identified as the most significant habitat corridor in the surrounding landscape. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
That biolink involved revegetation and fencing on farmland and along Dry Creek between Mt Piper and Monument Hill Reserve, originally established by the South West Landcare Group with the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan says conservation and further enhancement of the biolink should be an objective of any future municipality-wide and catchment-wide management plan. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For development assessment around Kilmore, the reserve changes the significance of off-site vegetation retention because the habitat corridor function depends on surrounding private and public land, not only the reserve itself. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Management Goals
Goal 1 is to improve ecological monitoring and data collection. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan specifically identifies gaps in endangered species population size and distribution, invasive plant spread, tree hollow abundance and distribution, Eastern Grey Kangaroo impact, and invasive fauna abundance, distribution, and impact. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Goal 2 is to protect, enhance, and restore ecological values. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan prioritises high-priority zones, Swampy Riparian Woodland, and Monument Hill Dam for conservation and restoration because resources are limited. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Goal 3 is to improve accessibility and safety. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan links that goal to formalised walking tracks, connections to town, interpretive signage, discouraging inappropriate bike and vehicle access, fuel-load management, and management-vehicle access to the dam. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Goal 4 is to minimise illegal activities. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan links this to enforcement, dog-on-lead review, and review of enforcement effectiveness. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Goal 5 is to increase project collaboration, community education, and engagement. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan connects this goal to awareness, volunteer opportunities, education, passive recreation infrastructure, gazettal discussions with DEECA, and fire-risk education. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Goal 6 is to increase recognition of historical values. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan connects this to European heritage recognition, Taungurung cultural education, and engagement with TLaWC beyond LUAA minimum requirements. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Management Zones
The plan divides the reserve into management zones based on ecological values, cultural heritage, existing infrastructure, and operational needs. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Conservation Zones are significant ecological areas where management focuses on reducing degrading factors and preserving or enhancing ecological values. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
CZ1 is the Swampy Riparian Woodland area that encompasses Monument Hill Dam. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
CZ2 covers former pine plantation areas. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
CZ3 covers the remainder of the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Asset Protection Zones cover infrastructure and fuel-management areas, with management focused on asset protection and maintenance. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
APZ1 relates to Monument Road residences and northern access. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
APZ2 relates to the above-ground powerline easement and adjacent residence. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
APZ3 relates to the telecommunication tower in a fenced compound east of the reserve boundary. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
APZ4 covers the Hume and Hovell Monument, lower carpark, picnic table, and interpretive signage 1. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
APZ5 covers the mid carpark and interpretive signage 2. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
APZ6 covers the Monument carpark, picnic table, and interpretive signage 3. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Bushfire Management Zone aims to reduce bushfire speed and intensity and protect nearby assets. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Track Management Zone includes all tracks and focuses on maintaining accessibility throughout the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
MRMZ1 is Monument Road, and MRMZ2 is the fire access track. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Zone covers the area of cultural sensitivity where management focuses on avoiding impacts. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The European Cultural Heritage Zone aligns with the Victorian Heritage Register and encompasses the Hume and Hovell Tower, with management focused on preserving the monument. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The zone structure is a practical delivery mechanism because it assigns different standards to conservation, fire, access, heritage, and infrastructure areas instead of treating the reserve as a single homogeneous open-space asset. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Action Plan Mechanics
The action plan assigns each action a goal, objective, action statement, priority, responsible party, resource allocation, applicable management zone, and timeframe. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Priority categories are Current/Ongoing, High, Medium, and Low. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
High-priority actions are defined as actions critical to safety, ecological balance and ecosystem health, cultural values, or first-stage foundations for later management actions. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Resource bands are IR for internal staff resource, $ for 0-5,000, $$ for 5,001-10,000, $$$ for 10,001-20,000, and $$$$ for $20,001 or more. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Timeframes are Short under 3 years, Medium under 5 years, Long over 5 years, and Ongoing across the management period. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan notes that all Appendix 1 budget estimates are estimates only. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The cost bands imply that the most expensive individual category is open-ended above $20,001, so Council still needs annual budget decisions before delivery certainty is achieved. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
High-priority monitoring actions include a habitat hectare assessment, five-yearly bird surveys, five-yearly spotlighting surveys, fungi surveys every five years in autumn, acoustic surveys every five years, tile surveys every five years, and vegetation quality assessments every five years. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The five-year survey cycle means the plan is designed to detect ecological change at least twice during the 2024-2034 period if actions begin early. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Habitat hectare assessment is a high-priority short-term action with a $$ resource band in CZ3. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Vegetation quality assessment every five years is a high-priority ongoing action with a $$$ per-occurrence resource band across CZ1-CZ3. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Swampy Riparian Woodland enhancement is a medium-priority medium-term action with a $$$$ resource band for CZ1. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The action to develop a targeted weed strategy for high-priority zones is high priority, ongoing, and $$$$, which indicates a major recurrent ecological-management commitment rather than a one-off clean-up. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Track mapping, track classification, track upgrades, six-monthly inspections, erosion control, directional signage, and speed-limit investigation are all embedded in the accessibility goal. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan requires monthly track inspections within fire season and inspections after significant weather events. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The action to upgrade tracks if needed to Grade 3-4 Australian Walking Track Grading System standards and DELWP 2019 Class 5e standards is high priority, medium-term, and $$$$. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Additional drainage to address erosion is high priority, short-term, and $$$$. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Investigating a 40 km/h speed limit for Monument Road is high priority, short-term, and assigned to Council. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan includes continued installation of bollards, boulders, and logs across unauthorised 4WD tracks as a current ongoing action. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It also requires unauthorised off-road trails and jumps to be removed and revegetated as soon as possible. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For dogs, the plan includes a high-priority short-term action to work toward designating the reserve as a dog-on-lead area while promoting nearby alternatives for off-leash use. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For heritage, the plan includes high-priority advocacy to Heritage Victoria for a determination on the monument’s significance. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It also requires a Conservation Management Plan for the Hume and Hovell Tower as a high-priority ongoing action with a $$$ resource band. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For Taungurung engagement, the plan includes a high-priority short-term communication and engagement framework to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into management strategies. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It also includes high-priority short-term cultural mapping focused on the identified Aboriginal cultural heritage area, with a $$$ resource band. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Development Feasibility Implications
The plan increases the strategic importance of retaining habitat corridors around Kilmore, especially links to Dry Creek, Kilmore Creek, Kilmore Racecourse, Kilmore Golf Club, and Mt Piper. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Development proposals near the reserve or corridors may face stronger scrutiny where they fragment native vegetation, increase edge effects, or increase unmanaged visitation pressure. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan identifies increased residential development and visitation as a threat because it can intensify pressure on ecological and cultural values and fragment surrounding habitats. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For developers, this means open-space proximity is not only an amenity advantage; it can also create design obligations around access, dog management, stormwater, weed hygiene, pedestrian links, and vegetation interfaces. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For Council, the plan supports requiring or negotiating better pedestrian and cycling connections between the reserve and town, especially via Kilmore Creek Walking Trail and the Kilmore Racecourse and recreational reserve track. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For infrastructure agencies, the powerline easement, telecommunication compound, Monument Road, fire access track, carparks, and dam access have defined management-zone implications. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For landowners near the reserve, the fuel-management and biolink actions create potential interfaces with weed control, invasive fauna control, fire-risk communication, and adjoining landholder engagement. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For recreation groups, the plan differentiates passive and informal recreation from unauthorised track construction or off-designated-track vehicle use. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
This distinction is important because it allows recreation access while preserving the public-land determination that only informal recreation is appropriate on Monument Hill. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Delivery Dependencies
The plan depends on Council staff capacity because many actions are allocated as IR rather than discrete funded contracts. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It depends on recurring ecological survey funding because multiple high-priority monitoring actions repeat every five years. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It depends on TLaWC engagement for track naming, fuel management, interpretive signage, traditional ecological knowledge, and cultural mapping. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It depends on Heritage Victoria because monument interpretation and conservation are affected by the unresolved question of the monument’s route significance. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It depends on DEECA where the reserve purpose or gazettal needs to change from Parks and Gardens Reserve to Flora and Fauna Reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It depends on CFA, DEECA, TLaWC, and adjoining landholders for fuel-management actions. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It depends on law-enforcement coordination and Council reporting systems to reduce illegal dumping, unauthorised access, and firewood collection. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
It depends on statutory process under the Domestic Animals Act 1994 before a dog-on-lead designation can be made enforceable. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Monitoring And Evaluation
The plan requires ongoing monitoring and evaluation to assess whether goals and objectives are being achieved, detect management issues early, evaluate resources, evaluate implemented actions, and keep the plan relevant to Council and community priorities. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan calls for adaptive management over the next ten years using collected information. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Environmental monitoring includes regular flora and fauna surveys under Goal 1. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan says ecological impact assessment may be required for proposed management actions under this plan or other documents, including the Monument Hill Reserve Fuel Management Plan Accompanying Report. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Economic monitoring requires detailed records of resource expenditure for specific actions to support cost-benefit analysis and efficient resource use. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Social monitoring requires surveys of community attitudes and detailed records of community complaints about the reserve. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
A user survey is to be conducted every five years to assess reserve use, community perceptions, and emerging challenges. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The plan recommends annual evaluation where possible using key evaluation questions. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Those questions cover action completion, stakeholder engagement, community perception, resource efficiency, changed circumstances, illegal activity trends, ecological and biodiversity effects, and whether monitoring is collecting the right information. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The strongest monitoring signal will be whether baseline knowledge gaps identified in 2024 are closed early enough to change management before 2034. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Planning Interpretation
The plan moves Monument Hill Reserve toward a conservation-first operating model, even though the reserve remains a community recreation destination. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The main policy tension is between rising visitation and maintaining ecological integrity in a reserve with threatened flora, threatened fauna, sparse large hollows, degraded understorey components, and known illegal access issues. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The management response is not to exclude people, but to formalise movement, harden appropriate tracks, improve signage, close unauthorised tracks, strengthen enforcement, and focus restoration where ecological return is highest. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The ecological priority is not evenly distributed: CZ1, high-priority zones, the dam, threatened flora areas, hollow-bearing habitat, and Swampy Riparian Woodland carry higher planning risk. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The heritage priority is similarly uneven: the Hume and Hovell Tower, the Heritage Overlay area, the Victorian Heritage Register area, and the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Zone require specific process and interpretation choices. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The biggest implementation risk is that many actions are framed as ongoing, internal-resource, or partner-dependent, which can reduce delivery certainty without annual reporting. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The second major implementation risk is that the plan identifies several unknowns, including kangaroo population size, invasive fauna impacts, hollow abundance, threatened species distribution, and absence of formal Indigenous cultural heritage survey. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
The third major implementation risk is visitor pressure from surrounding development, which may grow faster than track upgrades, enforcement, and ecological restoration. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
For the Mitchell Shire Council wiki, this page should be treated as a minor but high-signal initiative because it defines a place-specific implementation program rather than a broad municipal strategy. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Gaps And Research Queries
Confirm whether the Monument Hill Reserve Management Plan Background Report by Practical Ecology 2023 is present elsewhere in the Mitchell corpus and extract its detailed engagement, mapping, and evidence tables. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Find the GHD 2021 Monument Hill Reserve Fuel Management Plan Accompanying Report to test how fuel zones, ecological constraints, and track access standards interact. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Find the TREC Consulting 2021 Faunal Assessment to quantify hollow scarcity, survey effort, and species records. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Find Abzeco 2021 Vegetation Assessment to extract habitat hectare scores, threatened flora locations, and weed mapping. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Find Heritage Victoria’s current determination or later material on the Hume and Hovell Monument route-significance question. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Check whether formal Indigenous cultural heritage survey work or cultural mapping has occurred after June 2024. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Check whether the State gazettal process for dog-on-lead enforcement or reserve purpose change has progressed. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Check whether the 2024 track upgrade commenced, what scope was delivered, and whether Grade 3-4 AWTGS and DELWP Class 5e standards were achieved. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Check Council budgets and capital works programs for $$$$ actions, especially track upgrades, erosion drainage, targeted weed strategy, Swampy Riparian Woodland enhancement, and corridor planning. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)
Check incident records for illegal dumping, unauthorised vehicle access, firewood collection, and off-leash dog complaints to establish whether enforcement is changing behaviour. (Source: msc-monument-hill-management-plan-2024-2034-ek.txt)