A former Cudgewa man responsible for the early development of the Bluff Falls tourist area had the honour of re-opening the facility on Sunday after restoration work following the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.

Bill Carkeek (90) travelled from Numurkah for the event and spoke of his memories of those early works.

The bushfires of December 2019 and January 2020 burned 95 per cent of the park, destroyed almost all the visitor facilities and left major safety issues in their wake including unstable slopes and hazardous trees.

The park was reopened in 2021 but the sheer scale of the damage and severe weather events hampered rebuilding efforts.

Thanks to the collaboration between Parks Victoria and the Friends of Murray Mountains Parks volunteer group (with funding support from the Corryong Community Recovery Committee) and the efforts of the contractors campgrounds, walking tracks, viewing platforms, steps, signs and toilet blocks have all been replaced.

Chris Derrick, North East District Manager for Parks Victoria, said ” The reopening of Bluff Falls lookout, campground and visitor amenities is an important event for Parks Victoria and the turnout of more than 60 people is an indication of how deeply the local community care about this special place.

“We’re grateful to the Friends of Murray Mountain Parks for making Sunday’s celebration such a memorable event and for our longstanding relationship with this dedicated community of volunteers.”

While the infrastructure and facilities of the park have been restored, the Friends group will continue to hold working bees to undertake site remedial works and the re-establishment of plants, scrubs and trees that have struggled to regain their place in the local ecology.

“There is always something to be done and a barbecue lunch and cup of tea to be enjoyed,” a volunteer said.

“We hope that ‘with a little help from our friends’ and under the guidance of Parks Victoria we will all share in the effort and benefit from a people friendly environment.”

In his talk, Bill Carkeek recalled growing up in the Cudgewa area where he was born and was always interested in stories about the Bluff Falls and was anxious to see them for himself.

To do so he had to either make a hazardous journey from the end of the Cudgewa North road on foot and follow the creek up or cross country to actually see them as there was no road in.

“My interest continued as I grew up after graduating from Dookie College I came back to the family farm at Cudgewa. As our eight children grew up and started school, I took groups of school children, following the creek from Jack Campbell’s property through the wild raspberries and ferns to the falls.

“As my father was a councillor for the shire for 20 years, I kept pestering him to see if the shire would make a road to the falls. Eventually it happened and a good turn around and viewing area was established.

Many years later in the late 1970s I was employed part time by the Burrowa Pine Mountain Park to manage and maintain the park when there was no ranger available.”

Bill’s first job, apart from painting and erecting signs and keeping the park yard mowed and maintained, was to create steps down to the foot of the falls from the viewing area – hewing the timber and carting and mixing the cement by hand – all by himself.

“Since most, if not all the above works was destroyed by the 2020 bushfire and subsequent landslides we gather today to open the refurbished facilities for coming generations to enjoy,” Bill said.

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 29 May 2025.