Sherbrooke Forest, Wet sclerophyll forest in Victoria, Australia
Sherbrooke Forest is a wet sclerophyll forest within the Dandenong Ranges National Park in Victoria, Australia, dominated by tall Mountain Ash trees that form a high closed canopy. Below the canopy, dense tree ferns, climbers, and low shrubs cover the ground in layers that stay moist throughout the year.
Victoria's government set aside this area as a conservation reserve in 1958, aiming to protect its native plant communities. It was later incorporated into the Dandenong Ranges National Park, which strengthened its long-term protection.
Sherbrooke Forest is known locally as a place where people come to walk and listen, especially to the calls of lyrebirds hidden among the tree ferns. Many visitors slow down and stand still on the trails, waiting to catch a sound they cannot immediately identify.
Several marked walking trails cross the forest and connect shaded picnic areas along the way. Visiting on a weekday tends to be quieter, as the forest can get busy on weekends and during school holidays.
The lyrebirds found here can reproduce not just other bird calls but also sounds like chainsaws or camera shutters they have previously heard nearby. Recordings made in this forest have been used in scientific studies on animal mimicry.
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