Kara Healey

Tarra-Bulga National Park: A Century of Conservation

Early Beginnings

Tarra-Bulga National Park is among Victoria’s oldest national parks, with its origins dating back to the early 1900s. Initially, the area consisted of two separate parks: Bulga Park, reserved in 1904, and Tarra Valley, established in 1909. These two parks remained distinct until 1986, when they were merged to form the present-day Tarra-Bulga National Park. Today, the park covers just over 2,000 hectares, a significant expansion from its modest beginnings of 20 hectares for Bulga Park and 63 hectares for Tarra Valley.

Celebrating Milestones

In 2004, the centenary of Bulga Park—the foundation of the current national park—was commemorated with a series of events. These included a Heritage Picnic Day, a Centenary Day, the launch of a booklet detailing the park’s history, and a special BBQ marking the 10th anniversary of the Friends of Tarra-Bulga National Park Inc. The year concluded with celebrations honouring the park’s rich heritage.

Five years later, the centenary of Tarra Valley was observed with a different approach. Rather than hosting large public events, the focus shifted to recognizing the individuals who shaped the park’s legacy. Special attention was given to Kara Healey, whose life and work in Tarra Valley left an extraordinary legacy.

Honouring a Pioneer

Kara Healey is celebrated as Victoria’s first woman ranger and an exceptional naturalist. Her dedication to Tarra Valley and her pioneering contributions to conservation have left a lasting impact on the park and its community. The second centenary celebration fittingly honoured her achievements.

Research Report, National Herbarium of Victoria

Kara Healey was known for collecting various botanical and invertebrate specimens, including 160 types of toadstool and over 80 moss species. She discovered two fungi, Poria healeyi and Lambertella healeyi, both named after her. No collection records were found at the National Museum of Victoria, University of Melbourne, or CSIRO, as these were moved to the National Herbarium of Victoria in 2000. This report reviews the Herbarium’s records from Tarra-Bulga National Park, focusing on Kara Healey’s collection to update the park’s flora listings.

Royal Botanical Gardens Report (pdf format (786 kb)

Kara Healey Project-Monitoring Project

This project uses time-lapse photography to track ecosystem changes in selected areas of Tarra-Bulga National Park. For more information, please view the full project details.

Photo-monitoring (Word file 54 kb).

Detail of the Photo-Monitoring Manual

Aerial view of Photo Monitoring sites

Click for larger image

View Photo Monitoring data collection- Word file (24 kb)