Situated north west of Maffra in the foothills of the Victorian Alps. The Avon River winds majestically through the 5700 ha. reserve, over time sculpting beautiful gorges from the surrounding landscape. Complementing this is dry open forest with a diversity of wildflowers as well as rocky escarpments and several high peaks with sweeping views of the surrounding area.
The Channel is the centrepiece of the reserve; a magnificent gorge created by the Avon River carving its way through the silt and sandstone over millennia. The steep sides of the gorge are covered in native vegetation, with shady Casuarinas in abundance. Crags punctuate the riverbed, creating a system of pools and rapids that provide important habitat for aquatic life.
The Avon Mount Hedrick Scenic Reserve also offers some great mountain biking opportunities with back country trail riding. Mostly created by motorbikes but offering a unique riding experience over rocky, technical terrain. With trails such as Middle Track, Last Hurrah, Stairway to Hell, Zimmy's Descent and Caves Track to explore, the Avon Mount Hedrick area is perfect for the adventure rider.
The reserve provides for a variety of activities including picnicking, camping, walking, sightseeing, horse-riding, fishing, swimming and car touring.
Perhaps the biggest story to come out of Gippsland in the 1840s was the search for a lost white women said to have been held captive by some Gunaikurnai people. Local legend has it that in the 1840s, a young woman, the sole survivor of a shipwreck off the nearby Ninety Mile Beach was taken and held captive by the local tribe of Bratwoloong, who inhabited this part of Gippsland.
The story of the captive white woman developed a life of its own, spawning numerous myths, with various versions even claiming a sighting of a white woman being hurried away. This lead to search parties consisting of Angus McMillan’s men and Native Police pursuing Gunaikurnai people to try to rescue her. The woman, if she ever existed, was never found. A ship’s figurehead however, was recovered, leading to speculation that it may have been mistaken for the white women.
This White Woman of Gippsland story is believed to have been used to justify the killings of many Aboriginal people, particularly the Gunaikurnai. Massacres of the Gunaikurnai led by McMillan occurred at Nuntin, Boney Point, Butchers Creek, Maffra and at other unspecified locations throughout Gippsland. A massacre at nearby Warrigal Creek is recognised as one of the worst in Australian settlement history.