The Yarran Dheran Advisory Committee is a passionate team of community volunteers, appointed by the City of Whitehorse under the Local Government Act 1989.

Working hand-in-hand with the Council, our role is simple but vital: to care for, guide, and enrich this precious 7-hectare bushland reserve nestled in the Mullum Mullum Valley.

Every Sunday, you’ll find our dedicated volunteers hosting the Information Centre - where signature events, working bees, guided walks, bird and frog surveys, and community education programs take shape.

Beyond preserving the ecological values of Yarran Dheran - its flora, fauna, creek systems, and wildlife corridors - we also nurture public connection through events, guided walks, and citizen science initiatives like Waterwatch and Quarterly Frog Surveys.

In short, the Committee is the go-to crew for anyone eager to contribute, learn, or just soak in the calming presence of this true-blue bushland haven - only 20 km from Melbourne’s CBD.

Community members, students, and nature lovers of all kinds are warmly welcomed.

The Mullum Mullum Creek area would certainly have been occupied by the Wurundjeri people before European settlement of the area. Until recently there had been no direct evidence of their occupation of the area around Yarran Dheran, but during the construction of the Deep Creek Road bridge over the Mullum Mullum Creek in 2001 a greenstone Aboriginal axehead was found.

Before the first freehold land sales in the Nunawading area in 1850, the first European settlers were mostly involved with timber and charcoal burning.

August Schwerkolt acquired land now broadly including Yarran Dheran, Schwerkolt Cottage and Antonio Park in 1861. He built his cottage using stone quarried in Yarran Dheran. The Antonio family acquired the land which continues to bear their name and grew flowers and vegetables for Melbourne markets.

Stone quarrying operations in Yarran Dheran on a commercial basis are likely to have begun in 1893 and seem to have continued until 1955.

The Mitcham Municipal Tip operated in Yarran Dheran, finally closing in 1963, after which time the Nunawading Council decided to redevelop the area as a bushland reserve, with high levels of community interest and support during 1970-1994.

The Mullum Mullum Creek area was first designated as a freeway reservation in 1969. This had the unintended consequence of protecting the valley from urban development during the many years of confusion and controversy surrounding the freeway proposal and the building of Eastlink.

When the exact location of the proposed freeway was identified, strong community opposition over many years resulted in a political agreement by the Victorian State Government to build two tunnels as part of Eastlink to protect the Mullum Mullum Valley, extending from Park Road Donvale to Deep Creek Road Ringwood

The bushland of the Mullum Mullum Valley, with the Eastlink Tunnels beneath it, continues to be recognised environmentally as forming part of a significant wildlife corridor along the Mullum Mullum Creek, downstream to Templestowe and the Yarra River.

The creek is one of the few urban creeks which has not been barrelled or channelled. The creek, the ponds, and the bushland in the valley provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife, some of which is unique within Whitehorse.

Yarran Dheran is enjoyed by the community for its bushland. Its environmental values form the basis of a range of environmental activities and programs led by Whitehorse, the Yarran Dheran Advisory Committee, and the community.

For a more detailed history of Yarran Dheran, see History of Yarran Dheran