Welcome to Kawarren Reserve and Echidna House
“We acknowledge First Nations peoples of the lands we meet upon today – the Gulidjan People of the Maar Nation and pay respect to Elders,
past, present and emerging. we celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities
who also work and live on this land.”
Kawarren Reserve and Echidna House are located at Kawarren in the Otway Ranges, 16 kms south of Colac via the Colac-Lavers Hill Road.
Kawarren Reserve is crown land under the Victorian Government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). Kawarren
Reserve is approximately seven acres in size and includes a children’s playground, areas of bush, grassy flats fringed with old manna gums
and pockets of wildflowers. The Beechy Rail Trail and an original section of the railway passes through Kawarren Reserve. Two tennis courts,
the Loves Creek picnic ground and public toilets are all within a 100 metre walk.
The Kawarren Recreation Reserve Committee of Volunteers is responsible for the management of Kawarren Reserve and Echidna House. The
Committee receive no funds to operate the facilities and rely on a combination of ongoing fundraising and hiring out of Echidna House.
The Committee welcomes volunteers to assist with events and activities; please contact by email if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.
Echidna House/Kawarren Reserve is an ideal venue for community and private functions including meetings, workshops, conferences,
exhibitions, playgroups, exercise classes, celebration’s, outdoor events including weddings, markets, school camps and major events.
Echidna House was a former primary school first opened in 1921 and closed in 2008. Fully restored, renovated and modernised in the interior
by the local community, it is now a perfect blend of the contemporary and yester year.
There is a large car park inclusive of disabled parking and ramp access into Echidna House. Heating, air conditioning, outdoor deck and
commercial kitchen are available for use.
“We acknowledge First Nations peoples of the lands we meet upon today – the Gulidjan People of the Maar Nation and pay respect to Elders,
past, present and emerging. we celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities
who also work and live on this land.”
Kawarren Reserve and Echidna House are located at Kawarren in the Otway Ranges, 16 kms south of Colac via the Colac-Lavers Hill Road.
Kawarren Reserve is crown land under the Victorian Government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). Kawarren
Reserve is approximately seven acres in size and includes a children’s playground, areas of bush, grassy flats fringed with old manna gums
and pockets of wildflowers. The Beechy Rail Trail and an original section of the railway passes through Kawarren Reserve. Two tennis courts,
the Loves Creek picnic ground and public toilets are all within a 100 metre walk.
The Kawarren Recreation Reserve Committee of Volunteers is responsible for the management of Kawarren Reserve and Echidna House. The
Committee receive no funds to operate the facilities and rely on a combination of ongoing fundraising and hiring out of Echidna House.
The Committee welcomes volunteers to assist with events and activities; please contact by email if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.
Echidna House/Kawarren Reserve is an ideal venue for community and private functions including meetings, workshops, conferences,
exhibitions, playgroups, exercise classes, celebration’s, outdoor events including weddings, markets, school camps and major events.
Echidna House was a former primary school first opened in 1921 and closed in 2008. Fully restored, renovated and modernised in the interior
by the local community, it is now a perfect blend of the contemporary and yester year.
There is a large car park inclusive of disabled parking and ramp access into Echidna House. Heating, air conditioning, outdoor deck and
commercial kitchen are available for use.
Nature Walk
The Eucalypt Conservation, Fire Prevention
Nature Walk at Kawarren Reserve was opened in 2016 by
Kawarren Recreation Reserve Committee with
funding received from the Bjarne Dahl Trust.
The Nature Walk features information panels
detailing the various eucalypt species found within the
reserve and the fauna that may inhabit them.
Some of the eucalypts in the reserve are
magnificent specimens and more than 80 years of age.
Kawarren, like many other communities in Victoria
has a very high fire risk. The panels introduce fire
prevention methods that all people can adopt as they
care for and manage their eucalypts.
Kawarren Fire Brigade and Kawarren Recreation
Reserve Committee work throughout the reserve in
an ongoing program to reduce the fuel loads,
particularly during the summer and autumn months