Mangalore Flora and Fauna Reserve
At the end of Mangalore Road, just off the Goulburn Valley Highway, between Seymour and Shepparton, lies the Mangalore Flora and Fauna Reserve. As it’s only 78 hectares, it’s not a huge reserve. However, this makes for a pleasant walk if you don’t like long distances.

I visited in early June as winter was just starting to bite, and apart from the quiet serenity, there wasn’t much else. I did manage to find a few teeny tiny mushrooms, but they were certainly few and far between. Considering it was damp with puddles, moss and loads of lichen, I would have thought there would be more. Unfortunately, it seems the other side of the Great Dividing Range isn’t the best spot to go fungi hunting.

Birding Hotspot
Mangalore Flora and Fauna Reserve is on eBird but barely qualifies as a ‘hotspot’. It has 156 species of birds seen, but to be a genuine hotspot, it requires 200 species or more. Typically, as is usually my experience, I didn’t see one bird on the day I was there.


Flora Walk
The flora walk at Mangalore Flora and Fauna Reserve is 3.5km long on a well-defined, firm track of sandy clay and quartz pebbles. Rated easy on walkingmaps.com.au, the track is a circuit taking you through a Grey Box Eucalypt forest with native grevilleas and acacia trees. In spring, it’s said to be a wildflower haven with the native orchids, daisies and Lillies flowering. However, the brochures say fungi are found in winter, so maybe I was there too soon. According to the same brochure, echidnas, goannas, and kangaroos also inhabit the reserve, but again, they were invisible the day I was there.


Amenities
The car park at the end of the road will take about four cars; from there, it’s an easy walk into the reserve. There are no toilets, and you must take all your rubbish with you. Dogs, 4wd and dirt bikes are not permitted.