The 20 ha of bushland is centred around a low wooded dolerite hill, 190 m high, with rocky slopes down to the valley of Nelson Creek on its eastern side and a smaller tributary, the White Gum Valley creek, to the south. The hill has an open grassy top, with a lookout which gives an extensive view to Buckland, the Three Thumbs near Orford, and the rolling country to the east – a pleasant place to sit or have a cuppa. The Hilltop Loop Track takes you to the Lookout and back, beginning from the picnic shelter and going via the top of the quarry, a distance of about 500 m, with some steps – allow 20-30 minutes.

A second short walk, White Gum Loop Track, begins from the Memorial Garden area, and takes you down the White Gum Valley, under some impressive big white gums, to Nelson Creek and return. This valley is a favourite place for birds, of which more than 40 species have been seen. Allow about 30 minutes for this gentle round trip.

A longer circuit walk can be done from the hilltop, taking you down the steepish zig-zag Wallaby Track to the east, thence along the flattish Wombat Track around the bank of Nelson Creek to the White Gum Valley. Along the way, watch out for the delightful Pebble Pool (signposted) in Nelson Creek, a permanent pool of crystal clear water in a bed of round dolerite pebbles (perfect for small children to throw!), with sloping bedrock buttresses at the top end – a perfect resting place on a hot day. Walking time for the complete circuit varies from 30 minutes to an hour or so, depending on how long you linger.

The main eucalypts present on the block are bluegum (E. globulus) on the higher slopes, white peppermint (E. pulchella) and black peppermint (E. amygdalina) on the rocky slopes, and white gums (E. viminalis) along the valleys. The main understorey shrubs are black wattle (Acacia mearnsii), silver wattle (A. dealbata), blackwood (A. melenoxylon), broadleaf hopbush (Dodonea viscosa), and drooping sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata), while the riverine flora features yellow bottlebrush (Callistemon pallidus), caterpillar wattle (Acacia mucrontata), dogwood (Pomaderris apetala and P. elliptica), prickly moses (Acacia verticellata), and woolly teatree (Leptospermum lanigerum). In addition, there are thirty or so smaller shrubs, 25 herb species, about thirty grasses, sedges and lilies, several orchids, and five known fern species (including the rare Pleurosorus rutifolius).

Some important plant communities are the Eucalyptus viminalis grassy woodland down the White Gum Valley, the Eucalyptus globulus grassy woodland around the upper slopes of the hill, the Themeda triandra (kangaroo grass) grassland above the lower dam, and the Poa grassland on the hill top.

The Hilltop Lookout & The Hilltop grassland (Poa labillardierei) 

A group of White Gums (Eucalyptus viminalis) on White Gum Loop & The Pebble Pool in Nelson Creek – a delightful place on a hot summer’s day