McIvor Highway, Junortoun
This small remnant of Box Ironbark Forest/Grassy Woodland protects one of the last remaining fragments of this type of vegetation in the area.

Manning Reserve was created in 1942 by the Junortoun Progress Association on land donated by Thomas Manning.
Thomas (Tom) James Manning
Thomas was a second-generation family member who established a profitable farm and orchard on land adjoining this site. Tom donated some of his Atlas Road property for the building of the Junortoun Hall and tennis courts on what is now known as Manning Reserve.
The Junortoun Hall and tennis courts were constructed on this site and the hall became a meeting place for Junortoun families who often hosted adjoining district families. From the early 1940s until the 1960s the hall was not only used for fortnightly dances and card evenings, but also celebratory parties of all kinds. Local musicians provided excellent dance music. The hall was removed after vandalism in 1969.
Following World War ll, tennis became a very popular sport and a club was formed with tennis courts constructed beside the hall. Weekly competitions were held until the mid-1950s. However, with population shifts, family commitments and varied work patterns, sporting interests declined and the courts fell into a derelict state and were abandoned around the 1960s.
Vegetation
Manning Reserve is comprised of Box Ironbark Forest and grassy woodland vegetation with a mixed eucalypt overstorey of smooth barked Yellow Gums, Rough-barked Grey Box and Red Box. A diverse understorey of shrubs includes Spreading Cassinia and Gorse Bitter-Pea. The seasonal ground layer herbland includes Chocolate Lilies, Leopard Orchids and Australian Stonecrop.
Wildlife
Some obvious resident bird species include White-Plumed Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds and Striated Pardalotes. Regular visitors to the reserve include Grey Butcherbirds, White-Winged Choughs and Musk Lorikeets. Less conspicuous wildlife includes Marbled Geckos, Pobblebonk Frogs and numerous invertebrates of many varieties.
Landscape
Positioned between the lower creek-line and associated floodplain (south side of highway) and the higher undulating rises to the north (Wellsford Forest), this small remnant of Box Ironbark Forest/Grassy Woodland protects one of the last remaining fragments of this type of vegetation (and its inhabitants) that was once found in this ‘middle ground’ zone that has now been extensively cleared. The transition from creek-line to undulating rises is shaped by subtle changes in topography, geology, and soil moisture.
Acknowledgement
The Junortoun community would like to acknowledge the following for their contribution to the historical and botanical information presented on this page:
- Wendy Barry - Former Junortoun Progress Association Member and President (1960's - c2000)
- Ben Goonan - Bendigo Field Naturalists Club