Includes index. The Friends of the Lerderderg set out to publish a field guide, with an historical background, of the Lerderderg River, the major tributary of the Werribee River. In doing so its aim was to raise the Victorian community's awareness of an area of pristine wilderness and regrowth forest, 40 kilometres west of Melbourne, and to encourage walkers, four wheel drivers, horse riders, and lovers of the great outdoors to use, appreciate, and learn about this environment. Illustrated with many photographs and guide maps, the book contains descriptions of walks; glimpses of its social history; an overview of the geological history; tables of gold yields from its mining era, rainfall records since records began; plant and bird species lists; and the story of the area's eventual preservation as both State Park and Heritage River. Contents include: Walking in the Lerderderg p5. History of the Lerderderg as a state park p43. Horse riding p46. Flora p52. Geology p71. Birds p80. Aborigines p96. Gold p100. Tommy Johnson p104. Beside the Crown Dam p110. Bill Matheson remembers p112. Bil and Max Graham and Len Murfit p117. Graham family at Mackenzies Flat p121. Irrigation p123. Water matters p144.