Grants Picnic Ground bird feeding ban at the popular Dandenong Ranges park

Bird feeding at a popular Dandenong Ranges tourist destination has officially been banned. Find out what sparked the controversial decision.

Cockatoos at Grants Picnic Ground in Kallista.

Visitors will be banned from feeding birds at a popular Dandenong Ranges tourist destination.

Parks Victoria has finally acted after years of complaints from the community and will stop people from feeding birds at Grants Picnic Ground from February 2020.

The long-awaited decision was made after Parks Victoria noticed the feeding had attracted cockatoos and birds of prey over the smaller, more colourful birds.

Conservation best practice and national park guidelines were also factors.

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Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader has previously reported on the increasing numbers of cockatoos.

The birds have wreaked havoc in the hills, chewing at property and structures including verandas, fences and powerlines.

Upwey’s Kaz Mackay made legal history in 2008 when she fought her insurance company after it refused to uphold her claim for damage caused by the cockatoos.

The Victorian Ombudsman ruled that she should be fully compensated.

Cockatoos and birds of prey have overtaken other birds at Grants Picnic Ground.

Ms Mackay said it was good news cockatoos will no longer be fed at the park.

“They’re not native to this area. They’ve been bred into this place and it’s upset the ecological balance of the area,” Ms Mackay said.

“All feeding, including in back yards, of native birds should not be encouraged.”

Cr Len Cox said he was pleased with the decision.

He said it was mainly white cockatoos being fed at the grounds, which was not necessary.

“I’m fond of them, they’re beautiful birds but they don’t need to be fed.

“They’re mischievous birds with a lot of time on their hands and they wander around some timber houses and chew them instead,” Cr Cox said.

Parks Victoria spokesman Dr Mark Antos said bird feeding had impacted the biodiversity of the site.