Shiraz Republic is within easy bike riding distance to remnants of the Box Ironbark forest that once stretched from Stawell to Chiltern across the northern side of the Great Dividing Range. The Heathcote-Graytown National Park, Redcastle State Forest and Cornella State Forest are all accessible by car and bike and offer vistas of Ironbarks, grass trees and wildflowers, plus sightings of birds, wallabies, emus and goannas and VERY FEW humans.

More info can be found via a very informative PDF hidden in DELWP archives or in this historical and scientific article