the town in both the local senior and junior leagues in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League. The town's other sporting teams include netball, cricket, tennis, equestrian, basketball, athletics and soccer. A BMX track was constructed along Alma Treloar Reserve where it was opened to the public in 2020. Township Committee Cockatoo has a committee that lobbies local and state governments for funding and local recognition of the town; the committee meets monthly and discusses local issues and projects. Transport The area is served by bus route 695 operated from Belgrave by Ventura Bus Lines. This service is extended to Westfield Fountain Gate shopping centre on Friday/Saturday (695F) and to Dandenong Market on Tuesdays. This route is about to undergo an extensive overhaul including operating to a 40-minute frequency on weekdays until 10 pm. Other improvements include a new Sunday timetable and a Saturday timetable operating from 6 am to 10 pm. Cockatoo is indirectly served by route 838 (Emerald to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre via Berwick) provided by Cardinia Transit, which connects with route 695 at Emerald. Cockatoo has a railway station on the Puffing Billy Railway. The Puffing Billy service generally runs once or twice daily and continues from Cockatoo to Gembrook. Cockatoo station consists only of a platform with a small (non-original) station building which is usually unstaffed. Wright Forest Wright Forest, often referred to locally as Wright's Forest, a 161-hectare reserve to the northwest of the town, is managed by Parks Victoria and is a fauna sanctuary. The forest has scars of the Ash Wednesday fires that swept through the area in 1983 with some trees still showing charred bark. The forest is home to many animal species such as the brushtail possums, wombats and many bird species. The forest has many tracks for bush walkers, the main one being the Emerald to Gembrook trail. This recently came under fire for its title as a beginners' walking trail; lack of signage left some walkers lost and its steep gradients resembled an experienced walking track. Other trails wind through the forest and are colour-coded. See also Shire of Pakenham – Cockatoo was previously within this former local government area. Cockatoo railway station References External links Eastern Dandenong Ranges Wright Forest (Parks Victoria) Australian Places - Cockatoo Cockatoo Primary School Towns in Victoria (Australia) Shire of Cardinia