[1] Much of the locality consists today of forested protected areas, variously including the Yarra Ranges National Park, Rubicon State Forest, Rubicon Valley Historic and Cultural Features Reserve, Marysville State Forest, Mount Bullfight Nature Conservation Reserve and Cathedral Range State Park.

[2] It was once home to a significant timber industry, which was connected to the railhead at Alexandra by a network of tramways.

It was severely damaged by the 1939 Black Friday bushfires and the local sawmill industry was phased out by 1953, though the forest continues to be used for logging to some extent.

[3][2][7][8] Due to its latitude and elevation, Rubicon is frequently affected by snow and chilling rains throughout much of the year.

Cloud cover is extremely heavy in the winter months, as evident by the afternoon relative humidity readings.