The VPIC hotline has received 176 calls about mushroom related poisoning so far this year, double the number they received in 2019. Last year's numbers were higher still, with 287 calls.

Victorian Poisons Information Centre manager at The Austin Rohan Elliott attributes 2020's spike to "a combination of excellent mushroom-growing conditions plus higher numbers of people out walking in the parks and gardens".

"We had a very wet late summer and early autumn plus the lockdowns," Mr Elliott said.

At the start of mushroom season each year the Department of Health releases a warning to urge people in Melbourne and regional Victoria not to collect wild mushrooms. This year they warned of particularly ideal growing conditions for poisonous mushroom varieties.

"This year I don't think we can attribute it to lockdown, as most of the calls were prior to the current lockdown. But we did again have very good growing conditions with a warm and wet autumn," Mr Elliott said.

Ecologist and mushroom expert Dr Alison Pouliot said there is one mushroom variety in particular that she would guess is the cause of the increase in calls.

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"I would say a big reason is to do with the Yellow Stainers, or Agaricus Xanthodermus," Dr Pouliot said.

"Because it's very common in urban areas, on nature strips, parks, gardens and track edges where it is very abundant, this particular poisonous mushroom is one that people confuse with the field mushroom."

Dr Pouliot said all edible mushrooms have a "doppelganger" or poisonous lookalike. She encourages people who want to start foraging to learn about one or two mushroom species very well instead of many superficially.

Another particularly dangerous mushroom that has not yet been recorded in Ballarat or Daylesford, but has been spotted growing in the Castlemaine and Bendigo area, is the Death Cap.

"You only need a very small dose and even if you don't die from it, it causes very big liver damage," Dr Pouliot said.

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